Ch 4:
Ye Hua
Ye Hua struggled to come to terms with SuSu’s disappearance. How could she have vanished without a trace? SuSu was blind and couldn’t have gone far on her own. Ye Hua went to Su Jin and demanded to know her role in SuSu’s disappearance, but Su Jin knew nothing. Su Jin didn’t know SuSu was gone.
Ye Hua then went to Heavenly Grandfather. Heavenly Grandfather never hid his dislike for SuSu. Heavenly Grandfather laughed and told Ye Hua that he’d sent her back to Mount Junji. Heavenly Lord explained SuSu had come to him and begged to be returned to her home away from Ye Hua. Heavenly Lord told Ye Hua that he’d granted SuSu’s wish since she had given birth to a prince. Heavenly Lord added SuSu’s request to have her mortal marriage to Ye Hua dissolution. Heavenly Lord told Ye Hua SuSu desired to remarry and start anew. Heavenly Lord commented it was only understandable she’d want to forget about her time with Ye Hua and Celestial Heaven.
Heavenly Lord also informed Ye Hua, that he’d offered SuSu water from the River of Oblivion and she’d consumed it before leaving without any hesitation.
Ye Hua was devastated. He didn’t believe Heavenly Grandfather. Ye Hua needed to hear it from SuSu’s lips. Regardless of how angry SuSu was, he refused to believe she’d ask for their marriage to be dissolved and want to forget him entirely. He quickly cloud jumped to Mount Junji expecting to find SuSu but what Ye Hua found instead made him drop to his knees.
Ash and debris were all that was left of SuSu’s home. A fire had consumed it, and the searing heat left an outline of where it once stood. Ye Hua sadly walked to the place that had once been the kitchen of his blissful newlywed home. Ye Hua slowly walked to where their bed once stood as ash and soot covered the bottom of his thick black robe. Ye Hua bent and felt the powdery residue left behind between his fingertips. He sighed deeply, stood and turned to leave but stopped when he saw something light from the corner of his eye.
Ye Hua walked over, used his hands to move the debris and held his breath at his shocking discovery. He found the remnants of a human skull. Ye Hua moved more of the ashes and discovered more human bones underneath. Ye Hua’s heart dropped to his stomach, and his mouth went dry, but he refused to believe this was his SuSu.
SuSu was still alive, and he would find her.
Ye Hua wouldn’t stop his search and turned to search for SuSu in the mortal realm when he tripped on a piece of silver metal. Ye Hua bent down and picked up the partly melted silver hairpin that he’d seen in SuSu’s hair the last time they had spoken. Ye Hua felt an overwhelming pain in his chest that took his breath away. Ye Hua could no longer deny the evidence before him. Ye Hua fell to the ground and held SuSu’s hairpin to his heart as sobs overcame him. As much as Ye Hua didn’t want to admit it, the remains he’d found were his love SuSu.
His failure to protect his wife had paved the road for SuSu’s tragic end. Ye Hua didn’t even have a chance to tell her how much he loved her before their unexpected goodbye.
Ye Hua’s search would now come to an end. He’d found his blind wife, SuSu.
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Heavenly Lord
Heavenly Lord’s plan to deceive Ye Hua was a success. After watching his grandson Ye Hua search relentlessly for his mortal wife, he’d decided it was time for Ye Hua to move on. He knew Ye Hua would never stop unless he believed his wife SuSu to be dead. Heavenly Lord secretly arranged the fire of SuSu’s hut.
The mortal remains were of a dead woman close to SuSu’s build. The hairpin he had duplicated before her disappearance. It was always Heavenly Lord’s plan to have SuSu killed. SuSu’s sudden departure worked in his favor. Now Ye Hua believed SuSu was dead; he would move on and marry Bai Qian. SuSu had already given birth to his Imperial great-grandson before leaving, so she’d served her intended purpose.
Fortunately, fate had gotten rid of SuSu for him.
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Ye Hua
Ye Hua grieved deeply for the loss of SuSu. He locked himself in his sleeping chamber in Xiwu palace and refused to come out. Ye Hua failed to eat or sleep during this time. He didn’t want to see his son A-Li, who bore a striking resemblance to his mother.
