Fanfiction: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan - Chapter 13 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

credit as tagged

Chapter 13

written by kakashi
edits by JoAnne

Shao Wan wasn’t happy. She had again lost her temper because of Mo Yuan and that fox of his who wasn’t even his fox. Before the meet-up, she had planned her revenge very carefully and, she was particularly proud of that, rationally. She had worked out several possible scenarios, all of which ended with torture and gruesome death for Mo Yuan. But then, the confusingly young Celestial twin of Mo Yuan had turned up.

She wasn’t sure what irked her more: that the Fox Queen was so uptight and took offense at everything she said or did, or that the Celestial Bastard Mo Yuan was not whimpering and squirming underneath her right now. Or maybe she was angry at herself, for going to the orchard so unprepared. She had been awake for a bit more than two days now (indeed, full days, since she had not slept), but she had not taken the time to gather enough intelligence about her enemy, which was stupid. It was more than obvious - she needed her wits, her possessions and her dignity back.

"Mount, tell me: who is the Demon Overlord?"

“There is no overlord anymore, Ancestor, but seven kings."

"What, seven? That is too many."

“After the God of War brought a crushing defeat to your Demon Army, the demon lords spent hundreds of years fighting for power. When the dust settled, the Demon Realm had split into seven Kingdoms. It has been like this ever since.”

It did not surprise her to hear that the Celestials had won. She had tried to prevent the inevitable, but as soon as she saw Mo Yuan appear on that battlefield in all his glory she had known they would lose. Strangely enough, her memory of her final battle with him was hazy. She remembered feeling an immense thrill to see him. She remembered that they had faced each other, that they had a glorious fight … then, nothing until she was aflame and burnt to her death, the unending agony too intense to express in words.

“Did you see it?” she whispered. “How he killed me?”

"Ancestor, you and the God of War fought for three days and three nights until you both bled from a thousand wounds. Both your energies were greatly depleted. It was then that Qing Jiang used a spell on you, after which you started to channel sky power. Only, you wouldn’t stop. There was so much power flowing through you that it killed lesser soldiers instantly.”

She had lost control? Was that why she could not remember anything?

“The God of War used his immortal Xuan Yuan sword to destroy your five energy points and succeeded in cutting off the sky-power link,” Fong Hung continued. “But it was not enough to stop the power already inside of you. You started to burn with the heat of a thousand suns. Nobody could get near.”

Qing Jiang had used a spell? Shao Wan frowned angrily. What the hell for? She would have to deal with him later. Now, she desperately needed to soak in a hot bath.

“Take me to my palace!”

“Yes, Ancestor. But …”

“Why, is it in ruins?”

“No, Ancestor. But someone is living there”.

Of course, Qing Jiang would have moved into her fabulous Obsidian Mansion as soon as he got the chance. She would kick his ass out of there. No, she would first rip his head off and then she would throw his ass and his head out of there.

“It’s Cheng Yin.”

Shao Wan stopped dead in her tracks.

“He killed his father,” Fong Hung continued, “and became the Yellow Demon King. Please, Ancestor. Do not go there.”

Cheng Yin. Her hostage. Her pet. Sleeping for 190’000 years sure meant she had a lot of catching up to do.

***

Cheng Yin waited for her at the black gates of her palace. To see him standing there with at least twenty Demon soldiers moved her a little and she realized how lost she had felt ever since waking up. Finally, she was home. Sadly, her mount had simply disappeared when she disregarded his urgent pleas not to go to her Obsidian Mansion.

The boy Cheng Yin had become a man, and more - his High God power was palpable, and it only accentuated his impossibly good looks. She took in the bulk of his muscular body, the deep red of his luscious lips, the intense gaze of his dark violet eyes, the jet black hair that he wore shaved at one side, and the black leather warrior outfit that made him look very fierce.

After taking him hostage to teach his father a lesson, she had taught the boy everything she knew about how to receive pain. She had wanted to break him, to crush his will, to destroy him - but she had failed. Cheng Yin had liked the way she mistreated him. Whatever she did to degrade and humiliate him, he had crawled back for more. Even after she had let him go, quite a few thousand years before the Demon War, he had frequently returned, begging to be let in.

