Chapter 14: Death for Love |
After thinking a bit, Xiǎo Hé finally replied. “From the moment I gained cognizance of the world to now, he has always been the most important person to me. If I leave, I won’t be able to see him again. Even though I’m nothing to him, I still want to see him.” Her eyes started tearing up from memories of the past. “I worked so hard to become a person, to speak, to learn the rules, so I could please him . . . only him . . . not so I’d be killed by him. Sob!”
Shěn Lí sighed and looked down at her. “My words may sound cruel but you have to listen to them. That Prince Ruì, he raised you with one goal in mind. And that was to use you for his wife’s resurrection. That is your only value to him. No matter what you do or how much you try, that won’t change. Do you understand?” Shěn Lí cupped Xiǎo Hé’s face in her hand and wiped the tears away with her thumb. “So be good to yourself and let’s leave here. Forget about him. There are so many other wonderful things out in the world for you to explore.”
Xíng Yún looked at Shěn Lí while Xiǎo Hé stared at them with a conflicted expression. She lowered her head in between her knees and spoke with her head down like that. “I want to see what kind of woman this Yè Shī is, that he would be willing to spend so much effort for. I want to know the difference between us.”
Shěn Lí looked up to Xíng Yún for help. He obliged with, “I guess sometimes reality has to smack you really hard before you can accept it.”
Shěn Lí’s heart was filled with things she wanted to say. She knew that even if Xiǎo Hé was a better woman than Yè Shī, Prince Ruì still wouldn’t choose her. It was as simple as that. But seeing Xiǎo Hé be so persistent, she swallowed the words in her heart. Instead she said, “Alright. We’ll go together, but you’ll hide in the passageway until I can get rid of Prince Ruì. Once I do, you can stare at Yè Shī as much as you like." It couldn’t do any harm since the woman was dead. "Xíng Yún, you keep an eye on her until then.” Shěn Lí figured this was the best course of action.
With that said, Shěn Lí teleported them back to the passageway. Shěn Lí made eye contact with Xíng Yún and nodded her head once they were inside. He picked up on her cue and used his body to block Xiǎo Hé, being sure to keep her behind him.
Shěn Lí walked into the room and announced, “I’ve killed Xiǎo Hé.”
Prince Ruì didn’t turn his head at her voice, instead he remained stiff and silent.
“The resentful spirits have also turned back to normal. Come. I’ll escort you out.”
Xiǎo Hé fisted her hands when she heard him say this; the light in her eyes dimmed as she stood in the passageway.
“I, Zhū Chéngjǐn, was greedy and asked for too much, wanting both the throne and military power. I thought Yè Shī was just a woman, but who knew that she already worked her way into my heart. These last three years, all I’ve dreamt about is her waking up. But everyday I wake up disappointed. I had all my hopes pinned on Xiǎo Hé. With her gone I have nothing left.” Prince Ruì smiled. “You go, I’ll remain here and keep Yè Shī company.”
His words stunned Shěn Lí. His face looked empty and his eyes dead. To think someone could really die from a broken heart. But if he died, who would shelter Xíng Yún?
Before Shěn Lí could think any further, Xiǎo Hé rushed passed her and slapped Prince Ruì in the face. “I hate you!”
Prince Ruì stared blankly at her. Shěn Lí watched as Xiǎo Hé’s figure turned into a ball of white light and floated into Yè Shī’s body while the remnants of her tears fell on Prince Ruì’s hand. From the bed Ye Shi coughed lightly, getting everyone’s attention. Prince Ruì immediately lost his dazed look and flicked the tear droplets off his hand.
Shěn Lí sighed softly. That silly girl. She could still hear the sounds of Xiǎo Hé’s cries ringing in her ears, her questions asking, “Why me? If I never became a person, I would never have met him.” She was only a supporting character in Prince Ruì’s story. Why did she sacrifice herself for a man like that?
“Cough . . . cough . . .” Yè Shī coughed more violently. Prince Ruì’s eyes were bright and filled with joy. He kept saying, “Yè Shī. Yè Shī. Hang on, I’ll get you out of here.” He carefully picked her up and turned to Shěn Lí. “The exit is blocked. Will you unblock it for me?” It was only for this woman that Prince Ruì bowed his head and asked for help.
Shěn Lí grabbed his hand and whispered, “Xiǎo Hé worked so hard for you. You know she was devastated when she found out why you were raising her. She didn’t want to be killed by you, but in the end, she sacrificed herself for you anyway.”
Prince Ruì listened to her silently.
“Blame me for being careless. You raised her from the very beginning, how could you not detect her presence. Prince Ruì . . . you played your hand really well. It’s just that . . .” Although she didn’t finish her sentence, he could guess what she wanted to say.
Xiǎo Hé saw through him as well, but ultimately still chose to follow her heart. Her “hate” wasn’t just meant for him, but also for herself and her inability to escape from him. She was truly lovesick and a fool.
