Taoist Master

Wisdom for the Wise.

Barely making it through the doorway, Bai Qian suddenly found herself moving rapidly through the open air and being held within the most gentlest of energy that she had ever felt.  For a few seconds, she merely rode it out while wondering to whom it belonged because it wasn't Mo Yuans who she had thought might follow her.  Only the longer she remained speeding through the outer corridors, the more of her awareness began to take over until she was struggling to be released.  

She could feel from the energy that there was some power in it, but they were not a High God, so she could easily throw them aside, only the gentleness of it and the way this person sought only to hold her, soon had her dragging them to a slower speed before stopping them completely and only then did her abductor come into view.

"Queen Liu Fei?" she gasped in both astonishment and annoyance having no idea why this woman would continue to offend her even though she no longer looked as menacing as before.  Rather, the older woman looked both tearful and compassionately at her.

"Forgive me Queen Bai Qian, but I cannot allow you to leave under the impression that I purposely sought to offend you." she replied just as quickly and with both hands out in the air towards her as if wanting to hold her own.

Gobsmacked and still shaking from the earlier anger and disappointment, it took Bai Qian a few seconds to comprehend the cloud beneath her feet and the western valleys spread out as far as the eye could see directly below her having been taken up into the sky and forced to away from the main hall and the many goggling eyes that might have followed them.

"What...?" she whispered in both awe at the majesty of her beautiful land and confusion as to why they were in the sky.

"Please, hear me out.  I'm sorry if I scared you, but I really was did just want to put you at ease, only it seems I didn't think and I am truly sorry." Liu Fei said quickly snatching at her hands and forcing her attention back on her.

With large tear drops slipping over her flushed cheeks and looking far too ashamed to actually maintain eye contact for having once again jumped to conclusions, Bai Qian didn't know where to look.  In fact, to the older woman, she looked like a little girl in pain while also embarrassed, so seeking only to comfort her, Liu Fei lowered the cloud to a small thicket of trees which were surrounded by her favourite wild flowers.  

Most Queens preferred the more elegant flora, like roses and orchids, whereas she had always preferred the wild beauty of what nature left in its wake and it was to a small patch of brightly coloured daisies that Bai Qian found herself being seated onto a blanket which had magically appeared beneath her.  Helping her to sit down until she was comfortable, Liu Fei then took hold of one hand before raising the other at their surroundings.

"I hear Qing Qiu is just as beautiful." she said softly while allowing her young guest time to quickly pull herself together. 

"It is..." Bai Qian sniffled a little while wondering what it was that had her liking this queen immensely and what they were even doing there.

As if reading her mind, Liu Fei turned to look at her with a soft smile on her face.  

"I realised too late that I had said something I should not have.  Only I cannot help but wonder if my words have touched on something far deeper than a mere offense." she said before leaning forward to lightly brush away the tears.  "Now I know that I am a stranger to you, but you can talk to me Bai Qian.   And forgive my over confidence, but I feel as if you need someone to talk to." she added with a gentle but firm nod of her head.

Overwhelmed, embarrassed and feeling so small, Bai Qian really had no idea what it was about Liu Fei that had her opening up to this woman.  Maybe it was the hormones, she didn't know, but not only did she grasp at the hand that suddenly reached out to take hers, but a tidal wave of emotions erupted when she told her of the past two years, learning about her pregnancy among the Mortal women, finding friendship and independence away from everything she knew and even the little comfort she had found in the decisions she had made for herself.  Only it wasn't until she got to the part where Mo Yuan had suddenly shown up on her doorstep and the disappointment and humiliation she had caused him, that the agony in her eyes at once betrayed her unsettled thoughts for the predicament she now found herself in.