At some point he had to find a safe parking space for her. Sometimes we're persuaded to relinquish control, and when this happens, time becomes more synchronic and coincidence more profound. It's the same cosmic force, but without so many restrictions.

************************************************************************************************

Dong Hua heard his beloved shrieking screams. "JIU"ER!!!" He appeared at their room leaving Yan Chiwu behind. He encountered Feng Jiu screaming uncontrollably and her mother trying to calm her down. "Xiao Jiu sweetheart please mama is here. Everything will be all right darling!" Feng Jiu was shaking nonstop. Dong Hua upon seeing the gloomy scene, rushed to her side.

"Jiu'er, Jiu'er open your eyes!!!" Dong Hua shook her to wake up. Fung Jiu opened her eyes and saw him next to her and desperately grabbed him. He placed his arms around her and began to pulse his calming energy managing to quiet her down. "Fūchee" Her swollen eyes met his worried gaze. Dong Hua felt a pang in his heart upon seeing the state of his beloved wife.

"Tell me what is going on little fox?" Dong Hua wiped her tears away with his hands.

"The baby Dong Hua.... the baby is..." she uncovered herself for Dong Hua to see.

"What do you want to show me my love? What is wrong?"

Feng Jiu incredibly saw that the bed was clean.

"Darling you're okay. The baby is okay, it was just a nightmare sweetheart. See?" Her mother reassured her.

"But...I felt... I saw..."

"Shhh, be still my love, it was only a bad dream. I'm here now, don't be afraid." Dong Hua placed her on his lap and began to cuddle her. "Breathe with me little fox, let's breathe together."

Feng Jiu nuzzled her head into his broad chest inhaling his smoothing scent. She strongly clasped her hands to his robe not letting go of Dong Hua. He felt her need to be soothed. His little fox was emotionally unstable. The best course of action was to put her to sleep. Dong Hua gently was rocking her; and slowly conjured a sleep spell until she felt asleep in his embrace.

"I will send for Zhe Yan." Her mother softly said. Dong Hua worriedly nodded.

Zhe Yan arrived moments later and saw Feng Jiu's mother at the room entrance. "Zhe Yan you finally arrived!!!"

"What is going on?" He saw that she was upset.

"Xiao Jiu had a nervous breakdown. She's now with Dijun, but he wants you to check the baby. Xiao Jiu told us that she woke up to a pool of blood, but the bed is clean. We didn't saw anything. She's now asleep, better get inside, Dijun is waiting for you." Zhe Yan nodded and rushed in.

""How is she?" Zhe Yan asked Dong Hua who was embracing a sleeping Feng Jiu.

"It was hard to get her to calm down. I tried to lay her down to bed, but her hold is strong, she won't let go of me."

"Her mother told me what happen. Can you get off the bed for a minute, I need to check something out." Dong Hua stand up carrying Feng Jiu in his arms.

Zhe Yan did a series of hand movements to expose a concealment spell that revealed a pool of blood on the bed. Dong Hua's eyes widen. Her mother gasped in horror. "Oh, my precious..."

"She was attacked in her dream; whoever it was did this. Zhe Yan conjured a clean bed. "Quick, let me check her out." Dong Hua gently laid Feng Jiu down, but her hands didn't want to release his robe.

"Take it off Dong Hua, I need to do a deep scan now!!!" Zhe Yan worriedly said. Dong Hua removed his outer robe and Zhe Yan began an in-depth examination depleting his already low cultivation. "My darling you have suffered much." His eyes misted with tears, when he finished his examination, he almost fainted. Dong Hua grabbed him. "Sit here Zhe Yan."

"Well?" Feng Jiu's mother asked.

"She presents signs of a miscarriage. She was injured, but I was able to stop the internal bleeding. Fortunately, the baby is alive. He was protected by Xiao Jiu primordial energy. But Xiao Jiu needs to rest for the remaining time of her pregnancy. She has lost a lot of blood; her condition is delicate too. Her internal energy is unstable. This was an attempt to kill her from the inside." Zhe Yan intensely said.

Dong Hua shut his eyes in frustration. He pulsed some of his essence over her body, healing her internal injuries. "She keeps getting hurt because of me." He sadly expressed to himself. "She will remain in deep sleep until her body recovers. I will place my protection shield over her. Zhe Yan you need to go on seclusion, your cultivation is depleted old phoenix." Dong Hua said.

"But..." Zhe Yan protested.

