Wei Ying's exhaustion led him straight into a dream.

Once again, the mists parted and He Xiang Gu walked towards him, still holding a white lotus flower in her fingers. She smiled sadly at him.

"What troubles you, young Master?"

Kindness enveloped him and he was comforted. While he was awake, there was no one he could talk to, who understood the complexity of his problem, but this lady emanated a confidence in his abilities that he found soothing, even if he couldn't share her opinion yet.

He sat down on the ground and to his surprise, she joined him.

"I don't know what to do. No wait," he corrected himself, "I know what I must do, but you were right before, when you said I was scared."

"That's to be expected." She patted his hand. "What we're asking you to do, is beyond a simple matter."

"I don't want to disappoint my husband. But then, I don't want to be disappointed in myself. I can't leave him here alone." To be this honest was such a relief to him. He felt unburdened at the freedom to express how he was feeling. Since they had aquired the Yangsui, his stress levels had increased daily, added to by the expectations of his family. A family who had yet to have faith in his abilities.

It was almost a domino effect: if people showed confidence in him, he could feel it grow within himself, and the opposite was also true. So far, only Lan Zhan had supported his decision. What was he supposed to do in the face of such doubt?

"I am scared, but I'm willing to give it my best try. If there's a way you can guarantee my safety?"

He fully expected resistance, but she laughed instead. A melodious sound to soothe his mind.

"Is that all? Here." She pulled from her sleeve, a curious looking stone, black and completely smooth. It was the size of his thumb nail. She handed it to him.

"What is this?"

"This, my friend, is a Soul Stone."
She was staring at him excitedly, expecting more questions.

He did not disappoint.

"How does it work? Where did you find it? What's it made out of? Who-"

"Slow down, slow down!" She beamed at him. "You have such a curious mind. Truly, it is a gift. Let me explain." She made herself comfortable. "All of us Eight Immortals have one each. It enables us to find each other, especially if we have to travel between realms. This particular case, is a special mission, in that we cannot let the Jade Emperor know what is happening." She looked at him sternly.

"Why not?"

"Well, let's just say he won't be happy. And if he's happy, then everyone is happy. If he's not..."

Wei Ying just stared back. The implications of pissing off someone so important was a far off problem for now. Plus he was a big believer in the theory that rules were made to be broken.

"So...? How does it work?"

"Your soulmate has to imbibe this stone with a part of your spiritual energy. This way, when you enter the mirror, he will still have a piece of you with him, in order to call you back. All he has to do, is concentrate and single mindedly think of you."

"That's easy. We only think of each other!" He grinned at her, feeling so light-hearted now.
"I have another question."

"How may I help?"

"You gave me a pouch, the last time we met. What does it contain?"

She became serious. "That's for the Cursed. Take it to their leader, he will know what to do. Of course, he may not agree. In which case, there's no helping them. But," she grinned, " because you're dying to know, I'll tell you what's inside. Can you guess?"

"It's smells of peaches." He replied, straight away.

"Good boy! I'm so proud of you! You're right. It's is the grounded up peach stone powder. It has a special power."

"What does it do?"

"You will find out for yourself."

"I have a favour to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Can I hug you? I just...I wish to express my gratitude."

She stood up immediately, holding out her arms. Wei Ying hugged her, surprised to find his face wet.

"You have helped me so much, just with your kindness. I would like you to know how much I appreciate it."

"Young Master, it is I who should be grateful. You are about to perform a service that should rectify a problem that we have spent years trying to fix. My Queen will be sure to find a way she can compensate you for your service."

"That's not necessary." Wei Ying drew back. "It's the right thing to do."

"I'm so pleased I was right about you!"

Wei Ying suddenly thought of something. "You know, when we traveled to that temple where we opened the box?"

She nodded.

"How did the Yangsui end up in it in the first place? And the guardian of the bridge mentioned a man with a crutch, was that Li Tie Guai?"

"I am truly amazed with you. Let me tell you, getting that mirror away from the Jade Emperor was another feat altogether."

"How did it end up there?"

"You know we can see into the future, right?"

"But that's so hard to predict!"

"Tell me something new!" She agreed. "Luckily, we had some help. And it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

He nodded, thinking about everything.

"Now, when you wake up, I hope you feel better." She walked away, waving an arm in the air.