Three Wars and a Goddess

The Fuxi Zither

Laying Zhe Yans body out on Kunlun Mountain where Mo Yuan insisted that he be taken, the sudden arrival of Bai Zhen caused even more heartbreak for them.  The single howl that erupted from the back of his throat collapsed them all as his body lowered to the dais in shock and disbelief.   There was no recognition for the artful way that i Jun had fixed the mans broken body for viewing.  His entire face and form had been healed so that he merely looked to asleep but the moment his head fell upon his chest, he knew he had truly left them because the heartbeat he had come to know intimately was no longer there.

The tragic sound of his crying was truly heartbreaking.  His mouth had formed a permanent grimace, the tears rained down his face and his entire body shook pitifully, and it would have been the only sound they heard had Bai Qian not suddenly run into the chamber as if her own very life depended on it. Initially, Deishi had taken her to the infirmary where he ordered Die Feng to take care of her.  Though the sight of the Great War General when he came into view had Die Feng raising his sword in defence having not immediately recognized him.

Even the sight of his Shifu had been terrifying and for the younger children especially who had never seen him injured and nor could their minds comprehend it, both men were now running on pure adrenaline even though they were both heavily wounded.  Mo Yuans arm needed urgent attention and having received only a little assistance from Di Jun who did not have the necessary knowledge to heal him properly being Zhe Yans forte, he instead sent for his own Medicine King while giving Mo Yuan enough strength to get him through.

Now in Mo Yuans meditation chamber, she did not look at anyone other than Mo Yuan and nor did she go to Zhe Yans body to grieve with her brother, instead she took Mo Yuans hand and forcefully dragged him from the chamber with an urgency that her mother noticed and had her following them out.  Knowing that look, she knew something of great importance was about to unfold whereas Mo Yuan merely thought she wanted to talk privately of their own affairs.

"Mo Yuan listen me.  When I was in that bubble of Zhe Yans energy, his soul was with me briefly.  It happened so fast, but I still remember some of the instructions he gave me before he left me in his energy." she said a rush of breath that neither Mo Yuan nor her mother could make any sense of.

"Qian Qian, what are you talking about?" he asked suddenly also realizing that she had something important to say and he needed to listen.

"I can't remember everything he said and I don't understand what he meant, but he said you would." she said suddenly bursting into tears as the desperate need for him to take her seriously overwhelmed her.

Placing an arm around her shoulder, her mother gently rubbed her back as Mo Yuan took hold of her other hand.

"Qian Qian, we're listening.  Explain exactly what he said slowly so I can understand." he said as gently as he could even though he could see that she was losing control of herself, because whatever she had to say meant a possible reprieve.

Her eyes were scanning his entire face, hair and body and though it hurt her to see him so injured, she forced the pain of his appearance to the back of her mind and brought forward what she could remember before she had lost consciousness.

"He said his zither would last only a few a day or two, you have to find it.  He also mentioned a Soul Lamp and magic mushrooms." she blurted out before collapsing against her mother in tears and disappointment.  The sudden look of disbelief on Mo Yuans face seemed as if he were angry because she couldn't remember 

"Mo Yuan?  What does this mean?" The Empress asked looking hard at him in confusion and a sudden flare of anticipation.

"Come with me." he said suddenly flaring back into life as they both caught the spark of excitement that hit the back of his pupils.  The fire that was seen earlier flared again as he almost ran back into the meditation chamber.