Three Lives, Three Worlds: Jasmine's Fate [Hiatus]

Reminiscence 16 - "The Battle of the Princesses"

Numbness...

Was that even the right word to use under the circumstances?

4th Junior had been a ghost of himself when he had first come back from the Ghost Realm. Thereafter, Die Feng had been there to witness the anxiety eating away at Shang Ling day after day. And he had been present when 4th Junior had left again, with only a few words of assurance that he would return in a few days.

How had he failed to take action, to protect his Junior once again?

How many more would have to suffer for this endless war?

He tried to accept the harsh reality of their existence. He was a man who had lived through countless battles, and none had been easy.

But this time, it felt personal. This time, he was an integral part of this war. A catalyst, a pawn, yet an unwilling participant. No matter how much he wanted to rationalize, the unsettling guilt never subsided.

Leave it to Shang Ling to surprise them all with his actions. When they had received word of his dire condition, they couldn't comprehend how he got himself into such a predicament. 4th Junior had always been rational, calculative.... strategic...he never ventured into any situation without backup. Who would have thought that without even a plan, Shang Ling would crash into the Ghost Realm to protect his disciple, without even a thought for his own well-being. It was almost like a deja vu for the Disciples of Kunlun, with the difference that Shang Ling could not even use his powers properly.

Shang Ling had always been different. He had grown up privileged, more privileged than most of the Disciples of Kunlun. He was arrogant, hardly attached himself to others. A man who barely acknowledged the existence of other immortals besides his brothers in arms, a few friends and family members. For him to be this reckless for a child from another tribe was beyond anything they could comprehend. But despite the consequences...they knew they would have done the same, though admittedly with better thought-out strategy.

With the back of his hand, Die Feng grazed over Shang Ling's cheek. His Junior had fallen fast asleep after tiring himself talking endlessly about how much he had failed them, apologizing for leaving abruptly, and for not involving his brothers in the dangerous mission.

Die Feng had assured him he had done nothing wrong, and that they would bring him to High God Zhe Yan for treatment as soon as his condition improved enough for them to move him. With the war still ongoing, Die Feng couldn't bring all of his Juniors to the Ghost Realm. While 8th Junior Mei Shu busied himself with an elixir, 5th Junior Zheng You, 4th's closest confidente, was also present assisting with bandage changes. Besides, Zheng You was here because unlike them, he could still use his magic in this Realm due to his mixed demon blood.

Zi Lan was absent when they first arrived. Thankfully, the resourceful 5th had already found out 16th's quarters were sealed by instruction of the Ghost Princess, right before she and her army had departed. Gods knew what Zi Lan had done for such treatment, but they had a feeling the Princess must have her reasons and 16th probably deserved it.

But they knew, they couldn't leave him to his own devices if she was still absent when they had to leave. The Ghost Princess might hold great powers, but there were still those who wished him harm. It took them more than a day to convince General Yang Jie, who never hid his distaste for their presence, to allow them to have a short visit with Zi Lan. Unexpectedly, Zi Lan looked perfectly content. But Die Feng knew better than to trust his Junior's calm demeanor.

Deception had always been his forte.

Zi Lan grinned brightly. He was dressed in dark blue, his hair was tied back with black ties, so unlike his usual Kunlun garb. Die Feng reflected that he had missed his Junior's energy from millenia ago. 16th looked like he fit into the Ghost Realm nicely, despite the fact that he was a prisoner now. Surprisingly, his energy came alive here, even without his cultivation. "Senior, I haven't seen you for a while. How did you become worse for wear?" 16th asked dryly.