"Xiao Wu is fine. She is merely just overly exhausted, and overly aggravated. She needs to learn to calm down." Zhe Yan remarked amusedly as he began to retrieve certain herbs from the Medicine King's box, and Ye Hua broke into a small smile, "So she's fine?" "Generally, yes. Xiao Wu will be alright with some rest and soothing medicine. But if you want to scare the general, you may tell him, in that awfully solemn tone of yours, that the Crown Princess aggravated herself too much, and has to be bed-bound for a number of days."
"How did you-?" Ye Hua blinked at the High God, startled that Zhe Yan knew of how Bai Qian had come to be unconscious, but the High God merely broke into a grin, "Ye Hua, tents are only made from fabric. Everyone nearby heard the shouting match going on inside, you know." "Everyone heard her shouting?" Ye Hua recovered his composure, nonetheless still a little surprised, and Zhe Yan nodded, "I had to stop Xiao Jiu from entering. She was terrified to hear Xiao Wu shouting at the top of her voice."
"Where is Feng Jiu, anyway?" Ye Hua looked around, having been unable to locate the bubbly girl, and Zhe Yan gave a devious smile, before he answered, "Zhen Zhen took her away. That was quite some shock she received from the bell, as well as some damage to her primordial spirit. But she'll be fine; Dong Hua compensated her with some cultivation." "Di Jun?" Ye Hua repeated in surprise, "Why would he suddenly compensate Feng Jiu with cultivation? Why would he even need to compensate Feng Jiu?"
"Partially because he gave her a shock when he saved her from the bell." Zhe Yan shrugged, and Ye Hua relaxed a little, "Oh. But wasn't it also because Feng Jiu came close to death?" "Perhaps. Did you know that we only won the battle quickly because your brother convinced Dong Hua to join? That old rock...he came only for Feng Jiu at first. I daresay it was high time he got blood on Cang He, anyway, or that legendary sword would have turned into a kitchen knife." Zhe Yan laughed at his own joke, and Ye Hua smiled along, his mood better now that they had won the battle.
"You should check on Yan Zhi, however." Zhe Yan's expression took a turn for seriousness, and Ye Hua blinked, before the Crown Prince understood, "She just lost all her kin...of course..." "Not just that, Ye Hua. Now that the Ghost Tribe has once caused a rebellion, she doesn't know how to soothe her people, and pacify the Celestials all at once." Zhe Yan explained, and Ye Hua gave it some thought, before he spoke up again, "I'll talk to her."
"Or maybe you should let Xiao Wu do it. After all, they are both women." Zhe Yan gestured at Bai Qian, whose eyelids began to flutter slightly, and as if to prove his point, Zhe Yan prodded Bai Qian's arm, "I know you're up, Xiao Wu. You can sleep later." "Just let me sleep..." Bai Qian whined, raising an arm to cover her eyes, and Ye Hua gave a small chuckle, "Let her rest. I'll have her speak to Yan Zhi once she's feeling better." "See, Zhe Yan? Ye Hua is so much better than you..." Bai Qian muttered, turning on her side, and Zhe Yan rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, your husband is the best. Now, get off this bed, I still have to tend to more soldiers."
And with a laugh, Ye Hua bent down, lifting Bai Qian into his arms, before he carried Bai Qian back into their tent and onto their bed.
•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•
"Your Highness." Yan Zhi shuffled to a kowtow as she saw Bai Qian enter her tent, and Bai Qian's eyes widened as she instantly bent to grab Yan Zhi's arms, "Please, rise, Yan Zhi. There is no need for any formalities between you and I." "No...you are the Crown Princess...I must bow." Yan Zhi refused Bai Qian's grip, continuing to lower her head in a bow, and Bai Qian gave a sigh, before she put on a mock authoritative voice, "Very well then. I order you to treat me without formalities."
"Your Highness..." Yan Zhi began, but at Bai Qian's glare, the Ghost Princess hesitantly greeted her, "High Goddess Bai Qian..." "Or Bai Qian will do." Bai Qian added on, but Yan Zhi reluctantly rose from the kowtow, "High Goddess Bai Qian...why have you come?" "To check on you, Yan Zhi." Bai Qian sat down right beside Yan Zhi, much to the Ghost Princess's shock, and Yan Zhi was quick to kneel again, "Your Highness...please take the chair."
"How are you, Yan Zhi?" Bai Qian ignored Yan Zhi's request, remaining seated on the floor of the tent as she spoke gently at Yan Zhi, but the Ghost Princess merely kept her silence, and Bai Qian continued talking, knowing that it was the only way to get Yan Zhi to speak up eventually, "Do the Ghost soldiers listen to your commands?" Much to Bai Qian's surprise, Yan Zhi's eyes grew shiny with tears almost instantly, and the Crown Princess placed her hand on Yan Zhi's shoulder immediately, "What's wrong, Yan Zhi?"
"There has never been a Princess to take the throne. Many do not agree to my ascension to the throne." Yan Zhi explained quietly, the tears rolling down her face as she spoke, "And...and I don't want the throne, either," "Why not?" Bai Qian was confused, and Yan Zhi looked up at the Crown Princess in a mix of sadness and frustration, "My brother just died! I was the cause of his death. How could I ever...?" "You caused Li Jing's death? Yan Zhi...that didn't happen..." Bai Qian trailed off, incomprehension drawn all over his expression as she struggled to understand why Yan Zhi had said so, but the Ghost Princess merely glared at Bai Qian.
"I shouldn't have even let Sao Zi bring father back!" Yan Zhi yelled at Bai Qian, who was shocked beyond words as she watched the Ghost Princess sob, "When she did that, I lost everyone! I should have known Su Jin would betray us! I should have known that no one else would have sacrificed themselves! I should never have let Er Ge send himself into the bell!"
