"You tricked me! You took advantage of me! You..." Elder Lady Ruan screeched, waggling a finger at the person standing right in front of her. Despite all the scolding, the person seemed least interested and looked like she was about to fall asleep on her feet. A few impolite, loud yawns were emitted as well, which only served as dire fuel to Ruan Yao Ahlam's fiery anger.

"RUAN CAIHONG!!"

"Ahh! Oh hi, Grandma, good morning," Caihong yawned loudly as she jerked her head up.

"YOU DARED TO SNEAK OUT EVEN WHEN I HAD GROUNDED YOU!! YOU WERE UNDER PUNISHMENT!!"

Ruan Fai just hid his mouth behind the back of his hand, struggling to keep the laughter in. His younger daughter was something, having the cheek to doze off right on her feet, with his mother screaming at her like a banshee. Any other female, in her place, would have probably burst into tears. Others wouldn't have even dared to think of doing anything to anger her.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO BRAZEN? YOU HAVE SUCH A THICK FACE?? THAT EVEN AFTER ME PUNISHING YOU, YOU DARED TO SNEAK OUT, AS SOON AS I LEFT THE ROOM??"

Caihong suppressed yet another tired yawn. She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. So she hung her head low, in a hope that she could doze some more while standing, and then go back to her comfortable bed for her much needed sleep.

"You will be severely punished! I WILL PUNISH YOU."

Caihong's eyes sprang wide open.
' Punishment??!? Oh no, not again...'

"YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR A FORTNIGHT!! AND AS OF NOW, YOU WILL GO RIGHT NOW AND-"

"Do handstands, while copying the ancient parchment rolls which you and your Jie fished out last week, and also the recent music scores of Tranquility."

The Elder Lady Ruan spun around and glared daggers at her son, who stood there resolutely. "The hell, Fai??!" she yelled.

Ruan Fai pretended as if he didn't hear the thundering rage booming in her voice. He continued, "Write those out ten times."

His lips faintly twitched.

That slight movement was enough to bring out a gleeful grin on Caihong's face.

She somehow stifled it, trying to look a bit remorseful, but failed miserably. She settled with bowing low to him, "Yes, Dad," before dashing out of the room.

"Handstands. You... Are you goddamn  kidding me?"

"Mother, after what she has done, do you seriously think I can punish her?"

Ruan Yao Ahlam looked angered and unconvinced at not having her way.

"Mother, even if I promised Elder Lord Li, could I guarantee that Zhang would have found the kid within the same evening?"

"But that was just a stroke of luck, Fai!!"

"That's what I'm saying! She found the kid. I have no idea how she met him, but it was lucky!! For one, we've lost enough face already. She saved us from sinking into further ignominy!! Secondly, Zhang might never have looked into the alley at all! It might have taken days. Could the kid have held on for that long?? I don't think so. Thirdly, I don't suppose you know what the Physician said last night."

"No, I don't, Ruan Fai. Care to tell me?"

"The Physician said he won't be able to guarantee anything unless his fever subsided. Basically, what he meant was, that even after all his treatment, he couldn't promise Young Master Li's survival."

Elder Lady Ruan's eyes glittered. Ruan Fai couldn't decide whether he saw a resentful glint or just annoyance from being denied.

"Do you know, how the boy is still breathing now? Even after everything?"

Ruan Fai stopped to breath. He walked over to the window from where he could see the entrance of the library. He saw Caihong obediently standing upside down outside the pavilion, in an elegant posture, supporting herself on her left palm, while writing vigorously with her right. Ten or so thick parchment rolls lay in front of her.

Turning to look back, as he felt his mother's eyes on him, he continued, "It's the immense amount of Yang energy that she transferred to heal him last night."

"What?"

"I was burning with guilt, and thus, unable to sleep. So I strolled out, hoping that the night air would cool my head. After walking around, I felt somewhat clearer, so I came back. But just when I was about to enter our room, a temporary glare of light caught the corner of my eye. I hadn't even turned to look at it, and yet, it captivated me."

