Zhe Yan demurely and innocently fluttered his long eyelashes at Bai Qian. His artificial angelic expression was unquestionable, without a doubt, highly suspicious. She wasn’t the young fox kit that fell for every one of his childish pranks. She was a 70,000-year-old white Nine-tailed Fox Princess and the succeeding Queen of Qingqiu.
“What’s the catch, Zhe Yan?” Asked Bai Qian with a cautious tone. She didn’t trust him. His pranks and capers never went as planned.
Zhe Yan coaxed in his most convincing voice, “Xiao Wu. Why so suspicious? One would assume I deceived you repeatedly when I’m asking for such a simple thing. All you have to do is cast a Fox enchantment spell and go about your day. What could be easier than that?”
Bai Qian’s eyes still narrowed on Zhe Yan’s face and questioned, “You’ll let me drink all the wine I want in exchange for one spell? You shouldn’t underestimate my Fox spell. What if the person falls in love with me? I’m not interested in a lover or marriage.”
Zhe Yan snorted amused and responded, “If he chased you that would make my life complete and meaningful! No, Xiao Wu. I can guarantee nothing will happen. It will merely muddle his head for a few days. My friend has been chaste for hundreds of thousands of years. He’s highly cultivated and too restrained. Extremely austere and set in his ways.”
He’s a bore like Donghua Dijun. I merely want to spice up his mundane life a little. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t try to add a little spice in his humdrum life? I do this out of caring.”
She gave him a skeptical smirk. He was a peculiar old Phoenix. Considering his age, he was quite childish and mischievous. High God Zhe Yan, the Medicine God, was close intimate friends with her father, High God Bai Zhi the Fox King. Both were schoolmates from hundreds of thousands of years ago. However, casting a spell on someone dull yet highly cultivated like Donghua Dijun was interesting and felt like a challenge to Bai Qian.
“Isn’t that mean? Your friend has purposely abstained from bodily pleasure, and you want to muddle his head? Hm? But first, promise I’ll be able to drink freely without you whining or complaining at me?” Bai Qian asked and stuck out her pinky, which Zhe Yan swiftly grabbed with his.
“Deal! My Xiao Wu’s my wine is your wine.” Zhe Yan’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he suggested, “Xiao Wu, it must be a massive spell. It can’t be your run-of-the-mill Fox magic; it’s must your best, a super powerful love spell!
Bai Qian yawned into her hand, bored and appeared drowsy when she asked, “Am I going to him, or is he coming to me? Can I leave after casting one spell? Where’s the catch? Why do I feel like this is going to blow up in my face?”
Zhe Yan’s smile stretched ear to ear. He looked delighted. “No, you only need to come to my orchard. I’ll make all the arrangements to lure him here. All you do is cast, throw and go. So easy, Xiao Wu!”
His posture was haughty. With his hand firmly planted on his hips, Zhe Yan said, “I’m offering you a deal you shouldn’t hesitate to accept. All the wine you could ever wish for in trade for a couple of minutes out of your day. Xiao Wu, you should be thanking me for such an exchange.”
Bai Qian stretched out on the peach branch underneath her resting body. She raised her arms above head and yawned most lazily.
With her eyes closed, she casually muttered, “Zhe Yan, just give me the date and time, and I’ll cast a wicked spell.”
Zhe Yan’s eyes gleamed, and a sly grin spread across his face. The thought of his stoic, abstinent brother, Mo Yuan being dazed by a Nine-tailed Fox enchantment spell made him giddy with anticipation. It was unlikely Xiao Wu’s love spell would work on Mo Yuan, but Zhe Yan was up for the gamble, just for kicks.
It would be epic if Mo Yuan lost that control of his. Snickering in euphoric anticipation, all there was to do was look forward to the day and getting him to come to the orchard. From a distance, Zhe Yan looked forward to the best show in eons.
====
A gentle breeze brushed against her skin. Pulling her legs tightly into her chest, Bai Qian nestled under the shade of a blooming peach tree. The gentle rustle of the leaves above accompanied the soft hum of distant birdsong, creating a serene symphony in her ears. The sweet fragrance of the peach blossoms mingled with the earthy scent of the grass, enveloping her in a delicate aroma.
