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

Chapter 97

written by Panda
edited by kakashi

Growing up as a member of the Nine Tailed Fox Clan and the future Queen on Qing Qiu I felt no need to answer to anyone but myself (and sometimes my parents) nor did I think I needed to obey many rules. I lived my life carefree and secure in the warmth of my family and confident in my power and position in the clan. The old Phoenix however was unhappy with my "unruliness" as he termed it and he convinced my parents I should get proper tutoring and training under the God of War, who was running the most prestigious school in all the realms.

The entire plan thrilled me - from being in disguise to being a student of someone as famous as the God of War. I imagined him to be a fearsome, intimidating God because that was how me and my brothers had always pictured someone with such an awe-inspiring reputation. I must admit I felt a bit cheated when I first set my eyes on him and even remarked as much to High God Zheyan but he waved my shallow observations away with a chuckle - he knew I would soon understand who the God of War truly was.

And indeed, before long, I came to understand my Shifu and his ways. He taught me by example that true power and strength was so much more than brute force. I still don't quite know how he did it, because I was not a particularly willing student, but through millennia of Godly patience and wisdom, he succeeded in taming my unruly side, in the process making me a better person- someone fit to rule.

During the years, I also came to realize why Shifu had such a ferocious reputation. He cared nothing for the Heavens' opinion and despite the wishes of the Heavenly Lord to the contrary, he rescued me from the prison of the White Goddess like it was nothing. And then, he even risked a war when he rescued me and beloved Ninth from the Ghost Clan not long after. I will never forget how he vanquished all the soldiers and went head to head with Qing Cang without breaking a sweat.

But now, I look back on all that happened with fresh eyes. When had Shifu started to have feelings for me? He never gave any indication that he had seen through my disguise but treated me just like his other students...I had thought. I am still convinced he would have rescued any of his students like he had rescued me. But what about the lightning strikes? Those accursed lightning strikes - the thing I have felt most guilty about all my life. Because my willfulness and stubbornness had made me not adequately prepare for my Ascension trial, I had to watch lightning strikes tear through Shifu's body while I could only sob and cry trapped behind a barrier.

Had he cared for me as a woman then? Probably. Why else would he have taken on such pain onto himself?

But how had I missed it?

Was it because my eyes were clouded by my nothing of a relationship with Li Jing? Or am I just naturally so obtuse? How terribly young and foolish I was back then. I had thought the world would end after one man's silly betrayal. Still weakened by my lightning strikes, Mo Yuan had come out of seclusion early to console me. How had I missed the signs? He had always treated me with more consideration and care than my seniors.

It showed in how Shifu had never minded and had even helped curb some of the teasing I had incurred from my seniors for acting like a puppy as I followed him around unhindered and undeterred by convention. It had made me happy when he had played his zither just for me or when he had singled me out for special attention like bringing back wine from Zheyan. I had never read anything more into it. What a fool I had been.

No wonder people had felt there was something between us.

It had only made me mad when I had heard speculations about our relationship. No one could understand the mixture of respect and guilt I had over what happened when he sacrificed his soul. He was weakened because he had taken my punishment. Mine! And my unruly behavior before had even led directly to the war and to him having to sacrifice himself to the Bell. Of course I had to do everything to get him back. There was no way I was going to let his body be buried especially after he told us he was coming back.