"Yuxing. Yuxing, wake up. I made you something to eat." I hear Yang Zi Huo's gentle coaxing as I slowly gain consciousness.
The sunlight overpowers the sensitivity of my eyes. Whimpering, I throw the silky covers over my face.
"You've already slept past noon, dear. Are you going to sleep all day and then stay up all night again?"
I toss the blanket off, sitting up with my finger pointing at him. "Yang Zi Huo, you!"
Ow, my back! It's sore!
"Who do you think made me like this?!" I yell.
"You shouldn't have made me angry." He shrugs his shoulders as if it could have been such a simple situation.
"You-- Scoundrel..."
"Here, let me look. I'll massage until you feel better."
"No! Don't come near me. G-- Go away."
He sighs heavily and says, "As you wish. I'll be in my study. Food is on the table if you feel like eating."
He rises from the bed, leaving through the transparent, golden curtains hanging from the ceiling.
Before he closes the door completely, I yell after him after examining the stinging on the left side of my chest. "Yang Zi Huo, you big bully! How dare you bite me here?!"
Hateful!
After a tranquil bath in the hot spring, I find a pale, disciple robes folded neatly for me on the side.
Walking into Yang Zi Huo's study, I feel the tension in my legs had somewhat alleviated after the bath. However, the soreness is still there.
"Zi Huo, what are you doing?" I ask, approaching his desk. He is focused on reading a long letter with utmost concentration.
"Oh, Yuxing, you're here? Just catching up on some reports I've missed."
Leaning at the side of his desk, I watch him continue to read. He suddenly sets down the piece of paper, staring straight ahead with a look of contemplation.
"What is it?" I ask.
Not fully turning to face me, he says, "I heard from Zi Xue that you were able to overpower Hong Weiba. He's not the strongest demon within Wicked Mist, but he is powerful."
"Ah..."
"How is it that your cultivation has improved so greatly?"
"Well, when Yi Fei took me to the Divine Creator's resting realm... There was a big explosion--"
"Explosion?" Yang Zi Huo stands. Worry plagues his face, and his eyebrows furrowed together.
I raise my hands. "We were able to get out of there unscathed. Yi Fei teleported our spiritual presence out just in time. I was unconscious for awhile but when I awakened, my inner energy had improved immensely. Yi Fei said it was due to absorbing the Marvel Sphere."
"So the Marvel Sphere... was absorbed by you?"
"Yeah."
"I see. The Marvel Sphere is the reason behind your new essence." He suddenly looks down at me. "I will make sure demons like Hong Weiba never get the chance to lay a hand on you, although I'm sure you can handle him just fine."
I smile. "And I'll do the same for you."
His fingers graze over my hand, holding it gently.
"So now that you're back, what's the first order of business?" I wonder.
"Luckily, the Luminous Pearl has proved to be effective in slowing down the mortal plague. Sect Leader Gao and Wu Jing are actively searching for a cure. As of now..."
I observe the hesitant expression on his face. "You want to find Qin Yu?"
"I think it's important he answers for what he's done."
"I know... I will go with you to him."
"I'd prefer if you stay here."
"We go together, Yang Zi Huo. You can never expect to know what Qin Yu is planning. Besides, I'm his only friend... I don't want him to feel as though I'd completely betrayed him. I only wish for him to turn around and repent."
"Then we must stay together. We don't want a Wicked Mist ambush if Qin Yu has planned for one. I'll request Night Ravens to stand guard."
"Fine."
"Let's go."
Hand in hand, Yang Zi Huo flies us out of Shui Jing Mountain. I tell him the location of the small cottage near the untamed bamboo forest. As we land in front of the home, I'd hope Qin Yu was still here. I was gone for so long, perhaps he'd found a new place to hide.
I feel no presence other than the chirping of forest birds and autumn breeze going by. The protective shield is still active, and inside the home, not a single soul is to be found. Qin Yu is gone.
"What do we do? He's not here," I say to Yang Zi Huo.
He sighs. Somehow I don't feel that Yang Zi Huo is disappointed but actually relieved. "No problem. He'll turn up. He has no where to go."
"But I worry..." I stop myself before I could finish.
Perturbed, Yang Zi Huo slides his hand to unite with mine. Grasping firmly, he teleports us away from Qin Yu's hidden refuge.
Back at Shui Jing Mountain, Yang Zi Huo is preparing some pastries for me to enjoy. Similar to his swift swordsmanship, cooking becomes a live art form when he is the chef. I watch him mash the pumpkin pieces into a slushy batter. Pouring in the sugar and flour, his hands wrap around the dough until it is sturdy. I find myself almost drooling from hunger or from how his hands move so gracefully.
"Wow... You're really good at this," I say. Head resting in my hands, I don't care if I looked like a love strucked fool, admiring the love of my lifetimes.
