Hi this is todays chapter hope you enjoy.

Chapter 71 The Dao

The shadow of a woman, only a grey figure resembling a once beautiful person slowly parted from the group of shadows. Under Jeane's shocked eyes it floated towards her and the shadows grey and semi transparent hand laid down onto Jeane's cheeks gently caressing it.

Jeane had never seen this person at all, or at least she couldn't remember having met her at any time, but something deep inside of her told her that she already knew her. A tear started to run down her cheek as she lowly muttered.

"Mother."

The female shadow gently looked at Jeane. Then a voice reached Jeane's ear. It was faint but still very clear to understand.

"Jeane my daughter. You and this man are bound by destiny. Do not struggle against him but help him to remake our kinship. We are but one race, one dao that we follow.

A dao that doesn't represent the nature, but a dao that represents a path, a truth, a believe. A dao containing our feeling towards the ones around us. That shows the truth in live and the path to lead us threw life."

The shadows gentle vice caressed Jeane's ears.

"Remember my words. Dao's are not mere way of nature. The dao is immeasurable, something containing everything. Love, hate, sorrow, happiness. The truth of live, the way to success. It's changeable and eternal. Changing the results but keeping it's way.

It's a direction you can follow. A destiny you are bound to, a way you are pushed on. It's a way you life, a way you die. It's the way to immortality but also the way to death.

A man can follow the dao and become a king of heavens, a figure never fated to die. Another can also follow the dao and fall ending a horrible death. But even if he died horrible, do you know what's interesting? He died satisfied, fulfilled, happy. His whole life all he did was following the path, the truth, the direction, the dao he believed in and then as he reached the end he died. He may have died, but at the same end he had archived what he wanted to. He had followed his way to the end and even if it ends with his death, it is so bad?

Remember my words Jeane. The dao's are changeable but eternal. They are truth and path. And they are death and live."

The voice of her mother slowly faded away as the shadow returned to the endless crowd of black and grey figures. Before the figures Zes was still sitting on his chair. Panting and sweating. A distorted face filled with tears that rolled all over his face.

"Father, mother, brother….."

His muffled voice came to Jeane. The later was also in tears, but in opposite to Zes who was mad of grief, she was happy. Her whole life she never saw her mother as far as she could remember. She knew nothing about the person that had brought her into life and always had the desire to just hear her mothers voice a single time. One time so she could forever remember the voice.

The two of them were sitting on the small hill underneath a cheery tree tears running down their faces. One filled with happiness, the other with grief. Slowly the black tear mark on Zes forehead once again began to fade and the black army of figure also became more and more transparent until it finally dispersed.

Even so the two of them did not move for some time as the things they just experienced were just to much for them to handle directly. Both of them needed some time to calm down. After all one had just met her mother whom she never saw before, while the other had to go though all the pain he felt as his own family was killed before his very eyes.

Finally Zes seemed to have pulled himself together as he stood up. His voice suffocating under his emotions was barley understandable as he spoke.

"You will have to excuse me now."

He quickly turned around and with quick steps he got down from the hill. Jeane a bit worried if it was her fault that all this happened and more important worried to destroy her relationship with Zes hurried said.      

"Wait…"

Zes stopped. Without turning he said.

"Don't worry…. I will see you tomorrow again."

Then without waiting for an answer he resumed his walk and quickly disappeared in a small forest.

Jeane stayed behind sitting alone on her chair under the cherry tree. Without knowing why she suddenly opened her mouth.

"Thank you …. and see you later."

The worlds lonely echoes threw the garden seemingly unheard, but in another part of the garden a desolate looking person suddenly had to grin hearing that words.

"Your welcome."

Despite the grin, his entire being seeming to be very tired and there was no sign of the usual energy in Zes. The grin itself seemed to be a bit out of place as the whole face was soaked in tears. Nevertheless Zes just went on until he reached the wall of the garden. There he just jumped over it and disappeared in the next alley.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

As the patriarch finally found the time (and pride) to look what had happened with Zes and Jeane, he only found a clean hill. The chairs and the tables were already cleaned up and hid away. There was no sign of Jeane nor was there any of Zes. A bit of worry flashed in the Patriarchs eyes. What if something had gone wrong?

