Kuo Lok continued his steady march down the dirt road. He had planned to stop and rest but seeing that Bazar Batu was fast asleep on his back, he decided against it. Instead, he simply readjusted his grip and kept walking, unwilling to disturb his friend.
Bazar Batu slowly awakened to the distant murmur of voices. He opened his eyes, blinking away his drowsiness, and realized they were approaching a bustling city gate.
"Where are we?" he mumbled sleepily.
"We're in Tianshan," Kuo Lok replied.
Bazar Batu looked up at him, his expression one of groggy confusion. "Tianshan? Lok ge ge, where are we going?"
"To an inn to rest," Kuo Lok said, his voice as calm and steady as his stride.
As Kuo Lok carried him past a small, unassuming stall, a memory came to Bazar Batu. He saw the table in the middle of the room, exactly where a stranger had sat two years ago, drinking alone and looking heartbroken. Bazar Batu wondered what had become of the man's love life, then a sudden, absurd detail from their conversation came back to him: the man had claimed his "wife" was a man. Bazar Batu couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's wrong?" Kuo Lok asked.
"Lok ge ge," Bazar Batu said, pointing to the table. "Two years ago, I met a stranger sitting there alone, drowning his sorrows. I told him drinking wouldn't solve his problems."
"My mother said the same thing," Kuo Lok replied.
"Do you know why he was drinking all alone in the middle of the night?" Bazar Batu asked, a wicked grin on his face.
"Why?" Kuo Lok asked, his gaze fixed on Bazar Batu.
Bazar Batu chuckled again, enjoying the suspense. "He was jealous of his wife," he said, enjoying the irony. "He told me she never praised him, but she spoke so nicely to everyone else." He let out another soft laugh. "Before he left, do you know what else he told me?"
"What?" Kuo Lok asked, intrigued.
"He said his wife has a short temper and is easily embarrassed," Bazar Batu said, pausing for a moment. He took a deep breath. "And then he told me... that his wife is a man."
Kuo Lok's brow furrowed in confusion. "A man?"
"Yes," Bazar Batu confirmed, his voice now soft and serious. He looked directly at Kuo Lok. "Lok ge ge, could you ever fall in love with a man? Do you think it's... weird? I wanted to ask that stranger so many more questions, but he just waved at me to enjoy my food and left."
"I don't know," Kuo Lok replied, his voice soft.
Bazar Batu realized he had asked too many questions to know which one Kuo Lok was answering. "You don't know what?" he asked again.
"We're here," Kuo Lok said simply, his voice a matter of fact. He carried Bazar Batu into the bustling inn.
A waiter approached them. "How many rooms?" he asked.
"One," Bazar Batu replied immediately.
"Shouldn't we have two?" Kuo Lok asked, his voice hesitant.
"One is enough," Bazar Batu insisted, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'll just sleep on the floor."
The waiter's patience was wearing thin. "So," he asked again, a bit more forcefully, "how many rooms?"
Kuo Lok looked at Bazar Batu's determined face, then sighed softly. "One," he said.
The waiter showed them to their room, a simple space with a single bed and a small table. After they ordered food, Kuo Lok sat down, looking at Bazar Batu. "Why did you say we only needed one room?" he asked.
Bazar Batu gave a sly smile. "Da ge," he said, "you kicked my horse, remember? My money bag was on its back. Now I have no money."
"Oh," Kuo Lok replied simply.
"'Oh?' Is that all you can say?" Bazar Batu scoffed, feigning indignation. "You could at least apologize for kicking my horse."
"I saved you from those three men," Kuo Lok countered, his voice flat.
Bazar Batu's smile turned to a theatrical one. "Thank you very much for saving me. Now, please get out."
Kuo Lok stood and walked toward the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, turning to stare at Bazar Batu. "Why do I need to get out?"
Bazar Batu's smile became a strained grimace as the acid from the earlier fight began to burn his skin. "Or," he said through gritted teeth, "do you want to watch me take a bath?"
"Oh," Kuo Lok replied, his eyes wide with innocent confusion.
Bazar Batu leaned closer. "Ge ge," he pleaded, "guard the door for me. Make sure no one peeks at me while I wash."
