By The Will of the Gods

Fated to Fate

Slowly making his way to the Lotus Pond, Mo Yuans mind went back over the years she had spent under him as his Disciple.  Every mischief, every tear and every smile filled his mind.  It was difficult to believe that she would not be a part of his Mountain in the way that he knew her, because the entire mountain including its valleys and springs knew her voice, her laughter and her tears.  But he knew if he was to gain any chance at all with her, she could not be allowed a Discipleship this time around.  

And this had him wondering if this was the reason why their time had been reset.  The Three ancient ones that ruled the Upper Heavens had certainly given him that impression, and it was the only explanation as to why he had been allowed to keep his memories of that time, one that they could both share as a private memory.

Her mischief had certainly gotten out of hand, so he understood too, that he was being made to face his own weaknesses when it came to her.   He had never been able to affectively punish her when he should have, instead he had allowed the tears and youthful exuberance to cloud his judgement and even prevent him from thinking clearly, when it was obvious now that something was amiss from the beginning and all clues definitely led back to Kunlun Mountain..

Of all the mischief ever to come out of his school, hers had to top them all, yet no one but the two of them would ever know about it and that had him wondering how much of it she had learned from.  To make her seniors sick was one thing, but to banish the entire Demon Tribe who had actually done nothing wrong, and then to interfere in marriage alliances was an entirely different matter.  Though of course, being a girl and possibly having a crush on her Shifu was all very normal and what he should expect from a female student, but to actually marry off her one rival off to the Prince of the Ghost Tribe and thus making her an instant enemy of the Celestial Palace was actually quite clever whether that was her intention or not.

And that then had him thinking about the crush she might have on him.  Because to date, no real conversations had taken place to give him any indication of her feelings for him.  Rather there had been incidences that suggested it was so, and the most obvious was the way she had reacted to Yao Guangs affections for him.  The jealousy was all too real but it was the way she had called him 'Her Shifu' that put a little bounce in his step as he turned the final corner that would take him through the archway to the Lotus Pond.

He clearly remembered they way she had grasped at his arm possessively rather than protectively and nor did he mistake the way her embaraces had changed over the years.  Initially the hugs had been child like and very endearing, but as she grew, her embraces became more intimate even with the tears, but the most telling of all that she had feelings for him, was what she had written in her diary.

She had willed the Gods to gift her a marriage to him, and seeing as The Three Ancient Ones had said nothing to the contrary, he took that as a given that the Heavens were in agreement and with this thought in mind, the smile rose significantly.

He knew exactly where to find her, she was sitting where she had always sat and not only was she staring straight back at him, but there was a look on her face he had hoped he would one day see.

For a moment, he remained just inside the archway staring back at her.  Every manner of emotion was passing through her eyes as she stared back at him.  She may have reverted back to her younger self, but he felt no guilt for the desire he had for her.  She was after all of marriageable age and the desire for him was there for the entire world to see.

"Did you deny me a place among the Disciples in order to marry me?" she asked outright and seeming far older than she actually was.  In fact, the look in her eyes along with question only made her seem far older than what she was before the reset, as if she had literally matured overnight because there was nothing childlike about the way she was looking at him now.