Mo Yuan and Shao Wan (三生三世十里桃花) - Vol. 1 [COMPLETED]

Chapter 8

written by Kakashi
Inputer (dialogue): Miniorchid
Edited by JoAnne

"Ye Hua ..."

"He said not to follow, Qian Qian."

"Yes, Ye Hua, but he has been gone for ..."

"Did he not very clearly say do not follow him?" Ye Hua turned to the anxious Kunlun disciples.

"Yes, Crown Prince," Die Feng said, eyes downcast. "Shifu said that."

Ye Hua turned back to his wife. "See? You stay here. He'll be back soon."

Ye Hua tried to stand his ground, but he already knew that he was going to lose this argument. Bai Qian was quivering with anxiety, and even though Die Feng and the others would never dare go against him, it was evident to Ye Hua that they, too, were just waiting for an opportunity to rush to Zhe Yan's Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms to save their Master from whatever he surely did not need saving from.

Mo Yuan was definitely alive. Ye Hua could feel it through their bond, although he could not quite fathom the rather strong emotions he was feeling right now. Often, recently, he wished he did not have this connection or that he would at least know how to shield himself better. Especially when he was in bed with Qian Qian, in the moments he should have enjoyed himself the most, he caught himself wondering whether Mo Yuan felt something too, and he would be distracted by thoughts of how awkward this would get.

Suddenly, he felt his brother was in a lot of pain ... Ye Hua barely managed to hide it in time. It didn't last long, but it made him more worried. He thought he had a good reason for not further alarming his wife, and his brother had said not to follow, but maybe it was too selfish of him not to let Bai Qian go? Actually, he should just go himself - but he couldn't really, not after making his point about 'definitely not going' so strongly.

Having an elder brother like Mo Yuan did not make his life easier, that much was clear.

***

"How can you just let him shoulder this alone?" Bai Qian snapped at her husband. She was really getting furious. Why was Ye Hua so stubborn today?

"But he said..."

This was ridiculous. He was going to mention Zhe Yan again in a moment and how he'd certainly help if needed.

"Yes, because that is what he does, Ye Hua!" Bai Qian said angrily, "Just like you, he goes and takes everything onto himself! He wouldn't let Zhe Yan help!"

She felt like crying. Very vividly, she remembered both Mo Yuan and Ye Hua's lifeless bodies in her arms, her utter helplessness in that situation, and her crushing feeling of loss.

Then she saw Ye Hua flinch.

"Is he in pain?" she asked, her heartbeat quickening in panic.

"I don't think so, Qian Qian", Ye Hua said.

It sounded like a lie. The foolish man was probably trying to protect her again. Bai Qian knew that the two brothers shared some special bond, but beyond that she did not understand what was going on between the two. There had been no time to talk about anything.

Between the excitement of watching the preparations for her wedding, their splendid grand wedding itself, the endless congratulatory visits afterwards where Bai Qian had needed to sit still and smile, and her trying to settle into the unfamiliar territory of the Nine Heavens, she had hardly seen Mo Yuan. Ye Hua himself was too darn busy too, and as she knew, worried about too many things that he did not talk to her about.

She could not understand why the twins did not want to spend more time with each other, though - had they not been separated all their lives? Was it not a miracle that after so many millennia, Mo Yuan's brother had been born? She had said so to Ye Hua and had encouraged him to go visit Mo Yuan (hoping he would take her along - she really missed Kunlun so much!) but Ye Hua had politely, firmly blocked her out.