The Twelve Spirits: Ugly Spirit

[2]

Ning Xishi said that she was 8 years old when she first met that woman.

Back then, she had been playing with the Prime Minister's daughter, Xiao Yan, by the roadside when that woman suddenly appeared before them, screaming at Xiao Yan's father as she hurled a pot of boiling water in their direction. Yet the young girl who had been standing at the forefront was Ning Xishi. The pot of scalding water splashed across Ning Xishi's face and she cried out, pain besieging her senses.

From behind, a white-robed young man suddenly shoved his way past the throng of people gathered around her. Swiftly, he lifted her into his horse carriage, before speeding towards the physician's inn.

Within the horse carriage, the excruciating pain burning Ning Xishi's face, combined with her immense terror, caused her to burst out crying. As tears slid down her cheeks, the agony in her heart only intensified, deep helplessness suffocating her.

At that time, the person who had been accompanying her by her side was that white-robed young man who possessed a striking face and wore tastefully embroidered clothes. His lilting eyes, at first glance, danced with flirtatiousness, but when he stared at her, only grave concern remained.

He held onto her hand in a tight grasp, and in a deep, soothing voice, murmured, 'Young lady, don't be afraid. You will be fine. Don't be afraid.'

His soothing words became Ning Xishi's only source of strength in that moment of terror.

Yet things did not turn out fine.

That incident left Ning Xishi permanently disfigured. In the aftermath, Xiao Yan was also forbidden from leaving the Prime Minister's manor, and the two of them eventually lost contact.

Later, Ning Xishi's mother came to console her, yet she remained in a stupor.

Her silence was only broken when finally, she whispered, 'That white-robed man who was with me... Who is he?'

'Him...?' Her mother sighed. 'It's Prince De, Su Zicheng. Despite his reputation, he turned out to be surprisingly kind-hearted.'

––

Prince De.

From then on, this name was etched into Ning Xishi's mind. At the same time, she also understood that she had been disfigured, and would never be worthy of him.

Yet she did not resign herself to fate. For him, she studied the classics, learned to dance, mastered needlework, and composed poetry...

She thought that if she were to master every skill a woman ought to possess, then even if she had been disfigured, she should still be worthy of him.

Later, as the days passed and she slowly grew up, so did he, becoming infamous for his amorous liaisons with several women across the city. At dawn, he might be found at Willow Alley; at dusk, he could have been sleeping at the Song and Music Tower. Today, he might be accompanied by the courtesans of Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion; tomorrow, it would perhaps be the dancers of Intoxicated Flowers Inn.

Ning Xishi possessed everything a woman could have wanted apart from beauty, while Su Zicheng did not care about anything a woman had other than her looks.

When Ning Xishi turned 16, her father wanted to betroth her to the son of a fellow court official, but she was unwilling and pleaded with her father for permission to attend the imperial banquet instead. Then, at the banquet, when the Emperor invited for those seated to offer performance, she volunteered herself.

'I performed the Startling Swan dance,' Ning Xishi said, her voice warm, as though lost in fond memories.

I continued to focus on my task at hand and assented in a low murmur.

'I spent three years practicing this dance.'

This was the dance Ning Xishi had mastered for Su Zicheng. She had heard that he loved the Startling Swan dance, but as the music accompanying this dance had been lost in history, she only managed to piece them together after searching through countless ancient records.

A slender waist; dainty footwork; the slanting lilt of her eyes.

Her performance caused a flutter of hushed whispers to ripple across those seated at the banquet. Later, the exaltation of her stunning performance spread through the common people to pass into history as a legend, such that even several years later, no one was able to replicate her Startling Swan dance, nor did anyone dare to.

When the dance came to an end, she stopped quietly before Su Zicheng, meeting his gaze.

Back then, she had thought to herself that this was likely the last time she would be able to see him in this life.

Yet he stood from his seat.

His eyes were filled with tears, and beneath the tears, shone with deep love. Swiftly, he strode around the table and in full view of everyone seated, embraced her tight within his arms, saying hoarsely, 'Xishi, you've finally returned.'

Ning Xishi stilled, and it was in that moment of hesitation that he grasped her wrist to pull her to the ground, the pair of them kneeling before the Emperor.

'Your Majesty,' Su Zicheng said clearly, a tremor lining his voice. 'The woman I've been waiting for has finally returned. Your Majesty, please allow us to marry.'

In a daze at the confusing turn of events, Ning Xishi married him.

On the day of their wedding, she had been giddy with bliss. As she sat within their nuptial chamber, awaiting his arrival, she thought about the many ways she would tell him about herself: how much she liked him, and how grateful she was to have been able to marry him.

But when he finally stumbled into their nuptial chamber and, with a joyful laugh, lifted her veil, everything came to an end.

Dumbstruck, he stared at her. A long moment passed before he said in an uncertain voice, 'Xishi?'

'Your Highness,' Ning Xishi smiled, her eyes shining.

Yet he paled and extended a hand towards her, fingertips caressing her hideous scars. In disbelief, he said, 'What happened to your face?'

'When I was 8, I met with an accident...'

Before she finished, a loud thump abruptly cut her words off. He had flung the steel beam onto the floor!

'Leave!' His eyes were red-rimmed as he exhaled heavily, glaring at her as though she had committed a heinous crime. His gaze landed at the crowd of servants who had frozen in place. Raising a hand, he pointed towards the door. 'Everyone, leave this instant!'

No one understood the sudden turn of events, but they could only act as ordered by Su Zicheng and hurried Ning Xishi towards the door.

Dressed in her wedding gown, Ning Xishi stumbled out of their nuptial chambers, shoved by the servants. As she stood outside the closed doors, she heard his loud and despairing cries.

He seemed to be crying; crying in extreme sadness.

And her...

She caressed her face and discovered that she seemed to be crying as well.

She did not understand why.

She did not understand his surprising declaration of love at the banquet, just as she did not understand his sudden hatred.

Yet she could only do as he wished – when he wanted to marry her, she wedded him without a word, and now that he wished for her to leave, she could only disappear from his life without protest.