Three Wars and a Goddess

Impatience

Mo Yuan thought he had waited long enough for Bai Qian to come out of seclusion and not wanting to deal with her mother who could be damn scary, even to a war hardened War God, he immediately jumped to Qing Qiu to search her out.  He had no idea where her meditation cave was but from what he had heard, it was nowhere near the den but it was where he took himself anyway.

On arrival, he was met by her tree sprite Mi Gu who politely informed him that she was in meditation and could not be disturbed.

"Where is her cave?" he asked sternly down at the sprite who withered under the heat of his glare, and being injured did not help matters, because to Mi Gus eyes, the War God looked just as scary to him as The Empress had looked to Mo Yuan.  And nor did he argue, he immediately gave him directions.

Situated deep in the heart of Qing Qiu, her seclusion cave was in an area he had never visited before, but rather than have the sprite lead him, he decided to walk.  His injuries were not overly heavy and the fresh air would do him good, but he did take a few moments to magically clean himself up.  The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her people with his unruly appearance, and by the time his hair was neat and every strand was in place, his wounds healed enough and his robes straightened, he was ready to go.

Entering the heart of Qing Qiu, his sudden appearance instantly raised brows and though many stopped to stare, a few did approach to greet him warmly.  The War Gods presence among them instantly had them knowing who he was searching for, but their Queen had given strict orders not to disturb her so none offered to lead, though a few were willing if he asked.  But he did not, instead he stopped to chat amicably while also taking in the atmosphere and he was pleasantly surprised by how simple they all lived without a hint of magic anywhere,  yet they were all happy. 

And this made him happy, because it gave him an even deeper insight into their Queen who was proving to be more likeable by the second if he even thought that was possible.  With Qian Qian, he knew his life would be meaningful and without pretense because regardless of her power and ability to rule with a heavy hand, she was just as simple in nature as her people which meant he had no reservations in how she would manage as the Mistress of Kunlun.  If anything he saw a woman who perfectly matched him, his own desires and way of life.

Leaving her people to talk excitedly among themselves, he left the small market area and made his way towards the edge of their township that saw many of their homes clustered together in tight groups, until eventually he found himself at the edge of a thick forest that was alive with the sounds of birdsong.  

Quickly making his way in, he opened his energy to feel out her own while enjoying the beauty of the natural world she had created for herself.  Everywhere he looked, the forest was rich with the beauty of nature, but what he loved the most, was the natural way it had been allowed to flourish without any landscaping or interference of any kind.  The birds and wild life that lived there were a far cry from what he'd had to deal with on his own Mountain only that morning.  These animals were friendly to the point of being overly affectionate and many came to greet him with a nudge of their noses, or a flutter of wings that lightly flapped against his head.

But somewhere in among the lavish beauty he was allowing himself to lose his mind to, a sudden yet gentle throb of energy began to reach him.  It was a subtle movement in the air and the closer he got to it, the more at peace he began to feel.  

It had been over ten years since he had last seen her, and at that time, she had not looked her best, in fact she looked so unwell, that he could not help but feel a rush of sadness to see her in a state that was so unlike the true nature of the woman which he was literally breathing in and seeing with his own eyes.