"If I need you, I'll summon you Zhe Yan, that's an order." Dong Hua made it clear. Zhe Yan breathed hard understanding the situation.

"Dong Hua be careful; Miao Lou wants you distracted to deliver a hard blow."

"Miao Lou days are counted. She will not last for long, that is a promise." Dong Hua disappeared on his purple-red aura.

"I hope that he doesn't turn dark or we all be in grave danger." Zhe Yan said to Feng Jiu mother.

Dong Hua returned to the training camp, but on his way over, he was suddenly stopped by a powerful presence. "Dong Hua Dijun"

Dong Hua turned around. "Golden Immortal Da Lou. What are you doing here?"

"Let's take a walk." Da Lou opened a portal and they walked thru it. She transported them to her home. "Please sit." Da Lou conjured some tea for them. She served Dong Hua a cup.

Dong Hua hesitantly took the tea. After a long pause he asked: "Why am I here?"

"Dong Hua Dijun, I have a message for you." Dong Hua furrowed his brows not understanding.

"Let me elaborate. You put Xiao Feng Huang into deep sleep for her protection. But before she felt asleep, she sent me a message, it was weak, but I was able to obtain it." Da Lou said.

"What was the message?" Dong Hua asked.

"Relinquish control."

"She said that?" Dong Hua incredibly asked.

"Are you surprised?" Da Lou replied.

"Not in the least. Jiu'er has always been rebellious in character." Dong Hua answered.

Da Lou kindly smiled at him. "What you see as defiance as one of her many flaws is actually one of her greatest virtues. She pushes boundaries for a reason. Just like you, she doesn't do unmeaningful things if the motives are influential. Have you forgotten how prevailing she really is? She is your match in every way."

"I know that; but she hasn't reached full potential yet."

"Ask yourself why is that? She has ascended to high immortal and have made all the essential connections with you and yet her powers are still constrained."

"Am I the cause of it?" Dong Hua suspiciously asked with his disinterested tone.

"Is not you, per se, but is your desire to have control over everything, especially her free will that is limiting her."

"Hmmm, I have clearly given the reigns to her."

Da Lou breathed in hard then she carefully proceeded. "Dong Hua Dijun, you claim to respect her freedom, yet your trickster nature always restrains her to a certain point. She might be young, but she's not naïve. She has studied this ill side of yours and have learned to respond intelligently. You think she's ignorant of your manipulative ways but in reality, her fox nature has prevailed your treacheries. She has a destiny to fulfill and you are well aware of it. Your obstinacy is a hindrance to her progress."

"Destiny and fate can be overwritten by choice. I really don't care about their limitations."

"Although is true, and your choice have proven them wrong, let me remind you that her role on balancing the universe along with you still has not changed. She was born for that purpose. And neither of you can walk away from it."

"I'm aware of her role, but now her situation has changed."

"I know what you did. Nothing escapes me." Dong Hua continued to sip his tea ignoring Da Lou comment.

"You knew of this coming imminent war. So, you impregnated her against her wishes as a way to delay or should I say control her involvement from it. You know that she will not let you sacrifice yourself alone for all the realms Dong Hua. She will protect your child with all her strength but she will find a way to fulfill her mission alongside you. It's her intention to do so. Don't underestimate her keenness."

"I did it to protect her. I know how capable she is. I can't lose her."

"You will lose her if you keep misleading her. She has enough emotional issues that she's dealing with that are currently swaying her mind and will to considering changing drives. Don't redirect her selection. If she chooses wrong.... then Miao Lou will not even come close to your list of concerns. You're able to switch from light to dark in an instant because you have achieved whole oneness enlightment. Your aura is already showing your volatility. But Xiao Feng Huang is pure and is her purity the key to end all. What you need to regulate is the circumstances surrounding her choosing and not her will. Help her to heal emotionally first and then let her decide. You owe this to Xiao Feng Huang. She has paid a high price to be with you, surrendering herself to you out of pure love and devotion. Let her flow Dong Hua, she needs to be unbound. Her life has been sealed already. Stop overprotecting her. Don't you trust her?"

"Trust her? Of course, I do."

"Then show it to her. Unbind her." Da Lou quickly interjected.

"But..."

