The next morning, Zhuo Yi Chen awoke from his slumber, wrapped in Zhu Yan's arm, completely rested and feeling the presence of his great demon in every breath he took. The union of their souls allowed him to do so and he could tell that Zhu Yan's health was improving, more so than he thought, which was good. However, it also meant that they were bound together in such a way that it was impossible to untangle them. Of course he did not regret bonding with Zhu Yan, because saying so was a blatant lie, but it made him feel guilty for Wen Xiao, because if he absorbed her poison as they were now, united in body and soul, it meant that the poison would affect not only him, but also Zhu Yan, so if he died, his great demon will soon follow.
"Xiao Zhuo, you're worrying so much so early in the morning... I know this soul bonding was unexpected, but it was inevitable. We were both planning to sacrifice ourselves for each other, and a higher power overruled our decisions..." Zhu Yan told him as he gently brushed Yi Chen's long hair down his bare back with his fingers.
"She doesn't deserve to die... If there's a higher power that prevents us from sacrificing our lives, why not save hers too? She's suffered so much, this isn't how I picture the fate of a goddess, especially one already willing to die for the world... It's... it's..."
"It's not fair, I know, Yi Chen. I may not be in love with her, but I still care for her as much as her master... but right now, I can't help her no matter how much I want to, even when your baby dragon is doing its best to restore my core... I'm sorry..."
"Zhu Yan... don't be sorry... You've already sacrificed too much for all of us. It's me who is sorry for not being able to help her now that she needs it the most. I feel so... so useless."
"That's not true... Yi Chen..." He made Yi Chen look up at him.
"Don't say that again, you're not useless. Maybe I can absorb the poison, and then you can try extracting it with the Cloud Light Sword, like you did with the Ever-Burning Fire and Li Lun with Bai Jiu..."
"Will something like that work? It's poison..."
"Yes, but I'm sure that kind of poison might have traces of demonic energy, they love to use demon blood on most of what they do, and if it does, you can purify it."
"That's too risky, and I've already stabbed you more times than I'd like. It may not even work and you are still recovering, I'll absorb it myself and..."
"What? Stab yourself? That's even riskier... and only you can use the Cloud Light Sword. No, I won't allow it."
"Then what? I'm not letting you die..."
"Xiao Zhuo..."
"I said I won't let you and that's final. I have a spell that can detoxify her... it's just I'm not strong enough to cast it yet, my cultivation is too low right now, and by the time I can, it will be too late."
"What spell?" Zhu Yan asked as he stared at his lover in alarm.
"One that Ying Long teach me..."
"Ying Long's power is creation. What kind of spell did he teach you that requires strong cultivation? Xiao Zhu, you must be careful, he is just like I was before I met you and if I'm not allowed to die, then so do you, because..." But the rest of the words were lost into the kiss Yi Chen give him, making him forget about warning him about demons with death wishes and the deadly consequences they could bring.
"You worry too much..." Yi Chen whisper in between kisses and Zhu Yan melted into every single one of them. Then they left their bed and head out to their meeting place and wait for the others to show up while holding hands.
Pei Si Jing and Wen Xiao arrived first. They stood very close, while also holding hands, and both Yi Chen and Zhu Yan felt guilty for not having found a viable way to detoxify her. However, Wen Xiao looked at them as if seeing them in a completely new light.
"What's wrong?" Asked Zhuo Yi Chen, tilting his head.
"Xiao Zhuo... I know it's impolite and improper to ask what you're doing when you're alone with the great demon, but... it's just..." She faltered, unsure whether to burst out laughing or simply hold it back.
"What?" Yi Chen persisted, blushing slightly.
"You both radiate some kind of intertwined energy." Pei Si Jing said for Wen Xiao, which cover her mouth with her sleeve.
"What? We are not!" Rebutted Yi Chen, looking down at himself, then at his great demon which snicker at him.
"Do we shine in your eyes, goddess?" The great demon asked Wen Xiao, who was still trying to contain her laughter.
"You are, quite a lot." She said.
"It is the soul bonding. For a while it will change the way others see us. Don't panic, Xiao Zhuo, it will disappear soon enough and it's the prof I am all yours." Zhu Yan mocked Yi Chen, who blushed instantly.
"You shameless monkey..."
"Soul bonding? Never hear of that." Pei Si Jing admitted as she look at Wen Xiao, to see if she knew about the term.
"Soul bonding is how dragons claim their mates for eternity. Even upon death, in their next life their souls will reunite and fall in love again, even if they end up sworn enemies in that life. Just as they were at the beginning of this one. I wonder if it's a coincidence or if this isn't their first soul bonding to begin with." Wen Xiao ponder in the way those two have started their relationship as enemies, yet they end up as deep lovers.
"I think the first soul bonding start with Bing Yi and Ying Long..." Zhu Yan suggested and to Wen Xiao it make perfect sense.
"It's a very deep way to declare love, but you both should know that it also have consequences." Wen Xiao looked at Yi Chen, doubting he was aware of what he had sign himself in.
