Blood Cultivation

ghost

Lin Meili was ushered into Jin Ling's office by a tiptoeing servant.

After requesting that tea be brought and a room prepared without looking up from the papers he was perusing, Jin Ling set them aside to face his guest. "Please have a seat." He gestured toward the low stool beside the desk. "Didn't I say that you were always welcome at Koi Tower, especially if you're cleansing the resentful energy from my lands?"

Upon seating herself, Lin Meili merely tilted her head in his direction for an answer. She ran a hand over a stain on her sleeve, picking at the cotton threads. Her pale green robes were somewhat disheveled, the hems torn and dirtied.

Jin Ling frowned. "I'll have a fresh set of robes put in your room. We'll wash yours."

Again, nothing but an inclination of the head and silence from Lin Meili. She certainly hadn't held her tongue the last time he'd met her, but then again, it had been very brief and he'd accidentally intruded on her activities. Perhaps she had formed a bad impression of him and didn't want anything to do with him or with the Jin Sect because of it. Though, he knew, it was far more likely she didn't want anything to do with the Jin Sect on account of the last leader, his uncle. Still, Jin Ling couldn't believe that someone who Lan Sizhui held in such high regard would be someone to hold a grudge against him for the sins committed by another.

"Are you well, Senior Lin?" Was what he said after the silence stretched too long. Before the opportunity for an answer, the servant came back in with a tray of tea, setting it down and leaving quickly. Jin Ling thought he saw them cast a rather suspicious glance at Senior Lin as they went.

Lin Meili still refused to speak. Instead, her gaze remained distant, like she wasn't listening to him at all.

Jin Ling rose and moved to crouch beside Senior Lin, picking up her wrist to check her pulse. It was sluggish and heavy, like her heart was filled with stone. "Senior Lin," Jin Ling said firmly, squeezing her wrist to get her attention. "You're not well. What happened?"

For the first time since she arrived, Lin Meili looked at Jin Ling. Her eyes were wide and void, as if her spirit had been ripped from her and now she was merely a husk. When Jin Ling didn't look away, Lin Meili's vision seemed to clear and focus.

"What happened?" Jin Ling asked again, softer this time.

"I saw a ghost," she said quietly, her voice as tight as her jaw.

"An actual ghost, like a corpse?" Even as he said it, Jin Ling knew it wasn't what she meant, but he kept his tone as light as possible. "Or someone you thought you would never see again?"

Lin Meili shut her eyes briefly, clenching her fists. "I always knew I'd see him again," she said, refocusing on Jin Ling's face. "I had hoped not to."

"Is he dangerous? Tell me. I'm sect leader; it's my responsibility to make sure things are safe."

Lin Meili jerked to the side and pulled away from Jin Ling's grasp, standing and performing a bow. "Sect Leader Jin."

Jin Ling held back on rolling his eyes and rose himself, echoing her bow. "Senior Lin. Though it's a bit late for formalities, I think. Will you please sit back down and have some tea? It's from Yunmeng. It's very good."

"Sect Leader Jin, I appreciate your hospitality, but I can't stay-"

"Yes, you can," Jin Ling interrupted. "Now sit down before you fall over."

Lin Meili sat.

Jin Ling poured her a cup of still warm tea. "Here. Drink this and and breathe, and then tell me more about your ghost."