MingYu had now wrapped the baby in his ropes and was trying to calm down it's crying but the little bundle of joy kept screaming his lunges out, frowning like an old man, his little face all scrunched up. MingYu rocked him back and forth, massaged his tiny forehead with his thumb, but to no avail. The baby was determined to cry like the world was coming to an end. FenFen grimaced at the shrill screams. ZhiYi was busy coaxing the Wugu back into the bottle. It was now staring at the baby, its face carved into a wide grin, blood still dripping from its lips and chin.
This child, born in these conditions, no wonder he looks like he is in constant worry and terror, MingYu thought as he tried to give his thumb for the baby to suck on but he was turned down. An idea struck him and MingYu turned to ZhiYi, who was still trying to persuade the ghoul in the bottle, and said, "You know what? He should be named Xin. That should neutralize his grumpiness."
The crying stopped immediately and MingYu turned down to look at the baby in surprise. The boy's face had relaxed into a serene smile, not even a little wrinkle was present. MingYu smirked at the sight and said, "AhXin it is, you little brat!"
The Wugu finally agreed to dissolve and returned to the bottle. ZhiYi straightened up and came over to MingYu's side. FenFen was staring at the baby, then she said, "It's cute when it's not all bloody and crying, I guess."
ZhiYi agreed, then he gently pushed MingYu forward and guided them out of the room. ZhiYi took hold of madam Li and carried her to the study and laid her in the chair there.
MingYu was holding the baby close to his chest, rocking it while deep in thought, as they stepped out of the room.
"We need to get out of here." ZhiYi said. MingYu wasn't listening. They were still in the Li household premises, and any minute now, people would gather around and find madam Li.
"Should we give AhXin to childe Jiang? He is the child's uncle." MingYu asked. The baby was sleeping soundly apart from some occasional squirming around in the cloths. ZhiYi used his hand to guide MingYu across the house, towards the gate walls.
"I don't think it's a good idea. He will never accept a child of Li PingShi." FenFen said, studying the baby and poking it like it was an exotic artefact. MingYu shooed her hand away, shielding the baby from her pointy fingers.
"We still don't know what the child is. He can't be raised by a mortal." ZhiYi added. "For now, it's better if he stays with us."
MingYu nodded in agreement as they stopped before the tall wall.
"Do you have a good hold of the baby?" ZhiYi asked.
"Yes- Why-?" MingYu let out a surprised squeal when ZhiYi wrapped his arms around MingYu's waist, minding the baby, and jumped over the wall. This time, ZhiYi made sure their landing was gentle, but MingYu was still scolding him,
"I'm carrying a baby! What if he slipped off?"
"That's why I asked if you got a good hold of him."
MingYu looked displeased but said nothing as the three made their way back to the inn, evading the main street. MingYu made a mental note that the twins survived until now probably due to their mother's care.
The streets were void of life, pieces of broken and trampled lanterns littered the path. Fabrics along the railings had been torn off. People were nowhere to be seen. Jiang Feng and FuFu couldn't be found anywhere, either. FenFen snuck inside the inn from the back, her bloodied figure, rouge, and powder too ghastly to be seen by the people in the inn.
As ZhiYi and MingYu reached the inn's steps, the innkeeper hurriedly approached them. He was half-exasperated, half-enjoying the sudden change in the otherwise mundane Lunan. His voice sounded pleased when he said,
"Young masters! You are all safe! A ghost in Lunan, can you believe it? Oh - there is a baby?" He stopped and stared at the baby, then at MingYu who was drenched in blood with a wounded arm. The innkeeper looked like he had lots of questions he wanted to ask, but MingYu pushed pass him and ZhiYi gave him a note of money to shut him up.
The innkeeper stayed silent and only stared after the two as they disappeared up the staircase. Deciding money was more important then his curiosity, the old man scurried to put the note away.
***
Not many days after the rain festival, the news of master Li's demise had broken out, and until now, no common ground could be reached on how, why, and whether he actually died. People had found the secret passage in master Li's study which, when opened, reeked of something so offensive, they had to air out the room and bring in flower oils to dare to enter the hidden room. They could only find an unidentifiable bloody mess on a floor, that had now gathered maggots and flies, and some pieces of master Li's robes. The casket in the middle held the rotten remains of a young woman.
Then there was madam Li, who had gone so out of her mind, she wandered the streets, wailing like a female ghost, sobbing something about a boy who ate her husband. She had scratched herself to the point of scarring and angry red gashes run along her face, chest, and arms. Bald, angry red patches resided where her hair used to be, she had pulled her own hair off.
People had come to an agreement that madam Li must have gone crazy from fear and murdered her husband and daughter after the stunt they pulled during the ritual. They only threw her looks of pity and gave her scraps to survive from day to day. What an end it was to a renowned beauty and madam!
By the time FuFu and Jiang Feng decided to reappear at the inn, MingYu and ZhiYi were already getting ready to leave. There was not much left to do in Lunan. The name 'Jiang' had burned itself off the bamboo slits the moment they decided to keep the baby and raise him without any attachments to the Li's or the Jiang's.
Jiang MeiLin being the one who suffered the most from Wu TianLan's actions, her dying wish was to take the future heir of Li's with her, erasing the name 'Li of Lunan' off the face of Earth. Now that AhXin was taken in by the Wangs, the name Li was wiped out. As the name 'Jiang' was scorched of the bamboo, another name appeared above it, now, in turn, sizzling like coal - 'Wei'.
Meanwhile, FenFen was looking fairly severe. If one didn't know her, she might even look murderous. As soon as FuFu and Jiang Feng had appeared, MingYu had hidden in his room with the baby, so Jiang Feng wouldn't know about the boy's existence. FenFen had scolded her sister for disappearing. FuFu snapped back at her sister, something ZhiYi had never seen before. Even FenFen was taken aback at the sudden defiance in FuFu's eyes and stance.
When ZhiYi had informed them they were going to leave Lunan, FuFu had hesitated. Jiang Feng had held her hand in a comforting way, squeezing it lightly. It was then that they knew deep in their hearts, FuFu wasn't going to come with them.
"Father, I don't like this!" FenFen had said to ZhiYi as soon as FuFu had left the inn with childe Jiang. "You can't let her go with him!"
ZhiYi was silent for a long while. MingYu was feeding little AhXin with his finger by the bed. The little demon needed blood to survive through infancy, so MingYu had pricked his finger for the baby. The little rascal was suckling with bliss, gnawing with his gums at MingYu's finger, tickling it.
Sighing deeply, ZhiYi made a decision. "FenFen, if FuFu wishes to go with Jiang Feng, I won't interfere. You are both grown up now. You are both free to go and create your own futures."
FenFen looked like she wanted to argue, but ZhiYi continued, "However, childe Jiang doesn't know of your background, FenFen, and I can only advice you to keep it a secret. For FuFu's sake. FuFu is a mortal, she deserves to have the chance to live a regular life."
FenFen's shoulders slumped, her lips a solemn line, but she said no more.
---
'Xin' means 'Joy'
'Ah' is added to names as an endearment