Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – The Spirit In Her Palm (1)

As the night delved deeper, the brothers continued to immerse themselves in each other’s company until the conversations dwindled and the night embraced its quiet. At this hour, Ye Zhen had already retired to her room alone, she let her maid-in-waiting rest soon after she had finished helping her into her sleeping robes.

Weary, she nestled under the sheets comfortably and let exhaustion lull her. She was about to lose herself in her dreams when she felt the familiar tingling sensation on her right hand. She groggily sat up and fixed her gaze over her right palm.

The flaming phoenix tattoo had another drop of red glittering water just like the one that had appeared before. She froze, chills ran the back of her spine. Her transmigration was a mystery, and this was yet a part of it.

She tentatively touched the droplet with her fingertip, the droplet rolled on one fresh wound of her palm- it was the one she had caused herself when the anxiety of meeting Lu Lingzhi became too great of a burden. The wounds bled, yes, but she didn’t give it any attention because she was dealing with pain far worse than a scrape by fingernails.

But at this moment, her attention was invested entirely on the wound, not by the presence of it but rather, by the absence of it! She opened her eyes wide in horror.

What is going on?

She turned her palm.

Is she hallucinating?

The palm, which had just been pinched bloody by her fingernails now had only a few traces of faint scars.

This cannot be! Ye Zhen exclaimed to herself.

The wound on her left palm was oozing with blood and she could actually recall the stabbing pain the moment her fingernails dug deep in her skin. It surely couldn’t be an illusion!

Ye Zhen was shocked and uncertain. She had no idea what had happened. The palm, which had been bloody a moment before, was now only scarred. If it were not for the strange death she had just experienced, she would have screamed in terror.

Right then, a thought struck her. Looking closely at the eye of the phoenix, she saw another droplet of glittering water slowly emerge.

With a pounding heart, she tentatively smeared the droplet on another wound on her left palm. Although there was only one drop, it was enough to soak the entire wound.

The wound slowly stopped bleeding and the open skin started healing.

Just like spring, droplets of water continued to appear from the phoenix’s eyes. She turned ghastly pale as an absurd idea came to her.

Was she, Ye Zhen, not only reborn but was also given such a wonderful ability by the Heavens?

Unutterable panic swarmed her thoughts and she hastily put her hands in the basin and watched the droplets disappear in the water. It took her a long time before she wiped her hands and decided to finally have a good sleep.

Perhaps tomorrow she would find that she was dreaming. She hoped.

*

Ye Zhen did not sleep well that night. She dreamed all night that she was discovered by Lu Lingzhi and then consumed once again by the scorching fire.

“Third Miss, did you have a nightmare again?”

The maid came to attend to her mistress and saw her sitting on the bed gasping for air.

Confused, the maid didn’t understand what exactly was going on with Ye Zhen but it did look like nightmares haunted her every day that even sedatives couldn’t even help anymore!

Ye Zhen nodded and heaved a sigh of relief. She then looked down at her hands and was astonished. How odd, for the once rough and scarred hands were now smooth, flawless even!

Instead of having soft smooth hands just like other little girls, Lu Yaoyao’s hands were rough since her childhood. Due to her constant trek in the meadows, scars from accidental scratches marred the back of her palms.

Ye Zhen looked at the basin of water she had washed her hands in last night… The droplet mixed with the water, was it the one that had erased her scars?

“Does the basin still have water?” Ye Zhen asked the maid next to her, only to find that she did not seem to know the name of the maid serving her.

“The water in the basin that Third Miss had used in the courtyard the other day, was poured out and yesterday, this servant looked at the flowers and plants outside… some withered plants bloomed to life again! So, this servant emptied the basin in Miss’ room from last night and poured it into the garden.”

Seeing Ye Zhen finally taking the initiative to talk, the maid couldn’t help but say a few more words.

Ye Zhen was stunned. True to the maid’s words, how did the withered flowers bloom to life from pouring the water she washed her hands with?

“What is your name?”

“This servant is called Dai Mei, Third Miss,” said the maid with a smile.