Fanfiction 2: Moyuan and Bai Qian - Chapter 10, Part 1 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 10 - The Fox Empress

written by LalaLoop
consulting by Juls
edited by kakashi

The disruption of the protective charms around Kunlun told them it had endured intrusions as well. Though by the sight of it, there was no severe damage. Ghost soldiers must have been destroyed before they had gotten as close as the gate. Getting off their swords, Bai Qian and Zilan were greeted by Changshan, who came rushing out from the front gate.

The divine energy of the mountain made them feel much better as soon as they stepped foot inside.

“Sixteenth, Seventeenth!” shouted Changshan and grimaced at the state of them. “You look terrible.”

“Trust me, Senior. We are fine. Wait till you see Shifu,” said Bai Qian.

“High God Zheyan said that the Kunlun cauldron -- ” Zilan began.

“Already done,” said Changshan. “It's ready for High God Zheyan to use whenever he needs it. And I expect he’ll need it a lot. ”

There was a sound of something crashing behind them. They turned to see Bai Zhen with Fengjiu in his arms, the last of the silver smoke swirling around them.

“Is High God Moyuan back yet?” Bai Zhen asked.

“No,” Bai Qian ran to him and Fengjiu. “No, but he and Zheyan should be back any second. How is she?”

“She’s not in any danger. Zheyan has healed her injuries and rebalanced her energy. She just needs rest.”

“I’ll take you to the guest quarters, High God Bai Zhen,” Zilan offered.

“No, Zilan, you and Seventeenth go take care of your injuries, I’ll do it.” Changshan motioned his hand for Bai Zhen to follow him.

They walked up to the school together. Along the way, Changshan burst into speech, expressing his shock as to how Qingcang could have broken out of the Bell right under their noses and nearly killed the Celestial Crown Prince.

They then parted way at the end of the corridor where Changshan led Bai Zhen with the unconscious Fengjiu in his arms to their room while Bai Qian and Zilan went back to their own rooms to change out of their dirty, bloodstained and partly torn clothes.

Not long after Bai Qian had self-healed most of her minor injures and changed into a white Kunlun robe, which was the only wearable thing she could find in her old room, she heard Zilan’s voice at the door, saying something about Zheyan. His voice trailed off as he darted away only seconds after. Knowing what that was about, Bai Qian flung open the door and joined him as they both headed to where Zilan said Zheyan and Moyuan were.

“You’re looking like us again,” Zilan grinned after glancing at Bai Qian’s white robe.

She grinned back.

As the pair of them were nearing Moyuan’s room, they saw Changshan and, to their surprise, Diefeng, walking out. Diefeng’s lips were pressed tightly together, his naturally furrowed eyebrows were almost touching. Changshan was looking like he was going to be sick, in his hands a blood-stained robe.

“Thank heaven that is over,” Changshan deeply exhaled in relief.

“Don’t tell me you were afraid,” Diefeng teased, though he too was gasping and looking as though he was trying to cheer himself up rather than amuse Changshan.

“I just hope I will never get myself into such a situation.”

“There you are,” said Diefeng as he saw Bai Qian and Zilan approaching. His eyes were surveying both of them, likely to see how badly injured they were.

“When did you get here, Senior?” asked Bai Qian.

“I came to Ruoshui River as fast as I could. But I was still too late to offer any help. I could only assist High God Zheyan when he cloud-jumped back here.”

“And -- Shifu --,” Zilan’s voice was slightly shaking.

“He’s --,” Diefeng’s lips became a thin line, “-- well -- not dying.”

“He did look like he was dying when he first came back here,” said Changshan with one hand on his forehead.

“Cloud-jumping and transforming. While he was still recovering? He could have had a major disruption of powers! He could have died! Or gone into another eternal slumber!” Diefeng made a frustrated gesture into the air. “What was he thinking?”

“Can we go in there?” Zilan craned toward the door.

“I think so, you won’t be able to stay for long though. High God Zheyan has made it clear he doesn’t want Shifu to be kept up for any reason. He also wasn’t letting anyone in earlier except us. He said he didn’t want a crowded room. But he just broke the shield so I suppose it’s fine now. He seems a little tired if you ask me.”

