Fanfic: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan 2.0 - Chapter 50 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)
Chapter 50
written by kakashiedited by Panda & LigayaCroft
*A lot of years ago*
“Step closer, Mo Yuan. I want to show you something.”
“Yes, Father.”
Mo Yuan pushed himself off the floor and obediently stepped up to the table his father was sitting behind, keeping the proper distance between them. Fuxi’s desk was full of books and scrolls and artefacts, among them objects of great power- a small, pointy dagger; a mirror that reflected nothing; a thin, bright blue bracelet. It was hard to look at those artefacts for more than a few moments, their energy was hurtful to his eyes and by extension, his head, but Mo Yuan tried to endure it for as long as he could.
“Which one would you choose, son?” His Father had been watching him study the objects with a faint smile.
“The dagger, Father,” Mo Yuan said without hesitation.
Father Immortal nodded. “Yes, you are drawn to weapons and they to you. How is your archery practice going?”
“I will need to practice many more years before I reach a satisfactory level,” Mo Yuan replied with a polite bow. He had started to use a blindfold during target practice yesterday and he had not hit the bull’s eye even once, though he had come closer after a few hours.
“Your weapon is the sword,” Fuxi said disapprovingly, “don’t waste too much time on other weapons.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You have doubts? Speak.”
It was extraordinary how his father always knew people’s minds, Mo Yuan thought, almost as if he could read them. As a boy, Mo Yuan had been rather scared of this fabled ability and had trained himself not to think anything even remotely improper when in his father’s vicinity. In particular, it was thoughts and questions about his mother that Mo Yuan wanted to keep out of his head, because he knew how averse his father was to be reminded of her.
“Father, is it not better to know how to use all weapons well in order to know their strength and weaknesses not only in theory?”
“Hm,” Father Immortal mused, “one could certainly think this way. But is it enough to know a weapon’s strength and weaknesses when facing a powerful opponent?”
Mo Yuan only had to think about this very briefly. “No, Father,” he replied with certainty, “it is the wielder of a weapon we need to understand in order to beat them. But...”
“But?”
“Even in the hands of a good martial artist, a weapon of power will partially dictate the warrior’s actions.”
“To the point where the weapon takes over the martial artist’s mind,” Fuxi nodded, “yes, I have seen it happening. For better or worse.”
His Father fell quiet afterwards and seemed lost in thought. Mo Yuan lowered his head to wait for further instructions and give him the necessary privacy, but couldn’t help but cast the occasional glance at the shimmering dagger on his Father’s desk. The longer he looked, the more it seemed to him that something was hiding behind the object. Like a shadow, a possibility… and the longer he looked, the less clear it was to him whether this object actually was a dagger and not something completely different.
“Do you remember that Demon Woman Donghua told us about after he joined the Celestial tribe?” Fuxi suddenly said.
Mo Yuan perked up. Of course he remembered. Donghua was the most unemotional man he had ever met, but he always spoke of the Demon Leader with a kind of admiration that had made Mo Yuan very curious.
“Yes, Father. She has united the scattered, warring Demon Tribes.”
When much younger, Mo Yuan had been surprised to learn Demons looked just like Celestials from one of the books in the library during his studies. He had always imagined they were beastlike and ugly, but apparently, they were of a special beauty that tempted the weak. He had not met many Demons face to face, which probably explained his special curiosity about that Clan. They never came to the Celestial Heavens, their and Celestial energies were incompatible and low-level immortals of their kind would be gravely hurt up here.
Fuxi nodded. “I once met her and Donghua many millennia ago in the Zhang Mei mountains when I was taking a stroll. That woman has a most interesting weapon.”
Mo Yuan lifted his head eagerly. A most interesting weapon? He wanted to hear all about it.
“It is extraordinary that someone with no formal training can learn to fight this well,” Fuxi continued, frowning a little, “I am not sure you could beat her at your current level.”
Beat her? Mo Yuan was confused. Was his Father concerned there would be another war? Demons were belligerent by nature, but after the end of the Five Clan Wars, they had been relatively quiet. However, with a new leader…
“No war, no. But I would be much surprised if you wouldn’t meet her in the future,” his Father chuckled. “She is not someone to sit still for long and I have told you before, I mean to open up a school for all the tribes soon. She will get an invitation.”
“Then I shall train harder, Father, so that I can beat her when the time comes,” Mo Yuan said resolutely.
Fuxi’s chuckling intensified. “That seems like a good plan, son, we Celestials cannot be humiliated by a Demon.”
To Mo Yuan’s chagrin, Fuxi picked up a scroll and began reading it like his son wasn’t even there. Had he not wanted to show him something? Should he just wait or more information? Or… ask for it?
