It took weeks for the water to recede. When Bai Qian and Ye Hua made their way back home, they found their home was practically in ruins. The place was covered with mud and grime. Not much of the furniture survived. At least the structure of the house was still in place, except for the roof.
They both set to work immediately, Ye Hua patched up the roof while Bai Qian cleaned up everything. They managed to return the house back to normal, but it didn't feel the same anymore.
Ye Hua kissed Bai Qian on the top of her head. "I'm going to make sure things like this never happen again, "
Bai Qian looked at him quizzically. Was he planning to tame nature? Ye Hua may be able to do it with a snap of his finger, but Zhao Ge could not.
"Zhao Ge, are you sure about this?" Bai Qian asked.
Ye Hua gripped her shoulders, "I don't know why, but I feel like this is a calling to me. I was brought here for this very reason, "
A long time ago, the Bodhisattva Guan Yin told her Ye Hua was sent here to relieve the mortals. She couldn't mean this, right?
"I know it's going to be hard and tiring for both of us. But I had to do this. If I know a way to help these people shouldn't I do it?" He explained.
"I'm not stopping you, " Bai Qian tried to say, "I'm just worried, "
"All I'm asking for is your support," Ye Hua said, "Can I at least have that?"
Bai Qian took a deep breath and nodded, "You shall, "
There were many stages in Ye Hua's plan. They hiked up every mountain peak in the valley, explored the river bank and its headwaters. There, Ye Hua would sit and draw for hours, calculating the topology of this land. Bai Qian was mostly there to accompany him.
She also sent out an aura to wrath off dangerous beasts from eating them. The tigers and wolves in the forest knew better than to mess with a nine-tailed fox.
After that, Ye Hua would spend hours at the table drawing out his spreadsheet. Bai Qian helped him by providing his needs, serving food, refilling his teacup and preparing his ink.
When Ye Hua was hyper-focusing, nothing could distract him. Seriously, Bai Qian tried everything from delicious food to yelling at him to take a break once in a while. Nothing.
Ye Hua tended to work late hours at night. He barely ate or drank. This couldn't be healthy for him.
"My hair is on fire," she once told him.
"I'm sure you look nice," he just mumbled.
"I killed your brother in your past life," she said in a deadpan voice.
"I think there's still some peaches left, " he said without tearing his eyes away from his papers.
She wasn't even talking about peaches.
Bai Qian had to resort to using her feminine charm. She walked out of the bath, wearing nothing but her undergarments and walking right up to him.
Ye Hua just took one look at her and said, "Aren't you cold? Go put on some clothes, "
Bai Qian let her undergarments slip loose, exposing a bit of her chest. She said in the sweetest voice possible, "But I prefer you keeping me warm, "
This time he didn't bother to look up, "Five more minutes, "
"I don't want to wait," she cooed. Bai Qian climbed onto his lap and snaked her hands across his chest. Ye Hua just gently pushed her away, "Give me a moment, I almost figured this out, "
Bai Qian felt like he had dumped a gallon of freezing water at her. No one had resisted her charms before, especially a mortal.
Ye Hua had never fallen for her spells before it seemed like Zhao Ge was the same. Bai Qian had begun to doubt her skills. Had she lost touch with her seduction magic? Or Ye Hua had the resistance skill of a monk.
If every emperor was as dedicated as Ye Hua, the world wouldn't be such a mess.
She huffed and went back to bed. It took two hours for Ye Hua to come crawling to her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder blades.
"I'm here," he whispered seductively.
Bai Qian pushed him away from her. Honestly, she was half asleep and severely pissed off.
"I'm not in the mood now, " she told him, "Go to sleep, "
Ye Hua snuggled his head between her shoulder blades, "I'm sorry for brushing you off earlier, "
Bai Qian just sighed and turned to meet him in the eye, "The world isn't going to end if you take a break once in a while, "
"I know it's hard," he admitted. I tuned out everything when I was working, "
"So you don't know what I just said," she asked.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing of importance," she quickly replied. Bai Qian brushed his hair back, "I'm not stopping you on your work. I fully support it. Just promise me, when I ask you to take a break, please do so, "
Ye Hua nodded, he leaned his head against her collar bone. "So are you still up for it?"
