Chapter 12
“Did you really think I’d lock him away and save his qi for later?” Yuyan sneered at me with Ren’s face. “I prefer accepting gifts the moment they’re given. And this is a rather expensive gift, wouldn’t you say? An actual prince of Sian. The irony is sweeter than honey.”
I took another step back, my staff poised in defense. “But I killed you.”
Across the courtyard, the main hall was a massive brazier throwing smoke to the sky. Given time, the fire would devour the entire mansion. Perhaps the townsfolk would see and come to help. But I doubted it.
“Some advice, dear priestess,” Yuyan drawled. “If you want to purify my soul, you should make sure you purify every last piece of me.”
I stared at the piece I’d missed, the piece that’d cost me the most.
Ren.
“Is he dead?” I asked, my flat tone belying the tightness in my chest.
Yuyan held out Ren’s arms, making a show of examining her vessel up and down. “Quite. How else would I possess his body with my spirit?”
Quite.
The word impaled me. My brain couldn’t believe that Ren—the cheerful, reckless, annoying, warmhearted prince—was really gone.
Get a hold of yourself, Siying.
“Then I’ll just have to force you out,” I said, withdrawing a purification talisman from my pocket.
“Ah-ah.” Yuyan wagged a chiding finger. “The moment you purify me, this body will die.”
“What does it matter if you’ve already killed him?”
“I said he was dead. I didn’t say there isn’t a spell that can bring him back.”
I hesitated. “A spell?”
“Don’t look so skeptical, priestess. There’s nothing I can’t do for the right price.”
“And what’s your price?”
“You, of course.” Yuyan leaned forward with a greedy smile. “You have more qi flowing through your meridians than most mortals I’ve met. Your body is also young and strong. Give me your life, and I’ll give him back his.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You must take me for a fool. I’d never pay such a price.”
“No?” Ren’s dark-brown eyes flooded with a hurt so genuine it punctured my guard. “You’d let me die?”
“Don’t be disgusting,” I snapped, reminding myself that this was Yuyan, not Ren. “I have too many people counting on me to survive. I won’t carelessly throw my life away, and certainly not to a murderous spirit.”
“That wounds me,” said Yuyan, hand hovering over Ren’s heart. “How can you call me such a thing after you saw what I went through?”
“What the Jings did to your family was wrong,” I acknowledged.
“But it doesn’t justify the violence and heartbreak you’ve inflicted on the innocents of this household, on this town.
No matter how your family has been hurt, they wouldn’t want you to become a murderer for their sake.
There are lines we can’t cross, even when it comes to the people we love. ”
Yuyan glowered, her enmity clinging to me like oil. “If you won’t submit yourself willingly,” she hissed, “then you’ll die like the rest of them.”
She charged forward, reaching for my throat. I sidestepped at the last second, hitting her back with my staff.
I would’ve struck again if not for the burn left by the peach wood. The truth hobbled my resolution. Because Ren’s body was inhabited by an evil spirit, it was now susceptible to the purifying effects of the staff.
“Why do you hesitate?” Yuyan taunted before lunging again.
I danced backward, using my arms to block the jiangshi’s attacks.
But my unwillingness to use my purification tools put me at a significant disadvantage.
Though I knew the basics of self-defense, I wasn’t a trained fighter.
Yuyan, on the other hand, was in a bigger, stronger body, and she didn’t hold herself back.
It wasn’t long before I was knocked onto the ground with Ren’s dagger pointed at my throat.
I tensed as I felt the blade bite into my flesh, just enough to trace a thin line across my neck.
She was mimicking her own dying wound. I swallowed a scream as the knife swept up to my left ear and nicked my lower lobe.
Yuyan laughed. Tears threatened to escape my eyes as I felt warm blood trickling down my neck. I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t break, even now.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it already,” I panted, staring up into Ren’s hate-filled eyes.
Yuyan sneered. “I suggested an easier way. Now look at how you’ve scuffed up my future vessel.”
“You’re the one holding the blade.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.”
She tossed the knife aside, then made to choke me.
But I was just as fast, seizing Ren’s wrists with both hands to keep his from my throat. Luckily, his military uniform included bands around his forearms, so I was able to avoid direct skin contact as I resisted Yuyan’s strength. If I touched her, she’d surely steal my life force.
She growled as she strained forward, starving for my qi. But I was bolstered by a rush of adrenaline and desperation. I refused to die here. Not like this. Not right now.
Still, I could only fight for so long. My focus wavered as I fought to keep Yuyan’s emotions from inundating my mind.
