Chapter 007

Chapter 7: Died Terribly in Her Last Life

“Sorry.” The three of them bowed ninety degrees in unison and apologized to the shopkeeper and to Ye Wan Wan.

Ye Wan Wan stayed quiet.

The white robed youth was pinned down by Bai Jian. He struggled to get up and protested: “You smashed the inn. What does that have to do with me? Why do I have to apologize?”

Bai Jian dropped a slap. With a thud, the white robed youth crashed into the floor and lay at the bottom of a fresh pit, not getting up for a long time.

The shopkeeper shivered and looked ready to cry. Fang He An tried to comfort him and said: “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, my Second Senior Sister doesn’t hit people.”

He turned and saw Bai Jian squatting by the youth, digging the pit even deeper. Fang He An lowered his voice and repeated: “She really doesn’t hit people.”

The shopkeeper fell to his knees with a thump, raised both hands over his head, and begged: “Two experts, please spare us. We are just a small business. Tell us what you want and we will give it!”

Fang He An grimaced. They were not robbers at all. He checked the ruins, then pulled out Spirit Stones to pay for damages. He only had two pieces left. He looked back and asked carefully: “Senior Sister, do you have any?”

Bai Jian hauled the white robed youth over and said: “No. But he does.” She reached straight into his robe and fished out a pouch.

The white robed youth screamed: “Those are my Spirit Stones!”

Bai Jian said: “Now they’re mine.”

Ye Wan Wan studied the youth’s face for a long time, trying to be sure. At last she asked, a little uncertain: “Li Wan Zhi?”

All three turned to stare at Ye Wan Wan. Fang He An asked: “You know each other?”

Ye Wan Wan had looked closely at all three of them. So that meant… she knew all three?

Even after Bai Jian and Fang He An emptied all their Spirit Stones, it still was not enough for the boss. Li Wan Zhi refused to hand over his. Fang He An asked: “Can’t we borrow?” Li Wan Zhi snorted: “Can you even pay it back?”

They almost started fighting again.

Ye Wan Wan walked to the broken windows and murmured: “No need to make it so troublesome.” She took talisman paper from her robe and used cinnabar to draw a talisman quickly. The light of a Repair Talisman Slip flashed. With a hush, an invisible force pulled the shattered doors and windows together and set them back in place.

Fang He An and the shopkeeper gaped. Even Bai Jian’s eyes shone and she said: “So amazing.”

But just then, two window frames crashed down with a bang. The street fell silent.

Ye Wan Wan thought for a moment and said: “The talisman paper was a bit low quality.”

Fang He An waved both hands and said: “It’s enough, it’s enough.” He and Li Wan Zhi fixed the rest of the windows by hand, hammering away through the late night. Bai Jian wanted to help, but Fang He An drew a line with his hand and said: “Second Senior Sister, let us handle this small job.” Li Wan Zhi’s forehead was covered in sweat. If Bai Jian helped, the whole street would be gone.

So Bai Jian could only stand at the door, holding the Little Taotie by its rope and waiting. Ye Wan Wan watched beside her.

Bai Jian’s limbs were long; though thin, she had clear muscle. Standing next to Ye Wan Wan, she looked not only healthy but also half a head taller. Seeing Ye Wan Wan, Bai Jian’s gaze softened with sympathy. She took a steamed bun from her robe and held it out.

Ye Wan Wan blinked.

Bai Jian said: “I hid it before dinner. It’s clean.”

Looking at Bai Jian’s hand, Ye Wan Wan knew she had noticed how the meal she ordered earlier had not been touched before the inn got smashed. Ye Wan Wan reached out and accepted it and said: “Thank you.”

Bai Jian grinned and said: “You’re welcome.”

Her smile lit her eyes, and Ye Wan Wan’s mind suddenly flashed with new information: “Bai Jian, the one hundred and first personal disciple of Heavenly One Sect. Born with divine strength. Has a Heaven Grade Earth Spiritual Root. Betrayed by her lover, who dug out her spiritual root and her heart and lungs. Died with no body left whole.” In that split second of memory, Ye Wan Wan also saw Bai Jian’s eyes refusing to close in death.

Ye Wan Wan went pale. The bun slipped from her fingers, but it did not hit the ground. Someone caught it.

Bai Jian caught it, glanced at Ye Wan Wan, and put the bun back in her hand. Her warm fingers and her voice both carried a gentle heat as she asked: “Your face doesn’t look good. Did he bully you? I can beat him up for you.”

The one she pointed at, Li Wan Zhi, froze. He almost jumped up to curse, but Fang He An held him back and said: “How could you bully a little miss?”

Li Wan Zhi pointed at himself and said: “Me? You mean me? Bully what? I don’t even know her.”

Fang He An gave him a look that said he did not believe a word and said: “She traveled a long way to find you. You must have done something. Otherwise why would she come?”

Li Wan Zhi threw down his tools. He looked ready to curse, but because Ye Wan Wan was a girl, he held himself back and muttered: “I only refused to join your Heavenly One Sect. You don’t have to ruin my name too, do you?”

Fang He An pointed at Ye Wan Wan and said: “Look, she’s about to cry.”

Li Wan Zhi said firmly: “That has nothing to do with me.”

Fang He An gasped and said: “She really is crying. Oh no, tears.”

Li Wan Zhi backed away and said: “I really don’t… know her.” His voice grew less certain. When Bai Jian’s palm wind whooshed at him, he jumped three feet high and dodged.

Seeing Ye Wan Wan’s eyes turn red, Li Wan Zhi hopped in front of her and said in a rush: “Hey, hey, I couldn’t have really wronged you, right? I really don’t know you. This is our first time meeting, if I remember right. In all my life, at most I brushed past Heavenly One Sect and stole a little something from them, but I didn’t steal from you.”

He fumbled and flapped his hands. Even Fang He An stood in the doorway, not sure what to do.

Ye Wan Wan touched her face and realized she was crying. She said softly: “The wind is strong. It got in my eyes.”

Li Wan Zhi looked like he was about to kneel and begged: “If you don’t say something, my clean name will be ruined here.”

After half the night, the doors and windows were finally repaired. The four of them did not linger and left Jinshi Town before dawn. Li Wan Zhi walked as far from Ye Wan Wan as possible, but Fang He An bumped him toward her and said: “Get over there.”

Li Wan Zhi snapped: “Then give me back Little Jin Yu.” Fang He An said crisply: “Confiscated.”

They muttered at each other. Li Wan Zhi felt Ye Wan Wan’s eyes on him and his back prickled. He tried hard to remember any connection. A girl this pretty, if he had met her, there was no way he would forget.

Ye Wan Wan kept a straight face and said: “We knew each other in our last life.”

Bai Jian and Fang He An traded a meaningful look and said together: “Ooh.”

Li Wan Zhi fell silent, then spat and said: “How could you remember things from a past life.”

Ye Wan Wan answered: “I remember. Everything you did after you turned three, I remember. You told me all of it.”

Li Wan Zhi stared, stunned, then said: “I don’t believe it.”

Ye Wan Wan said softly: “You also said that if I ever had any trouble, I could come to you, and you would protect me.” She tilted her head and looked at him and asked: “Does that still count?”

Her eyes were bright. Li Wan Zhi opened his mouth, but he could not say no. He scratched his hair, even more confused, and said: “That does sound like the kind of brag I’d make, but I really never said it.”

Fang He An glanced between them and asked: “Second Senior Sister, what do we do?” Their Sect Master Senior Uncle had told them to bring back one Li Wan Zhi. Now should they bring one more?

Bai Jian said neatly: “Take them both.”