Rescue Me, My Love

I'm Getting Too Old for This Mess

   Taiyang and Zhenzhu are 25,000 years old.
  Baohu and Jinzi are now 51,000 years old.
     Bai Xue and Mo JinDe are 100,000.
     Bai Chen Bo, Bai Chin Chu, Xia Liang Lei and Mo Junjie Jin                   are 50,000.
     Ye Hua is 120,000.
     Mo Yuan is 331,000.
     Mo Yuan had been watching Taiyang and Zhenzhu carefully.  They had not ascended to high immortal yet, even though they were over the age that the rest of the children ascended.  He felt ascension energy so he knew their time was close.  He had been there when Fenli and Ali had taken their trial.  Then Jin and Shing.  Now it was their turn.  They still had class every morning after breakfast with their Zufu.  The new city had thrived and so had the high gods who lived there.  After Fuxi placed the barrier, the divine energy surged and all on the mountain surged too.  Mo Yuan and Ye Hua were the most powerful surpassed only by Donghua Dijun.  Dijun had relented and had a palace built for him there.  He guarded the nine heavens when Ye Hua was at Kunlun.  More and more of the high gods stayed on Kunlun and only went to the nine heavens when needed.  Mo Yuan was not surprised any more to see Bai Qian entertaining many of the old gods in the hall.  He, being a man of habits, was trying his dead level best to keep his schedule.  *sigh*  Try as he might, something came up on a daily basis.  Die Feng had resigned himself to constant disruption, mostly from the sets of mischievous twins.  It was just a matter of time before Mo Yuan broke out all war god on them.
     Fenli and Ali were planning something.  They were going to prank Die Feng.  They had set up his chair in the dining room with ink and honey.  Die Feng saw them leave the dining hall giggling.  He knew something was up.  Before he could do anything about it, the disciples started gathering for lunch.  Die Feng was about to walk in to clear up any prank but Shifu came up to him and he was sidetracked.  When they took their seats, mayhem ensued!  Ink and honey was on everyone, including Mo Yuan and Bai Qian.  She had on her favorite lavender dress.  Dark clouds flew across Mo Yuan's face like lightning bolts.  When Bai Xue came walking in with a boy on each side by the scruff of the neck, he knew who the culprits were.  Xue stood them in front of their Zufu.  "Fuqin, I've brought the perpetrators of mischief here for you to handle.  I'll leave them in your capable hands."  Mo Yuan sat his tea cup down with a chink.  Bai Qian was furious.  He looked at both boys with a cold stare that scared the fun right out of them.  "You will both report to the classroom with no breakfast until this whole room is clean, you have cleaned your brothers robes and you apologize to not only them, but your Zumu whose favorite robe you just ruined.  Now kowtow to this room and get busy!!"  For the next hour they scrubbed and cleaned, kowtowed, apologized and looked at the dwindling food with sorrow.  Bai Qian took Mo Yuan's arm and they both went to their room so she could change robes.  "Mo Yuan, dear, you would think pranking boys would be over for us, but it's just a whole new generation of them."  "What is worse is that Ye Hua wants me to teach his twins too.  That means two more sets of mischievous children.  Well, I'll just have to put on the war god face and scare them all into submission!  It makes me wonder what is coming next!"
     He didn't have to wait long.  Taiyang and Zhenzhu had perfected their charming technique.  They would charm any one of the four beast on a regular basis, the dining room and anyone they could catch off guard.  Today they decided a bigger crowd was needed.  Tianjun Ye Hua had a room full of subjects in his throne room.  Taiyang and Zhenzhu were behind a pillar under an invisibility barrier.  They started their song.  Ye Hua was not amused.  He searched the room but could not find them.  He knew they were there, but they were well hidden.  Slowly but surely people were falling asleep.  Ye Hua opened his connection and called Mo Yuan.  "Da ge, please come to the throne room.  There are two mischief makers here that you might be looking for."  Mo Yuan was in his study when Ye Hua called him.  He jumped to the bottom of the stairs and slowly walked up, slowly planning their punishment.  When he neared the door, he shushed the guards who were nearly asleep.  He searched until he found them.  He jumped behind them, lowered their barrier and grabbed them.  "Would you boys like to explain yourselves to me and Tianjun?"  They both jumped in fear at the sound of his voice.  He brought them to the base of the throne.  Ye Hua's face was as dark as his brother's.  "Why have you seen fit to disrupt kingdom business with your pranks?  Hmmm?"  Silence.  Mo Yuan had no mercy and shook each one by the scruff of the neck.  "Well, answer your Shushu!  What is your excuse?  You both are about to pay for this little trick.  Ye Hua, I'm sorry they did this, but rest assured, they are about to pay.  Excuse us!"  He walked them out slowly so every subject there could see them in the hands of their Fuqin.  Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he jumped them straight to his study.  He forced them to their knees.  "Fuqin, we...."  "Enough!  There is no explanation you can give for your actions!  That you would dare to try and charm Ye Hua!  Your punishment starts right now.  Starting now, you will go to your room.  Books will be sent to you to read one by one.  You will read every book in the library except the ones I deem unfit for you.  You will be tested by me personally.  You will stay in your room and only come out for morning class and meals.  Do I make myself clear?"  They both hung their heads and said, "yes, Fuqin."  Both had their fingers crossed behind their back.  It was duly noted by their Fuqin. 