The Elder Lady Ruan was now completely silent.

"So I went to inspect. It was a huge surprise to me when I saw that the glare had come from her room. Thankfully, she doesn't bolt her door, so I, out of sheer curiosity, peeped, confident that she must be up to something again. But what I saw was simply incredible. I've never seen her do something like this, her whole body was illuminated with the golden light that was being emanated from her... When she placed her palm on his forehead to begin the process, she seemed to glow even brighter."

Somehow, the Elder Lady Ruan couldn't look at her son anymore. Her gaze fell.

"Mother, forgive me. I really can't punish her. Yes, she sneaked out, I admit that was wrong. Very wrong. Yet, I can't bring myself to ground her. After everything... after everything she's done, I can't... You wanted her to be punished for stealing out, I obeyed you. But please forgive me, Mother. I can't do anything beyond this. I'm sorry."

Saying this, he bowed to his mother and left her room.

He made a beeline towards his bed-chamber. As he pushed the door open, all of a sudden, he was yanked in and instantly found his lips, in fact, his entire warm wet cavern, captured in an intense passion that ignited him from his very core.

Quinyang's lips were demanding, and he couldn't help but hum and moan, his hand wrapped around her, wandering and exploring her shapely, voluptuous curves of their own accord. Another hand groped about the bolt of the door, somehow fastening it.

"Fai," she whispered slowly, one hand tugging at his robes, and the other raking through his hair, as they broke for breath, prolonging each letter as if to savour them.

He smiled tenderly, his heart fluttering at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. He cupped her face, bringing their foreheads together. He began to place wet, open-mouthed kisses on her neck, making his beloved wife go weak in the knees, and whimper in anticipation.

'Never has my name sounded so sweet,' he thought, and leaned in for another kiss, their tongues beginning a passionate dance for dominance, as the distance between them and their bed reduced quickly.

******

The Elder Lady Ruan sat on her armchair, on which she had flopped down, speechless. Although a part of her brain screamed that the punishment should have been more severe, another piece couldn't disagree with Ruan Fai either. The more her thoughts clashed, the more she found herself unable to say or decide anything.

A gentle rippling hum sounded right next to her ear. She jerked violently and looked up to find a tiny, shimmering origami bird, perched on her shoulder. It didn't take her long to figure who the sender was.

Caihong.

Moreover, it was the secret way of the Ruan Sect of sending messages and communicating with each other.

The bird hopped on to her open palm and transformed into a small piece of parchment. The handwriting was messy, and yet graceful, making her shudder with a weird sense of deja vu.
Her mind almost uttered the name of the person of whom she was reminded of when the words scribbled on the sheet made a sheen of cold sweat break out on her forehead.

Grandma,
I had asked you a question before you left the room back then. Don't worry about it any more.

I know.

~ Caihong.

She finally leaned into the backrest of the chair, the piece of parchment dangling from her fingers. Her head was thrown back, her bosom rose and fell in a restless rhythm.

******

Renshu sat on the bed, with an extremely calm expression on his face. Or rather a blank expression on his face.

The world no longer seemed magical. The sky no longer seemed limitless. The chirping of the birds no longer was music to his ears. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to move at all.

He couldn't recall the last time when he had loved the rain and the sunshine all the same. As he looked out of the window, he started seeing darkness around the light instead of the other way around. Soon when those colours vanished too, he settled with lying back down, and looking at the incense burner on the table, watching as the white, misty smoke swirled up and dissolved into nothingness. The same nothingness that was leisurely washing through his veins.

He had always loved the flowers and the birds, the clouds that drifted by. He had always loved the way the leaves move in a breeze and that soft whispering sound they make like nature loved to chatter too. Yet the tiredness that had settled in a while ago remained like a veil over his skin, grey and cold. And as he watched the petals and the twigs swaying outside the window, there was only a creeping sorrow where there should be joy. It sat like the winter rain on his skin, enough to chill what was once warm inside. 

