Kunlun Mountain Part 2 - The Masters Disciple.

Chapter 14 - Part 3. Liang.

Liang, being the person that he is, was punctual when he arrived to collect Bai Qian, though she was not.  Of all the men that was courting her, this was the one who had her feeling the most nervous.  Not only was he a friend, a very good friend, he was one she already had feelings for, and to find out he liked her too, was very unsettling.  It took several changes of clothing before she was happy with her appearance, though her hair was an issue for her.  Initially she was going to lightly bun it, but in the end she decided to leave it down with only the sides pulled up out of her face.  

"Bai Qian, Liang is waiting." Her father informed her as she took his hand.  Checking her appearance several times more and making more adjustments to her dress, which didn't need it, and after much eye rolling from her father she was finally satisfied, taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to be led to the main den to meet him.

But on entry her mouth dropped.  Having only ever seen her senior in Disciple robes and his hair pulled high above his head, she was not prepared for what met her when he came into view.  Wearing a forest Green robe with the palest of yellow trim his splendor stood out in contrast to the cold gray walls of the den, he looked truly magnificent.  And with his hair completely unbound but lightly pushed back over one shoulder, she could not help but look upon his glorious appearance in stunned amazement, he was exceptionally handsome.  

"You look beautiful." he said smiling down at her.  

Blushing heavily she could not help mention his own appearance.  "You are handsome." she said shyly, her lashes suddenly dropping and her face reddening even more.

Bowing to her father, he took her hand and led her from the den, his eyes on her the whole time.  Then catching a cloud, he drew her close into his arms and left for The Southern Low Valleys a place she had never visited before, but one she had heard a lot about, from Liang himself.  He talked often of his home, and because of it, she already had preconceived ideas on what it looked like.

But the stories did not do it justice.  For some reason she thought of snow, boundless, never ending snow and cold, a barren land of waste and  lifelessness,and though there was a definite crispness to the air, she was not cold and nor could she have been more wrong.  His home was beautiful.

Arriving at a clearing just beyond the snow capped mountains, she found herself standing in front of one of the largest Jade Lakes she had ever seen.  Not even the stunning Jade Lakes of Kunlun could compare to this lake.  Covered in a thin layer of mist, it was completely surrounded by lush grassland and in the near distance built into the side of the snow capped mountains that towered over them, were Ice Castles that belonged to the King of the South.  Ice castles that glittered every shade known like rock crystal, the colors flaring out below and beyond giving the whole scent an ethereal feel, she almost felt herself lifting, the scene was so magical and beautiful, her hand tightened around Liangs as he took in every one of her reactions.

Everywhere she looked, were wild flowers and some she had never seen before, snow lilies so pure they almost seemed unreal.  Bending down to pick one, he brought it up for her to look at and what she saw made her gasp out loud.  Inside were thousands of tiny droplets of golden spray energy that flared out its beautiful floral scent around her.  Then lightly adjusting her hair, he pushed it gently into the strands.

  "You are very much like the Lily." he whispered down at her as he stroked her cheek lightly.  "The lily is the emblem of purity and strength.  As beautiful as the first virgin snows its purity is cannot be sullied nor tainted, yet though velvety soft and easily bent, it will not break under even the harshest of conditions."  

Gasping up at him, her eyes began to tear.  These were words she was not used to coming from his mouth.  Being one of her seniors who kept a tight reign on his emotions, she had never seen this side of him and that he could speak words of sentiment so easily, touched her heart deeply, she could only stare up at him in amazement.