WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 31 Cured

XiChen brings Jiang Cheng forward.

He places the purple bird upright, standing on his too thin legs right in front of the tiny pink fairy.

Wei Ying thinks she looks too beautiful to be a bad person but, wasn't that one of the wiles of evil? Those who were beautiful were often mistaken for being good...when the opposite was true.

Still, he is ready to jump into action should anything seem awry.

Standing, Jiang Cheng is at the exact correct height for his yellow beak to touch Xiannu's fingers as she closes her eyes.

Wei Ying sees a green fire travel up through the incredibly narrow stalk of the lotus flower, travelling through Xiannu's connection with it and into her tiny body. Her fingers glow with the power surge as it reaches Jiang Cheng.

First his beak shines with an ethereal light, then it continues to the rest of his face. As the power increases, so does the brightness of the light until it is enveloping all of Jiang Cheng, turning his body into a living torch.

XiChen gasps, terrified.

Wei Ying feels anchored by the tight grip of Lan Zhan’s hand holding him in place, because otherwise he would have intervened.

Xiannu is brighter than any star, her tiny body illuminated from within. Beads of sweat glisten like morning dew on her forehead and then she too is consumed by the extraordinary light engulfing both her and Jiang Cheng.

The light is too strong, and the spectators close their eyes against the pulsating energy fighting against Jiang Cheng's curse, obliterating it from his existence.

Lan Zhan brings Wei Ying closer to him, turning his body away from the brightness and shielding Wei Ying from it.

And then just as suddenly, they are plunged into darkness.

Wei Ying blinks a couple of times, getting used to it before throwing a light talisman in the general direction of where he remembered the candle was. As the tiny light glows, they see Xiannu's tiny form slumped in the centre of the lotus flower...

And then XiChen lets out a cry of triumphant jubilation and kneels next to the shape of something which is no longer a bird.

It is most definitely a human shape now.

Jiang Cheng is back.

But something is wrong.

They need more light, so Wei Ying propels more light talismans on the walls. The owl suddenly screeches, not liking the change in its home. The sound awakens the tiny fairy, who slowly stands up shakily.

"What's wrong with him?" XiChen asks, his voice fearful. "Why isn't he getting up?"

The fairy looks exhausted but she answers in a whisper. "He will be fine. I had to use the strongest cleaning spell I own, in order to obliterate his curse. It had burrowed deeper into his subconscious and anything else would have proved too dangerous. He just needs to rest." She finishes.

Her sharp eyes find Wei Ying’s and she holds out her hand, excited and eager.

"First tell us what you know about it. How did you know we had it in the first place?" Wei Ying asks her.

This question bothered him the most out of everything.

If she knew about their JingLing and they had not told anyone else, then it was highly worrying.

Mostly because of the Prophetic book they owned, a powerful weapon in anyone's hands.

"If I answer your questions, do you promise you will let me have it?" She asks, her body trembling with anticipation.

"We will allow you to ask for one wish." Wei Ying claifies, not letting her attempt to change their deal in that sly way.

His suspicions are confirmed by the disappointment flashing in her fiery green eyes.

It is gone in a second and she smiles instead.

"Very well, I shall tell you what you wish to know." She sighs heavily. "The JingLing are said to be created accidentally."

"Accidentally?" Wei Ying echoes. He is not sure whether or not to believe her.

"The Jade Empress, once upon a time, created a drink for his Highness, the Jade Emperor. He drank it but it tickled his nose and he sneezed, creating these delightful bubbles. He loved the drink so much, he requested she make it for him again and again, wishing he could drink it forever. The Jade Empress was so pleased, he granted her a golden wish.

"She told him that the bubbles were so pretty and because they had come from him, she wished they would live forever and grant happiness to whomever chanced upon them. The Jade Emperor thought about it seriously. He replied that it would be giving too much power in a single person's hands, so he decided to limit the capability of these JingLing to only three wishes per person.

"These JingLing were then released into the world as a benevolent action on behalf of the Jade Empress, because her kind heart is always suffering when her children have to endure so much pain and hardship." The little fairy pauses.

"So there are more of them?" Wei Ying asks.

"Not many now." The fairy sounds sad. "I travel with this carnival in the hopes of finding one who could help me. It has been many years in fruitless searching until now."

"Won't you tell us why you want it? How did you end up like this?" Wei Ying waves a hand towards the stalk that joins her to the flower.

"I was caught." She's looking angry again, but at least she's giving him answers. "I belong to a group of Night Fairies. During the day, we sleep because too many people wish to capture us as novelties, keep us as some sort of prize." Her green eyes sizzle as she looks back towards the Shaman. "At night we are free. We sing and dance and drink Huami and there is no joy like it, but it tends to cloud the mind.

"One such night, I flew further than my sisters and became lost. It was nearly daybreak and I needed to find somewhere to rest. This caravan had windows in those days and I flew in...but he put a glass jar over me and trapped me. He chanted a spell and I passed out, and when I woke up, this is what happened to me." She waves a hand at her own body.

"What did you do after that?" Wei Ying asks her.

He doesn't want to feel sorry...but his heart has always been too soft.

"This sorry excuse for a man bound me to his body, cursing me to serve him forever. When I found out, I cursed him back that his mind would no longer function as it did, to cause another being any pain. Instead, his only ability would be to protect me while I am here. I have spent years searching for a way to be free."

Wei Ying looks at the tears shining in her eyes and he knows he will help her. He cannot do anything less.

But he has one last question for Xiannu.