Fanfiction3: A-Li's Three Lives, Three Worlds - Chapter 74 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)
Chapter 74
written by Ligaya Croftedited by Kakashi
“It is as you have predicted, Zhu Ge Lao Ye. Tianjun has named his eldest son as Crown Prince.”
The Observer looked from across the table toward his Employer, who repulsed him. Driven by vengeance and ambition, this puny immortal actually dared to take the steps toward Jiuchongtian’s throne. What had these Celestials become, to be concerned about titles and prestige, about bloodline purity as a mark of righteousness? But then, should he be surprised when this race had been raised to the pedestal by Fuxi himself?
“The houses are in an uproar. To give the throne to one as lowly as Prince Li,” his Employer’s cup rattled at the force by which it landed on the table. “Still, this works to our plan!”
The Observer momentarily closed his eyes, before opening them again, to focus on his Employer. He found it amusing how his mere stare could spark fear in the immortal’s eyes.
“The Prince Li... is a formidable foe to reckon with.”
A hundred years later and he still felt something acrid rise up to his mouth as he recalled how Li had survived the explosion of that day. He had turned that puny immortal into a fatal bomb to test if the High Gods in the gathering could match up to his power with their powers combined.
Who would have thought Li could snatch a body and survive the explosion that followed afterwards?
“I have been rude,” his Employer said with a shake of his head, breaking through his thoughts. “You have meditated for over a hundred years. How are you feeling right now?”
How?
He was livid.
***
In disbelief at how Li could have possibly dispatched that immortal that day, The Observer sealed himself off in a cave to meditate. Like any immortal who aspired to great heights, he had done this often before to try to further increase his cultivation. But on that day, his purpose was different. He needed to shake off his shackles and let his Spirit enter Hùndùn.
Doing so wasn’t easy. To prevent disbalance, at the beginning of Creation, they had all agreed that it be a one-way pass when they first stepped from the Uncreated to the Created. Given his power now was just a little above that of the greater High Gods, The Observer had to pay his dues and meditate hard in order to be able to cross over.
The ironic thing was, the reason for his difficulty was his own doing.
He had exploited that one rip in the Veil and opened it up for Nüwa to be able to bodily go to her eternal exile. Enraged, Fuxi had made sure nobody would be able to follow her after that.
By the time his Spirit had broken through, he had lost all track of time.
Hùndùn— the birthplace of the Ancient Ones.
Home.
Intent on finding her, he had commenced his search. But it hadn’t been easy to find somebody who didn’t want to be found.
His Spirit had searched through billions of uncreated worlds until he found her in one.
She looked well, much unlike the frail woman who had been a breath away from disintegrating before she walked through the Mirrors he had created for her in Hell. It also hadn’t slipped his notice that she looked like she had been waiting for him. Seeing her looking at him like that, even in a place where reality was warped and negative feelings were more like a whispers of a dream, made his disembodied Spirit feel bodily enraged.
“Chao’er,” she acknowledged as he stepped closer toward her. “It has been a while.”
“Hello, Sister.” He replied yet hesitated from stepping any closer. He was only a fragment of himself, after all. Meanwhile, Nüwa was body and soul.
And powerful. She did not make any effort to subdue her presence, but powerful by how much, at that time he couldn’t determine just yet.
He was also not foolish enough to test his chances.
But it added to his anger. She had been barely a specter of her old self before she left, and yet here she was now, brimming with intensity. Meanwhile, he…
“I am sorry I haven’t been able to visit until now.“ He placed his hands together behind his back and looked up to the bright sky overhead. “This dreamscape is very intricate though. It almost looks like Kunlun when we first crossed over many, many years ago. It brings back memories.” He turned toward her, with a small smile drawn on his face, “You must have been very lonely.”
He didn’t like the way she was staring at him so he turned away.
“How is your eye, Chao’er?”
His breath caught in his throat. How could she have known?
But of course she would know.
“Did you have anything to do with—“ he snapped before catching himself. He felt exposed that she knew that his one link to Hùndùn, which allowed him to be able to find her time and again, was now gone.
Nüwa’s eyebrows raised. “Why blame me? I am here. I was not the one who held that knife and stabbed—“
“Stop it!” He roared, waving his hands with force.
Her head tilted to one side and she sighed. “The universe always demands balance. You pushed hard and took a life that didn’t belong to you, and this is how the universe pulled back in return. We both lost sight of her.”
His lips pursed as he recalled how hard it had been for him at that time to arrive at that decision. He had always been rational, but when it came to her…
“We were both Observers on opposite sides of The Veil. We weren’t supposed to interfere in the manner that you have done. Unthinkable. Reprehensible!”
He wanted to flee, seeing Nüwa make sweeping arm gestures yet her eyes remained hard and cold. Flinty. Of course, it was personal for her. Just as his decision at that time had been personal for him.
He took the number of steps needed to be at arm’s length away from her. She was his Eldest Sister, and he had never opposed her…until now.
“How dare you lecture me about interfering when you have clearly been doing the same yourself,” he taunted, his tone controlled. “Tell me I am wrong.” She remained so unmoving that it triggered his temper even more.
“Li,” even saying the young prince’s name aloud tasted bitter on his tongue. “What have you been doing to him? How have you been teaching him?”
She clucked her tongue then turned on her heel and walked away.
“Nüwa!” He called back, using her name. It felt strange coming from his lips. He had always held her in high reverence, only daring to call her Sister.
Yet it got the attention that he needed. She stopped and turned to face him.
“You dared take a step against my family. How can I just sit back and let them be at such a disadvantage pitted against you?”
So his suspicions were true all along.
He felt lightheaded at the admission of who his true opponent was. A rumble that turned into dry laughter burst forth from his chest.
”Step back, Chao’er.”
He did a double take at her soft tone, her use of his name, which was opposite to her impassioned delivery earlier.
But how dare she even suggest that he stop now when he had come this far?
“I can only move forward.”
Did her chin tremble at his response? Did he make her sad? The expression was fleeting, replaced right away with tightened fists and a set jaw.
“Then so be it,” she declared, before disappearing right before his eyes.
The dreamscape also faded, and was replaced by Hùndùn’s bright darkness.
He looked toward the unseen, to all these possibilities, the might-have-beens.
No matter how powerful Nüwa had become, she was still shackled to Hùndùn and could only move events along through Prince Li.
And though his power was only a shadow of what it had been before right now, he had at his disposal an army of Celestials that were out to get the Royal Family. While he didn’t agree with their ideals, he had found it… convenient.
Further, Nüwa was not the only one who was able to raise an impressive champion.
He had his Pet.
**END OF BOOK TWO**