“Shifu?” Bai Qian’s stared at him, bemused. “Of course he is.”

“He should be a lot worse than that,” said Zilan to Bai Qian, who nodded in agreement.

“Not Shifu!” said Changshan with an eyeroll. “High God Zheyan.”

Bai Qian became worried for a fleeting moment. Then she quickly calmed down as she remembered Zheyan had had to heal Fengjiu, Moyuan and Yehua in one day. It wasn’t out of the ordinary that he should feel worn out.

“We’ll be quick,” said Zilan as he and Bai Qian took a few steps forward. “I just want to see with my own eyes if Shifu is all right. He scared us to death earlier on.”

Diefeng suddenly held out his arm in front of Bai Qian. “Hang on,” he said, gesturing her to wait for him there, and walked alongside with Zilan into the room. Several minutes later, when Bai Qian was still wondering why she had been deterred, Diefeng reappeared at the doorway.

“Yes, High God Zheyan said you can go in,” he shrugged with a grin. “I’m sorry; I keep forgetting you’re a girl.”

Rolling her eyes and muttering ‘thank you’ to her Senior, Bai Qian didn’t know how to give an appropriate reaction to this remark.

Changshan, who seemed to share the sentiment, also chuckled in relief.

…

Bai Qian headed straight toward the dais near the window as she entered the room. But to her surprise, Moyuan was sitting on his bed on the other side in his white robe instead, his hands fastening the strips on the side. Zilan was kneeling at the bedside and Zheyan, near the low table, was swirling a smoking goblet. On the low table was a tray with another two goblets.

Zilan stood up as he saw her. It seemed he was done making sure their Master was indeed not dying. Quietly, he walked to Bai Qian as she stepped closer to the bed. Glancing at Zheyan, Bai Qian was glad to see he did not look as bad as she’d thought. The Old Phoenix looked up, acknowledged her presence with a jerk of his head and went back to the goblet.

“We should go,” Zilan whispered. “Shifu will have to rest soon.”

“You go,” answered Bai Qian. “I’ll be out in a second.”

Zilan put his hand on her shoulder, “don’t forget to get your injured arm looked at.”

Bai Qian nodded. Then, as quietly as he could, Zilan exited.

“No, no, not yet,” Zheyan grabbed Moyuan by the shoulders and guided him back up as he was about to lie down. Then he picked up the tray from the table and set it on the bed. “Here, all of them, please.”

Moyuan, who still hadn’t noticed that Zilan had left or that Bai Qian had been standing there, didn’t look too thrilled to see the amount of medicine he had to take. Though, perhaps seemingly desperate to lie down, he took the first cup, emptied the content then set it back onto the tray. He finished the second just as quickly. Whatever was in the third cup made him grimace, but it too was soon drained. He closed his eyes and put both hands on his lap and sat still for several seconds. Then, with a soft groan, he sank against his pillow.

Zheyan stood and stared down at Moyuan for a while with his arms folded, his face looking older and more concerned than ever.

She walked closer to the Old Phoenix, wondering how worried she should be. But as Moyuan’s figure on the bed became clearer, she realized she was right to worry. She frowned to see that even after Zheyan had performed the healing spell, Moyuan’s breathing was still labored, his forehead sweating, his hands slightly shivering, his face drained from its color.

“I know it doesn’t look too good now,” Zheyan told Bai Qian, trying his best to sound funny, letting out a deep sigh. “But he will get better.”

Then, shaking his head, the Old Phonex removed the tray from the bed and headed for the door, gesturing her to come along as he passed by.

But Bai Qian did not move. She felt a strange desire to stay in the room. Whether it was Moyuan’s state or the fact that they had all nearly died during the battle that made her quite nervous to let him out of her sight, she did not know. She simply didn’t want to leave yet.

“Xiaowu,” Zheyan called in a low voice when he realized she was still standing where she was.

