Bai Qian had found herself appearing in the mortal realm. They had mentioned the gates of the Ghost Realm will take you wherever she needed to go. She wanted to go to Qing Qiu. Bai Qian yearned to know what her homeland was like.
Instead, the fates had landed her here in this frozen forest in the middle of nowhere. Bai Qian looked around, tall black trees reached out to the sky. The branches weighed down by snow. Every step she took, her feet sank into the thick snow. It was so cold, her mortal clothes just won't do.
Frustrated, Bai Qian turned into her fox form. Thick fur protected her from the harsh winter. In this form, she was much more light on her feet. She would be able to walk better in the snow.
Her white fur blended seamlessly into the background. In the forest, all of her senses tingled. The snow was soft beneath her paws. Crisp, clean air filled her nostrils. She could hear the scurrying of mountain rats burrowing in the deep sound below.
Her stomach crunched, she hadn't had anything to eat since the Ghost Realm. She honestly missed hunting in the forest. When they had no choice but to live in burrows, Da Ji would often take Bai Qian out hunting in the woods. They would transform into their fox forms and sprint across the forest floor. It was her who taught Bai Qian to be patient and trust her senses.
With one pounce, she drove headfirst into the snow. She bit down a mountain rat hiding beneath the layers of snow. Gleefully, she dragged the struggling mouse to the surface. Her aunt liked to play with her food before she ate them. She would slap it about, bite down on its head and shake it around. The unlucky animal was alive during all of this. Once her aunt had her fun, she would champ its head off with just one bite.
Seeing how her aunt had done it, Bai Qian followed suit. But right now with this mouse barely alive between her jaw. Bai Qian thought of the words Yan Zhi said to her. She had lost her appetite completely. She let go of her prey, and the mouse ran scurrying away from her.
Apparently, having a conscience made you starve. No wonder, Da Ji preferred to burn down cities.
Bai Qian whimpered, she walked around the forest, hoping to at least find some fruits or berries to eat. Who was she kidding, it's the middle of a freezing winter. She would be lucky to find a single blade of green grass.
Bai Qian was in the immortal realm for almost a month. Therefore three decades had passed in the mortal realm. She wondered what changes the mortals came up in such a short period.
Bai Qian spent a couple of weeks hunting in the forest. Heavens, it's harder than she thought it would be. Things were more straightforward when Da Ji was around. Bai Qian never had to assume, she just followed, and everything always turned out alright.
She had dug a den to sleep in and braced the chilly winter storm every night. This was the lowest she had ever been. She had no family, no friends, nobody to rely on. Bai Qian didn't dare to go to the nearest town, she was afraid she would mess it up again. It's much safer for everyone if she remained alone here.
Another day, another empty forest. Animals tended to hibernate in the winter. It would be a miracle if she ever caught anything. Bai Qian crept silently across the powered snow. Then she had noticed it, hoof prints embedded in the snow. These looked like horses hoof prints, that would only mean one thing. Humans are nearby.
Bai Qian immediately went full alert. She knew exactly how much hunters desired for her pelt. She also hid eight of her tails quickly, those things attracted way too much attention.
That's when she heard it, a swooshing of an arrow. She quickly dodged it, but the arrow tip grazed her left hind leg. Pain exploded across her body, she struggled to run away.
She limped across the forest floor. Being injured, she had no abilities to transform back into a human. Blood from the wound trickled down the white snow, leaving a trail for the hunter to follow.
It didn't take long for the hunter to catch up to her. All of a sudden, Bai Qian was hoisted by the scruffs of her neck. The hunter had a gleam in his eyes, "A white fox! This will fetch a hefty price in the market for sure, "
No!
Bai Qian struggled in his grasp, she refused to go down as a neck warmer! She bit down the hunter's hand, he dropped her immediately. Despite the pain, she ran off quickly. Yellow spots danced in her eyes. Anywhere would be better than a chopping board.
Apparently, fates were not on her side. Bai Qian didn't notice her surroundings, she crashed against a tall black tree trunk. She tried to blink out her pain. No, it's not a tree trunk. It was a pair of legs belonging to a man.
