"Dijun, may I speak with you for a moment?"  Xiao Bai asked in a subdued voice as she stood on the threshold of his villa, the basket of flat peaches in her hands.  Donghua, who had just returned from dealing with Miao Luo a few moments before, looked at her downcast face and frowned.  

"What can I do for you?"  Donghua said casually, fixing the cuff of his sleeves as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.  He knew what was bothering her judging by the way she was gripping the handle of the basket.  She was probably in a snit that she did not get the Pimpon fruit as promised.  But since it was just some fruits, he knew she'll get over it soon.

"I'm just here to return this.  I believe this is yours."  she said thrusting the basket at him resisting the urge to throw it in his face.  When he did not reach for it, she let it drop to the ground.  "You probably wanted to amuse yourself with me again.  I hope you're happy."  Xiao Bai said bitterly as she turned away.  She had wanted to confront him, wanted to rail at him for giving her the flat peaches instead of the Pimpon fruit which she knew she won fair and square but looking at his nonchalant face, she couldn't muster the energy to be angry.  She just felt oddly deflated, her heart constricting painfully.  She should have known that this would happen.  She had let her guard down with him thinking that he had genuinely wanted to help her win the fruit but he never intended to let her have it, he had been planning to give it to Ji Heng from the start.  She has always been an afterthought for him and suddenly she was just tired and sad and didn't want to think about it anymore.  She had more important things to think about.   As she started to walk away worriedly thinking of how she would get the Pimpon fruit now as she really needed it soon, he materialized in front of her blocking her way.  She tried to sidestep him but he blocked her again.  "What do you want now? Isn't it enough what you did?" Xiao Bai wondered why he was preventing her from leaving.  Did he want to see her further humiliated?  Her heart was hurting so much now and she could feel her eyes watering.  She immediately looked down, not trusting herself to look at him anymore, afraid she will break down and cry. 

Donghua lifted her chin with his hands to look at her face and was surprised to see a sheen of tears in her eyes.  He didn't expect her to be that affected by what happened.  "Xiao Bai, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying? It was just some fruit."  She jerked her face away from his hands and moved back shooting him a poisonous glare.

"Of course, it's nothing to you.  Even though you knew how hard I worked for it, you still decided to play with me!  Why did you even help me in the first place?    I know I'm nothing to you but you didn't have to treat me like this." Xiao Bai burst out, so furious with him for making her think that he would help her get the fruit and, also, if she was being honest with herself,  she was also frustrated with herself, for letting herself believe that he cared for her even a little .  "If I hadn't needed it to save Qing Ti, I..." Xiao Bai immediately clamped down on her tirade knowing that she had inadvertently revealed why she wanted the Pimpon fruit.  "Anyway, I need to go as I still have something to do."  she sidestepped him again so she can leave.

Donghua narrowed his eyes wondering who Qing Ti was.  So she didn't need the Pimpon fruit for Yan Chiwu but for someone else.  Apparently, someone important to her or else she wouldn't be this agitated.  "Who's Qing Ti?"  he asked feeling apprehensive learning about this other person who was important to her.  Xiao Bai ignored his question and continued to walk away.  Donghua flicked his fingers and immediately Xiao Bai was dragged back to him.  Xiao Bai glared at him refusing speak.  "Why do you need the Pimpon fruit to save him, who is he?"  Donghua asked softly.  He heard from Liansong before that one of the uses of Pimpon fruit was to revive someone.   Xiao Bai merely crossed her arms in front of her still refusing to say a word.

"I'm sorry Xiao Bai.  I didn't know you needed it to save someone.  I thought you just wanted it to make pastries for Yan Chiwu and I didn't like that."  he said before he realized what he had just revealed to her.  

"You were...jealous?"  Xiao Bai asked incredulously unable to keep herself from speaking.  "Why are you jealous of Xiao Yan, it is because of Ji Heng?"  Xiao Bai thought that was the most logical reason as to why he would be jealous.  It certainly was not because of her, Xiao Bai knew that what she felt for him has always been one sided and she's always known he liked Ji Heng.  Why else would he be here in Fanyin Valley if not for his former fiancee.  

