In Darkness

Blossoming

Bai Qian smiles down at Nianzu as she returns to the dining area inside of the small, beautiful inn. Setting down an empty cup, she moves to put the cloth that she just used to tote the steamed buns back only to stop in her tracks at the sight of Mo Yuan waiting by the door, "How did you-"

"His grandparents told me to tell you that they were returning to their hut. Could we take him to class?" It wasn't a lie -- only he had been the one to offer to take him to his lectures when the female figurine started complaining about having a sore back after chasing around Nianzu all morning in the city.

"Is Waipo okay?" Nianzu looks up at Bai Qian, walking over quickly to tug on her sleeve.

"I'm sure she's fine, she's just getting old," Bai Qian offers quietly before nodding her agreement in Mo Yuan's direction.

"Nianzu, my sweet boy, go get your school supplies, Guma will take you to school." From her spot by the table she always used, Bai Mei Rong's voice quietly fills the air.

"Are you sure you should go?" Mo Yuan asks quietly, earning a small blush from Bai Qian, "Aren't you still..." 

"Very," Very, very hungover, Bai Qian thinks to herself after speaking. Summoning a familiar fur cloak, she wraps herself up in it before watching Nianzu skip off to get his school supplies. It's a miracle that she still feels a little drunk, considering the amount (or lack thereof) that she drank last night. She'll have to compliment Zhe Yan on his latest craft another day, however.

"If I let you take him to school alone, he will take you all over the city before he even thinks about going to class." Bai Qian grumbles.

Glancing outside, Mo Yuan fights his surprise at the sight of such late snowfall. It's still quite early in the day in the immortal realm. He hasn't been gone for three whole days yet, however. The court will be just fine with his absence for a few more minutes...

o~O~o~O~o

They had been followed, when he brought her back to Mount Junji, by a succubus from the ghost realm. Implanting herself within her dreams, the weak creature intended to use the opportunity to take advantage of the weakened fox princess, or so he assumed.

In reality, the demoness was there to check-up on her seal when they no longer received cultivation from her. They'd been using her as a power source for their master for over 45,000 years, or at least for as long as she's worked under Qing Cang.

Dong Hua Dijun allowed her entry, merely as a means to figure out what exactly was going on with the young fox spirit. As the only other person in the realm with no binding to another through the stone of incarnations, Dong Hua thought it his responsibility to at least see her recover. In all reality, he was even more curious now than he had been at Kunlun Mountain. 

Bai Feng Jiu had lunged at her with her whip in hand when she charged towards Dijun to get rid of the person intervening. Never once had anyone ever felt the need to protect him after taking the throne of the Nine Heavens all those years ago.

It left him with a small smile up until the point she ended getting tied up in binding ropes made of black miasma.

"With every move you make, your mind should act ahead of your body. Your weapon must be drawn by your body; only then can you achieve victory." He doesn't know exactly why he feels the need to instruct her. Her fighting skills were extraordinary and unmatched by most in the six realms. Every movement was as if her body delicately flowed in time with the whip, yet there was still room for improvement, for she let the weapon lead her.