A pair of hands picked her up, she fought hard against him. And then Bai Qian paused when she saw the man's face. She recognized his chiselled jawline, sharp nose, and thin lips.
Ye Hua?
What was he doing here? Had he finally decided to capture her? Had he finally come to kill her?
The hunter that was chasing her just now had finally caught up to her. He sat on his horse and aimed an arrow at Ye Hua, "That fox is mine trophy, it was my arrow that struck it, "
What he did next stunned Bai Qian more. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, as if he was cradling a child.
"You struck it, but you didn't manage to kill it. And now fate had brought it to me," He exclaimed, "I'm afraid that this fox is under my protection,"
The hunter spatted, "What kind of logic is that? Surrender the animal or taste my arrows, "
Bai Qian expected him to pull out his sword, or summon a powerful spell and blast him to the pillars of the earth.
"I'll trade you two gold nuggets for it," Ye Hua simply said.
Bai Qian blinked. She turned her head towards Ye Hua. Honestly, Bai Qian was offended, she was worth way more than that.
"Five," The hunter haggled.
"Three nuggets," he tossed him a pouch, "No more than that,"
The hunter caught the pouch and inspected it. He took the money and left them alone.
Bai Qian didn't know why Ye Hua did that. He might have wanted the honour of killing her himself.
He turned her around and inspected her. Ye Hua touched her wound gently and put her down to the snow-capped floor, "Stay," he told her.
Any sane animal would immediately bolt, sadly Bai Qian wasn't. She was curious about what Ye Hua was going to do to her. Bai Qian hadn't seen Ye Hua for so long now, she wondered what had happened to him. Was this his punishment, to live in a frozen wasteland?
Moreover, Ye Hua seemed different somehow. First of all, he dressed very plainly. The colour scheme was still dark, of course. With a big fur-lined winter coat, thick trousers, and big black boots. Not his usual celestial silk garments nor his battle armour. From his cloak, he pulled out a handkerchief and began wrapping it around her wound.
When Ye Hua was done, he smiled at her. Bai Qian blinked. He must have bonked his head or something. Or he couldn't recognize her in his simple fox form? That's impossible, Ye Hua had caught her in this disguise before. He could annoyingly see through all of her tricks.
That's when she realized it. Ye Hua didn't know who she was. He couldn't remember. Bai Qian studied him more closely, the bright heavenly aura surrounding him was gone. This man before her was entirely mortal.
He patted her head and picked her up. "Let's get you out of the snow,"
_______________________________
Ye Hua... No... The man took her down the mountain. He had placed her inside of his travelling pack and carried her straight home.
His house, if you could call it that, was a manor on the outskirts of a town. When he entered the house, he took the side entrance instead of the main gate. A servant greeted him at the front door.
"How's your trip, sir?" the servant asked.
"Uneventful," he simply said.
Uneventful? How's bringing home a demoness uneventful?
"What you got there, sir?" The servant asked.
Bai Qian barked.
The servant's eyes widened with surprise, "Sir, you can't bring this in here. You know about the first master allergies, "
The man just smiled, "I'm sure he won't notice, this is a big manor after all, "
"But-" the servant tried to protest.
Ye Hua just patted his shoulder instead, "Good day, Ah Ming, " and left.
He walked by several courtyards until he reached the back ends of the manor. Ye Hua took her straight to his room and closed the door behind him.
Bai Qian examined the room around her. The place was tiny, odd for a man in the household. A bed pressed close to the wall, and a couple of cabinets. There was a large wooden table in the middle, and every corner was stacked with books, scrolls, and drawings.
He put her down the table, "There you go, little one."
The man then proceeded to treat her wound with medicine and fresh bandages. His face was tightened with concentration and barely inches away from her. Bai Qian studied him closer, he bared Ye Hua's face alright. Or Mo Yuan's if you want to be technical.
Could it be a coincidence? Was it possible for three people to bare the same face? Even so, how was this mortal blessed enough to have the features of a god?
Her aunt once said immortals sometimes would descend from the heavens and be reborn as mortals. Well, be it for the betterment of the mortal realm or as a punishment. Or this man was the reincarnation of Mo Yuan?
