by Elisabeth Long (SunInTaurus)
Warning: This work is rated Mature (18+) for sexual content.
Synopsis: When her best friend the Phoenix of the Peach Grove excitedly brings her to visit the gardens of Kunlun Mountain to seek a flower of legend, never would the Fox Goddess have expected the Grandmaster of Kunlun himself -the Dragon God of War- to offer to personally escort them.
Bai Qian had heard enough tales of how reclusive and reserved Mo Yuan was, having never met him before. Her father had though. It was the Fox King who'd made Mo Yuan's guqin long ago from the same heartwood of peach tree as he had made hers.
Curious about the man who was not just the realm's most formidable warrior, but a scholar, a teacher, and a gifted musician, Bai Qian comes to know the gentle, good humoured side of a kindred spirit who treats her as an equal. And the relationship that swiftly develops between her and Mo Yuan becomes so much more.
But when a horrific attack happens upon her home land, Bai Qian discovers that Mo Yuan may have had ulterior motives for wanting to be with her... motives involving the Demon Emperor Qing Cang and what have been random, senseless attacks throughout the realm over the years.
Had Mo Yuan truly only wished to get close to the fox goddess because she was blind?
(45 parts)
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A Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms fanfiction. This is a separate edition to "The Silk Blade" under my pseudonym of SunInTaurus
(序幕) Prologue
Why won’t the waters break? The midwife of Donghai pressed her hand more firmly upon the Fox Queen’s protruding belly and attempted once more to rupture the amniotic sac with her magic. It was no use. Her powers were being thwarted somehow… In the full throes of labour, the Queen lay upon the bed naked…
1(第一章) The Mushroom Market
“Migu, we mustn’t forget new candles for the common area. Some of the old ones are down to stubs.” It was the kind of perfect sunny autumn afternoon which drew everybody outdoors to bask in the last warm days of the season. The Mushroom Market of Qing Qiu was bustling with activity. Cheerful conversation and…
2(第二章) The Heartwood of Kunlun
He slipped the piece of paper he’d been holding under a book. “Enter.” The draft created by the heavy door swinging inwards made the candlelight flicker across the walls. “Shifu.” Mo Yuan’s second-in-command, Die Feng, stood in the doorway holding a number of scrolls in his gloved hands. The man’s breath condensed in wisps about…
3(第三章) In the Darkness Bound
The young male dancer on his lap writhed and moaned with pleasure as Qing Cang dug his beefy fingers into the flesh of the lithe demon’s defined backside, grinding him down harder against the swollen mound of his spread crotch. The harem woman’s tongue running along the horned ridges of Qing Cang’s brow was not…
4(第四章) First Impressions
A sleepy Migu had creaked with surprise when Bai Qian had offered him the entire pot of fish soup she’d prepared the night before. She listened with a faint smile as he shuffled off grumbling with the heavy pot in his hands. She’d volunteered to lighten it with magic so he could carry it home…
5(第五章) The Scent of a Dragon
Swish swish… Swish, swish… Groaning at the sound of broom bristles sweeping the Den floor, Bai Qian yanked her blanket over her head. Her Royal Highness, the Immortal White Nine-Tailed Fox Queen Bai Qian of Qing Qiu, was not an early morning person. It didn’t help that she’d been up during the night again. Sleep…
6(第六章) The Hands of a Warrior
Dark lashes curled lightly along the edges of creamy smooth eyelids; eyelids whose corners were crinkled with a smile. Bai Qian’s silk band had slipped off when he’d caught her head. There was a certain symmetry between the soft curves of her fingertips and those of her eyebrows, Mo Yuan noted. Like yesterday, it disturbed…
7(第七章) By the Hearth Fire
Bai Qian frowned in the direction of the chamber door. Mo Yuan had just excused himself, stepping out to arrange for quarters to be prepared for them. “If you keep doing that at Mo Yuan’s back, the dragon may come out and bite you.” Zhe Yan chuckled. “Stop hogging all the heat, Qian Qian. Move…
