Chapter 28 - Shen's Past- You Are A Part Of My Family Now

Shen looked away from him and to the distance, before he told his story.

[Fire. It was everywhere around him, hot and loud. He called out to anybody, but no one could hear the poor boy, no one cared. He forced his legs to run out as his arms covered his face. His legs and arms were burning, like his skin was melting, but he ignored the pain. He ran and ran until he was away from the hot flames. The small shack he was in was covered in fire. His mother… the only one who cared for him was now gone. He was alone in the cold of the night sky.

Crying and crying, he wrapped his arms around his knees, stuffing his face against his arms. He didn't know how long he sat there, but he was starving and cold. There was nothing left in the fire, no bones of his mother, no memories of their times in the house. Everything was gone.

He curled over his stomach, feeling the gnawing and clenching of his insides.

'Walk,' he told himself, 'Survive. I have too. Mother wouldn't want me to die… mother-'

He stopped himself from thinking any further. His mother with her dark hair and soft eyes, smiling at him as he slept were the last memory he had of her. Ignoring the tears threatening to slip, he pushed all the emotions of anger, sadness, confusion, and loneliness to the back of his mind. He needed to get food… but he was no thief. He will ask the villagers, he will beg if he needed to, he had to eat.

His bare feet were bleeding and his body was weak. When he got to the village, he could barely beg for food or help. His mouth barely moved and his head was hurting. Was this what it was like to die? He fell against a wall somewhere and sat there for some time. It felt so warm to him, like an embrace from the sun instead of hot like the flames or the cold of the night sky. He closed his eyes and wondered if his mother would be waiting for him. Had he done good in his life? Would his soul go to the reincarnation wheel?

Water, his thought flooded him and he swallowed. The cool liquid slid down his throat and he drank and drank and drank. Blinking slowly, he saw someone before him with dark hair and soft eyes.

'Mother?' He wondered as the face neared him.

Fingers ran through his dirtied silver hair and he tried to move away from them, embarrassed at his appearance, but the person did not deter away. Instead, those fingers wiped the wetness from his cheeks and he realized he had cried.

"What is your name?" The person questioned and his voice was so warm, just like his mother's.

"Fu Shen," he answered with a scratchy harsh voice and he closed his mouth quickly. He sounded ugly. He was ugly.

"Come, Ah Shen," a hand was offered to him and he took that hand, so strong and large compared to his.

Since that day, Shen was saved. He could never repay the king for his kindness in caring for a poor, weak, ugly person like him. The Ghost King asked nothing from him, but Shen knew he must do something, something to repay the kindness he received. The white-haired boy decided to make the meal his mother loved. Though they were poor and had very little, his mother would rarely splurged on pricier meat and rice.

The chef and cooks in the kitchen were wary of him, a poor boy their king took pity on. They did not stop him from cooking or assisted him, but that was okay with Shen. He didn't need help. Plating the meal, he placed it on a tray and carried it to the Ghost King. He could see his king, his savior, was speaking with some of the servants, maybe to have them prepare for an arrival? Clutching the handles, he walked slowly and with purpose toward his king, but a servant- one that looked down on him since his stay- saw him.

The servant ran into him and sneered when the tray in his hands wobbled and fell. Broken bowls sounded in the air and he stood frozen in shock. The meal he had worked so hard to make… the meal his mother loved… the meal for his savior was now… it was now…

"Ah Shen," the soft voice of his king sounded before him, "Are you alright?"

He did his best to hold himself together. The Ghost King was strong, presentable, and does not let anything ruin his face… so he will do the same! He gritted his teeth and bowed.

"I apologize for the mess, my king. I will accept any punishment you wish to give me."

He fisted his hands on his knees and forced the tears away, forced the anger, the hurt, the pain to leave his body. His king did not need an emotional mess like him. His body stilled when he felt fingers running through his white hair.

"Did you make this for me, Ah Shen?" His savior questioned and he nodded.

He kept his face lowered in the bow and heard the king called out to his servants to clean the mess.

"Come, Ah Shen," he saw the hand, that large strong hand, held out to him again like before… like the first time, "Make it for me again."

Like before, he took the offered hand.

Back in the kitchen, he worked even harder to make it perfect. Shen plated the meal once more and placed it on the tray. Heading out of the kitchen, he saw Madame Yun and the Ghost King seated at the table. He glanced at his tray and only saw he had one bowl, since he didn't know the elder was going to join as well. Quickly adding another bowl, he was about to walk out, but one of the kitchen servants tapped him on the shoulder.

