49,800 Years Ago.
Freezing mid stride, Bai Qian slowly turned her head in the direction that the voice had come from. Suddenly even more afraid of that voice than she was of the ones outside the chamber searching for her, her eyes scanned the dimly lit room fearfully. Because she knew that voice!
Looking for a water feature, her sight suddenly landed on a small indoor water feature. She hadn't noticed it before, because it was hidden in the corner of the chamber. With a small Buddha statue nestled between the ferns that grew about the small rock pool, her entire body turned to look closely at it.
"Water Sprite?" she whispered as she slowly inched her way towards it.
A deep sigh filled the air, before she discerned movement coming from the other side of the room.
Turning her head, she visibly jumped as a man slowly made his way towards the center of the room. How did I not see him? she wondered to herself as his face remained in the shadows. And why does he sound like the Water Sprite? she thought, having heard the voice for centuries she would know it anywhere.
"What are you doing in my chamber?" he asked in the same soft tone that her Sprite used.
Narrowing her eyes at him, she could barely make out his features, but not really caring too much about his face, wanting only to leave, she began to inch backwards towards the door that she had almost passed through.
"Uh..... forgive me, I am lost and was trying to find my way back to the main entrance." she stammered as her feet took her closer to the open door.
Seeing the man stop in his approach, she too halted. If he could help her to leave, then there would be no harm done, and she wouldn't get into trouble for any unintentional mischief.
"You got lost, so instead of following the outer corridors, you instead ran through a set of closed doors and bolted it shut before sneaking about my chamber? And you expect me to believe that?" he asked in the same gentle tone, before taking a step closer.
Gaping at him a little stunned and feeling very guilty because when he put it like that, it did sound very suspicious. But she was in no mood for interrogations or accusations.
"I don't care what you believe, it's the truth! Now if you would kindly point me in the direction of the main gates out of here, I will gladly leave you in peace." she half snapped half begged as she reached the open door.
But the moment he took another step closer, the fear in her rose. She was in a place she knew she shouldn't be, and seeing as the man was looking more suspicious to her the closer he got, she once again took another step back. Just one more and she would out in the main corridor, she thought to herself as the man suddenly turned and walked towards the the long soft cushioned seat and sat down.
Gaping at him, and of two minds as to whether she should just turn around and run for it anyway or wait a few seconds, she decided on the latter. But not moving from where she was, she continued to stare at him. The room was dimly lit, but as her eyes swept to the far side of the room, she then noticed the small canopied day bed he must have been resting on when she entered. Being so dimly lit, she had completely missed it.
"Young lady, you are obviously in some kind of trouble, perhaps I can help you." he said gently as her eyes continued to sweep the room before turning her attention back to him. Though the obvious way she jumped when voices were heard outside the closed doors, told him it was the case.
Not moving from the open door way, she decided to try one more time. "Look, I just want to leave. I don't know my way around the Palace, and after running through the corridors looking for an exit, I found my way here. I'm sorry I interrupted your rest, but if you could please just tell me where the main gates are, or call a maid to lead me, I will go and you can return to your rest." she said all in one long breath before taking a small step towards him.
"Well it is obvious that something has upset you to be leaving in such a hurry." he said softly before waving his hand over the small table where tea and refreshments appeared along with two cups.
"Instead of running away, why not tell me whats bothering you. Running will not ease the situation, if anything it will merely increase it." he said as he lifted the tea pot and poured for them both.
Suddenly she felt as if she were once again back at the Grove and sitting beside the rock pool. Not only was his voice the same as her Water Sprite, but he even said exactly what her Sprite would have said. Narrowing her eyes at him, she edged a little closer before stopping. His face was still in the shadows, but he didn't seem unkind, if anything, the soft tone he spoke in had her taking another step forward.
"Who are you?" she asked as she looked back at the cup of tea he had placed on the table for her.
Mo Yuan didn't say anything for a while, instead his eyes remained hooded as he studied her quietly. Taking a small sip of tea he leaned back against the chair and relaxed his body so she too would relax and hopefully seat herself. He did not feel she was ready to know who he was, so he kept it to himself for now.
"Let's just say, I am a friend. I wont't hurt you and you can trust that anything you tell me will remain in this room. But I can see you need someone to talk to." he said gently before continuing, seeing as she had once again taken a step back.
"Sometimes, sharing inner thoughts with a stranger, is much easier to unload, than with those we are too close to. It allows us release from our stresses without the burden of our friends or loved ones becoming too involved." he said in the same soft tone, while his eyes remained on her, and hers on him.
Slowly her feet took her forward. His voice, demeanor and tone was exactly the same as her Sprite. She missed talking to him, and she knew that had he still been in the rock pool. she would have definitely run to him on her return home. But he wasn't there anymore, and this man was. In this man, she began to feel the familiarity of her Sprite, that no thoughts ran through her mind as she took a seat beside him. And though she wasn't entirely comfortable, she wasn't uncomfortable either. But as she sat, she stole a quick glimpse at his face, she could still picture the eyes that had briefly caught her own from behind the cascade, that she wondered if he were in fact her friend.
But instead of asking him outright, she instead picked up the tea cup and took a sip as the man beside her turned slightly to face her.
"So will you tell me why you were running away? Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked gently coaxing her to talk to him.
Keeping her eyes down, they rested on is hand that was sitting relaxed on his knee.
"I came here with my brother to attend the Festival of Peaches." she began in a small voice and having started, she suddenly found herself talking to this man she didn't know and telling him everything that had been going through her mind that day. She told him of her Water Sprite that had abandoned her, the anger she felt at not having him to talk to anymore, the pressure she was under to get married, and the Festival her brother had dragged her to in order to find a husband among the worlds elite.
