Whispers From The Heavenly Realm

The group cultivated together under their Guoshi, Mao Yongxing. He was strict, and the group worked harder than they ever had before. But they learned alot. And grew exceptionally stronger. Bao Xian took the Guoshi's teachings to heart. No one has ever made more sense to him than this man.

"Guoshi," Bao Xian said one day, making his way to the great master and kowtowing in greeting. "I have a question for you."

"My most prized student," the man said, gesturing for him to sit down with him at a small table. Bao Xian nodded and took a seat across from him. "What is it, my child?"

"I have a really bad feeling," Bao Xian said, nervously wringing his hands together. The man passed a tea cup over to him and poured him some tea he kept in a kettle on the table. He then poured his own cup.

"Elaborate," the man said, bringing the cup to his lips and blowing into it. 

"Well," Bao Xian said, copying the man's action. He gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out just how to describe what he was feeling. "Lately… Anytime His Highness brings up wanting to ascend, I get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like something is going to go completely wrong. Call it intuition, I guess. But every time I get a feeling like this, it always tends to come true."

"Have you ever seeked out the advice of a psychic?" Mao Yongxing asked. Bao Xian frowned lightly at his words. "Not about what you just asked me but… If your intuition is always right, I believe you could be a great fortune teller. With the right training, you could do amazing things."

"I won't leave His Highness's side," Bao Xian said with the shake of his head. "But Guoshi, if I'm right… then doesn't that mean he shouldn't ascend?"

"If he is fated to ascend, then we must let fate run it's course," Mao Yongxing told him. He sighed and set down his tea, looking into the young male's eyes with a serious expression. "That just means you need to make sure to support him with everything you have. If it comes to a day where no one else does, you must stay by his side no matter what. Promise me you will always take care of Bai Xu, will you?"

"Yes, of course," Bao Xian said, nodding his head in assurance. "I will never leave his side. Guoshi, we've been here for almost a year. He'll be 19 in a few months. Do you think his ascension is soon?"

"There's no way of telling when he will ascend. Though, I hope it won't be any time soon," the man told him. "Are you worried?"

"I just feel he hasn't had time to… Be human," Bao Xian said. "His cultivation has been growing immensely. He just won't slow down."

"How old are you, my child?" Mao Yongxing asked, catching the young man off guard. Bao Xian gave him a small smile.

"I turn 20 in a few weeks," he told him.

"You have a lot of wisdom for a 20 year old," the Guoshi said. "Things in this world will run it's course, and all we can do is run with it."

Bao Xian could only agree with his words. He stood up and pushed in his chair, kowtowing towards the man and thanking him for his time. He then made his way out of the temple and walked the path towards the small palace the King had constructed for Bai Xu. He didn't want his son sleeping in uncomfortable places, so he made sure a palace was built for comfort. He wouldn't take no from Bai Xu, either. So, Bai Xu and his four vassals made a temporary home in this temporary palace.

Bai Xu was waiting outside the palace, staring into a pond with a complicated expression. When he saw Bao Xian arrive, a large smile spread across his face. Bao Xian returned the smile and made his way over to him. 

"What did you go to Guoshi for?" Bai Xu asked him, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. "I thought you would never come back!"

"I just had to talk to him about today's lesson," Bao Xian told him. "You don't have to worry. Did you eat?"

"Do you think Mu Chen and Guan Qi would let me go without eating?" Bai Xu asked. The other let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "I saved you some food, too. You should eat. You haven't eaten in a few days!"

"You know, I'm not really hungry," Bao Xian told him. He grabbed the other's hand and pulled him away.. "Come on. Let's go on a walk."

"You? Asking me to go on a walk?" Bai Xu asked, sounding pretty excited. "How the tides have turned."

"Shut up," Bao Xian said, shaking his head and leading him towards a mountain path. Bai Xu laughed and walked with him, keeping a tight hold on his hand. 

"So what are we doing out here?" Bai Xu asked after a while of walking. Bao Xian turned to look at him, taking in a deep breath.

"Have you thought about what I told you?" Bao Xian asked him. Bai Xu frowned at his question.

"What do you mean?" the Crown Prince asked in confusion. "You've told me a lot of things."

"I mean… Love," the other said. "Have you… Thought of it?"

"Finding someone to love?" Bai Xu asked, stepping closer to him. "I think there's someone."

"Who?" Bao Xian asked with baited breath. Bai Xu stepped even closer until they were mere centimeters apart.

"Do you even have to ask, gege?" Bai Xu breathed out. The older male didn't dare to say anything as the prince leaned in, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

The two stood there in silence, unmoving. Neither knew what to do next. They were still holding hands, and their faces were closer than they ever have been before. Bao Xian's heart was beating a hundred miles per minute. Yet it felt like time stood still. 

"But," Bai Xu said, pulling away and staring at him with a complicated expression. "What time is there to love when I must put all my time and focus in my cultivation? If I don't, I won't ascend."

"What's the rush?" Bao Xian asked, a pinch of betrayal stabbing him in the heart. "Why not give yourself time?"

"Because I must become a god," he stated. "I have no desire to be in love until I have completed my goal."

