Ami woke after a refreshing and dreamless sleep. She raised her hand and touched the bandages that were tightly wound on her head. Her head felt so much better already, as she only felt a dull and bearable ache.

But she didn't get up as quickly as she did last time she woke up, because right beside her, slumped at a chair, Bai Zi Qian was sleeping.

She quietly watched him sleep soundly despite being in an obviously uncomfortable position. He was still wearing the same clothes she last saw him in, looking disheveled. From what she could see of his face, he looked tired, and must have just dozed off. Ami felt a slight twinge at the thought that he stayed up to take care of her.

Now that she was feeling much better, her mind cleared enough to think. Looking at Bai Zi Qian opened another hurt in Ami's heart. If only you were my father, Uncle Bai, she thought, the corners of her eyes suddenly feeling hot. She turned her eyes from him and stared at the ceiling of the hut instead. In all her years of existence, never had anyone's care for her affected her as much as Bai Zi Qian had affected her. Mo Nv, Si Ying and Jing Mie had cared for her the best that they could, but they didn't know how to ease the loneliness Ami felt despite being the princess of the Demon Realm. She had everything that she could ever want, except for the love and care of a father she had never even met, and thought she never needed.

But she met Bai Zi Qian, who had shown her exactly what she needed. Ami raised her arm over her eyes. She met Bai Zi Qian, who had treated her the way that a father probably would.

But he wasn't her father, and he didn't want anybody else in his life. She was nobody to him, and she should never have let herself feel too much for a mortal whose existence was merely a whisper compared to hers.

"Ami? What's wrong?" Bai Zi Qian's voice cut through Ami's miserable thoughts. She didn't notice him wake up and didn't realize she had sobbed aloud, so she turned away from him to hide her tears from him.

"Nothing," Ami replied, hastily brushing away her tears. Composing herself quickly, she turned around and faced Bai Zi Qian. "I'm all right."

Bai Zi Qian gazed at her steadily, weighing Ami's words against the look on her face. After a while, he sighed and checked on the bandages on her head. "You're healing pretty fast," he remarked, turning to the table and cleaning up the mess of soiled bandages and medicine bottles on it.

With Bai Zi Qian's back turned from her, Ami's fingers quickly flew up towards her necklace, which was still safely around her neck. She breathed a silent sigh of relief that she hadn't accidentally shown her immortal powers to him. She raised herself up from the bed, with him quickly assisting her with a hand on her back. "I'm fine, Uncle Bai," Ami insisted, swallowing down the hot feeling in her throat at his gesture.

Bai Zi Qian sighed again, and pulled up the chair closer to Ami's bed. "Ami, can we talk?" he asked gently.

"What about, Uncle Bai?" Ami replied, fidgeting with her blanket and not looking at him. She heard Bai Zi Qian sigh again, but instead of a reprimand that she was expecting, he continued speaking gently.

"I know you're angry at me," Bai Zi Qian said. Ami didn't say anything, but still didn't look up at him. "You've heard me say something that hurt you, and I'm sorry."

Ami bit her lip, and finally turned to face Bai Zi Qian. "I'm the one who should say sorry, Uncle Bai," she said quietly. "I…"

"You miss your father," Bai Zi Qian finished for her. Ami wanted to contradict him, but she knew it was true. She fell silent. "You told me you were searching for him. It must have been hard for you, to miss someone you haven't even met."

Ami's lip quivered. Before she knew it, she was bawling her eyes out, weeping openly and loudly, letting go of her sadness, her loneliness and her yearning for her father through the tears that freely flowed down her cheeks. She felt Bai Zi Qian's warm arms surround her, and she clung to him like a vine, seeking strength from his comforting hug.

When her tears were spent, and her sobs subsided, Ami pulled herself away from Bai Zi Qian. "I'm sorry, Uncle Bai," she said again.

Bai Zi Qian smiled softly at her. "It's okay," he said, wiping a stray tear from Ami's cheek. "It's perfectly all right to cry when we miss someone."

Ami looked at him. "Did you cry whenever you missed your parents?"

Bai Zi Qian nodded. "All the time."

Ami smiled. She told Bai Zi Qian the story of Tantai Jin and her mother, Li Susu, as much as she could tell a mortal like him. She told him Li Susu's stories of how they met in the mortal world, as unwilling participants in a forced marriage, and how they eventually fell in love with each other when she bought him clothes and treated him nicely, and him teaching her how to enjoy mortal festivities. Obviously omitting details such as Tantai Jin being the Devil God, and Li Susu as the only true goddess left in the world, Ami instead told Bai Zi Qian that her father had died to save her and her mother's lives.