The sound seemed to have woken the half asleep Moyuan, who opened his eyes and sat up with a sigh, glancing from Zheyan at the door step to Bai Qian’s Kunlun robes.

Bai Qian turned to Zheyan, who gave her a look which she took to mean she should end the conversation that was about to happen as quickly as possible, and disappeared through the doorway.

“Why are you wearing that?” asked Moyuan with an amused smile, raising his brows as though he suspected she was up to something.

“I needed to change into something clean,” she said. “This was the only thing I could find.”

He nodded.

“You should -- er -- lie back down, Shifu,” Bai Qian suggested when she noticed Moyuan keep sitting with one hand on the bed for support. She nervously glanced at the door, checking to see if Zheyan was outside.

But, to her horror, Moyuan started to draw up. Bai Qian flew over to the bedside and pinned him down with both hands on his arms.

“Lie back down, Shifu! Or I will…”

Bai Qian’s eyes became narrowed, furious at the challenging look in his eyes and his half smile.

“Yes?”

“I will tell Zheyan,” her voice quavered.

To Bai Qian’s surprise, the teasing smile disappeared from Moyuan’s face. He suddenly looked almost as serious as Zheyan earlier on. Perhaps the Old Phoenix’ name had reminded him that this was indeed no joking matter. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, which Bai Qian took as a hint that the moment was over. Moyuan should not be kept up any longer.

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice was deep and cold again as he reluctantly lay back down.

Fine? Bai Qian quietly scoffed and looked away. Then, she turned back and glared down at him.

“Aren't you afraid that one day I might actually believe what you say?” she gripped his hand tightly, sounding more severe than she’d intended since what he had said back in the forest suddenly came back and started dancing back and forth in her head. “Aren't you afraid that one day I will look at you, however hurt, and feel nothing? That eventually I will treat you the same way you treat yourself?”

“You -- are very clever,” he smiled weakly. “Choosing this moment to shower me with questions you know I’m too weak to answer in full, aren’t you?”

Then, his exhausted eyes started to slowly close. Once or twice, he fought to keep them open but couldn't. He soon drifted off to sleep; the lines between his brows remained.

Bai Qian felt her face turn pink as she let go of his hand - he was not entirely wrong.

After a short while, Bai Qian reminded herself it was time to leave. However, the sight of Moyuan lying on the warm sheets of a comfortable bed had made the full measure of the exhaustion from the evening, which she had been too anxious and worried to notice, come back to her all at once. She suddenly felt she wanted nothing more than to throw herself onto a bed and sleep for several days - so tired was she, Bai Qian considered for a moment to sleep at his bedside.

Maybe just a few minutes, she took a deep breath and rested her chin on her folded arms, I’ll walk back to my room in just a few minutes.

Someone gently tapped her shoulder. Bai Qian looked up to see the Old Phoenix standing behind her. Helping her up and out of the room, he quietly suggested, “come, let me take a look at your injuries.”

…

Stiff-legged with her eyes drooping, Bai Qian sank down on her bed as they arrived at her room, not giving much of a care as Zheyan removed Yanzhi’s bandages from her arms to take a close look at the scratches from the Golden Lion.

“Ahh!” Bai Qian shouted and snapped out of her half unconscious state instantly when she felt like a cold needle had just pierced through her arm. She looked down to see Zheyan was holding an uncorked vial and it looked like some of the content had just been poured onto her wounds. “Zheyan!”

“I'm sorry,” he chuckled. “It had to be done.”

The pain was over quickly.

“How is Yehua, Zheyan?” asked Bai Qian, rubbing her eyes, now almost completely awake.

“He will live, of course,” said Zheyan with an amused smile, now dabbing some liquid onto the scratches. “But we shall have to wait to hear from Lord Donghua to know the exact situation.”

“How was it possible? How did he manage that?” she asked, while Zheyan cleaned the remaining blood off her arm.

“I don’t know how to begin. Donghua and I were also taken by surprise. The short version is: it had to do with the strange source of power that used to reside in his body.”

“Used to? Is it not there anymore?”

