"Well, is about time that my beloved daughter shows up." Dong Hua sternly said.

"Dìdìe..." Qingyan Feng gasped in horror, perceiving her father's anger.

Dong Hua remained inaudible with his stoic icily expression furiously staring at the couple who were holding hands. The temperature in the cabin was dropping as Dong Hua's wrath was rising by the minute.

Qingyan Feng seeing her father ready to erupt like a volcano she let go of Yan Chiwu's hand. "Dìdìe please calm down, let us explain.... Please appease your anger." Qingyan supplicated him.

"Give me a respectable reason as to why I found out that my beloved & doted daughter eloped without informing us and getting our consent. We raised you better than this Qingyan." Dong Hua responded.

Qingyan Feng knelt in front of her infuriated father and lowered her head. "Dìdìe I'm truly sorry. Please forgive your unfilial daughter."

"Are you?" Dong Hua raised his eyebrow to her.

"Dijun..." Yan Chiwu began to speak but Dong Hua raised his hand to quiet him down. "I want my daughter to do the talking. She still hasn't answer me."

"Dìdìe I'm truly sorry to disappoint you, but I already chosen Demon Lord Yan Chiwu to be my mate. We are already married and are a couple. I love him." Qingyan said without meeting her father face.

"Why him?" He asked her.

"Because I like him; flaws and all. You and mǔqīn taught us the importance of treating all living beings with respect and equality. Discrimination was not included in your lessons if I clearly remember. We spent time knowing each other before I decided to move forward. You might not approve of him, but this is who I've chosen to spend the rest of my life with. He completes me. Please respect my decision dìdìe." Qingyan bravely said.

"You decided this? It would have been respectable to talk to us before you eloped. Did you considered your mother's feelings or even mine? Or perhaps the implications of this union?"

"Dìdìe, I'm not excusing myself for my actions, but please let us explain to you why we eloped."

Feng Jiu appeared at the cabin and stood next to Dong Hua. She knew Dong Hua was not going to let her get her way with this. Her face unreadable, she was also mad at them.

"Mǔqīn" Qingyan has never seen her mother expression like this before. She felt her mother's frustration intensifying.

"Is nice to know that you still remember you have one Qingyan." Feng Jiu calmly replied. She immediately turned her attention to Yan Chiwu. "Xiao Yan how could you!"

"Jiu Ge, please allow me to explain."

"Xiao Yan, we will allow you to explain to us what happened, but is up to us to decide if we'll accept your explanation as a valid reason for this event. You think that Dijun wrath is scary? Just wait to see mine which is worse than his. This better be good before I lose my temper." Feng Jiu firmly said.

"Mǔqīn please..."

"Silent Princess Qingyan Feng, is Demon Lord Yan Chiwu turn to speak now!" Feng Jiu reprimanded her. "Xiao Yan, I'm waiting!!" Feng Jiu shouted irritated.

Yan Chiwu breathed in hard, he knew that his beloved sworn sister was angry at him; knowing that he stood before his in-laws now, he joined his wife and knelt down before them as sign of reverence.

"Dijun, Dihou; I met Princess Qingyan Feng merely by accident. I came to Qing Qui seeking counsel and ended up getting poisoned. Princess Qingyan Feng and Mr. Chan found me on their way to her home and saved my life. She allowed me to stay at her cabin until I achieved full recovery. My mental state was not optimal back then. Mr. Chan graciously helped me with my situation back then. As time went on, I got to know Princess Qingyan Feng better, she healed me in ways that I thought it wasn't possible. We developed a good friendship. Mr. Chan can attest to that. I always respected her highness as the precious gem that she is. Little by little our feelings for each other grew slowly. Friendship turned into to love within a year; something that I also thought I will never do; but we decided to act against it and always remained guarded. The day that we decided to confess to each other, was the day that her highness heat cycle derived. I needed to act quickly before the situation turned ugly, so I proposed to her and she accepted. Time was of the essence, we quickly got married in order for us to be properly together. After her heating cycle finished, we knew that sooner or later your highnesses will find out about our marriage; so, our plan was to travel to Nine Heavens to tell you personally, however you beat us to it. I promised to both of you that I will honor, respect, treasure and cherish your daughter; she is valuable to me as she is to you. I will never hurt her, cheat on her or abandon her. I will be at her side thru thick and thin. I truly love her. Please accept our apology as to why we eloped, but what I said is the truth." Yan Chiwu said.

Feng Jiu and Dong Hua exchanged glances. She perceived that he wasn't lying. "Xiao Yan how did you know how to handle a fox when she gets her heating cycle?" Feng Jiu curiously asked.

"Dihou, I'm knowledgeable of some of the Fox Clan customs and procedures thru my spy network past activities. When the moment arose, knowing this information came on handy. I swear to the both of you that my intentions towards Princess Qingyan Feng are pure and honest."