In turn, Bai Zi Qian told her the story of his unfortunate life, from his birth that almost caused his mother to die, till the day his parents died in an accident that he had already foreseen. Despite being born into a wealthy family, Bai Zi Qian had to witness the eventual decline of the family through the betrayals of those closest to them, until the family had no one else to turn to except for the grasping Liu family, led by that odious woman he still respectfully called Mother Liu. Ami listened intently, now fully understanding why Bai Zi Qian didn't want anyone else to be involved in his life, and her heart was moved to pity for the suffering that he had gone through.

"Uncle Bai, I'm sorry for misunderstanding you," Ami said. "I was too selfish to think I could just simply interfere with your life, when you were perfectly free to choose what you want to do."

Bai Zi Qian shook his head. "You aren't interfering," he said, his eyebrow raising at Ami's choice of words. "I chose to take you in, but I was afraid of what might happen to you if I keep you longer, that's why I wanted to send you away."

Ami looked down. "I can go…"

"I'm not telling you to go away, Ami," Bai Zi Qian said, cutting Ami off. "Not right away anyway, not with your injury still healing." He took hold of Ami's shoulders, making her look up at him. "You can stay with me as long as you like, but you have to promise me that you'll keep yourself safe, all right?"

Ami smiled. "I will, Uncle Bai."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Later in the morning, Bao came in to see her.

"Big Sister…" Bao said timidly, peeking from the doorway of Ami's room.

Ami smiled and patted the space beside her. "Come sit with me," she said. Encouraged by her smile, Bao walked in and sat on the bed.

Bao quickly took Ami's hands. "I'm sorry, Big Sister!" she said, suddenly bursting into tears. Her little body shook with her sobs.

Just like how Bai Zi Qian hugged her, Ami hugged Bao in turn. "It's alright," she reassured the little girl. "I'm not that hurt, and I feel fine now."

Bao pulled away from Ami and pouted. "You were bleeding a lot before Uncle Bai got you to a doctor," she said tearfully. "He was terrifying enough that the doctor's hands shook while he was stitching your wound."

"But I'm feeling alright now, so don't worry about me, Bao," Ami said, wiping away the little girl's tears. "How have you been?" She looked Bao over. "Are you… all right?"

Bao nodded. "I'm so sorry I lied to you, Big Sister," she said. "My father… isn't a good man, but he is my father, and I have to do what he tells me to do."

Ami sighed. "I understand. He's your father," she said, and smiled reassuringly at her. "Is he… okay?"

Bao shook her head. "He's in jail," she said. "Uncle Bai brought all of them to the authorities, to answer for their crimes."

Ami reached out for Bao's hand. "Are you okay?"

Bao nodded. "As I said, my father isn't a good man, and I know that sooner or later he has to pay for what he did." She smiled. "I'm glad for you and Uncle Bai for saving me."

Ami nodded. "Everything's all right then," she said.

"You are lucky to have Uncle Bai looking after you," Bao said, shifting to sit more comfortably beside Ami. "He's kind and gentle now with you and me, but when you were badly hurt, he looked really terrifying."

"How so?" Ami was curious.

To Ami's surprise, Bao leapt up the bed and started swinging punches left and right. "He was like Pow! Pow! Pow!" Bao said instead, triggering giggles from Ami. "All the men he struck fell down like puppets whose strings were cut. When we walked out of the house, all of father's henchmen were lying unconscious, with some of the doors cracked and in splinters." she added, gesturing with her short arms. She sat down again. "He's so cool."

Ami laughed. Her delighted tones sent Bai Zi Qian peeking in again. "What's funny?" he asked.

Ami smiled. "Nothing, Uncle Bai," she said cheerfully.

Bai Zi Qian smiled back. "Come on out then, let's have lunch," he said. Ami and Bao's noses rose in the air, smelling the heavenly aroma of food that Bai Zi Qian cooked. Bai Zi Qian chuckled as the little girls both ran out of the room and into the kitchen, and followed after them.

Xxxxxxxxx

Time seemingly passed by so slowly as Ami stayed with Bai Zi Qian. Together with Bao, the three of them lived quietly together, sharing meals and talking to each other. The three of them fell into a simple routine, Bai Zi Qian rising early in the morning to cook their breakfast, then leaving them to hunt for deer or rabbit, while Ami and Bao stay at home to clean and wash clothes and play until Bai Zi Qian returns for dinner. They couldn't go out yet, because of Ami's injury, so they could only play by themselves.

