Mo Yuan had come to realize the girl was limited in how long she stayed as if an obstacle of some kind was keeping her from staying longer because she always looked sad the closer it came to leaving. She never stayed more than two hours and it seemed she was aware of when the time was near to leave, because she always lay down to sleep where she would disappear a few minutes later.
Only, after almost six hours of thorough research on several books on magic he had found in the Celestials library, he was still no closer to finding out how she was entering his temple not to mention the Immortal Realm which was impossible for the Mortals. But even more concerning, was her apparition form, her inability to see him and the fact that his disciples could neither see nor hear her.
There were of course many spells that one could use to hide themselves from others, magical barriers and potions for example, but he was absolutely positive that she was Mortal, which should have been impossible. Because for one, Kunlun Mountain was drenched in divine energy, a Mortal would not last two seconds in the low valleys much less the temple and secondly, the Mortals were not aware of his mountain temple, himself or his disciples. And even if they were aware of it, they wouldn't know how to get there anyway. And certainly not a slave.
The Mortal slaves were treated as no more than animals to do the bidding of their owners in whatever form they deemed fit. They were not educated so could not have learned anything of his mountain from school or books. Though there were plenty of paintings of the Mortals version of his mountain but it came nowhere close to the original and nor did the stories they had written about it either.
Tiredly lowering the books to the side table, Mo Yuan closed his eyes. He was still in the library pondering over everything she had said in the hope of a clue. She had told him Buddha had invited her and though he was a little sceptical that this was true, he did not doubt i was her 'truth' because she was as innocent as the angel he thought her to be. If that Daoshi had told her Buddha had welcomed her to his temple, then that was exactly what she took it to mean.
Only he couldn't help but wonder why his temple. There were hundreds of them in the Mortal realm she could have visited, so it only increased the mystery as to why she kept returning to his. In fact, she had visited a total of nine times in the past two weeks, and they had talked of many things she had found of interest. His paintings on the walls, why no girls were on the mountain and even what his mantra was about having never heard one before.
Her mind was highly inquisitive and as the visits continued, her fear of him and the shyness to ask questions, fell away as the laughter rose. She was just so precious and innocent that Mo Yuan began to look forward to her visits, because she always brought questions no one else would have dared to ask. Like, why he wasn't married.
This question had ended in a highly amusing conversation on the kind of man she would one day want to marry.
"I think Buddha arranges our partners for us. And we only get to know who we're stuck with when our bellies swell. But it helps if they don't know how to hunt, because I could play dead like a fox if he turns out to be an ass."
Still shaking his head at the way her eyes had emphatically risen in absolute conviction, Mo Yuans laugher was still bubbling beneath the surface three days later. In fact, her lack of fear, now that she was more comfortable in his presence, only endeared him to the feistiness and resilience of her soul. Despite her circumstances, she was not only a fighter, but the innocence remained in her gentle manner and simple rationale for everything.
"Mo Yuan. You're still here......" a voice suddenly brought him out of his thoughts and forcing his eyes open.
"Di Jun." It's been a while." he replied without a hint of surprise for the unexpected visit.
Glancing at the books beside the dais Mo Yuan was sitting on, Di Juns gave him a questioning look. "Is everything alright? You've been here all day." he asked taking a seat on the same dais beside him.
"Mn." he nodded. "I have a little mystery to solve, so I came here to see if I could find an answer." Mo Yuan replied honestly and now that Di Jun was there, he actually welcomed the visit. If anyone would have an answer, it would be this man.
"Then perhaps I can be of assistance." he replied looking at him and wondering what had the War God stumped. Mo Yuan did not normally struggle over mysteries and nor would he sit in his library for six hours trying to solve one either, so either the man had actually did have an unsolvable mystery which he definitely wanted to know about, or he was tired. He surmised both by the way Mo Yuan briefly went into himself.
