A Tear Frozen in Time

Memories

In disbelief, she stood staring at the man with his face and one she had also once loved.  But that was a different world and a different time, only to be in the same room with both of them present instantly had her defences rising.  Had Mo Yuan invited him? she wondered as he slowly began to inch his way towards her which just as quickly brough Mo Yuan to his feet.

"Ye Hua, what brings you here?" he asked not so gently and forcing his brothers attention onto himself seeing as it looked as if he was about to eat her.  The desire in his eyes was clearly evident to everyone in that hall, and none more so than Bai Qian who felt physically ill.  

"I ......" he stumbled now unsure entirely of why he was even there.  It felt as if every thought in his head had scrambled at the mere sight of her and though he was trying very hard to pull himself together, the look on her face had him moving even quicker to close the gap between them.

"Ye Hua.  Perhaps we can take this to my study." Mo Yuan suggested while also quickly closing the gap while his Disciples watched on in confused interest.  Something in the air had defintely changed, they could all feel it only Mo Yuan was not happy with this new development and nor was he liking the way Ye Hua was looking at her.

In fact, it was his reaction to Ye Hua that seemed to draw the most attention.  To his Disciples, their Shifu was normally in tight control of himself and rarely allowed them see his emotions, only the sudden flare of something in his eyes and the almost antagonistic way Ye Hua was reacting to him along with the sudden change in atmosphere coming from her, had many of them rising to their feet unsure of what was happening but ready to react to it should they be needed.

"What makes you think he is here to see you?" she suddenly asked with a spark of annoyance in his direction and forcing Mo Yuan onto the back foot having not been prepared for the sudden flare of mischief that also came out of nowhere.

"That's right, I am here to see you Qian Qian." Ye Hua replied for him and quickly forcing himself between them to smile down at the face of an angel that was furious as hell seeing as she still believed that Mo Yuan had invited him there to piss her off.

And suddenly the urge to talk to this man began to overwhelm her.  She knew if she didn't deal with him soon, he would only keep coming back to hound her now that he knew who she was and before Mo Yuan could pull her back seeing as his hand was already in the air and ready to take hold of her arm, she just as quickly took hold of Ye Huas arm and began to walk him back out of the Hall and leaving Mo Yuan now standing behind her just as furious.

She knew that what she had just done would be misconstrued, but at that moment she didn't care one bit for Mo Yuans jealousy which she could feel hitting her back as she led his brother down the stairs and nor did she care what her brothers were thinking either, seeing as Die Feng looked as if he were about to drag her back having immensely disliked the way she had just addressed his Shifu, Queen of Qing Qiu or not.

Whatever any of them thought was not in her mind as she then led him off the Mountain.  She had things to say and having drawn it out long enough, she planned set in motion a part of her plan there and then.

Leading him away from the Mountain now that they were at the Obelisk, she could feel Mo Yuans energy following her all the way and though she was positive that Ye Hua could also feel it, he didn't seem to care, or if he did, he gave no reaction to it, instead, he allowed her to lead him away for a private talk which he had been trying to arrange for some time, only he had come up against brick walls everywhere he turned, including the Old Phoenix of the Peach Tree Grove that he had gone to visit in the hope that he would arrange a meeting for him.  

Zhe Yan however, had turned him down flat.  He might be the Crown Prince of the Celestial Heavens, but his Xiao Wu had cancelled their wedding engagement, that meant she had no interest in him or any meetings either for that matter and nor was he polite in his refusal.  He had all but cut Ye Hua off flat and leaving him to find his own way out of his Grove when he turned and entered his hut before closing the door in his face.