Fanfic: Mo Yuan and Shao Wan 2.0 - Chapter 61 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)

Chapter 61

written by kakashi
edited by LigayaCroft

Golden Dragon, listen to me, Mo Yuan urged his struggling dragon form. Fenghuang will get you out, I promise! We’ll be fine this time, no need to worry!

Earth magic, Gold Dragon’s breathing was panicked and fast, too much earth magic, it means to crush us again!

As soon as they had drawn closer to the Caves, earth magic had started to press down on Mo Yuan. He was chained with power suppression bonds, but they were not what caused this eerie feeling of being buried underneath a mountain. It was the land itself. He recognized it all too well.

It was hard to still the body and the mind and trust one’s own plans and judgments when memories of that time, of being at the mercy of powerful earth magic for 100 years flooded your head like a destructive wave. The lives of immortals were very long, a hundred years should be gone and forgotten like a sneeze - but the memories of waking up from an emotionless state to the realization of what he had done to what he treasured were the most vivid, the most painful memories of all.

We fought the Abomination here, Golden Dragon remembered.

It was close, the place where they had dropped the dark power into the lava maelstrom to destroy it. He would never have guessed that he would return here so soon. That fire was not like other fires, like this place was not like other places. A place where the earth bled power, a power not of this world. It came from a huge rift in the land, an ugly wound that looked like it had been caused by a great calamity.

There was only one calamity Mo Yuan could think of that might have caused such destruction in his Father’s creation.

It all made sense now.

“No tricks!” one of his Soulswapper guards hissed at him, alerted by the soft clanking of the chains when he moved his hands, her eyes angry slits behind her helmet. Their anger was only getting bigger the closer they got to their lair, resulting in much physical and verbal abuse. Mo Yuan endured it quietly and with all the dignity he could muster. They were afraid. They did not trust their luck. Could he blame them?

Mo Yuan threw a quick look towards the false Pin Kuì. They little boy was sleeping peacefully in the caged wagon beside his, which was remarkable for a mortal child ripped from his world and brought to the immortal plains without warning. For all their captors knew, false Pin Kuì was the Crown Prince. And Mo Yuan would make sure they would not realize their mistake until the very end.

Shao Wan’s impending arrival had forced Mo Yuan to act much earlier than he had planned, but he had since come to the conclusion that it was a good thing. It further assured Ye Hua was safe… as safe as anyone could be on an ascension trial. It was clear that the Soulswappers had watched and waited to see him grow - there was just so much more blood in a man’s body in comparison to a child’s. But the longer they all remained on the mortal world together, the bigger the risk of them becoming suspicious would have gotten. His attack had compelled them to take the child away prematurely, since he had made them believe a whole Celestial army was about to descend on them after him.

Leaving Yu Dian to guard the real Ye Hua was working out well too - now that Jie Jing had rather unexpectedly become a Demon, he was the perfect match for her. Mo Yuan had a good eye for potential couples, almost as if Fate had once considered making him the God of Marriage instead the God of War. Yu Dian could easily be presented as the one who had prevented a disaster involving the Crown Prince’s mortal form. Would her father be able to object openly to a groom that was a hero?

The only downside was that Mo Yuan had not had enough time to perfect his own mind controls. Yet he cared surprisingly little. He had changed, he mused: In earlier years, he would never have been able to act spontaneously without perfecting and controlling every detail of his plan. Now, he was almost glad he had been forced to go ahead. Time… why did he feel its passage so much more keenly?

Old bones got tired. Had not Donghua and Zhe Yan laughed at him many times for being the only one among the old ones who was still active and putting his life at risk frequently? The longer he stayed away from Kunlun, the clearer it seemed to him that they were right. Surely there were other capable Gods who could protect the realms? He needed a successor. He wanted to spend all his time with his children.

But he shouldn’t get ahead of himself like this.

I will put you in here and you will stay quiet and sleep like we agree, yes? Mo Yuan ordered Golden Dragon.

Until Fenghuang gets me out?

Yes.

Will you let me fly with her then?

Of course. I want nothing more, believe me.

Human… you must be careful, it is dangerous, Golden Dragon said before trotting into the mind room Mo Yuan had made for him. It was a cozy nest on a high mountain top with a phenomenal view of the clouds.

Yes, Mo Yuan agreed, but we can fool him, I am certain. He is too greedy.

