The laugh Jiang Feng broke into sent chills to the very bones of the men seated around him.
"I realised, why she wanted to die after she told me who the father was. Li PingShi."
All three men had grave looks on their faces as they listened to Jiang Feng.
"When I confronted him about it, he ordered his man to beat me up and throw me out. He said the money I won from gambling was stolen from him. I didn't get to see MeiLin anymore after that."
"What about your mother? How could she let them kick you out?" MingYu couldn't understand how a mother could let this happen to her children. She should have sensed something, anything!
"Madam Li? She is a very vain woman. I think as we grew up, she realised she was growing old." Jiang Feng looked haunted. His eyes had a hollowness to them that wasn't there before. "Somehow, I never noticed that she grew bitter towards MeiLin. Poor little MeiLin. Mother looked relieved when I was kicked out. Said that it's for my better good."
"But, she must have known?" MingYu cried out. What kind of a woman was madam Li?
"Even if she did, she turned the blind eye. She can't fend for herself out there."
"But, where is MeiLin?" PingZe asked the dreaded question. Everyone was at a loss.
A sharp knock alerted the men and FenFen opened the door.
"Da-, brother ZhiYi, can I have a word with you?" FenFen said, catching herself in time from blurting out 'father' in front of childe Jiang. It would have been difficult to explain to the mortal.
ZhiYi rose and followed FenFen to the other room. FuFu was sitting on the bed, petting ZhouYan, and feeding him apple slices.
"Uncle ZhouYan returned just now, father." FenFen started. ZhiYi nodded quietly. "I didn't want to say it in front of childe Jiang."
"What is it?" ZhiYi asked. FenFen and FuFu exchanged wary glances. FenFen unconsciously moved closer to FuFu when she said,
"Jiang MeiLin is dead. She killed herself after Jiang Feng was kicked out of the house. But there is no grave, uncle ZhouYan has been looking everywhere."
ZhiYi was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowed as he pondered over the situation. "For now, do not let childe Jiang find out about it."
FuFu looked troubled but nodded quietly. FenFen didn't look pleased, as she said, "father, what is going on? How come we came to this city to look for the Jiang's?"
"We didn't look for them, you dragged him here." ZhiYi pointed out. Technically, he wasn't lying. FenFen's eyes narrowed.
"father, uncle ZhouYan said you sent him out to scout for the Jiang's."
The bird had his mouth hanging open in shock, a piece of fruit dropped from between its peak. Seeing ZhiYi's cold, murderous eyes, ZhouYan saw it best to flutter out of the window before he was stripped of his feathers.
ZhiYi sighed in defeat. Brother ZhouYan had always been a blabbermouth, even now as a bird. "Uncle MingYu has to help the Jiang's. It's one of his punishments."
"What is he punished for?" FenFen pried, but ZhiYi lifted his hand to silence her.
"Many things, but it is not important. No matter what, I must help him ascend back to Heaven."
"But father, why -" FenFen quieted down as ZhiYi shot her a scolding glare.
"Because he is my brother."
FenFen's hands clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning white, and her shoulders squared up in a defensive manner. "Why, why do you care so much about him? Why didn't you care about pa this much?"
FuFu's eyes widened as she reached out to pull at FenFen's sleeve. "FenFen, don't-"
"FenFen." ZhiYi's tone was now harsh, warning. He loved his daughters, but he wasn't going to be questioned for his actions by them. Not now, when the pain was still very real.
"You let him die!" FenFen screeched, tears now flowing freely down her plump cheeks, creating streaks across the soft layer of powder. "You didn't let us say goodbye! I couldn't say goodbye-"
FenFen's voice broke into soft, uneven sobs. FuFu jumped up to hug her sister, the two crying into each other's embrace as ZhiYi watched over them, conflicted but said nothing.
PingZe had been alerted by the shout and he burst in the room, looking around with his guard up. "What happened? Girls? Brother ZhiYi?"
ZhiYi shook his head slightly as MingYu appeared behind PingZe, looking at the girls with concern. Taking in the situation, PingZe turned around and said, "Where is childe Jiang?"
MingYu's attention was averted at once as he jumped around and peered inside the other room. "How- he was just there!"
"I and the girls will look for him, don't worry." PingZe hurried to say and started pulling the sniffling girls with him, side-glancing ZhiYi as he and the girls disappeared out of sight.
"ZhiYi, did you make the girls cry?" MingYu's tone was suddenly scolding and ZhiYi found himself smiling. He had missed those words and that tone. "You are a parent, your job is to comfort them, not make them cry. Why are you smiling? You think it's funny?"
"No, of course not." ZhiYi hurried to say and contained his expression, making his way back to his room.
"What was it?" MingYu started after the door was closed behind him. ZhiYi went through the talismans he had been drawing that morning, picking them up from the floor and removed all the ones ruined by the spilled ink. He told MingYu about Jiang MeiLin, carefully evading the topic of why the girls suddenly burst out in tears.
"Dead but no grave? How is that even possible? Where is the body then?" MingYu said quietly. ZhiYi flipped the last talisman in his hands and a frown formed. Seeing this, MingYu said, "PingZe took one of the talismans."
ZhiYi looked miffed, so MingYu added, "Why, should I had stopped him? Was it an important talisman?"
ZhiYi knitted his brows as he went through the talismans once more. "Not exactly, I can always draw a new one."
"Then what is it?"
"Just a bit odd. PingZe never uses talismans." ZhiYi said as he put the last of the talismans aside. "Did he say why he took it?"
"No. Which one did he take?" MingYu was now curiously looking over the talismans, giving approving nods at the clear, perfectly drawn lines.
