Seeing as Ye Hua had agreed to the reunion with his Grandfather, there wasn't much Mo Yuan or Bai Qian could do to prevent it, but Mo Yuan did insist that the meeting be kept brief having just resurrected and if anyone would know how weak he would be feeling, it was him.
Leading both Haode and Di Jun into the Grand Hall, Di Jun made it very clear that he was not happy to have been kept out, considering the vast amount of work he had done in not only saving Ye Hua and Bai Qian while she was on trial, but also in assisting Mo Yuan back by offering his own cultivation to make his elixir. Something that had seen him forced into seclusion. He was not to blame for what happened to Ye Hua afterwards, and nor was anyone blaming him, though questions were asked of Haode and more so from Bai Qian.
"I cannot be held responsible for Ye Huas actions, not when the laws of Heaven were passed down through his biological father, and that being the Heavenly Lord who created the laws we still live by." he replied softly though he was not liking the interrogation from a woman who in his eyes, was responsible for Ye Huas predicament in the first place.
"Qian Qian. Every decision I made was my own....." Ye Hua tried to explain, only to have Bai Qian on her feet and defending him against his wishes, having asked her to keep quiet.
Her entire body was rigid with rage. Twenty five thousands years of pent up anger at this man in particular had been swallowed down and kept under tight control for only one man, and that was her Shifu. But to see the very reason for Ye Huas demise sitting there and acting all happy to have him back suddenly and without warning burst its confines and despite the warning look from Mo Yuan, she did not hold back on her criticism.
"I know that Ye Hua, but he could have saved you. He is the ruler of the Heavens is he not? What good is a Heavenly Lord if he has no voice?" she almost screamed at him while barely keeping from launching herself at him.
"Qian Qian, that's enough!" Ye Hua snapped and losing his own temper.
Only she was so angry, she missed the warning in his glare and continued despite the fact that Mo Yuan had risen from the dais.
"No!" she snapped back before taking two steps towards the platform where Haode was sitting.
"You are immune to every law written. You have the ability to overrule every law for yourself. Why not for your Grandson, the Celestial Crown Prince Haode? Or do you deem your life more precious than his?" her voice thundered through the Grand Hall and bringing all movement to a halt.
Her seniors who had been busying themselves with the freshments stopped in their tracks to stare in disbelief that she would dare speak to The Heavenly Lord like that. Not only did she question his judgement, but to call him by name was afforded to very few and in their eyes, she was not one of them. In fact, to call him by name, literally lessoned his status in their eyes.
"Seventeen!" Mo Yuans voice bellowed over the top of her and stilling anything else she had to say, something that irked his brother a little seeing as she had not listened to him, but seeing as she was looking as if she might actually draw a sword, having worked herself into such a rage, he decided it was best to end the meeting.
Only Mo Yuan was already on his feet and heading towards them.
"Seventeen." his voice was low and barely audible, but the anger was evident as she literally withered before him.
"Shifu please....." she begged for understanding, only to clamp her mouth shut the moment he stood before her.
"Must you remind the world of how incompetent a teacher I am?" he asked down at the bowed head that was lowering with every word.
Heard only by her and Ye Hua who was ready to snatch at her arm and drag her out of there, only he too felt the whiplash of controlled anger as if he were the one being berated and suddenly he got a very sharp dose of that powerful energy that his brother was known for. It literally weakened the knees and had he not been speaking to Bai Qian directly, he might have lowered himself.
"I'm sorry Shifu. But I believe I am right. I suffered too, why can't I demand answers?" she asked before bursting into tears.
"Regardless, Haode is a guest and he is also the Skylord. You might be the Queen of Qing Qiu and a High Goddess, but I raised you with better manners. This is not the time nor the place for your questions. You will withdraw yourself. Is that clear." he snapped, keeping his tone soft and inaudible to the rest though it wasn't difficult to see what was happening going by the way her entire body slumped before him.
"Yes Shifu." she replied in a small voice, before turning and almost running from the Hall and leaving Ye Hua and Er Li behind in her wake.
She had no idea what happened after that, because rather than run straight to her chamber, she fled for the low valleys instead. It was an inbred habit. Whenever Mo Yuan berated her then kicked her out, she always ran for the low valleys. And it was there that she finally expended the last of her anger in tears among the wild flowers who sadly suffered the last of it, when she ripped their poor innocent heads off and threw them at a tree.
She knew she was being unfair to his Grandfather, after all he had suffered terribly in trying to save his Grandson as best as he could. And of his entire family, he was the only one she saw any love from, but she really couldn't help but wonder about these so called laws of Heaven that only seemed to serve him.
Despondent, miserable and embarrassed by her outburst, she also couldn't help but feel like the worst Disciple ever. She had just embarrassed her Shifu and lessened herself along with him and in a packed hall of all things. But to also embarrass Ye Hua just hours out of resurrecting was the worst feeling of all. And by the time she felt that familiar energy drawing nearer, she was not looking all that queenly either.