Be careful about the woman, Golden Dragon interjected, they are harder to fool in general.

Look who considers himself an expert! Mo Yuan felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, but smiling in front of his watchful guards was not a good idea. Besides, it was what he was most concerned about indeed: that woman. No, he could not fool her. Unless he really became what he had to pretend to be for his plan.

I will not come out even if they try to draw me out, Golden Dragon rumbled, I like it here a lot.

Closing the door behind his True Form made Mo Yuan feel like he was locking away his only friend. The menacing presence of the Tower Engineer surged - he was behind the other door, rightly suspecting some foul play. It wasn’t yet time to convince him otherwise… but soon.

Too soon.

Was it possible that someone as powerful as Mo Yuan… was feeling nervous?

***

Tian Gu had been to the Elders’ Cave only once before in her life. She had been a small girl and her father had told her she had to be “tested” - for what she had never fully understood. The test had involved much chanting, swathes of intoxicating smoke and a headache that had lasted for more than a week, but in the end, the Elders had not found her worthy. Tian Gu was sent back to the Palace and it had been a long time before she had been allowed to see one of the bird-like, white haired people again who were her Tribe’s living memory.

Tian Gu jumped from her horse’s back when the trail got too steep to ride. Since she wasn’t sure how long her visit would last, she didn’t hobble the animal but let it walk around freely so it could graze to its heart's content on the prickly grass while she was busy.

There were no guards nor any other protective measures that she could sense on her way up, but maybe she had just been around warring people much too long for this not to strike her as negligent. She understood that all her Tribe’s sacred objects were kept in this location. Granted, the Horse Tribe’s lands were remote and there were hardly any visitors from other tribes, but surely they had to know about the unrest in the adjacent Demon Realm? The entrance to the caves was unprotected too. Certainly they had sensed her coming? An unpleasant feeling came over her that was much too much like fear.

“Hello? Anybody here?” she called into the dark.

There was no answer. But Tian Gu sensed something change. As if the darkness had suddenly begun listening. It took on more substance.

“H… hello?” she asked again. “Are you not in, Elders?”

“You speak our language with an accent now?” came the sharp but not unfriendly answer.

A woman stepped into the light of day, seemingly out of nowhere, her face weathered like old leather. Age had hunched her back. Her thinning hair was long and as white as snow, with shells and feathers adorning it. In her right hand, she held a wooden staff.

Tian Gu blinked. Though the shaman looked like she always had, there was something strangely different about her. As if the old woman had lost substance since she had last seen her.

“Wuwu!” Tian Gu cried. “I am so happy to see you! Can I hug you?”

The old woman chuckled. “If you must. But be gentle.”

The frailness of the body in her arms scared Tian Gu. It was like a sack of bones where once had been the strength of a generation. Was Wuwu fading away?

“Are you alone here?” Tian Gu asked, feeling how worry was beginning to hum in her chest, “where are the others?”

“The others? Ah,” Wuwu said, “here and there, wherever the wind blew them.”

Did her father know of this? Tian Gu felt anger, then worry again. What was going on with her Tribe? Had nobody thought to call for her?

“Wuwu, don’t you need guards?”

“Why, are you leading a Celestial host against us?”

The old woman craned her neck in alarm as if she were expecting Celestial soldiers to be standing in the valley below.

“Wuwu!” Tian Gu pouted. “Why are you saying things like this? I would never betray my tribe!”

“Never is a very fickle word,” Wuwu sighed. “Are you not here at his bidding?”

“I’m his student,” Tian Gu said, “Father wanted it so. It’s a great honor to be the first…”

“Don’t lie to yourself, child,” Wuwu said, “You are young and easily impressed. How could I blame you for falling into his traps? I know he inspires great loyalties, it’s what the likes of him have always done. But give me the message you have come to deliver. I am tired today.”

“Wuwu! Sit down, please,” Tian Gu said and took the old woman by the hand, urging her down. “I will send someone from the Palace up here to attend to you. I…”

“No,” the old woman said with authority. “You know the rules.”

But she lowered herself on a stone with the help of her staff and then patiently looked at Tian Gu with pale eyes. Tian Gu was not surprised the shaman knew why she had come, she had always just known things.

