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If you lack enough strength and peace, even thousands of years will not make you reconcile with the calamity that has befallen you. After all, this is how demons are created, isn’t it? But the former Wind Master always knew when to stop. He could have done so right now.
It hadn’t been a year or two since the day that destroyed his life, and during this time, he had been given enough to understand, reflect, and even partially dull the grief, both for the living and the dead. For in a single day, not only had his brother died, but also hundreds of those he called friends. And, since no one came forward to help selflessly, Shi Qingxuan quickly understood why His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, was not averse to eating off the floor. It was good if food was even found on any given day. Furthermore, to be frank, his situation had turned out much worse than Xie Lian’s—without strength, limping, wounded, without hope of escape and, most painfully, without the skills to earn a living, not even from the trash.
Naturally, in such a state, there was no strength left for hatred or revenge against his former comrade. Let him live in his body, which somehow refuses to decay, in the palace where neither people nor the sun ever visit. Let him wait for the Crimson Rain Sought Flower's orders. That was his concern.
As soon as the young man straightened up from searching for something to eat under the merchant stalls, he was quietly called out:
— Your Excellency?
Startled, he quickly turned around to see the mocker. A demon, he identified immediately. Even without magical powers or the accompanying sense of energy, it wasn’t difficult to tell. A bloodless pale face, eyes so lifeless that they were clouded by a strange mist. Honestly, if he hadn’t called out, Shi Qingxuan wouldn’t have noticed him at all—his face was so unremarkable.
The young man sighed. He had been beaten by both demons and humans before, so he was well-prepared for an attack. If you’re a cripple without any magic, there are two options left—either engage in conversation and try to talk them down… or relax and wait for them to finish. Crying for help was pointless—no one would come, and the attackers would only get angrier.
But his guest seemed friendly, even respectful.
— Who are you? — he rasped, clearing his throat, horrified by his voice.
— My name is Ming Li, — the other responded with dignity, — I was sent to you by His Excellency.
Shi Qingxuan’s brows shot up:
— What does Hua Cheng want from me? — One didn’t need to be a genius to guess that the Lords of Rain and Thunder didn’t have demon servants.
Ming Lie slightly shook his head:
— Not the Crimson Rain Sought Flower. I serve the Black Water Submerging Boats.
Each word from the title of the one who had destroyed his life made Qingxuan step back until his back hit a stall. His eyes narrowed to slits. He roughly pushed his unkempt hair from his face with his healthy hand and spat out unusually harshly for himself:
— What does he need? Has he decided to kill me? Fine, I’m ready. I’m ready.
The messenger’s gaze became somewhat strange, but it was difficult to discern emotions through the veil.
— He could kill you with his own hands if he wished, — the messenger replied calmly, — His Excellency simply wanted to make sure that you don’t need anything.
Hysterical laughter—terrifying and heavy—shook the air between them. It was so unlike the former melodic, airy trill that it would have been frightening even to the residents of Ghost City. Finally, calming down, Qingxuan propped his hip against the stall and asked:
— Well? Do I look like someone who needs anything?
The servant remained unmoved. He quietly allowed the hysteria to finish.
— My master, — he spoke in the same tone, — would like to at least make amends for the harm he caused you. You were not supposed to be there.
The young man’s laughter abruptly stopped, and his face turned into a mask of ice.
— Who was supposed to be there, then? My brother? Let him waste his efforts on debts, not on me, got it? — he spat sharply and tried to sidestep the conversation, wanting to end this unpleasant exchange.
Ming Lie suddenly turned around, and his calmness shattered. Tears sparkled in his dead eyes:
— Please, don’t go! — he sobbed. — He... he will kill me if I can’t do anything!
Shi Qingxuan turned around, raising an eyebrow:
— Then tell him you didn’t find me. Make something up. I’m sure they teach you acting over there.
Ming Lie shook his head desperately and quickly looked around:
— Who knows where his eyes and ears are, — he whispered, still nervously scanning the surroundings. — I can’t be sure... Please, show mercy!
Neither poverty, nor beatings, nor his surroundings of beggars and paupers had managed to harden his heart. A few words, and before him stood not the hated "servant of evil," but just a frightened creature.
Well, if they catch him now and drag him back to the Black Waters, he would have no one to blame but himself.
He stepped closer and lightly touched the cold hand:
— Don’t be so upset. What else did your master ask you to say or do?
The demon, as if not beLie ving his own eyes, stared at the palm, then jerked it away and hid it behind his back. Qingxuan couldn’t reproach him. Not many would like to touch a beggar.
The tears in Ming Lie’s eyes dried instantly, and he nodded:
— My master said he is ready to fulfill your need, just tell him.
He sighed deeply and looked at the powerless hand. The demon, catching his gaze, hurriedly said:
— Any need. Even this one.
Sighing again, Shi Qingxuan fixed him with an endlessly tired look:
— I have no needs, — he said clearly but gently, — that the Black Water Demon could fulfill. Please convey my thanks to him, but I’m content with my life. He spared me from death back then — so now I will enjoy his gift.
A brief convulsion passed across the messenger’s face:
— I do not know my master’s motives, please forgive me. But all I know is that he thought he was granting you...
— What I deserve by fate. I remember he said that.
