Glossy brown hair spilled over his shoulders and chest, dripping water onto his stunning alabaster skin. It was really tragic, how all those scars could exist on such flawless skin. In the moonlight, his dark eyes were brilliant, like luminescent brown gems. Eyes that now watched Yingyue with wide-eyed shock. Yingyue snapped out of the spell first.
"This isn't what it looks like!"she screeched, scrambling to her feet.
That turned out not to be the best idea, because her immaculate white underdress clung to her magnetic figure thanks to the water, immodestly accentuating every curve of her shapely body. Yingyue realized this immediately, and retreated back into the water right away, her whole face burning.
"I just came here to heal. That's all, I promise!".
Yuchen did not look at her a second longer, instead he turned away and rose out of the water. Yingyue was relieved to see that he had trousers on, and she watched as he reached for his turquoise cloak, which hung nearby. "You shouldn't be here"his voice was surprisingly calm as he pulled it on.
"I know..."she mumbled, her gaze lowered. When he did not react, she looked up at his cloaked figure.
"Will you report me, A-Chen?"she asked meekly.
"You say you came to heal?".
"Yes,"she replied quickly"the weather has... effects... on my health".
"I'll leave you to it,then".
He casted a cursory glance at the surrounding thicket before he walked away... actually leaving her to it.
It took Yingyue a full moment to grasp exactly what had happened. Yuchen could have ordered her to leave, but he had left instead, because he figured out that her clothes were out of reach, and that she would need privacy to get dressed. Yingyue thought she might cry.
Her Shixiong was such a gentleman!
*
*
*
Yuchen's scars were bothering Yingyue. She could not get that appalling sight out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. She thought about it until she left the warm spring, and for the rest of the day, and all night and even as she had her breakfast the next day.
"Hey, A-Chao".
"Yes?".
"Do disciples get whipped here at the Mist Oasis?".
"Only for the very worst offences. Why do you ask?".
"Nothing".
She returned to her meal, but all she did was toy with it.
"Hey, A-Chao".
"Hm?".
"Has the Jade Dragon ever been whipped before?".
If it was possible for the pure, innocent A-Chao to look at her like she had lost her marbles he would have done so. However, that was Haoran's job, and he did just that. "Are you sure you know who you're talking about?"he snapped"of course the Jade Dragon has never been whipped. He's in charge of enforcing the rules for a reason". Yingyue was tempted to blurt out that she had seen his scars with her own eyes,if only to shut this insufferable Mr Man up. But of course she did not; the mere thought of what had transpired at the spring still made blood rush to her cheeks.
"Okay"she replied simply.
Yuchen had definitely been whipped, and very cruelly too, but for some reason these two did not know. Why was that?
She could always ask Sect leader Pan about the scars, but that would require telling him the full story about the warm spring, and Yingyue was not going to do that. So, what other option was there?
"Hey, A-Chao".
"Stop bothering him already"Haoran snapped. Yingyue ignored him.
"Do you think I can find books on the Immortal Cultivation path in the library?".
"I think so".
"Good. Thank you".
She beamed as she rose with her barely touched meal. She had to find answers immediately.
*
*
*
The library at the Mist Oasis was a towering vision,an incredible sight to behold. It was unarguably grander than every other building that could be seen in the Mist Oasis, despite being of the same cloud-white color as the rest of them.
Lacquered pillars too large for even the widest man to put his arms around held up sweeping rooftops of skyblue tile. Around the imposing building sprawled acres of a rock garden, arranged in perfect symmetry. Dainty, dark-branched cherry trees covered in shimmering pink and white flowers provided shade for a glimmering koi pond, and Yingyue caught glimpses of orange, white and gold flickering beneath the rippling surface as she walked past.
The interior felt like a different world entirely- cedarwood shelves that smelt heavenly, cinnamon-scented candles held in candlesticks made of pure gold, wall-to-wall murals evidently done by the hands of an incomparable artist.
Of all these murals,a particular one stood out, and Yingyue paused to admire it. It depicted the ascension of Pan Shiyun to heaven. The story of Pan Shiyun was the most popular story in the Mist Oasis, and every disciple had it ingrained in their memory, willingly or not. She had been a very intelligent young woman, possessing astounding talent with poetry and music. Her beauty was unmatched, her spiritual energy too pure for a mortal, and so it had not come as a surprise when she ascended to heaven in broad daylight.
On what had started out as an uneventful day, lightening had flashed, thunder crashed, and the mist hanging over the place had dispersed for a full month. Then, before the eyes of many, the heavens had parted, and in a shower of golden light, taken the one whom everybody present had agreed was too divine to remain on earth any longer.
In the painting, Pan Shiyun sat among a crowd, strumming on the strings of a pipa. Her eyes were closed, her face lifted towards the heavens, her body enveloped in a golden glow that somehow managed to qualify as blinding even in a picture. The open skies were fully depicted,as well as the thunder and lightning, and all around her were faces frozen in awe.
Looking at the mural reminded Yingyue of the possibility of Yuchen's ascension someday, which in turn reminded her of her reason for visiting the library in the first place. Turning reluctantly away from the realistic images, she proceeded to search for the books she wanted. Of course, books on the Immortal Cultivation path were not just left lying around within the easy reach of all and sundry, and so it was quite a long time before Yingyue sat at a table, armed with as many books as she could hold. She patted herself on the back for her hardwork as she flipped through the first one. Then the second. Then the third. However,by the fifth book she was so bored she thought she might burst into tears. This was a savage violation of the very concept of books!