“He said this,” Tian Gu began, suddenly feeling small and inadequate before someone who had lived this long and guilty for not staying here to help this aging woman. Was this not the King’s daughter’s duty? “‘I am willing to help your tribe get what it desires in exchange for your help against the Soulswappers. They must cease to exist. If you agree, meet me at the Lost Demon Tower in four days.’ Only this, Wuwu.”

Wuwu’s face remained unmoving after Tian Gu’s words had died away, her eyes were closed. Had she gone to sleep maybe?

“Wuwu?” Tian Gu asked cautiously.

“So he knows what we want,” Wuwu murmured. “Or is he just guessing? Who knows with someone like him… I cannot trust this son of Fuxi. He is sly.”

“I met my mother,” Tian Gu blurted out. “And so did he.”

Wuwu’s chuckling sounded like the rattling of bones. “Ling Dao is a foolish woman! You know how much hope we had for her? She was by far the brightest star, finally, after so many generations. And then, she threw it all away for a man not even from our tribe. A Demon!”

“Please tell me about it, Wuwu,” Tian Gu begged, thinking with another pang of guilt she understood the allure of Demon men very well since meeting Yu Dian and Yue. “My Father refused to tell me anything. Why did she leave us?”

Wuwu looked at her as if she didn’t quite comprehend what Tian Gu wanted. “Whom are you speaking of, child?”

“My mother, Wuwu! Ling Dao!”

“Ah, yes,” Wuwu sighed. “She lost herself. That man promised her powers beyond what you can imagine and an eternal life beside him. She refused to see how dark his magic was. Forbidden. You do not play with souls, nobody is allowed to.”

Tian Gu shuddered.

“Wuwu I don’t understand. Why are we… why is our tribe implicated in all this? I am very afraid… the God of War is protecting us, nobody else from the Celestial Tribe knows what the Soulswappers did to one of their most venerated gods. But you know what will happen if the Heavenly Emperor finds out? Or the Crown Prince?”

Wuwu snorted. “A Celestial Dragon flying above us, bringing lightning, thunder and rain,” she recited an old song. “The wrath of the Dragon Family is one of a kind, child. I exist to remember.”

“Wuwu, I don’t understand,” Tian Gu repeated, feeling shivers race down her spine. “What happened? When? We surely can do something? We must help the God of War against the Soulswappers! He will be lenient, he is much kinder than people think he is.”

“Would you kill your own mother?” the shaman snapped.

“N… no!” Tian Gu felt sudden nausea.

“You are a silly child. It is what he demands! Her death. Her lover’s death. The Universe is unbalanced because of them. Fuxi will not allow it. His son is but his executioner that was given his sword. Maybe he has some kindness as you say, but he cannot escape this fate, child.”

“But Wuwu! If you do not go to help him…”

“It will change nothing,” Wuwu interrupted her harshly. “My life is ending, but I have seen this with utmost clarity: Another purge is coming. Fuxi’s son will kill everything that does not follow the rules of this creation. Make sure not to be there, child. You will not survive.”

***

“It is me, Ling Dao,” Mo Yuan said. “Qing Quan.”

The brown haired woman with the blue eyes standing before him in the dimly lit cave did not believe him.

Of course she didn’t. It was an absurd claim. For all this woman knew, her lover was long dead, ripped apart by an Abomination he had tried to experiment on.

Mo Yuan took a deep breath and then another. He wasn’t ready for this but then he would never be. What use was it to stall further?

He opened the door to his mind chamber.

Ceasing control to the Parasite in his head was the most dangerous thing he had ever done. Even yielding his own soul to the Bell as a sacrifice did not compare. For yielding one’s soul was an act of control - this was the exact opposite.

He went into the chamber he had prepared and closed the door behind himself. He was in a cave. A meditation cave like the one at Kunlun, with candles and a serene atmosphere.

Mo Yuan climbed on the dais and seated himself in lotus position.

In his one hand he held the wooden sculptures of two infants. In the other, he held a miniature statue of Shao Wan. Briefly putting them to his lips, he balled his fists over them and closed his eyes.

This had to work. It just had to.

***

“It is me, Ling Dao,” Qing Quan said. “Qing Quan.”

The War God had lost control. Finally! Qing Quan had raged and waited his turn and raged and waited his turn some more, unable to do anything else in a mind so strong, but he had felt the controls weakening in the last few days - now he understood why.

