Fanfiction: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan - Chapter 38.75 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 38.75  - aka a Holiday Filler

written by kakashi

Where was everyone? Shao Wan hated nothing more than to be left all to herself on this dreary mountain. The cranes were pretty entertaining, but not for long stretches of time. She had taught them a little dance. Stand on your left leg… hold. Change! Stand on your right leg …. hold. Both feet on the ground. Turn around, turn around, turn around. Peck the ground, gently peck your neighbor to the right (the “gently” had been the most difficult part to teach these birds). Peck the ground. Gently peck your neighbor to the left. Bow. Mo Yuan’s face had been priceless when she first showed him. This level of tricks was their limit however - trying to teach them to jump over each other had been a failure.

Fong Hung wasn’t overly entertaining either these days. Still growing at a steady pace, he liked to spend as much time as possible in the lotus pond, trying to catch the large, blue dragonflies that flitted among the flowers. Since she had moved into Mo Yuan’s room, he was no longer allowed to stay with her. Mo Yuan had seriously gotten it into his head that Fong Hung was behaving strangely. She didn’t think so - it was only natural that her mount would look out for her. It was good he was a bit suspicious of the God of War, who could theoretically gravely harm her in her present state. Personally, she didn’t mind the current arrangement too much, she was gaining strength and cultivation every day. However, her exile on the holy mountain was only bearable as long as Mo Yuan spent enough time with her - preferably in bed. Now that all his disciples were back and he was expected to fulfill his duties as Master of Kunlun Mountain and as the God of War, he was far too busy elsewhere. Even the promised control lessons - he had not had time to start them so far.

In her desperation, she had tried to take up reading. Kunlun had a large library, but alas! Not a single play. It was full of military classics and philosophical texts that bored her senseless. Why could these philosophers not just say plainly what they wanted to express? Why write in ambiguous riddles? Everybody knew that Mo Yuan’s father and his Queen had created the eight realms and the five upper and three lower clans because they were bored. So why had one scholar written: "It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; the named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind”? Mo Yuan’s father had not at all been nameless. And his mother had definitely NOT birthed thousands of creatures, but just the one brat.

Or there was that other one about the “Mysterious Female”:

The Valley Spirit never dies
It is named the Mysterious Female.
And the doorway of the Mysterious Female
Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang.
It is there within us all the while;
Draw upon it as you will; it never runs dry.

What valley? What spirit? What doorway?? Had anyone ever met the mysterious female? She could have asked Mo Yuan, who had taught and studied these texts for millennia, to explain it to her. Could have, but would never. She did sneak into some of his lessons though, quietly. Of course, he always spotted her right away, throwing her a warning look, but she pretended to be busy searching for something, or just to be idly passing by. She had learned that the Valley Spirit, according to Mo Yuan, was about "having without possessing”. She was pretty sure he just made that up. He also said things like the only motion in Tao was returning and the only useful quality was weakness. At that, she had laughed - loudly. What complete nonsense was he spouting?

Still, she continued to sneak into his lessons for lack of better entertainment and often joined his boys at their low tables when they copied texts. She helped herself to ink, brush and scrolls — and started to write a play, like she had promised Mo Yuan. It was far more difficult than she had imagined, but after a few days, she thought she had made good progress. Now, she was eager to read it to someone.

After searching for Mo Yuan and not finding him - he had probably gone to the mortal realm again? Would he come back with presents? - she came across some of the virginal boys, in the library. It was the White Prince that she knew from the festival, the one who was so eager to cook things she liked, and a very shy one who hardly said anything, but always blushed deeply as soon as he saw her.

“Mo Yuan’s children!” she said, delighted.

They flinched (so easily scared) and bowed, murmuring their greetings.

“I have written a play,” she announced, “and wish to read it to you. Take a seat.”

Whatever one might think about the boys, at least they were obedient. The White Prince had the highest status, she knew, being Mo Yuan’s First disciple. The other two looked to him for approval - they were most likely on an errand given by their Master - and as soon as he nodded, they all sat down and looked at her attentively.

She pulled three scrolls from her sleeve and cleared her throat a few times.

“I have not yet finished writing,” she said, to make sure they would not be disappointed when she got to the end. Checking once more whether she had their attention, she started:

“Narrator: Mr. Mo, a mighty god living disguised as a general in the mortal realm, was single and lonely. Depriving himself of almost all pleasures known to mankind, he only allowed himself to read the Book of Love, which invariably stirred his feelings and other parts of him. At midnight one day a girl appeared before him. She was pure and innocent and young as the morning dew, her clothes were as resplendent as they were transparent, and her beauty was staggering.”

She made a dramatic pause. The boys looked slightly puzzled, the one that always blushed had blushed of course, but that was all the reaction she got. She had at least expected a smile or some cheering after this interesting set-up. She frowned and continued to read, carefully giving the different characters appropriate voices.

