Amidst the turmoil of events, don't lose your presence of mind: the counterbalance strategy. In the heat of battle, the mind tends to lose its balance. It is vital to keep your presence of mind, maintaining your mental powers, whatever the circumstances. Make the mind tougher by exposing it to adversity. Learn to detach yourself from the chaos of the battlefield.

Feng Jiu heard her beloved silky voice whispering to her ear: "My only wish is to live without regrets and fly far away with you. Your arms are my home. You and I as husband and wife as one body, even when the days become chaotic, even if giant waves of terror reach the skies, I will still hold you tightly, not leaving your sight and face death together. In the end I still can't and not willing to let you go. I will stay by your side, so don't leave me or I will follow you even until death. And if so I will find a way to bring you back to my side. Hoping that my lifespan doesn't withers away. I will follow you to savor the aftertaste of your sweet lips full of love, devotion, and longing. I will stay with you my little fox forever and more, I love you."

"Dijun..."

"I'm here my love, please come back to me"

Feng Jiu was dreaming. Her mind took her to a beautiful meadow with all types of flowers. It was a pleasant day. She was laying down on a blanket with her eyes closed enjoying the spring breeze. Feng Jiu honed her senses to hear her surroundings. She was able to hear a faint laugh coming to her direction. "Mama, mama look what I got!" a small child ran towards her with a big fish on his hand, waking her up.

"Sweetheart you did great!"

"Father helped me."

"Did he? Where is your father?"

"He's coming. He wants to catch another fish for dinner. He told me that he wants to cook his specialty dish for great uncles Lian Song and Si Ming. Isn't father generous mama?"

Feng Jiu chuckled when hearing the motivative. "I wonder what did they do to offend Dong Hua." Feng Jiu mentally laughed. "Your father is a good man little one. Let's go and see if he had any successes. Come." Feng Jiu extended her hand to the little one and he showed her where Dong Hua was lying down with a fishing pole on his hand.

"Father, did you catch anything?" The little boy asked Dong Hua.

"Check the basket, you will find my catching's"

The little boy uncovered the basket to find two fat carps. "Wow father these are great, my great uncles Lian Song and Si Ming are going to love these. Are you going to teach me how to cook them?" He excitedly asked him.

Dong Hua lips curled to a roguish smile. "Of course, I will son. Lian Song and Si Ming are going to enjoy your cooking. Isn't that right Jiu'er?"

"Seriously Dong Hua? What did they do to you?" Feng Jiu mentally said.

"Just play along. You don't want to disappoint our son, do you Jiu'er? Hmm."

Feng Jiu sighed, "All right I'll play along, but at least let me pick the ingredients. Promise me that you won't poison them."

"I won't."

"I'm serious Dong Hua. Father is tired of curing your victims' ailments. Last week you sent four of them to his workshop, with a terrible case of indigestion. He was furious."

"Your father is an overly dramatic old bird. He makes a big deal out of small things ruffling his feathers. He's going to end up bald. Let me enjoy the day with our son Jiu'er, I promise that we'll love play later on".

"You're so shameless Dong Hua"

"And you love it."

Feng Jiu's cheeks flushed bright red. The little boy noticed. "Mother why are your cheeks bright red? Do you feel hot?" The little boy was concerned for his mother health condition.

"Huh? No son, I'm all right." Dong Hua smiled seeing her obvious embarrassment.

"Father, mother what are you two up to now?" He was intensively staring them down with an inexpressive face. A trait he learned from his shameless father. Dong Hua held his emotions. He was enjoying seeing his son imitating his expression. He knew it made Feng Jiu more nervous.

"Nothing...son. Your father and I are just agreeing on the ingredients for your cooking lesson." Feng Jiu nervously replied.

The little boy was not buying her mother words. He knew they were telepathically talking about another subject. He was intrigued to find out what kind of game their 'love play' was about, but he didn't want them to know about his ability to read minds, so he decided to avoid asking questions about it and play along too. "I think they are going to love my cooking, right father?"