However, this man dressed in dark clothes and was cleanly shaven. So it had to be Ye Hua.
There was still another way to check if it was really him or Mo Yuan. The incident had left a burn mark wrapped around his left forearm. Burns from the Holy Scarlet Flames were permanent, nothing could ever remove it. Not even reincarnation.
Ye Hua had rolled his sleeves up just a little for her to notice the scar-like birthmarks on his wrist. The medicine stung her, Bai Qian whimpered.
"Hold still," he said in the exact condemning tone as Ye Hua did.
It's him, alright. What had happened to him in the immortal realm? Why was he reincarnated as a mortal? Was this the punishment for letting her go?
Bai Qian pitied him. Like her, Ye Hua had lost someone precious to him. But unlike Bai Qian, he had to be sent here to endure mortal sufferings. She was angry at the celestials for treating Ye Hua that way. She had thought gods were supposed to be merciful. That what Ye Hua had shown her right, mercy?
"All better, " Ye Hua told her as he scratched behind her ear.
Why is he being so kind to her?
"Okay, some rules, " he clarified, "You are not allowed to leave this courtyard. I don't want to drink fox soup as my dinner,"
He licked his lips and crossed arms, "Maybe I should get a leash,"
Bai Qian barked, he will not!
Ye Hua raised his hand in surrender, "Fine, but you will only relief yourself in the garden outside,"
Bai Qian rolled her eyes. Of course, she's not an animal.
"You can stay here until spring arrives, or until your leg is healed," he said, "I never had a pet before. Please forgive me if I can't take care of you properly,"
Ye Hua brushed his hand across her fur, Bai Qian relished in the soothing rhythm. For some reason, she felt comfortable around him, safe and content.
"You are the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen," he smiled.
Ye Hua had placed a plate of raw meat on the floor, while he sat by the table with his dinner. Bai Qian blinked, sure she would sometimes get raw meat when the need arises. But Ye Hua here was enjoying a perfectly good roast duck.
Unsatisfied, she hopped on to the table and snatched the duck thigh from his hand. Right in front of his eyes, She gobbled it up in one go.
"Hey!" he protested.
Bai Qian took it as payback from the numerous times he tried to kill her.
Ye Hua put her back down to the floor and pushed the plate closer to her, "This is yours. You can't eat people food,"
Bai Qian shall, and she will. Ye Hua couldn't do anything to stop her. He couldn't do it the previous life, and he definitely couldn't now. Ye Hua picked up another piece again, she took it from him too. He eyed the food he prepared for her on the floor and back to her munching on his duck.
He sighed and ate his vegetables instead, "Did I owe you in my previous life?" he asked, "I paid three gold nuggets for you, and now you're here stealing my food. Should have let that hunter kill you,"
Bai Qian scrunched her snout. He should have.
Then late at night, the temperature dropped exceedingly. Despite her thick fur, Bai Qian was still freezing. The cemented floor was just too chilly. On his bed, Ye Hua grumbled in his sleep, warm thick blankets protected him from the frosty air. Bai Qian tried to sleep, she really did, but it was too cold, Bai Qian's teeth chattered.
Suddenly a pair of warm arms wrapped around Bai Qian. She did not struggle. Ye Hua took her into his embrace and carried her to bed. Warmth spread out through her body. He covered her under his blanket, "Now would you stop making so many noises?"
When Ye Hua finally fell into a deep slumber, Bai Qian transformed back into a woman. When the Ghost Lord removed her soul collections, her magical reserves were entirely depleted. If she couldn't manage any spells back then, she definitely couldn't perform one right now. The best Bai Qian could do was transform between her two forms.
Ye Hua still had his arms wrapped around her. In fact, he seemed to have pulled her even closer. This wasn't the first time she was in bed with a man, and she was no means a shy woman. Bai Qian's face turned a few shades of pink, but this was the first time she shared a bed with him.
Bai Qian stared into his sleeping face, Ye Hua looked so tranquil, so at peace like the statue of the Sleeping Buddha, she saw at temples. She'd never seen him like this before. Maybe this mortal life was a blessing to him, for him to finally rest.
