Fanfic: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan 2.0 - Chapter 17c (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 17c

written by kakashi
editing LigayaCroft & Panda

“Why did you choose to become a Demon?” Mo Yuan asked Shao Wan as he twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger.

“Seriously? You need to ask me that?” she stretched, yawning loudly and extensively.

Mo Yuan looked at the inviting curves of her body and simply forgot what he had just been curious about. Wetting his lips he inhaled deeply. She was so intoxicating. He could not get enough of her.

How to forget that their time together was running out inevitably, that every breath they took meant a breath closer to the end … how to make it last, last forever…

“You really don’t know,” she stated with a glance and a cheeky smile at him. “Of course you wouldn’t. It’s quite obvious to everyone but yourself.”

He lifted his hand to trace the contours of her face. When his finger came down from her pointy nose and brushed over the wetness of her lips his breath quickened.

He wanted her again.

After every time they made love he wanted her more. How was it even possible? How would he… how would he be able to exist without her?

“What if I want to marry you?” he whispered. “Would you live in the Thirty Six Heavens with me? Or on Mount Kunlun?”

She laughed. “Don’t be ludicrous. Don’t you know I will keep a large harem of men?”

Mo Yuan frowned. “I won’t share you.”

“See?” she said and rolled her eyes, “that’s why I chose to be a Demon. Your Celestial rules don’t agree with me at all. You men can have harems but we women cannot? I think I shall need at least... ten men.”

“I only want you,” he said. “You and nobody else.”

“Now you’re making me look bad,” she murmured, but he saw that she was blushing a little and looked rather pleased.

“I want to be with you forever,” he stated simply and bent down to kiss her. She kissed him back, further stoking the flames of his passion that were already burning so hotly. If he had known how to lose himself to her completely, he would have let go of everything that defined him that very moment, to become forever one with her.

“Let it be a sweet dream for a while longer,” she whispered against his neck when the lay in each other’s embrace afterwards. “Let our forever be these few months we get to spend in the mortal realm together. Let us regret nothing while it lasts.”

He tried.

But his heart ached. Because he knew, a few months were not forever.

He regretted it very, very much. And he was quite certain, he would always regret it.

***

Mo Yuan sat perched on the red-tiled rooftop of his Palace in the everbright gentle light of the Thirty Six Heavens and waited.

He always comes back here, the Turtles had prophesied, but not always quickly. You must be patient.

Patience… he usually had plenty. But not now. Now, he felt great urgency to return to the Obsidian Palace this very instance, to talk to her… to hold her.  To find out why she had been punished with the loss of all her powers. Had she not sacrificed her life for the Realms? For her to return a Celestial ... he allowed himself a small smile, imagining her rage at finding out that ascending meant becoming part of his tribe, the one she had always hated so much.

But the smile faltered quickly. She had looked very pale and frail, he recalled. Where was that blasted Old Phoenix? She needed a physician, sooner rather than later, and certainly not one of those Demon quacks who had proclaimed that there were absolutely no traces of her soul essence left in all the known realms.

Or what if they know she’s still alive and were keeping it from the rest of the Realms? Mo Yuan thought. It wasn’t unlikely… but who would be behind it? The Rebels? The Cult? Some unknown force he had yet to meet?

Now that he knew that Starlord Ying Ming had a part to play, Mo Yuan was forced to allow memories of his mortal trial to resurface. Mortal trials were never pleasant, but because the effects of the Water of Oblivion had worn off way too early, his had been particularly strange. Like a very real dream, one that the dreamer knew he was dreaming but from which he could not wake.

What was still unexplained was Shao Wan’s appearance in that world and the turn-around it had brought.

Who had sent her to meet him? And why?

It was possible Ying Ming and his employers had had a hand in it. The best explanation was that they had sought to discredit her - and indeed, Shao Wan had been considered the suspect number one back then, giving the Celestial Tribe an additional reason to go to war.

I went to war against her not once, but twice, Mo Yuan thought with an aching heart. And she died not once, but twice because of me.

In the end, it all came down to one thing: Enemies.

He had believed it, though he now understood his heart had always told him otherwise, and he had let this word enemies guide his decisions and his actions. What a foolish, foolish idea it had been. How much less suffering would there have been had he not complied with her wish to alter both their memories to this extent!

She was no enemy. She had never been an enemy. He loved her and nothing else.

It was a simple truth. But Mo Yuan could not help but wonder about the extent of Ying Ming’s involvement. He was a rather old God after all. And… Mo Yuan’s breath caught at the memory. He had been there. In Qing Jiang’s tent, that day he had taken Shao Wan to the Beast Festival. What did it mean? Why… him?! It made no sense.

In his puzzlement, on that rooftop, while waiting for a man who held the key to understanding pivotal events of the past, Mo Yuan vowed to himself that whatever his Father had seen in the stars, that whatever displeasure Fate had about Shao Wan and his union, he would fight against it. He should have done it sooner, but going against one’s nature to such a degree was no easy feat, especially for someone who had been brought up by his Father to bow to the Will of the Heavens unconditionally at all times. But there was a limit to his obedience and that limit was reached with Ying Ming. Mo Yuan was not ready to accept a man like him had any power to meddle with his life. If this was Fate’s way, if that man had been one of her tools, he would make sure it ended today. For good.

