Bai Qian landed at the gate of heaven with a sigh, she was late but it wasn't really her fault. She'd come as soon as she received the message but she had been away when the message was delivered and Mian Mian said it was at least an hour before she came home. She looked at the note again, it didn't say where to meet but given the urgency, they may have assumed, she'd accompany the messenger.
"Bai Qian of Qing Qiu requests access into the nine heavens" She said to the guards at the gate and her request was granted immediately. Now if only she knew where she was going and which direction would lead her there.
She stood still for a while, pulsing her fox ears till she heard faint voices coming from her right then she headed that direction; she would ask whoever she met for directions to the main hall. It was unlikely they would give a stranger the location of the crown prince but the main hall was open to all and it was likely she would meet the war planning
One of the immortals in the group she'd heard at the gate was nice enough to walk her to the main hall but her luck was shabby today. Not only was Ye Hua not in the main hall, none of the other princes were there. Even the heavenly emperor was absent, she considered her options for a while, she could announce herself to the immortals in the hall and they would find one of the princes to receive her but that would take a lot of time and given that it was the celestial tribe, there would be a lot of ceremony around it which she would hate. The only other option apart from accepting defeat and going back to Qing Qiu or wondering around and most likely getting lost was to ask one of the soldiers that guarded the main hall, support the question with a little magic that made them more inclined to give in rather than suspect or question her. She'd just have to make sure that she told someone after she found them so the guard would not be punished. She smiled, she could do that.
Mind made up, she set out to find an adequate target.
"You" A voice called out behind her
Bai Qian refused to believe the voice was addressing her, even unknown, she had never been faced with such disrespect. She was aware of the amount of power she radiated and the fact that her beauty also gave her preferential treatment. Nevertheless, she stopped walking, deciding to listen to whatever was happening. She however did not turn.
"Lady, my mistress is talking to you" Another voice, shriller and even more annoying than the first said.
Bai Qian realized she was indeed the one being addressed by the two voices as there were no other females in the area. She smiled but refused to turn instead she tapped her fan rhythmically against her palm
"Who are you and what are you doing in the nine heavens" the first voice asked, sounding a lot closer than before
"Is this what the celestial tribe teaches its children these days?" She asked, her voice loud enough to be heard but carrying magical qualities that enabled her to project whatever emotions she wanted the hearer to feel.
"Who are you?" the voice asked again but this time, the fear the owner felt was visible in the voice.
Bai Qian smiled, "I ..."
"Your majesty, your highness" Tian Shu greeted with a bow then turned to Bai Qian "If your majesty would follow me, I will lead you to the crown prince and the others"
"That would be great" Bai Qian said and started walking with the young man. Her keen hearing alerting her to the fact that the person that was talking to her earlier was following them "Have you been looking for me? I wasn't sure where to head and the note never said"
"Apologies, your majesty. I was supposed to wait with the note but I did not realize at the time so I came back. Tian Shu apologizes for the inconvenience he caused"
"It's not an issue really, I am just glad you found me before I missed the entire meeting or got lost in the nine heavens. With how alike all your buildings are, I would have given up long before I found the location."
They walked silently till they got to the hall and Tian Shu led her past the guards that stood at the door. She could hear the faint whining of the immortal that had accosted her earlier as she walked into the room with the door closing behind her.
"Bai Qian of Qing Qiu greets you all" She said, making her way to the table they were all gathered around.
The greetings were returned and she was brought up to speed on the concerns. It turned out that the remnants of the black boar tribe and the remnants of the mermaid tribe had banded together ans were now causing trouble for the second prince who had been banished to the Northern Sea by his father for marrying a woman that was considered beneath him. But that wasn't the interesting part of the story for her, the interesting part was the fact that she was the major reason in one case and the minor reason in the other case why there were remnants rather than tribes. Nobody was better equipped to provide strategic guidance for this war.
"Is diplomacy off the table?" She asked
"Yes, they burnt my home and that of all of my ministers" The second prince replied
"But they're still alive and you haven't done anything" She asked, it came out like an accusation rather than a question
"We can't all be the Death Star. Some of us have to plan and regroup before we act" he responded
Cries of "Second Brother!" and "Second Uncle" rang out in unison.