8(第八章) The Ways of a Lady
The Grey Wolf was closing his stall for the night. The packet of steamed fish he’d wrapped for Bai Qian still lay on a crate beside him. Neither she nor Migu had passed by this day. At the sound of laughter, he glanced up. The two rabbit children who made the Market their own playground…
9(第九章) Of Shadow and Light
“KUNLUN?!!” Qing Cang’s explosive bellow reverberated off the damp rock surrounding them. “She’s never travelled anywhere before and now the first place she goes to is the worm’s lair?!” The Demon Emperor and his Shaman had been making their way down a narrow torchlit passage leading to the inner tunnels when Diao Wu had broken…
10(第十章) Brothers in Arms
“Did you see either of them at all this morning?” Zi Lan asked. The Sixteenth Disciple lunged in front of Da Bao to snatch the last jianbing from a platter. Chewing his food slowly, Kunlun’s Eleventh Disciple Da Bao extended his tree trunk-like arms out sideways to stretch out his back. “Hey! You’ve eaten four…
11(第十一章) A Goddess at the Gate
“If you keep yawning like that your face is going to get sucked into your mouth.” Zhe Yan’s eyes scrunched shut with an “Eeeeuuuaaahhhhhh” as he broke into a yawn himself. “Don’t you know yawning is contagious?” he said, clacking his tongue. Bai Qian snorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and pinched her…
12(第十二章) The Drape of a Tail
“And I’m the WHITE FOX, so what?” Bai Qian matched the White Goddess’ tone perfectly. Zhe Yan had to grin. Bai Qian always did have a knack for mimicry. The White Goddess… the White Goddess… he vaguely recalled hearing of her before. Didn’t she sit on several realm councils? While Zhe Yan did do the…
13(第十三章) A Special Touch
She had been magnificent. Mo Yuan thought of an ancient adage he would do well to remember when it came to the Queen of Qing Qiu. Never assume. Flawless in her execution of an aerial vault over Yao Guang, Bai Qian had effectively put herself out of direct harm’s way while she seized the advantage…
14(第十四章) The Love of a Phoenix
Tucking an arm behind his head, Zhe Yan leaned back against the grassy knoll with a long stalk sticking out the corner of his mouth. With his other arm, he reached towards the sky, splaying his fingers open against the backdrop of stars. The crisp, cold air atop the mountain made for a stunning clear…
15(第十五章) Bai Qian’s Song
“Bai Qian.” No response. “Bai Qian,” Mo Yuan whispered again. He’d been trying to wake her for several minutes. But a silent Bai Qian never stirred. Even her tails, which Mo Yuan had believed to always be in some sort of motion, lay unmoving around the legs of her chair. A different tactic perhaps. Leaning…
16(第十六章) A Blanket of Sunlight
Bai Qian made her way quietly between the peach trees. The cool feel of the grass beneath her paws a contrast to the warm caress of sunlight upon her fur. The pair of tails she stretched ahead of her swept the ground while she kept her other seven loosely fanned out beside and above her.…
17(第十七章) A Hint of Spice
Mo Yuan’s body thrummed with the song of the hunt. The fluttering heartbeat captured beneath his made his pulse pound in anticipation. The Dragon’s golden gaze locked on to a light bead of sweat that trickled from a creased brow to a softly wisped hairline; a dress collar pulled open, a slender column of throat,…
18(第十八章) Of Ill Intent
Only a little further to go… The lacerating pain of the Shaman’s bindings had left him weak and exhausted. Stumbling between the trees, the Grey Wolf staggered his way back to the cave where he lived. Situated at the northernmost edge of the forest of Qing Qiu, the cave was near a stream which supplied…
19(第十九章) A Queen’s Honour Guard
The raucous chirping of birds woke Zhe Yan. Stretching out his arms over his head, the yawning Phoenix smiled at the bright morning sun just over the horizon. He extinguished the flames around his body. He’d slept refreshingly well… and past dawn. With a good scratch to the back of his head, he stood and…
20(第二十章) A Breakfast to Remember
