Diamond Hearts, Frozen Souls

⋘5⋙ Pressure

[Year of Méiguī Lóng, Century of Luòrì]

"I do," Xue Hua released an exasperated sigh, tossing all the values North Academy and everything Tiantang had taught her about relationships between males and females. Even the god beside her went rigid like the trees of his land. His subtle reaction tugged a smile onto her lips. "Mo Sha, so that is your name. I do not know what to make out of all this. I mean, one day I did not know this place existed and the next, I found that I was promised to someone before birth? My parents must have had a reason and something tells me you know."

Still lying on the bed, the weary god dug a hand into his hair and his frosty aura would have transformed Xue Hua into an ice sculpture if it was not for her nature. It was too early to tell her yet it was not his decision to make - whether to tell her anything, half of the truth or nothing. Despite spending days rehearsing what he wanted to say, his mouth dried up and he choked on words. With a constricting chest, the god lay flat as a piece of rice paper.

His hands reached behind Xue Hua to grab a pillow, bringing it to hug against his chest. Of course, his stalling irritated the woman so he dove into the story's beginning. "Approximately seventeen thousand years ago, I was happily sitting in my home during about a few million years of seclusion - I did not keep track of time during the endless self-administered exile. Unfortunately, pesky beings called Immortals plucked courage from trees and dared to summon me after having forgotten about me. They were not your parents though, but they summoned me to guide or discipline them. I did not know why they could not go to Heavenly Emperor until I recalled how cowardly and weak the Royal family has always been."

Xue Hua bit her cheek, silently agreeing with the ancient god. It was impossible to insult the Emperor and walk through Tiantang unscathed but she knew Mo Sha would be one of the few to do so. That is, if he steps through the barriers of his isolated land and speaks to the realm's ruler. The ruler she does not trust with a territory as large as Tiantang. Heavenly Father had also doubted his son's ability to rule at his crowning ceremony, in front of Tiantang. Even these days, schools were obligated to send their students to negotiate with different realms of the Universe.

However, Heavenly Emperor -although incompetent as he was- managed to navigate around conflicts such as impending wars and inside uprisings. He did not have physical strength or the mental will but at least his golden words and feigned compassion kept his subjects satisfied. Attending his banquets was always Xue Hua's duties and if she recalled Master Bai's talk with her from a bit after she returned from the dead lands, there was an upcoming banquet to celebrate the god's five hundred thousandth birthday.

At that moment, Xue Hua spared a moment to glance at the god swathed in shimmering white and light blue clothes. He was much older than the emperor yet retained his youthful appearance. His smooth skin, dim eyes, slightly rounded jawline and sharper featured were enough to be mistaken for a young god's. Perhaps it was living in seclusion for so long, unsullied by the endless search for building one's ego upon a pile of gold, women and titles. In a way, the goddess respected him as more than an Ancient One.