ᵀᴵᴹᴱ / LATER THAT NIGHT

The sound of running tea could be heard in the silence of that warm night, the golden flickering light of the lantern lighting up the dim room from the corners as two figures sat across each other from a round table. 

Xiá Xiao Hu let the green tea flow into the small cups as she an owl hooted from a tree branch outside the room window. She had sent Lan Li out to keep an eye on the magistrate a few hours earlier, seeing how she couldn't trust her to slit Jun Zhixin's throat at any moment. 

An action, although welcome, would have consequences considering his status in life, that she couldn't afford to risk for the both of their wellbeings. 

Her white ribbon was placed aside and her dark crimson eyes looked coldly upon the handsome features of the man, a slight teasing smile complimenting his young looks. 

A scene reminiscent of their first meeting all those years ago, when Xiao Hu was nothing more than an ignorant child to the world and he still had that handsome, knowing smile etched into his face.

"I'll be concise," Jun Zhixin spoke, sipping the tea she had poured for him, uncaring as to whether she had poisoned it or not, though he'd still drink it if she had. Not only was it something his darling little tigress had prepared for him so 'lovingly' but he was immune to all poisons anyway. 

"This county is something that I've been ordered to clean up and I take it you're not planning on leaving either with their presence here either."

Xiá Xiao Hu stayed silent, not bothering to speak in answer though it was clear she affirmed the statement, her white and red robes contrasting to his black and blue colours. 

"Excellent!" A cheery beam lit up his expression, paralleling her annoyed cool one. "We should team-up while we're together, wifey!"

Clenching her hand around her own teacup, her crimson eyes looked away from him with mixed emotions. Logically, she knew it would be prudent to work together with someone as well-connected and powerful as he but at that same time, she wasn't sure her heart could hold out.

She hated him so much, even the heavens knew that, with everything he had done to her, to her brothers and parents, her clan, all the pain he brought with him...so why did her traitorous heart still beat for him? It hurt so much she felt as though she would rather stab herself in the heart than continue feeling such conflicted emotions.

As she sat there in silence, Jun Zhixin titled his head at her lack of response, wondering where her harsh snub was in return. Reaching out, he took a lock of her long, loose raven hair, twirling it around his finger before pressing his lips to it ever so gently. 

"You'll never look at me the same, will you..." He spoke under his breath in such a low tone she even though Xiao Hu was right next to him, almost missed hearing but stiffened at when she did.

Before he tugged her hair gently enough, erasing the personal space between them, Lan Li came in from the window with a rolling land before standing in a panic with her news.

"Lady Xiá, horrid news! That scheming magistrate is taking the children to the river again!"

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The cries of the children became silent as they only sound which remained was the air bubbles rising to the surface of their drowned air, echoing their loss of life.

Before the river stood the county magistrate and his attendants who carried out the fete successfully without interruption from the three earlier on that day. The obese government official smirked victoriously at that fact but it dropped quickly as he heard a strange sound erupting from the rapid river flow.

"What's this?" He frowned as he peered in before a huge wave of water rose up from the river, creating a gigantic wall before splashing down onto the ground, causing panic below and the group ran off from the waters.

The vengeful screams of drowned water spirits rose from the wall, jumping onto one of the attendants and ripping out his throat with a laugh, splattering warm blood all over the magistrate, who had momentarily turned in horror of the sight.

Trying to turn in fright but slipping on his heel, twisting it he fell onto his back as he was slowly surrounded by the shrieking drowned spirits. 

"Do...don't come any closer!" He attempted to no avail as sweat beads dropped down his forehead. 

When he had come to this county after being demoted elsewhere for poor governance, he thought that he would be reduced to a penniless official in a deprived backwater town but instead decided to come up with an idea of forcing the townspeople of their money by creating an angry river-god story to essentially make parents "buy" their children's lives. 

However, it seemed to have backfired spectacularly on him since instead of an actually infuriated river-god, he had created vengeful spirits of the drowned children who were seemingly obsessed with killing him in retribution of their stolen lives. 

"No– Please!" He cried out as they reached for him with their watery claws outstretched. 