“Yes?” Fuxi frowned up at his son who had not budged.
“Father, forgive me,” Mo Yuan said, “but… the weapon…?”
“You are far too weak to handle this dagger,” Fuxi said grimly, “it is one of the most dangerous objects in all the Realms. Just like my Xuan Yuan sword, it has the power to destroy primordial spirits entirely if the wielder so wills it. It’s better you thoroughly forget about it.”
Fuxi waved his hand and for a brief moment, Mo Yuan felt like fingers were entering his skull, took the image of the dagger and pulled it out… and then, nothing was left of it to remember.
“There is a place behind this creation,” Fuxi said gloomily, “like a skin, a thin veil between my Creation and the Uncreated, Hundun. It is thin, unsubstantial, yet infinite. It is full of worlds we have no access to. That Demon Woman however…”
Fuxi tapped the scroll in his hand against his nose in thought. Mo Yuan waited with bated breath. When his Father spoke again, it was like he spoke to himself and not to his son.
“... she - a Demon! - used raw Celestial power to create a weapon that can, under some circumstances, imprison a soul in that veil forever. It should not exist. She should not have been able to make it. And yet, she did and it does. The price she’ll have to pay will be very high.”
Mo Yuan felt a chill creep down his spine. He was not afraid of many things, but Fate’s cruelty, the inevitability of Balance being restored to things… that scared him. It was so easy to makes mistakes, especially if one was overly powerful.
A silence descended upon them. His Father looked at him with an expression Mo Yuan found hard to read. Sadness? But why would his Father be sad? He must be mistaken.
“Son,” Fuxi said after a while, “I wanted to show you something. Look.”
Fuxi’s desk was full of books and scrolls and artefacts, among them two objects of great power. A mirror that reflected nothing and a thin, bright blue bracelet. It was hard to look at those artefacts for more than a few moments, their energy was hurtful to his eyes and by extension, his head, but Mo Yuan tried to endure it for as long as he could.
“Which one would you choose, son?”
Mo Yuan hesitated.
“The… bracelet?”
His Father nodded and Mo Yuan was very glad to have passed this test.
“This is a Demon artefact,” Fuxi said and tapped against the mirror, “your mo…,” he stopped himself and cleared his throat. “I shall return it to the rightful owners. The bracelet on the other hand…,” Fuxi picked it up and brought it closer to his eyes as if to study it more thoroughly.
Mo Yuan squinted a little to see more as well. There were tiny symbols on the thin orb, he thought he saw waves and clouds… or were they mere tricks of the eye?
“I shall give it to somebody trustworthy here in the Heavens,” Fuxi declared, “it is the most powerful imprisonment charm I have ever solidified.”
“Imprisonment, Father?”
Fuxi nodded and put it back down on his table. “It is the key to the Sea-Cloud Prison. I built it thousands of years ago when I was afraid an Old Enemy of mine might return. He hasn’t, so the prison is empty. But only a fool would believe the current peace will last forever. If ever you come across an enemy you consider dangerous enough to be a true threat to the Realms, use it. I have not built it for nothing.”
***
*Present time*
“The moon was just a faint sickle in the cloudless sky, but since my night vision was excellent, I welcomed the darkness for the cover it gave me. The first and last thing the outer perimeter guards noticed of my presence were my knives at their throats. Moving forward with caution lest there be traps, I soon beheld the large enemy camp. There were hundreds of tents sprawling on the plains in front of me.
My target, the Command Tent, was the biggest and most majestic among them. It was too easy to get to it - his men were brawling loudly around a fire, too drunk on their victory to pay any attention to their surroundings. The tent was with no light and there was no movement from within. Could he be asleep? But no. Would a mighty General like him retire early after such a battle? I knew that bloodshed like the one today sent men into a dithering frenzy that didn’t subside for hours. Clearly, he was out celebrating with some of the women who kept throwing themselves at him.
I cut a hole into the tent wall and crawled in carefully. Once inside, I came to my knees and pulled down my face mask so I could breathe more easily. I was about to light a small flame to start my search for the valuable jade pendant he had so brazenly taken from me, when all of a sudden, the tent was bathed in brightness. The sound of many steps and the rattling of armor outside announced it clearly: I had walked into a trap.
General Mo was sitting on a wooden stool in his full armor, elbows on his knees, hands folded in front of him, a grim expression on his face.
“You…,” I stammered.
“Me,” he answered with a sneer.
“Have you been expecting me?” I demanded to know, though it was obvious he had.
“Of course,” he replied, “what took you so long?”
