Red Snow

Chapter 18

Ye Hua cloud jumped to the peach forest with Jia Yun and Tian Shu trailing behind him. The minute he landed there, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. The place reminded him of Zhao Ge's home in the peach orchard. 

Miles upon miles of peach trees surrounded a little wooden hut. Ye Hua could imagine it already. Zhao Ge came home from a day of hard work, carrying a bag of her favourite snacks from the market. She would greet him at the door and hug him with a brilliant smile on her face.  

He quickly shook that memory away, unable to afford to be sentimental. Ye Hua had never been to the peach forest before. Mo Yuan only mentioned the High God to Ye Hua a few times. He visited him once in a while, but he never once brought Ye Hua along.

It was the first time Ye Hua realised that his brother wasn't exactly truthful to him. How many things were Mo Yuan hiding from him?

In the middle of the clearing, sat a man by a rose marble table. The man wore a soft pink robe that matched with the petals falling around him. 

Ye Hua walked up to him, "Excuse me, High God Zhe Yan?" 

The man faced his back at him. He didn't even bother to look at Ye Hua. He dismissed him without a single glance, "Leave. I don't care how sick your loved one is, "

Ye Hua eyed his attendants, he bowed down again, "I'm not here for that, " 

The High God turned around with frustration, "What are you here for?" 

His eyes widened when he saw Ye Hua, "Mo Yuan…" 

"It's Ye Hua, actually, " Ye Hua said, "I'm his brother, " 

"Right, " Zhe Yan blinked, " I had been asking for you for days," 

"I'm terribly sorry," Ye Hua apologised, "I have been busy dealing with my brother's passing," 

Zhe Yan sighed, "I understand. I too had to learn the death of my friend through unorthodox means," 

He gestured Ye Hua to sit by his side, "Mo Yuan had brought you here once as a babe, I guess you don't remember," 

Ye Hua shook his head. Zhe Yan eyed him up and down, "Now, look at you. All grown up, making your brother proud, " 

Ye Hua nodded, "Thank you, "

"Where are my manners," Zhe Yan called out, "Xiao Wu, we have guests," 

"Do you have servants here? I presume you live alone," Ye Hua asked.

"No. Not servants. It's just my ward," he explained, "I lost her a long time ago. But fate had brought us back together again, " 

"That's great. You must have been glad," 

Zhe Yan said, "These past few millennia have been extremely hard for me. I had lost one of my closest friends and decided to cut off from the world. Your brother visited me from time to time. And now, I'm so glad you're here, Ye Hua. Mo Yuan had told me all about you…" 

The High God's eyes turned misty. Maybe Ye Hua should cut to the chase before he rambled on.

"High God, the reason I came here today is to-" 

The sound of shattered porcelain interrupted Ye Hua's words. He turned to see Bai Qian standing stunned at a distance.

A wave of emotions washed over Ye Hua when he saw her standing there, wearing a flowing white dress, her hair pinned up by a single blossom branch. First, surprise, then bewilderment, relief. After that, there was bitterness, resentment and anger.

Ye Hua stood up and summoned his sword, Bai Qian did the smart thing and ran away. He got up on his feet and chased after her, ignoring the High God's commands to stop.