Ye Hua tossed and turned in bed. He shifted to get comfortable for hours and finally sat up. Ye Hua couldn’t stop thinking about what happened earlier in the day. Si Yin had attacked him which led to Ye Hua tackling and kissing Si Yin. What had gotten into him? What was he expecting? Si Yin to be overjoyed and kiss him back?
That was actually what Ye Hua had expected. What he had hoped would happen. Ye Hua reached up and touched his lips. Why were Si Yin’s lips so incredibly soft? So unforgettable.
Ye Hua was suddenly struck with an unbelievable realization. He was homosexual. He wanted to and had kissed a man. Not any man just Si Yin. Ye Hua didn’t want any other men just Si Yin. It wouldn’t have mattered if Si Yin was male or female. Ye Hua wanted only him.
Kissing Si Yin, a man, was the single most courageous act Ye Hua had ever done in his life. Could he have been wrong about Si Yin’s feelings towards him? Si Yin was homosexual and extremely affectionate towards Ye Hua. Had he misunderstood Si Yin’s friendship and affection as love? Yet, this didn’t explain why Si Yin burst into tears when he heard of Ye Hua’s engagement to Bai Qian. Ye Hua fell back into his bed. Why was his first love so difficult and confusing?
It would have been so much easier if Si Yin was a woman.
Ye Hua knew he wouldn’t be able to go see Si Yin for a while after today. The thought of not seeing Si Yin brought a heaviness in his heart but he would endure the loneliness. Time apart was necessary and needed for Ye Hua to decide what he should and would do next.
After hours of thinking, just when Ye Hua finally felt his eyelids become heavy with sleep, he suddenly thought of Li Jing. Ye Hua’s jealousy made the traces of sleep vanish instantly and he was wide awake again.
He wondered if Si Yin was still with Li Jing. Ye Hua remembered watching Li Jing touch Si Yin’s lip and openly declare his love for Si Yin. Ye Hua couldn’t believe it but his rival for Si Yin’s love was the Ghost Lord Li Jing, who was known for his handsome looks and sexual prowess.
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Mo Yuan stood outside Si Yin’s door for a while trying to understand what had just occurred. Si Yin had proposed and almost successfully seduced him the night before yet today she rejected him without hesitation. What had happened in the Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms? She did tell him she was out gaining experience. Did Si Yin have a lover he didn’t know about or had she met Ye Hua there? During Mo Yuan’s short conversation with Ye Hua earlier, Ye Hua had mentioned the peach trees in Ten Miles were in full bloom now. Were they meeting in secrecy prior to their wedding?
Mo Yuan went into his seclusion cave to meditate. He closed his eyes as his mind and body attempted to naturally go into a well-practiced state. Yet today, Mo Yuan was unable to clear his mind. Without success, he reopened his eyes.
Had he not been the one who encouraged Seventeen to give Ye Hua a chance? Mo Yuan himself thought they were well suited for each other, but Mo Yuan never anticipated they would get along as well as they did. Did Mo Yuan give his treasured little Seventeen to Ye Hua with his own hands?
Mo Yuan dropped his head back in pure frustration. Seventeen was right. He was too late. Mo Yuan’s delay had cost him a chance at love with the one he’d been in love with for thousands of years. Why did it take so long for him to realize his feelings for Seventeen? Was she really going to marry Ye Hua? Have children with him?
The thought of Ye Hua being intimate and impregnating Seventeen produced a deep sharp pain inside Mo Yuan’s heart that took his breath away.
Mo Yuan’s determination suddenly ignited. Mo Yuan wouldn’t admit defeat yet. He’d been with Seventeen for thousands of years. He knew her better than Ye Hua. As long as Seventeen was still by his side, Mo Yuan wouldn’t allow the marriage to occur. It wasn’t too late. Mo Yuan would use all of his powers to make time work in his favor. As long as Seventeen was with him, he had a fighting chance to change her mind.
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After days of not seeing Si Yin, Mo Yuan finally had a valid reason to call her into his room. Si Yin knocked lightly on his door and kneeled before him. She looked at his hands and wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Shifu, you called for me?”
Mo Yuan purposely delayed before finally replying, “Seventeen, do you recall the conversation we had about your future and marriage?”
