Mo Yuan, Bai Qian, Ye Hua

Part 26

Post War.  Days of Mourning.

Qing Qiu.

The first of the Funerals began in Qing Qiu, with the death of Mi Gu, who unknown to Bai Qian, had died from his wounds suffered at the hands of the Celestial Tribes Gaol Guardians.  And it would be just one more debt they owed to Qing Qiu, their mounting debts no longer manageable.  

Only her Mother The Fox Empress had remained at Kunlun Mountain with a small team of Celestial aides to assist her in the care of Mi Gu and Die Feng and he died in her arms as she sang him Qing Qius song of eternity, her tears and heartbreak the last thing he saw of their world before he closed his eyes forever. 

 And with the arrival of her second senior Chang Songs body, her small team swelled as the Skylord issued her more aides to assist in preparing him for his Kunlun Mountain family to return, giving her no time to mourn as she took over his body and the funeral preparations. 

Thousands descended on Qing Qiu, as the most well known Tree Sprite in all the Realms was laid to rest.  Never had the Fox Clan known such sorrow as they did that day.  Feng Jiu, who had never dealt with death before couldn't manage the immense pain of the all the death assailing her now.  Bai Qian had to put her to sleep to prevent her from trying to follow after them, when she tried to force her way into the Celestial Palace to jump from Zhuxian Terrace.

But the one who hurt the most from his death was Bai Qian.  Without Mo Yuan, Her father or Zhe Yan by her side, she stoically oversaw the funeral ritual, when all she wanted to do was close the den and drink herself into oblivion.  It was only her mother and Si Gu, who kept her barely sane as she took her clan through the burial rites.

For three days and three nights, the Fox Clan extolled his virtues before the world.  Keeping his body fresh and clean as the Realms visited day and night to pay their respects, as was expected for a traditional Qing Qiu Funeral.  The belief that the soul lingers for three days, meant the body could not be returned to the land, until the spirit had left.

Mi Gu had come into her life when she was a mere child.  Over thousands of years, his tree form slowly cultivated itself, until he was able to take on human form within the great lands of Qing Qiu, where he instantly befriended the Fox Family, and became their most trusted servant and friend.  Before Mo Yuan, he was her closest confidante and alibi for every misdeed, when she needed him.

Now lying high on his pyre, Bai Qian's eulogy reflected the immense friendship he shared with the whole of Qing Qiu which included her own childhood memories of a man who would forever remain in her heart as the one who watched her grow from a naughty nine-tailed fox full of mischief to the woman she hoped he was truly proud of today.

Unable to light the pyre, which by now was completely surrounded by Peach Tree Blossoms and Qing Qiu offerings of food and wine, freshly delivered from the Qing Qiu Market Place,  Bai Zhen did it for her, as they all bowed low to his rising spirit, taken up by the smoke and flames to his eternal resting place in the Heavens.

"Goodbye my friend." she whispered as she collapsed into Bai Zhens arms, the pain too much for her already broken heart to bear.

Mi Gus ashes were laid to rest at the entrance to Qing Qiu. His cenotaph was created by the Qing Qiu folk.  It was a tree trunk that had been carved in his image so he would always be at the entrance to welcome their visitors.

4 Weeks later and to the surprise of everyone, a wee sapling began to grow right next to it.

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The Ghost Realm

The funeral for Qing Cang and Li Jing took on a more celebratory affair, as his Clan drank themselves into a stupor to honor the father and son.  Without a body to bury, the clan instead extolled Qing Cangs virtues through his son Li Jing, while sadly diminishing the few achievements he had made by eventually turning the combined funeral into a sole funeral for his father instead.