Bai Qian brushed his hair behind his temples. She whispered words she had meant to say to him long ago.
"I'm sorry,"
_______________________________
Days passed on like this, Ye Hua will leave in the morning for work, come back in the evening for dinner. And then he would do some studying before going to sleep. Sometimes he would clear out the table and spread out a large piece of parchment paper. Ye Hua would sit there and draw for hours and hours.
The things Ye Hua drew were not paintings of beautiful sceneries or extravagant flowers or animals. There were simple sketches of roads, maps, and buildings. A lot of buildings. Every structure he drew was grand and magnificent as if he was designing a palace for the gods.
Had he been reborn as an architect or an engineer in this life?
There was another odd thing about this version of Ye Hua. Bai Qian had assumed he was part of the family. The servant here referred to him as Er Gong Zi 二公子, the second son of the master of this household. And he did mention that he had an older brother. If so, why did he live at the end of the manor? Why did nobody ever visit him, other than the servants bringing food and laundry?
Where were his parents, brothers, or other family members?
Just as he told her, Bai Qian never left the courtyard. Just like his previous life, Ye Hua didn't talk much. He kept his sentences short and straight to the point. Therefore, Bai Qian couldn't find out much about him. She couldn't transform back into a woman to ask him either. She really didn't want to scare Ye Hua to death.
There were nights where he had some free time. And those were Bai Qian's favourite. He would sit on his bed with a scroll in his arms. Bai Qian would curl up in his lap and listen to him reading all night long. Bai Qian would like him to read mortal plays to her, those with dashing heroes and forbidden romances were her favourites. Instead, Ye Hua enjoyed reading texts about philosophy and morality.
"*人之出，性本善。性相近，习相远。People are born kind and have the same nature, but they will vary based on nurture, " he would start. Bai Qian wanted to scoff. Mortals and their silly little brains. If people were born kind, why do demons exist?
Despite all that, Bai Qian wouldn't mind listening to him all day. Ye Hua had a gentle voice and had the abilities to calm the most restless of souls. With every stanza, he would brush his hand across her back, leaving Bai Qian feeling warm and content in his arms. She would sometimes imagine herself as a human, laying across his lap and listening to him reading all day long. How much Bai Qian would give for her fantasies to be fulfilled.
Another busy day, another late night. Ye Hua continued on his work till the dead of night. So much so, Bai Qian could see bags under his eyes. The candle illuminating this room was always reaching its end, and he was still working. This couldn't be healthy for him.
She got up from her sleeping spot and curled around his feet. He gently nudged her away. She huffed and jumped on the table, preventing him from working.
Stop working and look at me! Bai Qian wanted to tell him.
"Hu Li 狐狸, " Ye Hua chided. That's what he called her, just fox. He didn't even bother to name her. Honestly, why keep a pet if you didn't bother to name it.
He put her down to the floor again. Bai Qian, in turn, bit on trousers and tugged it to the direction of his bed.
"A little bit more," he said.
Bai Qian hopped on to the table, this time she just curled up at the edge, and watched him work. Fine, if he wanna stay up, Bai Qian might as well stay up with him.
Ye Hua mostly ignored her presence. He yawned, and Bai Qian followed suit. Ye Hua smiled and scratched her head, "You don't need to stay up with me you know,"
Bai Qian leaned into his touch, she knew, but she wanted too. He was here because of her. If Bai Qian could help in any way to lessen his sufferings in this life, she will.
Ye Hua radiated a calming presence around him, everything seemed to slow down. For the past few weeks here with him was the most peaceful she had felt in years. She no longer had any craving for power or for blood. Bai Qian was content with staying here with him. In this form, Bai Qian could do no harm.
Ye Hua put down his brush. He stretched and looked between his work and her.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Bai Qian just yawned. She got up and tugged his sleeve.
"Fine," he finally surrendered. Ye Hua picked and carried her to bed with him like he did every night. Ye Hua bopped her nose, he grinned at her, "You're a cheeky little fox, aren't you? "
Bai Qian realized that she really liked this Ye Hua. For one, he didn't try to kill her. Second, Ye Hua smiled a lot more at her. He looked very handsome when he smiled.