You will be mine for the rest of our existence, he told Shao Wan in his head. I will protect you when you’re weak. I will give you shelter. I will give you strength. And I will make you see what we have both thrown away, so that you know just as I know what we truly are.

And Mo Yuan allowed himself to think of the future with her. He would take her to Kunlun so that she could absorb cultivation until she would reach her former level of power equal to his. He would go restore their house in the mortal world. He would spend time with her there, alone.

This time, it would be forever.

He would finally be happy.

Daydreaming was not something High God Mo Yuan was used to at all. Therefore, he did not know about the highly distracting effect it had. As it were, he sat on the roof and smiled to himself, looking at the pink, peaceful clouds, feeling hopeful.

And thus, he almost missed the man who had just appeared below him in the courtyard and very sneakily made his way across it to the Hall.

Also, the man saw Mo Yuan on the roof, because he had been arrogant enough not to use an invisibility spell, and bolted... and it was only in that moment he ran that Mo Yuan caught a movement from the corner of his eye and realized his mistake.

Uttering a curse, Mo Yuan somersaulted down from this lookout and followed after his prey.

The Starlord cloud jumped. Mo Yuan was one of the fastest and most proficient cloud jumpers alive, but this man was faster.

How? Mo Yuan wondered, as he almost lost him and had to redouble his efforts. Ying Ming tried to shake him by erratically jumping around in the infinite plains of the Heavens, but Mo Yuan was not fooled by such simple tricks. In an opportune moment, he threw an invisible tether around the man’s ankle, hoping he would not notice.

He probably did though, because he suddenly changed his direction and went straight for Zichen Palace.

My nephews, Mo Yuan thought with alarm and chilling certainty, he is going for the children.

***

“Please stop crying,” Bai Qian implored, feeling a choking feeling in her throat, “please. Stop.”

But A-Xi didn’t stop. In fact, he had been crying for the better part of the day. She had carried him around. Bounced him up and down, sang to him. Given him sweets. Had checked his mouth for more growing teeth (how many of those did a child possibly have?). Had given him different things to drink, starting with water, ending with a spoonful of peach wine, all of which he had spat out in utter disdain. She had rubbed his belly, had felt his temperature (normal, or wasn't it?), had used some random acupressure. Nothing helped.

Bai Qian was utterly exhausted.

“Ye Hua,” she whispered, “Ye Hua, where are you?”

But Ye Hua was busy. He was always busy and it seemed to be getting worse with each passing week. He came to their bed very late and even if she tried to stay awake for him, she simply couldn’t. Sometimes, she woke when he brushed his lips against hers, but she was too tired to keep her eyes open, even when his hands started moving over her body. In the mornings when she woke, he was always gone - his days started only mere hours after they had ended. And...

Thud.

The sound outside startled her and A-Xi, who stopped crying and looked at her with big, round, frightened eyes. Before Bai Qian could finish wondering about who would come for such an unexpected visit, she felt the unpleasant grating feeling from a strong malicious aura. With a gasp, she jumped up and summoned her Kunlun Fan from across the room, pressing the struggling child against her hip with her left arm.

How can I possibly fight like this? She thought, feeling panic rise in her. He’ll be hit.

Hastily, Bai Qian turned and sat A-Xi down behind a large vase. “Stay very still, Baobao, you hear me?” she whispered.

The child’s eyes filled with tears and he held up his arms to her, but she shook her head and put her finger against her lips. “It’s a game, lil one,” she whispered. “Be very quiet so that this man cannot find you, alright?”

Steps approached up the stairs. Slowly. Bai Qian quietly opened the fan and took a defensive stance. But... A-Li, it shot through her, he is due back here any minute too. He’s with NaiNai. She has no powers. Please. Don’t return yet. Don’t return yet...

A man appeared at the entrance. Bai Qian stifled an outcry: his face was hideous. The skin moved as if something living was slithering around underneath it, changing his appearance constantly. He held a device in his hand that she had never seen before, some sort of box, from which lightning sneaked up his arm at short intervals. It was a lot of power he held.

Is that Celestial Lightning? She wondered alarmed, scanning the malicious aura of the intruder for a sign of who she was dealing with. Instinctively, she had suspected a Ghost Warrior because of the darkness that surrounded him, but that was not it.

“Who are you?” she asked and looked on in horror as the mouth of the creature revealed very sharp and pointed teeth when it was pulled into a grin.

Thud.

“Stop right there,” Mo Yuan’s deep voice said outside and Bai Qian felt the strongest wave of relief wash through her. Her Shifu was here. Everything would be alright.

The intruder swiveled around and blasted an immense amount of energy at the God of War. The light was so bright, Bai Qian had to close her sensitive eyes. When she opened them again, the intruder had stepped outside. More bright lights. A grunt.

“Shifu,” she whimpered. Quickly, she threw a protective bubble around her sniffling, frightened son and ran outside, Kunlun Fan at the ready.

