Chapter 17 - Just Another Day



Dong Hua took everyone in his aura and teleported them in front of the heavenly gates.


Each of them went their separate ways after saying farewell to each other. Cheng Yu and Jie Lu hugged Feng Jiu and promised to catch up with her soon. Lian Song thanked Dong Hua and remarked that he would drop by for a game of Go in the next day or two. Dong Hua only smirked and nodded.


"Zhe Yan, Bai Zhen, why don't you both take up a guest room at Tai Chen Palace tonight? I am sure Xiao Bai and Gun Gun will be thrilled to have you over, and of course, I would like it too.", Dong Hua offered.


Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen looked at each other and nodded in unison. "Sure, Dijun. Thanks for having us.", they said. So all of them went to Tai Chen Palace.


Chong Lin and Si Ming were excused from their duties that night and were asked to go rest. Once they reached Tai Chen Palace, Feng Jiu freshened up quickly and went to the kitchen. She was happy to have her uncles over and wanted to cook a nice meal for them.


Dong Hua took Gun Gun to his room, helped him get cleaned up, and let him sit with his books for some time. "I will call you when dinner is ready.", he smiled and said, caressing the boy's hair.


"Father..." GunGun blurted out hesitantly. He took Dijun's large hand in both of his and looked up with pleading eyes.


"What is it, son? Is something bothering you? Are you hurt?" Dong Hua asked, concerned.


"Not me, Father. I am fine. I am worried about my mother, though. Will she be okay? You will be able to help her no matter what, won't you?" the little boy asked with a worried look on his face. Dong Hua could tell he was worried about his mother a lot.


Dong Hua sat down and pulled his son closer. Keeping a calm face that showed none of this confusion, he asked, "Why do you think that way, Gun Gun? What happened?"


"Father, what do you mean by what happened? Her nightmares in the demon realm. She has not had them for a long time, and now they are back?" Gun Gun said worriedly.


Dong Hua hugged him closer and said, "Son, don't worry. I will take good care of your mother. I will help her heal. I promise."


"Thank you, Father. It's so good to have you in our family.", Gun Gun said, wrapping his arms around his father's neck.


Dong Hua laughed and kissed his son's silver hair. He smelled of sandalwood too. This little boy and his mother were Dong Hua's world. He would do anything to protect them.


 "Should I tell him more now?", GunGun wondered to himself.


"Greetings, Dijun. Dihou has asked me to let you know that dinner is served." a maid came in to inform them.


"Alright, let's go eat. I am sure your mother must have prepared a feast for tonight.", Dong Hua said to Gun Gun as they walked away hand-in-hand.


"I can tell him another time. Or I can tell Mother. We are here now, in Father's home. We are safe from the Demon Queen.", decided the little boy.


Dong Hua had predicted correctly. It was indeed a feast! Feng Jiu had prepared several delicacies from Quing Qui and the ones she had learned at Tai Chen Palace and in the mortal realm. She had picked a great selection of wine to go with it and prepared fruit juice for GunGun.


She served everyone with utmost love and care. She demanded that her uncles try every single dish. Her uncles were so happy to see her this happy, and they thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Dong Hua was surprised to see her be a naughty, spoiled, mischievous girl with them. He was amazed at how her uncles treated her like their own daughter, their little princess to pamper.


"I love it when you are like this, Xiao Bai. Giggling, teasing, making your demands. When will you feel free enough to be this way with me?" He thought to himself. 


He recalled the first time he had taken her to Bihai Cangling. With no one around but the two of them. She had behaved this way. She had made only one simple demand that day - to see the spiritual birds dance to the 'paying homage to phoenix'. And how had he reacted to that? He had told her that he 'wouldn't do something for nothing'. Then he had proceeded to trick her into dancing for him and sleeping with him. She had tried to talk reason with him but then relented and went on to do as he pleased. By the time he had fulfilled her wish, they had been separated for a couple of centuries and reunited. How could he expect her to behave freely with him?