She had sent him away because he had started to gain some sort of control over her. She had caught herself wanting more of him, and more of this exhilarating feeling of being at her worst. Even after her realization that he was becoming a weakness, she had never been able to cut ties to him completely. When he had begged at her gates, she had let him in.

No wonder that Shao Wan felt joy at seeing him now, but it was a joy tinged with wariness. If the last two days had taught her anything, it was to not assume that things were like they had been before she died. This man was no longer a boy. He was powerful. He had taken over her palace. She had better be very careful.

Cheng Yin’s smile was blinding and his voice balmy as he greeted her with a bow that was just a little bit too deep: “Welcome back, Demon Ancestor. I have been waiting very long for your return.”

“Cheng Yin,” she said, keeping her voice deliberately cold, her demeanor aloof. “You are a Demon King now?”

“Indeed so, venerated Goddess. My father was weak and unsuited to rule any longer. Maybe he missed you, his nemesis, too much?” Cheng Yin laughed. “Why don’t you enter and enjoy my hospitality. Your chambers are ready and I have instructed the maids to run a steaming hot bath for you. I am sure you will be pleased to hear that all your possessions are untouched.”

There were many reasons why she should have refused, but there also were many reasons why she wanted to accept. Most importantly, she had not slept a wink for too long and felt utterly exhausted. The prospect of sleeping in her bed, after taking a bath and washing her hair, was simply too tempting.

****

The hot water and the massage one of the maids gave her, loosened knots in Shao Wan's back she hadn’t even known were there. Another carefully washed and braided her hair, then rubbed scented oils into her skin and dressed her in one of her favorite gowns. It was a pleasant surprise that her clothes were all still there, like Cheng Yin had said. So, too, were her shoes and her jewelry. She chose intricate silver hairpins, a belt with silver ornaments, and a pair of soft black boots to complete her look.

The only items nowhere to be found were her weapons. That made her frown - but in Cheng Yin’s position, she would not have made them available to her, either. Demons were always careful of other demons. She strained her senses for her Whip, still hoping that her weapon had not burned with her. All she received was a faint echo, as if her weapon called to her from a very big distance.

She felt increasingly lightheaded from the scented incense sticks in her room. Frankly, her fur-covered bed was calling to her, but Cheng Yin had asked her to join him in the red room for “light refreshment” after her bath and she was far too curious about him, his rise to power and the state of the demon realm to turn him down. She could sleep later.

He lounged in her favorite chair, booted feet on the table when she entered. He bared his teeth and shamelessly devoured her with his eyes - if he thought to rekindle their relationship, he'd be disappointed. She was in no mood at all for this man.

The dishes served were all her favorites and there was plenty of sorghum wine to go with it. He sampled each dish and the wine in front of her, to assure her there was no poison, but he did not eat nor drink with her afterwards. He kept staring. The smile never left his lips, but his lips were the only part of his face that smiled. His violet eyes were full of something dark and dangerous that made her skin crawl.

When she was done eating, she folded her hands in her lap and looked at him.

“My Queen is unchanged,” he said. “Your beauty is still mesmerizing. It feels like only I have aged and you have not.”

She kept looking at him in silence, inviting him to get to the point. But maybe this was the point: It was true that he had 250’000 years of cultivation by now and she, who had slept for 190’000 years, only had about 170’000 years worth of power.

“I longed for your return every day,” he continued.

The room seemed to fill with smoke all of a sudden, and objects started to lurch. Shao Wan shook her head in an attempt to clear her head and refocus her eyes.

He laughed softly. “No matter what I did to him, your mount would not reveal where your remains were, the stubborn fool. But I knew you would eventually resurrect. And I knew you would come here. You are very predictable. I only had to wait!”

“What have you done to Fo...Fong…” she slurred. She realized the moment she tried to speak and could not form proper words that Cheng Yin had drugged her.