"Sometimes, natural laws need to be wrought. This may not seem like much of a puzzle, but that is not what makes the difference. There are true nonlaws that are not spatially restricted. Consider the unrestricted generalization that all are to be generalizations that could express laws that are restricted. Deductive systems are individuated by their axioms. The logical consequences of the axioms are the theorems. Some true deductive systems will be stronger than others; some will be simpler than others. These two virtues, strength and simplicity, compete all things. It is easy to make a system stronger by sacrificing simplicity: include all the truths as axioms. It is easy to make a system simple by sacrificing strength. There is no exclusion of vacuous generalizations from the realm of laws, and yet only those vacuous generalizations that belong to the best systems qualify. For every cause there is an effect, and for every effect there is a cause. You know that for every action we take there is an effect, one that ripples through the universe, much like that of a beam of light moving forever in one direction. Your actions impact everything around you and go on to impact others beyond that. You possess the creation power of the universe. The greatest power of all. Be aware of that power and use it wisely. And as for the baby, your child will be fine. Xiao Feng Huang will not cause any harm. Trust her maternal instincts. Go kindle fire with ice, and seek to quench the fire of love with sincere words of affirmation, that is what she needs at this point; your love and transparency. Besides, your offspring will be more powerful than the two of you combined. But I'm sure you know this already. The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: one with the universe, whole and holy. From one source, endless creative energy, bursting forth, kinetic, elemental; the earth, air, water and fire-source of nearly fifteen billion years of cosmic spiraling. You child birth will be as unique as this." Da Lou concluded.

Dong Hua silently smirked. "Our child will be as unique as our essences. Energy is forever moving into and out of different forms. All energy fields are connected. Energy is constantly flowing. It is a reality that we can only focus on one thing at a time. Energy on the other hand is never actually created or destroyed. It simply moves from one form into another. The beauty of this is that your thoughts have the ability to transmute from the nonphysical to physical all the time."

"Correct. Remember that freedom exists under natural law and you have the power to properly manipulate it. Find your inner balance to ensure her choice when you wake her up. The rest is up to her, don't keep her caged in. Let her soar."

Dong Hua gazed on his tea cup thinking about his course of action. "Some individuals are soft like water; they can tolerate everything. But some are like fire, they will blaze and whoever get close to them will get burn. If you insist staying with them, you'll become ash. Let me get burned instead." He mentally said. When he blinked, he was back at the training camp. "Thank you, Golden Immortal, Da Lou for enlighten me." He murmured.

Dong Hua silently was speculating Da Lou's connection with his beloved little fox. Nobody knew Golden Immortal Da Lou's true origin. It was an universal mystery to all even to him. She is a well-respected powerful ancient deity with an unknown ancestry capable of many things, and take many forms; but just like him she has no interests on worldly affairs and will not meddle on other dealings. "Why out of the sudden is she interested in Jiu'er development? How did Jiu'er managed to contact her? Was it Jiu'er who sent the message in the first place?" In Dong Hua's mind all type of possibilities were coming up, with no solid answers. A familiar voice distracted him from his thoughts.

"Dijun." Yan Chiwu called him. Dong Hua turned around to face him.

"How is Dihou?"

"She's resting. Come, we have an eagle to hunt."

Back at Feng Jiu's room...

Feng Jiu was peacefully resting. Her mother did not leave her side for a second, while Zhe Yan was cultivating next door. It was the perfect opportunity. She conjured a small ceramic bowl, some small bottles, a small dagger with some rags to the small table next to Feng Jiu's bed. 

She proceeded to scan her surroundings to make sure that nobody was around before stabbing herself in her heart and drawing some blood. The pain was unbearable, but she knew she had to endure it in order to help her precious daughter. 

After a while, Feng Jiu's mother gathered the blood and began preparing a powerful secret elixir with her blood. "She needs some of our fox blood in order to recuperate faster." She sensed that her daughter was distressed. "This will help cleanse any impurities in her aura." When the medicine was ready, she fed some of it to Feng Jiu, and when she finished, she laid down to rest next to her daughter.

The next morning....

Feng Jiu appearance was even better. Her mother was by her side seeing the results of her concoction. "My darling, you look better than yesterday." She produced a dim white flare on her hand and placed it on Feng Jiu's forehead. "This will get rid off any nightmares you might have while you sleep sweetheart". Feng Jiu felt her mother's warmth entering her body and furrowed her brows unconsciously. "There, rest well Xiao Jiu." Her mother was timing her medicine feedings accurately with her rest schedule and Feng Jiu was showing signs of improvement.

