Choices

24 - Letting Go

"Be not disturbed at being misunderstood; be disturbed at not understanding." – Chinese Proverb

-------------------

After Liansong returned from his talk with Zhonglin and found the supposedly asleep Fengjiu missing, he went into crisis mode and, with studied calm, ordered the servants to scourge every nook and corner of Bihai Cangling. When the search failed to yield results, he dispatched his spies, and upon ascertaining where the fox princess ran to, sent an urgent missive to Dijun, then prepared himself for an early death and awaited Dijun's arrival.

"Her Highness was spotted at the Green Demon Lord's palace in the Southern Realms. Please allow me to make up for my lapse and retrieve her."

From where he kowtowed on the ground, yards away from where Dijun stood at the entrance to the Holy Blue Sea, Liansong trembled at the sudden howling winds that battered their surroundings out of nowhere. Just as his mind was going over the possible cruel punishments that Donghua Dijun had in store for him -- several centuries of being trapped in a cyclone, perhaps? -- the other man spoke, in a flat tone that belied the intensity of the tempest his emotions had summoned around them.

"Whatever for? If she truly wants to go, then she is free to do so."

The Third Prince lifted his face off the ground. Donghua stood with his back to him, ever regal, his hair and robes remaining still like calm waters amid a storm. His hands, however, were closed into fists, and Liansong thought he saw golden red blood seep from between the tightly held fingers.

"Dijun -- are you hurt?"

Donghua shrugged off his concern. "The Huiming Realm is on the verge of collapse. I did what I can to repair the seal, but it's only a matter of time." The head of silver hair turned, and Liansong shuddered at the utter blankness that he saw there. "Inform your father to convene a court session at once."

"As you command." The situation was dire, Liansong knew, yet still he felt compelled to add, "but, Dijun, your wedding..."

A parody of a smile crossed Donghua's lips. "How could there be one, when the bride is nowhere to be found?"

After he did as Dijun bid and delivered the Red Demon princess to Xu Yang, Liansong received word from his men: Her Highness had gone to see High Deity Zheyan at the Ten Miles Peach Orchard, then descended to the mortal realm.

Because this was an urgent matter, Liansong braved the lion's den that was the main hall of Bihai Cangling's stone palace (still simmering from the showdown between Donghua and Bai Zhi) to seek Dijun's counsel. Upon hearing the news, the silver-haired deity went still for a moment, before saying with utter serenity, "send someone trustworthy and capable to accompany her."

Liansong racked his brains for half a day, before he decided on the Second Prince of the Western Sea, Su Moye. His father, Lord Doumou, was trusted by Donghua Dijun, and Moye himself was a family friend of the Bais. As the most intelligent immortal in the Four Seas, Moye is more than capable, and also met the last but most important criteria that Donghua Dijun did not mention but nevertheless demanded -- Su Moye had no ties to Taichen Palace, and thus would not cause Fengjiu to harbor any suspicion.

Yet, capable though he was, it took Moye five immortal days of combing through the mortal worlds before he found Fengjiu, unconscious and wounded, her chest bleeding from where a poisonous demon sword had struck her with fatal intent. The Second Prince did what he could to stabilize the fox princess, and sent word at once to Liansong, who in turn took it upon himself to disrupt the Nine Heaven's emergency court session and whisper in Donghua's ear.