Ten Miles of Red Sakura Blossoms

Chapter Nine

AN/: EDITED!

"Dijun?"

Dijun?

Dong Hua's breath caught in his throat. He watched as Feng Jiu looked around herself and hesitantly lowered her sword when she saw him there. She looked like she wanted to approach him, but the celestial guards in front of her halted her way forward with their swords drawn. She flinched, and clutched her neck when one of their swords lightly cut her throat. She stepped back, and removed her hand from her neck; a smear of bright red blood was left in its place, shortly followed by the emergence of new ruby tears from the shallow cut.

Dong Hua didn't have time to process what had just happened. A stream of lightning tore through the ceiling of the banquet hall and obliterated every guard who had had their swords drawn against Feng Jiu into dust. Dong Hua did process the fear in her eyes, however, as she stepped away from their son with a look of horror on her face. De Gun's bottom lip quivered, and he clutched his robes tightly with his fists as he watched the guards with open anger and contempt that Dong Hua shared.

"Dijun!" She cried out for him in alarm. She turned into her fox form and leapt into his arms, knocking him to the ground. Dong Hua grunted and squeezed his eyes shut as he collided against the hard marble floor.

"I'm sorry Dijun, I didn't mean to! Are you okay?"

'She can't be her highness, Bai Feng Jiu! She attacked Dong Hua Dijun!' Dong Hua heard someone shout, and the guards quickly tried to surround them again, with their spears and swords drawn.

"Help!" She yelped, and fled the banquet hall.

"Mother!"

Dong Hua tried to catch De Gun before De Gun chased after Feng Jiu, but like his mother, he turned into his nine tailed fox form and evaded both him and the celestial guards, and pursued her. His son had always loved his mother the most, and cared deeply for her; especially as her health worsened.

"Dijun! What is the meaning of this? Your wife told us that Mo Yuan has been found, is this true?" Hao De asked him. Dong Hua didn't have time to waste on them, he had to find Feng Jiu and confirm his suspicion before she met their son again, or anyone else she had once been familiar with.

"It is not. Xiao Bai is ill, as you all know. I don't care how she or my children behave in the future; no one is to punish them except me! Every celestial guard here is to go to lord Pu Hua for ten lightning bolts. If they don't survive, then that is their fate." Dong Hua declared none too kindly, and everyone except Hao De fell to their knees and thanked him for his mercy. He was merciful. They all deserved imminent death in his eyes. This second chance; this blessing, had presented itself to Dong Hua, and while he didn't know how or why, he swore upon the heavens and the earth that he would cherish it.

*

"Mother!"

Feng Jiu hid herself under a ward of invisibility as she watched a silver kit run past her. She panted in exertion and lowered herself to the ground to rest for a moment. She decided that she should go looking for her aunt.

Who was that boy? Why were the celestials being so hostile toward her? First, they had welcomed her as if she were an esteemed guest; which she was, then they drew their weapons against her!

What most concerned her, was the fact that no one seemed to remember anything that she did, and no one had stepped in to defend her back there, not even her friends. They had acted as if the last fifteen thousand years had never happened!

Feng Jiu stood to her feet and resumed her human form. She decided to look for one of her friends before she left for Kunlun mountain. She usually only got to see them once a year during the banquet, but she hadn't noticed them in the banquet hall. If they had been there, they never would have let her walk into such a trap.