"Pure and honest? I highly doubt it." Dong Hua said. "Qingyan, did you made a move on Yan Chiwu?" Dong Hua asked her.

Qingyan face flushed bright red for being embarrassed, but she couldn't avoid answering her almighty father. "I did dìdìe, I remembered what mǔqīn explained to me long ago, as to how to control and prepare myself properly for that moment, but I simply couldn't... however, Yan Chiwu was the perfect gentleman. He rejected me time after time, even though he was under my spell. He was trying to get away from me but I didn't let him. That is when he came up with the marriage proposal as a safe way for us to be together and guard my honor."

Feng Jiu anger diminished; her expression softened. She reminisced on her wedding night when her heating cycle came and how she acted. Dong Hua saw in Feng Jiu's mind their vivid images of their honeymoon and looked at his beloved little fox, understanding their daughter predicament. His anger subsided. "Qingyan... are you ok... and happy?" Dong Hua hesitantly asked her.

"I am dìdìe." She quickly responded. Dong Hua closed his eyes in utter defeat. He knew that it was not her fault. He gazed at his beloved little fox to intervene. Feng Jiu understood his cue.

"Sweetheart, quickly get up, I want to talk to you in private." Feng Jiu instructed. Leaving Yan Chiwu alone with Dong Hua. "Husband, be gentle with him." Feng Jiu mentally told him. Dong Hua was not happy about the whole situation but he also understood that it was not Yan Chiwu's fault but he couldn't pass the opportunity to have a little fun with his now son-in-law. A small sardonic smile curled on his lips. He tilted his head to his little fox. "Don't worry Jiu'er I'll be gentle." He mentally replied.

Deep inside, Yan Chiwu knew that he wasn't going to escape Dijun's disdain. He slowly stood up analyzing Dijun's expression. "How do you want me to address you now? Should I call you yuèfù (father-in-law)?

Dong Hua scoffed. "Aren't you afraid for your life?"

"Afraid for my life? Do you believe that my wife will let you hurt me?" Yan Chiwu sarcastically replied.

"Your wife?"

"Yes, as much as you don't like the idea, your precious daughter is legally my wife now, and soon she will be crowned as queen of the demon lands. How do like that yuèfù?" Yan Chiwu proudly said.

Dong Hua gazed him harshly. "Don't forget who are you talking to and the oath that you swore to me. If you value your life, you better adhere to your vows and keep them a secret for everyone's sake. I don't want your kind probing my daughter heritage. If she is to become queen of the demon lands you must keep her safe at all times, may I remind you that we might still have hidden threats and enemies? If something happens to my daughter, I will skewer you to tiny pieces and feed the koi fishes in my pond. Don't forget how my reign was during the chaotic era. You really don't want to resurrect that persona again. Even if my precious daughter chose you to be her mate, I won't tolerate your insolence nor betrayal." Dong Hua firmly stated.

"Got it yuèfù. But you should practice more tolerance, it will do you good at your age. Hatreds never cease through hatreds in this universe. Through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law. Don't be so petty, I'm only trying to strengthen our bonds. After all we are family now." Yan Chiwu said to him.

Dong Hua turned around and went outside to calm down. "He still the same Ice Face, but even pettier." Yan Chiwu chuckled at his reaction.

In the next room, Feng Jiu was having a serious conversation with her daughter.

"Mǔqīn please don't scold me." Qingyan was looking at Feng Jiu with sad eyes and unshed tears.

"Qingyan, don't try to use your fox charms on me cause I won't fall for it! Come here sweetheart be at ease, I will not scold you. I completely understand what happened to you."

"You do?" Qingyuan's face rapidly changed.

"Yes, I do. You are late bloomer just like me when I was about your same age. I will tell you a secret; I got my heat cycle on my wedding night and really scared your father. He thought I was going to kill him. He took me away to a safe place until my cycle ended."

"Dìdìe got scared of you?

"He did. Not many people are fortunate to scare your almighty father."

"What a relief to know that mǔqīn! But I'm afraid that dìdìe will harm Yan Chiwu."

"I'm certain that he won't harm him. He might scare him, but that's all. You know how possessive your father is with us. Let then be, they need to bond now. But let me ask you this darling, did Yan Chiwu hurted you?"

"No, he didn't. I mean, I knew it was going to hurt the first time, but he was gentle with me."

"That is good to know. Did you saved the sheets?"

"Yes, here." Qingyan gave Feng Jiu a neatly folded package. "Good girl. So tell me how was it for you?"

"Well, it was wonderful, hot, passionate and fervent. I never thought that intimacy will feel this pleasing. It was an unmemorable experience for me. Yan Chiwu made me felt treasured, cherished, precious. I didn't knew he could be so.... delicate for being a demon."

