Choices and Consequences

The Queen of Qing Qiu

Qing Qiu

"I am the person you are looking for."  with the white lotus shimmering in her right palm.  Bai Qian faced Mo Yuan and Di Jun and added.  "Although I wasn't made aware of its existence, I believe as you do that the prophecy and this gift are intertwined with each other.  A war for the survival of all realms is imminent and we all have to be prepared for it." She then closed her palm. The silence that followed was deafening.

Mo Yuan was dumbfounded.  He doesn't understand why she has been chosen to carry his mother's mark and what it all means.  Is she the woman in Ye Hua's dream?  The thought of her being Ye Hua's intended hurts somehow.  He also felt an overriding feeling of wanting to protect her which confused him.  "Why? Why you?" the question tumbled off Mo Yuan's lips.  He couldn't help himself.  His composure and stoicism has deserted him.  The question sounded more accusing and interrogatory than he intended it to be.  Everyone around the table looked shocked by the manner of his questioning. 

Mo Yuan was about to apologise for his unruly behaviour when Bai Qian held up her left hand that stilled him.  With narrowed eyes and her displeasure clearly showing in her face, Bai Qian said "I will answer all your questions, God of War, but I will only do so in the presence of your brother.  For what  I have to say concerns both of you.  I will see you in Kunlun in seven days.  Ensure your brother's presence in the meeting then you'll have your answers.  Good day to both of you."  With a bow towards Di Jun.  She rose to her feet, told her parents that she was going back to the training ground then left.  Mo Yuan wanted to slap himself.  He just offended the only woman who has piqued his interest in over a hundred years. 

Bai Zhi who has so far kept his mouth shut during the exchange between his daughter and Mo Yuan, made his displeasure known, telling Mo Yuan that he was appalled by his behaviour.  As far as he is concerned his daughter's involvement and connection with the prophecy is the last thing he wants.   Qing Qiu has always kept itself out of the celestial realms affairs and for good reasons. His experience with previous wars has taught him that there are no winners, just families and lives shattered. If given the choice, his preference is for everyone to leave them alone to get on with their lives.

Mo Yuan profusely apologised to everyone.  He could not explain his reaction to Bai Qian's revelation but it's still not an excuse for his behaviour.  Dong Hua decided to steer the conversation away from Mo Yuan by asking Bai Zhi "Is the impending war the reason for Qing Qiu suddenly forming an army?  How many are you training?" Bai Zhen answered on behalf of his father "we are training 5,000 elite fighters and over 120,000 soldiers in 10 divisions.  Each division is skilled in hand to hand combat and weaponry.  The elite brigade are all skilled in our realm's magic." 

Empress Bai Meili added that the army has been trained to protect Qing Qiu should the impenetrable barrier that protects the realm falls.  The tactics and formation that they have been practicing were devised by Bai Qian with input from Bai Zhi, Bai Yi, and Bai Ming.  Each member of the Bai family will lead a division including Bai Feng Jiu.  Both Mo Yuan and Dong Hua were intriqued and interested to know more about the tactics and formations but Zhe Yan told them that they both need Bai Qian's permission to observe the training and discuss the formations.  Mo Yuan then decided to broach the subject during their meeting in Kunlun. 

Dong Hua's interest was focused on how he can ensure Feng Jiu's safety.  He can't allow her to lead an army to war.  It will put her life in danger.  Although a skilled fighter, she is still too young to be exposed to a full blown war.  Notwithstanding the threat of the prophecy hanging in her head, she should be allowed to enjoy her young life.  "Bai Zhi, I need to see Feng Jiu personally to cast the protection spell. Since the protection spell will work better if it's cast when the person is asleep, I will visit her together with Zhe Yan under an invisibility spell tonight.  I hope that's agreeable to you?"  Both Bai Zhi and the Empress nodded their heads in assent.