By The Will of the Gods

Love and War

Enetering the Fox Den, the first time he had ever been inside, Si Ming slowly spun around in the main den to take in the soft furnishings and sparsely decorated walls.  Several large shelving units held lit candles and other than  the plush fur rugs on the floor and a gaming table where chess was had been set up for a new game, there wasn't anything else to suggest that he had just entered the wealthiest Emperors home of them all.  The humbleness compared to the Celestial Heavens was like cheese to chalk.  But surprisingly, it was not unpleasant, if anything, he felt very much at home in the Fox Den.  There was genuine warmth and a feeling of family within the interior and as he glanced about for any movement or sound, Tian Ming quietly moved from chamber to chamber taking in the Tree Sprite who dozing in the corner of the main room, The Emperor who was busy in his study, The Empress who was making a meal and the Foxes youngest son Bai Zhen who was in the process of leaving for the far North.

"We must move as quickly as possible." his soft tone spoke to the little sparrow sitting on the main table waiting for orders.  "You can help me search Princess Bai Qians chamber, then if we find nothing of interest, you can spread yourself out towards their people, while I search The Emperors study." he said before turning towards what could only have been the girls chamber, being highly feminine and unoccuplied.

They searched drawers, cupboards, under her bed, within the bedding, under rugs and even the pockets of every single piece of clothing to no avail.  Nothing was left unturned, but as they quiclkly made their way back towards the door, it was becoming obvious that if she did have it, then it was on her person.

"When you get to the marketplace, pay attention to every conversation.  Just make sure you are not seen." Tian Ming said as he himself left for Bai Zhis study.  

The man was still writing and going by the expression on his face, whoever he was writing to, was not pleasant but with just a small flicker of energy, Bai Zhi was put to sleep.  His barrier was already up over the door, and passing through it had been no problem, in fact he was grateful for it, because it kept everyone else out and with time to look around without the need to rush, he quickly set about opening scrolls and documents that might give an indication of where the girl might be while also learning how far into the war effort the Emperor was.  

Scroll after scroll came close to mentioning the girl, and most were from family as well as the Realms Leaders.  Men the Emperor had daily dealings with and contained all manner of deals he had struck with them, from marriage alliances for his people to the use of his lands for breeding purposes.  In all there was nothing untoward that he could see, and from what he had taken the time to read, The Emperor was not only thorough in his dealings, he was also fair, so it wasn't hard to imagine why so many sought to align themselves with the Foxes through his daughter, because he was also very generous to those who were so in kind.

Thinking he had seen enough, his sight suddenly fell on a small box labelled Kunlun Mountain.  Curious, seeing as Mo Yuan had now found himself in a marriage alliance with the girl, he opened it.  And no sooner did hundreds of letters emerge, then the confusion rose.

Detailing the progress his Seventeenth Disciple was making, one he remembered seeing at the Palace not long after the snow began, Tian Ming wasn't sure what to make of the reports.  He knew that Kunlun Mountain was a school for boys and having seen the boy himself, he couldn't help but wonder why the Emperor was receiving reports on the child.  And then it hit when he went right back to the boys first day.  

According to the report, the child was a wild fox that The Medicine God Zhe Yan had found and sent to Kunlun Mountain for tuition.  It was obvious then, that seeing as the child was a Fox, then the Emperor had taken it upon himself to care for the boy by ensuring he received a good education which he would in turn use for the betterment of his people.  And he came to that conclusion, because of Bai Zhis dealings with Qing Qius youth who were all given every opportunity to succeed and flourish.