“Mistress Kang,” Feilin said, approaching me as I finished locking the goats back in their pen. “You’ve stayed for over an hour. You and Prince Renshu should hurry and finish your journey.”
“But how can we leave your village like this?” I said, ashamed.
She smiled. “Don’t worry—we’ll be fine. You’re short on time, aren’t you? Trust us to take care of the rest, and go before it’s too late.”
I couldn’t argue with her words, so I nodded, still feeling guilty. After finding Ren, we exchanged brief goodbyes with the Li family, then returned to the road, heading northeast toward Baimu just as the sun began to set.
Ren stayed silent for the first few hours. But as the moon shone brighter against the deepening black of the sky, he broke the quiet.
“Could we rest for a moment?” he asked, footsteps slowing.
Instantly worried, I lifted the Fu talisman that I’d replaced on his head and examined his face in the dim lighting. “What’s the matter? Do you feel ill?”
“No,” he said. “I was just afraid you’d become mute.”
I dropped the talisman, huffing. “Don’t joke right now. Your qi…”
“Forgive me.” He smothered his grin. “The truth is I do feel tired. I only need to sit for a bit.”
I nodded, my concern returning, and guided us to a flat meadow beside the road. It was too cold for snakes and mice to be out, so I didn’t care about disturbing the grass. While Ren crossed his legs on the ground, I set down my lantern and dug through my bag for some bread.
I tore off a piece of mantou and held it out. “Here, eat this.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need energy,” I said. “Or would you prefer to chew on a piece of ginseng?”
“How dare you exploit my weakness?” he said, but he accepted the bread without further complaint.
I took a seat beside him, studying his face. “Explain your tiredness. Is your body sore? Do you feel drowsy?”
He swallowed and said, “A bit of both? I think it’s caught up to me—all the exertion when my qi isn’t yet fully recovered. But I just need some rest, and then I’ll be ready to resume our journey.”
“I don’t believe rest will be enough, Ren.” I chewed the inside of my cheek, thinking. “I can see if there are any evil spirits around.”
“That would waste too much time,” he disagreed. “You and I both need to reach the capital as soon as possible. I have a seal to return and minds to change. You have your father, who needs medical help.”
His mention of the seal made me uncomfortable. I remembered what Master Zhang had said about the first prince’s involvement with the grave of traitors. But before I could decide whether to bring up the topic with Ren, my mind snagged on the grave itself.
“What about the grave of traitors?” I said. “They all died unjust deaths. If I can purify their trapped spirits—”
“No.” Ren gave me an uncharacteristically stern look. “I’ll not take advantage of those souls. They aren’t just bound to this earth, Siying. They’re bound to a place far from home. Now I promised to ensure their peaceful return. That includesboth their bodies and their spirits. What happens after is up to the families and priests.”
I scowled. “Why are you so considerate at the worst possible time?”
He picked at the mantou in his hands, a kindness from Li Feilin. “It’s different once you know the truth behind the stories. Isn’t that why you sympathized with Yuyan, and even Master Zhang? You might not admit it, but I know you purified their spirits not just for my sake but for theirs.”
I drew my knees to my chest and propped my chin on folded arms. “I could do the same for these spirits from Xiatang.”
Ren shook his head. “Not until they’ve reunited with their loved ones.”
“By then it’ll be too late,” I argued. “Even if I were to go to the grave of traitors right now and illegally guide them home, you might be dead by the time I purify them.”
He stared at me. “Could you truly guide that many bodies at once?”
“Well, it’d take quite a bit of willpower. I reanimated a small group at Jing Mansion—” I halted, realizing he’d distracted me. “But that’s not the point! The point is how to fill your qi.”
He held up his hands. “Listen, Siying. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll continue with our original plan and head for Baimu. Once I’ve brought the royal seal back to Hulin, we can figure out what to do about my qi. Of course, if a solution isn’t possible, I’ll still pay you the amount we agreed upon. Considering how you gave it everything you could, you’ve rightly earned it.”