     In class the next morning, five sets of twins were present.  "It has come to my attention that students of mine have been pulling pranks all over this mountain.  From this day forward, there will be no more pranks.  The first one to prank will be severely punished.  Your Fuqin's will not save you.  From this day forward you will call me Shifu.  I am your teacher, not your Zufu or Fuqin or Shushu.  Am I understood?"  "Yes, Shifu!"  "Good!  Now we will get serious today.  You will learn to control your inner beast.  You can wield great power once you and your beast are in harmony with each other.  Pay attention and learn."  For two hours he taught and they learned.  Progress was made.  After their class, he had sent Taiyang and Zhenzhu to their room.  After he threw up a barrier, the first book appeared for them to read.  When a book was finished, another appeared and that one was taken away.  For days they read, for days they were so bored they wanted to scream.  For days.......  "Surely Fuqin is not watching us that close, is he, Da ge?"  "I don't know, Zhenzhu.  If we break out, he will get us.  Baohu told us we wouldn't get far before he caught us.  Where could we hide?"  "We could go to the nine heavens!  Nobody is there except Donghua Dijun.  We could run all over if we wanted too!"  "When we break this barrier, Fuqin will know."  "We can only try.  Let's do it!"  Their sun discs glowed as they worked their spell to break the barrier.  On their third try, they broke it.  Mo Yuan grinned when they broke it.  He didn't anticipate what they would try next.  They went straight to the gate.  They tried to leave but Taowu stopped them.  They started there charm song.  Taowu put a barrier around them.  Getting angry they decided to join powers and blast him one.  He knew he could hurt them if he wished but he didn't want to.  Fed up with their tricks, he was about to grab them when their Fuqin appeared.  "I'll handle them, Taowu."  "Yes, Master."  "Would you boys care to explain yourselves?  You have been told time and again to leave the gate guardians alone."  "Fuqin, we just wanted to take a little trip.  He wouldn't let us out."  "It is his job to not let you out.  Now I've had enough of your shenanigans.  Come."  He jumped them back to their room.  He was about to lock them in again when they begged.  "Fuqin, please don't lock us in.  We promise to not prank anybody anymore.  Please?  We can read our books in the library or by mother or where ever you want us to be.  Please?"  "Tell me why I should trust you?"  They both hugged his legs.  One on each side.  Having eyes so much like his own look up at him pleading, softened him.  Just a little.  "Alright.  You will stay with me.   We have work to do so come now.  I will provide your books."
     It was worse than they thought.  Fuqin was a busy man.  When he read scrolls, they read books.  When he taught classes, they read books or listened.  When he taught weaponry, they listened carefully and learned too.  They had taken to practicing when they were there.  The other twins came too.  Fuqin taught advanced warfare in the afternoons.  They were there.  They soaked up the lessons like sponges.  It was these lessons that saw Bai Xue, Mo JinDe, Baohu, Chen Bo, Chin Chu and Mo Junjie come to learn.  They stared in curiosity.  They thought Da ge and Er ge too old to learn.  They were wrong.  JinDe was learning a move from his Fuqin when he saw Taiyang execute it with total brilliance.  "Fuqin, call Taiyang out here.  He can do this move."  "He's too young."  "Trust me, please?"  He shrugged and called.  "Taiyang, come here, please!"  Eager to learn, he ran forward.  "Yes, Fuqin?"  "Make the same move I just made with your Er ge."  He set them up and stood back.  "Begin!"  With perfect precision JinDe and Taiyang went back and forth.  JinDe had to admit to himself he had to be careful or Taiyang would cut him.  Finally he managed to knock the boy down.  Taiyang huffed and crossed his arms on his chest as he sat flat on his rear.  "That was a great display of swordsmanship.  Tell me how you learned it."  "I watch you, Fuqin.  You best teacher ever!"  "I see.  Starting tomorrow, you and Zhenzhu will receive advanced lessons too.  But now, you have a new lesson.  Come with me."  He led them to the music room.  "You know that I am the God of Music.  I'm going to teach you to play any instrument you wish to learn.  Pick one."  Zhenzhu knew what he wanted right away.  "I wish to learn to play the Dizi, Fuqin.  I like the sound of it."  "And you, Taiyang?"  "Me too.  A pretty one, please."  He sat them down at a low table and sat opposite them.  He started moving his hands in the air.  He worked intricate movements until he produced a beautiful white dizi with gold trim and writing on it.  It had a red tassel on the end.  He handed it to Taiyang.  The little boy was ecstatic.  It was beautiful and it had his name on it.  "Oh, Fuqin!  Is it all mine?"  "It's all yours!  Now let me make one for Zhenzhu."  He worked his hands the same and produced a beautiful golden dizi.  Zhenzhu was bouncing.  "It has my name!  Thank you, Fuqin!"  Before he could show them anything, they put the instruments to their lips and started playing the lullaby.  He was stunned to say the least.  "You did that, didn't you, Mother?"  The smell of jasmine filled the air and he laughed!  "Come let's go show your Mother what you have learned!" 
