Chapter Forty-Three: Reconciliation

After dinner, Brother Luo Xi mentioned that Yi'er had woken up, though still very weak and only able to consume some rice porridge. Annoyed that he hadn't informed me earlier, I rushed upstairs to see Yi'er.

"Yi'er, how are you feeling?" I pushed the door open and peeked in. Yi'er was sitting at the table, spooning porridge. When she saw me, she put down the bowl and tried to stand up.

Seeing her tremble slightly, clearly still weak from her ordeal, I closed the door and quickly went over to help her sit back down. "You're still recovering, don't try to get up." I looked at the simple bowl of rice porridge and sighed, stirring it with a spoon. "Brother just gave you this? It's so plain. How can you eat this? At least at Qiongyun Sect, we had some pickled radish to go with it."

Yi'er's pale lips formed a slight smile as she held the bowl in her hands, a bit of color returning to her face. "This is already quite good, and besides, I can't eat anything else even if I wanted to. The rice porridge here is thicker and more fragrant than the one at Qiongyun," she said, blowing on a spoonful of porridge.

"Wait a moment before you eat." I remembered I had some dried red dates left, so I took them out and sprinkled them into the porridge, stirring them in. The porridge was still hot, and the combined aroma of rice and dates quickly filled the air. I scooped a spoonful of the revitalized porridge, blew on it, and held it to her lips. "Try it now. See how it tastes."

Yi'er took a sip, chewed thoughtfully, and said, "It's sweet and fragrant, much easier to eat than before. If only the dates were softer."

"You shouldn't move around too much right now. Isn't it better to exercise your mouth a bit?" I scooped another spoonful, blew on it, and handed it to her.

Yi'er put the spoon back in the bowl. "Qingyue, didn't I tell you I was attacked before?" Her expression darkened as she clutched her sleeve tightly. "That day, after being injured, I encountered people from Xinghuo Hall and asked them to take me back. But on the way, Protector Sun suddenly attacked me, and the other disciples just watched. I fled all the way to that temple with her in hot pursuit. In my desperation, I couldn't even use my spells. Somehow, fire burst from my hands and engulfed her. She didn't even have time to react before she was burned to ashes…"

"So it wasn't the Moon Shadow Sect that attacked you. And who is this Protector Sun?"

"She was the madam who tried to drag you into the brothel when you were drunk," Yi'er answered.

The image of a plump, greasy face instantly popped into my mind.

"What happened next? If she was burned to death, why do you still have so many wounds?"

She lowered her head, stirring the porridge, the clinking of the spoon against the bowl suddenly stopping as it fell onto the table. I quickly righted the bowl to prevent more porridge from spilling.

"Do you have something to clean this up with? Wait here; I'll go get a cloth from downstairs." Just as I was about to get up, Yi'er grabbed my wrist, indicating she had more to say. I sat back down and reassured her, "Yi'er, you can tell me everything. I've always believed in you, just as you believe in me."

"I'm a demon," she said, shrinking back. "My body was covered in red scales, and I was on the verge of revealing my true form. I used an ancient method to release some of my demon blood to weaken my bloodline and maintain my human form."

"So those wounds on your body are self-inflicted? How could you be so foolish, risking your life like that?"

She seemed surprised by my words, her eyes wide and her voice trembling. "You're not afraid?"

I embraced her, rubbing her shoulder gently. "You're my Yi'er. Why would I be afraid of you? Do you have an appetite for someone as thin as me? Once I've chosen a friend, they're my friend for life. I will always believe in and support you." I smiled and added, "Now do you see the true face of Xinghuo Hall? Isn't Qiongyun Sect much better? It's a hundred times better than that place where they wear dog masks and bite each other."

She held my hand, her eyes brimming with tears, but she smiled and said, "I've made up my mind, Qingyue. At Xinghuo Hall, I never knew what family and friendship were. Joining Qiongyun Sect was part of their plan, but since meeting you and my brother, I've wanted to leave the darkness behind. This time, I won't abandon the people I care about to make the wrong decision. My brother and I share the same blood. He is the most important person in the world to me. For his sake, I must break free from my past, even if it means being a demon. I have the right to choose between good and evil."

It seemed Yi'er had cleared things up with Brother Luo Xi, and knowing that the siblings had reconciled eased a burden off my mind.

"By the way, Yi'er, can I ask you something?" I looked around and found a candlestick, placing it on the table. I let a few drops of water fall from the teapot onto the table and pointed at the fire and the water drops.

"Hmm." Yi'er nodded.

Indeed, it's much easier to get information from someone on the inside.

"The porridge is cold now. I'll go get some fresh red date porridge that Brother Luo Xi prepared for you. Eat it and rest early." Satisfied with the information I had gathered, I swiftly took care of everything and prepared to return to my room to rest.