"You want to help?" He smiles. His eyes sparkling, staring at me.
"You know anything I touch in the kitchen turns into a cup of salt."
Yang Zi Huo smiles to himself, folding in the mung bean paste inside of the pumpkin dough.
I wonder how long these happy moments will last?
Ignoring the voice in my head, reminding me constantly of foreboding omens, I stand from my seat and rush over to Yang Zi Huo.
"I can help with this." I grab a chopstick, and draw a face in a pumpkin pancake that Yang Zi Huo had finished molding.
"What is that?"
"Your face."
"Do I really look like that?"
I squint at the drawing and say, "Maybe I have the nose a little too big."
Yang Zi Huo peers over my shoulder. I stiffen my back and feel his chest up against me.
"My eyes are a little uneven." His breath feels hot on my ear.
"N-- No, it isn't." I try to push him away, but he remains firm and grabs the chopstick out of my hand. He starts drawing lines and dots on the surface of another pancake.
"What? Is that me?" I snort.
"Yes, and you're beautiful."
"Is that my old face or new one?"
"Uh... it's... You can't tell?"
"I mean it's just two dots and a line." I laugh at the silly drawing. He did attempt to draw my bangs with curvy strokes, and honestly it looks better than mine.
"Let's say it's a combination of both your faces."
He places the neatly constructed pancakes in the large frying pan. The sizzling oil bursts wildly as Yang Zi Huo flips them over, displaying an appetizing orange glow. He sprinkles sesame seeds over the pancakes and continue to flip each side until they were ready to be removed from the pan.
A piece of pancake touches the plate Yang Zi Huo has set on the side, I quickly use my chopsticks to grab it and take a bite.
"Careful, it's hot," Yang Zi Huo warns.
"En." Blowing on the pumpkin pancake with a childish drawing of our faces, I take small bite and taste the overwhelming sweetness of the freshly cooked dessert. "So sweet."
"Is it good?"
"It's really good."
"I... I'd never thought I'd be able to cook pancakes for you again."
I couldn't swallow another bite. His words reminds me of the time when we were Luo Na Li and Lu Kai. The pain and longing we both felt back then still haunted us, even though we are together now.
"Well, I'm glad we will have far more opportunities in the future to eat pancakes together. You've gotten good at making them. Besides, I don't think I can give up your cooking."
"I don't think I can give you up either." He looks into my eyes, causing my heart to flutter restlessly. I immediately gulped down the last of the pancake in my mouth along with this jittering feeling.
After relishing the sweet snack, I'm accompanying him in his study. He is, once again, busy reading past due letters with creases appearing on his face, writing one reply after another.
"Zi Huo?" I call his name.
"Yes?"
"What do you plan on doing to locate Qin Yu since we couldn't find him?"
He sets down the brush and replies, "It's me he's after, so he'll show himself sooner or later."
"After you..."
That's right. Qin Yu wants revenge. He's never had a normal family and hates Yang Zi Huo for killing his Wicked Mist brothers and sisters. Also he's angry that Yang Zi Huo took him into Bleak Night and never told him of his Wicked Mist roots. Thus, believing to have been betrayed by the one he once idolized.
"Zi Huo, did you really kill Qin Yu's Wicked Mist family and then taken him in? He feels... brain washed by Bleak Night to have gone against Wicked Mist, the cult which practically raised him."
"I may be responsible for killing demons of Wicked Mist, but at Qing Shui Temple, it was the Immortal Sects who invaded and cleared out the demons there. I'd only come across the massacre and found a small snake demon, who I then took in. Not even realizing that he was none other than Xiao Feng's half-demon child... Xiao Qing."
"So that's what happened... What did Wicked Mist tell him to make him hate you so?"
"He must have been made aware of his father's identity. They would have told him that he was foolish for serving Bleak Night as I killed his Wicked Mist family and stole him, raising him to kill his own kind."
"Zi Huo, don't you wish that he could understand you?"
Yang Zi Huo looks at me skeptically. "Understand me?"
"I mean you did kill demons of Wicked Mist, but knowing how they are... Besides, you knew his parents. You would have never think to hurt him. Xiao Feng and his father... would have wanted you to steer him right."
"Yuxing... That is a big responsibility. He's already gone past the point of no return. Perhaps, if he wasn't trying to kill me every chance he gets then there could be a possibility for me to intervene... without killing him in return."
I guess there really is no way to reconcile Yang Zi Huo and Qin Yu. I just feel like we failed Xiao Feng by allowing her son to become so ruthless and conniving. She wouldn't have wanted this for him... But Yang Zi Huo is right. We have no right to change Qin Yu, to guide him. However, we can make him realize we are not the enemy. Could it be that me being with Yang Zi Huo has made us enemies as well?