A heavy silence hung in the air. There was really nothing left to say. Everything that had been said lost its meaning and depth, the words couldn’t form sentences, and even shouting — you couldn’t reach a person so far away. Even if Ming Lie wanted to argue, there was nothing to oppose the memories. His white fingers tightly intertwined, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. Finally, he slowly spoke:
— I understand you. Then, as a last request, I would like to offer you something.
The young man crossed his arms over his chest:
— What?
Ming Lie took something from his bosom, wrapped in a thin, silk napkin.
— Ming-Xiong, what is this? — Qingxuan frowned.
The demon flinched as if struck, his gaze almost piercing the face of his companion. He sighed softly and tried to regain his composure, but his pale knuckles betrayed him.
Shi Qingxuan grew concerned:
— Are you feeling unwell? — a silly question for a demon, but he continued: — Is something wrong?
Ming Lie averted his gaze and nodded slowly:
— Please forgive my feelings. It’s just... the last time someone I cherished called me that.
The young man smiled sympathetically:
— I’m sorry. Have you seen him recently?
The white lips tightened into a thin line.
— We’ll never see each other again.
The topic seemed highly tactless and painful, especially considering the constant convulsions of pain on the demon’s face. Therefore, Shi Qingxuan decided simply to take the napkin and unwrap it. Gold earrings glistened in the sunlight. He had seen them somewhere before...
As though reading his thoughts, Ming Lie calmly explained:
— This is the only treasure that His Excellency’s mother managed to preserve in poverty. He never parted with them, but now he thinks you need them more. You can sell them and improve your situation a little.
Upon hearing the first words, Qingxuan immediately folded them back and shoved them into the demon’s hand.
— I don’t need his gifts. I’m doing just fine. If he thinks he can buy my forgiveness, he’s wrong.
— But this really might help... — Ming Lie stammered.
Gradually, Shi Qingxuan was overcome by anger. How much longer was this going to go on? Enough with the ceremony!
— I’ll repeat once again, — he said with growing fury, — I don’t need help. Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need it. Understood?
A strange expression flashed in the demon’s eyes, but he immediately put the earrings back.
— Well, — he said, — then I’ll do the last thing I was ordered to do.
And he abruptly squeezed Shi Qingxuan’s hands. The bones cracked under his steel fingers, and the young man almost screamed in excruciating pain, but even more — from the spiritual power flooding him. The flow kept growing, unstoppable, not letting him move. Shi Qingxuan was practically drowning in it, his vision blurred, but at one moment...
The unremarkable mask of the servant shattered, black hair spilled down, and in the black, deeply sunken eyes, darkness swirled. He Xuan calmly watched his reaction.
— Oh, — he finally muttered indifferently, — seems I’ve given you too much power.
Shi Qingxuan could only retreat in horror. No. No. Gods, what a nightmare. His hands immediately itched, and he wanted to tear his skin off from the sensation of the touch.
— You... You... — he could only repeat.
— Me. Who did you expect?
His tongue seemed to have been taken from him, but he managed to squeeze out:
— You’re still an actor, just as before.
The demon snorted:
— And you, as before, are easily moved. But fine, — he continued even colder, — we’ve already talked about everything. There’s just one thing left.
The earrings reappeared in his hands.
— I don’t...
— You won’t take them, — He Xuan interrupted him, — I remember. But I ask you to take them, not as a gift. Just keep them until I return.
Shi Qingxuan narrowed his eyes sharply:
— I won’t.
The unparalleled demon merely shrugged:
— I wouldn’t refuse. If you want — destroy them. Then you’ll be sure that we’ll never see each other again.
The young man’s confusion was interrupted by the icy fingers gripping him again. This time, in the flow, there was an unknown despair, as though He Xuan was searching for the last scraps of magic within him.
And then he just disappeared. Before Qingxuan’s eyes, a flickering ghostly light remained.
— You?.. — the young man repeated again, but this time not with anger, but with surprise.
— It’s still me, — he replied. — I just want to say one last thing before you leave.
Qingxuan nodded in shock.
— If you think I regret the death of the Water Tyrant , you’re mistaken. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for centuries, and now it’s all over.
Perhaps under other circumstances, Shi Qingxuan would have left. But despite the pain and grief caused by this person... he began to understand. To understand everything. Shi Wudu protected his family. But He Xuan didn’t manage to do that. How could one not be angry at that?
— But I regret, — He Xuan continued, as if hearing his thoughts — trying to make you betray your brother. That was our conflict, not yours.
Shi Qingxuan could only nod. Unexpectedly for himself, he said:
— If I want to see you, how can I call you?
He could clearly feel how many feelings battled within the flickering light, but eventually, he heard:
— Don’t call me. I... must return to my previous form. My presence didn’t help you forgive me before, and it won’t help now. And, — he added bitterly, — you’d want to see not me, but Ming Yi. You hoped until the very end that I was him.
Arguing was pointless. No one knew if they would have spoken in their true forms. So, to avoid further conversation, He Xuan disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Shi Qingxuan shook his head in shock. A hurricane of emotions raged inside him, impossible to sort through.
But he still managed to pick up the earrings that had fallen to the ground before he felt the forgotten sensation of ascension.