"My Water Sprite had been my best friend." she told him tearfully. "He was always there, I could tell him anything and he would listen and sometimes give advice, but always he talked me through every issue I had. I miss him so much. If he was still around, I wouldn't be at this dumb Festival." she cried as the tears rained down her face.
"But he obviously didn't treasure our friendship as much as I did. He just told me one day that he was needed elsewhere and then left and never came back." she whispered as he listened quietly and saying nothing.
Conjuring a handkerchief, Mo Yuan placed it on her lap before removing his hand and shifting his body a little to give her space. He watched as she dried her eyes, and brought herself under control before he spoke to her. But it took every ounce of will power not to reach out and touch her again.
Mo Yuan too was struggling. He had been at the rock pool several times when she had arrived after her ascension, and the sight of her completely drenched form standing in the cascade crying for him was still very fresh in his mind. Her entire dress had clung to every dip and curve of her body, that very little was left to his imagination. Had she been able to see herself, she may not have thrown her entire body under the cascade.
He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life when she stood drenched before him in a rage. And even then, it had taken every ounce of will power to keep his barrier up to force himself to remain where he was. He had wanted desperately to touch her, for her to know him, and to continue their friendship in his true form. But she was still too young. He wanted her to be in her full ascended form, as a woman who knew her own mind without the need for guidance or advice. He wanted to wait for her to choose him of her own free will and as a woman who was strong enough to make all decisions for herself.
Sighing, he looked down at the young girl, who was obviously still needing guidance, but because his feelings for her had moved from a teacher to an admirer, he no longer felt he was suitable. But he did talk her through the issues she was facing regardless.
"Were the young men not to your liking?" he asked gently steering the conversation away from the Water Sprite and back to the Festival, which he gathered was the real reason why she ran, while she continued to stare at his hand.
Lowering her gaze to her lap, she merely shrugged at him. "Not one of them greeted me. They all looked as if I were nothing but their next meal." she said blushing softly. "And those girls were all looking at me as if I had just interrupted their wedding day. I don't want to know them let alone like them. And I don't care what my brother says, I'm not marrying any of them." she said suddenly clenching her hands into tight fists and scrunching up her face.
Keeping the smile hidden, Mo Yuan gently nodded his head at her. "Then don't." he said softly, which had her head quickly snapping up to look at him.
"Don't?" she asked suddenly feeling very happy that there was someone in the world that was on her side.
"Marriage is a sacred union. It should always be entered with a clear conscience, knowing that the one you are giving yourself to is the one your heart truly desires. Otherwise, you will both suffer eternally, and this is not what marriage is about. Of course you have parents who will push you to marry this man or that man, however, in the end, the choice always comes back to you. So if you do not want to marry any of them, then do not complicate their life or your own, merely wait until the right man comes for you." he said giving her a soft tender look which she caught a quick glimpse of.
Having seen the eyes that had looked back at her from behind the cascade, she wasn't so sure if they were the same eyes or not. The Sprites eyes had been so dark and wide eyed, but this mans eyes, though also dark, were soft and tender. But thinking on what he had just said, she had to question it.
"Wait for who?" she asked him.
"The one who moves your heart enough to want him in your life for eternity." he replied softly.
"But where do I find such a man?" she questioned him suddenly interested in finding a husband after all.
"You don't. He appears before you when the time is right. You merely have to continue your life as you have always done. Life, fate, karma, all play a vital role in matching us with the ones we are meant for. If one of those boys were the one, you would not be here with me. Your intended will present himself and you will recognize him." he said wisely and smiling softly down at her.
"Presents himself? How will I know he is the one? How will I recognize him" she asked as she looked into the soft eyes that held her own, eyes that had her leaning in a little closer.
"You will know." he replied as he watched her inch closer towards him. Her eyes had never looked so lovely as she searched his own for answers she was hoping were in them. And as she looked into his eyes, he felt a distinct charge of electricity pass between them, like static energy one feels when they touch freshly laundered linen.
She felt it too, but not understanding what it meant or the significance in it, she slowly lowered her eyes to her lap as she thought on his words, ones she would take time to dissect when she returned home. And that thought had her once again thinking of home. Thinking she had taken enough of his time, and not wanting to cause her brother to worry anymore than she knew he was, she thought it best to go and leave the man in peace.
"Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I will go now, I'm sure my brother is frantically turning the Palace upside down looking for me, and I have wasted enough of your time already." she said standing to move back towards the bolted doors she had entered.
"It was my pleasure.' he said rising with her, before leading her back the way she had come.
The voices she had heard earlier had since moved on, but as he opened the doors, a maid suddenly came into view.
"Take this young lady back to the main entrance." he said gently down at the girl who was knelt before him.
Then turning, he gave Bai Qian one last smile before she quickly raised her hands to bow and thank him.
"Can I visit you again?" she asked suddenly shy and not sure if it was an appropriate question to be asking a man she still didn't have the name of.
"In time, we will meet again." he said somewhat enigmatically, which she took to mean no, but their paths would cross again some time in the future, and though she was disappointed, she accepted it.
"I understand." she smiled up at him, then without thinking, she suddenly launched herself at him.
Wrapping her arms about his waist she hugged him tightly. It was all she could think of doing to repay the mans kindness, which not only earned her a shocked gasp from the maid, but Mo Yuans arms instantly raised to hug her back gently.
Then releasing him, she raised both hands and bowed one last time. Turning she walked away without another word, this time with a bounce in her step, while leaving Mo Yuan stunned and in awe of her. That she could so openly embrace him, even though she did not know who he was, had him shaking his head in wonder as she disappeared around the corner.