How could anyone with a conscience write something so... sleep-inducing? She yawned into her palm, rubbing her eyes as she picked another and opened to a random middle page. What her eyes saw next drove all sleep from them.
The girl was on the verge of tears by the time she left the library. She had gotten the answers she seeked, but as it turned out, her Shixiong had gotten whipped because of her. This was because the penalty for violating any of the Immortal Cultivation path's ethics was ten lashes of the discipline whip, and Yingyue did not even want to start thinking of how many times she had recklessly touched him. Although she doubted that she could be solely responsible for every single scar, she was definitely to blame for a great many of them. Now that she knew it, Yingyue also knew she had to atone for it somehow. Receiving as much lashes as he had made perfect sense, but Yingyue had never been whipped in her entire life, and the very thought of it terrified her. Still, she had to do something. She just had to,or she would never be able to live with herself again.
*
*
*
Yuchen was not the type to feel the cold much, but for some reason, this one seemed to seep right into the extra layers of his clothes, making his hand tremble ever so slightly as he duplicated the contents of a book of rules onto blank pages. At this rate, his uncle would have to send the disciples home earlier than planned. Not that it would be much of a problem to do so, since new year was around the corner anyway.
His thoughts drifted to Yingyue as he dipped the brush into the half full ink holder. It appeared that the cold had gotten to her as well, since she had seen the need to heal at the warm spring.
Speaking of the warm spring... that was the moment Yuchen's treacherous mind chose to replay the image of Yingyue rising out of the water with the silk clinging to her body. She had looked... like a fairy. No, something more, actually. It had taken him all of his willpower to look away from her that day, and the knowledge made him want to curse himself. He was insane for thinking that she had looked even more alluring drenched in water, wasn't he?
An agitated knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and he found that he was actually grateful for the distraction. On opening the door, he met a servant who looked deeply troubled.
"Young Master, you need to come outside immediately"she said breathlessly.
"What is the matter?".
"It's the younger Miss Meng. If someone doesn't stop her, she's going to die".
Yuchen did not dally a second longer. The servant led him to the orchard,a place where nearly nobody visited during the winter season.
His heart flipped with alarm when he sighted Yingyue,who was kneeling in the snow and shivering violently as more snow fell unapologetically on her. Her head was down and her eyes closed,as though she had passed out.
"Yingyue".
At the sound of his voice, she lifted her head laboriously and squinted slightly.
"A-Chen?Why are you...".
That was when her body gave out and she collapsed in the snow like a puppet with its strings cut. Yuchen hurried forward, but Yingyue put out her hand in a halting gesture. "Don't touch me".
When he stopped, it was more out of confusion than in obedience to her instruction.
"I'm sorry..."she mumbled"the whips... I'm sorry".
Her voice was so hoarse at this point that if Yuchen had not been listening to hear her speak, he would not have heard her.
"She has refused my help. I think she's going into hypothermia, because she kept mumbling about how she needs you to forgive her, and how this is her penance..."the servant whose presence Yuchen had totally forgotten said, wringing her hands.
"Get the medics, quickly"Yuchen ordered.
"Yes, Young Master"she scurried away. "No,"Yingyue wanted to say"not yet. I still have half an hour to go".
But her lips felt heavy, and her eyes were fighting to fall shut. Yuchen stepped forward and crouched down before her.
"Yingyue, can you hear me?".
"Don't...".
"I won't touch you. Don't worry, I won't".
As he spoke, he took off his fur coat and draped it over her.
"You'll be fine"he promised.
"Are you... fine...".
"I am. Now stop talking. Please".
He did not need to say that. Not when Yingyue felt like whatever strength it was she might have had seconds ago had been siphoned by the very act of speaking a few words. The medics arrived in no time with a stretcher. "Come with us, Miss Meng,"they coaxed as they wrapped the coat properly around her "you will be fine, alright?".
Yuchen stood beside the stretcher as they lifted Yingyue's limp body onto it. Before they could start moving, her numb fingers grabbed hold of his sleeve.
Her chapped lips parted,then shut as her throat struggled to push out words. Distraught, she ran her freezing tongue over even colder lips and tried again, but no sound escaped.
"Miss Meng, there will be time for this later" the medics chided impatiently.
But Yuchen bent down till his eyes were level with hers, waiting tolerantly.
"I..."she croaked"do you forgive me... A-Chen?".
There was a look of desperation in her eyes,as though his answer meant everything in the world to her. An unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest, so thick and heavy he thought he would choke on it as he stared down at her bloodless face.
"Yes,"his voice was gentler than he had ever thought possible"of course I've forgiven you". She smiled.
Her face was blanched, her lips drained of blood, the light in her eyes faint. Yet she was smiling as if she had just been granted a grand favor. She looked vulnerable, and Yuchen had never known her to be vulnerable. It tugged at something in his chest, shattering it to pieces.
"Thank...goodne...". Her hand slipped from his sleeve, and she passed out.
Alarm swept through everyone in our vicinity, and without another glance at Yuchen, the medics wheeled the stretcher away, heading at full speed to the infirmary.
The Jade Dragon stood alone, barely feeling the snow collecting on his clothes. He had wanted to tell her that there was nothing to ask forgiveness for. That he would pardon her for anything. Anything at all. Because that was how he felt right now.