He looked splendid, my enemy. I felt quite bereft of words, seeing him like this, shimmering golden, radiating power and smug from his victory. And the smell! How could an unwashed man emit such an alluring scent?
Focus! I told myself. I was on a mission and could not afford to fail.
Thankfully, I knew his his weakness... it was me.
Seductively, I wet my lips. His eyes shifted to my mouth - and then away. He managed to keep his gaze hard and cold. So much control… General Mo was not an easy nut to crack, but that made it all the more exciting.
“Bind her!” he bellowed a command and at least twenty men entered the tent at once to obey him. They bound me very tightly with thick rope, I could not move at all. I could have resisted them, but I did not want to. I was exactly where I needed to be.
“I am going to sleep now,” he declared, smiling meanly at the helpless me. “You can stand there until the morning when I will consult with my commanders what to do with you.”
His servants helped him take off his armor and brought in some hot water and a cloth for him to wash. The pieces of his armor were placed neatly on the stand in the corner…and then, he dismissed everyone. I held my breath in anticipation of what was to come.
He did not disappoint. General Mo took off his shirt, slowly, revealing the naked skin of his well-shaped body and began to wash himself. The water trickled down the rippling muscles teasingly, making me jealous of them.
I did feel a bit discomforted all of a sudden.
Maybe… maybe he knew my weakness too… it was him.
He extinguished most of the candles and finally removed his headpiece, freeing his very long and full hair. I had often fantasized about what he would look like with it unbound, but reality surpassed my expectations by so much. Still not paying me any attention, he went to the makeshift bed and lay down with his back to me.
Time passed. I kept watching his breathing - very clearly, he was not asleep. Feeling my own heart speed up, I tried to move forward… and succeeded. The bonds around my legs allowed me to take tiny steps towards him, tiny, agonizing steps. I managed to get close enough to hear his breathing, which was speeding up just like mine, and then, in my excitement, I stumbled and fell with a yelp - right into his arms and lap, because he had whirled around on his bed in time to catch me.
He stared down on me with eyes like the midnight sky during a storm.
“General Mo,” I breathed, my innards turning to lava. Quickly, I closed my eyes, afraid to see the expression in his change into something I didn’t want to see.
But I felt his hot lips on mine and his muscular arms tightening as he pulled me close.
A thrill like a thunderbolt raced through my entire body, from my head to my toes. My mouth longed so much for this kiss, it opened wide, like a flower thirsting for the rain, seeking and finding his willing tongue, sucking it in and twirling my own around it in a dance of increasing ecstasy. A fire was ignited in my body, a hot and demanding fire.
I was a fool, I realized. It was that time of the month. This could not happen. And yet, I wanted it so much.
He pulled back. “My apologies,” he panted.
“You apologize for kissing me?” I laughed, “take your honor and kick it out of this tent right now.”
He looked at me, but his eyes did not stay on my face, they wandered slowly over my bound body in the tight black fabric. My breathing quickened. When his eyes returned from their expedition, they were burning with desire. My body responded immediately with an upsurge of its own. A low moan escaped my throat as my back arched in his hands, wanting, no, needing them elsewhere. The fire in my belly burned painfully and ...”
The throaty voice that had susurrated the words so lovingly halted abruptly, leaving an almost painful silence in its wake.
“Why are you stopping?” Yi Mei Niang complained from the depth of the pillows. “My favorite part is coming up!”
“There’s a picture,” Si Ming said.
“Oh, let me see!” she said excitedly and tried to sit up. “This artist draws so well!”
“Ah, but it’ll cost you something,” the Starlord replied with a smirk and pressed the pages of the book to his chest.
“Huh,” Yi Mei Niang snickered, letting herself fall back, “I don’t want to see it that much, you scoundrel.”
But Si Ming smacked his lips and felt his mouth water. Her movement had uncovered her breasts and by the Old Ones, they looked as juicy as the ripest peach from the Heavenly gardens - suddenly, he wanted to do everything to Yi Mei Niang that Mr. Mo did to his Lady in this latest bestseller.
“Are you inspired,” the Purple Queen laughed, pointing at his protruding excitement under the thin blanket, “didn’t I tell you the Mr. Mo books are a revelation?”
“It’s not quite up to literary standards,” Si Ming whispered as he bent down to lick and then suck one of the juicy peaches, “but even though these books will never get a place in the Celestial Library, I can’t deny they have a certain… appeal.”
“You’ve got to read me “Three Fingers and a Smile" next,” Yi Mei Niang purred, “that one is probably my favo… ahh.”