Ye Hua thought of all his failures. He cried silently thinking of the nights he’d left SuSu alone. Ye Hua heard SuSu pleading with him not to take her eyes repeatedly in his head. The sound of SuSu’s crying echoed in his ears. Ye Hua realized he couldn’t remember the sound of SuSu’s laughter since she never had a reason to laugh in Celestial Heaven. She lived in misery and sadness during her entire pregnancy.
Suddenly Ye Hua became aware that SuSu’s plan to leave wasn’t sudden. SuSu had been planning her departure for a long time. Why didn’t he notice her distance? Why hadn’t Ye Hua heard the sadness in her tone? Why couldn’t he see SuSu’s fear and aversion to his touch? Ye Hua had been blind not to see the obvious. In retrospect, Ye Hua now recognized SuSu’s behavior had reflected her intentions long before the birth of their son.
Ye Hua had foolishly hoped SuSu would trust him again after their marriage. Ye Hua expected it would take time, but he believed SuSu would allow Ye Hua to touch her again. Ye Hua held faith he could make her forget the last three years of misery with a lifetime of love and happiness, but now he understood he was too late.
SuSu had stopped loving him and only feared him in the end.
Ye Hua now knew SuSu no longer remembered his gentle touch and only remembered the pain he’d inflicted. Ye Hua had been the reason she’d asked Heavenly Grandfather to return her to Mount Junji. SuSu’s fear and disappointment in him were stronger than her love for their son. Ye Hua’s incompetence demolished SuSu’s love for her child. SuSu had grown to despise him and wanted to forget him.
SuSu chose to erase all traces of him and hoped to love and remarry another.
Ye Hua’s soul felt as if hit with a hundred lightning rods at the same time. He felt his soul shatter and no longer had the will to live.
Ye Hua had personally killed his beloved wife. He’d taken her eyes unjustly, and she died scared and alone in a fire because she was unable to see.
Ye Hua held SuSu’s hair pin to his chest and cried. He would never see SuSu’s face again. Ye Hua would never be able to hold her. SuSu was dead, and he would continue to live an eternity without his only love.
His lonely eternal existence would be his karmic retribution for his failures and inability to protect his innocent wife, SuSu.
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Mo Yuan
Whatever doubts Mo Yuan had as to SuSu’s identity clarified the night SuSu called him Shifu in her sleep. He was caressing her hair when she smiled, mumbled Shifu, took his hand and pressed it to her cheek in her sleep. Mo Yuan had been right. SuSu was his little Seventeen. He felt relief, but then that relief was overshadowed by his fears. Mo Yuan had successfully removed Seventeen out of bodily harm, but she continued to live in her hell in her mind.
Seventeen had the same nightmare night after night. She screamed in her sleep. Mo Yuan held her as she begged and pleaded with Ye Hua not to take her eyes. In her deepest slumber, SuSu sat up and offered her full breasts to an invisible child that she rocked in her empty arms. After a while, SuSu would stop, whimper in pain and curl herself into a protective ball in her sleep. Mo Yuan sat beside Seventeen and cried silently for her. How would Seventeen ever be able to move on from her tragic ordeal? Would she ever be able to trust or love another?
Would his love be enough to make Seventeen forget her pain or would Mo Yuan’s face be a painful reminder of his twin brother, Ye Hua?
Mo Yuan anxiously awaited the arrival of the Fox King and Zhe Yan. Mo Yuan was confident together they would be able to break Qing Cang’s seal and free Seventeen from her current mortal ordeal.
Zhe Yan returned to Kunlun Mountain with the Fox King and Bai Zhen. When Mo Yuan explained that he had found Bai Qian, they were overjoyed, but when one of the disciples led SuSu to sit in Mo Yuan’s room, the Fox King looked at Mo Yuan confused and asked, “Where is my daughter? Does this mortal know where Bai Qian is?” He turned to the blind mortal human and asked, “Child, where is my daughter Bai Qian?”
SuSu answered softly, “I don’t know Bai Qian. I don’t know your daughter.”
The Fox King looked at back Mo Yuan and Zhe Yan perplexed.
“Mo Yuan did you not say you’d found Bai Qian? Where is my daughter? Who is the mortal and why is she here?” the Fox King demanded.
