Jingrui sat still, no tears stained her cheeks, and she didn't know whether she was speaking, or simply replaying the flashes of the past in her mind. Her head throbbed with dizziness, and she clutched her dark hair into a fist, trying to ease the pain.
She would have felt the cold corrode her insides if it were not for Prince Zhanying's warmth beside her, keeping her company.
No one had ever kept Jingrui company.
His eyes were as cool as the night, and as motionless as the wind. And although he didn't speak to her, she was glad he didn't leave her side.
She didn't know whether she was dreaming at that moment when his thumb brushed across her cheek. The jade ring on his thumb was cool against her skin, but his touch was warm—so warm, she didn't know why she had ever thought him cold.
As she looked up at him, he held a warmth similar to her master. Although his touch wasn't as gentle nor did his eyes hold any emotions, she was comforted. If she felt this comforted, then it must have been a dream. She had been having never-ending nightmares about the faithful night her master saved her from those terrible men. It was a relief to, once in a while, be in a dream.
Since it was a dream, she smiled and clasped her hand over his. "But Sister, Master, and Senior told me to be happy, so I will never let all those sad things get to me."
With that, she pushed herself to stand. Her posture was slack, and her steps were unbalanced.
Dizziness lanced through her head, and she hit it, trying to clear the clouds in her mind. Walking towards her room, she stumbled over, and an arm caught her. The sweet scent of Nag Champa filled the space between them, and she felt warm. She smiled again.
What a pretty dream she was having.
"So where is your sister?" The man, her hazy vision could no longer recognise, asked.
"Dead," she told him in a slumbering voice.
"Your Master?"
"Dead. . ."
"Senior?"
"Don't know. . ." Obsidian took over her vision, and her head fell heavily upon the man's chest. All she could think of was how warm he was and how sweet he smelt. There was no more nightmare as she leapt into the darkness. Everything that had been suppressed within her like a closed bottle had been released, and her face filled up with peace.
The peace lasted a long time, and Jingrui woke up again when she heard a loud sound of a spoon hitting against a bowl. She groaned as she pushed herself to sit up. Her whole body ached, and her head jabbed with pain. When she tried to speak, no sound came out. Only an airy breath scraped up her dry throat.
Jingrui scoffed, flexing her sore neck and trying to recall what had happened to leave her battered up.
She remembered meeting her father and coming back to the inn for wine to comfort herself. But she was in the veranda, how did she get back to the bed?
She glanced over to the floor table, and her eyes widened when she saw Prince Zhanying. He looked as dashing as usual, but his hair had messily fallen over his face, and his forehead was dabbled with sweat. A light flared from his fingertips as he concentrated it into a bowl of soup. At last, he let the light vanish and deeply inhaled to stabilise the energy in the air.
"You are awake?" he asked her, and before she could answer him, he stood up with the bowl of soup in his hand. Almost spilling over the contents, he shucked her the bowl.
Jingrui hesitated before accepting it. The bowl was filled with a strange-coloured soup, murky like a puddle. "What . . . is this, Your Highness?"
"Sobering soup," Prince Zhanying said while coercing her with his cool gaze. "Drink it all up."
She gulped. "S-Since Your Highness has put in such a strenuous effort to brew it for a humble maid like me, I'll do my best." She closed her eyes and poured the Prince's sobering soup down her throat. Bitterness robbed her face of colours, and she was about to spit it out when her gaze met the Prince's. Instantly, she swallowed it down until no drops were left. "Thank you, Your Highness." She handed him back the bowl, trying to hold the sarcasm from her voice.
When Prince Zhanying didn't say anything more, Jingrui got up from the bed and stretched her numbed limbs. "How did I get back to bed, Your Highness?"
Prince Zhanying placed the empty bowl down onto a table without sparing her a glance. "You walked there yourself in your drunk state."
Jingrui nodded. That was very much plausible.
She glanced at Prince Zhanying who began brewing himself tea. For some odd reason, he looked worn out. She didn't notice it when she first awoke, but now that her head was cleared, he really did look as if he had run an errand across the eight deserts ten times.