"How are you feeling now Qian Qian?" Ye Huas soft voice called from behind. She had been in the valleys for hours and growing concerned having thought she had left, he was soon put right by her seniors who couldn't help but laugh at the things that never changed, especially when it came to her.
And for a few moments, he had stood behind her lost in thought. What he had just witnessed was one more facet of the woman that the entire world knew of. Her temper was legendary, her mouth even more so and that had him wondering how she would ever fit into the Celestial Heavens when Kunlun Mountain which she called home, was far less rigid and much friendlier than the tightly controlled lifestyle he was used to.
Even Qing Qiu was more laid back, and anything that needed to be said was said. Her people were just too outspoken and their Queen even more so. So what she had in effect just done, was ostracise herself from his own Grandfather before he could even contemplate on questioning where exactly he stood now. In fact, he hadn't even had time to consider it, but her outburst left him with one very clear understanding. The Celestial Heavens would not find a place for her.
"Miserable." she replied in a small voice and not daring to look at him least he also wanted to growl at her too.
"Well I must say, I have certainly seen better" he replied with a small smile before lowering himself down beside her.
"I'm sorry Ye Hua. I should have kept quiet." she sighed before flopping her head down onto his arm.
"That would have been helpful." he replied with a nudge of his arm against her cheek and making her smile despite the fact that she just wanted to cry.
"Was Shifu able to ....." she trailed off, not know exactly how to describe what she had just left behind.
"Clean up your mess?" he asked with an even wider smile and this time dragging his arm out from under her head before wrapping it about her shoulder and drawing her in close.
"Yes....." she whispered now feeling utterly ashamed of herself.
"He did. And I will be returning to the Celestial Heavens in a few days once I have had a chance to gather a little extra cultivation from the energy here." he explained quietly down at the soft head of hair that instantly had him thinking of the Peach tree Grove, before lowering his own to rest lightly on top of her.
"Does this mean your title as Crown Prince is still in place?" she asked despondently. This was the last thing she wanted him to rush into considering the horrendous trial he had just come out of, not to mention the most public way he had been sentenced. To return to his duties as if nothing had happened only had her anger rising once again and he could feel it.
"Qian Qian. I took the oath. It doesn't matter that I broke it. It still stands, so yes my title still remains in place, however, I know you are adverse to the Celestial Heavens and that is fine. I will be discussing this with my advisors at the first possible opportunity." he said much to his own surprise having not even considered anything of the sort until that very moment.
Pulling herself out from under his head which was beginning to feel heavy, she was about to suggest that he not bother speaking for because she was more than capable of speaking for herself, only the way his eyes were drooping, she realized that he was tired. And of course he would be. He had just resurrected, that alone would tire anyone, but after her little outburst, he would be exhausted.
"We can talk about this tomorrow, I better get you back up the mountain, you're tired." she said softly only to be dragged back into his arms where his head once again landed on top of her own.
"The sunset will be on us soon. I havn't seen one for twenty five thousand years, and right now there is no one else in the world I would rather watch my first one with." he replied with a soft chuckle.
Resting back against him, she decided to allow him this one thing before forcing him up to rest, though more for the fact that Shifu would come and get them if she didn't and after the way he had just kicked her out of the Grand Hall, she didn't want to face his anger again. But she did turn her head to the sky in wonder while also feeling that same wonder at the way the colours began to dance off the horizon.
"That's funny. I can't recall seeing a single sunset in all the time you've been gone." she replied honestly, because she really couldn't.
"You knew I would return. It is a waste not to snatch at each moment as it comes Qian Qian..." he chided her gently. Though he was saddened to hear her speak such words, he had not wanted her to miss out on lifes little blessings just because he wasn't there to share them with her.
"I know. But the only sunset I ever wanted to see again was on that island....." she replied with a soft blush which she was grateful he couldn't see, because she felt that it was too soon for such talk, but it was the truth.
She felt his chest draw in a deep breath as that memory came back to him and for a moment she thought he might not answer, which only increased her discomfort at having raised such an intimate past moment so soon.
"Qian Qian....."
"Ye Hua. I know we have a lot of things to talk about, time to catch up on, and decisions to make, but I missed you so much." she said bursting into tears all over his robe while his arm gently forced her closer to him.
"We have a lifetime to catch up my dear. What's to cry about?" he asked softly while lightly rolling his face against the top of her head and drawing in another deep breath of peach blossoms which never failed to amaze him.
Forcing her head out from his arm and turning slightly to look up at him, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his eyes tinged with tears and flaring the first rays of a sunset off his pupils. It wasn't quite the same as the night on that island, but it came very close.
"Welcome home...." she whispered as his head drew closer and that swirl of colour slowly began to hood over.
Under a full sunset, the kiss lasted a few seconds, but it was more than enough to give Ye Hua especially that much needed promise that regardless of what happened that day or what manner of woman she was, they would get through every other day together.