"I think so too son. Here let's go home so we can start your lesson. The sooner the better, we have to harness the freshness of the fishes to deliver the best taste." Dong Hua padded his son head.

"Yes, father." The little boy hopped away carrying his fish on their way home. Once there, Dong Hua and his son began cleaning the fishes while Feng Jiu arranged the ingredients and prepared the stove for them. "Now Dong Hua just like I showed you, okay?" She whispered him. Dong Hua nodded and kicked Feng Jiu out of the kitchen.

"Leave the chefs alone to work on our master piece." Dong Hua tenderly kissed Feng Jiu's forehead and closed the door so she couldn't get in. "How petty!!" Feng Jiu left annoyed.

Forty minutes later....

Feng Jiu went back to check on them and sniffed a delicious aroma coming out of the kitchen. "Hmm, I'm hungry now. Let's see if they passed the taste test." She entered the kitchen and saw that Dong Hua and their son were done. A beautiful sweet and sour fish dish was on the table for her to taste. "It smells so good in here."

"Mama, we finished cooking father's specialty dish. He taught me all of his culinary secrets." The little boy happily eyed his father. Dong Hua felt so proud that his son was a fast learner.

"Did he now? Hmm, lets see how good this taste." Feng Jiu grabbed her chop sticks and grasped a small piece of fish meat. Just when she was about to taste it...her stomach loudly growled.

Dong Hua smiled; he was marveled at how vivid his little fox dream was. "She must be hungry." He got up and conjured a sweet and sour fish with steam vegetable dumplings and roasted sweet potatoes. Then he proceeded to wake her up. Feng Jiu cutely yawn and stretched herself. Her nose quickly sniffed the delicious aroma nearby. She slowly opened her eyes to see that a small tray was already served for her. She sweetly smiled at Dong Hua. "That radiant smile is only for me." He said to himself. Her smile always melts his tenacity.

"Here let me help you. I know that you are hungry." Dong Hua placed a bunch of pillows to her back so she could be comfortable then he fed her small amounts of food.

"Hmm, is delicious. How did you know that I was craving this?" Feng Jiu asked him.

"You were dreaming about it my sweet little fox."

"Thank you, husband." Feng Jiu gazed his glorious face with her big dow eyes. Dong Hua's heart skipped a beat, he couldn't resist the way she was looking at him like this. He had to blink to focus on feeding her. "You want more?"

"Just a bit. I don't want to throw up later on."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better...a little dizzy...the baby..."

"The baby is fine Jiu'er. We have all made sure that our child is safe."

"When you say 'we'..."

"I mean your parents and me."

Feng Jiu placed her hands on her belly. "Little one we'll take care of you, don't you worry. Nothing is going to harm you."

"I want you to regain your strength. Your dizziness will gradually go away. It happens when we are in deep sleep. According to your father, he recommends bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy. You also need to stabilize your chi, so meditation is in order for you. I'll help you."

"But..."

"NO buts Jiu'er, you'll follow doctors' orders. I won't compromise on this little fox. I'll make sure you do rest." Dong Hua firmly stated.

Feng Jiu gazed his serious expression. She knew he was not going to make it easier for her to bend the rules a little, so she agreed for now. "Okay."

"Let me finish feeding you first and then I'll get your father, he wants to examine you."

"You can examine me." Feng Jiu batted her eyes seductively to him. Feng Jiu's glow and scent were getting him heated too. "I'll prefer that he does it." Dong Hua held his urges.

"But I miss you Dong Hua." Feng Jiu cutely pouted.

"I know Jiu'er. I miss you too my sweet little fox. But we have to take care of our child first. You were gravely injured."

"I know. But you know how much I crave your touch husband. We haven't..." Feng Jiu lowered her face and began playing with a strand of his hair as a way to divert her embarrassment.

"Jiu'er when you plead me like this is hard for me to say no; but please understand that you need to heal completely first. So, my answer is no."

"I understand, but that doesn't mean that we cannot snuggle. I miss being in your arms." She lowly said.

"You were sleeping in my arms earlier on." Dong Hua teased her.

