Twenty-Four

Li Yuxi was torn between pretending that she had not heard Wang Lifen or coming out clean. She began to suspect that the woman could see Zhao Ling and didn't want to act like she was crazy, seeing that she pretended that he was not hovering around her. The rate at which her heart was pounding from fear and worry, she was certain that Wang Lifen could hear it and decode that she was hiding the truth.

"What do you mean?" Li Yuxi was shocked that her tone was calm, as opposed to the inner turmoil she was having.

Wang Lifen looked around as if she was looking for someone. She even began to stroll around them, craning her head here and there before returning to her previous position.

"Li Yuxi, I'm going to be honest with you."

Li Yuxi clenched her jaw when Zhao Ling brushed his fingers against hers. She did not want to look in his direction seeing how Wang Lifen was behaving. Any body language to give him out was not part of her plan at that moment. So, in response, Li Yuxi wrapped her fingers around Zhao Ling's and gulped, waiting for the worst to happen.

"In those news articles and interviews, I always said that I became an archaeologist because my dad loved it and we would play in our backyard, digging up the soil for lost items. I lied," Wang Lifen said and took a step closer to Li Yuxi.

"Oh." That was all Li Yuxi could utter.

"The real truth is, I can sense things around me. When I was six years old, I was playing at the back of our house when I saw a spirit. I don't know what happened but I woke up in the hospital. A year later, the same spirit came to my dream and said that they live within me. That I was unique and have been looking for a place to call home. My body is their home. Ever since that night, I started to notice strange things. I was gifted."

Li Yuxi was astonished by the story. She was in awe and if she had not met Zhao Ling, she would not have believed the woman.

"I know you may not believe me but—"

"I do!" She retorted. "I do… But…"

"Do not let her know the truth," Zhao Ling said in a low voice.

"Maybe that kid saw something, like a ghost, or is like you."

"Oh… You're right. Sorry for scaring you. By the way, I need to leave. Being the manager of our art gallery, I need to prepare for tomorrow's trip."

Li Yuxi only nodded and watched the woman walk away. When she was very far, Li Yuxi exhaled and turned her head to look at a blank-faced Zhao Ling who was still staring at Wang Lifen.

"What is it?"

"I cannot sense any spirit in her. From what she said, she is possessed by a dark spirit but I cannot sense it in her. A good spirit who possessed a mortal leaves a yellow hue and a bad spirit leaves a purple hue. She has none of them. I cannot see any color on her."

Li Yuxi glanced at Wang Lifen's distant figure as if she could see the colors he spoke about.

"What is that phenomenon if you can't see colors?"

"I don't know but I would like you to be careful around the woman," he said and made eye contact with her. "There are still things that are new to me. I may not have every answer to spiritual questions but, be careful."

Li Yuxi nodded and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when Zhao Ling disappeared, only to appear again, causing his form to vibrate for a second.

"Did you forget that I am not a ghost and that we are tied together?" She raised their joined hands, shaking them for him to see.

"No… I can take any physical entity with me. This thing." He glared at the cooper-like rope. "This curse is depriving me of a lot of things and I cannot stand it."

"So what now?"

Zhao Ling ignored her question and shut his eyes. A calm expression took over his face and his sash started to glow a dull red. A cold breeze blew and Li Yuxi shuddered.

"What do you want?"

The girly voice Li Yuxi had heard before, startled her. She pressed her body against Zhao Ling's and looked around in fear.

"Put an end to this," Zhao Ling said while pointing to their hands. "Do you realize the danger you are putting us through?"

"I do not make the rules, Zhao Ling. You are the one who decided to fling the opportunity given to you because of a mere mortal. The deities involved in your case have helped you enough for you to be careless and ungrateful."

Li Yuxi felt guilty all of a sudden as she had been the reason he came back but he was at fault too for putting her in a spot that allowed demonized beasts to attack her.

"All I want is freedom. This bondage is limiting my powers. You and your deities kept me in that pit for years while my soul was trapped in that vase. Keeping me in this condition when you gave me this opportunity is evil."

Li Yuxi wanted to hold his hand to comfort him but knowing the type of person that he was, she stopped herself and stared ahead.

"Very well then… I can only do two things."

Li Yuxi shuddered when goosebumps rose on her skin. Her bound hand felt warm and when she looked down, she saw the copper rope glowing. It glowed for five seconds before it stopped.

"You can transport your form and that of your woman's form. Also, you are only able to stretch the rope to ten feet."

To test the theory, Zhao Ling took a step further and Li Yuxi watched as the rope glowed and extended for him to widen the gap. Before she could look away, she felt her body go rigid and her heart accelerate when her position was changed.

Li Yuxi yelped when she found herself standing with Zhao Ling in a different position, far away from where they had been standing. She raised her confined hand to her chest as she panted before glaring at Zhao Ling.

"Thank you. Also, this mortal is nothing but a burden to me, not my woman. She can and never will be my woman. Not even if it is written in a holy script. Love is a forbidden emotion. Never mention it or I will kill you, whether it is possible or not."

The harshness and coldness in his tone made Li Yuxi's heart constrict. Her insecurities started to form sadness in her heart and all she could do was press her lips in a thin line to stop them from shaking. She gulped when her throat ached and exhaled through her nose to calm her beating heart.

"And to you, Li Yuxi. From today onward, do not interfere with my meditation state. Do not speak to me. I am only here as your guard and since you have no value to me, I do not think we should mingle. I will only protect you and that is it. Do your best not to get attached because I may decide to leave this generation when I want."

When Li Yuxi finally looked directly at him, she could see the earnestness of his words reflected in his eyes and in the way his face stayed serious. It hurt that he said what he had said but knowing that she was used to being alone, she accepted everything and nodded her head. She looked away and puffed her cheeks behind the curtains or her hair framing her face to hide the tears that filled her eyes. She rolled her eyes and exhaled hard. It was strange how he easily swapped emotions.

"Shall we leave?" Zhao Ling asked in a cold tone, then she nodded.

Without waiting for her to get a grasp of what was coming next, she felt her body go stiff and her heart beat fast. The next thing she saw was herself standing in the middle of her bedroom with Zhao Ling sitting on the floor a few feet away, facing the window.

Li Yuxi sighed and sat on her bed, then bowed her head. She clenched her jaw and furrowed her eyebrows while glaring at her feet. She tried to coerce her heart into believing that she could be fine without his attention, that she could stay and pretend that he does not exist. Lee Qiang had trained her enough to do so, yet her heart could not accept this new change.

"Kindly learn how to shut your emotions out, mortal. I do not enjoy feeling your useless emotions in my chi. I have to deal with the fact that I cannot leave, at least learn to shut your emotions out."

"O-okay," she said in a soft and shaky tone.