"Tea first, our king enjoys ginger in his tea and Madame Yun prefer to have chili oil with her meals."

"Thank you," he bowed gratefully and grabbed a sauce plate to add the chili oil.

"I'll bring the tea out and you can serve them, child," the elder servant smiled at him and Shen bowed once more. The white-haired boy followed the gray haired elder to the table. She greeted them with a bow and placed the tea tray down before leaving. Shen bowed as well and placed the meal tray down. Serving them each their tea, he placed the bowls before them, chili oil beside Madame Yun's bowl, and the meat and rice at arm's reach.

"You made this yourself?" The head of the house questioned.

"Yes, Madame," he bowed.

"This looks delicious, Ah Shen," the king smiled and the white-haired boy saved that smile to remember.

"Thank you, my king."

He watched as the female scooped the rice into her bowl and proceeded to pick a beef off the plate. She took a bite and hummed, before eating a bit of the rice.

"Auntie enjoys it," the Ghost King stated and proceeded to do the same, but his reaction was different than the females. Shen watched as silver eyes widened before glancing at the meal plated before him again. He watched as his king ate like he had not tasted this specific meal before, like it was an extravagant high-quality meal.

"Slow down, nephew, before you-" Yun shook her head as the raven-haired king coughed from eating too fast. She slapped his back with an amused smile as her nephew wiped his mouth with the handkerchief.

"My apologies. This meal… it is delicious Ah Shen. I thank you."

"Truly?" Shen said without thinking before he bowed, "Thank you my king. Those are kind words."

"I am glad you are here," the king stated and he looked at his savior with widened eyes, "No one should give you trouble anymore, isn't that right?"

Shen furrowed his brows for a moment before he saw the one who had been troubling him fall to his knees before them, head pressed to the ground.

"Yes. I apologize my king, Madame Yun, and Fu Shen. Please forgive me."

"What punishment would you like to give to him?" The Ghost King asked the white-haired boy.

Shen was still in shocked that his king even knew about what that man was doing. Was he not busy with his work as king? Did someone finally told his savior of the maltreatment he received at the hands of the man? Calming himself down, he cleared off his face and stared at the man before him.

"My king," he turned to the man in red, "Whatever you wish, I will agree with."

"Death," The Ghost King said with no hesitation and Shen did not flinched.

"As you wish, my king."

The man cried out and begged for forgiveness once more, but Wang Li was not listening.

"You beg forgiveness when you gave none to one of my own. You wish for penitence instead of death, yet you've already brought shame to not just your fellow people, but to me. I've waited to see if you would change your ways, yet you've only became more bolden. That boldness will carry on to others and more will join in wishing harm upon what is mine. Do you understand why death is your only option?"

The man was crying and nodding his head, but Shen only can hear what his king stated. He belonged to the Ghost King. His king knew of the treatment against him and had enough.

"Ma… Madame-"

"You wish for me to save you?" The female sipped her tea coolly as if what was transpiring was like watching the blossoms fall off the plum trees, "The Ghost King has spoken. The punishment will be dealt, and all will know where they stand."

Shen followed them to the courtyard where the punishment will be taken. All the servants were watching with agreement, fear, and ambivalence. The man kneeled and faced the sky, praying for the Heavens to forgive his behaviors, his sins, his hate. Shen watched as the Ghost King stood before the man and stabbed him through the heart. Coughs of blood splattered onto the king's shoulder and the man closed his eyes, welcoming death.

"Thank you, my king," the man uttered before his heart stopped.

Pulling the sword out, the dead man fell bleeding on the floor. As the servants bowed lowly and returned to their work quietly, he saw his king walk toward him and paused. He saw blood on his savior's cheek, and he pressed a tissue to wipe the stain away. Fingers wrapped around his wrist and he saw the smile on his king's lips.

"No one will dare hurt you again, Ah Shen. You are a part of my family now."

His nose was itching and his eyes were watery from belonging once more. He felt the chest of his king's, warm against his skin and that made him let go. He cried and cried for longer than he had wished, but his king continued to stroke his white hair soothingly. Closing his eyes, he vowed to care for his king, to have his king in his heart, to do everything his savior asked of him.

'Just like mother.']

"Since then, Sir Yue, I owe my king my life," Shen finished running his fingers over the red ribbon wrapped around his neck.