Zhe Yan who was silently sitting by the Fox King suddenly put his hand on the Fox King’s and solemnly replied, “This blind mortal is Xiao Wu. She’s turned into a mortal and all her powers, appearance and memories sealed. Xiao Wu is sitting in front of your eyes.”
Bai Zhen was suddenly on his feet and shouted, “Father, this is not Xiao Wu! It is impossible!”
Bai Zhen paced across the room and looked at the mortal carefully. He stood so close to SuSu that she flinched away, sensing his presence.
Bai Zhen shook his head in denial and argued, “Father, this is not Xiao Wu! This blind mortal can’t be her.” Bai Zhen then glared at Zhe Yan and yelled, “You’ve known Xiao Wu since birth. How could you make such a ridiculous mistake?! High God Mo Yuan, how could you out of all people believe such nonsense!?”
The Fox King said nothing. He’d been quietly staring at SuSu and raised his hand to silence his son Bai Zhen. The Fox King slowly moved closer to SuSu, knelt in front of her and reassuringly said, “I will not hurt you, child. You don’t have to fear me.”
He gently took her face in both his hands and SuSu didn’t flinch fearfully at his touch. The Fox King moved inches from SuSu’s face, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He slowly moved from SuSu’s face to her head and inhaled her scent. The Fox King then put his cheek to SuSu’s head, rubbed it against his skin and released a deep sigh and whispered, “Who has done this to my child?”
The Fox King opened his eyes and began to cry.
“This is Bai Qian. This poor mortal woman is my daughter,” the Fox King whispered. “Regardless of her appearance, I know my child’s scent. She is my flesh and blood. This weak mortal is Bai Qian.”
The Fox King held SuSu tightly while tears silently fell from his eyes.
SuSu asked the Fox King if he was her father and then wondered why he’d left her alone in Mount Junji. The Fox King told SuSu that she was immortal and she was under a spell which had turned her into a mortal. He then asked how she had lost her sight. SuSu quietly whispered Ye Hua’s name and protectively hugged her knees to her chest. When the Fox King reached to hold his trembling daughter, she screamed hysterically before passing out from fear. The Fox King was heartbroken to see his once brave and fearless girl Bai Qian not just broken, but torn to shreds.
After safely putting SuSu to bed, Mo Yuan told everyone the little, he knew of what SuSu endured in Celestial Heaven. He told them about her marriage to Ye Hua and the hardship she endured throughout her pregnancy. Mo Yuan also told them he’d barely saved her from jumping off Zhuxian Terrace just days after giving birth to her son. When the Fox King asked how she’d lost her sight, Zhe Yan repeated the story he’d heard from Bai Feng Jiu.
The Fox King cried bitterly while Bai Zhen became furious after hearing of his sister’s sufferings. Bai Zhen outraged and encouraged his father to declare war on the Celestials, but Mo Yuan reminded everyone that nobody knew SuSu was Bai Qian. Nobody in Celestial Heaven was aware she was on Kunlun Mountain since he had taken her in secrecy.
Keeping SuSu’s location secret was imperative to her safety.
After hours of talking, everyone knew the only way of breaking Qing Cang’s spell was the death of the mortal SuSu. Bai Qian’s mortal lifespan had been nothing but heartbreak and sorrow needed to come to an end. The Fox King wouldn’t wait for a second longer to get his daughter back. He went to SuSu and explained she needed to die to return to her immortal self. The Fox King apologized that this was the only way.
SuSu listened and quietly asked, “Will you be the one who kills me?”
The Fox King wiped his tears and replied he would do it himself and promised she wouldn’t suffer any pain. He explained her mortal death was only temporary and swore she would return to her former immortal self, Bai Qian. The Fox King kissed her forehead and told SuSu her wine was waiting for her in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. The Fox King reassured SuSu that he was releasing her and vowed she would be able to see again.
SuSu smiled for the first time in a long time, reached out for his hand and held it to her cheek before saying, “Thank you, Father. Death is the only thing I’ve prayed for. I’ve wanted to die for a very long time. Thank you, Father, for granting me my only wish.”
SuSu was still smiling when the Fox King tearfully placed his hand over SuSu’s heart, magically stopped her mortal heart and watched SuSu the mortal die in his arms.
to be continued……………