“No, and the details are rather complicated. A lot of things we’ll need to discuss with Moyuan before explaining it to you. But we are sure that he will definitely recover.”

“But the Bell? How could it be destroyed without someone offering a spirit? And if Yehua’s spirit…”

“Now, relax,” Zheyan quietly laughed. “Like I said, I can’t tire you with details I’m not sure of. All we know is: a strong force emanating from the Crown Prince has destroyed the bell once and for all, let’s leave it at that for tonight.”

As she opened her mouth to say something else, Zheyan swiftly cut her off, “you, as well as everyone, need rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“I’m going to kill him,” said Bai Qian through her teeth after a brief silence, shaking her head.

“Moyuan has the same intention, I daresay. He was hinting at it during healing.” Zheyan bit his lip, arranging his face into a look of solemnness. “But let’s wait until the Crown Prince is well again.”

“What about you, Zheyan?” she changed the subject.

“Me?” he asked, looking puzzled.

“You’ve used too much of your healing energy today.”

“It has been a rather exhausting day for me and Lord Donghua,” Zheyan conjured some white bandages and had them wrap around her arm. “Running back and forth, making sure the God of War and the Crown Prince didn’t die, answering their questions about one another. But don’t worry, I’ve handled much worse.”

Bai Qian nodded, feeling less anxious.

“And,” he held up his forefinger, “let this be a lesson to you all. Don’t ever attempt transformation for combat while you can’t keep your powers in check. Fortunately for Moyuan, he was able to transform back before he passed out completely. Otherwise, it would have resulted in him being stuck in dragon form for a long while.” At this, the image of Yehua as the black snake immediately came back to Bai Qian’s mind. “All kinds of nasty and unpredictable things could have happened to one’s inner power as a result.”

“Is that why he didn’t want me there?” she took a guess and asked.

“Perhaps,” said Zheyan; he was not sounding too sure either. “But mostly, he just didn’t want people to see him in a weakened state. Especially,” Zheyan slightly touched her chin, “those whom he has been too used to looking after. I’m sure you understand.”

Bai Qian nodded reluctantly, not wanting to tell Zheyan she did not agree with the logic too much.

“Do you understand, Old Phoenix?” suddenly said a velvet voice behind them.

Zheyan spun around while Bai Qian craned toward the door.

“Mom?”

In walked the elegant figure of the Fox Empress. At the moment, she was looking worried yet calm and poised as always. Behind her was Changshan with a smoking goblet in his hand.

“It is his duty to look after all the realms,” she continued. “But frankly, the sooner High God Moyuan stops questioning the whole universe every time someone shows a little care toward him, the better.”

She gave Zheyan a small curious smile and raised her brow at Bai Qian. “Don’t you think?”

Zheyan stood from the bed, as surprised and pleased as Bai Qian was. He and the Fox Empress nodded their greetings while Changshan set the goblet down on the wooden table.

“This is for Seventeenth, High God Zheyan,” he quietly said, then exchanged a quick look with Bai Qian and left the room.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“I set out for Ruoshui River as soon as I heard. I would have come with your father but he’s in meditation. I didn’t think it was necessary to disturb him without evidence of a true crisis so I came alone.”

The Fox Empress sat down on the bed next to Bai Qian, scanning through her injuries. Nervously wondering if her Fengjiu had told her mother about recent events and her decision to break the engagement with the Celestial family, Bai Qian remained quiet for a few seconds. But since her mother’s presence had significantly improved her mood, she decided to put her worry aside.

“Zheyan?” her mother’s soft voice rang, fingers gently touching the stitches on Bai Qian’s face and arm.

“Attacks from Qingcang’s Halberd are no child’s play;” began Zheyan, “so she definitely needs good resting. Delayed treatment of the scratches from the Golden Lion; but I’ve taken care of it. The scars will take a little longer to heal, but they will heal. Other injuries are minor.”

“Thank you,” said the Fox Empress to Zheyan with a grateful smile. Then turning back to Bai Qian, she sighed. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, perfectly fine,” said Bai Qian right away.

“Are you sure?” she asked again, feeling her daughter’s forehead.