Mo Yuan was feeling brave. He would just come out and ask her for her hand in marriage. He’d practiced all day in his head what he would say. He knew her eyes would light up with surprise and joy. Her unexpected happiness made him giddy inside.
“Seventeen, would you do me the honor–”
Si Yin unknowing cut Mo Yuan off from finishing his marriage proposal and said, “Shifu, I’ve decided to leave Kunlun Mountain.”
Mo Yuan felt all the blood draining from his face.
“I’ve been your disciple for long enough. Thousands of years and my time here has come to an end. It is time for me to embrace my role, as you once advised, and get married. As the future Queen of Qing Qiu, I will marry and produce heirs for the future of Qing Qiu.”
Mo Yuan was about to say something else when senior disciple Die Feng came to the door and said, “Shifu, forgive my interruption but Ghost Lord Li Jing is here and won’t leave until he gets an answer from Seventeen.”
“What is Ghost Lord Li Jing’s question?” Mo Yuan asked.
“Shifu, he requests Seventeen meet him at their tea house in the mortal realm,” Die Feng said, looking uncomfortable repeating Li Jing’s request.
Mo Yuan’s annoyance was clear when he instructed, “Just tell him anything so he’ll leave.”
Mo Yuan answered for Si Yin without asking her permission. Die Feng bowed and left them alone again.
“Do you have a husband in mind, Seventeen?” Mo Yuan asked with a little smile.
Si Yin didn’t reply but started to get up to leave.
“Seventeen where are you going?” Mo Yuan asked, frustrated by his failure to do what he had intended to do.
Si Yin looked up and made eye contact with Mo Yuan for the first time since she walked into his room.
“To the mortal realm to meet Ghost Lord Li Jing,” she said as she bowed and walked out of his room.
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Si Yin walked out of Shifu’s room and felt sick to her stomach. She returned to her room and sat on her bed in thought. The thought of leaving Shifu and Kunlun Mountain was a rash decision she’d made without completely thinking it through. She sighed deeply.
Si Yin thought about the day she’d rejected Mo Yuan. She’d cried for most of the rest of the day after he’d gone. She regretted her actions and wanted to chase after Mo Yuan, but then she would be groveling for his love again…. still. She had begged for Shifu’s love for thousands of years.
A kiss didn’t necessarily mean he loved her.
Si Yin wondered if pity had been the reasoning for his kiss?
Si Yin suddenly remembered a talk she’d had with her mother about her courtship with her father. Si Yin’s mother was an extraordinary beauty and many suitors from near and far courted her in her youth, High God Zhe Yan being one of her many suitors. Her mother was considering marrying Zhe Yan when she met the Fox King. Her mother told Si Yin, that she had fallen in love with the Fox King at first sight. The Fox King, however, was an unromantic, reserved, quiet man and didn’t pursue her as the others had. Her mother had to pursue the Fox King yet he did not return her affections.
Si Yin’s mother told her a secret that all women needed to know to be successful in love. Firstly, all men from mortals to high god Immortals were driven by the desire of the chase. Most men would choose what they couldn’t have instead of accepting what was already theirs. Jealousy was a powerful tool if used correctly. Secondly, men were slower than women when it came to the realization of love. Lastly and most importantly, distance made the heart grow fonder. The closer you remained next to them, the more they didn’t see you since it’s always darkest under the light.
So Si Yin’s mother stopped chasing the Fox King and left his side. She ignored and refused the Fox King completely and turned her complete attention to High God Zhe Yan instead. Si Yin’s mother’s actions worked like a charm. Her sudden change towards the Fox King made him challenge Zhe Yan to a duel. They fought over the right to court Si Yin’s mother exclusively. The Fox King won the battle.
When Si Yin asked if her father was still unromantic, silent and reserved, her mother winked and replied, “Five children aren’t made by holding hands.” Si Yin’s mother laughed, held her hand and added, “Don’t chase love. It will come to you if you hold on to your dignity and pride. You are unique and beautiful enough so don’t compromise yourself for the sake of any man regardless of his status. Always remember, you are the prize, not the other way around.”
Si Yin hoped her mother’s words were correct and that Mo Yuan would come to her after her departure. Si Yin took a deep breath, got up and started packing to leave Kunlun Mountain.
To be continued………