"Is not the same and you know it"

"You are getting greedy my love."

"Don't deny me to be close to you please Dong Hua. I love to snuggle with you, it makes me feel secure and safe. Not to mention that your scent is so soothing. It will help me relax more and alleviate my unstable emotions." Feng Jiu pleaded him.

Dong Hua deep sighed. He knew that she needed him. "All right Jiu'er, but we can't be intimate yet, for the sake of your health and our baby."

"I know, but this type of intimacy is what I need right now... just be in your arms and feel you next to me, like before, remember?"

"I do. How can I forget our special moments? Don't worry Jiu'er I will stay with you." Dong Hua tenderly kissed her forehead. He felt his little fox longing for him. "Help her to heal emotionally first" Da Lou words came to his mind.

"Thank you, husband, for understanding."

"Come here Jiu'er." He opened his long arms to embrace her. Feng Jiu gladly accommodated herself on his lap. She nested her head on his chest and inhaled his soothing scent. "This is home" Feng Jiu barely whispered.

Dong Hua's eyes wetted with tears, but he bravely held them in upon hearing her words. He felt Feng Jiu's strong love all-encompassing his entire being. He never felt close and connected to anybody before. His little fox purity and innocence was the solid force that fueled his cold stone heart. She was truly unique in her own way to break his determination and indifference. Their closeness was not only soothing for her but it was for him too. His little fox knew how to calm his unrestrained desire to go on a killing spree. He still needs to handle Cang Yi treason. He won't let him go away. But he understood her need to be comforted. She was his priority. Cang Yi's time will come.

Feng Jiu tenderly kissed his heart where she marked him. He felt a spirited vigor going thru his heart chambers. He was speechless. Her love was a therapeutic force that renewed him from the inside out. Feng Jiu placed her small arms around his waist and snuggled further. Her fox senses picked up his heartbeat and she smiled. "I love to hear your heartbeat husband. Every beat is like a fine melody. There are some things in life we know to be true, beyond logic or reason. Irresistible truths, the things we seem to instinctively grasp, as if the knowledge were imprinted deep in our spirits, written on the very fiber of our souls. Your heart is truly music to my ears Dong Hua."

"Every beat of my heart belongs to you, every ray of sunshine comes from you, and every air that I breathe, I breathe for you little fox. Feeling our hearts beat together as one whenever I hold you is the best thing, I have experience in my long existence. Nobody understands me better the way you do. I'm so glad that we belong to one another."

"Words can never express what we feel towards each other, so promise me that you will love me the same way."

"I promise. I would never trade you for any jewel or gem in the entire universe, for you are my most precious treasure my sweet little fox. My long existence is not enough to express how much I love you Jiu'er."

"Dong Hua, my purpose in this life is to gather all your love and give you so much more in return."

"And you have done so much for me already. I will always make sure that our love would stay rooted between us and it will grow through time. All your lifetimes are mine little fox."

Feng Jiu smiled at him and Dong Hua gave her one of his best sultry smiles reserved only for her. Their sweetness was overly fond to Zhe Yan who was eavesdropping on them from the entrance.

"Are you guys done smooching over each other?" Zhe Yan teasingly asked.

"Fùqīn you do know how to ruin a perfect moment." Feng Jiu annoyingly told him.

"I came to check on you darling, and I came to this by accident. Who knew that your endearing husband can be so ...poetic. His words even moved me."

"I feel so proud of having a husband as romantic and dashing as him fùqīn." Dong Hua's lips curled to a shy smile for his little fox.

"Don't forget shameless too. Is one of his best traits. Anyways, can I get a hug from my daughter? I miss her too you know." Dong Hua didn't want to loosen Feng Jiu from his embrace. He glared at Zhe Yan not letting Feng Jiu move. Feng Jiu giggled a little. "I will give you a hug later on fùqīn. When I'm freed. Where is mom?"

"She's resting. She's been taking care of you nonstop." Zhe Yan replied. Feng Jiu noticed that his tone changed. He sounded worried.

"Is everything all right ?"