My palms, sweaty from exertion and aching as old wounds reopened, began to slip against Ren’s bands.
Yuyan took the chance to break my hold, finally wrapping her fingers around my exposed neck.
I stiffened as the numbing sensation returned, my energy slowing beneath my flesh.
I pushed at Yuyan’s grip, but my efforts held no force.
“Stop,” I rasped as my eyelids began to grow heavy. “Please.”
The cold around my neck persisted.
“Ren,” I whispered, unable to cough out the apology flickering in my mind. I’d failed to keep our promise, to keep him alive. Now the iciness was spreading across my entire body, dulling my consciousness.
And then it vanished.
I inhaled on instinct. I blinked and realized that Ren’s hands were no longer on my skin. Yuyan pushed away from me and stood, arms trembling. Her expression was tight with pain—and fear.
“Purify me.”
I gaped at her in shock, struggling into a sitting position. “What?”
“Please, Mistress Kang, use your purification talisman on me.”
“Ren?” I asked, tentative. Hopeful.
His eyes squeezed shut, and he pressed the heels of his palms to his forehead, groaning. “I can’t hold her back for long. You must hurry.”
I stumbled to my feet, unable to believe it. His soul hadn’t quite left his body yet. He was still fighting against Yuyan’s control.
“I—I can’t,” I stammered, stepping toward Ren but afraid to touch him. “If I purify Yuyan’s spirit and remove her qi, your body will fail. You’ll die, Your Highness.”
“I’m already dead.”
“But—”
“You gave me a second chance once. This time, there’s no escaping it.” He lowered his hands and met my gaze. “But you still have a chance, Mistress Kang. Let me be a royal you can count on for once. Use my death to save yourself.”
“Don’t say such nonsense,” I said, mind racing to find a way to save him. “You wanted to live a free, leisurely life, remember? What happened to the prince who only cares for himself?”
Ren cracked a wan smile. “It turns out that such princes are absolutely worthless. Their deaths will affect no one, believe me.”
I glared at him. “You’re not worthless to me.”
He winced, clutching the side of his head.
When he regained his focus, he replied, “I promise you and your family will be taken care of. Once I’m dead, you can still return my body to Official Yi and receive a handsome payment for your services.
It won’t be as much as we agreed, but it should suffice. ”
“That’s not what I meant,” I argued, taking another step forward. “You can’t die, Your Highness. I won’t allow it.”
He backed away, holding out one hand to deter me from drawing closer. “What am I to you that you should hesitate? The sooner you end this, the sooner you can resume your journey without my annoying prattle. I know you prefer the quiet.”
I didn’t return his forced smile. “Now isn’t the time for jokes, Ren. This is your life we’re talking about. I can’t just take it away.”
“But you must, for your safety and the safety of this town.” He flinched again, his breaths quickening. “Mistress Kang, please. You must purify me now.”
“Ren—”
He doubled over, letting out another low, anguished moan. I felt as helpless as I had in the illusion of my mother, my thoughts utterly and uselessly blank in the face of another’s pain. Just as I reached out to touch him, his head snapped back up.
“So much talking!” he said, voice dripping with irritation.
I froze, recognizing Yuyan’s venom. “No.”
The jiangshi smirked as she tucked back a loose strand of hair. “How foolish to waste what precious time that boy stole for you. And here I thought you were a clever girl. Now you’ll just be dead.”
I thrust out my staff as Yuyan attacked. The jiangshi knocked it down, skin searing at the contact, and shoved me to the ground. I flung out my arms to break my fall and landed hard on my hand. A crack sounded from my left wrist. Hot, bright lightning shot up to my shoulder.
I screamed then, the pain so sudden and startling, I couldn’t hold it in.
The sound jolted Ren back into his body.
“Mistress Kang,” he gasped, hands trembling as he hovered over me, horrified. “I’m so sorry. I—”
“It’s not—it’s not your fault,” I managed. I could hardly focus on his distressed face, my vision wobbly from the pain.
“You have to stop me.” He fell to his knees beside me. With shaking hands, he pulled out one of the purification talismans I’d given him before and offered it to me like a knife. His grip was delicate, as if the paper burned his skin. “Do it for your father.”
I sucked in a tense breath, trapped by his mention of Baba. It was an unfair move. But Ren was right to use it. My father—my family—would always take precedence. Although I was loath to take Ren’s life, I had to choose.
Groaning at my injured wrist, I shifted onto my hip in a half-sitting position.
“Forgive me,” I whispered, accepting the talisman with my unhurt hand.