The darkness soon faded and turned into the first light of day. Blessed sunlight trailed down from above the firmament of ninth heaven indicating the birth of a new day. Jiutian Xuanwu, the goddess of war and light prepared something for Guan Yu. Eversince the day he lost from the fight between Moxiao, he was reformed as a child. Because of this, he felt incapacitated. By three months, he can talk properly and talk out the blunders that he feel upon Xuanwu. Because of this, Xuanwu prepared a little gift for the boy today.
"Guan Yu, do you know what day it is today?" she smiled as she faced the little boy in front of her.
"Still an ordinary day." Guan Yu brushed her off.
"You won't talk to me anymore? I thought you always love to talk to me about the troubles you experienced." Xuanwu grinned provoking Guan Yu.
"If it isn't for your good-for-nothing son, I wouldn't have had to be in this state!" Guan Yu angrily throws a tantrum but Xuanwu wasn't annoyed. Instead, she was amused by the little boy's reaction.
"What if I tell you that there's a way to return you back to normal?" Xuanwu smirked intentionally as Guan Yu's eyes lit up in excitement.
"You mean that I can return back to normal? Back to my former glory as the god of war? You must be bluffing." Guan Yu prepared to shun her off again but as he prepared to turn himself away from his gaze, Xuanwu grabbed his little arm and beckoned him to follow her.
"Stupid girl! Where are you taking me?" He tries hard to let go of her hand but Xuanwu's grip held on tighter.
"Come let's go to the eternal swordpool. I want to show you something."
Guan Yu wasn't convinced. He still thought that Xuanwu might be playing tricks on him so he mocked her by imitating her lips.
"You're such a silly boy... Just keep still and follow me." Xuanwu said as she dragged the helpless little boy leading to the swordpool.
As they reached the zenith of the stone steps going to the sword pool, the lower level of the ninth heaven seemed like a fog and nothing can be seen from below. It was like a pit with fogs surrounding all around. The sword pool took about 30 minutes to reach and Guan Yu, in his child form, cannot help but ask for drinking water every single time.
"Xuanwu— Give me... Water...." Guan Yu gestured at her begging for drinking water.
"You said earlier that you're fine without me. Now, you ask for water? I thought you're strong? Little god of war." Pulling out a gourd form her sleeve, Xuanwu gave the bottle to Guan Yu with a provoking look.
"Gods also need necessities such as water. Do you want me to die of thirst?" Angered, Guan Yu hastily grabbed the bottle from her hand and drank the cool water.
"I think you will be delighted once we reach the top." Xuanwu said as she knelt down and gestures Guan Yu to piggy back. "A god can survive without necessities for a month or so in awakened form. But in a child state like yours, you're fragile and vulnerable more like than a normal mortal child."
Guan Yu understood and appreciated the gesture of Xuanwu towards him and so he latched himself to her back and let himself be carried by her.
"Stupid girl, I know you cared for me since I became deprived of my godhood. Is that because you wanted yourself to compensate for what your child did to me?" —Guan Yu
"No. As a deity, it is normal for me to care for any immortal in the ninth heaven who need my providence."—Xuanwu
"Kind as always. You are always kind. That is why you got betrayed by your sister."—Guan Yu
"That was all in the past. The evil aura inside her is quickly disappearing and since nobody can take care of the afterlife, she is tasked by Elder Fang to take charge of it."—Xuanwu
"But Elder Fang was the death eater. He was afterlife's Ghost Emperor. Why did he give his position to Xuanzheng?"—Guan Yu
"I don't know but I think he may have been very stressed by it for a long time guarding the souls of the afterlife. Pretty much like Liufang Asuro."—Xuanwu
"Do you think it's strange why he gave up his position?"—Guan Yu
"I think so. But it's best if you inquire him yourself. Xuanzheng is busy on the task that he had shouldered and also you're the one who is qualified to talk to him since you're one of the principal gods." —Xuanwu
"Yes. I think so too but I think you have done much help to the mortals rather than I. I think I am unfit to see him since I have colluded against Zhuge Liang to eliminate you so that I can become the only deity who is capable of war."—Guan Yu
"Like I said, what's past belongs in the past. We cannot change it nor erase it but what we can do the most is take a lesson from it. Beware future troubles by it and prevent future wars because of it." —Xuanwu
Behind the thick cloud of fogs, Xuanwu waved her hand and the fogs dissipated revealing a picturesque view of a pavillion shaped as a large sword stuck in the pool of water.
Summoning her divine weapon, Xuanwu stepped on the surface of the water like a water strider not sinking for one bit and as she was getting close to the pavillion, she stuck her weapon on the water.
The sword from the pavillion detected her presence and conjured a manifestation of another divine weapon upon it's midst.
Guan Yu couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Yanyun spear glowed in erratic colors and vibrated on the sword pavillion. He was about to take a step on the water but Xuanwu shouted...
"STOP!"
Guan Yu halted as she had commanded. The spear is behaving erratically and flew into air targetting Xuanwu. She picked up her divine weapon and directly took the successive attacks from the yanyun spear.
"It's my Yanyun spear! Why is it behaving like it didn't knew me?"—Guan Yu
"Xiao Yu... This weapon only behaves by the visage of it's master but given that you're only in a child form, it became angry and attacked me instead." —Xuanwu
"What should I do to get back my spear?"—Guan Yu
"Calm yourself and meditate. Reach your innermost being and call out to your soul. Picture your weapon being drawn to you and the memories you had with it when you were still in godhood."—Xuanwu
"But—but... I—"—Guan Yu
"Do it silly boy! The weapon is not aiming on me, it wants to attack and possess you! I can only hold out for few more attacks."—Xuanwu
"Got it."—Guan Yu
Positioning himself in a lotus position, Guan Yu started to meditate and tried to reached out his inner being. The flow of qi on his body changed. His meridians that were sealed off gradually opens.
Xuanwu didn't have to defend as much as she could as Guan Yu's aura began to change from bright yellow up to purple and now, bright red.
As the spear finally calms down, it released it's last attack aiming towards Xuanwu who was caught off-guard by Guan Yu's transformation.
"Bloody cattle... I— am caught off guard..."
Xuanwu expected the spear to wound her flesh but Guan Yu got in the way and
using his hands, he grabbed the pole of the spear and stuck it on the water on the pool instead.
"Xi-xiao yu?"—Xuanwu
"Silly little sister... I am back."—Guan Yu