Nine

The woman fell against his chest and Zhao Ling smirked as he could feel the effect of her mark flowing through her body. Even though he did not want to mark her but after seeing she had been the one to break the vase, he needed her to help him navigate through this generation. She was going to be of good help to him and from her behavior, she was a stubborn one, hence the reason he had to mark her to keep track of her even though she tried to escape him and for him to be one with her mind and emotions on a deeper level.

Zhao Ling stared at the crown of her head and bent a little to scoop her into his arms in a bridal style. He walked to the bed and laid her down, then sat beside her. His gaze shifted to her right wrist where the bite mark was. The print from his bite was shaped into a gray curved bite mark. As he continued to look at the mark, he heard the door open and close, which made him look over his shoulder.

The man from before, her husband, walked into the room with determination. He stopped just at the foot of the bed and glared at his wife before moving around to stand on the other side where Zhao Ling sat.

"I can't believe that this woman is fast asleep," he said. "I haven't had dinner yet. She sleeps like the bag of potatoes that she is."

Zhao Ling eyed Li Yuxi's body to try to see if what he said matched her features but it didn't. The woman was perfect, so it confused him how a man spoke so ill about his wife. Something made him believe their marriage had a deeper meaning than what he had seen when he touched Li Yuxi.

"Hey, get up," he said and stretched his hand to touch her.

Zhao Ling, on instinct, waved his hand in his direction, causing the man to stagger away from the bed and almost trip. He smirked as fear and confusion swapped on his face.

"What? How did I just… You know what? I will leave you for just this night," he said and marched out of the room.

Zhao Ling scoffed and faced the sleeping woman. He eyed every part of her face for a moment before raising his hand to her face. He let his hand hover over her face for a few seconds before cupping her cheek. He needed answers before he proceeded with having the woman around him.

Zhao Ling took in a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth before forcing himself into her head. Memories flashed through his mind. From when she was a little happy girl, till when she grew up to be a teenager who had fewer friends and a young woman who was standing in a white gown beside the man who was her husband. He started to feel his heart stinging from the pain she began to feel after seeing her in the gown. When the pain became too strong for him to control, he pulled his hand away and rose to his feet.

"Just how much pain has this woman gone through?" He whispered. "Her pain is almost at the same level as mine. What has she gone through to feel this much pain at such an age? It is also as if she barely had a life of her own when growing up."

Zhao Ling stepped away from the bed and went to the window in the room. His eyes went to the dark sky littered with twinkling stars. The sky reminded him of the nights he would camp with his men in the forests, waiting to continue their journey to war. He missed the nights he would listen to the stories they would tell and how hopeful they would get when it was time to go back home. The sky also reminded him of the nights he would sneak out with Lui Mei. The memories of his love for her brought heartache and anger.

"You may not be alive in this generation to witness my anger unleashed but your children of this generation will receive the flame of that anger. They will burn like coals and be blown away like ashes."

Zhao Ling took one last look around and turned away from the window. He quickly stopped when the atmosphere in the room became thick and heavy. An eerie feeling began to fill the ambiance of the place. He curved his right hand close to his hip and his sword appeared. He slowly began to walk in circles while his eyes attentively eyed every corner of the room. He held the hilt of the sword tighter and positioned it into a fight stance.

A heavier feeling hovered behind him and in an instant, he swung his sword, slicing the air. As expected, a groan was heard and a figure clothed in dark robes with dark smoke staggered backward with their body hunched. Zhao Ling panicked and glanced at Li Yuxi before looking back at the figure.

"Who are you?" Zhao Ling demanded and closed in on them.

The figure straightened up and a dark face with red glowing eyes was seen. Zhao Ling eyed the strange figure from head to toe, taking in their dark form before snarling.

"You are a dark spirit. What brings you here?" He asked and the spirit chuckled.

"I have come to give you a warning," the spirit said in a voice that sounded like more than one.

"A warning?"

"Yes," the spirit replied and vanished, then appeared on top of the bed, close to Li Yuxi's feet.

Zhao Ling rushed over to the spirit and pointed the tip of his sword at his face.

"Leave before I destroy you," Zhao Ling commanded and the spirit laughed.

"I am not here to hurt anyone but to warn you. My master has a message for you, Zhao Ling. Your return will mean nothing as the destiny that was written can never come to pass. My master wants to let you know that the day you harm the people you came here for, she will die." The spirit pointed its crooked finger at Li Yuxi.

"The woman is not my concern." Zhao Ling strapped his sword back and it disappeared. He crossed his arms and the spirit laughed again.

"You say that now but you will surely understand this warning soon enough. Do not say that you weren't warned because you will feel the greatest pain, a pain worse than what you felt on the day you died. You have been warned, Zhao Ling."

Before he could respond, the spirit disappeared, leaving a cloud of dark smoke lingering in the air. He glared at the spot the spirit had been sitting on before glaring at Li Yuxi.

"I should have simply killed you the moment you brought me here."

Zhao Ling approached the sleeping woman and placed his hand on the left side of her chest. The thumping of her chest was felt against the palm of his hand as he pushed his hand harder into her chest.

Dark and red smoke tentacles began to move out of his hand and dig themselves into the area around his hand and her chest. The woman gasped with her eyes still closed. He pressed his hand harder into her chest, concentrating on taking control of her heart. He smirked dubiously when he felt her heart in his control. The smooth beats and pump of blood rushed through his ears the more he focused on her heart.

"I have no use for you, Li Yuxi. I do not want a mere mortal by my side," Zhao Ling said and clenched his hand hard.

His eyebrows furrowed when he did not feel her heart squishing in his hand. He glanced at his hand and then her face before trying again yet nothing happened. He focused on her heart, it was beating normally. Feeling enraged, he stood and backed away from the woman.

"What sort of sorcery is this?" He raised his hand to his face. "I meditated for hundreds of years to cultivate a lot of powers yet this… this woman cannot die by my hand?"

Zhao Ling frowned and stretched his hand out in front of him. He channeled strong energy from within him and shot it at Li Yuxi but the effect only made the bedsheets, her dress, and her hair flutter.

"What is happening?" He whispered in shock and backed away once more. "Why isn't my power working?"

Zhao Ling's body tingled as a presence filled the room. He made a move to summon and grab his sword but stopped when the nameless girl appeared just beside Li Yuxi.

"You."

The girl grinned. "Hello… I'm sorry, Zhao Ling but I simply cannot allow you to kill her. Because without her, you won't meet the people you search for. She is the key to the mission."