They were at this place, the place he had searched for so long, the one Yu Zon had found for him. Men’s powers were stripped from them here, even an immortal as powerful as the God of War only retained a fraction of what he normally commanded. And still, the Celestial’s body was a delight to be in - strong, healthy, with more cultivation than Qing Quan had ever felt in his life.

Qing Quan laughed, he couldn’t help himself. That was what it felt like to be alive! He had almost forgotten!

Ling Dao still looked at him like she had seen a ghost, but something changed in her eyes… was it hope?

“You need proof, of course,” Qing Quan said smoothly. “Let’s see… That I know of the birthmark you carry on your lower back, will this convince you? Or that we broke your husband’s favorite lamp in your chambers that first night. That we faked your death using the body of a maid we disfigured? That we travelled here by foot - to spend more time together, that we…”

“Enough!” Ling Dao pressed out with a quivering voice. “Enough!”

Qing Quan fell quiet. No need to overdo it. Her eyes had grown large, staring at him like she had the ability to see the truth this way. In a few hundred years, he would be able to change the shape of this face, but not now. Words were all he had to convince her.

“He let me in willingly,” Qing Quan explained. “He wants to save his woman. Which is completely pointless of course, nobody has ever been able to escape the Demon Madness, but he will try to the bitter end.”

Men - always the fools because of women they loved. He had never made that mistake, but the woman standing before him would never find out that he couldn’t love anybody. He was finally back where he needed to be to perfect his immortality. With her help.

“Qing Quan,” she said, followed by an overwhelmed sob. It was sinking in.

“Yes, Ling Dao. I have returned to you! I missed you so much!”

She had always been susceptible to sappy words, the silly woman. For the longest time, Qing Quan had believed she was fooling him, meaning to trick him, until he had concluded before the accident with the Abomination she was really that much in love with him. But then, his plans had changed.

He felt the very angry life-force before another woman entered the chamber abruptly. She was the spitting image of Yu Zong so that Qing Quan recognized her immediately: the other twin Yu Zong had fathered… well, he had fathered, when he had possessed that madman’s body. Not a particularly nice experience.

The Tower Engineer observed the fuming woman closely. She was his first successful experiment with soul splitting. That she was still alive filled him with pride. She had also served as his vessel for a while, though he would never again possess an infant. It was altogether disturbing in a mind that wasn’t fully developed, even more disturbing than a mind of someone who was insane.

“Cult Leader,” she addressed Ling Dao, venom in her voice, “do not trust him.”

Qing Quan smiled. He found the War God’s face unaccustomed to that motion, but the longer he stayed in command, the more like him the body would become. It would be particularly pleasing to fully break this one. Arrogant bastard.

“Yu Fén,” he addressed the beautiful Demon woman who carried half of her brother’s soul, “you will not interfere with my plans.”

“How dare you com…”

“Yu Fén!” Ling Dao’s voice rang out commandingly, “you will fully respect Qing Quan! Now leave us alone.”

“But Cult Leader…”

Yu Fén was very emotional, probably in love with Ling Dao. She did have something, of course, the Cult Leader. A raw magnetism that only people from that tribe had… fuelled by their ability to draw powers from the living things around them. Demons found them irresistible because of it.

“Go and make sure the Celestial Crown Prince is fully secured!” Ling Dao commanded her subordinate. “We will need his blood to complete the spell. I am unhappy about the size of him, but apparently, it couldn’t be helped!”

Yu Fén obeyed with much reluctance, throwing him death stares as she left.

“Did he want to be captured?” Ling Dao asked him, suddenly looking wary.

“Him? Never!” Qing Quan snarled and spat on the floor. Somebody as prideful as the God of War would certainly not lose any battles deliberately.

“Don’t you think it is a bit strange that he would be captured by my soldiers? Carrying you here like this? Surely he knows that you and I…”

Ling Dao had always had an extremely annoying tendency to overthink everything.

“Haha!” Qing Quan laughed. “Maybe he thought he can trick me? The fool! He lost his powers here like every male does who isn’t brought up here. I broke through his mind prison because of it! Once I’m in control, I cannot be locked up again.”

“What… what will we do now?” Ling Dao whispered.

Qing Quan smirked. “I know something I’d like to do with you that the Celestial bastard will not appreciate at all. And after that… I will need to go to the Demon Tower, my love. To fetch a few things. I’d be more than happy for you to come along. It’s where we changed the world after all, you and me, didn’t we?”

Chapter 62