"No, " she replied, " I'm still mad at you, "
Ye Hua just nodded, "Of course, it's late anyway, "
Ye Hua respected her choice and let her go back to sleep. It's weird being in a relationship that wasn't motivated by lust. Men tend to approach Bai Qian for her beauty. They treated her like a porcelain vase, only to look at, never to cherish.
Ye Hua just genuinely liked her. Her beauty wasn't the main reason he approached her. Bai Qian really appreciated him for that.
She curled up in his embrace and snuggled her head close to his chest. Truth be told, she could never stay mad at him for long.
Ye Hua showed her his plans and schematics when he was done. Bai Qian may not understand it, but she knew one thing. This was a large construction, Ye Hua couldn't do this on his own, he would need support and finances which he lacked.
That was how they ended up at the door of the Zhao Mansion. It made sense actually. Minister Zhao was the head of the department of development in the kingdom. Nothing got built without his approval. They desperately need it.
Ye Hua hesitated at the door. Bai Qian knew it took him a lot of courage to be back here again. He never had a good childhood in this place, and now he's back seeking help.
"Zhao Ge, " Bai Qian said, "You don't have to do this, "
Ye Hua looked down at the scrolls in his hands, "I do, "
When he knocked on the door, it was Ah Ming who greeted them. "You shouldn't have come here," he told them.
Ye Hua smiled, "Nice to see you again, Ah Ming. Is Minister Zhao home?"
As they walked into the mansion, Bai Qian noticed most of the servants were busy cleaning up the place. There was water damage everywhere. Even the estate was affected by the disaster.
Ah Ming brought them to meet Minister Zhao at the main hall. He sat on the head chair while Zhao Chu sat on the sideline.
Ye Hua bowed down, "I see that you're well, father, "
" You dare to come back here!" Minister Zhao banged his chair, "And worse, you brought her here too!"
Minister Zhao pointed his finger at her, his eyes were filled with malice. Bai Qian hid behind Ye Hua.
Ye Hua defended her, saying, "I'm sure whatever she did, she did it to protect me, "
Minister Zhao stood up, "Protect you! She nearly killed me!"
He showed Ye Hua the scars around his neck and claw marks racking around his throat. Bai Qian hid her hands behind her, she refused to meet anyone in the eye.
"Kill you?" Ye Hua mumbled, he studied the scars closer, "But these looked like they belonged to an animal, "
"Cause that's what she is, " Minister Zhao said dismissively, "An animal, "
Ye Hua stepped up, "I didn't come here to let you insult her like this, "
Minister Zhao leaned back on his seat, "Then what are you here for?"
"I plan to stop floods from recurring again," he explained.
"I don't need your help, " his father stated.
"You do," Ye Hua explained, "you've seen my work, you know what I can do. Right now, you're in hot water with the emperor, the dam you built broke, "
Minister Zhao was silent, confirming Ye Hua's deduction.
Zhao Chu spoke up, "Maybe it's not a bad idea, father, "
Minister Zhao raised his hand, "The dam is fixed, there's no problem now, "
"It will break again," Ye Hua argued, "It's not strong enough to withstand the current of the river. You know that better than I do, "
Zhao Chu stepped up, "Father, you had never opposed the idea of seeking ideas from other people. I'm sure Zhao Ge here has some insight he can provide, "
Bai Qian raised her eyebrows, why was he helping his brother all of a sudden?
Ye Hua pleaded, "Forget who I am for a moment. And just once in your gods' damned life, listen to me, "
Minister Zhao leaned back on his chair, "Perhaps…I'll take a look at your proposal, once that girl apologises to me, "
Bai Qian clenched her first, this man was testing her patience. Sure, she may have gone overboard attacking Minister Zhao like that. Ye Hua had been downtrodden here for his entire life, Bai Qian wanted to stand up for him. Why should she apologise for that?
