“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 meto 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 swalloweda 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?”
