Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sugar Foxes and Sunlight

Bai Qian and Yehua watched Donghua Dijun send Cang'yi away as their jaws dropped. Bai Qian rubbed her eyes and watched her niece embrace the former Heavenly Lord. What's even crazier was the fact that Dijun actually hugged her back! When Dijun finally took Fengjiu away from their sight, Bai Qian looked at Yehua with wide eyes.

"Did you just see what I think I saw?" Bai Qian demanded as Yehua looked at her with an open mouth. He tried to speak but ended up closing his mouth. In all the years he's known Donghua Dijun, he's never seen anything or anyone that got his attention. Seeing him embracing Qingqiu's Queen was a very shocking sight for him as well. He looked at Bai Qian helplessly and nodded his head.

Bai Qian was very confused. She couldn't be sure, but her niece's love didn't seem so one-sided anymore. Bai Qian suddenly felt depressed when she remembered that Little Jiu would soon.... cease to exist. She felt very awful for her only niece who she like her daughter. Her short life was about to end and the man she loved didn't seem to love her back.

Bai Qian looked at Yehua and suddenly felt thankful. Thank god you love me too. She looked at him and suddenly wanted to cry. She hugged him tightly as Yehua finally realized that Bai Qian seemed to be very sad.

"Qian Qian what's wrong? Are you upset about Fengjiu and Dijun?" Bai Qian only shook her head and buried her head to his chest. "Yehua.... We need to move up our wedding," Bai Qian murmured as she continued hiding her face from him. Yehua knew that Bai Qian wanted to move up their wedding, but he was clueless as to why. He hugged her tightly and waited for her to calm down.

"Yehua... Xiao Jiu's heavenly trial is coming soon," Yehua only felt confused. He knew that the Queen of Qingqiu has yet to become a High Goddess, but he didn't understand why this made Bai Qian sad. He waited for her to continue before hearing her muffled sobs. Alarmed, he patted Bai Qian's back as she continued sobbing. He was very distressed. What could have happened to make Bai Qian sob like this?

"She... S-she lost all her cultivation," Bai Qian sobbed through her sentence. Yehua suddenly understood and his face went pale. Lost all her cultivation? Then doesn't that mean- No. Yehua refused to believe that his young niece-in-law who was barely 35,000 years old would perish just like that. Bai Qian continued to sob and Yehua let her.

"She doesn't have long... She wants to marry Donghua Dijun and live with him as husband and wife until her heavenly trial... I want to stop her... But I know more than anyone that only Xiao Jiu will only love Dijun until she perishes. Yehua... Tell me what should I do? She's so young..." Bai Qian continue confirming Yehua's own fears. That poor child... Yehua felt stifled. He also witnessed just how much Fengjiu loved Dijun. He wondered if he should tell Dijun what was about to happen to Fengjiu... Then maybe he would yield a bit more to her. Before he could resolve to tell Dijun, Bai Qian looked up at him.

"Yehua you can't tell Dijun... Xiao Jiu doesn't want him to know. She will stay with him until a week before her heavenly trial, then tell him that she will go to the mortal realm to travel and gather experience as Queen of Qingqiu," Just like that, Yehua abandoned the thought of telling Donghua Dijun that his little fox was about to perish.

*****

Fengjiu was making some sugar foxes as Dijun sat down on the bamboo mat reading a sutra. Fengjiu was humming something as Dijun looked at her. Her eyes seemed to be shining brighter than usual and it made Dijun stare a bit longer. Fengjiu was oblivious as she took out one of the sugar foxes and turned to look at him.

"Dijun would you like a taste?" She asked happily. Dijun only looked at her smiling face, then turned his gaze on the sugar fox. Without a word he took it from her and popped it into his mouth. Fengjiu looked at him expectantly waiting for his reaction. "Delicious," Dijun admitted as he tasted the sugar fox. Fengjiu was overjoyed and handed him another one. "Dijun I know you like sugar very much! Why do you keep pretending to not like it?"

Dijun was caught off guard. He didn't know she knew that he pretended not to like sugar. He was about to reply when he suddenly remembered what she called him the night before.