She couldn't read Ye Hua's expression. Bai Qian could tell he needed this badly. She swallowed pride and apologised, "I'm sorry, my lord, for attacking you. It was...incredibly… wrong of me, "
Once Minister Zhao heard what he wanted to hear, he dismissed her. She stood outside the main hall listening in, while Ye Hua presented his idea to his father.
Ye Hua's plans were to dig channels along the river to prevent the banks from overflowing. The channelled water could provide for irrigation of the neighbouring farmlands and paddy fields and fill up the reservoir for dry seasons.
This idea wasn't unprecedented, people had done it in the past. But Ye Hua proposed to install valves between the channels to control the flow. He had mapped out where to dig the channels, how deep they were going to be, and a detailed report on the surrounding area.
"This time," Ye Hua added, "the credit goes to me. "
"This is a daring construction, " Minister Zhao mused, " If anything happens, you have to bear the responsibility, "
"It was a risk I'm willing to take, "
Without her around, the meeting was going incredibly smoothly. Bai Qian had never thought that Minister Zhao was willing to put aside his personal grudges for the good of the people.
He had agreed to propose Ye Hua's idea to the emperor. All they had to do now was wait.
Bai Qian saw Minister Zhao exiting the main hall, he took a wide margin when he noticed her. She guessed that he was still scared shitless of her. Nice.
She waited for Ye Hua to come out, but he did not. Bai Qian's curiosity peaked when she heard her name coming out of Zhao Chu's lips.
"You need to be careful of her, " Zhao Chu warned, "She's not what she seems, "
"I don't know what you are talking about," Ye Hua argued.
"Look, " he clarified, "The second you left, Bai Qian turned into a completely different person. She took down six large men and attacked our father. He wasn't lying about the scars on his neck, "
"Qian Qian won't even hurt a fly, " Ye Hua insisted.
"I was there, " Zhao Chu added, "It's like she's a beast. Don't you notice the unusual things about her? She's not human, Zhao Ge, "
Ye Hua was silent as if he was beginning to suspect her.
"Ever since she arrived here, strange things began to happen in the household, " Zhao Chu said, "Mother got sick all of a sudden, my allergies acting up for no reason, "
Bai Qian clenched her fist. Sure, bringing a demon to the household was considered bad luck. But she has always kept her powers in check and made sure it doesn't affect the family. But to suggest that Bai Qian was the cause of Lady Zhao's death, that's way over the line.
"Grandmother was superstitious, she brought in a Taoist priest to investigate," he further explained, "He said our house was tainted. Something unholy had entered the household, a powerful de-"
Zhao Chu needed to stop talking now! Bai Qian knocked on the door and entered hastily. "Zhao Ge, are you done?"
Ye Hua looked between the two of them, he nodded and laced his hand with hers. Ye Hua bid his brother goodbye.
"If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about what a priest says," he added before they left.
On the way home, Bai Qian was jittery. Ye Hua really didn't believe what his brother said, right? She couldn't let Ye Hua know that she's a demon. That would ruin everything they build together.
"Thank you for apologising earlier, " Ye Hua said, " I know it's hard on you, "
Bai Qian kicked away some pebbles, "Yeah. Too bad he's still a jerk, "
Ye Hua smirked, he didn't disagree with her.
"I'm sorry for what they said about you," he added.
"It's fine, " Bai Qian replied, "I don't care about their opinions anyway, "
Bai Qian was lying to herself. Truth be told, she was ashamed to be a demon. To be something that terrified mortals in the night. If she was a kindred spirit or a goddess, the priest wouldn't say the household was tainted. He would proclaim that they were blessed instead. Men fantasise about marrying a goddess, never a demon.
Bai Qian wished that she was mortal. She would be content with spending just one lifetime with him. When he returned to heaven, Ye Hua would only remember her as a fond memory. So she didn't have to bear the sins of her heritage.
Ye Hua went back and forth between his father and home. Bai Qian didn't wish to accompany him. Dealing with his family once was enough.