"What do you mean darling?" Zhe Yan replied.

"She hasn't been here yet, which I find that very unusual of her."

At that exact moment, her mother entered Feng Jiu's room with a tea tray. "I'm here sweetheart, I heard you were asking for me. You shouldn't be concerned. I brought you some tea."

"Here let me help you" Zhe Yan quickly interjected and placed the tea tray on the small table.

"Thank you Zhe Yan. Are you feeling better Xiao Jiu?" Her mother asked.

"I do. Fùqīn told me that you were resting. Are you tired?" Feng Jiu was carefully scanning her essence. Feng Jiu was able to smell a faint blood scent coming from her. She remained quiet.

"I feel better now Xiao Jiu, I'm happy to see that you are awake."

There was a brief awkward silence in the room. Dong Hua felt her mood changing. He caressed her meridian back points to calm her down. Zhe Yan noticed.

"Darling let me feel your pulse. I want to know how are you doing." Feng Jiu extended her arm and Zhe Yan felt her pulse. "Hmm you are better than I expected. Not to mention that the baby is doing great too."

"How wonderful!" Her mother said.

"Still, you need to be on bedrest for the rest of your pregnancy Xiao Jiu. Although you are progressing, we don't want you to take unnecessary risks."

Feng Jiu sensed that they were hiding something. "Are neither of you will tell me what happened to me and what happened to you mom?"

"Darling, what's important now, is that you are getting better. Do not get distressed please, it will weaken the baby's development if you do." Zhe Yan said.

"I deserve to know the truth father."

"I know sweetheart, but we don't want to see you overwhelmed. Please regulate your breathing for your baby's sake. Your baby feels your emotional state. If you get upset, the baby will get upset too. I'm sure you don't want do that." Her mother admonished.

Feng Jiu was studying their faces. She knew they were keeping something from her. "I hate it when I'm kept in the dark mother."

"Little fox, we don't want you to feel left out, but the truth can upset you and disrupt your progress at this point and put you at risk of a miscarriage. We all feel that it will best for now to help you heal first. When you're stronger then, we'll tell you. You just woke up from deep sleep and you haven't stabilized your chi yet. So your emotions are unstable as well. Taking care of you is our bigger priority. Our baby needs you to be healthy, stable and strong. I need m Dihou to be well centered too. Can you compromise with us for now?" Dong Hua caressed her chin as a way to calm her down and distract her.

"All right, husband I won't get upset. I want my baby to feel all of my love and no negative emotions from me."

"That's the spirit little fox. I knew you'll prioritize what's more important." Dong Hua smiled at her.

"Bed rest?" Feng Jiu asked Zhe Yan.

"For the majority of the time, I want you to be well rested Xiao Jiu. At least until you're completely stable. Whatever you need it will be provided to you. In the meantime, relax as much as you can. Also limit your salt content to prevent unnecessary swelling. You can do your Tai Chi routine a week from now, but don't be straining yourself. You need to stretch but don't over do it either. Sexual activity is not allowed for now so you two need to abstain from it."

"For how long?" Feng Jiu protested.

"Just until you don't feel any physical discomfort, Xiao Jiu. This will depend on you darling. The quicker you recover, then the quicker you can regain your extra physical intimate activity with your shameless hubby." Zhe Yan smiled. "As for her meals...."

"Don't worry Zhe Yan I'll make sure that she eats healthy frequent small meals and snacks. Nothing heavy." Her mother interjected.

"Good. She can't have all this food for now Dong Hua."

"She was craving it Zhe Yan."

"I need you to be on our team Dong Hua. For now, you can't give her everything she craves. Xiao Jiu needs to recuperate properly. NO cheating is allowed. I can't stress this enough. Where is your spine brother? Don't let her curve your resolve Dong Hua!"

Dong Hua kept quiet. He knew Zhe Yan meant well, but nobody tells Dong Hua Dijun what to do, especially when it comes to his beloved Dihou.

"Fùqīn I promise that I will behave. Don't berate my husband please ease off." Feng Jiu protectively expressed.

