// Am I dreaming?

Yet I keep collecting these memories

like a book

A chapter of my longing for you will only be complete when I see you //

(Lyrics from Elod Ost)

Feng Jiu smiled awkwardly under her Aunt's stare. Bai Qian took out the fan which she got from her Master when she trained at Kunlun Mountain. And her master had been no other than the God of War, Mo Yuan, and Ye Hua's older brother.

"Gugu(Aunt)...your cheeks are flushed so I'm kinda not getting the scary vibes." Feng Jiu giggled. Bai Qian coughed.

"First tell me who's gonna marry you now? How many people did you offend? Do even care that they come from distinguished families."

"Gugu...please you know I don't wanna marry anyone." She whined.

"But you will want to one day. Then I'm afraid only chu yen would marry you." Bai Zhen sat next to Bai Qian who sat cross-armed. It was only when Ye Hua left to investigate the Green Sea that she had time for Li and Feng Jiu.

"Uncle..."

"At least make some friends through the blind dates your aunt arranges."

"I have many new friends already. I can't handle more than that." She pouted.

"Oh. Who are they?"

"Demon lord Yan Chiwu and the second prince of Mermaids."

"Woah, then you can choose one of them." Bai Qian said.

"Aunt... They are both not my type. I can only be friends with them. Fang Lei is a playboy and Yan loves someone else and he's dumber and more clueless than he looks." She shrugged.

"Then what is your type? Let Qianqian find someone you like." 

Feng Jiu's eyes glittered when she started speaking.

"Beautiful like the winter landscape. Calm like the holy backwaters. Cold and Indifferent. Bearing a sword that could cut through flowers. Full of wisdom and unrivaled achievements."

"Okay. Okay, stop fantasizing already. I'm about to puke." Bai Qian said.

"She only has one type." Bai Zhen grinned.

"What?" Feng Jiu asked confused.

"Dong Hua Di Jun." Both Bai Zhen and Bai Qian said together.

"Aunt... I've already forgotten about him..."

---

Zhi He, Dong Hua's foster sister who had been in exile was called back to the nine heavens for the wedding celebration. She saw Feng Jiu's aunt and uncle leaving and walked toward her.

"Why do you feel so familiar?" She asked her. Feng Jiu turned to her and looked at her rather unwelcomingly.

"Princess Zhi he." She cupped her hands. "No worries, I remember you. Aren't you the one who took credit for my sorrowless cakes from Di Jun?" She smiled.

"You are that Jiu?" Zhi He asked surprised.

"Yes. And I'm also the princess of Qingque."

"It's you. I knew you had I'll intentions toward Di Jun. Seems like Qingque doesn't really focus on manners. I can't believe you'd disguise yourself as a fairy maid to seduce him." She gritted her teeth and glared at Feng Jiu

"Fancy coming from you Princess Zhi He. You took the place of Ji Heng for the wedding and were caught. Yes, in Qingque we are not fond of boring and long traditions. We also prefer freedom and are bold. But if you question our moral values then you're really insulting Qingque. And as the princess, I can't just say nothing."

"As if you're that righteous." She huffed.

"Okay. Then let's have a duel." Feng Jiu suggested and crossed her arms as she looked at the fuming princess with a calm look.

"Sure." She Zhi He replied as she glared at her.

---

The Tai Chen Palace had been too crowded recently and there was a lot on his mind so Dong Hua lay near the Waterfall for some peace and quiet. The only sounds he could hear were of the water flowing and the birds chirruping. It was early evening. His thoughts wandered. He never really thought about it but now he was starting to.

If one day I have to pick an empress who would be the right choice?

It stunned him. His direction of thoughts. He closed his eyes wanting to push those thoughts away. Then he heard sounds. He checked the Gunsha Jade necklace and it was blinking.

Bai Feng Jiu

It was as if his question was being answered. He made his way to the empty place near the waterfall and there she was. She was fighting with another lady who he later noticed was Zhi He. He stopped in his place and crossed his arms.

She made a whirl and lunged her sword at her which she avoided using her whip. Zhi He threw out her whip at Feng Jiu which wrapped around her sword and pulled her.

"I'll let you attack two more times Zhi He. I heard Di Jun taught you for a while. Didn't you learn anything in class?" She said with sass deliberately being pulled by her. 

"Shut up!" Zhi He said, her hand clenching tightly onto the whip.

 She freed her sword and placed her palm on Zhi He's shoulder and did a cartwheel landing on the ground behind her. Zhi He immediately turned back to Feng Jiu and threw her whip yet again. 

This time it wrapped around Feng Jiu's leg and hurt her. She fell on the ground and Zhe He spun her whip, wheeled it about, and threw it back for another strike. Feng Jiu dodged her attack and caught her whip with her bare hands.

"My turn." She said and the whip broke with a few strikes of her sword and she placed her sword on her neck.

"You...cheated."