Bai Qian didn't know how to feel about Ye Hua patching things up with his family. She wasn't his only emotional support anymore. He no longer had to rely on her, Bai Qian never felt so empty.
Therefore, Bai Qian spent most of her days in the peach orchard. She tended to the trees, planted new seeds and removed pests. When the coast was clear, Bai Qian would transform into a fox and frolic around the woods, hunting small creatures and gathering herbs for dinner.
As much as she loved being in her animal form, Bai Qian needed to be extra cautious now. People were starting to suspect her now, the villagers, Zhao Chu and she dreaded to think, Ye Hua.
Zi Lan went to check up on her one afternoon. Apparently, he had important news to tell her.
Zi Lan took a sip of his tea, "So how are things going now, here?"
Bai Qian stretched her hands, she didn't know how to answer him. On the surface, they were doing well. Basically engaged and was living in perpetual bliss. But that's only when they were together.
Once Bai Qian was alone with her thoughts, the answer was completely different. She felt so insecure at times. What was she supposed to do when Ye Hua wasn't around?
"Everything is alright, I guess, " she replied.
Zi Lan put down his cup, "You guess?"
"Ye Hua is building channels all around the valley now, " Bai Qian said, "That's what he meant to do here, right?"
He nodded, "Another gigantic storm is coming, and it will be much more devastating than the last, "
Bai Qian tapped on the table nervously. No amount of calming tea was going to soothe her nerves, "Ye Hua's plan was going to help the mortals, right?"
"That's the idea, " Zi Lan said, "It all rests in him now, and he couldn't do it without your support, "
Bai Qian didn't know that Ye Hua seemed fine handling everything by himself.
"There's also another thing, " Zi Lan added, " High immortal Ye Hua's time here is going to be cut short, once his mission is over. He's going back to the Nine Heavens, "
Bai Qian stood up, she was stunned beyond meaning, "What! You can't do that!"
Zi Lan crossed his arms, "Why not?"
Bai Qian paced around the room. Cut short? How short? Did it mean that Zhao Ge was going to die young without living to a ripe old age? Did it mean Bai Qian only gets to spend a few short years with him?
"Why?" was the only thing she could ask.
"There's a scandal going on in the celestial palace involving one of the heavenly princes, "
"What does that have to do with him anyway?" She protested.
A confused expression appeared on his face, "You don't know?"
"Don't know what?" She asked.
"What role he played in the nine heavens, " Zi Lan said, "His responsibilities, "
All Bai Qian knew about Ye Hua was that he was tasked to capture her. She had never thought about the least. Heck, she didn't even know what he's the god of.
Apparently, his world didn't revolve around her. But Bai Qian knew him her whole life. What was she without Ye Hua?
"What is his role?" Bai Qian asked.
"That is an answer you must ask him yourself, " Zi Lan simply said.
Bai Qian wanted to call out on his bullshit, but he interrupted her thoughts, "The Heavenly Lord had given him a day, that's a year here,"
One year? That's way too short. You can't do much in a year.
"You can't do that!" Bai Qian begged, "Tell them that he needs more time, "
"Is it him who needs more time? Or you?" Zi Lan asked sternly. Bai Qian turned silent.
He sighed and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Look, my job is to report whatever happening to him here back to the nine heavens. I even hid your involvement under Bodhisattva Guan Yin's request. But Ye Hua can't be mortal forever. Maybe it's time you figure out what to do with yourself for the future, "
Bai Qian wanted to laugh. She had no future, the second Ye Hua regained his immortality, he would kill her or worse imprison her in the demon sealing pagoda. Death was the only thing awaiting her in the future.
"Is there any way I can delay it?" Bai Qian asked. Maybe she could stop him from continuing on with the project, or she could slow him down by distracting him.
"And risk the lives of thousands of mortals?" Zi Lan asked, "Are you willing to have that in your consciousness?"
Bai Qian waited to argue that she didn't care about mortals. But she would be lying to herself again, seeing Ye Hua loving and caring for all those around him, had changed something in her.
