"I must admit you have raised my curiosity." Ye WeiRu said as he sat back down. "I've never heard of a deity on a mission who remembers only parts of his past."
"He was like that when he came to back on Tiankong," ZhiYi said, frowning. "He only remembered his life as Qing MingYu, but forgot his life as Wu TianLan."
Silence befell them as Ye WeiRu was deep in thought.
"It is no accident. Not when Heaven's involved." Ye WeiRu broke the silence. "Someone up there doesn't want him to remember."
He turned his gaze over to the bed. "Not yet."
"Master Ye, what do you mean?" PingZe asked as he poured everyone a cup of water.
"His memories are still there if he came to as Wu TianLan, but it is being blocked by something or someone. Why is he here?"
The brothers told him of MingYu's punishments, and what had happened until now. When they finished, Ye WeiRu's gaze was on YueQin, his eyes sharp. "You say the name Wei is still on the scroll, even though you saved her?"
"Wu TianLan spared them, so he really isn't indebted to the Wei's, to begin with," PingZe said, and YueQin nodded in agreement.
"It should be me who's indebted to him," YueQin added.
Ye WeiRu shook his head, confusing the three.
"That is not entirely true." Ye WeiRu started. "He is not indebted to you since he spared your life. But he changed your fate."
"You're saying it was better if he killed them since the beginning?" PingZe said aghast.
Ye WeiRu shook his head again.
"No, based on what you've told me, Wu TianLan should have died long ago."
ZhiYi and PingZe exchanged looks of worry.
"All of this happened because he brought you to the palace, ZhiYi." Ye WeiRu said with a knowing smile. "If you hadn't come, he would have lost the war, and the Wu dynasty would have ended. But because you came to the rescue, he died much later, setting in motion many things that shouldn't have happened."
"So, I caused his punishment?" ZhiYi whispered.
Ye WeiRu chuckled. "No, he caused it all by himself, and dare I say, knowingly even. I like him. So rebellious."
ZhiYi blinked, too confused to utter a word.
Ye WeiRu pitied the poor souls that didn't have a clue what was going on, so he enlightened them with his wisdom.
"With such a simple task, why sent down three deities? Wouldn't it have been better to send him to be reborn as the enemy who would take down the Wu dynasty?"
"That has been something none of us could answer," PingZe said, slowly.
"The five of you were brought back together for a reason, not twice but thrice. It's up to you to find out why. This punishment is not as simple as it seems. Although I don't have the answers to your problem, I have something that might help you."
All three perked up at Ye WeiRu's words. Ye WeiRu brought out a stack of talismans from within his robes and sifted through them. Finding the right ones, he flicked his finger, and they sprang to the air, burning. He collected the ashes from these talismans on his palm. Taking the water pot on the table and checking there was still enough liquid inside, he poured the ash in, giving it a sharp shake.
He stood up, and the three sprang after him, hurrying over to the bed. Ye WeiRu motioned PingZe to lift MingYu's head up, and he poured the water in his mouth.
MingYu sputtered at first, but swallowed the fluid bit by bit.
"This should clear his mind." Ye WeiRu's smile was unsettling. He enjoyed ruining Heaven's plans.
"He will be out for a while, but I believe MingYu will resurface soon. All of him."
Before any of them could ask what he meant by that, Ye WeiRu disappeared into a wall of flames.
An awkward silence befell the three, and YueQin cleared her throat. "So, you and brother MingYu go way back?"
PingZe pulled her up and started pushing her out of the room, but she was reluctant to leave. She was curious in the 'I need substance for gossip' way.
"I will explain all the nitty-gritty details." Said PingZe as he pushed her out of the door and slammed it closed behind them.
Carrying AhXin in his arms, ZhiYi moved over to MingYu's side. The man looked pale, but his breathing was steady.
ZhiYi prayed that Ye WeiRu's concoction worked. The painful possibility that MingYu was but a shell, void of all of their memories, was preventing him from breathing. He wouldn't be able to go through it again. Forgetting all the invisible barriers they now had between them, ZhiYi placed a gentle kiss on MingYu's temple.
MingYu shifted under ZhiYi's touch, mumbling to himself.
"Rest well, MingYu. I'm not going anywhere." ZhiYi whispered.
___
"Rest... MingYu."
A curtain of fog veiled over his eyes. MingYu frowned as he raised his hand and rubbed at his temple. He could feel his feet moving on their own, but not see where he was walking.
"MingYu."
ZhiYi's voice pulled him out of the daze and MingYu blinked. The colours and lights assaulted his eyes at once, and he stopped on his track, blinking furiously to get used to his surroundings.
"You should rest. You can ask them to move the meeting for another day."
Meeting? MingYu turned towards ZhiYi and gaped at his dress. ZhiYi had changed out of his white garments, he was now wearing the same simple night sky robes that complimented his eyes.
MingYu wanted to ask him why he changed, but before he could make a sound, he could hear himself saying, "It's ok, ZhiYi. It's rude to decline a meeting with the emperor himself. I think it's considered a crime."
MingYu heard himself chuckle as his feet guided him through the many corridors, following one of the eunuchs. MingYu tried to stop, but his feet moved forward. He couldn't control his body. Taking in his surroundings, he realised where he was.
This was the day he had learned the emperor had arranged a marriage for him. So he was reliving his own memories. But why? The last memory he had was at the gates of Tiang'an.
He didn't die from YueQin's bite, did he?
MingYu let the memory guide him forward as he pondered over the situation. Even if he was dead, why did he relive this one? A promise of marriage he didn't even get to fulfil. Thanks to his luck, he died before being tied down for the rest of his life.
Finding no reason to this, MingYu concentrated on the scene unfolding before him. He grimaced, but the MingYu of the past had settled on a blank expression.
MingYu entered the study alone. ZhiYi wasn't allowed to join him, so he stood outside, guarding. Official Lu BaShi was busy quacking something to the emperor, but MingYu had no interest in listening. Something else had caught his attention, something he had failed to notice the first time he was there.
Even when he was only reliving the memory, he could still feel the piercing stare that prickled his skin, sent shivers down his spine. One of these men was studying him with malicious intent. He hadn't felt this uncomfortable feeling back then.
MingYu of the past stood like a stone statue, nodding from time to time, agreeing to whatever Lu BaShi was saying. He had been too petrified of the marriage to pay attention to anything happening around him.
Lu BaShi had almost split from happiness as he kept gushing how MingYu's and his daughter's birth charts complemented each other.
MingYu wished to laugh out loud, but the MingYu of the past didn't even crack a smile. The need to shake Lu BaShi by his collar overwhelmed him. He wanted to ask the old man if the stars said anything about MingYu not being romantically interested in anyone else besides the man standing guard outside.
Reminding himself that this was the past he had no power to alter, MingYu tore his attention away from Lu BaShi and settled on the grand eunuch.
The eunuch was standing obediently by the emperor's side. His back was hunched over, head tilted to the side, listening to any word the emperor might whisper now and then. His posture was that of a servant, yet layers of poorly applied powder and a friendly smile couldn't hide the piercing stare or the slight lift of the chin. There was pride that hinted of an influential man.
MingYu was sure he had never spared a thought to the grand eunuch during his brief time visiting the palace before. But now, he couldn't pull his attention away.