“Do Mr. Mo and the Black Queen remind you of someone too?” Si Ming asked as he slowly uncovered more of her skin, bit by bit, encouraged by the moans his touch drew forth.
“Oh yes,” Yi Mei Niang panted, “the author even calls himself Wan Shao. If the Demon Ancestor finds out…”
“Will she go and kill the mortal who wrote them?”
“... no, she’ll probably love it,” Yi Mei Niang laughed, “besides, the author must be long dead. Mortals last only a bit longer than mayflies.”
She pulled Si Ming’s head towards her own for a series of passionate kisses.
One of her associates had found the Mr. Mo books in a mortal world by pure coincidence and, having a keen eye for business opportunities, had brought them to the Demon Realm for Yi Mei Niang to see. Since it didn’t look like there would be a new war between Celestials and Demons after all, the Purple Queen was busying herself with planning a series of new products she would start to sell to the Heavens, including a new type of alcohol, some special teas and the Mr. Mo books.
“I shall invite Lia and Rou to join us,” Yi Mei Niang told the Starlord after their lips broke apart. “You’ve kept me so busy I’ve neglected them.”
“Me and th… three…,” the usually so eloquent Starlord suddenly had trouble breathing.
“Relax,” she grinned, “me and the girls can take care of ourselves if you’re not up to it.”
Si Ming wasn’t quite sure whether he was the luckiest Starlord alive or the one in the biggest trouble ever, but if he had learned one thing from associating with Demons over the last century, it was to stop thinking too much about consequences and be brave when venturing into unknown territory.
“I feel almost as lucky as Mr. Mo!” he smiled shyly and readied himself mentally to show these wonderful Demon women how much up to it he was.
***
“Demon Overlord!” Tian Gu called out for the third time, slightly unsettled to find the guards at her door gone and no sign of life from within.
True, things seemed more quiet in the Demon Realm at the moment, but only a fool would believe there was no danger anymore. The rebels from Huang Juéwàng were certainly not more content with how the Purple Queen was handling Demon affairs now than they were before and without her very good network of spies that informed her about the movements of all her potential enemies, the current Overlord would probably have been killed a long time ago by assassins.
“Horse Princess,” said a smooth voice behind her, making her jump in surprise.
“You do not need to be that scared of me,” Yu Dian said with a small bow when she faced him with a fast beating heart. Despite putting on a smile, he sounded despondent and for a moment, she wanted to reach out a hand to take his arm and tell him she was sorry.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied, when the truth was that she had tried to avoid him as much as possible ever since that night. She could not think of it without feeling deeply ashamed. How could she have let it go that far! Every time she was intimate with Yue, she had to think of Yu Dian’s whispered promise - next time, we will have less clothes between us - and how his face had crumbled at the realization she was rejecting him.
The biggest and most painful surprise to her had been the understanding that he actually liked her. An elegant, well-dressed, fiercely handsome man like him, a poet, a musician, someone every unmarried woman coveted... he liked her, a girl who could do nothing but ride horses?
“What are you doing here?” she asked him before it could get more awkward between them.
“You received a messenger from Qin Qiu,” Yu Dian replied, “I am the Overlord’s key advisor and need to be present when you discuss it with her. I am assuming you will go on a journey soon?”
Tian Gu nodded and tried to swallow down her excitement. Finally, word from her Shifu! She had been so worried.
“I told you they were fine and were just enjoying some time together in the mortal realm,” Yu Dian shrugged after studying her face.
“Shifu would never do that,” she bristled, “he takes his responsibilities very seriously! He must have been in trouble.”
“Without a doubt, without a doubt,” Yu Dian said, probably to appease her.
Tian Gu strongly suspected Yu Dian knew more. Him and Yue had returned from one of their missions rather beat up. She had tried to get some information out of the taciturn Yue, but had failed spectacularly. He hardly said a word when he was with her anyway, he just looked at her with eyes that took on a feral sheen before he let go of all restraint.
Even just thinking of it made her blush. Were all Demons so… lusty?
“Is the Demon Overlord out?” she asked the Green Lord.
“No, definitely in,” he replied.
“But…”
“The Starlord Si Ming is here, this time not for business but pleasure,” Yu Dian smirked, “you can wait out here until your hair gets grey, our Overlord will not leave this room soon.”
“But where are her guards?”
“They’re in there too,” Yu Dian answered, laughing silently at her nonplussed face.
“Oh,” she said in a small voice, blushing even more deeply.
“I will go in now,” Yu Dian declared.
“You can’t do that!” Tian Gu exclaimed.
“My dear,” the Demon replied, “would you say this is urgent business?”
“Y...yes,” Tian Gu admitted.