He really didn't have any qualms in asking Di Jun about the girl, but he was little hesitant, because what he was about to ask for a favour, which he never liked to ask for, especially from this man. Di Jun was known to call in favours at the most inopportune times and they always hurt in one way or the other.
Sighing, he decided in the end, that it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"Are you aware of a spell or magic capable of allowing a Mortal into our world unseen and unheard?"
Looking away briefly, Di Jun contemplated on the question. He was aware of many spells that allowed a Mortal into their world, but every High God he knew of would see through it. Turning his head to look at him, Mo Yuan knew the answer before he even spoke.
"I am not."
"Alright. Do you know of a magic that would allow a Mortal to appear in apparition form?"
Frowning a little, Di Jun was now gaining an inkling into why Mo Yuan was looking tired and suddenly he too felt exhausted just thinking what on earth was going on. An apparition suggested the Mortal was not real, a figment of the imagination, only the question was from Mo Yuan, and he did not ask stupid or irrelevant question. So now his interest was definitely peaked.
"I do not."
"And what if I told you a Mortal girl has been visiting my mountain in apparition form yet I am the only one who can see and hear her?"
The eye brows rose several degrees at this. In fact, Di Jun was absolutely flabbergasted which no one had rendered him in years. Only, alook of absolute truth met his incredulous gaze and suddenly the excitement rose. If there was indeed a Mortal passing through the veil unseen and unheard by everyone else but Mo Yuan and he had not yet figured out how she was doing it, then she was a security issue. One he had to know about.
"I would very much like the opportunity to see her for myself" he eventually replied once the astonish wore off.
"I am glad, because an invitation was my next question." Mo Yuan nodded at him with a small grin.
__
It was almost midnight when Ye Yu arrived on his mountain and this time in the garden he had first taken her too. She loved the temple and his study, but she loved the outdoors more and his garden was beautiful.
It was a simple circular shaped garden with a good mix of flowers, a few statues, a hammock and three benches. Surrounding the enclosure, was a small cluster of peach trees in once corner and a high hedge covered in ivy blooming with little white flowers. In terms of landscaping, it was simple, but very peaceful.
Sitting at the feet of the small statue of Buddha, while lightly tapping at the beautiful lilies dancing about on the water beneath his feet, she didn't notice the arrival of the two men, until Mo Yuan greeted her with the same soft welcome and tender smile.
"Daoshi. I thought you were asleep." she greeted him back with a bright smile, happy to be with him again. In fact, like Mo Yuan, she looked forward to the visits as much as he did and she couldn't wait to tell him of her day.
Glancing briefly at Di Jun, Mo Yuan knew in an instant that he could not see her, but he had a feeling he could instead hear her. His eyes were scanning the air where she was sitting. But he said nothing as Mo Yuan sat down on the grass beside her, while he went and sat on the bench to listen.
"How are you feeling today dear?" he asked having noticed a few new bruises and cuts to her lips yet again.
"Happier than yesterday." she laughed softly. "I went to the fish market today and I was even allowed a little fish for dinner." she informed him excitedly. "I had fish once, along time ago which my old masters gave me, but I don't remember it tasting so good."
Saddened that she thought fish was something exciting when he ate it as a normal part of his diet, Mo Yuan forced back the urge to sigh. Instead his smile rose and his voice remained calm.
"Then your day was blessed." he replied with a hint of excitement in his own voice which had her head bobbing up and down in agreement.
"Yes. I remember you told me to find the blessings in every part of my day."
"And did you find any others?" he asked while watching his lilies bobbing about in the water.
"Yes. There were many today, but the one I really wanted to share, is I only got one beating today which must be a real blessing." she laughed as her small hand continued to tap the lilies.
Unconsciously pursing his lips, Mo Yuan joy at seeing her again, began to feel heavy. He knew she couldn't see him, but he really wanted her to understand that abuse was not a blessing no matter what form it was in..
"Physical violence is not a blessing Ye Yu.." he couldn't help but admonish her for something she did not deserve, only the sparkle in her eyes remained while her small head shook from side to side.
