Chapter 3 #2
I swatted away my irritation like flies around my head and continued aloud, “As I was saying, the truth is I need you to go to Hulin with me. I’ve been promised a large sum of money by the official, but only if I complete my part.”
“Why does a priestess care so much about money?”
Frustration needled my back. “It’s not for me. It’s for my father.”
“Your father?”
I’d said too much, more than I wanted to deal with.
When I held my tongue, he raised a brow and said, “You know, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth.”
That made me scoff. “You help me? Between the two of us, you’re the one who needs help, Your Highness. Did you not hear what Mistress Ming said about your qi?”
He frowned, acknowledging my point. “How much is the official offering you?”
“He already paid ten thousand silvers. Thirty thousand when I deliver you.”
I’d expected him to be surprised, even impressed, by the numbers. I understood the official’s generosity now that I knew who my assignment truly was.
But the prince grimaced at my answer, as if I’d thrust a knife through his foot.
“Most of my clients pay less than a thousand,” I said, thinking him insulted.
He shook his head, the talisman fluttering back over his eyes.
When he pushed it up again, his dismay was gone, artfully ironed out by a sly smile.
He was annoyingly handsome when he smiled.
“How about this? If you agree to help me replenish my qi, I’ll pay you extra in addition to what the official is promising. ”
“Why me?”
“Several reasons,” he replied, as if it were obvious.
“Given that my mother was murdered by a culprit still on the loose, I can’t rely on help from the palace.
I suppose I understand now why my father put me under such heavy guard after her death…
” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, her killer may very well be a member of the court, and I want to be in top condition before I return to investigate. Also, it’s your talisman keeping me alive, so I’d probably die without you.
Lastly, as a holy servant, you must know how to gather qi, right? ”
I did, but only because Mistress Ming had explained it to me not an hour earlier. Of course, I wasn’t going to admit that.
I thought for a moment, then said, “How much extra?”
“What would be fair?”
“I want double the official’s offering,” I said without hesitation.
His jaw twitched. “That’s quite the amount.”
“If you’re truly a prince, such an amount should mean nothing to you.” I bit my cheek, then added, “Besides, I’m risking my safety to help you. I’d like to think my life is worth something, Your Highness.”
“Quick-witted, aren’t you?” He sighed dramatically. “Very well, double the official’s payment it is. Would that satisfy the cost of your aid?”
I concealed my excitement behind a stone-smooth expression. I was prepared for, at the very least, some haggling. But it seemed the royal family truly had money flowing out of their pockets. Money that I could put to better use than they ever had.
With what I was going to earn, I wouldn’t just be able to help my father.
I could also hire laborers to renovate our monastery’s worn-down structures.
I could set aside a generous dowry for my sister, Lilan.
My family would no longer have to be troubled by our dwindling finances. And I could be truly free from care.
But I wouldn’t say yes so quickly, in case the prince thought me easily led.
Stamping my staff against the ground, I said, “Before we confirm our agreement, I’d like to set some conditions.”
“Of course you would.” He waved the hand not holding back the talisman. “Let’s hear them, then.”
“Frankly,” I said, ignoring his smirk, “I don’t know you well, and I’ve nothing to rely on save for your word. So, if I’m to help you, you must do it my way.”
The prince cocked his head. “Go on.”
“I promised Official Yi that I’d meet him in Hulin within three weeks. You must follow the same timeline, which means that I’ll help you replenish your qi—but only on the way to Hulin.”
“Clever,” said the prince, nodding. “Should I fail to gather enough qi or give you the money as promised, you’ll still have Official Yi to fall back on. I can’t say I’m not a little chilled by your plan.”
I shrugged. “You can’t blame me for wanting a little insurance either.”
“Seeing as I have no insurance whatsoever”—he smiled in spite of his disadvantage—“may I ask for a condition as well? It’d only be fair.”
I nodded slowly. I could be fair.
“I’m not asking for much, just that one of our stops before reaching Hulin be the town of Baimu in Sian.”
I frowned. Baimu, of all places, was my hometown. I was certain I hadn’t named it during our conversation. “What business does a prince have in Baimu?”
“I left something precious there that needs to be recovered,” he replied.
If he wished to bait me into asking more, he’d be disappointed.
I shook off the last of my curiosity. Whatever he spoke of was no concern of mine.
His condition was a small price to pay anyway.
The route we’d take to reach the capital intersected Baimu.
And should I detect any crookedness in the prince’s request, I had my insurance.
“Very well, Your Highness.” The sun had already begun bleeding into the earth, staining the bamboo stems red. “We depart tomorrow morning.”
He was visibly relieved. “I appreciate it, Mistress … Kang, was it?”
