Construction on the school was well under way, and under Mo Yuans strict control, his crew were making very good progress and with their youthful exuberance behind him, he estimated, they would be finished within 2 months. And having already been there for three months, it was merely a few hours in the Immortal world, he would be home in plenty of time for the next planned meeting with his bride to be. A woman he was liking less and less with each meeting she refused.
Though the daughter of The Fox King, a very close friend and brother, he couldn't help but feel used by him. His position in society was the only reason why he was being considered for her, not that her position was any less, she was a Queen after all, and one the Realms men fought vigorously for, before being gifted to him. No one outside of her immediate family had ever met her, she was reclusive and private, so he did understand her reticence to meet with him. And though he too was just as private and reclusive, he had at least made the effort to meet her half way.
And with another meeting due the following day, he would have to return, though if she didn't show for this meeting, he would more than likely cancel the arrangement. He was the revered War God, not some low born Prince from a small Tribe. And though he was a generous man with an understanding heart, he would only tolerate so much, and a man of his standing would not allow another rejection, regardless of his relationship with her father.
And those thoughts had him thinking of Ai, who was once again sitting beside him. She had come to share a meal with him at the end of each day, and he had learned a little more about her, though she kept much of her life private, he could sense a deep sadness around her.
She had told him, she was in an arranged marriage with a man she had yet to meet, but had no interest in. Her life was happy enough without a marriage of convenience, which led him to believe she was from a family of high standing, and she was hiding from them. He could also understand her reticence, he too was in the same position, and he told her as much.
"But I have agreed to meet him, so I will be gone for a few days." she had told him, though he kept his own meeting to himself, he felt she just needed someone to vent to, and he was happy enough to let her.
Their friendship grew with each passing day, that Mo Yuan began to look forward to the end of the day as much as his young crew, who constantly ribbed him. "How is it possible you have managed to gain her interest, when no man had ever come close?" one of them asked him making him laugh.
"I mean, I could understand if you were handsome." he continued, "But you're not!" he added to more laughter.
His young crew were a jovial bunch, and he was not exempt from their ribbing either, they took great delight in causing him as much discomfort as they could get away with. But he enjoyed their light hearted banter, it made the work ahead of them that much easier, especially when they sang. It was delightful, though many of the songs they enjoyed singing together, were best kept to the taverns, being somewhat bawdy, but he found as the days passed, he too began to join in having learned the words from them, and that had him laughing. If Zhe Yan and Bai Zhi could see him now, they would surely think he'd lost his mind, and would cancel the marriage arrangement themselves.
Now sitting with Ai under the make shift overhang he had erected for shade from the harsh sun, they sat together and enjoyed another meal.
"So when will you be leaving?" he asked her.
"Tomorrow." she said quietly.
He could see her body was tense, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Well, when you return, we should have finished the frame." he said waving his hand at the building behind him. "The hardest part will be finished, and we can start on the main rooms and outdoor areas." he added with a smile.
But her mind was elsewhere. Having returned to the Immortal Realm briefly to gather more potion bottles, she had unfortunately run into her brother Bai Zhen. And after a very heated argument, and to prevent him from assailing her in the Mortal Realm now that he knew where she was, she had no choice but to agree to a meeting with The War God. The thought of leaving her Mortal Realm life that she had grown to love had her seriously considering leaving her family and the Immortal Realm for good. And having met a man she felt she could get to know a little better, it was beginning to look more and more likely, because deep down, she knew she was falling for him.
She really liked Jie, he was gentle, kind, mature and stable. He listened to her, and not once had he tried to force her into his bed, which so many had done before. He was everything she wanted in a man, but he was a Mortal, one who die and leave her alone again, and that thought had her wondering why she kept coming back. She knew why. Because she was drawn to him, his gentle kind eyes that were so deep she could stare into them forever held her captive, had her wanting to see him again day after day. But the thought of never seeing him or any of her friends again, suddenly made her feel very sick.
"Ai? Is everything alright?" Jie asked with a worried frown. She had gone pale and suddenly looked as if she were about to be sick. Placing his arm about her shoulders, he gently turned her to face him.
Softly placing her small hand over his big one, she nodded. "I'm fine Jie, Im just a little nervous about the meeting tomorrow." she said quietly.