In the silence, Shěn Lí turned to Xíng Yún and said, “I’ll send them out first. Wait here for me.”
Xíng Yún hid his hand behind his back, leaned against a wall and nodded his head. Shěn Lí was so intent on wrapping things up she didn’t notice Xíng Yún’s odd behavior or the heavy shadows under his eyes. She grabbed Prince Ruì’s hand and teleported them outside.
There was an unnatural stillness in the palace. Prince Ruì saw the bodies of several guards and servants lying about on the ground and floating in the lake as he looked around. He turned to Shěn Lí intending to ask about the situation, but she disappeared before he could say anything. Yè Shī coughed harshly again. He looked down at her, then hurriedly walked across the bridge over the lake. As he did so, his gaze involuntarily went to the lotus in the center.
With its owner dead, the leaves and flowers were withered and shrunken, their color and vibrancy gone. The memory of a pink dressed girl came back to him. He had embraced her after she flew over to him. And though she was mute, her feelings were conveyed by the genuine smile on her lips and the radiance of her eyes. She alternated between pressing her cheeks against his chest and lifting her head up to gaze at his face. Finally she was able to stutter, “Zhu . . . Zhū, Hé [notes] likes. Zhū He likes?” He had replied without hesitation. “Yes.” The lie that rolled so easily off his tongue deceived the girl and captivated her heart. She smiled a devastatingly bright smile. It was so pure it made him realize how dark his own heart was. Liar. Big fat liar! That girl was gone forever now. Zhū Chéngjǐn hated himself, but he knew he had to keep moving forward.
Once Shěn Lí returned to the underground room, she walked to the stone bed and slammed her hand on top of it. The bed smashed to pieces and the soul anchoring array was destroyed. This created a lot of dust and made Xíng Yún cough several times in an effort to clear his throat.
“Why take it out on the bed?” Xíng Yún continued, “I was the one that suggested you bring her here. If you’re angry about it, just say so. You’ll feel better afterwards.”
Shěn Lí closed her eyes and gradually began to calm down. “If I were her, I’d kill that man for toying with my affections.” She continued on coldly, “A man like that is not worth dying for.”
“It’s not up to the observer to decide the value.” Xíng Yún said, “As long as she was willing, no one else is qualified to say whether the choice she made was good or bad.”
“That man didn’t know what he destroyed.”
“How could he not know? It’s just that for him, Xiǎo Hé wasn’t as important.”
“This kind of emotionally manipulative man is the most despicable type!” Shěn Lí yelled in anger. She remembered the rumors about her own betrothed, Fú Róng, and how he was a philanderer flitting around every which way. Thinking about it made her seriously annoyed. “Any man I like better have eyes only for me. I’ll crush every single bone in his body if he dares to engage other women.” She was so inflamed by the whole subject that her voice rose without her realizing it.
“My, such passion.”
Shěn Lí scratched her head self consciously. “Naturally this doesn’t include you. For although I said I liked you, I know we do not have a future together. Therefore, you are free to see and marry whoever you wish. “
Xíng Yún couldn’t help but laugh as he listened to her speak.
Shěn Lí did not take too well to that so she brusquely said, “I don’t have time to linger here. Come on, I’ll send you out.”
“OK.” Xíng Yún intended to reach out for her hand, but before he could, a wave of pain hit him so hard it forced him to crouch down and groan involuntarily. He grabbed his belly and vomited a large amount of black blood.
Shěn Lí was shocked. “What’s wrong?”
He wanted to answer her but his mouth kept filling up with bile and blood, forcing him to vomit again and again.
Shěn Lí hurriedly moved to support him. Once she had him leaning on her shoulder, she pulled his arm, intending to check his pulse. When she did so, she saw the burn hole in the palm of his hand. “When did you get this injury!?” Shěn Lí was furious. She recognized it for what it was, a burn made by the fluids from the demons earlier. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?”
The circumference of the wound had festered through the course of the night and gotten bigger. Demon babies were transformed by resentment, so their bodily fluids were not only corrosive, but extremely toxic as well. Even for ordinary people this type of wound would be considered serious. So for Xíng Yún who was already weak to begin with . . . how was he able to withstand it without saying anything for so long?
Shěn Lí had to refrain herself from beating him. She knew if she started, she could lose it and really kill him. Instead she could only gnash her teeth and teleport them out into the palace grounds. “Poisoned and vomiting blood! You must really want to kill me with worry huh?”
Xíng Yún truly looked terrible with black blood residue on his lips and his skin such a pale color he was nearly translucent. He smiled a tiny smile as he said, “I was trying to hold it back, but in the end I couldn’t.”
“Just shut up already! Showing off and trying to be a hero when you’re already so weak . . .”
“Uhn. . . ” Xíng Yún barely had the strength to mutter a reply but he still sighed and spoke. “I didn’t abandon you when you were down.”
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