“That’s right, Your Highness.”
“Just call me Ren,” he said, giving me an amused look. “We both know you care little for my status.”
I didn’t deny it, but it still felt wrong to address him so casually when we were mere acquaintances, if even that. “I’ll stick with ‘Your Highness,’” I said, “in case you decide to imprison me on a whim.”
He rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t—”
We both stilled as a growl rumbled loudly from his stomach.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
He looked down at his abdomen, the curiosity in his voice almost comedic. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
I’d never met a corpse who felt hunger—or fatigue or pain of any kind. But then again, he wasn’t a corpse anymore, was he? By some miracle, he was really and truly alive again. Only, the life he’d reclaimed would expire if he didn’t obtain enough qi soon.
I shook my bells. “Come along, then. I’m sure we can find you something to eat. Heaven knows you need all the energy you can get.”
As he followed me back to the hut, he pressed, “So what does your father need all this money for?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, realizing he wasn’t going to let this go. He might as well know. Perhaps it would prompt him to bother me less.
“He’s sick,” I said. I didn’t add, And it’s your father’s fault.
Later that evening, after we’d eaten a simple dinner of rice and smoked eel prepared by Mistress Ming, the wisewoman brought out a polished wood case with a metal clasp.
Inside its unlined bed was a string of mala beads, similar to the ones I wore around my neck.
But Mistress Ming’s was shorter and strung with fifty-four beads of ox bone.
They were also startlingly cold to the touch.
The wisewoman motioned for Ren to lean forward so she could loop the necklace over his head. He shivered as the beads brushed the back of his neck.
“Most of the beads are cold now because your qi is weak,” explained Mistress Ming, lifting the necklace and rubbing a smooth, round bone with her thumb.
“But as you gather more qi, the other beads will grow warm. Only when all fifty-four beads are warm will you be able to survive without the reanimation talisman.”
“The beads can’t be warmed by anything else?” I asked, studying the necklace as I nibbled on a piece of persimmon, a favorite crop of Wen.
“No.” Mistress Ming smiled. “Shall I demonstrate? Please turn around, Your Highness.”
I permitted Ren to move with a ring of my bells, and he obeyed the wisewoman’s request, his expression quizzical. Mistress Ming knelt behind him and placed both palms in the center of his back. Then she closed her eyes and breathed slowly.
To my amazement, a faint white glow appeared where the wisewoman’s hands touched him. After several seconds, Mistress Ming pulled away and reopened her eyes, the glow disappearing.
Ren jerked his head around and stared at the older woman. “What did you do?”
Instead of answering immediately, Mistress Ming said, “What did you feel?”
“Warmth,” he said, “spreading through my veins.”
Mistress Ming nodded. “Touch the mala beads.”
Ren did as she asked, running his fingers over the rounded ox bone. “One of the beads feels slightly warmer.”
“Very good. Now, to answer your previous inquiry, what you felt was my qi pouring into you.” Mistress Ming held up a hand as the prince began to ask a question. “Worry not; I’m perfectly fine. I only gave you enough to move without Kang Siying’s commands.”
I remembered what Mistress Ming had said about qi manipulation and its risks for someone untrained. I dreaded to think what would happen if one lost control and gave too much.
But now that Ren could move on his own, my job would be easier. It was exhausting enough guiding the silent dead. Trying to control a conscious body all the way back to Sian would surely have required much more concentration.
To test Mistress Ming’s promise, I shook my staff and said, “Stand.”
Ren and I were both surprised when he instantly jumped to his feet.
At our confused looks, Mistress Ming explained, “If you aren’t focused, Your Highness, she can still control you. But you’re welcome to move on your own as well.”
Ren maneuvered around the table, this time without my guidance, his movements as hesitant as a toddler’s. A smile soon graced his lips. “You’re right,” he said, sitting back down. “But why can’t I remove the talisman entirely to avoid Mistress Kang’s control?”
“Because you’re not fully recovered, you need the Fu talisman’s qi,” said Mistress Ming.
“It’s like a dam holding in what qi you do have, the same way it normally stops a corpse from decaying.
That said, remember not to overexert yourself, Your Highness.
In your vulnerable state, the qi you absorb can just as easily be lost. So be careful as you travel, and warm every one of those mala beads as quickly as you can. ”
Ren pinched the end of the talisman, looking resigned.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness.” The wisewoman smiled sympathetically. “With Mistress Kang’s help, you’ll soon be able to live normally again, without the need for talismans. Isn’t that right, Siying?”
I bowed my head. “I’ll certainly do my best.”
I had to—if not for Ren or myself, then for my father, who awaited my return home.