Chapter 170 - Change
Hao Xuan sat in a small room with an apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry sorry, I completely forgot. But as you can see, I'm fine you, so you guys don't have to worry!" he patted his chest proudly.
"Captain, I almost made a deal with the devil trying to rescue you. Can you not be so easy-going about these kinds of things?" Kuo let out a breath of relief when he saw Hao Xuan's face.
"Yeah yeah. So you heard right? I'll be away for a while. If possible, try to come to one of the footholds near this place so we can regroup when I return."
"Sure, I'll as soon as the opportunity presents itself."
They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up the call.
He then sat on a bed staring at the name in his contact list. Recently he got a strange feeling whenever he called her, one that he had never experienced before.
The bell rang and was picked up within a couple of seconds.
"Hello," he saw the same old porcelain-like face he had seen hundreds of times now. He usually called her every other day so it felt strange not having talked to her in a while.
But upon looking at her pale complexion he got worried.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" he stood up and asked with a deep frown.
A faint smile adorned her fair face as she shook her head, "No, just a little tired," she said in a light voice and lowered her head.
He silently stared at the almost perfect 'picture' on his screen for a few more seconds before letting out a deep breath.
"You need to rest properly. Stop cleaning everything and making so much food. We have servants for that. Just relax and enjoy yourself. Or if you want to start cultivating, I can find some good teachers for you. How about that?"
With her head still lowered, the smile on her face got wider and a warmth she hadn't felt in a really long time once again appeared.
Although Xu Qing was the first princess of her kingdom, her life was anything but relaxed.
Her mother passed away when she was five years old after giving birth to a baby boy. The king who was so madly in love with his precious queen almost went insane upon losing her.
But he didn't blame any of his children for her death.
Instead, he threw himself face-first into his work. There would be weeks or even months when she didn't see her own father.
So the little blind girl was raised by the servants and had to cry herself to sleep every night.
The king had lost his 'favorite' wife, but she had lost her only mother. Yet there was no 'work' for her to keep herself busy, so she made some up.
She would clean her own room and courtyard and take care of the young prince every day. She also went out and did a lot of charity work in her mother's stead. It was anything but easy for someone that had never seen the light of day but she did it without a single complaint.
And when the day was over, she would be too tired to think about anything else and would simply pass out on her bed. Unfortunately, even in dreams, there would only be pain welcoming her.
She would witness horrific scenes of death and carnage.
Of a monster that would lay waste to entire kingdoms. No one would be spared.
And in every one of those dreams, she could neither move nor speak, only observe the massacre until the heavens themselves trembled with rage.
The first time she had that 'nightmare', she didn't sleep for four days straight, only falling unconscious after burning herself out.
But when the same nightmare repeated over and over again, and she started noticing things.
The monstrous creature would be crying, always. There were tears of blood falling down its inhuman face. It would face the heavens above and howl in a final act of defiance before ultimately surrendering to its fate.
And when it was all done and dusted, when it was the only one left standing, Hell itself would open up and swallow him whole.
She never really paid attention to the creature itself so she hadn't noticed this before.
And then like a broken damn, all these extra details started appearing.
She had that nightmare for over fifteen years until her father came to her one day on his knees, wailing.
"I'm sorry, lass. I had no idea it would actually come true. Your mother, she wanted children so bad, I had no choice but to make the deal, for her and for the future of this kingdom."
He explained to Xu Qing that her mother, the woman he loved more than anyone else, was barren and couldn't have children of her own. But she wanted them so badly that soon after she found out, she lost her will to live.
She started to waste away.
And in their most hopeless moment, a stranger appeared in front of them.
This stranger offered them a shard of divine white light and told them that if they agreed, they could have two offsprings, a son and a daughter. But perhaps one day, the daughter would have to be sent away to another place.
That her life would not be an easy one but it would bring great change to this world.
He cried his eyes out in front of her, saying that he couldn't stop it, that he couldn't protect her. That it was...time.
That night, for the first time in fifteen years, Xu Qing had a different dream, a peaceful one.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that that one dream will have changed her forever.
The next day she went to her father with a resplendent smile, "It is my fate, royal father," she said, "I think I am meant to save someone. I think I....can change the ways of a demon," she told her father and left for a completely new place.
***
"No, I'm not one for cultivation. I just need a little bit of time to get back on my feet, don't worry," she replied gently.
Hao Xuan looked skeptical but what could he do?
"Mhm, don't push yourself too hard okay?" he said lightly.
He told her about the new world, well most of it, and mentioned that he would not be able to contact for a little while.
Xu Qing seemed a bit hesitant to end the call but, "Please come back quick," she said with a worried expression and hung up quickly.
Hao Xuan would laugh like an idiot whenever he remembered her expression. The usually calm and collected Xu Qing could be so cute as well?
***
For the next hour or so he made calls to everyone he knew.
Yangdi was his same old cold self. He inquired about the Khan family and some other things from him.
Green and Red, on the other hand, looked different. Their heights had decreased by a couple of feet less, making them look much more normal.
Yun Wentian told him about all the lessons he was taking and showed him a few moves as well. He was becoming stronger as well. He already looked much more mature and more importantly, happier.
First looked exhausted and told him that something big was about to happen. He told him to be careful and return as soon as possible.
After talking to everyone, he was finally ready to set off for the new realm.
Hao Xuan closed his eyes and meditated for a little while to calm down.
****
Authors Notes:
A new arc is about to begin!
And a reminder: Xu Qing: https://i.pinimg..com/564x/4f/85/62/4f856218d66942f97bbbc6ebf1f4499e.jpg