Instead of acknowledging me, the spirit narrowed his eyes at Ren and murmured, “Die.”
Ren’s body flew backward, slamming heavily into the storefront’s scaffold. Having been struck one too many times, thestructure’s integrity failed, and the wood began to collapse—falling toward the girl frozen below it. Too late, Master Zhang realized his error and cried, “Feilin!”
But even he couldn’t react quickly enough.
Screams erupted across the street as the columns and boards tumbled to the ground, burying both Ren and Feilin in a pile of shattered wood. The townsfolk shuddered from the outskirts, torn between rushing to help and staying far away from their terrifying leader.
I hobbled to the ruin, batting away dust and debris.Ren, where are you?I grasped the edge of a long plank and shoved it aside. There were so many pieces, each as heavy as the last. Splinters dug into my skin, and iron nails scraped my hands as I continued to remove the scaffold remains.
“Ren!” I pleaded, receiving no response in return. “Miss Li!”
Eventually, I came across a board that was too massive to move, no matter how I pulled or pushed. On the verge of screaming, I spun and glowered at Master Zhang, who stood immobilized by his own horror. The darkness had receded from his face and eyes. The whites, visible once again, revealed his sheer panic.
“What are you doing?” I seethed. “Make yourself useful and help me!”
Too dazed to snap back, he compelled the rubble to rise. Ren’s face-down form came into view. I ducked under the wood and grabbed Ren by the shoulders. Rolling him over, I discovered Feilin curled up underneath, coughing dust from her throat. Ren had shielded her body with his own.
“Miss Li,” I said, patting her back, “are you all right?”
“I—I think so,” she wheezed. “What about—”
“Feilin!”
Her mother’s distraught voice rang across the street. The older woman soon appeared by my side, reaching for her daughter to pull her from the wreckage.
“What happened?” she screeched.
“Mama,” Feilin murmured, squeezing her mother’s arm. “It was an accident. I’m all right.”
While mother and daughter wept into each other’s arms, I focused on Ren, who’d yet to wake. Blood covered half his face and the back of his shirt. His breathing was so shallow I had to lean in to feel it. The mala beads around his neck were dusted in dirt and more blood. I didn’t need to touch them to know that Ren’s qi was much too weak.
“Ren,” I whispered, my forehead throbbing from stress and barely restrained terror. “Stay with me. I won’t let you die here.”
A raspy laugh escaped his lips, his eyes opening halfway. “Controlling as always.”
I placed my palm on his chest, driven by desperation. But even while wounded, Ren found the strength to clutch my hand and shake his head.
“Don’t,” he murmured. “It isn’t safe.”
“This is my fault,” I protested. “Let me help you, please.”
“How is this your fault?” He sucked in a shaky breath. “Perhaps you’ve imagined throwing a hundred-pound weight of wood at my head, but I know you’d never actually do it.”
I didn’t smile at his joke. “Ren, without my qi, you’ll die.”
“That isn’t a new threat.”
I clenched the lapels of his jacket, crushing the fabric in my fist. “Will you be serious for one moment? This isn’t a game—this is your life!”
“I am serious,” he said, patting my knuckles. “I won’t risk your health for mine. You can do so much more than I, Siying.I’ll tell you where to find my father’s seal and what to say to my brother. Help me fulfill the promises I’ve made.”
“Fulfill your promises yourself, you fool!” I would’ve hit him if he wasn’t already wounded. “Stop trying to be a martyr!”
“I’m not trying to be a martyr.” He covered my fist with his hand and squeezed gently. Though he smiled, his eyes were unusually still and serious. “Don’t you understand by now?”
No, I don’t, I wanted to say. But as my gaze sank into the warm, dark pools of his irises, I understood something else. It wasn’t just gratitude for saving me at Jing Mansion that I felt for him. It was also true, deeply rooted care. I cared about his pain and his joy. I cared that he lived another day to share meals with me, to burn the hours away just talking, to color my afternoons with the sound of his voice and laughter.
I cared abouthim, even if he didn’t.
