I couldn’t bear to look at Wei and promptly turned away. He looked so weak and exhausted; as soon as his body met Meihua’s, he crumpled like a broken man.

“Shh,” Meihua quickly shushed him as he mumbled incoherently for a bit. Grabbing a wet rag, she did her best to wipe the dried blood off of his pale skin. For Wei, killing such a large number of people was utterly unprecedented—he was a man who upheld justice as if it were the only value in the world, and this was how he was being repaid.

“It’s okay,” Meihua whispered soothingly, “You worked hard. More than hard enough. Rest now, okay?”

Wei’s teeth chattered a bit but he quickly bit down on his lip. “Wake me up in a few hours. I need to check in on everyone.”

She stared at him blankly and turned away, not responding.

Wei, however, kept on talking. “Did Gang manage to sell all my jewelry and accessories for food yet?”

“He’s not back yet,” she replied.

When Gang and Bai journeyed into Anyang to look over his parents, they began to sell as many of their royal or heavenly goods as possible—of course, this meant that Wei ended up giving the most. He was losing spiritual energy and no longer had access to the infinite wealth he once held.

Brought to rock bottom, he sold everything he owned to buy food and medical supplies for these citizens. But, they still wouldn’t pray for him. His work wasn’t good enough because as long as there were people dying, he was a failure.

Meihua wrung out the bloody towel and stared at him for a moment. The back of her cool hand brushed against his sweating forehead. She clearly didn’t want him to talk more than he needed to.

Suddenly, a civilian burst through the shut curtain and screamed, reaching for Wei. Giant demonic limbs practically erupted from his skin, and they chaotically reached all around the room, smashing and tearing through all of the medical items and straw.

“Your Highness, please, give me more of your spiritual energy! I’m going to die any minute now!” The man pleaded desperately, grabbing Wei with his dirtied hands; a mix of demonic fluid, dirt, and blood smeared all over his once pristine robes.

I lifted Zhige and drove the man back but was careful not to injure him. If I did, word would only get around and more people would riot against Wei and Meihua.

“Back up! He’s being treated!” I shouted angrily, shoving him back. I would’ve killed him on the spot if I could.

“Peijin!” Wei snapped, grabbing onto Meihua to pull himself up. “It’s fine. Bring him closer.”

The man shot me a dirty look before he stumbled over to Wei and collapsed on the ground before him. With a trembling hand, Wei touched his forehead and sent spiritual energy flowing through the man. At once, the demonic limbs fell limp, and the man let out a sigh of relief.

Wei, however, looked even more numb.

“Alright, alright, get out of here,” I barked, kicking the man out and shutting the curtain loudly.

Holding still for a moment, Wei couldn’t do anything but try and brush off his robes with a solemn look in his high. With barely a sound, Wei curled up into a fetal position, trying to comfort himself, before shutting his eyes.

“Your Highness, just relax, okay? I’ll take care of everything now,” Meihua softly reassured him.

Careful not to disturb him, Meihua leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his forehead as if he were the most vulnerable being in the world to her.

Wei and Meihua were the type of people to vehemently deny having a favorite person. But, if anyone were to look at the scene playing out before me, they would know that these two were the most important people in the world to one another.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Jia Li.

“I know,” I murmured under my breath, peeking out of the rundown station to see Amelia comforting Ailun right outside. Even those two had gotten very close to each other—the same could be said for Yue and Yang.

“Ah,” I sighed, stepping back and leaving Wei and Meihua alone, “I’m jealous.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: … Jia Li would punch anyone who tried to comfort her.

Snorting, I rolled my eyes. “I wish I could punch you.”

I stood right outside and drew the curtain closed again. My foot tapped on the ground, crunching against the gravel, as I surveyed everything around me.

Gang finally appeared, trudging forward and pushing through the pink ribbon of Meihua’s sword. He wiped sweat and dirt from his brow and flung it toward the ground. A large sack was mounted on his back, and it awkwardly jostled with each unsteady step.

His head lifted slightly to give a curt nod. I stuck Zhige in the ground before helping him unload everything.

“How much were you able to sell Wei’s crown for?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Gang’s face was cold and indifferent as always.

“About two days of food.”

“Two days?!” I exclaimed, smacking my hands against the ground. “That’s it?!”

Gang blew a strand of hair out of his face. “That's all they’ll give to me now. His Highness’ reputation has fallen in Anyang, too, since he hasn’t been able to answer anyone’s prayers.”

“Those fuckers,” I snapped, kicking my foot up against a rock. “It’s only been a week, and they’ve turned their backs to their god.”

Meihua finally exited from the room with a cup of tea in her hands; she walked over to Gang and gently poured it into his mouth, rejuvenating him. “Hi, Gang. How much food did you get?”