"Haaa!!! I want to see that with my own eyes darling. Prove me wrong. You're a troublemaker, it's in your veins."

"Give her some credit Zhe Yan, this time I believe that she will do as she's told." Feng Jiu's mother said.

"The day that she does, it will be the day then I will turn to a bald eagle." Zhe Yan replied.

"If you want to change bird species, I will gladly help you with that Zhe Yan." Dong Hua sarcastically said.

"You..." Zhe Yan turned around and left the room annoyed at Dong Hua.

Dong Hua smirked and contemplated his little fox, satisfied that he won this round.

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Far away from Qing Qui northern lands...

Yan Chiwu finally arrived at Qing Yao Mountain, his territory. His brother-in-law Lord Xu Fang was waiting on him. "You're back so soon? Is everything okay?"

"Things got more complicated than before. Any news on Ji Heng?"

"Nothing so far, but there is suspicious activity on the forbidden land. Our scots have seen an outsider entering Miao Lou's cave a week ago from today. They couldn't identify who it is, but he hasn't come out from our territory. For what it seems it might be someone important."

Yan Chiwu hard sighed. "It's a traitor and he's been hunted by the Bai Clan."

"Is that so?"

"Jiěfū, we have to prepare for war. First, we need to mobilize our troops to safeguard our people and take provisions. Miao Lou is working her way out. I'm afraid she'll be out soon. Our people lives at are stake."

"Our army is ready to take action. We'll join our allies to fight Miao Lou when the time comes. But we need to hand over this traitor to the Bai Clan in accordance with our treaty with them."

"I'm working on a strategy to do that. We don't want this traitor to wander off our territory. I have eyes on him."

"We have friends in the forbidden lands, don't forget that."

"I'm way ahead of you Jiěfū. I'm waiting to hear from them to mobilize my team for his capture. I have a special friend that infiltrated on my behalf."

"That's what I'm talking about."

"I have to find a way to break Ji Heng connection with Miao Lou before is too late."

"I might know a way to do it."

"Great, let's hear it...."

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Inside Miao Lou's Cave....

Nie Chuyin appeared in front Miao Lou. "Demon Queen, your esteemed servant is here with what you asked for."

"Nie Chuyin, where is it? Quick give it to me!!!" Miao Lou demanded.

"Here. These are the chains that drained Bai Feng Jiu essence. You can retrieve her cultivation so you can free yourself my Queen."

Miao Lou transferred Feng Jiu's cultivation from the chains. She began to feel her cultivation upsurge without depleting. Her powers increased as Feng Jiu's essence traveled thru Miao Lou's body. She broke free from her bindings.

"At last!!!" Miao Lou maniactically laughed. "DONG HUA YOU WAIT AND SEE!!!!"

Nie Chuyin bowed before Miao Lou. "Demon Queen, we also have an ally to our cause. He wants to meet you."

"Send him in."

Yes, Demon Queen.

Minutes later....

Well, well, well, well, look who came down from the mountains...

Demon Queen, your servant is at your service....

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Feng Jiu felt a strong tug on her soul; it warned her that something bad was about to happen. She didn't want to alert Dong Hua who was resting next to her so she pretended to be asleep. She knew that Dong Hua was warned too. Dong Hua slowly opened his eyes, to see that Feng Jiu was still asleep or so he thought. He carefully got up and disappeared on his blue azure mist.

He appeared on Zhe Yan's room. Zhe Yan was waiting on him. "I knew that you were coming to see me."

"Miao Lou has freed herself."

"I know, I felt it too. She's coming for you Dong Hua." Zhe Yan worriedly said.

"I cannot have her waging war here with Jiu'er condition. I need to send Jiu'er away for her own protection."

"Tell her the truth Dong Hua. I'm pretty sure that she felt it too."

"So much for resting. I will not let her get harmed. It will be best if I go and meet her away from here."

"And risk yourself unnecessary? We need to see what plan Mo Yan has!"

"It will be too late. She's gathering her army already."

"And your plan is?" Feng Jiu said surprising them both.