Fanfic: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan 2.0 - Chapter 42 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 42

written by Panda & kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft

Ye Hua leaned his back against one of the sturdy red pillars of the inner courtyard and looked up into the endless sky with its soft blue-pink hue. Midday was his favorite time of the day to be outside. With the sun gently shining down on them from exactly above, there were no shadows to sneak around in, only the untarnished bright colors of his home, the Sky Kingdom he had served all his life.

In rare moments when he stepped out of his office and let the scenery around him work its wonders, he felt almost at peace, despite the turmoil inside of him.

Contrary to what some people might think, power was not what he coveted - maybe because his status as the Crown Prince had never been challenged by anyone. But more than that, it was the prospect of serving this Kingdom fully and to rule beneficially for everybody’s benefit that drove him to do his best day in and day out. In fact, there were two things that Ye Hua would give his life for without even a moment of hesitation: his family and his kingdom.

Since he could think, Ye Hua had worked diligently to overcome all possible flaws in his character even before they had a chance to manifest. Yet, the one thing he knew he did not have full control over was his anger. It didn’t overcome him often; but when it did, it obliterated the natural calmness inside of him and supplanted it with a cold, merciless fury.

Such fury had been growing ever since he had found his wife tarnished by Demon magic.

If somebody broke Celestial Law, punishment had to follow. Or else, the ruling Clan, his Clan, risked undermining its own power, risked losing its authority. And yet, everybody was trying to convince him that he was acting on impulse? Admittedly, he was still young in comparison to all the impressive people around him. Maybe he lacked wisdom. But he could simply not comprehend that they seemed to think the law was negotiable, as much as he thought about this situation.

Ye Hua straightened his back when he finally heard footsteps approach. When they were right next to him, he stepped out from behind his pillar.

“Third Uncle,” he said and bowed to the man who had come to a skidding halt, “I have been waiting for you.”

His uncle looked startled. Quickly opening his fan, he tried to hide his expression behind it, but Ye Hua had seen it already. The startlement had been followed by guilt. Everybody was betraying him.

“Ah, Ye Hua,” Lian Song said, “yes. Yes. I wanted to speak to you too.”

“About what, Uncle?”

“Oh, things.”

There was a pause. His Uncle did apparently not think it was time for these “things”.

“Did you by any chance see Tian Shu upon his return from his mission? He was due back.”

“Yes, I have,” Lian Song coughed. “I indeed just spoke to him. I thought you have enough on your mind with your upcoming ascension trial and such.”

“That is kind, Uncle,” Ye Hua said, fighting an impulse to grit his teeth, “I notice your interest in state affairs with pleasure. What did he report?”

“He…,” Lian Song started coughing again and looked around, but there was nobody who could help him, “he and his men… found nothing. Maybe the tip off was wrong and your brother is nowhere near that mortal world.”

Ye Hua pressed his lips together. That his brother, the God of War, was a man to fear and admire, he understood. That he was someone who inspired loyalties far beyond the normal… he understood. In a way, he could not begrudge Zhe Yan and Donghua Dijun’s attempts to protect their oldest friend. He also knew that his Third Uncle’s curiosity had been piqued by the Demon Realm to a very large degree during his sojourn there, so it also was not unexpected that he was reluctant to move ahead with what was necessary. But all of this changed nothing about the fact that it was as plain as day that something had happened during the Demon Ancestor’s resurrection that had brought great damage to his wife, the future Heavenly Empress.

Who was also lying to him, like everybody else. She was the one who had had to suffer the most. That she was not telling him anything about her hardship, that she was claiming to have forgotten who had possessed her… why did she not trust him enough to confide in him?

Would his Da-Ge never cease to stand between them?

“Do you want to drink some tea?” his Uncle asked, smiling faintly.

“I want to speak to Tian Shu personally,” Ye Hue replied stubbornly.

“Oh,” Lian Song quickly said, “I sent him to another world already. I got another tip from my contact in the Demon Realm.”

Ye Hua felt like smashing something. Even his most loyal subject they had corrupted!

“Just let your older brother enjoy a few more days alone with his lover,” Lian Song suggested, “no need to rush things.”

“He is the Supreme Commander of the Celestial Forces,” Ye Hua expressed, “and I want him here and I want him to ready our armies. If we don’t find him soon, I will do it myself.”

