A Tear Frozen in Time

The End of an Era

For the rest of the day, she skulked about Qing Qiu feeling utterly miserable which was exactly how she thought she should be feeling considering she had gone to the Demon Lands with the aim of letting him down gently, when in fact he had literally sliced apart whatever friendship they'd had with just a few words.  

Mo Yuan was waiting for her arrival on Kunlun Mountain, but not wanting him to see her embarrassment or even talk about it with anyone else, she instead stayed in the den to contemplate on yet another visit, one that she knew would be even more difficult considering she had not discussed it with anyone except for Zhe Yan, but it was just as important to her, even more than returning to Kunlun Mountain.

 Bai Zhen had informed her that he was dating other women, he had still to take an Empress, and without one, there would be no heir which according to him, he was still refusing to take.  But she hoped sincerely that this meeting would at least give them both the closure they needed and he would move forward even though she also knew it would not be pleasant for him.

  In the past, cutting ties had been important to her.  It ensured that there were no misunderstandings or hope for a reconciliation even though Mo Yuan had told her that Ye Hua had already come to terms with her choices.

  It was late afternoon, and seeing as a short visit to the Celestial Heavens wasn' too much out of her way before heading to Kunlun Mountain, she let all thoughts of Guotin go as she prepared herself for a much harder visit.   Though she did wonder if she should send word ahead.  Ye Hua had always lived by certain rules and regulations, and unexpected arrivals were not something he had a lot of patience for as he liked to plan ahead.

Deciding in the end to just go as she had done with Guotin, she first detoured to the Peach Tree Grove to collect a little something that Zhe Yan had been keeping safe, something she needed if she herself was to let go of that place and also move on.

And once she had the little treasure in her hands, she then left for what she hoped would be closure for both of them.  In fact, she felt surprisingly calm by the time she arrived.   Her visit with Guotin had left her a little worn out and deflated, but in her mind, this was the only way he could compensate her, though she didn't think she would ever get over it.

Now at the main gates waiting for the guard to finish scrutinizing her Qing Qiu pendant, she once again went over in her mind what she planned to say to him and as the guard slowly moved to the side so she could enter, a flash of a black robe at the end of the corridor had her speeding up as Ye Hua came into view having been notified of her arrival.

The long years had been just as hard for him, but unlike Guotin or Mo Yuan, Ye Huas anger soared after Bai Zhi removed her body from the Ruoshui River.  In his mind, the sacrifice should have been his to take, after all, he was Mo Yuans brother, a Celestial and as the Crown Prince, the one responsible for the safety of the realms.  And in his mind, he also owed her a life debt.  Not just for the loss of their son, but also for the Mortal life he had endangered and then driven to suicide.

But as his feet drew closer and her loveliness came into view, then once again he was thrown back into the past.  She looked exactly like Su Su that he almost threw his arms around her.  The long years had been the loneliest he had ever felt in his already lonely life yet looking at her now, it seemed as if the years had been stripped away and it had all been but a dream.

There was a smile on her face, the same smile that Su Su used to have on hers whenever she looked at him, and for a moment, Ye Hua forgot who she really was as Mount Junji came to mind along with the many beautiful memories he had of her there.

"Ye Hua, I do hope you don't mind the sudden intrusion, but I really wanted to talk to you." she said as she took his outstreched hand.

And like a bubble, the memories burst as Bai Qian, the Queen of Qing Qiu and his brothers wife to be, exploded into his mind and forcing Su Su out.  Not even the warmth of her hand felt familiar, this woman was a complete stranger to him, that he suddenly felt awkward holding onto her hand as if it were a life line.