"How?" Feng Jiu raised her brows but then turned sideways as she felt someone's presence.

Dong Hua walked towards them.

Zhi He was surprised and nervously greeted him while Feng Jiu felt a bit complicated. 

He told Zhi He to leave. She made a face and left but not before glaring at Feng Jiu once again with malice.

 Feng Jiu also greeted him and asked why he was there. Recently he was showing up so often that it felt like an act of defying fate.

Why couldn't I see you this often when I was ready to defy fate for you? Now you show up only to shake my heart.

"You took a little extra strike to break the whip." He commented.

"That's because I haven't ascended yet."

"I can tell. But you can still do it with a few techniques. Whip seems like a scary weapon but it's easy to win against it."

"Oh." She said pouting. She peeked at him. Painfully handsome as always.

"Come here." He beckoned to her.

She slowly walked towards him feeling unsure. He stood behind her and grasped her hand in which she was holding her spirit sword and grasped her by her waist with one. 

Feng Jiu froze. Her body was tense and her mind was blank.

He made soft strokes in the air along with her. He lifted her up in the air and made her learn a few strokes. The sword cut through all flowers he had summoned. She tried hard to focus but it was just too much. Dong Hua almost smiled looking at her all flushed.

After ending the practice they stood in front of each other awkwardly.

"The sword is perfect. Practice it again." He said. She just nodded avoiding his eyes.

"Dong Hua." A voice that sounded somewhat desperate and angry came from behind them. Feng Jiu looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of them. Dong Hua turned to her.

"Tang Yin." He murmured.

"Yes." She replied and gave him a lopsided smile.

 Something felt weird to Feng Jiu. As if all the happiness she felt just now transformed into a faint pain clutching at her heart. Tang Yin glared at her and pushed her away using magic arts.

Dong Hua didn't even turn back to see Feng Jiu who fell miserably on the ground and sprained her ankle which was the one hit by Zhi He's whip. A soft cry escaped her mouth and in less than a second Dong Hua and Tang Yin were surrounded by a transparent ward. It was red in color and mystifying. The magic arts weren't of any particular element nor were they of demonic of the ghost realm's nature. It was unprecedented but gave a feeling of darkness.

But earlier she used the element of wind to push me away...Di Jun seems so cold all of a sudden. Just like before.

---

"So now you like young girls?"

"Don't delude yourself by making assumptions, Tang Yin. It's the main reason for your ruin."

"But I came back, Dong Hua. Even If it took a lot of time. I walked out of my grave some 15,000 years ago. And see half of my cultivation is back."

"I don't know who woke you up and where you learned the dark magic. But once you're caught you'd have to pay with your life. Dark magic is no longer in use and is banned."

"It's okay. We have a lot of time I'd let you know. I thought you'd change but you're still as cold Dong Hua." She said and stepped near him grasping his chin. She moved forward to give him a swift kiss but he pushed her away. She stared at him with piercing eyes. They were burning with dark emotion and were a little wet.

Feng Jiu's eyes watered.

"Do you like her?" She yelled. Dong Hua said nothing but only gazed at her. "But you're only mine." She said and used her dark magic blades which pierced through Dong Hua's arms. Bai Feng Jiu stood.

Why isn't he fighting back?

"Fight!"

"If you are so angry then release it." Dong Hua said.

Tears, hot and fierce rolled down Feng Jiu's cheeks at his words and she ran towards the ward and called his name. He looked back from the corner of his eyes and gave out a breath.

Di Jun...

"I said fight!" Tang Yin increased the intensity of the dark energy binding him. He could've broken it but he didn't. He stood there without flinching, without dodging any of her attacks.

Feng Jiu couldn't take it anymore. She ran to him and surprisingly she could step inside the ward. Dong Hua stared at her shocked. His expression changed back to normal in an instant though. Tang Yin cast her blade at Dong Hua and Feng Jiu stopped the attack with her sword.

"You are the same girl who stepped into my cave the other day. And today you could break through my ward. Seems like you really have something of mine." Tang Yin laughed.

Feng Jiu didn't waste any time and fought with Tang Yin. Dong Hua immediately summoned his flowers to cleanse the dark energy. Tang Yin used her element of poison and a purple wind short up straight toward Feng Jiu's forehead. She examined her body and found that she indeed had the thing she had been looking for. The only thing that could bring her cultivation back was sealed Feng Jiu's birthmark. Feng Jiu trembled unable to move. Her lips instantly turned slightly purple.

"Jackpot." She said and tried to suck it out. 

Feng Jiu screamed. Dong Hua attacked Tang Yin before she could hurt Feng Jiu and suck out the thing. She turned into a snake injured by Dong Hua's magic and quickly ran away.

Dong Hua found Feng Jiu who had fainted and took her in his embrace. The dark energy disappeared. Blood immerged on Dong Hua's clothes.

You are a really stupid fox.

_______________________________

Sorry for the late update...🙃