Suddenly, a subtle shift in the atmosphere alerted her to another immortal. She could almost taste the distinct essence emanating from him, a potent force that commanded attention. Zhe Yan was right. This immortal’s breath was extraordinary.
With heightened senses, Bai Qian glimpsed a shadowy figure emerging from the distance crossing into her range. Her heart hammered as she focused. Summoning her magic, she deftly cast a spell, the incantation swirling in the surrounding air.
Just as she was about to make her escape, a blur of movement caught her off guard. The suddenness of it all sent a jolt of fear through her body, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for impact. But instead of a collision, she felt a strong, reassuring hand cradle the back of her head.
He protectively held her, whispering, but his earnest tone lacked humor. “Don’t cast love spells on strangers. They might not be a gentleman like me and you might get much more than you expected, young lady.”
The embarrassment overwhelmed her. She felt completely humiliated and her cheeks burned. Qian’s attempt was a disaster. She had failed and didn’t want to face it. Without looking, she quickly disappeared in a cloud of vapor. She heard a soft, amused chuckle from the anonymous man in Zhe Yan’s orchard.
====
Zhe Yan found Mo Yuan peacefully sitting under a large peach tree. In lotus position and quiet, reflective meditation. Zhe Yan couldn’t hide his disappointment, which reflected all over his sour face. Mo Yuan’s eyes closed with an expression of serenity, instead of one dazed intoxication from an enchantment spell. Zhe Yan’s predictions were correct; Mo Yuan was unaffected. He was too controlled and self-trained.
Mo Yuan sensed Zhe Yan’s appearance and gradually opened his eyes. Mo Yuan didn’t change his expression, but he looked a little annoyed.
He sighed in exasperation and Mo Yuan declared, “Zhe Yan, you know I hate wasting time and it’s rude not be present after making a stink about me having to be on time. I’ve been here waiting for quite a while.”
Zhe Yan straightened up his robe and replied, “I honestly aspired to be here. Truly I did, but Zhen Zhen was extremely affectionate today. You know how I feel about him. I can’t refuse him anything.”
Zhe Yan carefully scrutinized his expression and asked hopefully, “So, Mo Yuan, do you feel anything different from usual? Dizzy? Any erotic thoughts of women? Heat in places?”
He realized the mysterious goddess who’d tried to enchant him was another one of Zhe Yan’s ridiculous ploys. Mo Yuan barely held back the urge to roll his eyes at his brother.
Zhe Yan’s single twisted obsession in his immortal life was his crusade to watch Mo Yuan surrender his life of celibacy and revert to life with carnal pleasure. Zhe Yan’s futile attempts were many, constant and with every failed effort, his pranks grew more ludicrous.
A couple examples of Zhe Yan’s endeavors were; he brought a vast gathering of enticing half-dressed female entertainers to Kunlun Mountain. To an all male school, he sent Mo Yuan beautiful courtesans and multiple servants. He even tried to drug him with potent aphrodisiacs, and he always had to be on his toes because Zhe Yan’s persistence was remarkable.
He failed to understand Mo Yuan’s vowed abstinence wasn’t for world peace, but he’d still to meet a woman that moved his heart. He had yet to fall in love in his hundreds of thousands of years of immortal life.
After a while, carnal pleasure with a woman Mo Yuan didn’t have emotional or intellectual connection to became tedious and meaningless. This was his actual reason for abstinence. Throughout his life, from all eight wildernesses and four seas, there was never a shortage of women who wanted to experience his fire. In his younger years, he had reveled in a woman’s touch, inhaling their scent and lying with as many as he desired, but he soon grew dispassionate after he bedded the female of his choice.
Again, he’d dodged another one of Zhe Yan’s traps. Privately, Mo Yuan was impressed with his tenacity. He tried to make a quick escape, but Zhe Yan immediately caught his arm and held on for dear life.
Zhe Yan said, “Not so fast, Tuzi! You know Qingqiu is just right around the corner. Bai Zhi would be overjoyed to see you.”
“No, I’m going to return to Kunlun Mountain. I’m not in the mood for socializing.” Mo Yuan responded in his soft voice.
Zhe Yan put all his weight on Mo Yuan’s arm, clung to him and whined, “I’m going to tell Bai Zhi you were here and refused to go with me to Qingqiu! He’ll be furious with you!”