A hush descended over the hall as one by one the tables fell silent –all except where the youngest apprentices sat. What did young boys care about the sight of a beautiful goddess flanked by two of Kunlun’s generals in full battle attire? They were there to fill their stomachs, not their eyes. For the…
21(第二十一章) Gu Gu’s Dragon
“Gu Gu!” Migu’s footsteps cascaded down the rocky steps of the Den. “I was starting to worry when you didn’t come back early like you did yesterday and…” The tree sprite’s voice trailed off. “Migu.” Bai Qian cleared her throat. “This is High God Mo Yuan who has come to visit Qing Qiu properly today.”…
22(第二十二章) Flickers of Gold
Mo Yuan had been greatly enjoying the hubbub of the Mushroom Market. Its crisscrossing pathways lined haphazardly with crooked tables and wobbly benches, the rickety stands, the off-kilter racks bumping up alongside perfectly erected stalls and shelves; all this clashing of display existed in perfect neighbourly harmony, resembling so much the lively, boisterous people he…
23(第二十三章) A Flame in the Night
“Migu?” There was no response to Bai Qian’s call. If Mo Yuan could sense there was no one in the Fox Den, surely she could as well. Someone was nervous about being alone with him. Bai Qian proceeded to a nook in the wall. Reaching her hand inside a hole in the rock, she paused…
24(第二十四章) The Blind Fox
{NSFW} “…though something definitely left all those nicks and scars and burn mark traces I did see…” No… no… Bai Qian shook her head. It had nothing to do with my mother. Her heart seized when Mo Yuan’s chair scraped against the floor after hers. He’d risen from the table as well. And the sunlight…
25(第二十五章) The Windows to the Soul
{NSFW} Flanks heaving, the Grey Wolf dropped his head with a pant of relief when he saw the first swirls of dark mist appear. He almost hadn’t made it in time. The Wolf had woken in a chilled daze, limbs stiff and numb, sprawled on his side on the floor of his cave. The Shaman…
26(第二十六章) The Sky Beyond
Arms crossed over his chest, Zhe Yan leaned against the doorframe of Bai Qian’s guest chamber, taking in the empty bed’s folded blanket with a lopsided smile. Bai Qian hadn’t slept there. In fact, she’d never returned to Kunlun during the night. He’d already known this since the phoenix feather he’d given her would have…
27(第二十七章) A Moment of Truth
Bai Qian’s eyelids fluttered again. She lay on her stomach with her chin propped on her hands, kicking up her feet behind her. Zhe Yan sat crosslegged, scratching his knees. Neither was bothered by the chill of the ground. The jugs of peach wine they’d drunk were tipped over in the grass between them. Bai…
28(第二十八章) The Coming Storm
{NSFW} The door swung open with force. The raw power of dragon essence blasted through the room, setting the hearth fire ablaze in its wake. Steady, measured footfalls advancing upon the bed roused Bai Qian. And the intense press of sunlight upon her now open eyes made her blink. Mo Yuan. She’d fallen asleep. She…
29(第二十九章) Left Behind
“Your sacrifice today is but one of body!” Qing Cang’s words boomed throughout the smoky vastness of the cavernous hall. Ranks of battle-armed demon soldiers stood at attention before him; swords, spears, and axe blades catching the flicker of the torches along the walls. “We shall claim our rightful place as overseers of this realm! …
30(第三十章) The Clarions of Heaven
Fenfang closed her eyes. The whoosh of displaced air above her face was followed by a wet crunch. How could a blow of steel feel like the wind? Startled she could open her eyes, Fenfang watched storm clouds churn in the sky above; a sky come alive with raging bolts of crisscrossing lightning. I’m still…
31(第三十一章) Out of Sight
The attack was proceeding as planned. The souls of the dead demon soldiers fed the curse, feeding Diao Wu’s own essence at the same time, increasing his powers. The Shaman took it as his due. He poured himself another cup of the peach wine he’d discovered here inside the Phoenix’s cottage, savouring its flavour while…
32(第三十二章) With Clear Intentions
Crouched by his chamber doorway, a frowning Mo Yuan examined the splintered remains of his door. I never considered you would do something so stupid as cloud-jump on your own. I should have bound you and locked you inside the elixir cauldron chamber before leaving Kunlun. Even the Phoenix with his unexpected trick here would…
