Days had passed.
Days Yingyue had to spend in the infirmary, recovering. And the one time Yuchen worked up the courage to go to see her, he was turned away because her condition was not only critical but contagious, and they could not risk their young master contracting the illness. The result was that Yuchen found it very difficult... no, impossible... to focus on anything, including his lessons. This,of course, earned him the displeasure of the teachers,whom he knew would definitely report to his uncle and grandfather.
Not that doing so would change anything. Now, he sat at his usual spot near the window, struggling to concentrate on what he was writing. But the words from the other disciples' idle conversations traveling across the room to him made that incredibly tough. Of course, Yuchen had taught himself how to tune out external noises, but he had no intention of tuning out these particular noises, precisely because they happened to be talking about Yingyue.
"She's gotten so much better".
"She recovers real fast".
"Her parents have sent for her to return home, though. Seems like they got word of what happened".
"What? What about Xinyue?".
"She's escorting her sister home,of course". "She's leaving without saying goodbye?"the speaker sounded grieved.
"I don't think she could say goodbye even if she wanted to. Last I checked, their carriage is already here. You need to see it, it's made out of only the best material".
"What else did you expect? The Meng clan has far more money than the rest of us...".
Yuchen was no longer listening.
Yingyue was leaving at that very moment, and that was all that mattered. For all he knew, she might already be on her way home, and he did not get to see her. Yuchen could not have explained in the slightest exactly why that knowledge left him feeling strangely bereft. As if he had lost something precious to him. With a sigh, he returned to his work. Of course he would not see her again, what had he been expecting? She obviously would not want his to be one of the last faces she saw before leaving for new year's. It wasn't like they were friends or anythi...
"A-Chen!".
Yuchen very nearly spilled ink on himself when the object of his thoughts suddenly appeared by his open window,a broad grin on her face. But it wasn't annoyance that came to life within him when he saw her. It was joy. But of course, none of it reflected on his face. "Meng Yingyue. What are you...".
"Don't call me that, it sounds so strict and solemn and I don't exactly fancy that".
"What am I to call you,then?".
"I was going to say you should call me Shimei like Hui-xiong does,"she replied, searching through her sleeves"but even I can't imagine you doing that, so how about just Yingyue? You already called me that once so it shouldn't be a problem, right?".
Yuchen blinked.
"I have?".
"Uh-huh,"she looked up at his face"that day you found me kneeling in the snow".
That day? No wonder,then.
Yuchen had not exactly been thinking straight from the very moment he set his eyes on the girl who was so close to freezing to death of her own free will. Which reminds him, what exactly had she been asking forgiveness for? What crime had she committed that made her risk her own life like that? Yuchen had spent days thinking about it, and yet he still had no idea what it was she could have possibly done to wrong him.
"Yingyue it is,then".
She beamed,as if he had just gifted her an island, before she resumed searching through her sleeves. Yuchen could not help staring at her face.
The color had returned to it, her complexion was as fresh as usual, and the brightness in her eyes had returned. The only proof that she had been in such a life-threatening condition just few days ago was the bright red hue of her supple cheeks.
"Here"she finally found whatever it was she had been looking for, and thrusted it at him. Yuchen accepted the paper and looked it over. "An invitation?".
"Yes. The Meng clan hosts the biggest new year parties, but it's invite-only so I figured I should give you one. I know parties aren't exactly your sort of thing, but it would be nice if you came,if only to watch Jiejie's sword dance. And anyway, you can always leave if you find it too unbearable".
Yuchen watched her face until she was done speaking, before he looked down at the card. He did not tell her that it was pretty unnecessary, because his uncle had already gotten invitation cards for two of them. He did not tell her that there had been no need to come all the way here to see him. None of that mattered. What mattered was that she had delayed her departure just to speak to him; she had thought of him, and Yuchen tucked that knowledge away into a special corner of his heart.
"Well,then. I should get going,or Jiejie's going to get worried. See you at the party, A-Chen". She turned and began to walk away. "Yingyue".
She stopped immediately and turned, waiting. But Yuchen did not know what to say. He did not even know why he had called her, just that watching her leave had made him crave a little more time with her. But that was selfish, and the disciples of the Pan sect were not permitted to be selfish.
"Stay safe".
She smiled. She dazzled.
"You too, A-Chen".
Yuchen watched until she was out of sight, and then watched the path she had taken for an extra few minutes.
*
*
*
Zhipeng and Lanfen were waiting when the carriage came to a stop. Yingyue was out and racing before Xinyue could move, and threw herself into her father's arms.
"I missed you, Father"she said, snuggling deeper into his hug.
"I missed you more, A-Yue".
He kissed her forehead before she turned to her mother. Lanfen's face had softened in the way it only did whenever Yingyue was present. "How have you been, my sweet?"she cooed, wrapping motherly arms around her daughter. Yingyue glowed. She loved her father to the moon and back, but it was her mother whom she absolutely adored, down to the spicy-sweet scent of her peony perfume.
