Chapter 12 – The Spirit in Her Palm (1)
As the night delved deeper, the brothers continued to immerse themselves with each other’s company until the conversations dwindled and the night embraced its quiet. At this hours, Ye Zhen had already retired to her room alone, she let her maid-in-waiting rest right after she finished helping her step into her nightgown.
Weary, she nestled under the sheets comfortably and let exhaustion lull her. She was about to lost 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 on her right palm had another drop of red glittering water which she remembered, appeared once 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, ans the droplet rolled on one fresh wound of her palm she caused herself when anxiety of meeting Lu Lingzhi became too great of a burden. The wounds bled, yes, but she didn’t as much gave it attention for she dealt with pain much 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 the palm of her hand. Is she hallucinating? The palm of her hand, which had jus been pinched bloody by her fingernails now had only a few traces of faint scars.
No way! 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’s was shocked and uncertain. She had no idea what had happened. The palm of her hand, which had been bloody a moment before, was now only scarred. If it were not for the strange experience that she had once died, she would have screamed out in terror.
By then, a struck of suspicion hit her. Looking closely at the eye of the phoenix, she saw another droplet of glittering water slowly emerge from it.
With 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 bleeding wound slowly stopped and the opened skin was healing..
Just like a 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 was not only reborn but was also given such a wonderful ability by God?
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.
Maybe tomorrow she will 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 bed gasping for air.
Confused, the maid didn’t understand what was exactly going on with Ye Zhen but it did look like nightmares haunt her everyday that 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 are 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 where she washed her hands last night… The droplet mixed with the water, was it the one who made her scars disappear?
“Is the water in that basin still there?” 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 other water in the basin the third miss used in the courtyard the other day was poured and yesterday, this servant looked at the flowers and plants outside, and some withered plants bloomed to life again! So, this servant emptied the basin in the miss’ room from last night and poured it to the garden also.” Seeing Ye Zhen finally taking the initiative to talk, the maid can’t help but say a few more words.
Ye Zhen was stunned. True to the maid’s words, how did the withered flowers bloomed to life from pouring the water she washed her hands with?
“What is your name?”
“This maid servant’s name is Dai Mei, third miss.” said the maid with a smile.