Time went on so slowly that Ami almost forgot about Mo Nv promising to come check on her. She just remembered because her amulet lit up, startling her and Bao one morning.

"Big Sister!" Bao cried out, pointing at Ami's necklace, which was glowing purple.

Ami gasped. "Aunt is coming!" She almost fell out of her chair and quickly ran out of the house, with Bao at her heels. She shouldn't come here, not now, she thought furiously. She wasn't yet prepared to let Mo Nv meet Bai Zi Qian, not yet when she was still figuring out who Bai Zi Qian is in her life. Besides, given the drought demon's short temper and the injury on her head, Mo Nv might get the wrong idea and zap Bai Zi Qian into oblivion.

"What's happening, Big Sister?" Ami heard Bao say, but she couldn't answer anymore because right in the middle of the yard stood the drought demon.

"Aunt…" Ami whispered, while Bao simply gawked at Mo Nv in awe at the elegant, embroidered silk clothes that she wore, and the beautiful jewelry atop the woman's head, not knowing her true nature, and simply admiring the beautiful woman, as any little girl would.

Mo Nv, ignoring the look on Bao's face, focused on Ami. "I told you to send communication pearls back," she said, striding towards the little girl, "and after weeks of nothing, I find you like this!" She knelt down to take a closer look at Ami's injury. "Who did this to you?" she asked angrily. "I swear—"

Ami put her hands over Mo Nv's mouth. "I'm fine now, Aunt," she hastily said, glancing nervously at Bao, and then towards the woods where Bai Zi Qian had gone, hoping fervently that he wouldn't come back home at this moment. "This is nothing, I was just clumsy and fell somewhere, but now I'm okay!" She added in a laugh that was supposed to reassure the drought demon, but only came out high-pitched and obviously nervous.

"You're Big Sister's aunt?" Bao asked, lurking behind Ami.

Mo Nv finally turned to her and raised an eyebrow at Ami. "Yes," she answered. "And you are…?"

"A friend," Ami cut in, before Bao could take Mo Nv's outstretched hand. "Her father owns this cottage, and I'm staying with them for a while. Bao looked at her curiously, but Ami shook her head.

"Y-yes," Bao agreed, glancing nervously at Ami.

Mo Nv was not fooled. "You are a terrible liar, Tantai Zimi," she said, narrowing her eyes at the overly bright faces of the two girls in front of her. "What's really going on?"

Ami caught the familiar sound of Bai Zi Qian's steps, not far away. Mo Nv did too, and started to turn towards the gate, but Ami quickly took her hand and pulled her away. "Go back to the Demon Realm, Aunt Mo Nv," she said hurriedly, pulling the drought demon away from the house. "I'm fine, I'm living well, and I'll come back to the realm when I'm done here."

"Tantai Zimi!" Mo Nv was startled by the strength of the little girl in front of her. "What are you so worried about?" She pulled at the hand of the girl, making Ami face her. "I'm not going to do anything to the people you are with," she said, kneeling down to face the little girl. "As long as you are safe and happy, I don't have a problem with anybody."

"You don't?" Ami said.

Mo Nv nodded. "You look happier," she said. Ami was startled, but before she could say anything, Mo Nv stood. "I just want to see who's been taking care of you—"

"No!" Ami cried out, startling Mo Nv. "Not yet, anyway." Besides her personal feelings, she intuitively felt that to have Mo Nv see Bai Zi Qian might not be a good idea. Mo Nv looked at her suspiciously. "I'm going to send a communication pearl soon, so you can go back now." She could hear Bai Zi Qian's footsteps get close suddenly, as if he had started to run towards her, so she pulled at Mo Nv insistently. "Aunt Mo Nv…"

"All right, all right, I get it," Mo Nv said, preparing to disappear. "I'll get back at you for this, Tantai Zimi."

"I know, Aunt," Ami said. Mo Nv gave her one last smile, and disappeared, just as Bai Zi Qian rounded the corner of the house.

"Ami!" Bai Zi Qian called out.

"Here I am, Uncle Bai," Ami replied, and she watched Bai Zi Qian turn towards her. He walked towards her with a worried expression on his face.

Bai Zi Qian knelt down to check if Ami was injured anywhere. Seeing nothing, he sighed. "Bao said you were with your aunt?" he asked calmly.

"She left already," Ami answered. She nudged Bai Zi Qian to stand, and took his hand to lead him away. "Let's go back inside the house, Uncle Bai," she said.

They walked back to the house together, unaware of Mo Nv watching them quietly. When they disappeared from her sight, Mo Nv lifted the cloaking spell she put on herself.

She couldn't believe her eyes. "Tantai Jin?"

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