“Aside from living people, there’s another source of human qi—the spirits of those who no longer need it.”
I considered her words. “Do you mean ghosts?”
Mistress Ming nodded. “But not just any ghosts. Ghosts with powerful energy, powerful qi. I’d suggest you take the qi ofevil spirits. Once purified, the spirits’ qi can be absorbed by the soldier through mere touch.”
“It sounds simple enough,” I mused, “but you’re essentially asking me to go on a wild-goose chase.”
“Not entirely wild,” the wisewoman said. “Do you think exorcists wander aimlessly to hunt down evil spirits? They’re either hired, as you are, or they meticulously seek out locations of evil.”
“And you know of these locations?”
Mistress Ming shrugged. “Humans love telling stories, especially ones of horror and scandal. There are no bounds to how far rumors can travel. For instance, even from my secluded hut, I hear what’s happening in the Sian government.”
I was struck by the sadness that flitted across Mistress Ming’s face as she spoke those last words. I hadn’t thought the wisewoman cared that much about politics. But then again, Mistress Ming was a citizen of Wen, the state warring for independence from the Sian kingdom. Even someone as isolated as her wasn’t immune to the influence of the monarchy.
“Maybe you’re right, and it’s possible to locate these evil spirits,” I said, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. “But I’ll need a more specific plan to save this soldier. And if he’s alive, as you say, shouldn’t he be the one asking me to help him?”
“Shall we have him join us, then? Wake him with a reanimation talisman and discuss the situation face-to-face.”
Though she spoke lightly, I detected a hint of uneasiness in her tone. I recalled her startled reaction upon seeing the soldier’s face. It wasn’t as if Mistress Ming was frightened of the dead, like most people. She’d seen plenty of my assignmentsbefore and clearly had no reservations about dragging a corpse into her house.
Her shock had been rooted in something else.
“Before I wake anybody,” I said, “I must ask: Why is saving this soldier so important to you?”
Mistress Ming stiffened. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Then why not do it yourself?”
“I’m not trained in purification.”
“Is that truly the reason?” I pressed. “Dajie, do you know this soldier?”
Mistress Ming opened her mouth, then shut it. After a deliberative pause, she said huffily, “Yes, I do. But I’d rather you wake him first, so he can tell you himself.”
I didn’t like her vague response, but I decided to stop pushing for now. I began the reanimation ritual again, ringing my staff and chanting the proper incantation. As I did so, I pulled out a fresh Fu talisman and gently pressed it to the soldier’s forehead.
This time, the spell took effect immediately, as if the body remembered the talisman’s qi. As I drew my hand back, the soldier shot up into a sitting position, sucking in huge lungfuls of air.
“W-Where am I?” he stammered, pushing up the talisman to gape at the room in which he’d suddenly awoken. His gaze froze on my face. “I know you. You’re that girl from the battlefield. I helped you and then—then—”
Before I could respond, my attention slid past the soldier to the wisewoman behind him. He turned, following my gaze.
Mistress Ming still sat in a kneeling position, but now her forehead was pressed to the floor in reverence, her hands resting flat on either side. As I wondered why, she said in a clear voice, “Welcome to my humble home, Your Highness.”
CHAPTER 3
The soldier stared at Mistress Ming, recognition warming his face. “Lady Ming?”
Lady Ming?I thought, confused by both the unexpected title and the way she continued to kowtow in front of this strange boy. I’d never seen her display such meekness to anyone.
“Yes, Prince Renshu,” she replied, “though I no longer go by that name.”
“He’s a prince?” I blurted.
The wisewoman threw me a chastening glare, then dropped her eyes again. “This is Meng Renshu, second prince of the kingdom of Sian. Son of the late Consort Lin.”
I stared. The soldier I’d been sent to retrieve was a Sian prince? What had he been doing dressed up and dying as a commoner? Why hadn’t Official Yi told me this very important detail? Was the prince’s death supposed to be a secret?