He quickly asked a few servants in the mansion and found out that Jeane had returned a hour ago. She had been alone and strangely happy. As for Zes, no one had seen him.

The Patriarch pondered. At first he had assumed that something had gone terribly wrong and that it had come to the worst case. But know that he heard that Jeane had been very happy and positive it wasn't really plausible. So just what had happened at the hill that ended their talk as quickly as this?

Could it be? The patriarch suddenly had a bad feeling. What if Jeane had purposefully displeased Zes in order to get rid of him? After all she was still an independent person and most likely did not like the idea of being possessed by some some guy he father found. The patriarch could understand this very well, he himself would be pleased with such an end for himself. But even though he could understand this thought it did not mean that he approved them.

In the end everything was for the sect and if Jeane had purposeful displeased Zes, a expert they tried to curry favour with, it was directly causing damage to the sect. The patriarch loved his daughter, but he also had an obligation towards the sect and if he had to choose, he would always choose the sect. After all what was one live, even if it was the one of his own daughter, compared with the lives of thousands of disciples? And it wasn't that she would die as sacrifice for the sect, she just had to please some young man so that he liked her a bit more.

In fact anger built up in the patriarch as he though about it. How could I have grown such a selfish daughter?

Veins pooping out he directly walked towards Jeane's chambers frightening every person he met on his way. In all the years they served the patriarch, they had never seen him this angry. Soon the news of the patriarch going into rage had spread through the whole mansion and everyone did their best to stay out of his way.

With a boom he pushed the door to Jeane's room open. Inside he saw his daughter lying on her bed and hugging a pillow. As she heard the boom and saw her angry father stamping into the room she quickly stood up.

"Father what's the problem?"

"What's the problem? You are purposefully displeasing Zes and you ask me what's the matter? The sect is depending on him and you ask me what's the matter? The matter is that you are harming the sect and even if your are my daughter, I can not allow this to happen."

Surprised Jeane looked at her father. Never in her live had she seen her father being so enraged and angry. But because of this she also started to get angry.

Displeasing Zes? Harming the sect? It may be true that the start wasn't the best, but she still tried her best. What had she done to get yelled at by her father?

The more she though about it the angrier the became and finally she bursted out.

"What are you speaking about? For you JUST for you I have done my best to please him. I have talked politely, showed my best sides. It may have been not the best start, but I HAVEN'T done anything to displease Zes. SO WHY are you yelling at me? Is this your knew hobby?"

"Never. Never had I expected that you were a lier like this. YOU HAVE DONE YOU BEST? THEN WHY IS HE GONE NOW?  WHY ARE YOU ALREADY IN YOUR BED HUGGING YOUR PILLOW?"

Both of them, father and daughter stood in front of each other and yelled at the other one. In fact their yells reached even the furthest corners of the mansion. 

"He had to go early today but he is going to come back tomorrow."

"hahah, I knew it you just….. Em what?"

The Patriarch finally noticed what Jeane said.

"He had to go early cause he had matters to attend, but he promised to come back tomorrow."

Of course Jeane couldn't really tell her father the truth. After all who would believe that suddenly the spirit of her mother came out of Zes and started speaking to her while Zes had to see the most terrible moments in his entire live making him unable to stay? If she really said this her father would most likely see it as lie and continue his tirade. 

Only now the patriarch realized that he had made a mistake.

"Um,  if it's like this…."

He embarrassed said.

"Well, I'm sorry?"

Jeane just sighted and shrugged.

"No problem father. I understand that this matter is really important to you. Just let me rest now ok?"

Guild arose in the patriarch. He understood that he had made a huge mistake, but now there was nothing he could do to change this.

"Ok, then have a good rest."

He excited the room.

"Ahhhh,…. why is live so hard?"

Sighting the patriarch said before the closed door.