"The one used against spirit possession." ZhiYi said stiffly. He had drawn it specifically for MingYu against spirits. MingYu might be a heavenly being, but ZhiYi didn't like taking chances.
"Why would he need that? He is a demon." MingYu frowned.
ZhiYi too wondered what PingZe was up to. Whatever it was, it usually wasn't good. His thoughts were interrupted as MingYu cleared his throat. ZhiYi raised his steady gaze to MingYu.
"I've been meaning to ask…" MingYu started, then his ears flushed deep red and he halted.
"What?"
"Did- Did Wu TianLan really marry his mother?" MingYu chose his words carefully, making sure he put a distance between himself and Wu TianLan, as if they had nothing to do with each other.
"Yes." ZhiYi said bluntly. MingYu paled at once. "You made sure all five neighbouring countries heard of the wedding and even issued a three-day celebration across the nation. Every house in the imperial city had to drape something red over their doors throughout those three days."
Seeing MingYu's grey complexion, ZhiYi broke into a chuckle. "You really outdid yourself. No one dared to offer their daughter to you after that. All marriage proposals halted at once."
MingYu swallowed. "And... The children?"
ZhiYi studied MingYu with amusement and a little mischievous glint in his eyes. "Yes, you had kids, but rest assured, you didn't kill them. And no, they weren't from your mother."
Warm hue returned to MingYu's complexion as he sighed in relief. Maybe the marriage had been a front after all. Then alertness glided over his features and MingYu snapped, "But who's kids are they if not my mother's?"
"You should ask yourself that."
"…?"
**
After a few days, MingYu decided to take a stroll, alone. There was tension hanging in the air, and it was becoming overbearing with FenFen's hostile gaze and ZhiYi's unyielding silence in the girls' presence. With PingZe nowhere to be seen and childe Jiang locked up in his room, MingYu thought it best that he should leave the Wang family in peace to sort out their disagreements. And here MingYu had thought he and FenFen were developing a friendly relationship. She seemed colder towards him now than ever before! If looks could kill, MingYu would've been impaled and propped up over a fire by now.
So deep in thought, MingYu hadn't noticed that he was walking by the walls to the Li's until his staff rattled ominously. Unable to do anything about it, he leisurely walked around the premises and stopped before a corner that led to the main entrance. He peeked out from behind the wall. Servants were busily carrying various boxes of every size inside the house. Some of the servants were carrying large amounts of blue and green fabric, hanging them everywhere.
MingYu was so focused on staring at the scene, he failed to realise someone was approaching him from behind, until a hand was placed on his shoulder, scaring him out of his mind.
"What are you doing here?" The young servant asked, his eyes studying MingYu with curiosity. MingYu's surprised squeal had alerted the other servants at the main doors and now several of them hurried over.
"Hey, aren't you the monk from before?"
MingYu didn't have the time to answer as the servants already continued talking.
"You are part of the coming rain ritual?"
"Oh, is this the new priest master Li invited this year?"
"The ritual starts next week. You are not needed yet."
The servants hurriedly whisked him away from the premises and told him to come back on the ritual day. MingYu was dumbfounded, as he had no idea what they were talking about, but he obediently fled the area.
As MingYu reached the inn, the innkeeper was busy hanging blue and green curtains around the ceiling and over the sign outside, teetering on an unreliable stool. As MingYu rose the stairs, the innkeeper slipped and the stool gave out under his weight. MingYu threw his pewter staff away in time and caught the man before he impaled himself on the staff.
"Oh, thank you, young master!" The innkeeper said without making a move of getting off MingYu's hands.
"What is the occasion?" MingYu said as he put the old man down with shaky gestures, his arms turning numb under the weight.
"Oh this?" The innkeeper raised the curtains he was still clutching in his hands. "It's for the upcoming rain festival."
This was the second time in the day MingYu had heard of it, so he asked, "What is a rain festival?"
"Right, I forgot you are not local." The innkeeper handed MingYu the curtains, and he took them without thinking. Picking up MingYu's staff the innkeeper said, "While your here, mind helping me with the curtains? You are so tall; it would be easier for a young man."
MingYu had no time to argue as he already found himself pushed on one of the stools and reaching his arms up to wrap the cloth around the wooden overhangs. The innkeeper was giving him orders, telling him to wrap it nicely, in a flower shape - not a ball, a flower!
Nodding with satisfaction as MingYu continued working without ever agreeing to it, the innkeeper started,
"The rain festival is our annual festival that is celebrated on our driest season of the year. Years ago, we had a terrible drought and our crops died and water supplies dried out. Master Li hired well-renowned priests from all over the land to come and perform rain rituals so that rain may fall and the drought would pass. Master Li even gave money to build new wells, and handed out rice and food for the people."
"He sounds... wonderful." MingYu said through clenched teeth. He moved the stool and resumed attaching the fabric.
"He is loved by us all. A wonderful man." The innkeeper said, sounding like a proud father. "After that year, we have made the festival an annual occurrence. Green and blue will decorate every house until the festival is over. This year, the city official had given notice that he will appoint guards to make sure the festival will go smoothly. I heard this year's festival is greater than in previous years. It will be two days long. Master Li has been very generous lately. I wonder if madam Li is with a child."
MingYu nearly fell off the chair but he held himself steady by holding on to the fabric. Unfortunately, he was no light man so he had pulled off all his hard work. The fabric was now torn and littering the floor in heaps. If only the innkeeper knew the truth of the beloved master Li! MingYu thought as he watched the shredded fabric still clinging to his hand.
The innkeeper was howling, "No, no, no! It's all ruined! Come down, hold the staff, I will do it! Youth these days!"