Eternal Love Once Upon a Time

Chapter 4

Mo Yuan.

It felt like drowning. The sensation of his deflated lungs expanding to take in air that it has not breathed in over seventy thousand years. He forced himself to continue. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, until his natural instincts take over as he breathes normally. His heart is now steadily beating, his fingers and toes move in reaction to his brain's command. His eyes flutter open. Then blink, trying to focus on what looks like the dome of a cave.

Now that he has full command of his bodily function, he shifts his gaze to the sides. He has sensed their presence once the last of his missing soul pieced itself together in his core. His friends. Spiritual brothers since they were all trained together in Kunlun by his Fuxi and have fought side by side in the many wars that has ravaged their world before going their own separate ways to fulfill their destinies. Zhe Yan is now the world's best healer, Bai Zhi the emperor of the fox clan, and Mo Yuan returns to his rightful place as Master of Kunlun.

"Mo Yuan, you are finally awake." Zhe Yan quips as he helps Mo Yuan to a sitting position.

"You have been sleeping in Yan Hua cave for seventy thousand years, my friend. Welcome back." Bai Zhi added.

"Seventy thousand years..." He closes his eyes, looking pained, which worried his friends for a little bit. But then opens them again with a look of calm resolve as he prepares himself for what is to come next.

Sensing his discomfort, Bai Zhi said, "you must feel cold. Why don't we help you come back to the fox den so you can get some food and refreshments before we tackle what to do next."

"Wait, Bai Zhi. there are things to be said before we do anything else. Let's do it here so we have privacy."

Zhe Yan then conjured some thick robes that Xiao Wu took from Mo Yuan's wardrobe in Kunlun to protect Mo Yuan's body from the cold, added some table and cushion seats so they can talk comfortably, as well as magically summoned some food and tea. Bai Zhi poured his friends tea from the pot while he and Zhe Yan waited for Mo Yuan to start.

Once Mo Yuan's parched throat was relaxed enough to allow his to talk freely without any discomfort, he put down his cup and looked at his two friends as he began his story.

"When I made the Bell of the East Emperor, Fuxi was so angered that he told me the only way to pay the karmic debt of developing a destructive weapon was a life sacrifice. Since I was an only child of Mother and Father of the Gods and had a responsibility to protect the realms, Fuxi helped me remove a piece of my soul that would allow the rest of me to anchor itself back should the time come that I would have to make that decision. As long as my physical body was protected, I could come back. Also, that piece of my soul had to be small but strong enough to call the rest of my soul pieces back- it was the piece that housed my emotions. Fuxi then placed the anchor soul piece in the golden lotus that I kept at Mount Kunlun. The same golden lotus that flared in reaction every time Qian Qian interacted with it. "

Bai Zhi and Zhe Yan slightly raised their eyebrows at his mention of Bai Qian's nickname. The Mo Yuan they know always referred to his disciple as Seventeen while talking with her father and benefactor. What he was saying about his anchor soul made them see how their friend was always able to keep his calm in all situations, no matter how unnerving or grating. However, they chose to keep silent seeing that Mo Yuan still had a lot more to say.

"When Qing Cang challenged the Nine Heavens for the position of Skylord, I knew the time had come to pay the karmic debt of making the bell. I transferred the sealing spell to Qian Qian, in the hopes that somebody will take over the responsibility if I am no longer able to do the task. Only I did not think that she would take it upon herself to do the task. I thought she would share the spell with either of you or even write it down to be sent to Di Jun. I had forgotten how stubborn and willful she can be once she sets her mind to it."