Jinghe hesitated. All of her cultivation was... well, a lot. But if she was able to drag out the process, buy them more time, then it would be worth it. And thus, she closed her eyes, slowly channeling the flow of spiritual energy in her body to her hands, and then sending a stream in the direction of Qingshan. Qingshan wasn't scared that she would try to send spiritual energy to Yanbo, because Yanbo's body wouldn't be able to stand too much fire-based spiritual energy before burning up on the inside. Only Qingshan, another fire-based cultivator, would be able to accept it and benefit the most from it.

Slowly, Jinghe fed the flow into Qingshan's chest, steady wisps of golden spiritual power streaming from her fingers into Qingshan's body, slowly, biding her time. As she did so, she drew slowly closer, until she felt that she had a 50/50 chance, and suddenly flew towards Qingshan, brandishing her sword, but Qingshan anticipated this, using Yanbo's body in front of hers again. At this point, Yanbo had nearly passed out, and was dimly watching this, barely processing the figure in front of her, but knowing instinctively that it was someone who would never hurt her, so she was not afraid. Yanbo knew that she was here, and was not afraid anymore.

"Don't get any fancy ideas." Qingshan warned Jinghe darkly.

Jinghe looked at the situation helplessly. An expression of similar helplessness appeared on her face, and she slowly began concentrating her spiritual power into her hands again, biding her time, waiting for someone, anyone to come. She closed her eyes, stretching out her senses as best as she could to see if she could hear anyone coming in her direction, but she detected nothing.

Jinghe began racking her brains. If no one came to back her up, her only possibility was to get Qingshan to release Yanbo, and fight Qingshan to the death. When it came to pure fighting, Qingshan was a little weaker than Jinghe, and Jinghe had a pretty firm grip on the chances of winning.

Qingshan seemed to detect something, and a frown grew on her face.

"Hurry up." She said, worried about something. Jinghe wondered what it was that she'd detected, and a sense of hope flared in her belly.

Jinghe only quickened her stream for a few seconds before slowing it down again to the original pace. At this rate, her cultivation could only be fully passed to Qingshan in the next hundred years. Qingshan removed the knife from Yanbo's throat and instead moved it to her stomach, pushing it slowly inside, starting with only the sharp tip. Yanbo let out the slightest of whimpers, a small trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

Jinghe understood the wordless threat, and she began passing the spiritual energy quicker to Qingshan.

They seemed to be there in silence for ages, but in reality, it was only a few moments. Suddenly, Qingshan made a movement as though she wanted to sweep past Jinghe and outside into the hallway. Jinghe anticipated this movement and bodily blocked her way, and within the next second, the door behind her, which had been repaired and sealed in order to block Jinghe in when she'd burst in for the first time, burst open for the second time, and Qingshan was knocked over, Yanbo stolen from her hands, and bound by special ropes. It was too quick for anyone to react, but when Jinghe saw Yanbo keel over, she bound over, catching her in her arms.

"Yanbo!" Jinghe cried, shaking her slightly. "Yanbo!"

Yanbo's eyes had shut already, but when Jinghe cried out, they opened a slight slit, and reflected in it was Jinghe's panicked, worried gaze.

"Don't sleep, okay?" Jinghe said quickly. "Don't sleep. We'll get you some help, there's definitely immortals that will be able to help you."

Yanbo, however, merely smiled earnestly but tiredly at Jinghe, saying not a single word, her eyes staring devotedly at Jinghe's face. As the group of gods and goddesses flew back up to the heavens, dragging Bai Qingshan with them in the ropes, Yanbo stared at Jinghe, and her gaze never wavered once.

***

Jinghe didn't follow the group of gods and goddesses, instead splitting up with them to go to her palace to find medical supplies. She spent an hour removing the spell that Qingshan had set on Yanbo's body that prevented her from healing, and then cleaned the wounds slowly with a damp cloth, moving about the torn flesh so delicately, it was as if Yanbo was a piece of porcelain that could shatter at any moment.

Partway through, Yanbo fell asleep. Jinghe took her pulse and felt relieved. Yanbo was out of any mortal danger, but it was possible for a lot of these wounds to leave behind permanent scars if they weren't treated immediately. Jinghe applied some medicine to the wounds, summoned a doctor, and let Yanbo rest on her lap, stroking her hair quietly as Yanbo slept.

The doctor arrived and checked on the wounds, delivering the same conclusion that Jinghe had reached before prescribing a couple of better medicines to be applied twice a day. Jinghe took them and set them on the table next to the bed, and continued to stroke Yanbo's hair.

The gods and goddesses that had went with Jinghe to take down Qingshan and save Yanbo presented their findings to the Heavenly Emperor. Qingshan did not deny anything. Therefore, a heavenly hearing was scheduled a few days later as a formality to sentence her to death. Jinghe was told that when Qingshan was locked into the heavenly prison, she began crying bitterly, muttering grievances day in and day out, wondering how she had come to such an ending.

After a few hours, Yanbo awoke, too. Jinghe had been drowsing, sitting on the floor and resting her head on the bed, but feeling Yanbo stirring, Jinghe woke up too. Jinghe had been tending to Yanbo all night, and she'd finally passed out from exhaustion. As she blearily looked up, Yanbo saw Jinghe, her hair messy, her eyes cloudy with sleep, her cheek creased with the folds on her sleeves, which she'd been resting on.

Jinghe blinked slowly. "You're awake." She said after a few moments.

