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

Chapter 15

written by kakashi
edits by JoAnne

Shao Wan woke up under a warm blanket, feeling exceptionally well rested despite sleeping on the hard rock surface. The chains from her hands were gone, her body was healed and her head felt fine. Her stomach lurched and then growled loudly when the smell of food wafted through the air.

As soon as she stirred, Fong Hung served her a simple meal prepared on the small hearth he'd built near the cave entrance. She wolfed it down in one go, taking those moments to observe her surroundings. Her mount had brought clothes, all neatly stacked in a corner. There were shoes, brushes, hair pieces, scented oils for her skin, and a small mirror that he had put on a ledge. He had even organized weapons: a selection of daggers, and a black leather whip of basic, simple design. Not her Whip, but a whip nonetheless.

She hugged him, full of gratitude - and then remembered, with a pinch of fear, what Cheng Yin had said after drugging her.

"Did Cheng Yin hurt you when I was dead?" she whispered.

"It's of no consequence, Ancestor. He used everything he had on me, but I would not tell him anything. After I managed to escape he searched the whole Demon Realm for your ashes, but I hid them well."

She hugged him again, because she knew that in Cheng Yin's case, "everything he had" must be a lot. Fong Hung, the loyal fool, would have died for her.

"We should hide here for a while," her mount said with emphasis. "I will provide food and all other necessities for us, Ancestor. I am sorry I could not find a bigger cave. We cannot use the other one anymore, you drew attention to it when you woke up."

Hiding did seem like a smart thing to do, but it was also highly undesirable. She was not made for sitting idly in small, dark caves living on offerings and, she strongly suspected, stolen supplies. She wanted to go back to her Obsidian Mansion and whip the skin off Cheng Yin's body with her Demon Tongue before roasting him over small fires.

Correctly guessing her thoughts, Fong Hung said: "Do not go back yet. We need to observe him and find out what he is planning. He has amassed a huge army, Ancestor. It is by far the biggest in the whole realm. He is itching to go to war, but he seems to be waiting for something."

Fong Hung was right, of course: going back there with no army of her own would be extremely unwise. She had to stop acting on impulse.

That thought made her remember that she had dreamt of Mo Yuan wearing his crystal armor and carrying the immortal Xuan Yuan sword at his back. They had not fought each other. Instead, he had taken her into his arms - and just held her. They were of almost equal height, so her cheek rested on his. He was warm and solid, and the slow, calm rhythm of his breathing was as soothing as the sound of waves breaking in shallow waters. She had felt safe in his embrace.

Of all the strange things that had happened to her since she'd woken up, this was by far the strangest. She tried to figure out what it could mean, but remained excessively puzzled - realizing also that she felt a bit bad about how vicious she had been to him about that Bai Fox lady. If Mo Yuan had feelings for that one, it was none of her business. But why would this make her dream of a Mo Yuan who hugged her?

During her drawn-out silence Fong Hung watched intently, probably fearing that she was considering something foolish.

"We will hide here and gather information first," she repeated, to reassure him, and mentally readied herself to tackle Demon politics.

***

They hid and they gathered information and they tried to understand on whom they could rely. Shao Wan visited the other kings, many of whom she remembered in lesser roles from her time as Demon Overlord. She soon realized that they were waiting for Cheng Yin to make his move, and only then would they decide whether to ally with him against the Celestials or remain non-partisan. Not a single one, apart from Yi Mei Niang, the Purple Demon Queen, was ready to preemptively move against the Yellow King. Yi Mei Niang was surprisingly young and not very powerful, which told Shao Wan something about her wits. To remain queen in the Demon realm without being powerful meant she could outsmart all her challengers easily.