Something, unseen, unheard and silent kept killing him. He felt the pain that was too hard to deal with, too much to cope with. But he couldn't find the will to escape it, let alone try; it was like a black shadow that kept eating him from within.

"Renshu!!"

He almost jumped out of his skin and turned away, not daring to look at the person who had just called him by his name. He began to shake slightly and gulped to soothe his dry, itchy throat.

He heard a pair of scampering feet, and then a tender hand on his head. He quickly shifted away, clearly trying to avoid the physical contact, and yet his heart ached in a strong yearning to feel the gentle touch once again.

He felt a hand slowly and firmly hold his trembling one, and caress the knuckles.

"Come here, Renshu."

Renshu sat still on the bed, not even looking at the person speaking to him.

"Oh, don't be like this, will you? Renshu. Renshu? Please listen to me. Can you get off the bed? Please?"

He finally raised his timid eyes and looked. It was her. That girl from last night.

Last night... He immediately averted his gaze to the incense burner.

From the corner of his eyes which were as alert as a hunted animal, he saw her hand reaching out towards him again. Within an instant, he slid towards the farther end of the bed, folding his knees to his torso.

The girl sighed and got off the bed. She brought a small hand mirror and a comb. She placed the mirror on his knees and started to comb his cascading raven black tresses, gently easing out the knots.

"You look so good with your hair combed, Renshu." She complimented sincerely, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

Renshu didn't dare look at the looking glass, for he didn't want to know who was staring back at him.

"Aiyaa, look at me, I am so careless. I forgot to tell you my name. Of course, you wouldn't talk to a stranger. Although I am not a stranger, but whatever. I am Ruan Caihong. The second daughter of Sect Leader Ruan Fai and Lady Ruan Quinyang."

Renshu nodded, still trembling a bit. He still couldn't muster the courage to look at his saviour.

"Here, have this. I brought this for you. You'll feel better."

Even though he wasn't looking at her, somehow, he knew that she was smiling patiently at him. His heart longed to toast itself in its warmth. But his morbid, fearful mind overruled yet again.

Caihong took his shaking hand, coaxing his fist open and placed a small object wrapped in paper on his white palm.

"Have it. I'll buy you more tomorrow. It's candy."

' Please stop... I will be good...'

His whole body started to shiver.

'I won't ask for extra candy ever again...'

His glottis seemed to clog his windpipe.

' Please don't punish me anymore... I will be a good boy...'

Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

' I will never ask for candy again...'

His hand closed on the candy. Caihong smiled, thinking he had accepted it.

' Please... no more... Let me go... Please...'

His scruffy eyes stung with warm salt drops again.

' Please... stop... Please stop...'

He hurled the candy away.
"STOP!!!"

Caihong, who was startled by the outburst, quickly scrambled off the bed.

She failed to notice what happened right after, and the next thing she knew was Renshu's bloodshot eyes glowering at her, ready to spit out fire. His beautiful face was twisted in a fearsome, enraged scowl and unexpectedly, she felt a pair of hands at her throat.

"Ahh!" She choked out a strangled gasp.

"DIDN'T I SAY THAT I DIDN'T WANT CANDY?? WHY DID YOU BRING THIS??"

Renshu shook her violently and she found herself slammed up against the wooden partition.

"DIDN'T I PROMISE THAT I WOULDN'T ASK FOR EXTRA CANDY ANYMORE??"

"Renshu... Let go...ahh can't breathe..."

"DIDN'T I SAY THAT I WOULDN'T ASK FOR CANDY ANYMORE??"

Caihong kept struggling in that throttling grasp.

"DIDN'T I SAY THAT I WOULD BE GOOD??"

"Ren... please let go... I didn't.."

"I DID SAY SO, DIDN'T I?? I SAID, I WILL BE A GOOD BOY. WHY?? WHY DID YOU GET ME THIS??

I WANT TO BE GOOD!!

I WANT TO BE GOOD!! "