"Ji Heng? What does she have to do with this?"  Donghua looked genuinely perplexed not understanding what she was talking about, surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation.    

"If you're jealous of Xiao Yan, it must be because of Ji Heng, because you like her. Isn't it because Xiao Yan likes her also that you dislike him so much?  Isn't that why you gave her the Pimpon fruit yourself?"  Xiao Bai asked confused by his reaction.  Didn't he just say that he was jealous.  Well, he didn't exactly say that but Xiao Bai could read between the lines and she was sure that was what he meant.

"I think you are laboring under a strange misconception.  I don't like Ji Heng."  Donghua finally said.  For some reason he knew he needed to clarify himself.  There has been too many misunderstanding between the two of them already and he knew he had to fix it before it could further escalate.  

"Then why are you jealous of Xiao Yan? Or are you angry at him? Was it because he was able to trap you before?  If you're jealous, I know it certainly isn't because of me." Xiao Bai said, her head hurting now, her emotions, a mass of confusion.   She didn't want to think about this anymore.  She needed to concentrate on how she would get the Pimpon fruit.

"Why wouldn't it be because of you? I like you Xiao Bai!"  Donghua blurted out before he could stop himself.  Xiao Bai's eyes widened in shock.  She must have heard him wrong, she decided.  He probably meant something else but she could feel the hope growing within her even as she tried to tamp it down.  "I like you!"  Donghua repeated.  There was something freeing about finally saying the words to her and admitting to himself what he knew has been true for some time now.  He didn't know the when or the how, but somehow his Xiao Bai had wormed and embedded herself into his stone, cold heart.

"What?" she squeaked out, her voice so soft that he would not have heard her if he had not been standing so close to her.  She pinched him, saw him grimace, and then pinched herself wondering when she had fallen asleep because she was definitely dreaming.  But she felt the pinch and knew that she was wide awake.  What had just happened?  Did Dijun just confess to her?  "Umm, are you sure? Or are you lying to me again so that I wouldn't be angry anymore?"  Xiao Bai asked, her tone a little suspicious but she could feel the happiness unfurling inside of her.  

"I wouldn't lie about something like this Xiao Bai."  Donghua said solemnly, looking directly into her eyes.  Xiao Bai could see the sincerity in them and was filled with awe.   She gave him a shy smile.  Donghua opened his arms but he didn't take her into them, wanting her to be the one to bridge the gap between the two of them, his eyes asking her to trust him.  Xiao Bai stared at him for a few seconds as if trying to make a decision.   However, she knew that there was no decision to be made, because the moment she met him, she already knew that she wanted to bring him into her life.  She was just waiting for him to catch up with her.  She stepped into his arms and as he enfolded her body within his, they both sighed in bliss.  

"I like you, too, Dijun."  She could feel Donghua smiling into her hair as he hugged her to him.  He loved hearing those words coming from her lips.

"I know that even without you having to tell me. You've liked me for a long time, haven't you?"  Donghua said matter of factly, a hint of his usual arrogance present in his tone.  Xiao Bai looked at him with a smile of her own but did not refute his assertion knowing that it was true and not caring anymore that he knew it also.  "Can you tell me who Qing Ti is now?"  Donghua suddenly asked as he caressed her hair.  Somehow, he knew it was important for him to know.  He recalled her saying that name before when she didn't know that she had been talking to him as she had looked at the lotus in the pond.  

"I owe him a life debt."  Xiao Bai said softly.  "He died for me so I needed to repay him. High God Gu Chou said I needed the Pimpon fruit if I wanted him to live again.  If he could cross into the Immortal Realms, he could be revived."

"Why did he die for you?"  Donghua asked getting more and more curious now.  For some reason, he knew that this Qing Ti person was somehow connected with him because things that happened in Xiao Bai's life were often connected to him.

"Umm, it was in the Mortal Realms.  He was helping me save someone, someone that I love."  Xiao Bai said truthfully knowing that it was time to disclose everything to Donghua.  She didn't want to keep any secrets from him anymore.  

