"Ready?" Ye Hua appeared beside Bai Qian. He had hidden himself, watching the entire conversation between Bai Qian and Li Jing, and Bai Qian seemed unfazed by his sudden appearance, "You were listening, were you not?" "Yes I was. But also, Tian Shu and Jia Yun have returned to say that my family is free right now." Ye Hua smiled at her, and A-Li chirped from beside Bai Qian, "Mother, are you finally coming home with us?"
Bending down to scoop her son in her arms, Bai Qian smiled at A-Li as she rubbed her forehead against his, "Of course, Little Riceball."
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"Welcome back, Crown Prince. Welcome, Goddess Bai Qian." Tian Shu and Jia Yun greeted them both as they stepped through the gates of the Nine Heavens, and the guards behind them shuffled slightly. Turning her head slightly, Bai Qian caught one of them staring at her slightly, and the guard's face flushed with humiliation as he turned back to the front. Interesting, Bai Qian's eyes twinkled with amusement. She was a rare beauty to come by, that she knew.
"Crown Prince, Goddess Le Xu awaits in the Grand Hall, along with the Heavenly Lord." Jia Yun spoke in his firm, solemn voice, and Ye Hua nodded, "I will go at once." Looking at Bai Qian, Ye Hua gestured with his chin slightly, and Bai Qian wordlessly placed A-Li down between the two of them, holding his hand tightly and looking down at him, before the three of them strode up to the Grand Hall.
"Ye Hua greets Grandfather, Mother, Father, Third Uncle."
"A-Li greets Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, Grandmother, Grand-uncle."
Bai Qian watched with a bowed head as her husband and her son both bowed down respectfully, and she subconsciously bent as well, "Bai Qian greets the Heavenly Lord."
Pausing, Bai Qian finally lifted her face to the light, and there was a sharp intake of breath. "Su Su...?!" She heard Le Xu gasp softly, and luckily Lian Song still kept his composure, taking the lead in greeting, "Lian Song greets Goddess Bai Qian."
There was a knowing look on the Third Prince's face, and Bai Qian temporarily wondered if he knew. After all, through some of the memories Ye Hua had given to her, she did see that Lian Song was Ye Hua's greatest confidant.
"Goddess Bai Qian, what a pleasurable visit...we didn't have time to prepare for your arrival..." The Heavenly Lord most certainly didn't seem as pleased as he suggested in his words, and Bai Qian didn't give a care about it, "Replying to Heavenly Lord, apologies for the abrupt visit. Ye Hua and I had been discussing it yesterday, and it was a last minute decision to visit as well."
"I see you are injured, Goddess?" Le Xu spoke up, and Bai Qian glanced down at her dress, only to see a small spot of scarlet blooming again, and she mentally sighed. Her wound must've started bleeding again. There were always some enchantments on the Ghost Tribe's blades, causing the wounds to be slightly harder to heal when on those that were not related to the Ghsot Tribe.
"A small wound. I was here to see how effective the hot pool of the Medicine King was." Bai Qian said dismissively, and suddenly, a sound of footsteps sounded behind them, and Bai Qian felt a familiar aura step into the room.
"Su Jin greets Heavenly Lord, Father, Mother, Husband, and...?" The feminine voice spoke, and Bai Qian raised her eyebrows slightly, "Princess Su Jin, I'm sure you can recognise me. We met at the East Sea, did we not? I was wearing a veil back then, however..." Su Jin froze at her voice, moving forward quickly to see who the voice belonged to, and Bai Qian watched in amusement as Su Jin nearly tripped over her heavily decorated robes, "Su Su???!!!!"
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Su Jin, that's the High Goddess of Qing Qiu, Bai Qian." Lian Song replied, and Bai Qian's lips quirked. Mistaken? Oh, no. Su Jin wasn't mistaken. She was very much Su Su as she was Bai Qian. "Forgive me for my atrocity, Goddess, I simply thought you were a acquaintance of mine from the past." Su Jin bowed, and Bai Qian decided to play around with the Princess, "Su Jin, is it? Such beautiful eyes you have...were you born with them?"
The effect was simply stunning, and Bai Qian fought hard to keep from smiling or laughing, and she felt Ye Hua's hand squeeze hers. Glancing at Ye Hua, she recognised the mischief in his eyes, and she returned him a sly wink, before observing the room again. The Heavenly Lord had gone pale, Le Xu looked faint, Yang Cuo looked surprised, and Lian Song looked like he wanted to laugh.
"It's a long story." Su Jin was saved by the Heavenly Lord, "High Goddess, would you like us to show you the way to the hot pool-?" "Oh, no need for that. Riceball can lead me there." Bai Qian smiled at her son, who beamed back at her, and Ye Hua bowed to his Grandfather, "Grandfather, I'll have Nai Nai bring her there."
Nai Nai...Bai Qian missed the loyal and kind servant of hers. It would be nice to see the person who had never ill-treated her and constantly took care of her again. "Won't you come with me?" Bai Qian looked at him concernedly, but Ye Hua shook his head, "Qian Qian, I have a few matters to settle. Once I'm done, I will come to find you."
"Okay then." Bai Qian took a final bow, before she exited the Grand Hall, holding A-Li's hand, not knowing that an interrogation brewed away in the Grand Hall.
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A/N: Big treat for y'all today :D
My mother got me a set of ear pods and and I had some quiet time at a café to write more of the story heehee! What do you think will come next? Keep a look out for the next update!