MingYu took nervous steps forward as he followed behind the two brothers. PingZe pushed the door open, and it creaked as it swung wide, sending a gust of dust swirling within.
An enormous Buddha statue sat in a lotus position on a rostrum. His left hand had broken off and laid at his feet. The serene smile was hidden behind years' worth of dust and cobwebs. An abandoned birds-nest sat on his lap. Pillars stood around the statue, upholding the roof.
Looking about the temple, only the partly roofed-in ceiling made way for light to fill the wide, empty space. MingYu let his eyes wander around the monastery until his gaze fell on a lone figure, huddled against the wall, hidden partly behind the open door. He hurried to light one of his flame talismans and brought the little fire over the figure.
Wei YueQin was eerily ashy and lifeless under the flickering warm light. Blood had soaked through most of her robes, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. It had dried and hardened her clothes from what they could make out from under the flame. Looking over at her, MingYu feared she had bled to death. But then her chest rose, and he said, "She is weak, but still alive!"
ZhiYi pulled MingYu aside as PingZe kneeled close to the girl and examined her wound. MingYu tugged at the man's robe, and ZhiYi turned his eyes over to him.
"What is it? She is still alive." He said as he peeked behind ZhiYi and looked at the girl.
"She is breathing, but we aren't sure if she is human anymore," ZhiYi said. "If she has turned, it is better if you stay behind me. After turning, they will lunge at the first living thing they see and quench their hunger."
MingYu paled under the flame. Seeing his distraught, ZhiYi undid his white bandages around his wrist he had wrapped there earlier that morning, then tied them around MingYu's arms. "These are Fan ZhiHao's bandages. They can withstand even the sharpest of teeth of the most vicious creatures. You should be safe with them."
The bandages were still warm from ZhiYi's body heat. A feeling of familiarity enveloped him in a comforting embrace.
"What about you?" MingYu said as now ZhiYi was bare of any protection. A gentle smile made its way over ZhiYi's lips.
"I will be fine. I survived with a demon child gnawing on my arm. This is nothing." A hint of amusement was present in ZhiYi's voice, and MingYu frowned. Somehow, this was something MingYu was supposed to be aware of. It was to be vividly clear in his mind, but he couldn't recall it.
"What is it?" ZhiYi was studying him intently, keeping his body between MingYu and YueQin as a shield.
"I- Somehow, it feels like I should know what you are talking about. But I can't remember." MingYu frown deepened as a sense of lost inched up his spine. It was an empty feeling, like an enormous chunk of him was missing, hidden away in shrouds of mist.
"It's unavoidable, you lost all memories of your previous life," ZhiYi said solemnly.
MingYu's dread intensified and only eased when the sense of grief was abruptly broken by PingZe.
"She is coming to!"
The three huddle closer over Wei YueQin, but MingYu was still mostly hidden behind ZhiYi, who was determined to be a living shield. A weak groan escaped YueQin's lips and all three men tensed. Then, slowly, the eyes fluttered open, wincing under the flame. A whimper accompanied the sharp,
"Is this Hell? Am I dead?"
The rigid atmosphere eased at once and PingZe grinned widely, "You wish Hell had such devilishly handsome men like me."
YueQin shot her sharp eyes at PingZe and seemed to deem him an incurable prick before turning over to the other men. Her eyes were unreadable as she assessed the two and then lowered her eyes to gaze upon herself. She grimaced at the blood.
MingYu nudged ZhiYi to move aside and kneeled before YueQin. "Miss Wei, do you know what happened at the Hsu household?"
Her eyes darted up and hardened as she looked at him. "What do you mean?"
There was a slight tremble to her body, but MingYu wasn't sure was it fear or pain that caused it. He pushed on nonetheless. "The entire household of Hsu were slaughtered, worse than animals. Even the servants weren't spared."
The three watched as wonderment filled her eyes, widening them. Then YueQin's body shook violently. For a brief moment, the three thought she had a seizure, but then a cold, shrill laugh escaped her lips. It was delighted, sinister, like that of a madman. YueQin convulsed and her hand moved over to hold her throbbing wound, but she kept laughing.
MingYu felt chills rake over his body. His hair stood on ends. He had never heard such a heartless laugh before. The vivid memory of the Hsu's remains rattled him, but then the image of LiXue hardened his heart.