     The hall was full of guests when Mo Yuan walked in with the little boys.  He grinned.  They were about to get a surprise.  They ran to their mother.  "Mother, Fuqin made us dizis to play!  See?  May we play for you?"  She smiled and nodded.  They sat together on a cushion by their Fuqin and started playing their lullaby.  In harmony.  Perfect pitch harmony.  It was glorious.  Their music had the hall mesmerized.  Some cried from the sheer beauty of it.  Some hung their heads as if to smell the aroma of jasmine that wafted through the room. Others looked skyward as if visions were before them.  Mo Yuan saw his Mother watching from the side.  Her smile was glorious and she nodded her approval.  When they finished, they looked for approval from their mother.  The whole room broke out in applause.  Bai Qian looked at Mo Yuan and smiled.  "It seems there are two new gods of music in the house!"  "So it seems!  Come to Fuqin!"  They ran to him and he sat one on each knee.  "Tell Fuqin how you learned to play so well without lessons from me!  You both play beautifully.  I'm very proud."  "Zumu teach us."  "Zumu?  Which Zumu?  I haven't seen her here."  "She's right over there. See Fuqin?"  He looked to where they pointed.  His mother smiled and nodded and then left.  "I see.  I never knew my mother, but my Fuqin told me she could play any instrument and played beautiful songs.  That song you played was one she played before I was born.  Fuqin is very happy you can play like this.  Any time you wish to entertain us, please do.  Now it's time for tea and snacks.  I'm thinking you should have cake!"
     Ascension energy had been buzzing around the mountain for a week.  Mo Yuan was keeping an eye on Taiyang and Zhenzhu.  He knew their trial was near.  Fenli and Ali had just endured their trial a month before, Jin and Shing two weeks before.  He had brought them to the lotus pond for a music session when the clouds started gathering.  "Stand over here boys!  Hurry!  Your ascension trial is upon you!  Be brave my sons, be brave!!"  Taiyang was staring at his Fuqin with full blown fear.  Zhenzhu was ok.  When the first bolt struck Taiyang, he screamed.  Zhenzhu too.  Two more bolts struck them and they both screamed with each one.  Die Feng came running at the last bolt.  "Die Feng!  Find Jinzi!  Hurry!"  Both boys lay on the rocks by the pond.  Jinzi came running with his mother in tow.  "Jinzi!  I don't know why but they both screamed with the last two bolts.  Please check them!"  Slowly Jinzi scanned his Xiao Didis.  "Fuqin, they are ok.  Maybe it affected them differently than any of the rest of us.  See how the sun discs are glowing?  Let's move them to their room.  I will check on them until they wake.  Then we can question them."  Mo Yuan sat with them for three days.  He would go eat and come back.  On the third day, Taiyang woke up looking for his Fuqin.  "Fuqin!  Fuqin!"  "I'm here!  Fuqin is here!"  He held the boy to his chest and hugged him.  "Can you tell Fuqin how you feel?  Why did you scream?  Fuqin has been very worried about you!"  Zhenzhu woke up at that moment looking for his Fuqin.  He, too, was distressed.  They both were whining and holding him.  He called Jinzi.  "Tell Fuqin why you both screamed.  No one has done that before.  Are you in pain?  Should Fuqin get medicine for you?"  Taiyang sniffled and spoke first.  "Fuqin, my head hurts really bad!  Please get Jinzi!  I screamed because my head hurt."  Mo Yuan was worried, but he tried not to let it show.  He was hugging them both when Jinzi came to them.  "Si ge, my head hurts bad!"  Jinzi scanned Taiyang and then Zhenzhu.  "Fuqin, I'm going to call Zhe Yan here.  I can see no reason why they should have headaches.  Can you tell me more?"  "When the second bolt hit, they screamed for it and the third bolt.  They both woke up complaining of a headache.  I'm very worried, Jinzi.  I've never seen anything like this happen before."  Zhe Yan arrived within an hour.  He examined both boys and his concern was plain to see.  "It seems their pain is centralized around the sun discs.  I'm going to call Dijun here.  We need to keep them quiet for now.  Sleeping potions should do the trick.  Let's give them one now."  Taiyang resisted.  "No!  If you put me to sleep, I'll never see Fuqin again!  Please just give me pain medicine!  Don't put me to sleep!!"  "Taiyang, why would you think you would never see me again?"  "Because I'll go blind!  I'll go blind!!  Don't Fuqin!  Please don't!!"  "Alright then, but you must rest and let us try to figure out what has happened.  Can you do that?"  "Taiyang will lay on bed with cold rag on head.  I'll be still."  "And you Zhenzhu?  Do you feel the same?"  Zhenzhu was very quiet and hadn't said much.  He just moaned and stared straight ahead.  "Zhenzhu?  My son are you ok?"  "Fuqin, I'm blind!  I'm blind!"  Zhe Yan looked into his eyes and stared.  He could see nothing.  "Mo Yuan!  Go get Dijun now!  Hurry!!"  Taiyang screamed, "Fuqin, don't leave me!  Please don't leave me!"  Mo Yuan called for Ye Hua.  In minutes he was there.  "Da ge!  What's wrong!"  "Ye Hua, go get Dijun.  Tell him it's an emergency.  He is needed here as fast as he can get here!  Hurry!"  Ye Hua jumped out so fast the ground shook.