"But one is better than two. Today, I only got one, and that is something to be grateful for." she replied adamantly and unsure as to why he sounded angry. To her mind, she'd had a great day and though she could feel the annoyance, she just didn't care. She'd had fish and only one beating, it was the best day ever.
Thinking to argue, she rose to her feet to lightly brush a hand over the roses beside the statue with an even wider smile.
"And didn't you say one should always find pleasure in the small things Daoshi?"
"Yes I did. But Ye Yu, I stand by what I said." he replied just as adamantly only to clamp his mouth shut when her small hands stroked the air above the rose while staring in his direction.
"It's like these roses...They are beautiful now. But one day, the cold winter chills will come and the wind will darken the petals before throwing them back to the earth to decay. And though we only get to love their beauty for a short time, the petals feed the earth so new growth can replace it with something even more beautiful." her beautiful laughter rang out as she imagined a bigger and more vibrant rose in its place next summer.
He really had no idea what to even say to that, so instead he listened as she talked of the smaller but still relevant blessings she had gained that day.
Also listening to the soft airy whisperings coming from the roses, Di Juns eyes closed as he focused on the distortion in her voice, as if it were not actually there at all, but a remnant of a conversation. He knew it wasn't of course, because Mo Yuan was asking questions and she was answering them, but there was a thinness to her voice as if something in the air was preventing it from sounding full and present, as if she were speaking from far away.
And the more he listened the lighter her voice became, which in the end, forced him to open his inner hearing to latch on to every word as the girl continued to speak.
"What do you mean the power of blessings?" she asked squatting at his feet which had become a habit when she became confused over something he said. He actually did find it endearing when she did this, and going by the look on Mo Yuans face, Di Jun could see it.
"Empowerment Ye Yu. That you see your pallet as a blessings, says your mind is exceptionally powerful. I find that most admirable." he complimented softly and making her pale bruised face flush in embarrassment.
"Well it is better than the floor which is colder. And even better than being outside." she shrugged her shoulders and fully believing that even though some circumstances in her life were harsh, she was still better than a stray cat which she also told him so.
Sighing, he was once again left with nothing to add. It really didn't matter how terrible her life experiences were, the girl had the natural ability to see through it gracefully and with the heart of such purity, that it near brought a tear to his eye.
Waiting until she finally left, Mo Yuan turned to Di Jun with a inquisitive look.
"I know you couldn't see her, but you heard her." he stated matter of fact and immediately wanting his opinion which he knew he had one going by the way he rose
"Im not sure what the problem is Mo Yuan. You seem comfortable with her and she isn't a threat." he merely stated even though he was more than likely going to hit the archives for his own personal collection of magical books having had his curiosity aroused.
"So you do not think her appearance is an issue?" Mo Yuan asked incredulously. If Di Jun could hear the girl and he himself could also see her which his disciples could not do, then it had to mean she was using an advanced form of magic only the High Gods could see and hear.
Tilting his head to look at him as if he were a child, Di Jun said nothing for a while. His mind instead went back to the way Mo Yuan had been looking at her. There was nothing there to indicate he had feelings for her beyond a deep sense of righteousness for her plight. Only the compassion went far beyond anything he had ever seen the man elicit before. In fact, Mo Yuan seemed more concerned about her well being and gifting her an avenue of escape from her daily problems rather than focusing on how she was traversing the veil between worlds and the safety issue that posed.
But there was something else he had also noticed and one he could not ignore either. Di Jun was not able to see her, yet Mo Yuan could.
"I think Mo Yuan, she was meant to come here and to you specifically. For what reason, I don't know but I would like to offer a little advice if I may." he said quietly.
"I would appreciate it." Mo Yuan nodded.
"Do not allow yourself to get attached. We do not know where exactly she is from, or even if she is Mortal." he said quietly before stepping out of the enclosure and leaving Mo Yuan alone with his thoughts.
And that being a question he was left mulling over all night long.
Had she really come to him specifically?