"They really did die!" YueQin gasped for air, her laughter finally dying down, but there was a look of content still visible in her smile and eyes. "They deserve a thousand deaths!"
Cold hands brushed over MingYu's spine as her words hit the air.
"But the servants-"
"Deserve nothing better!" YueQin spat then heaved in pain. She tried to push herself up, but her hand gave in and she wheezed, then fell still. Resting her head against the wall, she looked at them with cold, unforgiving eyes.
"We did nothing wrong. LiXue did nothing wrong. Our family has suffered so much. I can't forgive them for what they did. They all deserve it." A smile quivered on her lips. "You can think whatever you want, that I'm evil, mad, I don't care. You don't understand, and never will."
"Your parents-"
YueQin's features tightened before they obscured into that of grief. She sat silent for a while and when she spoke, there was misery and anger in her voice. "I told them to not accept the marriage! It's for our own good. We can finally move out of this miserable place, they said. After LiXue left for marriage, we never heard from her again. Then they sent us that letter. But I knew it was all lies. LiXue wasn't like that. She was a good girl - too good."
"My parents - they hung themselves. The shame - it was too much for them." YueQin was chuckling. It was a humourless voice that echoed against the brick walls. When her laughter died out, she had a smile on her face. "Did you know that the Hsu's had a little dog?"
The question startled the men. ZhiYi's brow furrowed. He seemed to worry if YueQin was losing her mind. The same thought crossed the other men's mind.
"I never saw it. But I've heard of it." YueQin continued with a cheery tone, which scared the man even more than her cold cackle. "MeiMei, she was so loved and pampered. When she died, they even buried her with a little nameplate. They buried a dog, but not LiXue. A dog."
YueQin fell silent. Tiredness washed over her, and suddenly she seemed weaker and more vulnerable than before. Her breathing became shallow as her lids drooped and closed. MingYu took hold of her shoulders and shook her awake. He couldn't let her die, not like this.
"YueQin, wake up!"
ZhiYi took hold of MingYu and pulled him aside. PingZe crouched down over her and tapped YueQin's major acupuncture points on her abdomen. She coughed and stirred, fluttering her eyes open. Blood trickled down her chin.
ZhiYi kneeled before her and lifted her chin. He studied her intently as he asked, "Tell me, do you wish to live or die?"
YueQin stared silently into his eyes. There was hesitation in her voice when she said, "Can I really choose?"
"If there is a will, there is a way," ZhiYi said.
YueQin offered them a weak smile, "Whether be it here or in Hell, nothing awaits me but pain and misery. Rather be on earth then. I wish not to meet the Hsu's anytime soon."
"That is where you are right, I'm afraid," ZhiYi said gravely as he picked YueQin up and put her down by one of the pillars closest to the Buddha statue. YueQin hissed in pain as her back hit the pillar. PingZe took out a bundle of bandages from within his robe and moved over to YueQin.
"Do you know what is happening to you?" PingZe asked as he held the fabric on his palm.
"Whatever it is, it is not normal." YueQin's breathing was shallow and laboured. "I saw them, I thought I was dreaming, but the black shadows - they went inside me. I can see them everywhere around us."
"Whatever happens, it is your will that decides your fate," PingZe said as he started tying YueQin to the pillar. She didn't fight back. "You are changing. Keep your mind clear and fight through the pain. And maybe you might survive."
"Change to what?" A tremor was present in her tone when she looked up at the three men.
"We don't know," ZhiYi said slowly. "But to make sure, we tied you to the pillar to keep you and others safe. The fabric is durable, you shouldn't be able to break through them."
YueQin turned even ashier than before as sweat started to break over her skin. "Will it hurt?"
"Terribly," PingZe said, holding the last piece of bandage up to her line of view. "It will hurt so much you will wish you died a hundred times to make it all end. To prevent you from biting your tongue, I will have to tie your mouth."
PingZe brought the fabric over her lips, and bit by bit, her lips parted and accepted the bandage. It was fastened tightly around her head until her lips couldn't touch each other anymore. Her eyes widened as her breath quickened, but she didn't try to move.
"What now?" MingYu whispered.
PingZe and ZhiYi took a seat on the floor across from YueQin. MingYu joined them, his eyes never leaving her.
"Now we wait." Said ZhiYi.