     Ye Hua landed at the South gate.  He rushed to Taichen Palace.  Si Ming met him at the door.  "I need to see Dijun right away.  There is an emergency at Kunlun that requires his aide.  Tell him!"  Si Ming led Ye Hua to Dijun.  "Why are you in such a hurry Tianjun?  Is there a problem?"  "Dijun, Mo Yuan sent me to get you.  He told me to tell you it is an emergency and would you please come.  It concerns his youngest boys and their ascension trial."  Dijun stood, grabbed Ye Hua and cloud jumped.  They were on Kunlun in minutes.  Ye Hua led him straight to the youngest boys room.  Mo Yuan was holding both boys to his chest and crying.  "Dijun!  Help them please?  Something happened during their trial.  They both screamed with the last two bolts.  They both woke up with severe headaches centralized around the sun discs on their forehead.  Zhenzhu is blind.  Taiyang says if we make him sleep, he too, will be blind.  What has happened?"  Dijun took Zhenzhu from Mo Yuan and held him in his own lap.  He knew how Mo Yuan felt.  He examined the boy carefully.  "I have questions for you.  When Jinlong raped Bai Qian, just exactly what did he do?  Did he mark her in any way?  I need to know."  Jinlong came forth and sighed.  "Must I be made to pay for my sin for eternity?  Must my children suffer because of me forever?  I swear by all of Kunlun that if these boys do indeed go blind because of me, I will end my worthless life on the blade of Xuan Yuan.  I will not live another moment.  Not. One. More. Moment!  Do you hear me?  I won't!!"  "Calm down before I slap some sense into you!  Did you mark her as your vanquished prey?  If you did, you created a quandary.  She was already marked as your mate.  What would happen if you marked her as prey?  Is it possible that your seed marked these twins, even though that should have been impossible?"  Jinlong thought long and hard.  He hung his head as he remembered every minute detail of what he had done.  His eyes swirled like the sun as he looked at Dijun.  "The sun discs.  That is my mark.  I cursed my children.  I cursed them.  Remove the sun discs.  It must be done."  "You have to do it, Jinlong.  You must be the one to save them.  If you can't or won't, then they will die, because they can't handle the power surge.  They have a high level of cultivation.  I'll tell you what to do.  Now come, stop blaming yourself and save them.  It is your redemption and their need to bond with you."  Jinlong nodded.  "What must I do?  Show me!"  "Scan the disc and tell me what you feel.  Do it now."  Jinlong held his hand over the disc on Zhenzhu's head.  He felt something, but he didn't know what it was.  "I feel something but I don't know what it is.  It's like some sort of growth."  "I felt the same but I wasn't sure.  You must use your essence to call the growth back to yourself.  Concentrate your essence in your hand and do it.  We are here for support.  Do it!"  For a very short slice of a second, he drew power to himself.  He let his essence build and a glow appeared in the palm of his hand.  He laid his hand on Zhenzhu's head and transferred his essence.  The boy calmed and then screamed in intense pain.  Jinlong almost stopped when he heard that pain expressed in such anguish, but he knew he had to save his son.  The glow grew brighter and then extinguished.  He removed his hand and sighed.  Slowly Zhenzhu opened his eyes and smiled.  "I see you, Fuqin!  I see you!"  He turned and did the same for Taiyang.  "Fuqin, it doesn't hurt anymore!"  He sat down and took them into his arms.  His baby boys, so marked and scarred by Jinlong's violence, had been healed.  He purred to them, hung his head and cried.