Donghua... Will you marry me?

He grasped her chin deviously as he looked at her blushing face. "Dijun? Is that what you're supposed to call your husband?" Fengjiu blushed but she bravely raised her eyes and met his gaze.

"Donghua... You're not yet my husband," She countered as she stuffed another sugar fox into his mouth. "Now tell me... Why are you pretending not to like sugar?" Donghua looked at her earnest eyes and pulled her into his embrace.

"I used to think it was not manly to like sugar... But when I stopped caring, it was somehow recorded in history books that I didn't like sugar, so no one has ever served me anything sweet since then." Donghua admitted. Fengjiu only furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Then why didn't you tell them?"

"Mmm I was lazy," Donghua murmured before lying down with Fengjiu in his arms. Fengjiu was very happy to be back in his arms. She felt like they had gone back to the mortal realm. She looked at his icy profile and suddenly felt like she was so lucky. She was going to die soon but she got to be with the person she loved the most before her fated calamity happened.

"Donghua... Gugu wants to move up her wedding," Fengjiu murmured as she lay her head on his chest. "Mm, the ceremony will take place in three days." Fengjiu looked up again to see Donghua with his eyes closed. She tugged on his sleeves until he opened his eyes to look at her.

"When are we going to get married?" Fengjiu asked softly. Donghua felt like she was speaking to his heart from her position right now. He felt that if she asked for anything at this moment, he would gladly give it to her.

"When do you want to hold the ceremony?" Donghua asked back as he looked at his little fox furrow her brow in thought. He didn't know that Fengjiu was panicking internally.

Ceremony? Won't that take a long time? Gugu's wedding took 200 years to plan. I don't think I have that long. Donghua watched Fengjiu looking so serious. The sight made his lips curl up unconsciously. As Donghua watched Fengjiu, she finally looked up and held his face with her hands.

"Donghua... I don't need those fancy ceremonies. Can't we... Can't we just register our marriage and live somewhere in seclusion until my heavenly trial?"

Donghua furrowed his eyebrows at Fengjiu. "Are you sure?" In his memory, Fengjiu always liked to go through formalities. But as he thought some more, he realized that this was not true when it came to him. Fengjiu never went through any formalities with him so he thought of her request as normal. He felt that Fengjiu deserved a big ceremony, but he wanted to grant Fengjiu's request as well. He decided that they will register their marriage and live in seclusion just like she asked. After her heavenly trial, he will surprise her with a formal ceremony. Both for their wedding, and her coronation as his empress.

Fengjiu looked at him nervously. She was afraid he would say no, then they'd have to wait for many years. She wasn't sure she could last that long. Wouldn't that mean she wouldn't be able to marry Donghua? She was about to open her mouth to convince him some more, but he only smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Everything will be as you like Jiu'er," He murmured as he stroked her hair. Fengjiu immediately relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck to look up at him. Donghua saw her happiness written all over her face and he felt his heart warm. All these years, he's never seen such a happy and innocent expression on his Jiu'er's face. He cursed at himself for not defying fate sooner. He should have married her long ago instead of keeping his distance.

His thoughts were broken by Fengjiu who nuzzled her nose to his own. He felt his heart melt at her soft actions as his eyes on her face suddenly softened. "Jiu'er..."

"Donghua will you really let me do anything I like?"

"Mm."

Fengjiu raised her head and pressed her lips against his. Donghua froze for a second as he felt her soft lips touch his. Fengjiu broke the short kiss and looked up at him dazedly. Donghua's breaths grew heavy as he pinned Fengjiu beneath him and lowered his head to cover her lips with his. His kiss was aggressive, crushing her lips with fervor. It was as if he released all his reticence on his kiss. He held her in his arms and drew her closer. Fengjiu unconsciously tightened her arms around his neck as she returned his kisses with just as much passion.

The two figures beneath the peach blossom tree exchanged passionate kisses. The sun's golden beams spilled into the garden, bathing the two figures with a shimmering glow. It was a very beautiful sight.