Squeezing her shoulder gently, he smiled warmly at her. "Ai. It's only a meeting, it's not your wedding day. Meet the man, and if you still feel the same way, then at least there will be no guilt when you break off arrangement." he said softly, causing her to look up at him. His gentle tender eyes that were looking back at her almost had her in tears and he could see it.
He too was becoming very fond of this woman. Her natural ability to bring calm with her sunny disposition, her gentle kind smile and her honest and forth right manner had him waiting for the sound of the little bell with as much eagerness as his young crew. But it was her eyes that held him captive. They were a rich honey brown, and when she smiled, the very depths of them moved drawing him in so deeply he felt he could almost see her very soul in them. There was a wisdom and intellect as old as Kunlun itself hidden in her eyes, he felt if he stared long enough he would still not reach their very depths. And he also understood his feelings, he was falling for her.
"Come with me." he said suddenly rising. Then taking her hand he forced her to her feet and began to walk her away from the open stares of his young crew.
"Work is finished for the day." he called to them as they walked out the gate and out of site. With her hand firmly clasped in his own, he led her towards the outskirts of town. It would be dark soon, so they had to hurry, but he knew it was a place she desperately needed so he didn't stop to explain his actions.
Into the forest itself he led her, and onto the small path that wound its way towards the caves and beyond. Though feeling a little apprehensive with night falling, they reached their destination after only a short walk.
Letting her hand go, he took off his long coat and spread it out on the grass below him, then patting the side for her to join him, she slowly moved to sit next to him. They were in a small clearing on top of one of the many hills that suddenly sprung up throughout the forest, though he chose this one because it was the closest and he knew she would become fearful if he took her too far in with night falling.
With his legs stretched out before him and his hands cradling the grass behind him, he told her to look up. Raising her head to the sky, she gasped audibly. "It's so beautiful." she whispered in awe. Thousands upon thousands of stars littered the sky as far as the eye could see, and without a cloud in sight, the view was so magnificent she could not stop the tears.
"When you need a place to scream or cry out where no one else can hear you, then come here." he told her gently. "No one will see your tears or hear your fears from here. Whisper it all to the stars if you don't want to vent loudly, they alone will hear you." then smiling down at her tear streaked face, he pulled her towards him and held her as she cried.
Though she allowed him to hold her, she did not return the embrace, instead she sat beside him hugging her knees closely to her body, as her tears fell freely, while they both continued to look up. It was some time before they finally eased, but once done she smiled up at him.
"Jie. Thank you." she said softly.
"Feeling better?" he asked looking down at her.
But she didn't answer. She continued to look up. The man amazed her. For a Mortal, his heart was golden, a rarity among the Mortal men she had met, and she knew almost all of them in her small town, where sex was their first thought, then their children, then her if they had any other thoughts left. They had known each other long enough to form a relationship, yet though she felt he liked her, he had not made a move on her, not once.
Mo Yuans thoughts too, were moving in the same direction. Initially he had brought her here to help with her fears and offer a safe place to cry, but he found, the longer he sat there staring up at the same sky, the more of his own thoughts he threw out. He too wanted to end his marriage arrangement, having gone nowhere with it, and the longer he sat next to her with his arms around her shoulders, the stronger his desire for her grew.
But he also knew why she had held herself back from the other men. The Mortal Realm was a ruthless place for a sole woman, especially one as lovely as she was, and being wealthy made her very desirable. And from what he had already learnt, many of the local Men had tried all manner of ways to win her with some of them forcing their way into her life and into her home. He would not allow her to fear the same from him, no matter how strong his feelings for her were growing. Not that he needed to worry too much about her safety, from what his young friends had told him, those who were foolish enough to use force with her, were dealt a very powerful blow, she knew how to take care of herself.
"I will go to meet him, but if I don't like him, I will walk away and cut all ties to the arrangement." She eventually said cutting into his thoughts and looking up at him.
"Good. At least this way you can leave without guilt or regret." he said, keeping his own thoughts to himself. He knew, when tomorrow was done with, if she returned without a marriage arrangement, he would court her. Mortal or not. And he had a strong suspicion, she would allow it.