Lian Song stared at him with narrowed eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.

“I have Tianjun’s consent,” Ye Hua added vehemently, “and I am going to do what we threatened if the culprit is not delivered within the timespan we granted.”

The culprit. The more everybody tried to stall him and change his mind, the more certain he was who that had to be. And the more certain he was that everybody knew and tried to keep it from him.

From the moment she had reappeared in the world a bit over a century ago, she had been trouble. Ye Hua remembered all too well his brother’s face when he and Bai Qian had rushed to Mount Kunlun to see what that disturbance on his wedding day had been. She had not only shaken the earth and made mountains collapse, but she had also shaken someone who had to be unshakable, by virtue of the duties given to him. But not only that, she had also brought a lot of pain into his brother’s life. Ye Hua’s heart still contracted when he thought of his brother with the shorn off hair blowing in the wind, thoroughly disgraced, the empty eyes, the curse that had almost cost him his soul a second time… and the grief. So much grief.

“What are you thinking,” his Third Uncle said softly and tapped his shoulder with his fan, “Ye Hua. Bury these dark thoughts. Talk to him.”

“I would gladly talk,” Ye Hua replied bitterly, “but as you might have noticed, my Brother isn’t here. Neither is the Demon who violated my wife, the future Heavenly Empress.”

Just yesterday, he had taken a stroll with his Qian Qian. Just yesterday, she had bumped into his force field again and he was reminded of the abomination that was still inside of her. If Zhe Yan had not sworn it was dangerous for Bai Qian to forcefully remove it, he would have ripped it out of her long ago. Dirty demon essence.

Why did his brother, one of the most venerated and most controlled immortals alive, have to fall in love with an uncontrollable Demon woman?

“Don’t pressure them too much,” Lian Song cautioned. “Neither your brother nor the Demons. I am absolutely certain you are going to regret it if you do. And not only because he is your elder brother and saved the Realms. As did she. His… wife.”

“She isn’t his wife,” it broke out of Ye Hua, but he wished he could take it back the moment this statement left his lips.

“But she is,” Lian Song said quietly and put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder, “Ye Hua, he’d do anything for her - and if I’m not mistaken, she’d do the same for him. What stronger bond do you want? Officially bowing to the Heavens and the Earth is not going to change this relationship in any fundamental way - apart from raising a few hackles up here that is.”

“Faaaaaather!” someone shouted, making Ye Hua turn around and looking towards one of the gates. It was A-Li approaching on fast feet, his robes billowing behind him, followed a bit more slowly by two of the turtle clan children.

There was another problem. The Turtles. Loyal to his brother with a tenacity that spoke for their honor, but was a rather big issue for someone who had to administer the space in the Heavens.

“A-Li,” Ye Hua smiled and opened his arms so that his son could run into the shelters of his arms. But A-Li slowed down instead and bowed, the turtle children following suit. Deprived of the chance to hug his first born son, Ye Hua felt a pang of sadness. They grew up too fast...

“Father Lord,” A-Li said excitedly, his voice high pitched and fast, “did you know that I will have cousins soon? Cousins? Real cousins! I will have to tell Gun Gun! He will be so jealous.”

“Slow down, A-Li,” Ye Hua rebuffed his son, “what are you referring to?”

“We were playing hide and seek when we very clearly overheard one of the soldiers in Yinguang Palace talk about babies in the Demon Ancestor‘s belly! It was…”

“You should not eavesdrop!” Ye Hua chided his son while feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach. Children? There were unborn children involved?

“The Demon Ancestor is pregnant?” Lian Song echoed, a wide smile spreading on his face, “and this is part of Turtle gossip? I must say, this day just got much more interesting.”

“Is it true, Uncle?” A-Li chattered on excitedly, “what are Demon children like? Do they have the same games as us?”

“I do not know this, A-Li,” Lian Song smiled, “but I am sure we will find out. What a joyous event! Father Immortal’s true born son will procreate after all. That will most certainly change the power balance of the entire Universe. Interesting times ahead. Interesting.”

“I will train harder, Father!” A-Li declared, “then I will be able to teach them how to fight!”

“Yes, A-Li, I am sure they will love to have you as their teacher,” Ye Hua said, patting his son’s head. He noticed that the turtle children had kept their eyes on the ground and their heads bowed all the time. One could think of this strange Clan whatever one wanted, but they certainly had very good manners.

