Chapter Text
Panting in exhaustion as the seal closes in on the ground.
The strong wind that nearly wiped the warriors of Jixing Abyss had finally come to a stop and everyone could finally breathe in relief as they won this battle.
“Ming Yi!” Ji Bozai immediately gets up from kneeling when Ming Yi disappeared after the netherbeasts wreaked havoc in all of the realm.
There was no doubt that there were heavy losses and a lot of casualties among the citizens, especially the warriors of the Shouhua Academy that fought with the netherbeast army head on.
Ming Yi and Ji Bozai successfully seal it with the Heartbond Array using their heart imprints but then it exhausted their spiritual powers from how consuming the Array was and he watches his wife faint in front of him and suddenly disappear.
He suspected that Twenty Seven, Ming Xian’s Beast Companion had taken the fairy to treat her to recovery.
Princess Tianji and the rest of the warriors outside the Emperor’s hall cheer and celebrate in victory while Ji Bozai uses his remaining strength to rush back to Wugui Sea in hopes that’s where Ming Yi is at and she hasn’t completely left yet.
To his relief, he does find Twenty Seven and Ming Yi in the bedroom he gave her; it hasn't been long since they arrived in Wugui Sea as well.
From outside, he stops not far from the door but close enough to hear their conversation.
He hears Ming Yi cough up what seemed to be blood and spit out a mouthful on the floor while Twenty Seven uses his spiritual power to help treat his master from the backfire of using and exhausting her damaged spiritual veins.
As much as he wanted to help the cat treat his master, he heard Ming Yi mention “Thankfully there’s one petal left.” before he fully approached the door outside the bedroom.
Twenty Seven continuously injects his spiritual power into the fairy. “Ming Yi, we’re running out of time. If this goes on, you won’t even last until the Prayer Night is over. The Heavenly Grief is going to kill you soon!” The fear in his voice is evident as he exhausts himself just to keep his master alive.
Ji Bozai’s heart drops to his stomach as he hears the Beast Companion’s words.
“I can hold on. Don’t worry, I’m still alive.” Ming Yi smiles through the pain while she shivers and the cat can’t help but huff in frustration. “How can you still smile? If something went wrong when using the Heartbond Array, the spellcasters would die! I was so worried! Thankfully, you and Ji Bozai are of the same mind.” he rambles as he continuously helps Ming Yi with his magic.
Ming Yi winces in pain again and Twenty Seven’s face shows intense worry. “What’s wrong?” He looks over at his master trying to find where she’s in pain and she hunches over the bed again— spitting another mouthful of blood.
His magic doesn’t seem to work so he pulls away. “This can’t go on. I’ll go find Ji Bozai now and ask him to give you the Golden Millet Dream.” Just as he was about to get up from the floor, Ming Yi in panic reached for his arm to stop him. “Er Qi!” she says in ragged breaths. “Er Qi.” pulling him back down to sit by the edge of the bed to keep him from doing anything that could expose their purpose of staying in Wugui Sea. “If you tell him that I’m doing everything to stay by his side just to obtain the Golden Millet Dream, what will he think of me then?” her voice quivers as she looks at her companion with a pleading look on her face.
Ji Bozai clenches his fists and fiddles with his ring— resisting himself from barging in and cutting their conversation off. He already told his master that everything in the past didn’t matter to him anymore including Ming Yi’s real identity and that he stood by until this day.
Twenty Seven is on the verge of tears as he understands where his master is coming from but then his priority is to keep Ming Yi alive and that he knows that Ji Bozai’s love for her is real and something he couldn’t doubt. “But you are different from other people. You both have gone through so much. Ji Bozai likes you! If he knows you were poisoned by the Heavenly Grief, He will definitely save you!” his voice cracks, wishing that his affirmation could help her change her mind in telling the warrior the truth of everything.
Ming Yi couldn’t bring herself to say more as she just gives Twenty Seven a light squeeze on his forearm before he tucks her in the bed to rest.