Feng Jiu noticed that he was lost in thought and wondered if he felt like she neglected him. She immediately went to his side and served him his favorite sorrowless cake. "Thank you for letting uncles stay here. I haven't cooked for them for such a long time. It feels good to be able to spend time with them. Thank you. And please don't feel like I am neglecting you. I will make up to you soon, I promise.", she said nervously.


Dong Hua smiled and caressed her nose with his index finger. "Xiao Bai! You don't have to feel nervous at all. Now they are my family too and most of all, I am delighted to see you like this. I love my little fox being a spoiled little princess. Enjoy their company. I will enjoy watching you." he said. She smiled a sweet smile, took his hand in hers, and said, "You are the best, Dijun!"


He felt like his patience was rewarded. He was still learning to navigate the pangs of jealousy that rose in his chest whenever his Xiao Bai gave special attention to anyone. But controlling them tonight and just letting her be, had made her so happy that Dong Hua felt it was worth it.  He had earned her special smile, and she had wanted to 'make it up to him'. So he knew very soon she would plan something nice for him too. 


Hard as it might be, he had to learn to share her affection with her family. She was very kind and affectionate. It was an essential part of her being, and it made her thrive. He would not let his possessiveness hinder her growth.


The meal went on for a long time with all the chatting, joking, and Feng Jiu's uncles spilling the secrets of how naughty she was in her younger days to Dijun and GunGun. GunGun was having a fantastic time hearing about all those tales. 


Dong Hua was just so proud of his wife. In all her antics, he could see mischief, but not rudeness. He could tell she was very clever and daring. But never cruel or unkind. In all important aspects, she was always just and mature. He found himself falling in love with her all over again. He wondered why he never went to any of the festivals in Quing Qui in the past when Bai Zhi invited him. It was his loss indeed. 


After they finished their meal, Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen took their leave and retired to the guest bedroom. Dong Hua and Feng Jiu took Gun Gun to his room and tucked him in. Then they went to their bedroom.


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In the guest bedroom:


As Bai Zhen and Zhe Yan approached the guest bedroom, Zhe Yan could see his partner's face color up due to alcohol. He loved to see his Zhen Zhen blush like that. At the door, Bai Zhen stumbled, and Zhe Yan reached out to steady him. As Bai Zhen looked up to gaze lovingly in his eyes, pupils dilated, cheeks and earlobes flushed pink, a delicious warmth spread through Zhe Yan's heart. But he knew he had something important to take care of tonight.


With sheer determination, Zhe Yan led Bai Zhen to the study table, resisting the warm, inviting bed. Then he conjured up a strong sobering soup and offered it to Bai Zhen. "Why?" asked Bai Zhen. "Drink it up, Zhen Zhen. We need to talk about something important.", Zhe Yan replied.


Bai Zhen understood and drank up the soup. Zhe Yan drank some himself. After both of them had woken up clearly from the effects of alcohol, Bai Zhen asked Zhe Yan, "So what is it you want to tell me about Xiao Jiu?" 


He did sound a little bit nervous. Almost as if he was expecting something unpleasant to come out of their talk. Zhe Yan shook his head and chuckled to himself. Bai Zhen knew him well.


"Yes, I want to tell you something about Feng Jiu. You are a very important person in my life. Your happiness and your trust matters the most to me. So I am going to be fully and completely honest with you about it. As my partner, you deserve to know this before I reveal it to Dijun or Xiao Jiu tomorrow. I only ask that you trust me. Ask me questions or doubts, but please keep your faith in me. I will never betray you. Alright?" Zhe Yan answered, looking into Bai Zhen's eyes and holding his hands. 


Bai Zhen patted his hands and said, "I trust you. You can tell me everything."


And so Zhe Yan did. 


It was a long while before Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen finished talking. But they were glad they were able to clear things out. As they went to bed, they were lost in their own thoughts. Slowly, they closed their eyes and drifted into sleep.


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In the Demon realm:


"So, both of them were killed? Did you see who killed them?" asked Ji Heng to a demon soldier.


"No, Your Majesty. When we went there for patrolling, they had already been killed. We saw... We saw that...." the soldier stammered nervously.


"Say what you want to say. I will not punish you.", said Ji Heng in a cold voice.


