Rescue Me, My Love

Home, but Not So Sweet

     Ye Hua was glad to see his brother looking so chipper after yesterday's madness.  He knew JieJie was a balm to his spirit.  They all had supper together that night.  "Da ge, please don't be too hard on them.  They must be punished, true enough, but they have also been through a lot."   "Well, one thing for sure, I hope the Ghost tribe recovers.  I didn't intend to kill Li Jing, but I couldn't let him use the boys as bait for his own ends.  If needed, I will talk to their Queen myself.  Yan Zhi is now their ruler.  I hear she spends a lot of time in the mortal realm.  If you need me, I'll be available.  Tomorrow morning we return to Kunlun.  I left in somewhat of a panicked rush."  "Sure you don't want to stay for one more day?  I have something to show you."    "Very well, one more day.  Die Feng can handle things."
     Ye Hua came to his brother's room early.  Everyone else was still asleep.  "Follow me, Da ge!"  Mo Yuan followed Ye Hua out of curiosity.  He took him into what used to be rooms next to his own, but had now been transformed into a beautiful garden.  Ye Hua led him down a stone paved walkway.  Flowers of different colors were planted in neat beds.  The fragrance of jasmine was in the air.  There rounded a corner and there it was.  The hot pool Mo Yuan had designed for Ye Hua.  His sharp intake of breath told Ye Hua that Mo Yuan was impressed.  Around the pool, jasmine vines were planted and gardenia bushes were blooming lending their sweet scent to the area.  "Didi, it's beautiful!  You really did well!  And the smell!  It's wonderful!  When you do find that special lady, this is where you want to bring her!  Maybe I could break it in for you?"  Ye Hua burst out laughing.  "With what I know about you, I'm thinking "fox tails and dragon scales"  might destroy my pool!"  Mo Yuan turned his head to look at his laughing brother.  "Insolence!"  Ye Hua laughed harder.  "Your day is coming, my young man, and when it does, I'll send a bottle of my one thousand year old wine and my compliments to the lady that finally catches you!"
     They prepared to leave later that afternoon.  Bai Qian turned to Ye Hua.  "I almost forgot.  She brought out a box for Ye Hua. "Chang Shan sent this!"   Ye Hua grabbed the box and opened it.  He smelled and stuffed a cake into his mouth.  "Hmmm, good!"  He stuffed another one.  "Really good!"  He stuffed another one.  With a mouth full of cake, he grinned with his cheeks stuffed like a little boy.  He looked in the box to make sure there were no more and frowned.  "Could you have Chang Shan send me cakes at least once a month?  They have been unable to replicate them here."  Mo Yuan laughed.  "I guess you never forgot that whole month of cake you earned way back when!  I'll have them sent just for you every month.  Only once a month though!"
     All of the disciples came running when they returned.  They had heard about Jinzi and Baohu transforming.  They all made a big fuss over them.  Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen had waited on them to return.  "Where are the fox twins?"  Mo Yuan was holding Baohu and Ping had Jinzi.  Mo Yuan stepped up and introduced Baohu.  "This, my dear brother, is Bai Baohu Zhe!  He transformed while we were in the nine heavens.  Baohu say hello to Zhe Yan!"  Baohu wanted to touch Zhe Yan.  He touched him on the hand and said "hello" in his mind.  "Hello to you too!  My how handsome you have become!  You quite look like your mother and your Shushu Bai Zhen!  Doesn't he Zhen Zhen?"  Bai Zhen looked at the little boy intensely.  "I do believe your right!  He looks like his mother, no doubt, but he has his father's jawline.  He will be a lady's man for sure!"  Ping stepped up with Jinzi.  "This is Jinzi?  How lovely!  They both look like their mother!"  The disciples were going on about them and trying to get a turn to hold one of them.  Jinzi held out his hands to his father.  "Fuqin!  Fuqin!"  Mo Yuan reached for him.  He didn't know why, but he could sense the boy's fear and he held him close.  "What's wrong, Jinzi?  Why are you afraid?"  Jinzi buried his head in his father's shoulder.  They had indeed had a long day.  Maybe he was just tired.   "Ping, take them to their room.  Tomorrow we will make a few changes for them."