33(第三十三章) A Dragon’s Vigil
As his mind cleared further, Zhe Yan’s first concern was not for himself. “Jia!! Where is the little one?!” Peering into the darkness, Zhe Yan could discern the outline of white robes approaching him. He tried to move again but to no avail. Propped on his knees, Zhe Yan was fused upon an energy field…
34(第三十四章) A Compelling Refrain
The beauty of the melody coloured the air, its individual notes like the wings of butterflies; fluttering, gliding, stopping, delicately combining upon the breeze. Mo Yuan watched with quiet intensity as Bai Qian’s fingertips drfited along the silk strings made of his dragon hair, playing a composition strangely in rhythm and beat to his pulse.…
35(第三十五章) The Warrior
Mo Yuan tried to draw what currents of air there were to him. There was no peach blossom scent to track. Shrunken down, he could not command the winds nor the water. And the narrow passages would not allow for him to assume his normal size without bursting his way through –something he couldn’t risk…
36(第三十六章) The Labyrinth of Hell
“Hurry now, Qian Qian. It would be rude to keep our guests waiting too long.” “Yes, Father.” She crossed the threshold to the main area of the Fox Den. It was time for her afternoon lesson with her father. Mornings were reserved for practical instruction, primarily orientation and mobility skills training designed specifically for her.…
37(第三十七章) Lifting the Veil
Took you bloody well long enough! The Phoenix’s ire was directed at both the Dragon crouched before a fallen Qing Cang and the orchid’s glow within him. Zhe Yan’s ears buzzed. Silver filaments began streaming from his core into his veins. And once again, he experienced that same dizziness as when he’d blown up Mo…
38(第三十八章) The Colours Upon the Wind
“There’s no one here!” The candles flickered when Zi Lan ran back into the common area, Da Bao following shortly thereafter. Die Feng rapped his clenched fists on the stone table. Something had indeed happened. That uneasy feeling he’d had when Shifu hadn’t replied to the missive he sent at dawn had only grown worse…
39(第三十九章) A Thousand Exploding Suns
Mo Yuan braced when the translucent hand of the undead Shaman rose, prepared to shield Bai Qian with his body, futile gesture though it would likely prove to be. Black magic… Mo Yuan’s skin crawled from the concentrated presence of it so close, its putrid stench rolling off Diao Wu’s apparition. About to push Bai…
40(第四十章) When Calls the Heart
Threads of consciousness wove through her dreams. Dreams of soothing coolness… at the tip of her tails, cool cloths on her face, a cool breeze across her eyelids. And dreams of comforting warmth… the honey smell of her beeswax candles, a gentle hand lifting her head as broth entered her mouth that she swallowed. Sunlight…
41(第四十一章) The Hush of Falling Snow
Dressed in her winter cloak, Bai Qian stomped lightly with her feet. She was unused to wearing boots in ankle-deep snow. The large, thick mittens she hated but Zhe Yan had nagged her to wear made a muffled sound as she kept clapping them together. They had yet to be greeted by anyone at the…
42(第四十二章) In the Full Light of Day
{NSFW} ‘I love you, Mo Yuan.’ Like the gently falling snowflakes, Bai Qian’s lips were meltingly soft. He could lose himself in these kisses, inhaling her breath, filling his lungs with her sweet air. When Bai Qian started to sway, Mo Yuan broke the kiss to clutch her to him, berating himself for forgetting in…
43(第四十三章) The Lady of Kunlun
Upon Nature’s eternal ebb and flow the circling of the seasons gave way, and once more winter’s quiet mantle was shed for a vibrant veil of spring. The warm current of air that blew in from the Peach Grove through Qing Qiu was a wind of change, a wind of renewal, a wind of bustling…
(结语) Epilogue
The racing steps came to an abrupt halt before her. “G-g-good morning, Shilao!” “Good morning, Ping Yan.” The winded senior apprentice must be late for his first class of the day again, Bai Qian mused. “You best run faster and hope Sixteenth Brother hasn’t taken roll call yet.” “Yes, Shilao,” groaned the young man whose…