"Xiao Yan is a good demon. He's loyal and filial to his relationships. Others tend to minimize him and think that he's not smart, but that's not true at all. He has worked hard to unite the demon clans and have paid a high price to be who he is today. What is done is done. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy your first time. But I want to empower you with a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yes, a gift. It's going to be your best secret weapon. Being part fox, you know that foxes are sensual creatures by nature. And phoenixes are just as sensual and powerful in the arts of lovemaking. Our fire element vigor our essence to be more dominant in bed. I want you to take your domain and free your seductress side with some guidance."

Qingyan furrowed her brows. "I'm not following you mǔqīn."

Feng Jiu smiled at her and produced the same red book that her mother gave her when she was pregnant with Gun Gun. "Here Qingyan, this is for you, but is for your eyes only. Don't let anyone see it. This will help you cultivate your seductive abilities even further. I can't leave my daughter ignorant in the arts of lovemaking, knowing how powerful you are. Go ahead and open it."

Qingyan opened the red book and gasped mortified. "Mǔqīn.... this...is so embarrassing." Her eyes widen looking at the erotic pictures. "There are so many.... Woe... I never .... We haven't... done ...oh my...." Qingyan Feng quickly closed the book, she was speechless and truly embarrassed. Feng Jiu enjoyed seeing her daughter embarrassing reaction, it reminded her of her own when her mother gave her the book. Feng Jiu scoffed.

"Mǔqīn who gave you this?" Qingyan quietly asked.

"Your grandmother did when I was pregnant with your brother. This book will come on handy to keep your husband at your feet and drive him wild in bed. Study it well and do your assignment. Be creative and bold with your husband; let your seductress unbound and enjoy every minute of it. Own your domain sweetheart and make him worship you, demons are passionate creatures too. So, raise his expectations. You will thank me later."

"You mean you and dìdìe... do all these things? I clearly remembered when I was little waiting for both of you to come out of your room or where ever you guys locked up. You made us wait for so long not understanding what you guys were doing."

"Intimacy is private darling; we simply couldn't tell you what we're doing back then. Besides you were a kittling to grasp this. Now I can share this you since you are married woman now."

"No wonder dìdìe is glued to you and won't leave your side not even for a second. I wondered why he shamelessly behaves like that with you, now I know why. This so embarrassing to know mǔqīn. You and dìdìe like this...oh my..."

Feng Jiu smiled at her daughter realization. "Exactly Qingyan. Your father and I share many bonds, and this is one of them. Our lovemaking is the purest bond that has kept us together as of today. This is part of our secret. Having a flawless marital bliss in the bedroom is vital on a marriage, but that is not all sweetheart. It requires many adaptation phases that could be challenging yet rewarding. But it will take strength, trust, respect, compromise, strong communication skills, a clear sense of closeness as a couple, flexibility, personal compatibility and good conflict resolution skills. Both of you need to learn to have a balance between separateness and togetherness. When as a couple you prioritize togetherness, ask each other for help, enjoy doing things together and spend most of their free time together. And equally willing to make necessary adjustments in your roles. Reporting satisfaction with the division of responsibilities, work hard to have an equal relationship, and make most decisions jointly. Most of all Qingyan learn to be a good listener, which will made it easy for Yan Chiwu to express to you his feelings and worries. Obviously, both of you need to also develop great conflict management/resolution skills which are crucial when these types of situations or events arise. In strong marriages, both partners say that their partner understands their positions. So, feel free to share your feelings and ideas with one another; take disagreements seriously and work cooperatively to resolve conflicts. Learn how to build on your strengths, creatively address differences and work together for the best interests of your marriage. It will take time and lots of love to do it, but is not impossible to achieve. Also, I will recommend you to start taking contraceptives, otherwise you will end up pregnant in no time. Both of you are discovering who you are and who do you want to be to please each other. That takes time and effort. An early pregnancy can add pressure at this phase in your marriage sweetheart and create burdens that both of you might not be ready to face. Did you understand everything that I said?"

"Yes mǔqīn. I will start taking contraceptives."

"That is great. I know that you inherited both of our strong personalities, Qingyan, and although is a good trait, you will discover when to show them and when to wisely submit to your husband as his partner and helper. Yan Chiwu will need all that is good and precious from you sweetheart. Being a powerful immortal like yourself can be challenging for him to meet your expectations. Meet his expectations to avoid blinding him as your partner. You want to enlighten him and not the other way around. And I'm not referring that you will let Yan Chiwu do as he pleases with you. What I'm trying to convey is that you are unique, powerful and wise, and sometimes we can hurt the ones that we love with our influences and knowledge if we don't learn to curve our urges to correct the ill traits that we see in our spouses. You don't want to take control of him or him of you. A balance needs to exist; marriage is not based in competition. You know what I mean Qingyan?"

"I perfectly understood mǔqīn. Don't worry I know what Yan Chiwu limits are and I won't surpass him unless he allows me to do so."