"You're just going to ignore your own feelings?" Bao Xian asked, hurt lacing his voice. "And me?"

"Gege-"

"Forget it! Forget I asked anything," the older male said, brushing past him and storming off. 

"Gege!" Bai Xu cried after him, but Bao Xian ignored him. He was finally ready to open himself up, but Bai Xu had different ideas. He should have known.

"Where's Bao Xian gege going?" Guan Qi asked as they watched their friend descend the mountain. He hasn't talked to anyone for a couple weeks, and he kept himself locked in his room. He even missed their classes with Mao Yongxing. 

"He has his own path he must walk," Zhong Ran told his friends. "Guoshi helped him find a psychic to train him. He's going to take up fortune telling."

"He's no longer going to train with us?" Guan Qi asked, sadly. "But… haven't we always been together?"

"Something happened between him and His Highness," Mu Chen said. "They had a fight. I don't… I don't know how long he'll be gone. Or if he'll even come back."

"But… his birthday is tomorrow," Guan Qi said, tears in his eyes. 

"Did he really leave?" A new voice asked as Bai Xu walked towards them. He stared at Bao Xian's disappearing back, sadness taking over his whole being. 

"Your Highness," Mu Chen said, placing his hand on his shoulder. Red flashed in the prince's eyes and he swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" He snapped angrily, shocking all of them. 

"Your Highness," Zhong Ran said, cautiously stepping towards him. 

"Leave me alone!" Bai Xu cried, turning and rushing back into the palace, slamming the door behind him. 

The three stood there, dumbfounded. They had no idea how to handle this situation. They couldn't stop Bao Xian, but they didn't know how to help Bai Xu either. They've never seen their prince so hurt before. Which really made them want to know what had happened between the two.

The next day, Bai Xu got up earlier than everyone else and went straight to his training lesson. When the other three awoke and couldn't find the Crown Prince anywhere, they had to scurry and get dressed. Luckily they found him in the training yard with some of the other disciples of Mao Yongxing. 

"What do we do now?" Guan Qi asked under his breath, watching the prince from the sidelines. "He must be very depressed. It's Bao Xian gege's birthday. His Highness was so excited about it, too."

"So one of us has to step up and be at his side at all times," Mu Chen said, glancing between the other two. He decided to avoid any talk about their friend. 

"I'll step up," Zhong Ran decided. "You two already do a lot for him. I do the least out of the whole group!"

"But Bao Xian—"

"Just don't talk about him," Zhong Ran said, cutting Guan Qi off. "Mentioning him will upset His Highness. Now. You two are martial artists. Get out there and train! I'll stand by and watch after His Highness."

"Fine," the other two said with deep sighs. They grabbed their swords and made their way onto the training field, finding disciples to train with them. Zhong Ran went to the sidelines, keeping a tight watch on the prince. Now he really had to make sure the prince didn't get into any trouble. He was most likely hurting a lot.

Bai Xu laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling and feeling very tired. He had been training non stop for days, but felt like he was getting nowhere. He felt lost without Bao Xian by his side. He had been there for him every day of his life, ever since they were little kids. And now he didn't even know if the other was coming back.

He couldn't help but feel guilty after their last meeting. What Bai Xu did was completely unfair, and most definitely mean. He didn't realize Bao Xian even felt the same way he did, until he ran off all hurt and upset. Bai Xu was at a loss at this point. He wanted to cultivate, but without Bao Xian, it seemed impossible. He just couldn't focus. 

"Your Highness," a soft voice said, causing Bao Xu to look up. Zhong Ran walked in the room, greeting him softly. "Are you hungry? Should I have the others prepare you a meal?"

"No," Bai Xu said. "But… call them in here. Let's have a chat."

"Yes, Your Highness," Zhong Ran said, stepping out of the room. After a couple moments, all three of his vassals were standing in the room. Bai Xu patted his bed, telling them to sit. The group exchanged looks, awkwardly shuffling over and sitting on his bed. 

"I think it's time we descend the mountain," Bai Xu told him. "Our year is up. I told Guoshi we're going to go home for now."

"Go home?" Guan Qi asked in surprise. "But Your Highness, I thought you wanted to become a god!"

"I can't ascend until Bao Xian is by my side," the prince said with the shake of his head. "It's pointless to cultivate right now."

"But… what if he never comes back?" Guan Qi asked. Mu Chen and Zhong Ran both smacked him for saying those words. And sure enough, Bai Xu's eyes darkened.

"What do you mean by that?!" Bai Xu asked, angrily. "He's not coming back?" 

"Of course he's going to come back!" Zhong Ran cried out.

"Bao Xian's biggest priority is protecting you," Mu Chen added. "Don't worry. He will return."

But he didn't return for two years. And for two years, Bai Xu didn't cultivate. He kept a brave face in front of his people, and always dressed elegantly and wore the biggest smiles. The people couldn't tell there was anything wrong with him. But when he was behind closed doors, he moped all day and had weird mood swings. It scared the other three sometimes. 

One night, Bai Xu sat in the palace courtyard, twirling a sword around in his hands. Someone sat down next to him, but he didn't look up. The two sat in silence, listening to the crickets chirping all around them. It was a long moment before someone spoke.

