Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 5 - Orchid Teachings

The Valley of Orchids.

Following behind Lanhua, Bai Qian could not believe the sheer beauty she was surrounded by.  Having left the garden where she had just learned of Mo Yuans fate and the part she would have to play in order to save him, along with Gaogui and Ye Hua, her eyes found it very difficult to remain on one thing.  

Buildings that seemed to disappear into the purplish coloured sky were what finally held her gaze long enough to grasp the sheer genius of their world.  Every building was symmetrically perfect, yet what gave the viewer the impression they were not, was the endless movement of color that flared across their surface, though what the material was, she did not know.

Some buildings were topped with domes, others with spires but all of them seemed to have a life of their own.  The colours themselves, were actually a part of the material, which was solid and tangible yet sheer and translucent, almost unstable like oil.  They were beautiful and eye catching and everywhere she looked, trees grew, flowers bloomed and flashes past her by.

"Your world is beautiful." she gasped as more flashes passed them by which she had now figured out were the people themselves.  Even their mode of transport was amazing, and that Lanhua had chosen to walk, had her realizing he was doing so for her benefit.

"Thank you.  Many of the buildings that you can see are residences.  We share our lives, including our comforts." he said softly as he then turned off the path they were on towards what looked to be more buildings but on a much smaller scale and though these too moved with color, they were not as vibrant as the larger buildings.

"These buildings were created by our children, they are their own learning establishments." he said softly as the sound of laughter could be heard coming from one of them.

"Children?" she asked, having never given any thought to children let alone the thought that these people would actually breed.  Well why wouldn't they? she thought before kicking herself for such a stupid question.

Smiling at her, Lanhua ignored the question having heard her thoughts clearly.  "Each group of children aim for higher learning, so each building conveys the stage they are at.  The higher their stage, the more lively the colors become." he said as several of their children suddenly erupted from the one of the buildings to greet their Overlord and then her.

Gasping at them all in awe, she could not help but notice how very tiny they were, nor how close in appearance they were to Lanhua.  Long white hair, and blue eyes, which danced and gleamed as they looked up at her, but what really struck her as odd, as there was no form of bowing or acknowledgement for his rank that she could discern.

"There is no ranking system here." he said reading her thoughts once again, while the children took turns to touch her. "Every soul, no matter how small or advanced, is precious and equal.  The term Overlord, is one your people gave me in order to create understanding and order for a concept they do not understand." he explained gently.  

But she understood perfectly, this was an ideal world, one that had reached a stage where the soul no longer needed confirmation of its importance through rank or wealth, a stage her world could only dream of.

"Mother of Gaogui, please come and visit with us." One of them said smiling up at her with his hand out.

With widened eyes, she looked down at the child and then back at Lanhua.  "The children know me and my son?" she asked which gained her a round of soft laughter from every child there and a small polite smile from Lanhua.

"A touch is all it takes to know you." he said as several others moved forward to touch her in order to not only read her aura but her origin and character.  All of which gave them a very good overview of the kind of person she was, and knowing that Gaoguis mother was due to arrive, it was obvious she was his mother by her origin.