Bai Qian smiled devilishly, her aura changing immediately from the pleasant powerful goddess to one full of power and lacking in empathy as she fixed a stare on the second prince "Didn't anyone ever tell you that one never calls the Death Star without a wish to see death, most likely theirs?"
"Let's all calm down, we are all on the same side. Your majesty, this prince apologizes on behalf of his brother. Grief and loss has made him mad." Third prince said hastily, bowing in apology on behalf of said brother who made to mode to do the same.
Bai Qian looked at the man apologizing and the one that stood stubbornly then stood up and headed towards the door "Qing Qiu doesn't fight unless she is attacked or offended. Bai Qian will take her leave as her help is not wanted. Second prince, if you want to have a chat with Si Xing, you know where to find me just make certain to put your house in order before you come, you have my guarantee, you will never need to make another plan after that"
Ye Hua half ran, half walked to the door as he mentally berated his second uncle. "Ye Hua apologizes to Bai Qian. This battle is my battle and I would appreciate any help Bai Qian is willing to offer. There is no one better suited to plan this battle in order for it to be successful, therefore, the Crown Prince of the nine heavens asks for your help and will ensure that you are neither insulted nor mistreated in any way in the course of offering that help." He wanted her to stay, not just because he wanted to spend time with her but also because everything he has said was true. He didn't know the details behind her nickname of Si Xing but he knew, just as everyone did that Si Xing singlehandedly wiped out the black boar tribe before she ascended to immortal and that the case had been judged and she was shown to have acted justifiably. As much as he wanted to hear the story, her reaction now, proved that it was not a happy memory for her and he wanted her happy.
"Very well. Bai Qian will consider this a favor to the Crown Prince" Bai Qian replied as her aura changed once again back to her pleasant powerful self. None of the men in the room were beguiled by the change, they were all still on full alert. Except Ye Hua, who carried on like the tension was gone.
"The weaknesses of the two tribes suggest that they would either never come together or be very effective as a single group. This is because one group likes to plan and will plan all possible plays before a battle while the other prefers to not have a plan when going into battle. You will find that there will be a mixture of both fighters in the battle and that will be their strength. Their leader is someone born to both tribes and both sides of the family will be sufficiently close to the original royalty. The mermaid group will aim to kill Ye Hua; their thirst for revenge is well known." Bai Qian said
"How would you approach the battle?" Ye Hua asked
"Diplomacy; then I'd sow discord among them and get them to disband but it seems too late for that approach now. So I would say the strongest chance of success you have is to quickly get your people out and cut off all exits. Food shortage and the fact that they are not expecting this approach should cause significant in fighting and weaken them both mentally and physically. In 2 weeks or if you want more time to plan and regroup; in 2 months, you can take your soldiers to go fight whatever is left"
"Makes sense, do we know how many they are? that should help us with the timing. We also need a map of the territories so we know where the exits are and how to seal them" Ye Hua picked up, continuing as though everyone in the room did not pick up the barb Bai Qian threw at the second prince.
Bai Qian smiled at the attempt, she thought about letting it drop but decided she could afford to be petty as the offending man was yet to apologize "I'd say this is the perfect time to make a plan to regroup with the necessary information then go forward. I have one last piece of advice before I consider myself done and that is for you Crown Prince. I believe you are the target of this battle and win or lose does not matter to them as long as they get you, it is therefore my suggestion that you sit out this one and lead from the sidelines but of course it is your decision to make." she said nodding at him.
Ye Hua caught and kept her gaze, he felt a warmth wash over him as her concern for him settled in his heart even if he objectively knew that was just part of her analysis of the battle. His brother had always said while she studied with him that he had never met anyone with a better mind for analyzing battles and that he would put her in charge of planning any battle he fought so Ye Hua did not have to think too much about taking her word on the matter.
Bai Qian stood again, this time with a slight bow to the room then said "if someone would be kind enough to show me the way, I believe I should visit my hermit uncle since I'm already in the nine heavens"
A/N: These things never go as I plan, I had a different plan for this chapter and was going to keep everyone nice and friendly but as you can see that did not happen. We will have another chance to meet Si Xing and see how she transitioned to Si Yin as well as her influence on the Bai Qian we know and love. Also, I was going to keep this fic nice and fluffy but I really wanted a strong BQ so here we are. Hope you still like it and are enjoying. Don't forget to vote, comment and share :)