Upon the end of the conversation, Ji Bozai composes himself— pretending to have just arrived like he didn’t just find out that his wife was dying from the same poison he was struck with as he walks in the room. Worry written on his face as he watches the Companion Beast settle his master.
When Twenty Seven senses his arrival, he immediately leaves the room and walks past Ji Bozai, eyes down with a defeated expression and tears staining his cheeks.
Ming Yi is still awake— tucked in the blanket and watches as one enters the room and the other leaves.
She felt a different wave of her emotions as she saw his figure standing right by the screen. Shock from his sudden arrival, fear that he could’ve heard everything and relief that he was alright before she flashes a faint smile at Ji Bozai when their eyes meet and he frowns from worry.
The Beast Companion was right. How can she still smile when she is facing death? Although he had been in the same situation before, it felt like he was looking at a mirror of his past— ready to embrace his end because of the pain. Not a single amount of love or care matters anymore when one dies.
As heartless as it sounded, an aspect of it was still true.
Approaching the bed and sitting on the edge beside Ming Yi, he checks on her as she gathers her strength to sit up and properly face him.
Ji Bozai holds onto her forearm to help her up, checking at her pale complexion and the exhaustion evident in her face. “How are you feeling? I couldn’t find you after earlier.” he softens his voice as he looks at the fairy.
Ming Yi lets out a soft exhale. “The Heartbond Array exhausted my spiritual power, but you don’t seem affected at all, How annoying.” she jokes, letting out a chuckle in hopes to lighten the mood of the situation as she hated how weak she looked at the moment.
He keeps his face in a frown, unable to find himself to smile after finding out what’s going on with his wife and she still had the energy to make humor out of it. “Are you really okay?” he asks, a more serious worry in his tone as questions keep running in his mind that he wants to say but keeps them aside for now as it is not the time to completely confront his wife.
“You’ve asked me twice already and you won’t believe it. This isn’t like you.” she rumbled under her breath but it was enough for Ji Bozai to hear. “Were you scared?” she mockingly asks and the more she made jokes of the situation, the more fear crept in his heart. “Yes.” He answers without a second thought.
His stomach churns as he watches Ming Yi’s smile fade from his unexpected answer with the look of sincerity on his face and genuine fear in his eyes despite trying to be stoic. Ming Yi couldn’t bring herself to reply or retort a word and so he takes initiative to say what he wants to say to the fairy. “For a moment just now, I thought that you left for good.” His eyes fall down as he anxiously fiddles with his ring before looking straight back up at Ming Yi’s eyes. “I told you, you won’t be able to escape. But if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.” She purses her lips and listens as she doesn’t take her eyes off him.
“The Prayer Night has just begun and it’ll last for three long nights…” he pauses and looks deeply into her eyes— afraid that the answer to his unspoken question isn’t what he wants but he says the words anyway as he wouldn’t want to put her in a difficult situation. “I’ll let you decide.”
Silence hung in the air as they sat in the room, so many words wanting to spill but afraid that the honesty of it all would make the connection they have shared and the affection they held for each other would crash and falter when they are said.
Tears brim at the corner of Ming Yi’s eyes, knowing that she will betray him later on— she felt more afraid of yielding to him and thinking of her happiness for once than dying from the Heavenly Grief that was killing her in a matter of days.
She was afraid of the guilt he would hold for her if she told him everything. Afraid that she would cast aside her pride and feel that she would look desperate to ask for the antidote to save her life.
So used to the life she lived in Yaoguang Mountain, she does everything for everyone and nothing for herself, or not even ask at least the slightest bit of help because she was a respected and simple Crown Prince who saw his way through by his own smarts while he provided to maintain the empress’ title and his position as the heir to the throne.
Ming Yi felt that Ming Xian had been standing in the way of her wanting to show honesty to the man she grew to fall in love with.
She was meant to be his destined foe after all even without the need to take the Golden Millet Dream from his possession— they still held their realm’s principles.
Her hand grips the bed sheets and wrinkles them as she couldn’t bring herself to say anything at the moment.
They drown themselves in each other's gazes through the silence, instead.