“Whose children are they?” Ye Hua asked his son, watching the boy and the girl bow even deeper.

“The Turtle Leaders’!” A-Li explained proudly, “you know how many siblings they have? Close to one-hundred! I would like that many siblings as well.”

“I’m sure your Father wouldn’t mind that at all,” Lian Song smirked. “What do you say, Ye Hua? Would you like a sip of Demon liquor now? It swear to you, it gets better and better with every batch. And don’t forget, the thirty days have only just begun. I am sure we will find a solution before time is up.”

A solution? Ye Hua looked up into the everbright skies. Was there really a solution? But his Uncle was right. It was his duty as the future ruler to search for such a solution, rather than condemning an entire Clan based on a hunch and no evidence. Before following him to his palace, he bowed to his Uncle, thankful for his guidance. Wisdom… he needed more of it indeed.

***

As he lowered his breath to where her pulse beat rapidly and frantically on her throat, she could smell his fragrance through the whiff of alcohol surrounding him, the essence of him which she had never smelled on anyone else. His warm hands moved up from her stomach to her breasts and lightly grazed over her nipples. Instantly, she arched her back, demanding more, but he pushed her back unto the bed. Her nerves were alight and achingly sensitive as he simply looked at her for a long time. Only then did he lower his head to pay attention to her breasts that jutted out so fiercely, shamelessly begging for his touch. She whimpered at each pass of his tongue as he worshiped her breasts, the column of her throat, her ears and her lips. Her hips bucked of their own accord, her legs inched apart and she tried to touch herself but he had her wrists in the next moment.

“No, you won’t.” He whispered against her ear.

She shook her head in frustration, she did not want it like this! a part of her screamed. It had been long enough, with Ye Hua spiralling into an ever darker mood. It is your turn to be in control, it seemed to whisper to her. Show him, prove to him that you can be as wild as you want, the voice urged. In a fit of frustration she broke free of his hold, grabbed his head and crushed her lips to his.

It was no gentle kiss.

This was a clash of wills with her tongue and teeth and she did not stop until she heard him groan hard and low. They rolled until she was straddling him, felt his clothed length straining against her and she rolled her hips, winning another groan from him.

He sat up and tried to make short work of her robe, groaning in frustration when the ties seemed to multiply until finally in a fit of pique, he ripped it from top to bottom. At the sound, she gasped in mock dismay and slapped his chest.

“That was my favorite robe!”

“I’ll get you a thousand pairs just so I can tear them off you again,” he ground out, his voice impossibly gruff.

She smiled and ground on him and his eyes went dark with want and need, his hands firmly resting on her buttock. She unhooked them and he looked at her with eyes so dark with passion they appeared unseeing. Pulling her legs slowly from him she crawled up his body, kissing every inch she saw, his breath coming out in little bursts. She got to his mouth and gave him a thorough kiss and then crouched, slowly savoring her power over him. He looked at her questioningly, but compliant, seeming to understand that she wanted, no needed to be the one guiding him. His eyes darkened even further when she moved and positioned herself over his face - and she had barely even sat down when she felt his tongue on her aching core. The heat of him and the sharp tingle that followed set her bucking, his strong hands cupping her ass, pulling her forward as he drank her in.

She moaned as his tongue stroked, circled and teased her nub. She cried out as he sucked at her, his mouth gentle but applying a firm pressure, and felt the tension inside her start to build. She started to feel weightless, her every sensation focused on his mouth. His hands left her buttock and twined with her own, allowing her more control, steadying her even as she came apart.

She was drunk on him, her husband, this beautiful man of hers. Hers.

Her legs shook, and her hips jerked in and away from his torturous mouth, her nub was throbbing. Yet he continued giving her long strokes of his tongue, too much, her mind thought frantically and yet she came apart a second time and afterwards, needed to lie down, and catch her breath and then must have dozed off.

… but merely for a few moment. She jerked back awake, her body fully relaxed. Stretching out her hand, she grazed the taut body of the man lying next to her and the silent hiss that escaped him when she intentionally went over his shaft made her smile wickedly.

