Chasing the Fleeting Flower

22: A lost soul

When Rui woke up, she had a splitting headache. She was delirious and muddle-headed. Her body ached and even a single limb felt like it weighed a hundred tons. She coughed violently and her throat burned for water. Tears welled up from the pain.

Wheezing, she slowly observed her surroundings. The wall was built from stone and bricks, while the only opening was a high window with bars on one of the gray walls. The ground was dirty, stained with bodily fluids and other substances that she didn't want to think about. In the corner, there was a large hay stack——most likely stale and damp. It was filthy in here.

The metal door suddenly unlocked, making her whip her head around, which resulted in swirls of black dots that covered her vision. She waited for them to pass as she slowly made out three figures standing before her. Two large, one petite. It was Cai Zhi, his personal guard, and held within his grip was...Liling. Her face was covered in black bruises and bathed in blood. Her once innocent eyes now drifted away from reality and empty like a doll. Rui screeched like a madwoman as she extended her hand to grab ahold of the poor girl, except her body was bound to the floor by her exhaustion and devastation. It was like an invisible chain, tying her fate to this tragedy. She fell to the floor and cried aloud painfully, "Liling!"

Liling made sounds, but there was no words. Confusion fused with her distress, and she came to the realization that Liling had bit off her tongue. Horrified, Rui could only stare.

"Surprised?" CaiZhi asked with a casual tone, "She's such a loyal girl. She bit her own tongue to bring her secrets to her grave but unfortunately, she didn't bleed to death. So, we had some time to spare on her. Nevertheless, I had already figured it out, so it was meaningless."

Tears streamed from Rui's eyes and she shook her head in denial as she gazed at the half-dead girl who fell to the floor. Cai Zhi smiled darkly, "In other words, there is no need for her anymore. I brought her here for you to look at one last time. Am I not magnanimous?"

He signaled the guard by flicking his hand. The guard nodded and pulled out a shiny dagger. Before Rui could even see the knife move, it had already pierced Liling's delicate neck. She gurgled blood as it poured from her mouth, dripping down her chin to the floor. Liling stared at her and gave a soft smile before she completely collapsed to the floor. Rui felt her stomach drop and churned with sourness. She cried out desperately, screaming 'no' over and over again as she watched the life slowly fade from Liling's gentle eyes.

"I'll deal with the other girl next time." He grinned from ear to ear. The men left and the metal doors locked again.

With her bloody hands, Rui dragged her body towards the girl and sobbed. Her nails painfully dug into the floor, pulling her across to reach Liling. She cried her heart out as she clung the still warm body who passed away with lifeless eyes and a content smile. She carefully caressed Liling's bruised face and sobbed even more.

"Rui is sorry. Rui could not show you the beautiful city and the beautiful landscapes of mother nature. I did not fulfill my promise to you. This is all my fault...I shouldn't have involved you! If—if I didn't escape and remained obedient, would you still be here?" Rui howled with sadness as endless streams of salty tears trickled down like a waterfall. She begged any deity, or higher beings, to perhaps change fate. She blamed them, and then she bargained.

Her grieving moans filled the damp room and the smell of death began to disperse. Still, she did not let go of the cold body. After a long, long time, Rui finally let go and her distant gaze stared off into space. She wiped her tears from her tear-stained cheeks and gently laid Liling down. She wordlessly straightened her clothes and wiped away the dried blood from her face with the edge of her sleeves. While she was cleaning Liling up, she found a small pendant in her clothes. It was a simply flower engraved into the wood. Rui cried once more as she held the pendant close to her broken-heart. After she safely tucked it away, she bore into the dirt patch with her bare hands. However, she reached the stone covered floor within a few digs. Rui scoffed with anger. The floor was originally stone. To make her think that she can escape, he deliberately poured a lay of dirt just to make a fool out of her. Rui covered her eyes with the back of her dirty hands as she cried once more.

She couldn't even bury Liling properly. She couldn't do anything for her. She had failed her.

With the shallow hole, she gently laid the cold body down and she covered it with soil and hay. She sat in front of the grave.

"Liling, in our next life, I will fulfill my promise. I will bring you everywhere and let you see the whole world. You will no longer be a servant. You will be my sister. I'll take you to eat good food, watch plays, and...and..." Rui hiccuped and couldn't continued. She crumbled to the floor and weeped in her arms until she passed out.

Rui awoken to the reek of death, but it didn't seem to bother her much. She slowly sat up with swollen eyes and a pounding headache, and she stared at the grave before shifting her gaze to the barred window. The sunlight peeked in and guiltily greeted her as the wind said 'hello' through the small opening. Her stomach growled in hunger and her opened wounds were starting to grow red with inflammation. The sound of metal opening and closing echoed inside the cell. She heard a tray slide on the floor and the smell of plain bun covered the decomposing stench. The guards even left a jug of water. Even so, she continued to stare aimlessly at the sky. How could she ever leave now?

A pair of birds flew by and their chirps resounded. Rui blinked slowly but an idea suddenly came to her. Of course! Why did she not think of that? She scrambled to her feet, but quickly fell again and the urge to puke surged. She was simply too weak. She glanced at the food and pulled her body towards it. After consuming the bun that tasted like rocks and hydrating her dry throat, she pressed her ears against the metal door.

Once she made sure that the guards took their break, she slowly stood up again. Steadying herself against the wall, she curled her tongue and puckered her lips just like how Yu Jian taught her. She blew a whistle, but it was more like a whisper of a breeze. Again and again, she couldn't do it. Frustrated, she cursed at the gods and threatened to burn their jewels. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

After the nth time, she finally blew a sharp distinct whistle. Her lips curved and she let out a relieved sigh. "I...I did it," she mumbled to herself. With eyes full of hope, she stared in desperation. A few minutes had passed and nothing had happened. She successfully blew another call, but to no avail. The shimmer of hope dimmed into a tiny cluster of stars. By now, the guards had already returned to their post.

They banged on the metal door with their sword, "Hey! Keep it down!"

"If you don't shut up, then you won't have your meal for tomorrow!" The other threatened, and it worked. Rui said no more as she continued to stare behind the iron bars. While waiting, she looked around the cell in search of something to write on. Finding none, she thoughtfully surveyed her dress and she tore the cleanest spot she could find. Although it was stained with some dirt and blood, it was still doable. With her already wounded fingers, she simply reopened one and wrote on the cloth with her blood. After she was done, she rolled it up and hid it in her sleeves. Sitting down, she continued to wait.

When it was dusk, Rui was dozing off and her head tipped to the side. Then, she heard a familiar chirp. She shot up, causing her nausea to return, and eyed the window.

"Ting Ting!" she whispered in happiness. The little bird tilted her head and flew in, landing on her shoulder. With hurried fingers, she tied the message on her leg. She begged, "Ting Ting, bring this to Yu Jian please?"

She chirped and flew out the same opening she entered. Rui watched in envy as the little messenger flew off. Now, she plays the waiting game. Rui curled herself up and whimpered, "Will he even come?"