One of Zhe Yan’s favorite methods of persuasion was guilt, which he used most brazenly and flagrantly. Mo Yuan exhaled sharply through his mouth, sighed and resigned himself when Zhe Yan cheerfully pulled him by his arm, sang a little, perverted rhyme that failed to make sense and turned them towards Qingqiu.
Bai Zhi was one of Mo Yuan’s oldest friends. He, Bai Zhi, Zhe Yan and Donghua Dijun were all schoolmates. They’d known each other for hundreds of thousands of years. Bai Zhi, the Fox King, was the only one who married and had a family out of the foursome. He had a large family. Four sons and one daughter. Mo Yuan last saw Bai Zhi’s children when they were young and his youngest daughter, Bai Qian was a newborn.
Mo Yuan wasn’t a friendly, communicative person like Zhe Yan. He preferred his quiet, tranquil life on Kunlun Mountain. Showing up unannounced at other’s homes without prior invitation wasn’t Mo Yuan’s characteristic. He was stiff, inflexible, and preferred to follow a strictly planned routine.
But whatever hesitation he had vanished when he saw Bai Zhi’s exuberant excitement. He was utterly delighted and almost came running when he saw them at the entrance of the Fox Den.
Bai Zhi raised his arms and waved them wildly with joy, “Mo Yuan! Is it my birthday? What a wonderful surprise!”
“I was in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms…” Bai Zhi briskly cut Mo Yuan off and declared, “So, Zhe Yan dragged you here! Well, it doesn’t matter how you got here as long as you’re here! Sit down. I’ll have some tea served, or should we just start with wine?”
The Fox Emperor’s eyes sparkled with happiness and called out to his daughter to bring tea for the guests.
It always surprised Mo Yuan a little when he looked around the cozy Fox Den. It was understated and unpretentious, like Bai Zhi. Others, with his immense wealth would proudly display their prosperity with massive palaces, and luxurious homes, but it was just like him to be humble. For an Emperor who possessed the most powerful and wealthiest kingdom of all the eternal areas, he was remarkably down to earth and modest.
“Mo Yuan, do you remember my daughter, Qian Qian? She’s the babe who urinated on your shoes!” Bai Zhi’s boisterous laugh filled the air.
Mo Yuan looked up to see a beautiful young woman with big chestnut-colored, demure eyes. Her full lips reminded him of a tulip in bloom. In her long, silky, sleek, black hair, a simple silver ornament. Her gown, a vibrant shade of blue like that of a cornflower. Bai Zhi’s daughter was stunning.
Instant recognition dawned on him. Bai Qian was the mischievous goddess who attempted to enchant him earlier in the day. Now everything made sense how she became involved with Zhe Yan’s ridiculous plan.
Bai Qian’s fake smile looked painful, and her laugh was more of a scoff. Her voice was sarcastic when she mumbled without looking at Mo Yuan. “That’s great, father. I love when you tell that story.”
Finally, raising her gaze caught and held his, and she spoke without enthusiasm. “You must be the mysterious Master of Kunlun Mountain my father speaks of so often. I’m sorry that I urinated on your shoes. I’m house trained now, so that won’t happen again. I hope.”
Mo Yuan tried to avoid staring, but he couldn’t help smiling. How time flew. He could hardly believe that tiny white fluff ball that used to nip at his heels had grown into such a beautiful woman. She stared blankly at him, then politely excused herself and left.
In silence, Mo Yuan sat and listened to what they always did whenever they got together. Bai Zhi and Zhe Yan bickered. Their now drunken conversation was about when they fought over the Fox Empress’s affections. Hundreds of thousands of years, but some things remained very much the same and consistent. Wine turned them into mischievous school kids again.
It was the same conversation he’d heard over a million times. Using the excuse to get a breath of fresh air, Mo Yuan stood, excused himself, and walked outside the Fox Den. Bai Qian who sat on the top step outside the den, glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.
She said, “Did you tire of their arguing also, High God Mo Yuan? That’s all they ever do when they get together. I’ve heard about their love battle a million times.”
Mo Yuan sat beside her and spoke softly. “They’ve always been like that. They would give each other the clothes off their backs, but they usually bicker like sisters fighting over a dress, and I’ve heard about their love competition five million times at least. You’re lucky you didn’t have to witness it when it happened.”