However, before they could deal the final blow, a dark red burst of energy came forth, pushing them all back from him as a girl landed before him with a red braided rope in her hands. 

Though he could tell from the back that she was the same 'blind' girl from earlier that day, the white ribbon which covered her eyes was no longer present and was instead replaced by a pair of glowing red eyes, which seemed to stand out from everything else and created chills down his spine merely by looking upon them.

They were truly not something belonging to this world.

"What an idiot, you are." The girl hissed at him, causing him to shiver in fright. She really was too scary with her eyes revealed like that. "These spirits are out for blood and will not settle for anything less from you."

Though she seemed to be alone, lacking her two companions from earlier, she wasn't flustered at all, merely using one hand to hold up the barrier that held the spirits back while she kept the other hand holding the braided rope in case she had to use it. 

"This mess is solely your fault—sacrificing children in order to swindle money out of the townspeople. Now the Qing He county is a well of misery."

Pure disgust crossed her face though she seemed exceptionally bothered by the fact that he had used innocent children in his schemes, something entirely unforgivable by her own code. 

"Shall I enforce divine retribution upon you for your sins?"

The magistrate began bowing repeatedly before her, apologizing over and over.

"Honourable young miss," He begged. "I know my wrongdoings so please help me get rid of these ghosts! Ah– I know!" He motioned a hand towards some large chests standing by the remains of his sedan chair and a few horses. 

"How much would you like? It's all pure gold ingots!" He started to bargain for his life with the money he swindled for the children's lives, which disgusted Xiao Hu even further.

Her crimson eyes flared even brighter unbeknownst why to the official before he noticed what had happened to him.

'I can't move?!'  He looked around still seeing the trees swaying in the violent wind and the spirits clawing desperately behind the barrier around him. 'I can't hear anything around me either...,' 

Though he could move his head, he turned his eyes upwards to look at Xiao Hu, who merely glared at him steadily. 'Only the atmosphere surrounding us two has been frozen?!'

"Old man," She spoke calmly, her red eyes glowing brightly and her long hair flowing in the wind. "I hate people that talk too much...You should learn that quickly."

Moving her hand down which was holding up the barrier, making it fade away slowly, the spirits which got in first took her hand lightly and held it up before the man. 

"You aren't going to save him, are you Lady Xiá?" Haunting children's voices came from the water-bodied spirits. "Isn't it your clan's duty to punish evil-doers who ruin the balance between our worlds?"

More voices added to the sentiment, rising to create a harmonious single voice from many. 

"Won't you kill him for us? We know you can."

Kill? Xiá Xiao Hu wondered why she hesitated when they kept repeating the fact accompanied by asking if she cared about them at all. She knew he was trash and didn't deserve to be kept breathing but...she wasn't law, nor god. She did not want the responsibility of deciding who got to live and who got to die. 

She became stiff as they moved her hand for her, her legs unmoving as she wrestled with her unwant to kill, her glowing eyes still bright but now having lost their firm certainty. 

Jumping down from a rooftop they had been seemingly travelling by, someone grabbed the braided rope from her hand and dispelled the spirits in a single move, pushing them onto reincarnation. 

"...When did you learn Daoist exorcism?" Xiao Hu asked the figure, clenching her fists to keep them from shaking. Why was she so hesitant?

"I took a teacher a few years ago. It's become quite a profitable business to venture into with the Xiá Clan no longer dominating the scene." Jun Zhixin explained unashamedly at the fact of her clan's demise. 

He stood behind her and held the hand in which her rope was in above her head, whispering in her ear. "Don't allow anyone to force you into something you don't want to do, little tigress." He advised before jumping back when Lan Li resurfaced, having been taking care of some loose spirits. 

"You shameless villain!" Lan Li exclaimed as she lunged at him for daring to flirt with her Lady, who was rubbing her ear harshly from still feeling his breath against her, making Jun Zhixin laugh hilariously while dodging the move. 

Xiá Xiao Hu thought she really deserved to die for freezing up at the thought of killing and any time he was involved. Not only did she hesitate to fulfil her duties but she still had feelings for the man responsible for the massacre all those years ago.