Ascend The Heavens

Promises

Gu Junxiu ran down the desert with Zhu Xi by her side. She held on to him like her life depends on it. They ran away as fast as there legs could take them far away from the castle. They ran as a four headed snake chased after them. The snake was trying yo prevent them from leaving but Gu Junxiu was determined. She had only one thing that kept her going and that was the thought of Zhu Xi depending on her.

She ran clutching the wound on her stomach from fighting the snake and kept going. She was feeling thirsty and tired from all the running that she had done from morning, she didn't give up and kept going.

She slowly succumbed to the poison of the snake and fell unconscious on the ground. Zhu Xi stopped in his track and gazed at Gu Junxiu as the snake was getting closer and closer to them. He raised his hand up to signal the snake to stop and ordered it to remove the poison from Junxiu's body. The snake obeyed and did as he demanded, it moved close to her and sucked the poison from her body.

The snake picked Gu Junxiu up from the ground and placed her on his back and moved away with her. Zhu Xi transformed into a black mist and followed behind them from the sky. A man in white robes appeared and gently landed on top of the snakes head and guided them on where to go.

They travelled across the desert and arrived at Phoenix empire by sunset. The snake set Gu Junxiu down under a tree and let the man in white robes take care of her. The man spread a white shawl on the ground and helped Gu Junxiu to lay down softly. Zhu Xi took his normal form and landed on the ground after checking for any dangers around the forest.

He went to Gu Junxiu's side and fed her water before covering her with his coat and allowing her to rest. The man in white robes removed his mask and took the form of a young boy.

"Are you joining us too?" they asked in unison looking at the snake.

"Of course. You guys clearly need me," she said turning into a young girl. "Quick question, why do we have to pretend to be children?" she asked Zhu Xi.

"Because children are innocent Li Hua. And we want to be innocent for once in our lives, even if it is just for pretence," He Jun said and laughed at his attempt to be funny. Li Hua and Zhu Xi shook there heads disappointed at his failed attempt at comedy.

"You can fake innocence but not being funny," Li Hua said and went to Zhu Xi. "What is the plan?"

"I don't have one yet. I will let you know when I figure it out," he replied never looking away from Gu Junxiu.

"What's the story then?"

"She fainted and u tried my best to save her but I couldn't and the two of you who happened to be very strong and good cultivators. You arrive in the nick of time and save us from the snake and brought us here. And you only wish to be her companions in return," he explained and went to set a fire to keep Gu Junxiu from catching a cold.

They sat around the fire making conversation. They talked about everything and anything that they could think of to pass the time. Zhu Xi talked with them but also kept an eye at his sleeping beauty.

"The Lord will be here any time," Li Hua said getting serious. "What do you plan to do when he gets here?"

"We will see when he gets here," Zhu Xi replied casually. He wasn't threatened by the Lord in any way and if it came to a fight between them he knew that he had just as much chance to win like he did.

"Then what is your plan. You must have a goal you want to achieve or a score you want to settle right?" she asked. From her knowledge of the darkness she knew that he always had something going on in his mind. He always had a plan a trick up his sleeve to pull off his plan.

"Let him come. I want him here, I want him to bear witness to how I am going to take everything he holds dear away from him. He took everything from me back then and I will repay the favour. I will take for myself what he desires the most and leave him empty. Starting with her. I will make her mine, she will whisper my name in the lonely nights and not his," ge said with bitterness.

"Love is a disease. You can make her fall in love with you without you yourself falling in love. Love attracts love while hatred attracts hatred. Be careful what you wish for, because this which you crave will be your downfall," she stated warning him of the consequences of the path he wanted to take.

"Then so be it. Let my story be told for generations as the one who was loved, the one who died for love," he said never intending to succumb to death.

"Alright then. If you have decided then you can rest assured that I am with you. Who knows, I might even fall in love too. Then I will have to kill that person and kill myself afterwards for it," she said and laughed like crazy.

"And then stories will be told of your greatness and how you died a cowardly dead," He Jun commented infuriating Li Hua who glared at him.

Gu Junxiu woke up from her sleep and opened her eyes. It took her a while to get used to the darkness but once she did the first thing she saw was Zhu Xi. She ran to him and embraced him tightly. She felt happy that she was able to save him from his captives.

"Now you will only know happiness. Not sorrow," she said kissing him on his face.

"You have saved me from my captors but who will save me from my destiny?" he asked her looking straight into her eyes. Gu Junxiu saw a lot of emotions in his eyes; longing, pain, loneliness.

"I will," she said feeling the sadness he was feeling due to the tie they shared. She felt every emotion from him and wanted to do everything she could to turn them into a positive feeling.

"Do you promise to be by my side to rid me of all my loneliness. Do you promise to always protect me from all the dangers that may come my way. Do you promise to fight by my side against all my enemies. Do you promise to never let go of me or leave me for the rest of our lives. Do you promise to love me for as long as you shall live. With the heavens as your witness?" he asked reaching his hand out to her.

Gu Junxiu felt inside her how much those promises meant to him. He felt how nervous he was and the doubt that the wouldn't agree. She felt bad for him and accepted his hand.

"With the heavens as our witness I make all this promises to you," she said to him.

Lighting and thunder hit the sky to seal the promises and Zhu Xi smiled.