"My dear Highness," the man next to him said softly. Bai Xu's head shot up, looking at the man with wide eyes.

"—Gege?!" He asked, watching as the man smiled and nodded his head. "Are you… are you back?"

"I'm back," Bao Xian said, reaching over and placing his hand on the prince's cheek. "You look tired."

"Gege!" Bai Xu cried, throwing his arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. Bao Xian chuckled awkwardly and hugged him back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you. I never realized how much I needed you until I lost you!"

"You don't have to miss me anymore," Bao Xian told him. Bai Xu hugged him tighter, tears running down his cheeks. Bao Xian shushed him softly, rubbing circles along his back. "I'm sorry I left."

Bai Xu took a few moments to calm down, basking in Bao Xian's hold. Once the prince could finally process everything, he pulled away from the hug and started wiping away his tears. The older male let out a soft laugh and reached out to help rid him of his tears. His hand lingered on the prince's cheek, causing the two to make eye contact.

"Let's… let's go inside," Bai Xu said, pulling away and turning his back. Bao Xian let out a deep sigh, knowing this was coming.

"Alright," Bao Xian said, following behind the prince as he walked back into the palace. As soon as they made it in, a loud shout was heard as the other three vassals came rushing over to tackle Bao Xian into a hug.

"You're back!" Guan Qi cried out in excitement. "We missed you so much!"

"Guan Qi was convinced you were never coming back," Mu Chen said with a small laugh, pulling out of the hug and patting his back. 

"I'm sorry," Bao Xian said, looking at everyone with a small smile. "I'm sorry for scaring all of you. I shouldn't have left without a word."

"You trained with a psychic, right?" Zhong Ran asked. Bao Xian nodded his head in response. The other three started talking energetically at this news. "How did it go?"

"Are you a psychic now?" Mu Chen asked.

"Are you going to tell my future?" Guan Qi asked in excitement.

"Everything was fine," Bao Xian assured them. "I can tell someone's fortune, but not off the bat. It comes to me in a dream, or as intuition. Anyway, how did everything go here? How is your cultivation going?"

"Well," Zhong Ran said, going silent and looking at his friends. They all took a deep breath, unsure of how to tell him. "Not so well… We haven't trained since you left."

"Wait what?" Bao Xian asked, looking at Bai Xu. "Why?"

"Because I didn't want to," Bai Xu said. He shrugged his shoulders and made his way towards his room, leaving them behind. Bao Xian looked at the other three in confusion.

"He's been extremely angry, but also sad, since you left," Zhong Ran said. "He quit training. Has no motivation to ascend anymore. He rarely goes outside to the people. He's like an empty shell."

"I see," Bao Xian said, a bunch of complcated feelings bubbling inside of him. He let out a deep sigh and turned away, biting his lip in contemplation. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"We always will.. And we kind of have to," Mu Chen said. Bao Xian gave him a small smile and walked away, following after Bai Xu.

He went into the Crown Prince's room without even announcing himself. He made sure to seal the door so they weren't interrupted by the others, and turned to face the prince. Bai Xu had his back towards him, seemingly deep in thought. 

"You should never ever give up your dream for someone else," Bao Xian scolded him. "Just because I left, doesn't mean you should stop your path to ascension."

"Well. I'm twenty now. So it's not like I'm too young anymore," Bai Xu said, shrugging his shoulders. "You said so yourself. I was too young."

"You still are," Bao Xian said, letting out a deep sigh. "But that shouldn't matter. Just cause I don't think you should yet, it doesn't mean you have to listen to me. Why did you stop?" 

"Because you weren't here," Bai Xu told him. "I already said that I want to take you with me to heaven. I can't do that if you're not around."

"I seem to remember you letting me go," Bao Xian told him. "You made it very clear that ascending was a lot more important. And yet you suddenly changed your mind."

"Are you dumb?!" Bai Xu snapped, causing Bao Xian to flinch. "Of course you're more important! Didn't I just apologize to you?! Yeah, I was too dumb to realize it in that moment. But I can't lose you. Ever! I'm not going anywhere unless you are by my side."

"I've always been by your side, Bai Xu," Bao Xian told him. "I made a vow to you when I was a kid. And then I made a vow to Mao Yongxing. That I would always protect you no matter what."

"You broke it," Bai Xu said, his eyes turning red. "You left me! For two years!"

"I had every intention to come back," Bao Xian told him. "Guoshi got me in contact with a psychic he knew to train me. He promised me he would look after you while I did my training. Of course, it was impossible for him to keep that promise because you walked away from cultivation."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the Crown Prince asked. Bao Xian sighed and shook his head. 

"Because if I told you, I would have stayed," he told him. He stared at the prince, sitting down on his bed. "You influence all my decisions. If I see that you're remotely sad, I cave. But I couldn't with this. I had to go see that psychic. Just like you have to ascend."

"You think I should ascend?" Bai Xu asked him. 

"Of course I do," the other said. "And I know that you will. It's going to be a dangerous path, but it's one you must walk. That's why I went to this psychic. Because I had to come to terms with this. I can't change fate. So we have to continue forward."

"I have to ascend."