Scions of Heaven - Calamity

Chapter 5

"Since Creation rests in your hands, pardon my ignorance, what is it you want inquire from the Stone of Destiny? You are not one to be puzzled about Heaven's will." Pillowbook 2, Chapter 16

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Dong Hua had not needed to meet with the current Tianjun in over a hundred years and was mildly surprised by what he saw. Physically he was the same as the last time Dong Hua had seen him. Tianjun's hair was the same uniform white it had been for a while. The deep crags of wrinkles now lining his face were a bit deeper, but that was all. Tianjun's mind which had always been a bit slow in Dong Hua's opinion had only slowed further with time.

No what had been surprising was his spirit, there was as shaky and ephemeral quality to it. It was immediately obvious to Dong Hua that the current Tianjun was dying. Not of any malady or injury, but simply old age. Hao De's lifespan would be short for a dragon, considering they could live for at least 500,000, Hao De's would be only a little over 300,000. The reasons for such an early demise could be many, stress, lack of focus on cultivating during his lifetime, or a hundred other reasons. Dong Hua did not care to know why, only that it was certain that Hao De Tianjun would die.

It seemed Ye Hua would be sitting on the Throne of Heaven and beginning his reign as the eighth Tianjun sooner than planned.

Sometime in the next fifty years Hao De son of An Yuan would lie down to sleep and find himself in the realm of nothingness. Had no one else noticed? Or was everyone merely not mentioning it out of politeness? He supposed of all the beings left in the world, only he, Mo Yuan and Buddha were the ones able to see such things clearly.

In any case Tianjin's slowed mind was part of the reason it had taken him nearly a full day to get the man to leave the matter of the Ghost Realm fully in his hands. The key issue finally addressed Tianjun shifted the conversation. The man attempted -and failed- to subtly boast about the gift he had prepared for the upcoming celebration of Dong Hua's daughter's birth two months hence.

Dong Hua listened with only half an ear as his thoughts were preoccupied with thoughts of the Ghost Tribe, Heavens Throne and Fengjiu. He realised he should contact Fengjiu after this meeting was over to inform her that he would be back a day or so later than planned. He'd need to talk to Ye Hua and Bai Qian too, but that could wait until tomorrow, Hao De would not be dying so soon.

From his sleeve a voice called his name, a mere whisper of sound escaped from the mirror he had just been thinking about. It was Fengjiu, and he had never heard her voice so weak before. Without word or movement he teleported to the bells.

And quickly tried to suppress the shiver of fear that crept into his mind when he realised he was in the Fox Den and Fengjiu was not. The bells were sitting innocently on her bedside table. Why was she not wearing them? No, that thought was irrelevant, and would not help him find her any faster. He moved quickly through the Fox Den and called for Mi Gu.

"Diju-" Came the surprised greeting from Mi Gu.

"Where is Xiao Bai?" He interrupted, not allowing the tree spirit to finish.

"S-she went walking, around Qing Qiu."

The Kingdom of Qing Qiu held the largest amount of territory among all the eight wildernesses, and his wife was somewhere out there, likely injured.

"Did she say where, specifically? Or anything else?" He demanded.

"N-no, just that she might visit the Peach Forest" Came the worried and somewhat fear filled response. He could not find it in himself to care that he was scaring Mi Gu right now, it was not important.