“That was the entire point of me taking this job,” I said. “And you’re not fine. You were lying in bed sick when I left, remember?”
He clucked his tongue. “Ah, you fret too much. I was just tired that day. I haven’t fainted since. Isn’t that right, Lilan?”
“Yes, Baba.” Lilan paused. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t need a doctor.”
He shook his head, exasperated. “Why are you two ganging up against me? I’m more worried about you, Siying. Two princes under our roof? Just what happened on your journey?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, stomach twinging at the thought of Ren. Thank the gods my body wasn’t betraying me with a blush. “But I do need your advice, Baba.”
He arched a brow. “Finally seeking my wisdom, eh? Well, then. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I looked at my father and sister, the two people I trusted most in the world, and decided to speak the truth. I told them everything that’d happened with Ren’s reanimation spell, the evil spirits we’d faced, and my failure to fully warm the mala beads.
“He won’t permit me to give him my qi,” I said, “because he’s afraid it’ll hurt me. But I don’t know what else to do. I fear he doesn’t have enough time for me to find another spirit to purify.”
“Hmm.” My father scratched his jaw, thinking out loud. “It’strue that your lack of experience could prove dangerous should you give him any more qi. Does the boy have to live?”
“Baba!”
He laughed. “I’m only joking, daughter. You need a sense of humor when working with death, else you’ll drive yourself mad.”
I wondered if he would still joke if he knew how Ren had confessed his feelings to me within the past hour—and I’d nearly done the same. I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about that yet. Perhaps not even Ren.
“That’s not the type of advice I had in mind,” I said, disliking the topic of death when it hovered so close. “Really, Baba. What do you think I should do?”
“The only thing you can do in the limited time you have is to give him qi from a living human,” he said. “But that’s clearly not plausible. And from the way you talk about this prince, he isn’t the kind of person who’d be willing to sacrifice another’s life for his own.”
“So it’s hopeless,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
“Not hopeless.” He squeezed my hand. “We’ll figure out a solution together. I believe I have several texts on qi manipulation stored away somewhere. I’ll search them tonight for a possible answer.”
“I’ll do it,” I said. “You need rest.”
“On the contrary, it’s you who needs rest.” He glanced at Lilan. “Wouldn’t you agree that your sister looks rather haggard?”
Lilan bit her lip, failing to hide her smile. “I didn’t want to say anything.”
“Now who’s ganging up on whom?” I protested. But beneathmy offended act, I warmed at my family’s presence. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed their bantering.
Lilan removed the whistling kettle from the fire and poured the boiling water into a teapot containing oolong leaves.
“Who’s that for?” I asked.
“Prince Liqin asked me to bring tea to the study.”
I stood, wondering how Ren’s conversation with his brother was going. “I’ll bring it for you.”
“No,” Baba said, touching my shoulder. “No more distractions. You must sleep for a few hours at the very least.”
“But, Baba—”
“Sleep,” he insisted. “Then come and help me read through the texts. You’re of no use to the prince while exhausted.”
I thought about arguing, then realized he was right. The day’s events weighed down on me like gradually gathered stones, and I knew I’d be unable to comprehend anything I read. Perhaps some repose would help, as Baba said.
As for Ren and his brother, Anshi or Lilan would alert me should anything important happen. My room was just around the corner from the study.
“All right,” I murmured reluctantly. “But only for a moment.”