Prince Zhanying seemed to notice her staring and cleared his throat. "Do you need breakfast? I will accompany you."
Jingrui raised her brows as she eyed Prince Zhanying up and down. Was he ill, to ask to accompany her? Apart from being worn out, he did not look close to ill. So, why was he being so kind to her today?
As she pondered over his words, her stomach grumbled, voicing its answer. Warmth flushed over her cheeks, and she pressed her lips into a thin line, scoffing. "A-Actually, last night, I spent all the gold I had for the dinner that I didn't get to eat," she mumbled, fiddling with her thumbs and lowering her gaze. "I don't have the money for breakfast. . ."
"I'll pay," he said, not lifting his gaze to her.
Jingrui almost jumped at his statement. She scurried to his side as she scanned over his face, very concerned. Although he did not look ill, Jingrui was beginning to think he was. "Why are you so kind to me today?" she asked, feeling unsettled by his actions. "Did I perhaps say something to Your Highness last night while I was drunk?"
Prince Zhanying poured the tea into his cup. "You. . ." he paused and looked up at her blankly. "You don't remember?"
She shook her head. "No. . ."
"That's well." A stoic expression crept over his face almost immediately, shielding every softness in him.
Seeing that the Prince had returned to his usual self, she felt assured. Her lips curved up. "Then does the offer still stand? Breakfast with me?"
He placed his crown on his head and fixed it in place. "I can't let you wander around by yourself, causing trouble," he muttered and stood up, beckoning her to follow him without another word.
A bright smile filled her face as she hopped to his side.
They exited the inn and wandered into the street Jingrui had walked on countless times when she was young. She glanced at the sight, taking in the familiar faces of fishmongers, weavers, and other purveyors as they haggled with their customers. The place used to submerge her in fear, and for centuries, she had been having recurring nightmares of this town. Her heart would weigh down even at the thought of stepping upon the pebbles that lined the path.
She let out a soft sigh and lifted her face towards the sky. The blinding morning sun shone through the clouds and grazed against her face. And for some reason, she didn't find the need to lower her chin anymore. Within the town cast by dazzling beams, no shadow cloaked over her heart and no fear gnawed her bones. It was as if she had finally let go—as if she had finally forgiven and released the grudge that veiled her heart with darkness. A smile came over her lips as she breathed in the fresh spring air.
Bathing within the sun, all her fear was washed away, and her past became engraved as a mere memory.
As Jingrui walked past the overly familiar brothel, her jaw dropped. It seemed someone wanted to help destroy her past for her. The brothel which once flared with colourful lights was annihilated. Broken down pieces of wood strayed across the street, sizzling in flame.
Jingrui turned to the neighbouring grandmother, her eyes wide in awe. "What happened here, Granny?"
The grandmother clasped her hands together as she held them towards the sky. "God has decided to punish evil, my dear. The owner of this long running business had gone bankrupt, and all the prostitutes were freed."
Jingrui didn't know how to reply. She gulped. "But the brothel was standing fine just yesterday. . ."
At her words, the grandmother's eyes were filled with overwhelmed admiration. "We were blessed last night. A Silver Dragon appeared before us. He flew down from the sky and caused the destruction of only the brothel. This is heaven's will. It's heaven's will!"
Jingrui stepped back from the grandmother and narrowed her eyes at Prince Zhanying. Although she didn't know what Prince Zhanying's true form was, he was the only high deity around here capable of transforming.
But then again, what reason would he have to cause such destruction within the mortal realm? Taking one's true form required strenuous effort. One could even die transforming if they were weak or ill. There was no way Prince Zhanying would waste his cultivation to banish the brothel that stood unrelated to him.
The Prince walked aloof without sparing a glance at the torn brothel, pretending that he didn't see. Jingrui couldn't blame him, he really couldn't see. With that, she shook off all the possible thoughts that he had caused the destruction and ran to catch up to him with a wide smile.
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WANE | 屠梦之渊 Floating Abyss Palace Arc