Accompanying the Phoenix

Chapter 12: Princess Rui

Shen Li and Xing Yun's arrival surprised Xiao He. She turned to them with bloodshot eyes. "Dare to get in my way? You're dead!" Qi rushed out of her mouth cutting with deadly intentions toward Shen Li and Xing Yun.

Shen Li raised her hand and the force of the qi halted as though hitting an invisible wall. Although they were safe, the collision created a thick miasma in front of her. "I liked you better as the blushing shy maiden. Why don't you change back? If you don't I'll have to kill you." It didn't look like Xiao He was going to back down so she raised her hand and coalesced her spear intending to launch it in a killing strike. A cry interrupted her before she could.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Prince Rui interjected. Although his voice was extremely hoarse, his meaning was clear.

Shen Li began to wonder if he was Xiao He's lover, why else would he be so reluctant to hurt her given the situation at hand.

"Don't hurt me?" Xiao He cried out. "Zhu Chenglin... Zhu Chenglin! Are you being cruel or are you being merciful?" Her body trembled even more violently. "Fine! You can all just die together!"

The ground underneath shook and a loud crash came from outside. Shen Li guessed that the demon baby spirits must have overwhelmed the residence. The tremors caused rubble to dislodge and block their only exit out. This was good because it meant they would be safe from the babies, but it also meant they were effectively trapped inside. Eventually they would run out of oxygen and suffocate so they needed to get out.

"Since you want to guard her so much, you can just guard her forever then!" Xiao He's figure began to fade as she said, "I'll leave and destroy your entire palace."

Shen Li knew that the lesser demon spirits outside were affected by Xiao He's mood fluctuations. If she killed her then the rest of the palace would return to normal. Shen Li reached out to grab Xiao He but forgot that Xing Yun was still holding onto her hand. The extra weight hindered her and Xiao He disappeared before she could reach her. It felt like he was pulling her arm back on purpose. Shen Li turned to look at Xing Yun in anger.

Xing Yun smiled innocently. "You said to hold onto you tightly."

She glared at him with fire in her eyes. She looked at Prince Rui's bleak expression and Xing Yun's stupid smiling one. "I'll send you two out first. Come back later for the woman."

"No." The two men both spoke in unison. The surprised Prince Rui looked over at Xing Yun.

"There's a soul anchoring array here. She'll definitely die if you take her out."

Hearing this made Shen Li really angry. She turned to Prince Rui and demanded, "Speak! What are you really up to here?"

Prince Rui struggled to sit upright. Despite her disrespectful tone he didn't reprimand her, instead he stared at the woman on the bed. "This is my wife Princess Rui. Three years ago there was an assassination attempt on my life. I would have died had my wife not shielded me with her body. In the end she used her last remaining strength to lead the assassins away. As a result I survived with just this scar on my face. I found her at the end of a ravine when I went back to search for her. I brought her back here waiting for her to wake up."

"If all you did was wait then why are there demon spirits in your residence. Explain Xiao He's existence and her reason for turning on you."

Prince Rui was silent for several seconds before speaking. "Everyone said she was dead when I brought her back, that I just needed to grieve properly, but... Ye Shi... a woman like her... can she really die so easily? I searched and searched for a way to wake her up..."