I scanned his face for signs of discomfort. Finding nothing serious, I dropped my eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
He paused, clearly caught off guard. “Whatever for?”
“For pushing you to jump into the river,” I said. “You were right. That was incredibly reckless. You could’ve died.”
“We had no other choice.” His hand covered mine. I jolted at the sudden contact. Neck tingling hotly, I looked up to find a lopsided smile on his face. He continued, “Reckless as it may have been, I was rather impressed. What you did was brave, Siying. Don’t apologize for it.”
I nodded, warmed by his heartfelt praise. That was all it was. It’d be ridiculous to entertain any other kinds of feelings. I poured him a cup of tea, shaking my head at his grimace, and waited until he’d drunk it all before speaking again.
“We’ve lost the Wen soldiers for now,” I said, “but your qi is much too low. We need to find another evil spirit to purify soon.”
“Do we know where to search in Sian?”
I pinched the corner of the map drying near the fire and unrolled it to show Ren the markings left carefully by Mistress Ming. I tapped the characters for a town called Xiatang, which was on the route to Baimu.
“A platoon of imperial soldiers passed through this town five months ago,” I said, repeating what Mistress Ming had told me. “For what reason, I’m not sure. What we do know is that every single one of those soldiers was found drowned in a nearby pond, killed by an evil spirit.”
“Ah, I heard the tale while I was training.” Ren shuddered.
I stared at the map, nibbling on my lower lip. “A spirit powerful enough to kill so many men… that must mean its qi is powerful too. Perhaps it’ll be enough to warm the rest of your beads.”
“But what if this spirit is as dangerous as Yuyan?”
“That’s a risk we must take. We’re running out of time.”
Ren pressed his knuckles to his mouth, mulling over my words. After a silence, he sighed. “You know, when I died in that field a week ago, I didn’t think I’d have to face even more death to survive.”
“A week ago?” I echoed, forgetting my worries about Xiatang. “You died two weeks ago.”
“No,” he said, counting off the days since we’d left Ninghe. “You found me a day after the battle. I may not be an expert on mathematics, but I do have a clear sense of time.”
“That can’t be possible,” I insisted. “Official Yi hired me two weeks ago. Why would he do that if you weren’t already… dead?”
Suspicion grew around my skull, wiry vines probing at my memory. Back at the battlefield, I’d thought it strange how well-preserved the bodies were, ascribing it to the cold. Perhaps I’d been wrong.
I grabbed Ren by the hand, forcing myself to ignore how warm he felt. “What if the person who wanted you dead isn’t from Wen at all? What if it’s someone from the palace?”
“You mean Official Yi?” he asked dubiously. “I hardly know the man. He’s only ever been focused on my brother. Why would he want to kill me?”
“He works for your brother, right? Maybe he wants to ensure that Prince Liqin inherits the throne, so he can move up in rank too.”
Ren rolled his lips together, considering what I’d said. “That could be possible, but… I’ve never been a real competitor for the throne. What’s changed?”
“You stole the seal,” I said, understanding dawning on me. “The seal your father needs to officially declare his heir. Without it, your brother can’t become crown prince.”
His face paled. “But I didn’t steal it to ruin Liqin’s future. I just stole it to spite my father, make him panic a little. I’m going to return it. I simply got… distracted.”
That was one way to describe death, I thought as I threw another stick into the fire. “Well, we’d better get you—and the seal—back to Hulin fast. Before Official Yi realizes you’re alive and tries to kill you again.”
When Ren didn’t respond, I looked up to see him watching me, his mouth gently curved.
“What?” I said, feeling flustered by how steadily he held my eyes.
“I’m just happy,” he said, cheeks pinking.
“About what?”
He shrugged. “About how much you care. Just now, you didn’t even mention whatyou’regetting out of all this. Before, you probably would’ve asked for more money, considering the situation.”