"Someone that you love?" a pinched look came over Donghua, his face suddenly cold and inscrutable.  As a Deity who has not experienced love before, he was having a hard time processing the barrage of feelings that were now taking over his emotions as he thought of her loving someone that was not him.   

"I went to the Mortal Realms for your mortal trial.  I wanted to see if I could repay my debt to you there. Ye Qing Ti was your general and he died helping me save you."  Xiao Bai said quickly seeing his darkening countenance.  Immediately, his face softened upon hearing that he was the one she wanted to save.  Xiao Bai then recounted to him all that had happened in the Mortal Realms saying that she sacrificed at first, out of her desire to repay her debt, but later on because she had fallen in love with him and she wanted to help him in any way she could.    Donghua looked at her in wonder finally understanding all that she had done for him, all the love that she continually gave to him.  He vowed then to himself that he would pay back that love to her a hundred fold, a thousand fold.   But first, he needed to help her with Qing Ti.  

"I'll send the Pimpon fruits to Gu Chou to revive Qing Ti." Donghua said caressing her hair now.  Xiao Bai wiggled into him wanting to be as close as she could.  

"Thank you Dijun."  she said tearfully, gratefully.  "After he is revived, I can transfer my cultivation to him already so that he can start with his Immortal life."  she continued happily as she played with his hair.  

"What do you mean?  You're transferring your own cultivation to him?"  Donghua asked in shock.  He had not expected her to say something like this.  "You're only 32,000 years old, you barely have enough cultivation of your own, how can you think of transferring it to someone else."  The transfer of cultivation was not something that can be taken lightly as increasing it takes thousands of years.  A decrease in cultivation necessarily means that the Immortal's power will also decrease making him or her more vulnerable.  Donghua did not want Xiao Bai to lose any of her cultivation if he can help it.

"But I have too.  I need to pay my debt to him.  Foxes have to pay their debts.  I can't just pay it halfway."  she said firmly as she looked into his eyes imploring him to understand.  

"No, I forbid it.  It's too dangerous for you.  You're about to go through your Heavenly Trial, aren't you?  How can you pass that or even survive it without your cultivation?  I'm not going to allow you to do that."  Donghua said sharply, his voice brooking no opposition.   Normally, no one would dare to contradict him, the Supreme God of the Universe. Once he uses that voice, everyone would be too scared to say anything else.  However, Xiao Bai has always been different when it comes to things she felt was her duty or her responsibility, she refused to just standby doing nothing.

"I'm sorry Donghua but this is something I have to do.  I promise I won't over extend myself." she said.  Donghua could hear the determination in her voice and knew that she would do what she feels to be the correct thing.  

"What if I transfer my cultivation to him instead.  I have so much of it, I can afford to lose some."  Donghua said hoping that this would be acceptable to her.  Love really does strange things to people, he thought, never expecting that he, of all people, would be in the position of having to coax his loved one to listen to him instead of just commanding it and expecting his orders to be followed.  

To his surprise, instead of seeing the logic in his offer, Xiao Bai looked appalled.  "You can't do that! Your powers are needed by the Universe.  You can't just divest yourself of it.  Besides, this is my debt, not yours!  I can't have you paying off my debts when I am perfectly capable of doing it on my own!"   Donghua sighed knowing that her stubbornness could rival his own.  But then, that was one of the things that he really loved about her.  

Donghua finally nodded in surrender knowing that he could not gainsay her once she had made up her mind.  "I'll go there with you when you do it but it has to be after our wedding and honeymoon, all right?"  With him there, he can, at least, monitor how much cultivation she can afford to lose.

"Our wedding and honeymoon?" Xiao Bai croaked out faintly as her mind scrambled for the appropriate response as he lobbed another shocking statement her way.  

Donghua looked at her quizzically wondering why she looked shocked now.  "Why do you sound surprised?  We'll get married just as soon as we can go to Qingqiu to ask for your parent's blessings."  Once Donghua Dijun made the decision that he wanted Xiao Bai in his life, his path was set.  He wanted her bound to him in every possible way.

Suddenly, Xiao Bai smiled, a big smile that lit up her whole face finally realizing how much Dijun loves her.  He could see all her love for him shining in her eyes.  "Whatever you want Dijun. I love you."