“I think it might have been amusing to watch them fight over my mother in their youth! Both pulling out their swords trying to impress mother, I can picture it now.” She snickered.
Bai Qian conversed with him casually, “Just to give you an example of Zhe Yan’s childish behavior, would you believe he has nothing better to do than to have me cast a love spell on his friend? Someone who’s been abstinent for hundreds of thousands of years? Isn’t that mean?”
Mo Yuan feigned ignorance, asking, “An enchantment spell?”
Bai Qian gave a mischievous nod and a little snicker. Turning to Mo Yuan, she casually said, “I was supposed to be your disciple, but Zhe Yan said you wouldn’t take female students.”
Out of the blue, she touched his knee, and he flinched.
Bai Qian seemed not to notice and declared, “It might have been for the best. I was an unruly child. I would have made you look as old as my father. My father always told me I aged him and now I believe him. You seem very youthful for your age, High God Mo Yuan.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Mo Yuan asked curiously.
Bai Qian’s dark eyes danced as she softly giggled. Her full lips turned up into a beautiful smile and her cute dimples appeared on her rosy cheeks. Playfully, she lightly patted the inside of Mo Yuan’s knee, but closer to his inner thigh, which caused his eyes to widen with surprise. She was unusual. Her warmth and friendliness totally surprised him and the spot where her hand been tingled. He could still feel the lingering warmth from her touch.
Bai Qian snickered and confessed, “I didn’t expect you to have a sense of humor. I thought you’d be very solemn and dull and you don’t look as I expected. For some silly reason, I thought you would appear more fatherly with a long white beard and matching eyebrows, but you’re quite… Hmm, how should I put it…? Attractive. Yes, you’re very handsome even dashing. I bet you broke many hearts.”
Mo Yuan blushed as he answered, feeling glad it was too dark for her to notice. “I’m friends with your father and Zhe Yan. If I didn’t have a sense of humor, we wouldn’t still be friends. Thank you, Bai Qian. I haven’t been told I was handsome for at least hundreds of thousands of years. “
She smirked and teased, “What a liar you are. I thought the God of War never lies, but I think not taking me as a student was your loss. If you’d been my Shifu, I’d have told you every day how handsome you are!”
“You would have been my seventeenth disciple had you come to Kunlun Mountain. I feel silly not accepting you after meeting you, Bai Qian.” Divulged Mo Yuan.
Bai Qian sighed and replied, “Everything happens as it should. I must not have been fated to be your student. It’s all in the past now.”
Bai Qian stood up, clapped her hands, and it was clear she wanted to end their conversation. She glanced back into the Fox den and said, “I need to check on father and make sure he didn’t drink too much. He always gets carried away when he drinks with Zhe Yan. High God Mo Yuan, it was a pleasure talking to you.”
“Call me Mo Yuan,” he said, not really sure why he preferred a more personal approach with her.
Bai Qian looked surprised and asked, “Excuse me?”
“Skip the ‘High God’ bit. Call me Mo Yuan,” he murmured.
Their eyes met; it was warm and gentle on both sides. Mo Yuan couldn’t help but be captivated by her playful smile, which radiated a contagious joy, making her appear even more stunning in his eyes.
She beamed, her face lighting up with a radiant smile. An impish grin played on her lips as Bai Qian charmingly replied, her voice carrying a hint of melodic laughter, “I’ll try my best, High God… Mo Yuan.” As she spoke, the soft sound of her voice reached his ears, like a gentle whisper in the wind.
With a graceful movement, she gathered her arms, the fabric of her dress rustling softly as she did so. Bowed, she lowered her head, her silky black hair cascading over her shoulders, and began to walk back towards her father.
Watching her depart, a strange thought came to Mo Yuan’s mind. The scent of her delicate perfume lingered in the air, a subtle and alluring fragrance that tickled his senses. His heart raced in her presence, as if a fluttering butterfly had taken residence within his chest. A mix of nervousness and excitement made his stomach feel jumpy, like a gathering storm ready to burst.
Could it be that he had fallen in love with her at first glance? Or was it simply the infectious energy of her youthful exuberance that captivated him? Regardless, a bubbling sensation of anticipation grew within him, like a pot simmering on a fire. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that kindled the first spark of profound curiosity deep within his being.