"Your Majesty, when we saw them, their heads had been separated from their bodies. It appeared as if someone had cut their heads off with a sword.", the soldier finished saying his thoughts out loud and lowered his head.


"I see. You may leave.", Ji Heng replied.


"It must be Feng Jiu who killed them. If the others had killed them, they would not have left their bodies around. Their bodies would have been obliterated by any of the High God's power. The only immortals who have not ascended are probably Feng Jiu and GunGun. Out of the two, only Feng Jiu is known to wield a sword. Ha! Her famous Hexu!! I should take a look. But wait, just me going to take a look and not take advantage of this? That won't be good. So, how should I use this to take my plans forward?" she wondered.


After some time, a plan formed in her head, and she called out to Di Shiyi.


After some time, the Demon Lord, his new bride, along with Lord Cang Yi and his entourage, were seen heading out to the previously forbidden lands. Ji Heng had requested her husband that she would like to visit the place where the Celestials had gone, just out of curiosity. 


"My Lord, maybe we should invite the Eagle Tribe leader, Lord Cang Yi, with us too. Their lands are on the border of ours. By working together to develop a strategy, we would create an area that benefits both lands. What do you think?" Ji Heng asked Yan Chiwu politely.


Yan Chiwu could not understand her sudden interest in going to the forbidden land, nor her reason for inviting Lord Cang Yi, but he had always considered her to be smarter than himself. So he happily replied, "Sure, my queen. I can see you are a good strategist. This move will help us build cooperation and strengthen our borders. I will arrange for us to go visit this place along with Lord Cang Yi." 


They all arrived at the location. Yan Chiwu helped his wife down the carriage and walked towards Lord Cang Yi, exchanging pleasantries. As they all started going around, inspecting the land, they came to the spot which Ji Heng wanted. There lay the bodies of two vultures with their heads cut off. It was a very gory sight.


"Oh my! What!! How did this happen? That was so cruel! My Lord! Do you know who did this?" Ji Heng cried out, panicking. Yan Chiwu tried to console her. Lord Cang Yi was flabbergasted. 


"Demon Lord, what is the meaning of this? Did you know about this crime? Vultures are distant relatives of our tribe, and someone brutally slaughtered them right here. Is this how the Demon lands are governed?" a visibly upset Lord Cang Yi roared his frustration.


Yan Chiwu was at a loss for words. Ji Heng took this opportunity to gain her composure quickly and replied to Cang Yi. "Lord Cang Yi, we were not aware of this. As you can see, we are as appalled as you are at this heinous crime. We will investigate it thoroughly and punish the criminal. Please don't think that we will let anyone escape. Although they are related to your tribe, they were residents of the Demon Realm. So they are our responsibility. Rest assured that we will look into this with utmost care. Won't we, my lord?" She asked her husband.


"Yes, yes, we will. We absolutely will, Lord Cang Yi.", replied Yan Chiwu. He called his steward and asked him, "What do you know about this situation, Jun Ran?"


"My Lord, this looks like they have been only recently murdered. Also, the crime must have been committed with some powerful sword. There is some black soot near the cut mark. So maybe the weapon was wielded with the power of fire magic. For now, that's all I can tell looking at this scene. Oh, we also know that there are a couple of guards posted here at all times. I'll go and inquire with them.", Jun Ran replied and took his leave.


Sword. FirePower. Lord Cang Yi started thinking. He knew that the Celestials had visited this place earlier. Suddenly he recalled his fight with Feng Jiu. Could she have done it? He hoped he was wrong. If it were her, then he would have to find someone else to blame. He shuddered at the thought of Feng Jiu being tried for murder in the Demon court.


They had come here to encourage discussions of mutual benefit. That plan had marvelously failed. Somehow Yan Chiwu managed to appease everyone and head back.


{Image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2392606041095828/}


Author's notes:


Sorry about the delay in updating. Lots of things going on in our household, my work, and my business side. I will surely make an effort to update more regularly going forward. 


A huge thanks to all of you for your kind comments. Having total strangers read, enjoy my work, and take the time to engage with my content, is like a dream come true. Thank you one and all!

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