“Quite sure.”

“And Moyuan?” she looked up at Zheyan. “His disciples told me he got the worst.”

“He’s… been better.” Zheyan pressed his lips together.

“Hmm,” her mother slightly shook her head in disapproval. “Transforming while his powers were unbalanced? What drove him to such madness?”

“Qingcang was causing mayhem. And on top of everything, he nearly killed the Crown Prince. We all thought he was dead.”

“Ah, I see,” she said with a look of understanding on her face. “His brother.”

“Shifu cares a lot about Yehua,” said Bai Qian with an unintentional eyeroll.

The Empress burst out laughing, which made Bai Qian turn and look at her.

“Now, I’m sure he loves you both equally, dear,” said the Empress, laughing and stroking Bai Qian’s cheek with her long, slender finger. Then ignoring Bai Qian’s deep frown and her attempt to protest this misleading joke, she turned back to Zheyan.

“But tell me, how serious is it? Any long lasting damage? Should I inform Bai Zhi?”

“There's no need. He's gotten several new scars, was splintered by a venomous fang, burned by Crimson fire. It’ll take time. But he will recover.”

“Venomous fang? Qingcang’s true form?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I am glad that it’s over. And I’m sorry Bai Zhi and I couldn’t do anything to help. We were too far away; I believe the battle was almost over when the news reached us.”

Zheyan shook his head and help up a hand to say it was no matter.

“You need to get some sleep,” said the Fox Empress, looking at Bai Qian. At this time, Zheyan picked up the cup from the table and handed it to her. “Take it, you'll sleep better.”

“Thank you,” said Bai Qian, taking the goblet.

“Do you have to leave right away?” Bai Qian asked her mother, slowly sipping from the cup.

“Of course not, I’ll stay for a few days at least. And I shall have to see Fengjiu too. The poor girl.”

The effect of the potion was almost instantaneous. She began to feel drowsy. How had he taken this potion and still been able to talk for that long? Bai Qian wondered. Besides her, the Fox Empress patted on the pillow, telling her to lie down, which she did.

Bai Qian closed her eyes as soon as she felt a blanket being spread on her and her mother's hand gently removing hair strands from her face. The sound of her mother and Zheyan chatting were beginning to fade.

“I forgot something,” Bai Qian suddenly gasped and sprang up from the bed, but the dizziness quickly made her stumble back onto her mother’s shoulder.

“I need to go back to Shifu’s room.” She murmured. “I forgot something.”

“What?” her mother asked in slight surprise.

“I need…” Bai Qian slapped her forehead with her palm, still unable to sit up straight. “I need to tell him that... that I'm sorry...”

“You're sorry? For what?” her mother’s voice softly whispered.

“The lightning trial. I know how… it feels. It was horrible… so horrible… Shifu took it for me...”

“But how do you know that?”

“I know…”

“I see,” Bai Qian felt her mother’s hand stroking her hair and patting her on the head as she was being put back onto the pillow. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow, my dear.”

“I want to tell him now,” she sniffled.

“Zheyan will tell him for you, will that do?”

Bai Qian didn't protest since she couldn’t find the strength to get up anymore, sleepiness was gushing out from her stomach. She nodded. “That was the greatest… greatest pain in the world… he had to go through...”

“Oh, perspective,” she heard her mother’s sweet silvery laugh, which sounded like she was quite amused. “I doubt your Shifu has known all the pains in the world. He is a man after all.”

“What…” Bai Qian’s eyes flung open to see her mother’s sweet yet teasing smile. “Mom, what are you talking about?” her eyes started to droop again.

Her mother chuckled, “never mind. Sleep.”

“Shifu is the greatest God in whole the world. You said so yourself when you and Dad sent me to Kunlun. Shifu’s been through everything. I don’t think anyone can compare to him.”

“Yes,” Bai Qian felt a soft kiss on her temple. “If you say so, my dear.”

“Except Sixteenth Senior, of course, because we’re best… best friends.”

Her mother whispering ‘of course’ was the last thing Bai Qian heard as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 10, Part 2