"What happened?" Yanbo looked around, confused. Her hands grabbed at Jinghe, as if trying to confirm it wasn't a dream. "How am I back here? Am I dreaming?"

Jinghe shook her head with a warm smile. "No, you're not dreaming." Jinghe rubbed her cheek against their interlaced fingers. "You made me worry so much about you, I couldn't sleep properly."

Yanbo blinked. "What happened? What time is it?" She suddenly sat up in alarm. "Where's Bai Qingshan?" She hissed out in pain between her teeth as she accidentally irritated her stab wounds.

"Relax," Jinghe told her. "Bai Qingshan has been apprehended. In fact, you've woken up just in time for her trial. It's only a formality, she's definitely going to be executed, don't worry."

Yanbo slumped back down against her pillow, processing the information. "Qingshan has been apprehended. Heavenly trial... execution." She repeated. She swung her legs off the bed.

"Let's go."

Jinghe was a little surprised. "To the heavenly trial?"

"Mn." Yanbo said urgently. "What she has taken from me, I need back."

"Huh?"

As they hurried towards where the trial was taking place, Yanbo explained everything that she'd confirmed while she'd been trapped in that horrible prison. As Yanbo explained, Jinghe grew more and more angry, and then finally gritted her teeth and ground out, "that bitch is getting her repayment today."

Yanbo suddenly looked at Jinghe with wide, smiling eyes. Jinghe was a little taken aback, the anger in her retreating as she stared back at Yanbo's innocent, pure, and happy look.

"What?" Jinghe asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Thank you," Yanbo smiled. "Thank you for being on my side."

Jinghe laughed a little awkwardly. "Between you and me, there's no need for the words 'thank you'." She said offhandedly.

***

After Bai Qingshan's list of crimes was read out by a loud, steady voice, the crowd was asked whether or not they had any doubts or objections. The crowd was murmuring amongst themselves, exclaiming in surprise that Bai Qingshan had done so much, from starting an assassin's organization and using it to murder important, innocent people, to plotting to kill one of her fellow goddess's. Above all the murmuring voices, one rose and presented an objection. Everyone fell silent at once.

"I have another crime to add to the list."

The crowd burst into more whispers as Jinghe, the goddess of justice and equity, stood out. Beside her, watching on, was Cui Yanbo, another familiar face, who everyone had seen jump off the terrace, her spiritual core destroyed and her spiritual powers stripped away from her.

"Bai Qingshan went against the laws of nature, forcefully swapped fates with another, and overturned the order of the universe." Jinghe said, her head lifted. The crowd looked at each other. This was even more severe a crime than her previous ones. Before, she'd had a slim chance at reincarnation and a second chance, but now? She had absolutely no chance.

The Heavenly Emperor stood. "Presumptuous! Do you have any proof?"

"Look at Yanbo, and then look at Qingshan." Jinghe said. "Yanbo was born into the Mountain Sect, had not a drip of Desert Sect blood in her veins, yet she has such an affinity for fire-based cultivation. Likewise, Qingshan was born into the Desert Sect, had not a drop of Mountain Sect blood in her veins, yet she has such an affinity for metal-based cultivation. Yanbo's birth date was an auspicious day, with much fortune and luck in store for her, yet she has had such bad luck all throughout her life. Qingshan's birth date was inauspicious, with no fortune and luck in store for her, yet she had the fortune to ascend to the heavens. How could that be possible?"

The Heavenly Emperor looked swayed, but it was only when Qingshan was questioned and confessed to the crime, looking completely tired and exhausted from how long the trial had been dragging on, that he was convinced.

"In that case, the sentence will be changed to execution and scattering of the soul, never to reincarnate ever again." The Heavenly Emperor said, looking tired. Since when had his heavens had so much drama? These things all began in the mortal realm. In his opinion, they should've been resolved there, instead of dragged all the way to the Heavenly Emperor.

The next day, Bai Qingshan's soul was scattered to the winds and her body burned. No one grieved for her, feeling rather scared of how well she'd lied to the entire world for so long.

No one heard her last words: "Mother, Father, I've let you down. Bai Clan... I've let you down. I wasn't able to bring honor to you, to give you the respect you deserved."

When Qingshan's soul was scattered to the winds, Yanbo felt a sudden burst of energy seep into her body, and she realized that her fate, what had originally belonged to her, had been returned to her, and she let out a sigh of relief. Discarding her demonic cultivation, she let the spiritual energy fill her to the brim, and within an hour, she once more ascended to the heavens.

***

Jinghe, having nothing to do after such an action and drama packed week, let Yanbo rest and adjust to all the spiritual cultivation, and went alone outside, flying through the skies, looking at the heavens that she'd been away from for ten years while she stayed in the mortal realm with Yanbo. It hadn't changed much. To immortals like Jinghe, ten years was merely the blink of an eye. However, spending them with Yanbo, she felt happy.

Suddenly, she felt a tug at her shoes, and in the moment between flying and falling, she smiled.

Yanbo brought her down and kissed her, looking rather sleepy and bleary.

"Why did you get up?"

"I missed you." Yanbo said in a sickly-sweet tone. Jinghe laughed.

"Silly child. It's not like I'm not coming back." Jinghe chastised Yanbo. Yanbo smiled.

A-Liu grew up and grew old, returning to the dust, but Jinghe and Yanbo never forgot her. In the heavens, the two passed hundreds of thousands of years together, never to be separated ever again.

TheEnd