A Wish 1

They entered and locked the door from within. Ling Xiaochen would observe from the window to see any suspicious movement while An Zhengnan would guard the door. They had to do it secretly so that no one would know of Furball's existence.

The room was new as the old one had been destroyed along with the whole inn so this was Ouyang Xueqing's first time meeting Ren Yupei again after the incident when she almost died by his hands. She approached him slowly, her eyes trailing along his face.

He looked as if he was in a deep slumber. His face was peaceful and his breathing even. There was no sign of the craziness that she had witnessed that day. Her heart still hammered in jittery at the mention of that day because she felt that the image of Ren Yupei, her gentle older brother, had been somehow rewritten since then.

She discovered a new side to him that she had never saw before. Even though she knew that it was due to the ghost qi, but she still felt some kind of wedge being drawn between them.

After receiving Ling Xiaochen and An Zhengnan's nod, Ouyang Xueqing put Furball down on his bed. "Furball, can you cure him please?"

Furball turned into his original size which was three times larger and bounced up to Ren Yupei's face whilst peering down at his face. "Hmm, corrupted huh?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He entered the Ghost Town and has been like this since he returned."

Furball nodded. "I remember him. After all, he is the one that had successfully resisted the ghost qi and even found his way back. I commend him for that." Furball's hair trembled as they stood up on their end like a hedgehog. "Ghost qi, go and find your way to the path of reincarnation!"

At that moment, there was a sound of familiar shrill cry emanated from Ren Yupei. The black mist seeped out from his mouth in the form of a man's crying face and then dispersed into thin air.

"Is it done?"

"Yes, he should be awake…" As soon as he said that, Ren Yupei's eyelids twitched. "Now."

There was a faint groan coming from his mouth as he coughed. Ouyang Xueqing attentively poured a cup of water from the kettle in the room and brought it to him. "Brother Ren?" She called nervously.

Ren Yupei's eyes fluttered open and he seemed dazed for a moment as he only stared at the ceiling. It wasn't after Ouyang Xueqing called him for the second time that he somehow managed to regain his senses. His pupils moved around the room and fell on her.

Ouyang Xueqing's heart jumped, but she forced herself to sit still. It's okay, it's okay, she comforted herself. This was Brother Ren, the Ren Yupei she knew! But just for sure, she decided to ask. "Brother Ren, do you remember who I am?"

He blinked in haze. "Princess?" His voice was weak and hoarse, but he called her 'Princess'!

Ouyang Xueqing's eyes brightened up. "Do you really remember me?!"

"...Yes, of course." He pushed himself up and gulped down the glass of water. His voice turned better. "What happened? Why are you here? I remembered that I went into the Ghost Town, but there's something strange there and I—" He froze.

An Zhengnan snickered as he leaned against the door. "Do you remember now?"

"What?" He seemed bewildered as he clutched his head. "What is this? I, I was—"

"No, it's not an illusion. You indeed went crazy, attack the Princess and almost killed her." An Zhengnan said it lightly as if he was saying the weather was good, but Ren Yupei felt as if he was slapped by thunder by every words he said.

The more his memories turned clearer, the paler he become. He turned to Ouyang Xueqing with his eyes reddened in guilt. "Princess…" His voice was raspy and trembling. "I—I don't know why I did that."

All of a sudden, he tumbled down from his bed and kowtowed in front of Ouyang Xueqing. "Princess, I have sinned, how can I raise my hand against you?! Please punish me, Princess!"

Ouyang Xueqing's throat constricted at the grief, confusion and bewilderment in his eyes. Her heart squeezed in pain because she knew clearly that he attacked her because of the ghost qi, but then, for a subordinate to almost kill the person he's protecting, how could she brush him off and told him to forget it?

Even if she could, this memory would surely haunt him forever. That was the kind of person Ren Yupei was.

She wouldn't tell him to forget, as she too was still traumatized by him. "Brother Ren…rise your head." She said softly. "I won't forgive you easily, you know."

Ren Yupei nodded. His head lowered as he couldn't bear to look at Ouyang Xueqing's face. He was swarmed with so much guilt that he felt suffocated. "I don't expect you to."

"Great." She nodded and turned to Ling Xiaochen and An Zhengnan. "Can you guys please leave us alone for a moment?"

An Zhengnan protested. "Why? Is there something we can't hear?���

He almost choked on his breath when she nodded readily.

Seeing that he couldn't stay no matter what, he harrumphed and went out, followed by Ling Xiaochen behind his steps. The door closed, leaving the two of them alone.

Ouyang Xueqing sighed and pulled on the man's hand. "Get up, Brother Ren. Don't kneel anymore." She felt guilty too, she knew that everything would be resolved only if she told him the effect of ghost qi on him, but that meant she had to explain the origin of demonic seed and the demon bloodline from their ancestors.

She had promised Uncle Ling to never speak about it, and she would make sure to keep it.

Ren Yupei's jaw tightened as he refused to get up. "Princess, I have truly sinned."

"Yes, you have." She agreed which made him flinched as he didn't expect such a blunt response from her. "But don't you know, Brother Ren? All these things happened because you have buried such a deep longing and sentiments inside you."

He fell silent because he knew what she said was all true.

"As for your punishment…" She trailed off, sat upon his bed and patted the space beside her. "Sit here with me, Brother Ren."

"But—"

"Your punishment is to listen to whatever I told you to do."

His mouth shut instantly. He contemplated for a moment before complying yet he still kept some distance between them. The atmosphere was especially awkward. It felt like they had returned to when they first met each other.