What If...I Remember?

Chapter 56

"From the looks of it...I'll have to plead with Dong Hua Di Jun...to lend me some men."

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"Ye Hua greets Di Jun, Third Uncle."

"Rise, Crown Prince Ye Hua." Di Jun sat by his table, brewing another cup of tea from fresh tea leaves that he had probably planted on his own, "And you needn't state what you have come for. I know it's regarding Qing Cang's return, as well as the Ghost Queen and the Zhao Ren Princess, is it not?" "It is, Di Jun. But to be more exact, I have come to request for you to allow me to take the soldiers into battle." Ye Hua rose, but his posture remained in a bow, and Di Jun barely glanced up at Ye Hua as he gestured, "Have a seat, Crown Prince. Let us discuss what were to happen if I were to entrust the rights to you."

With one swift movement, Ye Hua sat down at the table opposite of Lian Song's, who had been awfully silent, more so than his usual chattiness, and Di Jun tilted his head slightly, "Very well then. You want the rights to the soldiers; I can give them to you. But first I must ask you: Crown Prince Ye Hua, what will you do to the Ghost Queen and the Zhao Ren Princess, should you be able to capture them alive?"

"Di Jun, I don't see how this is related-" Lian Song began, a little crossly, and Ye Hua finally realised that a frown creased Lian Song's forehead, and that his Third Uncle had only remained silent because he was probably displeased at Di Jun for whatsoever matter again. "Hush, Lian Song. What will you do to the Ghost Queen and the Zhao Ren Princess, Ye Hua?" Di Jun repeated, this time directly addressing Ye Hua by his name, and Ye Hua took a deep breath, unsure how to answer. Was the ancient deity testing him? Or was Di Jun asking just purely out of curiosity?

"If they are miraculously kept alive in the war, I will have them brought back and placed on trial for all their crimes." Ye Hua finished unhesitantly, and Di Jun glanced at him unamusedly, "Old crimes as well?" "Uncounted crimes, be it old or new. Crimes they have yet to be punished for." Ye Hua spoke firmly, before he lowered his head in anticipation of being lectured for being merciless, but Di Jun merely rose to his feet, "Good. Then I shall entrust the military right to you, Crown Prince. How many you would like to take out to war is up to you."

"Forgive me, Di Jun, but why the question?" Ye Hua blurted, confused by Di Jun's actions, and Di Jun merely raised his eyebrow, "Because, Crown Prince, I needed to know if you would be rash. If you were muddled by emotions, you would not put them on trial. A man controlled by his emotions would not not have offered any fair judgement, and yet you could still make the decision to put them on trial, even though everything they have done has endangered your Crown Princess and your unborn child. That is an honourable value, Crown Prince, one that I hope you will remember."

Turning around, the silver-haired deity made as though to leave, but right before he exited the hall, he turned around slightly. "I do not make it a habit to praise others, Crown Prince," Di Jun spoke in a measured tone, "But I mean it when I say that you are the best choice we have for the Heavenly Lord position. You are not like your grandfather, a man whose head has been meddled with by power and greed. You are content with what you have and love, and you fight to protect them."

"You will go far, Crown Prince Ye Hua. Further than your grandfather has ever gone."

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"So...you got the military rights?" Bai Qian pulled off her outer robes carefully, folding her legs as she removed her shoes and tucked them neatly by the bed. "I did, Qian Qian." Ye Hua gave her a gentle kiss as he shrugged off his outer robe as well, before he gathered both their robes and spread it on the rack, "We now have the power to command all the soldiers we need from the Nine Heavens." "I do have a question, Ye Hua," Bai Qian remained  sitting upright, her hand subconsciously resting on her abdomen, "That I have been meaning to ask."

"What is it, Qian Qian?" Ye Hua waited patiently for his wife to continue, and Bai Qian took a deliberate pause, in hope to mask her hesitation, before she sighed, "Will you let me fight in the war?" "Absolutely not." Ye Hua answered immediately, "You will stay here, Qian Qian, where you should rest and take care of yourself, away from all the bloodshed and danger, and-" "And what, Ye Hua? And away from you, so that you may be a hero?" Bai Qian cut him off, and Ye Hua was struck dumb by her words.

"Away from you, so that I will not be able to fall asleep from the unease? Away from you, just as I was when I was Su Su and you were fighting a mermaid rebellion? I remember, Ye Hua, how it ended. You took a blow straight to the chest in hope that your plan would work. But it failed, didn't it? What are you planning this time, Ye Hua?" Bai Qian demanded, her hands grabbing his arms tightly, "Please tell me you're not going to do something foolish."

"Qian Qian..." Ye Hua began uncertainly, "Calm down-" "I will not, Ye Hua!" Tears began to well up in Bai Qian's eyes, as she refrained from crying, "You were planning to sacrifice yourself, were you not?" "No, Qian Qian..." Ye Hua faltered in his attempt to lie, and flecks of light reflected off the tears gathering beneath Bai Qian's eyes, "You fool me not, Ye Hua. You wanted to sacrifice yourself, in the event the bell reactivates. You wanted to keep me away, so that no one would stop you from doing so."

Silence fell as Ye Hua went over Bai Qian's words. She was not wrong; he had had those thoughts. But even as she mentioned them one by one, now, a sudden guilt flooded his heart, and Ye Hua pulled Bai Qian into a hug, unable to say anything to console her, for she was right. It had been his plan.

"You are cruel, Ye Hua," Bai Qian sobbed into his chest, her words slightly muffled from the cloth that covered her mouth, "Here I am, carrying your child, and you dare to think about leaving me a widow, and leaving our children - A-Li and our unborn child - fatherless. Have you no weight on your conscience, Ye Hua? How could you even think of doing that?" "I was wrong, Qian Qian. Forgive me." Ye Hua whispered, his hand cupping the back of her head as she sobbed even harder into his chest, "I...I shouldn't have thought of that. I'm sorry, Qian Qian."

"I thought...I thought that you might possibly..." Ye Hua spoke softly, after Bai Qian had finally calmed down, "Possibly..." "Sacrifice myself?" Bai Qian finished for him quietly, before she brought her hand to her abdomen, "Never, Ye Hua. I wouldn't throw both our lives away. I wouldn't bear to live separated away from you, in a different world, in another void. Never." "I can't bear to lose you again, Qian Qian. That was another reason why I didn't want to let you fight in the war." Ye Hua added on in a hushed tone, "Do you know how wrecked and miserable I was, Qian Qian, those 300 years? You left me behind, and I couldn't find you back. I wanted to join you, but could not, for all that anchored me back to this world. I will not lose you again."

"Then let me fight, Ye Hua. Where you go, I follow." Bai Qian held his hands in hers as she stared into his obsidian eyes, and Ye Hua gave a sigh of defeat, before he brought her hands to his lips, kissing it gently as he agreed to her request.

"Wherever you go, I go, Qian Qian. I will follow you to the depths of hell, if it means that we will forever be together."

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A/N: Wow second chapter for today XD

Do you think I can rush a third? 😂