Bai Qian didn't know what came over her. She leaned her head closer to him and licked the side of his cheek. After that, Bai Qian quickly curled up in a ball to hide her embarrassment. She never knew what his reaction was.
The next day, a man came knocking at the door. Bai Qian immediately bolted up. Ye Hua yawned and blinked out the drowsiness in his eyes. The knocking continued, "Zhao Ge 照歌," a man called out.
His eyes widened suddenly, he quickly covered Bai Qian under a blanket. Darkness descended upon her, "Stay and don't move," he ordered.
She huffed, as she heard the sound of the door creaking open, "Ge Ge," Ye Hua greeted.
"Zhao Ge," his brother said, "Where are the schematics father wanted,"
"It's here," Ye Hua said.
Bai Qian heard footsteps entering the room.
"Not bad," The voice mused, "Though I would place the pillars a bit closer together,"
"If you place them closer together, the building will be unstable," Ye Hua commented.
Silence. And the man started to speak again, "Do you think father will believe I designed this?"
Ye Hua's tone was sarcastic, "Zhao Chu 照楚, If father believed the other ones, I'm sure he will believe this one too,"
Suddenly Bai Qian heard an ear-shattering sneeze and followed by a couple more.
"Zhao Ge," Zhao Chu sniffled, "Are you hiding an animal in here?"
"No," Ye Hua replied, "It's probably the dust, I haven't clean my room in a while,"
"Well, you should, " his brother condemned, "It's a mess in here,"
When he was gone, Ye Hua finally filled up the blanket.
"Are you okay in there?" he asked. Bai Qian answered him by curling up on his lap. He stroked her fur gently. She looked up and noticed Ye Hua's eyes were grazing out to the distance, at the bare tree branch by his window.
Usually, artists stamp their names on the work, Ye Hua never did. He had always left it blank. Bai Qian had finally known why. All this time, he had been letting his brother take the credit.
Why would he do that? All these wondrous works, he never got any recognition for them. Zhao Ge didn't even appreciate his effort. Compared to Mo Yuan, this brother of his was the absolute worst.
He's clearly unhappy about it. Why Ye Hua never spoke up about it, Bai Qian had no idea. There were still a lot of things she didn't know about this Ye Hua, and she was curious to find out more. At least she knew his mortal name now: Zhao Ge 照歌, the rising song.
It still didn't fit him, seeing that he preferred to stay out of the limelight. This was so unfair, Bai Qian wished that she could help him somehow.
"Hu Li, " Ye Hua finally spoke after a long silence, "Have you ever wondered why you are put in this world for?"
Bai Qian tilted her head quizzically. He had been reading too much of his philosophy books. Her aunt had once told her that she had a plan in motion, and Bai Qian was going to be a part of it. Therefore, she needed to train hard and gained as much cultivation as possible. Bai Qian craved for her approval and would do anything for it.
Clearly, not everyone knew what they were here for. Even the gods with their titles and golden palaces.
"I was born of the same household, and yet never got equal opportunities. I had to learn everything on my own, and I had far surpassed my peers. And yet I never got the same chances they did, " he said, "What's the point of me working so hard anyway, "
Bai Qian could tell he was fighting to suppress his tears, frustration, and envy. In some way, Bai Qian could relate to him too. She nuzzled her head against his neck.
She wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he was not alone. Despite their messed up relationship and the fact he tried to kill her multiple times in the past, she had always thought of him as a good man, kind, compassionate, and selfless. Bai Qian still didn't understand why he let her go, but she wanted to tell him that she appreciated him for it.
"You're lucky, " Ye Hua said, "All you do is sleep on my bed all day and eat all my food. You were brought here to irritate me, "
Bai Qian fought the urge to laugh. She snuggled a little closer to him. Ye Hua did annoy her a lot back then, glad to know that they were on the same page.
He ran his fingers across her fur. After a brief silence, he said, " And yet I think you're here to help me too, "
*人之出，性本善。性相近，习相远。People are born kind and have the same nature, but they will vary based on nurture. - The first line of the Trimetric Classic (三字经) written in the Song Dynasty.