     The next morning, Mo Yuan arose with a purpose.  He was still angry over the incident the twins had pulled.  He headed to their room.  When he walked in, he was quite surprised to say the least.  Ping was busy rebuilding their beds to fit them in their present form instead of their fox form.  The boys were in the corner playing with some blocks.  When Ping saw him, he stopped what he was doing and bowed.  "High God Mo Yuan!"  The twins turned to look at him.  Jinzi ran to his father, but Baohu sat still and hung his head.  Mo Yuan sat on the floor so he could be on their level.  "Baohu, come here.  Fuqin needs to talk to both of you."  Baohu wanted to run away, but he knew he would only be in worse trouble.  He walked to his father.  Mo Yuan sat in the lotus position so he put one boy on each thigh and held them.  "I promised you two that you would be punished because of what you did.  I have come to a decision.  As of today, you will focus on your training of your fox skills with your Shushu, Bai Zhen.  You will not leave this mountain for any reason.  If you do, I think you know that I can find you.  You will go nowhere without Ping.  If you do go without him, your time of reprieve will be over.  I believe the two of you suffered enough because of your errors.  Not only that, but I was forced to do some things I didn't want to do because of you.  Ping will also undergo full disciple training in order to be your escort.  Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"  Jinzi stared at his father with those same sad doe eyes as his mother brimming with tears.  He threw his arms around his father's neck and cried.  "Jinzi won't do again!"  Baohu also stared with those same eyes but with a more defiant look.  "Baohu, I've seen that same look in your mother's eyes and it always led to trouble.  I will block your powers right now for a whole year.  You will be set back in your learning because of it.  Make up your mind right now if you wish to continue down a path that will only bring you sorrow or change course and seek a path that will lead you to a better life.  I will let you think today on it.  Now, Fuqin has work he himself must tend too.  Give me a hug!  Your mother will come see you after she wakes."  He left them to their thoughts.
     Jinzi, being a rather just, tender and righteous child, decided he wanted no part of any trouble.  He pursued his training with a vengeance.  Nobody would call him weak again!  Baohu on the other hand, was angry.  The more he thought the more sullen he got.  He went about his training but with a whole different purpose.  He was mad at Jinzi for deciding to excel in his combat training and spells.  He was mad at his father.  He was mad at his mother for scolding him.  He was just mad.  He thought long and hard about what Donghua Dijun had said.  What if he never talked?  He decided to concentrate on his ability to mind talk, but how?  He tried to make noises from his throat.  He knew he had to decide now which way he wanted to go.  If he stayed silent, he knew he might never be able to communicate at all.  If he learned to talk, would he be able to mind talk?  He got off into the corner of their room and refused to come out of it.  He would go for training, but Shushu Bai Zhen didn't know how to teach him to develop his mind.  He knew he could ask Fuqin, but he didn't want to.  He was positive Fuqin would not help him.  He turned his back on them all and got his book to read.
     Mo Yuan had noticed Baohu's rather sullen attitude but he decided to let him resolve it himself.  Jinzi was blossoming under Bai Zhen's training.  Zhe Yan had returned to the peach woods.  Mo Yuan knew that Dijun could actually help Baohu in his training, but getting him to leave his palace was a job in itself.  He sent him a message anyway, hoping he would at least consider it.  Mo Yuan knew that Baohu would rather face the fires of hell than ask him anything.  Such a stubborn child!  Just. Like. His. Mother!  He went to find Bai Qian.
     Bai Qian had decided since Si Ge was here training the twins, she would help him.  She was not without skills herself.  She was sitting in the pavilion watching Jinzi and Baohu train.  She noticed Jinzi was throwing himself into his training with a vengeance.  Baohu, on the other hand, was lazy and barely learned anything, except for spells.  He excelled at spells.  She decided to teach them her dance of the sword.  Bai Zhen grinned.  They were about to get a show.  "Today mother is going to show you a sword routine that your Shushu taught me many years ago.  You can learn it with a practice sword.  Watch and learn."  Mo Yuan had just walked to the pavilion when she started.  He jumped over to her and stopped her.  He looked into her eyes and they started the routine together.  They never broke a stride and his hand always touched hers.  They spun, lunged and parried without breaking contact.  The routine became a song of love, power and absolute might sung by a couple so strong, so in love and so majestic that their aura spun around them in waves of blue and gold.  Jinzi and Bai Zhen we mesmerized.  Baohu watched in a total rage.  He wanted to be powerful too! 
     Mo Yuan had about had enough of Baohu's attitude by the fourth day.  He decided he was going to show him some things.  Early in the morning, he went and got Baohu and Jinzi and took them to the library.  When they entered, the little twins were totally awed by the number and scale of the books.  Mo Yuan had thought for some time that they both were very intelligent, maybe even on a par with Ye Hua.  He decided to use books on spell techniques to test his theory.  Jinzi, who had blossomed the past weeks, fell into the books like a sponge.  He wanted to learn.  Baohu didn't want to do anything.  Mo Yuan picked one spell for them to use.  It was a freeze spell.  Jinzi learned it quickly.  He froze his brother in place.  Baohu got mad because he couldn't do it.  Mo Yuan laughed.  "Oh come now, Baohu, you can do it too.  If you would stop sulking and actually learn, you could learn it.  Come now, try it."  Not to be undone by his brother, he learned it.  "See, it's simple once you determine how to execute it properly."  Baohu crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head.  "Hmmmmph!  He thinks he knows everything!  I'll show you, Fuqin!"  Mo Yuan, having had enough, showed Baohu just who he got his mind power from.  While showing Jinzi how to gather his power, Mo Yuan cut his eyes sideways toward Baohu and spoke.  "Yes, Baohu, please come show me!  I know much more than you!  One more outburst like that and you will be punished!"  Baohu looked at his father wide eyed.  Had he just read my mind?!?  "Yes, I did.  Have a care what you think around me!"