"Did you like the Mist Oasis?".
"I loved it. I made some really great friends. And I met the Jade Dragon"Yingyue gushed excitedly.
"Sounds like you had fun".
While this was going on, Xinyue had her face buried in Zhipeng's shoulder while he rubbed circles into her back. She was not crying, because she never cried in front of people, but he could tell just how heavy her heart was, despite having no idea why.
"It's okay,A-Xin. It's okay".
His gentleness only made her eyes sting with incoming tears, and pulled away immediately. "It's good to see you, Father".
She turned to Lanfen and bowed respectfully. Lanfen did not even pretend to notice.
"You arrived just in time for lunch,"she said to an oblivious Yingyue"come on in".
And, without sparing a glance at either her husband or her foster daughter, she took the younger girl's hand and led her inside the central manor.
*
*
*
The door opened, and Yingyue sat up from beneath her peach colored blankets.
"Mother".
"A-Yue,"Lanfen sat on the bed beside her daughter, stroking her hair gently"how do you feel now?".
"Much better"she grinned.
"That's good. So why can't you sleep?". "Well..."Yingyue mumbled"I've been having these nightmares".
"Nightmares".
"Yes,"she fisted the blankets in her hands"I see the abyss at the severed peaks. And I hear voices. Too many voices. It always feels so real...as if I'm really there".
If Yingyue had been looking, she would have seen Lanfen freeze the moment she mentioned the severed peaks.
"How do you know it's the severed peaks? You haven't been there before".
"Actually, I have".
"What?".
"At the lantern festival, this diabolic cultivator sent my Shixiong and I to this weird lingchi place...".
"What was that?".
"This weird place with lots of black fog that kept spewing blades each time I talked".
By then, Lanfen had turned the color of chalk. "The Domain of Execution"she muttered. "Hm?"Yingyue looked up.
"Nothing,"her expression said otherwise"so how did you end up at the severed peaks?". "My Shixiong tried to teleport us out of there, but then we ended up at the severed peaks". "How long did you stay there?".
"At the severed peaks? Quite a while".
Lanfen's face was the very picture of horror as she grabbed Yingyue by her shoulders.
"Tell me, did you breathe?".
"What?"Yingyue asked, confused.
"At the severed peaks. Did you breathe?". "Um... yes... Mother, what is...".
"Damn it,"Lanfen rose with frustration, turning to the face the wall.
"Mother?"Yingyue stood up too "I'm fine, though. And A-Chen breathed too...".
"It's not the same!".
Yingyue blinked.
"What isn't?".
"Forget it. Come with me".
A very perplexed Yingyue obeyed, and Lanfen led her to a room in the Manor's basement. A wave of nostalgia came over her as soon as they entered the room. It was none other than her mother's "workshop", where she mixed medicines and brewed herbal teas of all kinds. Lanfen was a real genius when it came to those things.
Unfortunately, Yingyue had been barred from entering the room when she was little after she drained a cup of tea Lanfen had just brewed without permission because it smelt like honey. As it turned out, it had tasted like honey as well, but it had costed Yingyue her free visits. Lanfen had made it very clear that she was no longer allowed to go in no matter what. So why did she bring her in here all of a sudden?
"Sit", Lanfen waved her hand towards a seat before reaching for certain items.
Yingyue obeyed. It was hypnotic, watching the woman work. Yingyue sat, entranced,as her mother dropped an unfamiliar pink-and-green flower into the pot of boiled water alongside round tea leaves before proceeding to add an assortment of ingredients from the porcelain bowls arrayed before her- a spoonful of this,a pinch of that. At long last, she poured the gold-colored tea out.
"Here, drink up".
Yingyue picked the cup and savored the warmth it brought to her hands,as well as the intoxicating aroma that tickled her nose deliciously. It reminded her of delicate wild flora, of morning's first dew, and something else...
"Ah!"she exclaimed.
It also had the aroma of her cold perfumed pills, the regular medication she had been taking since she was a child, after recovering from a strange illness.
"No wonder it smells so familiar"she answered to Lanfen's questioning gaze.
"A-Yue, drink up".
Yingyue nodded, and put the cup to her lips. The first sip nearly made her gag, and she was coughing before she could stop herself.
It was way too sweet!
"Sorry about that,"Lanfen soothed, rubbing her back"you should drink it more slowly".
That she did. By the time the cup was empty, Yingyue was feeling a bit sick,as though she would throw up if care was not taken. And Lanfen still had not told her why she made her drink the tea. As it turned out, she did not plan to.
"You can go now,"was all she said"do try to get some sleep this time. I'll come to check up on you before I go to bed. Goodnight, A-Yue". "Goodnight, mother".
Yingyue stood up and made for the door. When she looked over her shoulder, her mother was staring into space,a troubled expression on her face.