“Girl: Mr. Mo, Mr. Mo! Marry me!

Mr. Mo: You are entirely lovely to behold and seeing you like this makes saying no very difficult. Yes! I will marry you!

(Mr. Mo steps forward and grabs the girl around the waist, the girl giggles flirtatiously)

Girl: You must know, I am different from other women. You may only see me at night, but during the day, I will always leave you. You are never to follow me!

Mr. Mo (crazy with lust for the Girl): I am not interested to have you during the day, but at night, I will have you all the time!

Narrator: They became husband and wife immediately and he had her all night, in all positions known to him. Which were many, but not all. The next morning, the Girl left, like she had said. Mr. Mo did not mind, he had some things to do and when the night came, she was back to be had all night again. This continued for some time. But then, the Girl became pregnant and a son was born.

Child: *crying, crying, crying*

Mr. Mo: Girl! You cannot leave me alone with the child!

Girl: Husband, but I told you so! I am yours at night, and not yours during the day!

Narrator: Mr. Mo gave his very best, but when the child was two years old, Mr. Mo was only a shadow of himself. One morning, desperate and foolish, he followed her.

Mr. Mo (to himself): What must I see? My wife is meeting with another? But what is this? It is not a man! It is a toad!

Narrator: What Mr. Mo witnessed was deeply disturbing. The Girl was naked in bed with a toad the size of a large dog. She kissed the toad and the toad kissed her back. Before he could witness anything more, Mr. Mo left and ran back to his son. He got very drunk that day.

Girl (arriving at nightfall): Husband, you drank all the wine and left me nothing?

Mr. Mo: Woe, woman! You have betrayed me! My rival … it is a toad!

Girl: Woe, husband! You have followed me! Now we must part forever. But before we part, I want you to take me in all possible pos-”

Somebody cleared his throat behind her. The disciples jumped to their feet and stared at what had to be Mo Yuan, their faces first going white, then deeply red. She turned around. It was indeed Mr. Mo, the mighty god, hands behind his back, lips a thin line of disapproval.

The boys fell to their knees and kowtowed. She was just about to invite him to join them for the reading of the last scroll, when Mo Yuan grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her away. She was so surprised by his rude behavior, she only got a few feeble and high-pitched words of protest out. He hauled her straight to his room, where he slammed the door shut behind them and pushed her onto the bed. Sadly, he did not look like he wanted to join her there.

“Why are you angry?” she asked.

“This is Kunlun Mountains, not some lowly teahouse!”

“Ah, don’t worry. I am sure your students don’t mind to hear about your other abilities. Don’t you know there are many plays and stories about you, in the mortal and the immortal realms?”

He was very agitated. Why was he not proud?

“The most famous is The Golden Dragon and His 24 Maidens. Do you know it? I have never read it myself, it is very hard to find, but I have heard a lot about it. I have never seen your true form but I tell you, if you’re anything like that dragon, I wouldn't mind being kidnapped by you and brought to your cave for some-“

“That’s enough,” Mo Yuan said, sounding horrified. “I do not want to know what I’m doing with 24 maidens in a cave.”

“Oh, don’t fret. You are very capable in that story. And you do things with your tail-“

He looked at her so mortified she stopped.

“You … are embarrassed?” she asked.

“Shao Wan,” he whispered, “I am a Taoist Master. I run the most famous school in all the realms. Why would someone write about my … tail?”

She did not fully understand why that would upset him so, there was nothing insulting in any of these stories, but his discomfiture suddenly moved her and she got up to hug him.

“It is a sign of appreciation,” she said, “those who do not know you imagine things about you. You are one of the most venerated and most hated Gods alive. Of course people would be interested in your tail.”

She grabbed his butt. “I’m interested in it too. Sadly, there is none.”

He chuckled.

“Will you ever show me your true form?” she whispered excitedly. “What is your color? Is it really golden?”

“If we ever go to the mortal realm together… I might,” he whispered back. “We can fly together.”

The prospect of flying side by side with a dragon thrilled her and she hugged him more tightly. “Should I finish reading “Mr. Mo and the Toad” to you?” she suddenly asked and leaned back a little to look at him.

“Hm,” he said, “I think you have to work on it some more. I’m not an expert, but some of your lines are… I cringed.”

She laughed. It was true, playwriting was not a talent of hers.

“There was one though … how did you put it? ‘He had her all night, in all positions known to him. Which were many, but not all.’ I am-”

“So you were standing there all the time?” she exclaimed.

He grinned. “My ears are excellent, Shao Wan. And Mr. Mo is interested in learning a position not known to him. Is the Girl ready? It’s not quite night yet, but maybe she’ll make an exception?”

“I will teach you, Mr. Mo,” Shao Wan said happily, “maybe you will believe me afterwards when I say: some of these plays are quite inspirational.”

Chapter 39