“How easily you have fallen into my trap, Shao Wan,” the Yellow Demon King said with a sneer. “Being dead made you careless. I’m immune to poison as are the other inhabitants of this palace. It’s in the food, in the drink and in the fumes in your room. And now imagine, I had 190’000 years to come up with the most horrible things I want to do to you. Thinking about your screams was a constant source of pleasure for me.”

Shao Wan got up. It was difficult and she had to try three times, but she did make it to her feet by remembering what she had been taught back in Father Immortal's school about focusing all her energy on one task. It cost her a lot of power, but she would function normally for a limited amount of time. Cheng Yin got up as well; he wasn’t smiling anymore. They began to slowly circle the table. Without letting him from her sight, and despite her dizziness, Shao Wan scanned the surroundings for a usable weapon, but there was nothing there... he had made sure of it, of course.

Her ears picked up the soft tap-tap of many boots on the stone floor right outside the door. Soldiers.  She was trapped - the red room was a dead end. How could she have been so stupid! She would fight them, of course, but she would have a hard time winning.

A loud, shattering noise made both of them jump and whirl around.

A curvy young woman in a deep blue dress and tightly braided hair was standing next to the broken pieces of a large vase, covering her mouth in shock.

“I am so sorry,” she squealed.

Her eyes - one was violet, one was brown - turned to them and grew large and larger.

“Is this …. ” she gasped and fell to her knees.

“Get up, sister,” Cheng Yin snarled, but the young woman would not. She bowed fervently, three times, and then kneeled, staring at Shao Wan with deep rapture.

Shao Wan knew an opening when she saw one, and she quickly stepped towards the girl her new enemy had called sister. She saw Cheng Yin flinch when he realized his mistake, but she was faster.

“Please get up,” she cooed, glad that she had her ability to speak back, and grabbed the young woman’s arm. “No need for such formalities. May I inquire about your name and status?”

“I am Li Ying,” the girl gushed, “the youngest daughter of Yellow Demon Lord Qing Jiang. Venerated Goddess, I cannot express how big an honor it is to be able to meet you in person. Ever since my brother and I moved into your Obsidian Mansion, I have longed for such an opportunity!”

Li Ying tried to fall to her knees again, but Shao Wan prevented it with a tug on her arm and moved the young woman’s body between herself and Cheng Yin.

“It is lovely that you are here,” Shao Wan continued, smiling sweetly at her living shield. “I was feeling a bit caged just now and do long for a walk. Would you show me what changes you have made to my palace, Xiao Ying?”

“Yes, o-of course,” Li Ying seemed almost giddy with excitement to have her use a nickname. Shao Wan linked arms with her, flashed a feral smile at the furious Cheng Yin, and waltzed out the door with her hostage.

****

Walking through the palace was pure agony for Shao Wan. Cheng Yin’s poison made her entrails burn like fire and her head felt like it was about to split open. The Yellow Demon Lord had large numbers of heavily armed soldiers stationed everywhere, and she began to get familiar with the idea that she would not make it out of here in one piece.

Li Ying was a lovely girl, which quite astonished Shao Wan given her despicable male relatives. It was likely she did not know everything there was to know about Cheng Yin. She was also very open and happy to chat about this and that, her cheeks getting rosier and rosier. Gritting her teeth and nodding politely despite the pain in her head, Shao Wan found out that Cheng Yin had a harem of 66 women, that Li Ying was unmarried (because she hadn’t found someone worthy yet), but had a friendly fondness for Yan Chiwu, the Blue Demon King (incredibly beautiful but not her style, declared the princess.) She was revolted by Nie Chuyin, the Black Demon King (because he kept a harem containing fur mammal wives in their original form) and was very much impressed by Yi Mei Niang, the Purple Demon Queen.

As soon as Li Ying had led her back to her chambers, Shao Wan dismissed the young princess. The Demon Queen attempted to seal the room against intruders, but was violently sick for several minutes. She barely made it to her bed before she passed out.

Chapter 14