"C-Cang Jiumin," Li Susu stuttered, sitting up straight. "Wh-what…"
Cang Jiumin forced a smile as she moved away from his embrace. "Ye Mei is gone," he said, tone flat as he likewise moved away from her.
Li Susu stared at him. "Did you kill it?" she asked, noticing the blood on the ground. Cang Jiumin simply nodded, and helped her sit on her bed.
Li Susu cradled her head. "My head aches," she groaned. Cang Jiumin poured her a glass of water from the jug on the table beside her bed. She took it gratefully, and drank. When she finished, he took the glass from her and replaced it on the table, then got up to leave.
Li Susu held his sleeve, forcing him to look back at her. She was looking up at him with questioning eyes. "How much did you see?" she asked, looking as if she both feared and wanted to know the answer.
"Enough," Cang Jiumin replied simply. But his face gave away what he really felt, and Li Susu realized he saw her seeing him as the Devil God.
"Cang Jiumin, I…"
Cang Jiumin raised a hand. "I know," he said. "Ye Mei shows the person one loves or hates, and I understand that from then, up until now, you still fear what I can become." He sighed bitterly.
"No," Li Susu said, standing up, swaying slightly at the sudden movement. Cang Jiumin caught her. She looked straight into his eyes. "I believe what you say. You are not him. You are not going to be that awful being."
Cang Jiumin looked at her with pained eyes. "How do you know that I won't become him?" he asked her.
"You would never hurt me," Li Susu said firmly. "You couldn't before, and it's even less likely now. See, you even protected me from that demon."
"But you…"
Li Susu gripped his arm. "You used to be Tantai Jin," she said. "Now, you are Cang Jiumin, the most kindhearted disciple of Xiaoyao Sect. You are not him. You will never become him." She smiled slightly. "I believe in you."
Cang Jiumin looked into Li Susu's dark eyes. How does she have unwavering faith in me, who had always been in her nightmares? He finally smiled back. "All right," he said, taking Li Susu's arm and pushing her back on the bed. "You need to rest," he said, answering the inquiring look in her eyes. Li Susu's eyes cleared, and she laid on the bed gratefully. He pulled up the blanket and tucked her in comfortably. He watched her close her eyes and fall asleep as he hummed a comforting lullaby.
Before she fell deeper asleep, she pulled at his sleeve. "You'll be here when I wake up?" she muttered sleepily, eyes half closed.
Cang Jiumin smiled. "I will."
She smiled and closed her eyes. Throughout the night, Cang Jiumin watched her have the most peaceful dreams.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"The demon, Ye Mei, is gone, Your Majesty," Cang Jiumin reported to Ye Qingyu, bowing respectfully. "The people can now sleep peacefully in their beds." He looked up.
Ye Qingyu, again with his mask on, nodded. "Many thanks, immortal disciple," he said. "The people of Jing Kingdom are indebted to you." After a few instructions to his attendants, he dismissed them to be able to talk freely with Cang Jiumin. He led him towards a side room, where Tantai Jin used to read the memorials with Ye Xiwu, and sat down at a small table where a steaming pot of tea awaited them.
"Li Susu sends her regrets that she can't be here with you today, Your Majesty," Cang Jiumin apologized on behalf of Li Susu. "She needs time to recover from the fight with Ye Mei last night."
"Is my sister okay?" Ye Qingyu asked worriedly.
Cang Jiumin nodded. "A little headache, and some time to think, she said," he said. He looked down. Li Susu did say that she needed time to think, but think about what, is what he wondered about.
Ye Qingyu observed Cang Jiumin's face. "She'll be all right," he said, figuring out what Cang Jiumin was feeling and attempting to comfort him. "If she says she needs time to think, give her time to think."
Cang Jiumin smiled slightly. "I suppose so," he said. He looked at Ye Qingyu, who quietly sipped his tea. "Ye Mei is not a particularly strong demon, and someone with a strong willpower can easily defeat her fantasies," he mused, all the while glancing at Ye Qingyu, who had his cup suspended near his lips. "Even the Heart Guarding Scale had the power to repel her spells. Why couldn't you do it?"
It was Ye Qingyu's turn to look down. He put down his cup and gazed out the window. "A shield can break when used for a long time," he said quietly. He looked at Cang Jiumin with melancholic eyes. "I can't defend against Ye Mei, not when she shows me the person I love and miss the most."
Ye Mei shows one the person they hate or love the most.
Cang Jiumin's eyes widened. "So you…"
Ye Qingyu looked out the window again. "That person came into my dreams," he said morosely. "I would have been under her spell forever if not for the Heart Guarding Scale."
"Ye Qingyu…" Cang Jiumin didn't know what to say.
Ye Qingyu looked over at him and shook his head. "I'm a fool, I know," he said. "How could I let myself succumb to weakness when I had the people of this kingdom to protect?"
"You're no more fool than I was back then," Cang Jiumin said. "Unlike you, I let everything go except for Ye Xiwu. After she died, I felt nothing about this world anymore, even the people who looked up to me to lead them. You, on the other hand, have more love for the common people equal to the love you have for Pian Ran, and I believe she understood that. That's why she gave her life to you, so you can continue loving and protecting the common people the way she believed you love them."
A tear fell from Ye Qingyu's eyes. Cang Jiumin looked away while he wiped it off. He summoned the Heart Guarding Scale to his hand, where it appeared with a flash of light. "Here is the scale," he said, holding it out to Cang Jiumin, who took it gratefully. "I hope you use it well."
Cang Jiumin closed his fist over the scale, which disappeared into himself. "We will," he said, standing up. He bowed to leave, with Ye Qingyu acknowledging the farewell. He walked away, but before he fully exited the room, he turned around. "Will you be okay?"
Ye Qingyu looked at him, but the sunlight shone too bright and left Ye Qingyu in its shadow. "I will," Ye Qingyu, Jing Emperor for 500 years, replied. Cang Jiumin took a last look at him, who had cared for the people of Jing with love and care for his entire life, and left the palace, confident in the abilities of Jing Kingdom's greatest general and emperor.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Out of the gates of the Jing Palace, Cang Jiumin stopped abruptly, stricken by a sudden thought.
Ye Mei shows one the person they hate… or love the most.
He looked towards the direction of the inn he left Li Susu in. He had seen two visions in her dreams. One is him as the Devil God. But the other…
Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu held hands as they walked the streets of the Jing Kingdom together, reveling in the festivities of the Pohang Festival.
They flew into the sky, lanterns and fireworks lighting up the night sky. Ye Xiwu smiled into Tantai Jin's eyes. You are Tantai Jin. No one else.
Under the bridge, they hid from the search party of ministers demanding the emperor's presence.
"I don't care whether people like me or not. It's enough as long as you like me."
Tantai Jin caressed Ye Xiwu's cheek, and slowly leaned in to kiss her.
A faint warmth bloomed from his nail-pierced heart. Could she…
It was a faint hope, but hope nevertheless.
Could she also love me?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi! Thank you for continuing to read this story. Sorry for the delay for this chapter. I got caught up with work. Hopefully I can update with another in a few days' time.
To answer our Guest's question in the reviews, unfortunately yes, I only post here. I've been playing with the idea of posting at AO3 as well, but I found I only have enough energy for one fanfic site. XD