Five days went by and Zhe Yan regained some of his lost cultivation. He needed a longer seclusion period but he went out from his chamber to Feng Jiu's room to see how she was doing. "What do we have here?" He took her pulse and felt that it was stronger. "Xiao Jiu darling you are getting much better. Your little one is stronger too." He was at ease when he finished. "But where is your mother? She should be around."

He located her essence and went to find her laying down. She looked a bit pale. He saw a small blood stain on her outer robe. "What have you done!!!!" Zhe Yan quickly took her pulse and was unstable. He then zapped a small energy blast to stabilize her heartbeat which was frail. "Wake up! Common, wake up!!! Don't you dare quit on me!!! I leave alone with our daughter and this is what you do?" Zhe Yan furiously glared at her.

Feng Jiu's mother slowly open her eyes. "You came just in time Zhe Yan." She feebly said.

"Don't you scare me like this again!!! You hear me?" Zhe Yan desperately hugged her to his chest. "I thought I lost you!!!" His voice was shaking.

Feng Jiu's mother softly smiled upon feeling his embrace again. Her eyes filled with tears. "I had to help Xiao Jiu and our grandchild."

"Your heartbeat was dim. If I didn't come in time..." Zhe Yan wiped away her tears. He was crying too.

"But you did, so there is no need for you to scold me. A mother will do anything to save their children." She wiped Zhe Yan tears.

"How many times, please tell me." Zhe Yan asked her.

"Not enough." Feng Jiu's mother lowered her head.

Zhe Yan lifted her chin up. "Xiao Jiu is getting better, I just checked her. If she knew what you did, she will also scold you. Don't do that again. I'm here now, it's my turn. Let me take care of both of you. You have done enough for us."

"You and Dijun are not the only ones who know the secrets of blood medicine you know."

"I shouldn't never teach you how to do that. Specially to a fox. Here let me check your wound and change your bandage" Zhe Yan grabbed a new roll of gauze and began working on her.

"I'm thankful that you did. I knew that someday; your lessons will come on handy." She flinched upon feeling the pressure on her chest. Zhe Yan was applying healing ointment on her wound and wrapping it with the bandage.

"No more stabbing, okay? You need to heal properly. In the meantime, don't strain yourself or you'll open up your wound."

"Yes doctor." Feng Jiu's mom playfully said. "Zhe Yan please don't be mad at me. I did what needed to be done."

Zhe Yan softly gazed her "I'm not angry at you!... Well yes, a bit, but I understand your reason behind your reckless action."

"You have your share of recklessness too."

"When it comes to Xiao Jiu... you know what I mean"

"I sure do. Thank you Zhe Yan." Feng Jiu's mother placed her hand on his heart. He felt disarmed upon feeling her proximity and inhaling her scent. "You better get some rest hóng húlí, I will make you some nurture soup" He quickly got up and left her side. She sighed hard. "I know Zhe Yan I miss you too."

Dong Hua left instructions with Yan Chiwu, Mo Yan and Lian Song. The Bais left on their hunt for Cang Yi. Zi Lan returned to Kun Lun Mountain on Mo Yan's instructions. He returned to his beloved little fox. He was pleased to see her on a better state. He skimmed through the room to find that her mother was resting, he sensed that she was wounded. He summoned Zhe Yan. "What happened here?"

"What do you mean Dong Hua?"

"Why is my mother-in-law wounded?"

"You know how foxes are protective of their own Dong Hua. I was in seclusion when I found her near death."

"You mean..."

"Yes, she did. Xiao Jiu improvement is partially due to her mother's blood. Fox heart blood is immensely powerful as you well know. A heroic woman always offers a helping hand, because she has a special way of putting things together."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, she's healing and resting. She'll be fine in a couple of days"

"You look better too old bird."

"Did you miss me old rock?" Dong Hua remained silent. He focused his attention on his beloved.

"I already checked her vitals. Xiao Jiu and the baby are doing fine. Hey don't worry she'll make a full recovery in no time." Zhe Yan tapped Dong Hua's shoulder.

"Good. Now let me get some rest."

"But you just got here, are you tired?"

"I'm fine, I just want to spend some quiet time with my pregnant wife."

"All right I take my leave. I will be brewing more medicine for her mother. Let me know if she wakes up." Zhe Yan took off and Dong Hua was gazing Feng Jiu sleeping form.

"Little fox, I'm right here now." Dong Hua placed his hand on her belly to sense the baby. He smiled upon hearing the baby heartbeat. He closed his eyes embracing his most precious treasure. "I'm home"