During the flood, she risked everything to help other victims, Bai Qian had gained a sense of self-worth, a sense of community. She wanted to do more, help more. Bai Qian couldn't bear the thought of seeing them living in devastation again.
"Qian Qian!" Ye Hua burst into the room happily, "My plans got approved by the emperor-"
He paused when he saw Zi Lan with his hand on her shoulder. Bai Qian immediately stood up, Zi Lan quickly retreated his hand.
Bai Qian ran up to Ye Hua and fetched his work pack from him, "Really? Congratulations!"
But all of his enthusiasm from just now was gone. Ye Hua looked between the two of them, he pointed at Zi Lan, "This is..."
"My cousin!" Bai Qian quickly said, "He's just visiting,"
Zi Lan gave Ye Hua a quick bow, "Nice to meet you, I am Zi Lan. Bai Qian here had told me a lot about you,"
Ye Hua looked at him sceptically, "Strange Qian Qian had never mentioned you before,"
Bai Qian laced her arms around Ye Hua's elbow, " Zi Lan here was about to leave, weren't you?"
The immortal nodded, "Ah, yes. I am. I better be going now, "
He gave Ye Hua one final now before rushing out the door. Ye Hua looked out the window to see in go, "You never mentioned you had a cousin before, Qian Qian, "
Bai Qian went to the kitchen to check on her stew. "I didn't? I'm sure I did, "
"You told me you don't have any family left," he said.
The braised pork was a bit charred at the bottom, a pity. Bai Qian had spent the entire day cooking this pork knuckle, seeping it in soy sauce, ginger, and dark vinegar. She carried the pot to the table, "Well, Zi Lan is a very distant cousin. We lost contact for years, "
Ye Hua set up the table, he still looked unconvinced, "Then what was he doing in our house?"
Bai Qian handed him a bowl of rice, "I invited him here for a cup of tea, "
"Tea?"
"Yeah, to catch up," Bai Qian explained, she quickly cut to the chaste, "If you're wondering, nothing happened between us, "
There was a wafting smell of vinegar in this room, and it was not coming from the *Vinegar Pork Trotters.
"I'm not accusing you of that, " Ye Hua said, "Bai Qian, your eyes were red, "
"I was cutting onions," she retorted. Ye Hua crossed his arms, his expression was deadly serious. He had caught her lying. He knew very well that tonight's dish didn't require any onions.
"Why did you open up to your cousin instead of me?" Ye Hua asked, "Qian Qian, we're getting married. Why are you still hiding things from me?"
"I'm not hiding anything from you," she protested.
"The name you called out in your dreams, " Ye Hua said, "The fan you carry around you, "
Bai Qian's eyes widened, she had always kept the fan well hidden, "How did you know about the fan…"
"I saw you holding it while crying once, I know it's important to you," Ye Hua explained, "The fan was designed for a man, I couldn't help, but think…"
Everything was unveiling apart, Bai Qian could never tell Ye Hua the truth. She was under strict instructions not to, but she couldn't have Ye Hua doubting her loyalty to him.
Bai Qian pulled out the fan from under the table, she gripped it tightly in her hands, "There's nothing between us, " she reassured him, "There could never be, "
Ye Hua reached out to hold her hand, "Was he the reason you're holding back?"
Bai Qian shook her head, "I owe him a life debt, that's all. Zi Lan came here to give me an update on him. Apparently, he didn't have much time left here, "
Ye Hua's expression softened, "I'm sorry. Do you want to go and see him?"
"It's better that I don't appear in front of him, " Bai Qian said, "He hates me, "
"I can't imagine anyone hating you, "
Bai Qian smiled, "You are the only one who doesn't, "
She gave Ye Hua a small kiss, "My heart is completely yours, Zhao Ge. Even in the next life, don't you ever forget that, "
Ye Hua wrapped arms around her waist and returned her kiss, "I won't, "
*Vinegar Pork Trotters 猪脚醋
A traditional Chinese dish made which emits a strong vinegar smell. Comment if you want the recipe.