Feng Jiu had fallen asleep on the soft grass after a day of carefree, worryless playing. It had been wondrous, how he had easily put down his role of Emperor Lord - wasn't it meaningless when he had no magic there? 

Dong Hua was bored of the world, and perhaps, it was a blessing that he was trapped in the Green Plains with Feng Jiu, and thus no longer needed to hide his feelings from her any longer. However, after hearing so much about the little fox's transformation recently from the mouths of others, he was keen to put his ear close to know what she would say in her sleep. 

It was believed, that the name one would call out while in a deep sleep, was the name she actually loved. 

Dong Hua had never been bothered by all these thoughts before, and he blamed it on the dreamscape's anti-magic field interfering with his powers, and causing him to be as weak as a mortal, and find it difficult to resist the little fox's charms. She had matured well since he had seen her at Ruoshi.

Was it still him, after so much time had passed without them seeing each other? 

Was it still him, after she had spotted her name carved magically on the Rock next to that of another?

"Di Jun, please, help me escape this place," he heard her mutter out unknowingly in her sleep. Although it had been his name that she had called out, he couldn't help but worry.

Why was she so keen to leave him, and return to her life in Qing Qiu? Was it true, as rumours had spoken of, that a high immortal had proposed to her?

Dong Hua didn't want to think about that possibility right now. He concentrated on the beauty of the moment before him. He caressed her face gently, observing her wonderfully striking eyelashes as she slept with her eyes closed, gracefully turned to one side. He resisted from tasting her succulent lips and whispered, "Jiu'er, sleep well."

He carefully lifted her up and carried her into an abandoned hut that was surprisingly sturdy. In his embrace, the sweet little fox slept soundly throughout the night.

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Meanwhile, Si Ming was having a 'go' match with Lian Song.

"You seem reluctant to make the next move," the prince said observantly. 

"Dare you say that you aren't worried about Di Jun's appearance?" Si Ming said with a serious look on his face.

Lian Song smiled charmingly. "I have faith in Di Jun. I simply refuse to believe that any danger will come to him. After all, he is, and still is, the most powerful god in the universe."

"That goes to say. Your next move!"

They were interrupted by an abrupt knock on the door.

"Great Immortal Tai Xu, what brings you here?" Si Ming hastily stood up and bowed to the elderly immortal with clasped hands. Given Lian Song's royal status as a prince of the Sky Kingdom, he merely indicated his courtesy by standing up and greeting the immortal with clasped hands, without the requirement to bow.

 "I am here to check up on the disappearance of the Emperor Lord."

"The Emperor Lord, is he fine?" Lian Song couldn't resist asking.

"I apologize that I am not able enough to detect his whereabouts," Tai Xu said. "But a strange phenomenon has happened, and I strongly believe that it is linked to the Emperor Lord's sudden disappearance."

"What is it?" the two immortals cried out in unison, panicking.

"On the night of the Emperor Lord's disappearance, there was a big thunderstorm that rocked the heavens."

"I have seen it with my own eyes," Lian Song claimed. "But what is the connection with the storm with Di Jun disappearing?"

"Lightning struck the Rock of Three Incarnations, and caused it to splinter into thousands of fragments, which were then carried away by the wind and never seen since."

The elderly immortal took his leave after that.

Lian Song was appalled. Ever since Di Jun and Bai Feng Jiu miraculously vanished, they had been so preoccupied with searching the library of the Registry of the Immortals to seek an answer to Di Jun's disappearance, that they had completely forgotten about the Rock! But if the Rock ceased to exist, what would become of the Immortals' fates?

He turned towards Si Ming, being the Lord of Destiny, and Si Ming grinned.

"Don't forget that I am in charge of the fates of mortals, not immortals. I bet that you and your Lord Cheng Yu will always be fated, judging by how you two bicker all day long," Si Ming said.

"She can't stand a chance against my magnificent looks," Lian Song uttered narcissistically. As charming as the prince was, it had been the immortal Cheng Yu who he had difficulty snaring, even with all his intelligence and kindness. But of course, who could state that to him?

The exception had been Dong Hua Di Jun, who said what he had in his mind, and at times, he was often sarcastic with his best friend, Lian Song.

"I have no say on your love story."

"Wait," Lian Song said, scratching his head hard to recall something out of the top of his head. "During our last drinking session, you let out the truth about Di Jun's red nine-tailed fox being the future queen of Qing Qiu, and how Di Jun erased his name from the Rock. If the Rock ceases to exist, does that mean, they will now have fate with each other?"

Si Ming wisely contemplated Lian Song's points. Though stated cleverly, he had missed one fact, and that was that Dong Hua Di Jun had given up his own fate for the sake of the world. Now if the original fate intended for him was to return to him, did that mean that he had undone his own sacrifice back then? Would the Four Seas and Eight Deserts come to any harm?

Si Ming sincerely hoped that the realms would be fine.

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They carried on with their journey, stopping to watch the natural-occurring scenery, which reminded her even more of Qing Qiu. They had been trapped in this strange land for a month now, and being the only inhabitants, they just had each other.

He wanted to find an opportunity to tease her and make her care for him. She was the only one who made him feel not like himself, all this while. While most immortals feared him and wished to appease him, it had been only her who had done so much, including endangering her own life to protect his. He didn't care that he wasn't his normal aloof self, and perhaps the time they had in the Green Plains was limited. He had to make use of this time, just as he did with his time in the mortal world.

The chance came when they eventually arrived at a lake. Dong Hua playfully pulled her into the lake with him, albeit they were fully clothed. What use was the long lifespan of an immortal, if he couldn't have fun? He immaturely splashed her with water, and she returned his splashes with vengeance. To think that the mighty Di Jun was now no more than a child, she thought furiously.

She didn't think that there would be a water serpent in the lake, and Dong Hua allowed it to bite him on the arm. Realizing he had been bitten, they hurriedly got out of the water and she immediately bound his arm with her silk handkerchief.

"I'm dizzy," he said as they searched for a place to dry their soaked clothes.  She immediately thought that this must be a side effect of the bite by the serpent.

"There's a cave up ahead," Feng Jiu said. "Let's go there and take a rest." He smiled childishly as she led him into the mouth of the cave, knowing she had fallen for his plan.

It was slightly dark in the cave, but beneficial to them since they needed to disrobe to dry their clothes before a fire. She helped him to remove his wet robes and lie down, before blowing out the torch she had lighted. In the darkness of the cave, she took off her robes and blindly hung them up to dry before the small fire in the corner.

"Jiu'er, Jiu'er," he called out, and she followed the source of his voice and sat down cross legged on the floor, but before she knew it, he had laid his head on her lap. She blushed at the fact she only had on her belly binder and underpants, and his head had just brushed against the soft skin of her thighs.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Her heart was beating quickly every moment she was alone with Dong Hua, and even though he was slightly different now, he was still the Dong Hua she loved. Except for the fact that he wasn't cold to her, but behaving playful and immature. Maybe there was always two sides to a coin, and he had merely suppressed the childish side of himself for the sake of being the cold and heartless Emperor Lord everyone knew.

"Jiu'er, massage my head, I'm dizzy and having a headache."

"Fine," she pouted. "When we get out of this cave and your headache has subsided, I'm getting back double from you!"

Like him, she was forgetting her serious side as the queen-to-be, and her playful nature resurfaced.

He smiled mischievously, and indulged in the comfort of her nimble fingers massaging his head.

Outside the cave, it suddenly started to pour heavily. Luck was on his side, and they would be stranded in the cave for a very long time.