“Then I must rouse them from their lovenest,” Yu Dian shrugged and pushed open the large doors.
Tian Gu squealed and quickly covered her eyes with one hand, but stepped in behind him.
“They’re sleeping,” Yu Dian whispered next to her, his warm breath tickling her ear in a most sensual way.
“Oh,” Tian Gu said and lowered her hand. They were. Glorious naked bodies in a heap, limbs entangled, blissful smiles on beautiful faces. She would have liked to look some more but her sense of propriety made her put up both hands in front of her eyes this time.
“Demon Overlord,” Yu Dian said firmly, positioning himself next to the bed. “Demon Overlord, news from the Demon Ancestor.”
Yi Mei Niang shot up from her bed of flesh and rubbed her eyes.
“Is she here?”
“Not yet,” Yu Dian smiled, averting his eyes just a little so that Yi Mei Niang had time to grope for a nightgown and cover her nakedness.
“I am to go to Qing Qiu,” Tian Gu said from the door, “immediately. My Shifu is there.”
“Oh, praised be,” Yi Mei Niang said and shook the man next to her. “Starlord. Starlord! Things are moving, get up.”
“Hmmmmmmmmmmm…,” he groaned and snuggled himself more closely to the person next to him.
“He is to go too,” Tian Gu said with more courage, “the message included him, Lord Donghua Dijun seems to have known he’s here?”
“What foresight,” Yu Dian snickered. “Overlord, we’ll be waiting outside. I’m assuming you want me to go too?”
“Absolutely, you assume correctly,” Yi Mei Niang said and shook the Celestial again, this time more forcefully. “Don’t let the Demon Ancestor get away again, do you hear me?”
“But…,” Tian Gu stared at the bearded Demon with consternation. He and her Shifu had no love for each other, everybody knew that. The atmosphere would only be tense again if the Green Lord joined their party.
“I shall rouse this one as soon as possible, poor man exhausted himself a little,” Yi Mei Niang explained, trying to lift the Starlord up so that he was in a sitting position. “Please oversee all preparations for a speedy departure,” she said to Yu Dian.
“Consider it done,” he answered and bowed his leave.
“Come,” he said to Tian Gu and took her arm on his way out, “pack your things if you have not already done that and say goodbye to this Palace and everything in it. I doubt you will return anytime soon. The next Demon Overlord will reside in the Obsidian Palace again - it won’t be long now.”
Travelling to the Fox Realm in the company of the Starlord Si Ming and the Green Lord Yu Dian, with the Tree Spirit from the Fox Realm leading the way, was more entertaining than Tian Gu had imagined. Once the Starlord had fully woken up - it had taken him a while, - he had started to ask Yu Dian a series of questions about the Green Realm and Demon Customs. Yu Dian did not seem to mind the nosiness - in fact, he answered everything with apparent fervor, revealing his deep love for this land and its people.
Friends, he had said, they could be friends. Tian Gu liked that thought, it seemed safe. He was truly amiable like this, someone people liked to spend time with, she liked to spend time with. Yu Dian was especially pleasing when his admiration for the Demon Ancestor showed. It became obvious that he was even more excited to meet her than Tian Gu was excited to reunite with her Shifu and Tian Gu even caught herself thinking he was rather… adorable.
That made her feel a bit bad about Yue.
He had not been in the Palace when they had left. Nobody knew where he was, which wasn’t unusual, since he often went on secret missions for the Purple Queen. Tian Gu suspected he was not only her Head of Guards but also the Head of Spies… it would explain things.
Only one of the Dai babies, growing daily bigger and more dangerous, had poked its head with the three eyes out from behind a curtain when she had called Yue’s name and had hooted at her.
“Put a binding spell on them,” Tian Gu had often chastized Yue. It was a calamity waiting to happen, those Beasts running around freely.
“They’re not monsters!” Yue always defended them when she said something and didn’t speak another word for hours. But they were monsters and they were dangerous and she couldn’t for the life of her understand why Yue was so adamant to keep them as pets.
But soon, her excitement got the better of her and her heartbeat picked up speed as they got closer to their destination. But… Si Ming, who expected to meet up with the Master of Taichen Palace; Yu Dian, who expected to meet his Queen; and Tian Gu whose heart was beating fast in anticipation to shower her Shifu with all her unspent filial duty were all equally surprised when the one who greeted them was not Dijun, not Shao Wan, and not Mo Yuan... but the Crown Prince of the Thirty Six Heavens, Ye Hua.
“Be welcomed,” he said gravely, “what happens here today is not, under any circumstances, to be divulged to anybody else. Do you understand?”
Chapter 51