"Yan Zhi..." Bai Qian pulled the Ghost Princess into a hug, and despite all her struggling, Yan Zhi was comforted by Bai Qian's touch as she cried into the Crown Princess's shoulder. Bai Qian had always had a charm, no matter what the circumstances, and Yan Zhi's tears began to slow as Bai Qian spoke softly by the Ghost Princess's ear, "You did not cause your family's death, my dear Yan Zhi. Su Jin's betrayal was something we all didn't see coming, and your brother...he told me himself that he would have wanted a death no more honourable and noble than the way he died. He made his choice, Yan Zhi, and I doubt you could have stopped it."
"He has a child...why would he choose his death?" Yan Zhi mumbled, her tears finally dried up, and Bai Qian ignored her wet shoulder as she wiped Yan Zhi's remaining tears with her fingers, like she always did with A-Li whenever he cried, "You have to understand, Yan Zhi, that there has to be a point in living to live. We immortals lead a long life...but what for? When all is lost, we fade away into nothingness...and into death. It doesn't have to be a long time either, to lose the value in living. Li Jing..." Bai Qian paused, unsure how to phrase her words into a sentence, "Your brother is too sentimental a man. He has spent too long dwelling on the choices of his past, that he has neglected what is beside him, and thus has lost what he might have found dear if he had only spared them a few more glances."
"Like his daughter." Yan Zhi sniffled, and Bai Qian gave upon trying to make Yan Zhi forget about the sickly born, "Yes. Like his daughter." "She isn't dead." Yan Zhi insisted, her actions as similar as Xuan Nü's before the Ghost Queen had further lost her mind, and Bai Qian's hand rested on her abdomen subconsciously as she frowned, "What do you mean, Yan Zhi? Is the girl not dead?"
"My niece is not dead." Yan Zhi growled, before her features softened slightly, "She is merely trapped between life and death, for karma has returned, and punished my Sao Zi for all the killing she did. But with all the soul anchoring and binding that Sao Zi has done, my niece is still alive. She just needs some cultivation to bring her further from death...and if I could, I would do whatever it takes to bring her alive." "Why can't you do it?" Bai Qian asked curiously, and Yan Zhi merely shook her head, "I am a Ghost Princess. The ways of the Celestials do not work for us, and if I were to try it, I would most certainly fall into hell."
"Is it that only the Celestials can help?" Bai Qian wondered if Ye Hua would help her revive Li Jing's child on Yan Zhi's behalf, but Yan Zhi shook her head again, this time more determinedly, "As a matter of fact, the Celestials cannot help. The poor child is half Ghost and half Fox. Either Ghost or Fox can give her their cultivation, but Sao Zi is dead, and no Qing Qiu person would help us, after what Sao Zi did brought disgrace upon Qing Qiu as well."
"I could help." Bai Qian blurted because she could stop herself. As the last person to have spoken to Li Jing, Bai Qiian still felt like she owed the former Ghost Lord a final favour, after knowing him for so long, and Yan Zhi's eyes lit up with hope, "Really? You'd do that for her?" Well...more like for you and your brother, Bai Qian thought to herself, but she nodded in agreement as she answered, "I would do that, if it's all I can do to make up for the loss of both her parents."
"When she grows up, maybe she could play with..." Yan Zhi suddenly turned a shade of red, her eyes avoiding Bai Qian's gaze as they flicked by Bai Qian's abdomen, and Bai Qian understood what the younger girl meant, "My children?" "I remember that she was born quite closely after your firstborn." Yan Zhi nodded, more relaxed now that Bai Qian didn't seem to oppose her idea of letting the children play together, and Bai Qian shrugged, "I don't remember that, but I'm sure A-Li would love a playmate. The only thing we lack now is the Divine Fungal Grass, but you have that, don't you?"
"I do. I stole it from my Sao Zi's body before they took it back as evidence of her death." Yan Zhi gave a guilty nod, pulling it out from her robes, and Bai Qian accepted the fungal grass with an extended palm, "You needn't feel guilty. The soldiers might have taken it for personal use, you'd never know." "Would they?" Yan Zhi asked in astonishment, but Bai Qian nodded solemnly, "It is very valuable. Not many can manage to hold off the four beasts long enough to retrieve the grass. Even my father was wounded while attempting to do everything on his own."
"Bai Zhi Di Jun? The Fox Emperor?" Yan Zhi was further appalled, and Bai Qian gave her a small grin, "Bai Zhi Di Jun indeed." "Thank you for coming to talk to me." Yan Zhi thanked her out of a sudden, and Bai Qian inclined her head slightly in the form of saying that Yan Zhi was welcome, "If you ever need someone to talk to, you can come and find me, Yan Zhi. Especially if you have problems with your subjects." "I just hope that they would listen, so that they won't suffer as much..." Yan Zhi sighed, her head bowed, and Bai Qian patted her shoulder, "I will have Ye Hua talk to them, to help them see sense. They will accept you in time."
"I hope so." Yan Zhi exhaled, trying her best not to sound too hopeless, and with a last encouraging smile, Bai Qiann turned around, and left the Ghost Princess's tent, leaving Yan Zhi alone in the big tent once more.
•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•
A/N: Oooooookay so I accidentally wrote this 2000 word chapter before I could get to the whole "let's decide on Su Jin's fate" part, and I'm very sorry that I haven't gotten to it yet because I've been out the entire day yesterday instead of having time to write :/
I'll try to write another one by the end of today, welp 🤷🏻
Z, out