The Twelve Spirits: Ugly Spirit

[6]

Ning Xishi sat in her room, and taking advantage of Su Zicheng's absence, used her authority as his Princess Consort to have a servant retrieve the Techniques of Necromancy for me. Then I prepared everything and brought her back into the past with me.

Our return to the past did not pose much of a threat to my own health, because all the life force required to sustain our alternate space-time would be exhausted from Ning Xishi.

We returned to a time when Ning Xishi was thirteen years old. Back then, Su Zicheng was eighteen years old and Ning Xishi had not yet married him. As for Xiao Yan, she was still grounded within the Xiao manor, unable to leave owing to her frail health.

On the day we returned, it was early spring, and the skies were drizzling with fine rain. I helped Ning Xishi pick a beautiful dress and combed an elaborate hairstyle for her, before having her wait under a peach blossom tree. Next, I stole Su Zicheng's seal, and lured him here.

Pursued by Su Zicheng and his personal guards, I ran. As I neared Ning Xishi's hiding spot, I dashed towards her and tossed the seal into her hands, then waited for Su Zicheng and his men to emerge from the small alley.

Immediately, their eyes fell upon Ning Xishi.

Spring rain; peach blossoms; a beautiful woman. Ning Xishi was holding a black bamboo umbrella as she stood beneath the peach blossoms tree, her smile bright and warm.

Uncurling her hands to reveal the seal within her palms, she asked him with a smile, 'Are you looking for this?'

Su Zicheng stared at her in a daze. A long moment passed before he answered with a smile, 'So it has ended up in your hands. It is my blessing accumulated from three lives.'

He strode forward and his gaze caught on the fragrance pouch hanging on Ning Xishi's waist.

'Your pouch is exquisite. How about giving it to me?'

Hearing this, Ning Xishi and I were both stupefied for a moment. A heartbeat later, Ning Xishi's face relaxed in a smile. She unfastened the pouch and handed it to Su Zicheng, saying, 'Shouldn't you give me something in return?'

'Behind the Radiant Temple is a beautiful peach blossoms forest. Would you like to join me for a tour?' Su Zicheng smiled, his eyes curving into crescent moons. He unfolded his fan; the picture of a carefree young man untouched by the harshness of life.

So this was how Ning Xishi and Su Zicheng came to meet. Every day, Su Zicheng would come and seek her out. They would explore the gardens, admire the moon, climb the mountains, and swim the lakes while I followed behind them, watching over them quietly.

One night on the third day of the lunar month, Ning Xishi suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood. I could not help but sigh, and said, 'Let's return. Your body cannot hold on for long.'

Ning Xishi shook her head and said stubbornly, 'I won't return. Even if I were to die, I choose to remain here. Ye An, did you know, he said that he liked me.' Smiling faintly, Ning Xishi's eyes were filled with simple bliss. 'This is the happiest I've ever been in my life. If I were to die here, so be it.'

I did not know why, but the corners of my eye began to sting. My lips parted; I wanted to say something, but I found myself unable to utter even a word. I could not find the words with which to express my feelings.

I did not say anything else, and in the subsequent days, I no longer followed behind them. Ning Xishi left the house every day to be with Su Zicheng. Su Zicheng treated her extremely well, gifting her lychee which he had sought from a thousand miles away, and good wine which had been stowed away for decades.

When Ning Xishi suffered a cold and wanted to look at the peach blossoms, Su Zicheng had his men transplant a garden full of peach blossoms to her manor overnight. For her birthday, she asked for him a hairpin, so he spent half a month carving one for her with his own hands.

He said, 'Xishi, I will give you anything you wish for, as long as it is within my power.'

She stared at him with a faint smile. A long moment passed before she finally spoke, 'Zicheng, I like you. Do you like me too?'

'Of course, I do.' Su Zicheng's eyes are curved. The flirtatious young man whose amorous reputation had preceded him was nowhere to be found at this moment. All that remained was a man who had fallen in love. All traces of playful flirtatiousness had disappeared from his eyes, leaving behind only warmth and devotion.

The night before their wedding, Ning Xishi coughed up blood once more. I looked at the lifelines on her palms which had almost entirely vanished and could no longer suppress my protests. 'If you return to our time with me now, I'll think of a way to extend your life. In the present day, you still have many days to spend with him. Why are you forcing yourself to continue on with this path?'

Why did you have to be so resolute in your unwillingness to go back to our time – to the point of no return?

Ning Xishi only smiled, turning her head to look at the view beyond the window.

'I like Su Zicheng the way he is now – because he treats me so warmly and sincerely. This is something I can never hope to obtain in our present time.' She turned back to look at me, smiling faintly. Her smile was simple and uncomplicated, as though she were truly a young woman in her teens who had never been tainted by the troubles of life.

Her eyes were filled with gratitude as she said, 'Ye An, I am content. Thank you.'

She retrieved a dress from the closet. Meeting my gaze reflected on the copper mirror, she said, 'Ye An, do you think this dress looks nice?'

'Very nice,' I said, but my voice was hoarse.