“Two days,” he quietly grumbled.

Both of us stared at her nervously, but she didn’t look surprised or disappointed. Instead, she flashed a considerate smile. “Good work, Gang. I’m sure they’re a tough crowd right now, right?”

Gang only made a small sound of acknowledgement and scratched the back of his neck.

An awkward silence persisted for a moment before Meihua spoke pleasantly again: “Gang, I hate to ask, but can you watch over while Peijin and I leave to talk?”

He shot her an inquisitive look before shaking his head. “I’ll go with you two. I need to clear my head.”

“Ha ha,” She laughed weakly, but her crows feet were now visible beside her eyes, “I guess that makes all three of us, then. I’ll let Yang know then, and we can keep it short.”

The three of us headed into a wooded area past the survivors and a patch untouched by the war. She searched for herbs and plucked them when she found the right one after twirling them in her cracked fingers. Gang lagged behind the two of us, his ragged breath audible.

The three of us walked for quite some time in shared silence. The sun was at the top of the sky, and the large, white clouds gently rolled over the scenery with a childlike innocence. Down at the ground, however, the fog of blood persisted and tainted the forest.

“Peijin,” Meihua began, her voice slightly wavering now, “When I first met you, I thought you were selfish.”

My eye twitched.

Many observers have burst out laughing!

Observer ‘Socrates’: She laid that out very bluntly, Jia Li.

My brows furrowed. “Hey, if you called me out here to—”

“Peijin,” she interjected, “I wish I was more like you.”

Meihua blurted out the words, not meeting my eyes. “I wish I lived a little bit more like you.”

Gang’s eyes lit up in surprise. He had known Meihua for years, and words like this coming out of her mouth were unheard of. Throughout this entire ordeal, she never peeped a complaint.

I snorted, pushing my hair back and out of my face. “You don’t mean that.”

Fuck, if Karma didn’t keep getting in the way, I would have already solved this.

“I thought about what you said,” Meihua continued, no longer walking. “About saving everybody with the serpent’s eye.”

“Yeah, I was pretty brilliant with that, right?” I said in a cocky tone, trying to dispel the strange energy that seemed to weigh down on us.

She ignored my attempt and slightly looked over her shoulder. I could make out the gentle slope of her features now, and I hated to admit it, but they lost their charm.

“I… I think you know me very well, Peijin. It’s strange. I haven’t known you for a long time, but everytime I catch you staring at me, I feel exposed?” Her intonation raised at the last word like she was searching for the right word.

“... Don’t make me sound like some kind of pervert now.”

Gang was visibly lost, not having heard of our earlier conversation. But, at the mention of saving everybody and the demonic item, he quickly seemed to pick up on my suggestion.

“But, Peijin, when you finally told me about the serpent’s eye, I realized something about myself,” Meihua said with a growing voice, finally turning around to face me. “Peijin, I don’t want to save these people.”

Gang’s expression widened in complete shock and disbelief. He was watching a god, a friend, completely break down before him—one with some of the greatest moral values and priorities.

This felt impossible.

“I don’t want to save any of them if this is how they repay His Highness!” Meihua shouted, grabbing onto her chest, “I can’t stand it! I can’t stand to see him—”

“Hey, hey, hey!” I exclaimed, rushing toward her and grabbing onto her shoulders.

Finally, she let out a cry and tears began to fall down her face. “If Wei is going to go through all of this just to be banished, I’ll go with him. I’ll leave Anyang to Daji or Emperor Di Xin. I don’t care. But I can’t stand to see Wei like this!

“Burn my temples and use me. Stab me a million times with the most cursed blade. Banish me and send me to hell for an eternity. I don’t care what it is, but I can’t bear to see Wei sad for even a minute! No, not even a second!”

I stared at her with a pained expression. More and more tears fell down her face, and I made eye contact with a stunned Gang. Meihua would have never had a breakdown like this in Surviving My First Run, and a small look of satisfaction crossed my face before it quickly vanished.

So characters weren’t cemented to what I had written.

Scathing Reviewer activated!

The last thing I wanted was for Meihua to become as pitiful as I was. There was definitely nothing to be gained from Meihua if she turned her back to her morals.

But…

“I-I’m sorry, Gang. I’m ashamed that you have to see me like this,” Meihua apologized, looking deeply distraught as she lowered her head to the ground before both of us. “Peijin, please tell me that I’m wrong.”

I looked at her for a moment, the sad, pitiful expression on her face. Such a perfect woman was envious of someone like me.

“Meihua,” I said firmly, placing the serpent’s eye in her hand. “Leave. Take His Highness and escape. My party will see things through to the end. Be selfish. Whatever you decide, I’ll stay by your side and fight for you.”