“Come here,” she called out to him, her eyes soft and full of love. Without being invited twice he swiftly moved to capture her mouth with his. His kisses were soft but she could sense the tension behind them and realized he was afraid to move too fast in case she was still sensitive. She might have been, but any trace of that had been superseded by the new heat that coiled through her body at the thought of their joining. She deepened their kiss and then reached down, taking him almost roughly into her hand.

Opening her eyes, she nipped at his lower lip and started stroking him with one hand while the other went to lightly tease his delicate sacs. He groaned deeply and became as hard as steel. Practically holding himself immobile over her, he still left her to be in control of the proceeding. Still holding him in hand, she positioned him at her entrance and started rubbing herself on him. The hard feel of him on her nub sent shock waves through both their bodies and she grew impossibly wet as she awaited his invasion. Still, he made no move to hasten things or take things faster even though she knew he was at the very end of his tether.

“Take me,” she rasped against his mouth.

His shaft went from her hand to rubbing against her clit in the span of a breath, making her cry out, her nails making deep indentations into his back. A satisfied groan escaped him and he bit and sucked on her breasts, her neck, anywhere he could get his greedy lips on. He coated himself in her lust, teasing her again. She bit back, marking him in the same way he was marking her. She hooked her legs around his waist heels on his rear and pulled him towards her desperately wet entrance. She gasped as he stretched her lips wide, slid into her, filling her completely.

Ye Hua hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her with him as he sat back on his heels still utterly sheathed inside of her. He looked from where they were joined and then into her eyes, “you are so beautiful, Qian Qian,” he made a shallow thrust, “please, I want you to touch yourself like you wanted to earlier.”

This, Bai Qian was happy to obey, and she slide two fingers into her mouth before bringing them to her taut nipples. Within her, Ye Hua seemed to grow even bigger as he ground even deeper into her with short, controlled movements and in a mindless daze, she moved her fingers to her swollen and sensitive nub. Once she started stroking herself unsteadily, he snapped his hips, setting a brutal pace, and Bai Qian screamed from the overwhelming pleasure. She could feel another orgasm on the tail of the last one, sitting on a knife’s edge, another snap of his hips, another slide of her fingers and she cried out clawing at his thighs and chest, her world turned into nothing but the two of them, her senses humming between too much and not enough.

Ye Hua hooked her legs over his shoulders and he leaned in, deliciously deep, his face was raw and open in pure unadulterated pleasure, his muscles taut and corded. She reached up and touched his sweat sheened face, ran her fingers over his dear face and her heart swelled to almost overwhelming proportions, “Ye Hua.”

He opened his eyes and turned his face into her hand, brushing a breathless kiss to her palm as he found his release with a desperate yell that seemed to shake the entire wing.

“It is a good thing we have no guards outside the room,” she said once she could catch her breath, her words still somewhat muffled as she lay content completely enfolded in his arms, her face pressed against his chest.

“But I placed some there this evening,” he replied drily.

She felt herself turn deeply red. “You could have said so!”

“They should be happy when their Crown Prince and his wife are happy,” he whispered.

“I am also happy that you are happy,” she whispered back, feeling tears enter her eyes. So much tension… but now it was gone.

“Was that the Demon essence?” he yawned contently. “We might have to leave it inside of you.”

“Ye Hua!” she slapped him gently for speaking too bluntly. But… was it?

“Did you know the Demon Ancestor is pregnant?” her husband asked her and her breath caught in her throat… before realizing he wasn’t angry, couldn’t be angry after this glorious joining.

“Yes, I know,” she said, feeling sorry she had not told him, but knowing she couldn’t have had before.

“What should I do, Qian Qian,” her husband whispered so softly she could barely understand him.

“No harm done, Ye Hua,” she replied, “can you not forgive whoever it...”

“I know it was Shao Wan,” he said resolutely, “I have known from the very beginning. Forgive? Maybe I can. But we cannot go back on a royal decree.”

“I will talk to her,” she offered, her heart beating very fast all of a sudden, “once she is well again, I will talk to her and she will come to the Heavens to set things right.”

Will she though?

“If I have to go to war against my brother,” Ye Hua sighed, “the Heavens will weep.”

“Stop even thinking that!” Bai Qian exclaimed, lifting her head off his chest to look at him, “this will not happen!”

Will it not?

“Crown Prince,” a polite voice said outside, “please excuse the disturbance, but you have an important visitor. It is the God of War who wants to speak to you.”

Chapter 43