“Seventeenth, stay back!” Mo Yuan’s voice boomed across the courtyard, but she was no longer a Kunlun Disciple, she was the future Empress of the Heavens, she had spent months, years caring for a baby only and she was itching to be who she truly was: A High Goddess who could single-handedly defeat an army of Ghost Warriors, someone who had earned the right to fight alongside the God of War and be victorious.

The intruder was blasting Celestial Lightning at Mo Yuan, who seemed to have increasing difficulties blocking the attacks… he was staggering backwards... and then she saw blood run down his chin.

“No!” she screamed and shot a blast of energy towards the intruder from her Fan. The box in his hand simply absorbed it, like it was nothing. There was a golden shimmer around him too and she thought she could feel dragon energy emanate from him. How was that possible? Was he of the Dragon Family?

He turned towards her and she saw Mo Yuan move from the corner of her eye, extremely fast - yet not fast enough. The energy from the box hit her square in the chest and threw her backwards into a pillar. Pain shot through her entire body and pooled in her head, threatening to rip it apart.

The intruder flew past her and into the palace.

“A-Xi!” she screamed, trying desperately to scramble up, but her legs wouldn’t carry her.

Mo Yuan rushed after the assailant, but she could clearly see the effort it took him. Was he wounded? Something was not right. There came a series of horrible sounds from inside while she tried to stand again and again, and then… “not a single step further!” the intruder snarled. He appeared above her on the stairs, the bubble with her son in the air behind him.

“Tell your watchdog to stand down,” he told her with a snarl as he carefully moved backwards and down the steps.

Mo Yuan appeared at the door, hands brimming with his energy and ready for an attack. “You won’t go anywhere,” he said, “the Crown Prince and the Celestial armies are on their way. Yield.”

“I advise you to make sure I get away,” the man said and moved the box closer towards the bubble. The horrified screams of the child pierced through Bai Qian worse than a sword. “You guarantee me safe passage or the little vermin dies a horrible death.”

“Who are you really?” Mo Yuan asked quietly, surveilling the shifting face with great concentration.

“You haven’t figured it out?” the intruder laughed. “I am disappointed. I thought the God of War was the most strategic mind in all the Realms. And now stop stalling. Give me your word.”

“My word?” Mo Yuan pressed out. “My word for what? To let you go? I cannot. I will come after you and I will hunt you down. There is no place you can hide.”

“We will see,” the man said and his ever changing eyes took on a dangerous gleam. “I think I have something you really want. And if you come too close, I will destroy it. You know what happens when memory tokens are destroyed, right?”

Mo Yuan pressed his lips together. Bai Qian had never heard of memory tokens and she did not know what would happen if one was destroyed, but she saw that the prospect agitated her Shifu greatly.

Before she could come up with a plan how to take the token from the man, he performed a spell and A-Xi’s bubble started to glow in an ugly, ominous red. “I strongly advise you to use your powers to fix this,” the man snarled and pushed the bubble towards Mo Yuan.

Without a second thought, Mo Yuan grasped the bubble with both hands and started pouring his cultivation into it, trying to keep the red from reaching the baby. He threw one last, calculating glance at the man before turning his full attention towards saving his nephew. In desperation, Bai Qian started to crawl forward, trying to get to him and to her son. And in the courtyard, the intruder looked at them one last time, a mixture of hate and fear on his quivering features and then… he simply dissolved. As if he had first separated into tiny fragments of himself that were blown away by the winds.

One last burst of power from Mo Yuan and the bubble turned blue and then dissipated. Mo Yuan caught A-Xi in midair and pressed his crying nephew to his chest protectively. Instantly, the child grew quiet. It leaned his head against Mo Yuan, put a thumb in his mouth and fell asleep.

Mo Yuan exhaled air and sat down on the stairs rather inelegantly. “I am sorry,” he said to her, carefully arranging the sleeping baby in the crook of his arm. “Seventeenth, it is unforgivable. I should have come earlier."

“You… you are injured,” Bai Qian said, looking at his unusual pallor and the way he carried himself with difficulty, clearly hurting.

“It’s nothing,” he shrugged. “But what of your injuries?”

He looked at her with concern. Completely overwhelmed, the horror of what could have happened hitting her with cold brutality, Bai Qian closed the gap between them and threw her arms around her Shifu. “I… I…. didn’t… I couldn’t….”

And then, the tears started flowing. It was as if some floodgates had been opened inside of her because they streamed out of her violently, shaking her entire body.

“Shhhh,” Mo Yuan said, “it’s alright. You are safe. Your child is safe. Ye Hua is coming, he’ll be here any minute. Shhhhh. Everything is alright.”

She couldn’t stop. And when he put his free arm around her for comfort, she had to cry even harder.

“Seventeenth…”

“Please,” she sobbed against his chest, next to her son’s peaceful little face, “please... ,” her tears intensified and she wasn’t sure he could even understand what she was saying, “please don’t tell him that I cried.”

Mo Yuan held her and kept gently stroking her hair until her tears dried up and she felt like maybe, maybe she was ready to face her husband... despite her shame. She did not deserve to be called a mother. She had failed again.

Chapter 17d