     The spell learning had gone well.  The library had also been a big success.  It seems both boys could be found reading there a lot.  Ping, not being a lover of books, would go for training while they were they were there.  In his small little tangled mind, Baohu decided he would run away again.  He decided that Jinzi hated him, his father was a dragon and couldn't be trusted, his mother didn't love him because she sided with his father and the disciples of Kunlun would always side with his father.  He wanted Bai Xue.  He would understand.  He was quiet and composed.  Even if he was a dragon.  Maybe Zufu would understand.  Yes, Zufu would understand.  He was very powerful!  He decided he would go to Qing Qui instead.  That night, Baohu pretended he had gone to sleep.  Ping was asleep and so was Jinzi.  He had never been to Qing Qui.  He got out of bed and went to find a map.
     Mo Yuan knew Baohu was troubled but he couldn't quite put his finger on the why.  Bai Qian was the same way when she first came to him.  She had literally been thrown off on other people to raise.  Maybe that was the key.  He was highly intelligent and needed stimulation for his quick intellect.  He was working out a plan in his mind.  He had pretty much put his plan together in his mind before he went to bed. Yes, he would start first thing in the morning.  Baohu was still asleep when he came to their room.  Jinzi was still drowsy but he was trying to dress himself.  Mo Yuan was surprised to see him dressing in the white Kunlun disciples gown.  This child, at least, was ready to learn.  "Baohu, rise and shine!  Time to get up now!  Fuqin has some things for you to do today."  Mo Yuan nearly laughed out loud when he put his pillow over his head and pulled his cover up.  Just.  Like.  His.  Mother!  He knew now that his plan would work.  If he would just get up.  "Baohu, you're brother is already dressed.  Get up now."  Slowly he got out of bed.  He pouted right off the bat.  "Breakfast first, then I have special lessons for you today.  Let's get dressed now!  Mo Yuan dressed him to match his brother.  With one on each side holding a hand, they went to the dining room for breakfast.  Jinzi scarfed his food right down.  Baohu picked at his.  Finally, Mo Yuan got up.  He would just have to be hungry.  "Come now.  Today we learn some mind games.  Interested?"  Jinzi skipped off to the library as Baohu drug his feet by his father.  When they got to the library, Mo Yuan threw up a barrier to protect them.  "Today I'm going to teach you some very important magic.  Very few people know how to do any of it.  Only I, your Shushu Ye Hua and Donghua Dijun can do it.  You have the capability to learn it if you apply yourself to learn it.  Do you wish to continue?"  They both nodded.    "Excellent!  Today I'm going to teach you to mind talk.  Baohu, I know you already can, but you have to touch the person to do it.  I'm going to show you how to do it without touching anyone.  You will be able to talk to anyone this way.  Even across a room. Watch how I focus my power."  He didn't move a muscle but a power gathering occurred and he talked to Baohu.  "Did you see how I did that?"  Baohu's eyes got wide as he realized his father was talking to him.  He looked his father dead in the eye.  "So I see you can hear me!  Good!  Now focus your power and it will become second nature to you."  Without looking at him, Mo Yuan spoke to Jinzi.  "Jinzi!"  Jinzi looked at his father.  "Focus your power like I showed you."  "Fuqin!"  Mo Yuan smiled.  "Baohu!  Excellent!  You're doing very well!"  "Baohu!  It's me!"  Baohu smiled!  "Jinzi!  We can talk now!"  Mo Yuan spoke out loud.  "Now that you know how, you two can communicate with each other to practice.  I'll leave you now to practice talking to each other.  I'll send Ping for you for lunch!
     Baohu was feeling rather smug.  He could now mind talk without touching.  He thought of what Donghua Dijun said about talking to him.  His palace would be the last place Fuqin would look for him!  " Fuqin thought he could keep me here!  I hate him!  I hate them all!  I'll show them!"  He left his bed and sneaked out of his room.  So far, so good!  Slowly he made his way to the gate of Kunlun.  With one look back, he squared his shoulders and broke the barrier.  He jumped a cloud for the nine heavens.