Before the sun illuminated the sky I carefully descended from the First Heaven determined to find the tree with the fruit of life. Sadly, like most delicate fragments of thin glass, when I saw the vacant Bai mansion, the thin glass broke and I mourned the end of Bai Dai Yi and Bai Kai Ren's story.
* * *
I was thinking about the wonderful fruit of the tree I helped make when I remembered the tree with the most beautiful flowers that held one fruit that never rotted and that we never dared to pick. Thinking about human nature surely should a human ever manage to arrive at the Bai mansion they would surely want to eat the fruit that could kill a mortal because it was specifically designed for me.
In next few beats of my heart I quickly took a securely stashed a seed for one of the Butterfly Tea Tree seeds. I carefully placed it inside of a white jade tea pot and surrounded it with blossoms. I placed it in a large sachet and secured it in my right sleeve. I took my identifying jade token hand carved by me when I reached my 18,000 birthday.
I used my lazy but elegant scrawl to scribble a quick goodbye and be right back to Kai Ren and the boys. I kissed them all on their foreheads and slipped away as quietly as possible I slipped away, hoping I would return before they awoke.
'Cloud, can I get a favor?' I called out to Cloud. I paused and waited for her response. It was less than a second when I felt a gentle breath of wind surround me in the butterfly tea tree blossoms and I was gently teleported to a beautiful palace very similar and very different from mine at the same time.
"My beautiful wife to be!" A man said relief on his silky voice that sounded like the peal of bells. My mind stuttered on wife to be, were we really that casual. He was standing next to me observing me as I began to peer around.
The palace was carved in stones of jade and accented with quartz and marble touches. Giant pillars lined the walls and gave accent to the massive white doors at the entrance to the hall.
The doors were carved with a silver and white nine tailed fox with the fox clan's emblem in the middle so that when the doors open half of the seal would be on the two doors.
There were vines running up the pillars stretching up to and across the roof. The palace was elegant even though it was overflowing with greenery. I noticed there was a stream on one side of the palace that carved it's way into and through the palace that seemed to be in the caves floor. The whole palace looked messy in a brief look but given a second glance it is able to be in beautiful and spacious, giving me an inviting feeling.
The man who had greeted me allowed me to observe my surroundings quietly. As my eyes finally settled on him, he seemed to allow me a moment to observe him before he made any movement. I peered at the man in front of me.
I was taken in by his eyes a shade of amber closer to milk than to caramel but very kind. His eyes were nestled very neatly on his handsome face. He had a sharp nose and high cheekbones that looked sharp and soft at the same time. His face was smooth like jade with a skin tone a tender bit darker than my own milky skin tone.
He wore the typical robes of a monarch but he was only wearing the bottom robes, in a manner not yet indecent but not completely dresses. His bottom robes were still made of the finest materials but they all considerably weighed on his broad shoulders and it decorated him beautifully. He was dressed in fine silk robes of white that peeked out of underneath the rest of his dark blue and green robes with details of gold threading. His body was muscled and could be seen visibly even under his garments.
When I looked at his shoulders again, he seemed to sense that I was finished looking and he closed the distance between us. With words in his eyes he embraced me pulling me into him. When his hand caught mine he settled me on my feet before pulling me to sit at a small table.
When we both sat he hadn't released my hand just yet. Suddenly he looked as though he'd been stabbed. He placed his fingers on wrist and read my pulse. Darkness seemed to swell in the room.
"You're pretty worked up," Nai He Jun said in an aloof voice. Kai Ren... Bei Zhen and I had barely touched each other except for yesterday, I was wishing we'd have had more time. Thinking of yesterday I began to flush, I could feel my face begin to blush.
Nai He Jun seemed to think I had intentions for him for he stroked my hand, sighed sad to let me out of his grasp, and he went to grab something from a massive table in the corner of the chamber. He returned to the table and layed out a lunar calendar in front of me.
"We are going to get married in less than a month as planned," He said pointing at the calendar. "It will be your coronation day as well as our wedding day," Nai He Jun continued.
Stepping away again he order a servant away and came back to me with a list of things. Dowry, dowry I had recieved and properly put away for my parents. "The dress and jewelry is arranged for me, I intend to uphold my end of the deal until the time I owe you is over," I addressed him.
He spared a look at me concealing the sadness and the plan he had in his eyes. I took cups and placed one in front of him then me and served us both tea. When I finished my cup I felt Cloud searching for me.
'Cloud I'm trying to teleport wait for me near my palace,' I said to Cloud. "I must leave first I'm afraid," I said apologetically to Nai He Jun before I teleported myself away to where Cloud was waiting.
Having successfully escaped from Nai He Jun's grasp, I began to contemplate about the fragments in my head. Cloud stood by for a while and as much time was passing, she reminded me she was waiting. 'Any day now?' Cloud questioned bring me back from my thoughts.
'Right, sorry, I need help getting to the mortal realm safely. I need to go quickly though,' I explained to Cloud who agreed to take me but that I owed her another favor. I owe her many favors but agreed and we departed from the Heavens, leaping down the Heavens one at a time.
Before the sun illuminated the sky I carefully descended from the First Heaven determined to find the tree with the fruit of life. Sadly, like most delicate fragments of thin glass, when I saw the vacant Bai mansion, the thin glass broke and I mourned the end of Bai Dai Yi and Bai Kai Ren's story.
'Be fast, put when we return Child,' Cloud chided but allowed me to bury my face in her soft neck for a moment. I wiped es d away my tears and carefully traced my way to the tree of life. I found it quickly and plucked the fruit from the tree. I pulled out the tea pot and traded the items from inside, leaving the flowers in the tea pot.
I gathered a few things from surrounding area and I carefully placed the seed in the ground. Using some magic, I grew the seed into a sapling. I wanted to leave it and hope that with time in the mortal realm the tree could provide fruit to the next residents of the Bai mansion.