"He knows... we're connected in body and soul. There's no way around it, nor can we undo it either, which leaves us with only one thing left to say. I'm so sorry, Wen Xiao... we both wanted to free you from the poison, but... well, even though Yi Chen is so young, he wishes to give me something so special that he ended up calming me in his dragon way without realizing it, and I accept it with an open heart. Now I can't risk his life along with mine and neither can he..." Zhu Yan looked at her with genuine sadness reflected in his eyes, as did Yi Chen beside him, who seemed ready to kneel and beg for forgiveness, which of course was quite unnecessary. She smiled at them.
"You don't need to apologize, Xiao Zhou, it's not your style nor is it necessary. Even if both of you could absorb the poison inside me, I wouldn't allow it. You both mean so much to me, so why would I let you die in my place? Do you think I will have the courage to go on living with such a weight on my shoulders? You both should know better than to try something I will never agree to, and if it is my destiny, no matter how hard it is to accept, I will be no less than my Master and the first goddess. Whatever happens, I will do my best to keep going until I can go no further."
"Wen Xiao..." Zhuo Yi Chen was already at the border of tears after hearing such raw heartbreaking feelings.
"No, Xiao Zhuo. I know how noble you are, and you've already proven that you'll sacrifice yourself, not just for me, but for all of us. I'm so grateful that you're still willing to do it again for me, but you see..." She walked over to him and took his hand.
"You have something to live for now, someone you chose with such desire that you joined your life with his, and that is very precious, very special, and deserving of the greatest honor. He loves you too, you know? So much that he'd even burn himself for you... It's such a beautiful love that even I envy you, so don't try to ruin it now with something I didn't ask for or want. Value yourself more, because you are special too. Bai Jiu admires you as his older brother and so does Ying Lei, Pei Si Jing respects you as an honorable, upright man and commander of the demon hunters, you are the reason the great demon wishes to live after courting death for so long and I... I am your proud aunt and you are my adorable and handsome nephew who I want to be happy because you deserve it so much..." Just at that moment, Yi Chen couldn't hold himself back and hugged her while crying along with her.
"I'm sorry Wen Xiao... I'm so sorry... I fail you..." At such a scene, even Pei Si Jing shed tears and Zhu Yan had to take a deeper breath to hold it in, just as he could feel every overwhelming feeling Yi Chen experienced when he hug Wen Xiao, as if they were his own. He could feel his guilt for failing her when she needed him most, his fear of losing her, his frustration at not being able to do more even though he was now a great demon in full bloom, and his deep sadness at how she could die at any moment. At such a sight, Bai Jiu and Ying Lei walked over to meet them, but they remained silent, watching two old friends comforting each other in the face of adversity.
Bai Jiu was unaware of what the others had shared to get to this point, but it broke his heart to see not only Wen Xiao, but also his beloved big brother Zhuo Yi Chen suffer, and he vowed to himself to find a cure for the goddess, for she did not deserve the fate that he had played a part in, even if it was against his will and the two great demons had already made enough sacrifices. This time it was up to him, and he was determined to make it up to her for his many failures in the past, as well as the others.
They let them cry until Wen Xiao separated from Yi Chen and gently wiped away his silent tears. Then she smiled at him, considering it unfair, as her handsome nephew still looked gorgeous after crying while she was a complete mess.
"Let's go back, Xiao Zhuo..." She said, taking his arm and he nodded, looking at Zhu Yan, who gladly offered his arms to Wen Xiao to better support her. Then they left the sundial to return to the observatory.
It was a beautiful day outside the sundial, and the view of Tiandu City was as beautiful as ever, but soon, someone called Wen Xiao, and everyone turned to see Bai Yan walking toward them hurriedly.
"Mom! What's wrong?" Bai Jiu also rushed to greet her.
"It's the people of Tiandu. They're in trouble. You must seal the city immediately." She said, and Wen Xiao and Zhu Yan looked at each other.
"Why? What's going on?" Wen Xiao asked as she approached.
"It's the plague... it's spread throughout the city and must be contained as soon as possible." Bai Yan explained, and seeing the urgency of the request and having experienced one not long ago, Wen Xiao, as the Baize goddess, sprang into action with Zhu Yan. With their combined power, they sealed the city, and Wen Xiao used her golden eyes to see if the plague was the work of some demon, but she saw nothing like it, not even traces of evil energy.
"There's nothing..." She said just before spitting out some blood. Pei Si Jing immediately approached her, holding her firmly and carefully wiping the blood from her mouth, looking at her with deep worry, yet she remained silent.
"Are you okay?" Asked Zhu Yan, but she shook her head.
"It's nothing... don't worry. I can still hold on for a little longer and we have work to do in town, with our people." She said weakly.
"I'm going to check on you, but we should go back to the city and see what's going on first. We already have a formula for one type of plague, and if it's the same, it'll be a matter of gathering the ingredients." Bai Jiu urged them, and they returned to the city with Ying Lei's portal, to investigate what was going on there during their absence.
AN: Thanks for reading. I leave it here, because the next chapters are more likely to be very long, so I hope you don't mind. See you next time, please take care.