Kuo Lok nodded without hesitation, stepped into the hallway, and gently closed the door.
Bazar Batu began to take off his clothes, a wry smile on his face. I've never met anyone so stupid such as you, he thought to himself. He slid into the bathtub, the warm water a welcome relief. As he soaked, his mind drifted back to the temple. Without Kuo Lok, he might have been killed by Miao Mingzhu, or perhaps, he mused with a shudder, died of a heart attack from pure terror at the sight of that snake.
He sighed, the grudging admiration clear in his thoughts. Even if he's a little slow on the uptake and can only answer one question at a time, his fighting skills are undeniable. He sprinkled some water on his face and frowned. If I want to truly experience the martial arts world, I have no choice but to stick with him. He covered his face with the wet, hot towel, a final admission of his defeat and his new, chosen path.
After his bath, Bazar Batu put on some clothes and opened the door. There, blocking the entire doorway, was the sight of Kuo Lok's broad back.
Bazar Batu giggled, lightly patting his friend's back. "Lok ge ge," he said with a laugh, "I was only joking when I told you to guard the door, but you actually did it."
Kuo Lok turned to him, a simple, earnest expression on his face. "I don't mind." He stepped into the room, sitting at the table as he looked at Bazar Batu with a curious frown. "You... you look different."
"Different?" Bazar Batu asked, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. "How?"
"You didn't look like this before," Kuo Lok said, his voice flat with honest confusion.
Bazar Batu put a finger to his newly revealed lips. "Shhh," he whispered. "I'll be dressing as a boy from now on. I'm running away, after all, so I must be in disguise. Besides, it's much easier for traveling."
"Oh," Kuo Lok replied simply. He walked back to the table and took a seat.
Bazar Batu poured tea for the two of them, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched Kuo Lok. He set down the teacups and leaned forward. "Lok ge ge," he began, his tone full of playful mischief, "since you're the one paying for the room, you should sleep in the bed. I should sleep on the floor. But... because I am a fragile lady, I should sleep on the bed."
"You can sleep on the bed," Kuo Lok said, his voice as calm and steady as always. "I don't mind."
"Alright," Bazar Batu replied with a mischievous grin. He walked over to the bed, grabbed a pillow, and tossed it at Kuo Lok. He then sat down, watching the "big idiot" sip his tea at the table. Bazar Batu wondered if Kuo Lok was genuinely this simple-minded, or if he was merely pretending to be. He chuckled softly and decided to test him again.
"Lok ge ge," he teased, "this bed is certainly big enough for both of us to sleep. Why don't we just sleep together?"
Kuo Lok looked up from his teacup, his expression serious. "A man and a woman should not sleep in the same bed," he stated, his voice firm with deeply held conviction. "Unless they are husband and wife."
Bazar Batu scoffed, leaning back on the bed. "But since I'm wearing men's clothes, you should treat me as a man, not a woman."
"You look too young to be a man," Kuo Lok replied, his voice flat with honest observation.
Bazar Batu's playful expression faltered. "Lok ge ge," he asked, his voice suddenly serious, "have you always been like this? Or do you pretend to be?"
"Do you mean stupid?" Kuo Lok asked.
Bazar Batu's heart sank. He looked at Kuo Lok and quietly corrected himself. "Naive."
Kuo Lok simply looked at him. "I know people see me as a stupid man," he said, his voice calm and steady. "And you're not the first person to call me stupid or dumb. It doesn't bother me. My mother said that as long as I don't believe it, other people's words won't affect me."
"Your mother is absolutely right," Bazar Batu said, a rare note of sincerity in his voice. He lay back and pulled the blanket over himself. Closing his eyes, he said, "Lok ge ge, please blow out the candlelight."
Without a word, Kuo Lok did as he was told. He blew out the candle on the table, plunging the room into darkness. He then walked to the side of the bed, placed his pillow on the floor, and lay down. He closed his eyes and was asleep almost instantly.
After a while, as Bazar Batu's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he peered down at the floor. He saw Kuo Lok sleeping soundly and took a moment to study him, noticing how handsome he was. He was a big man, with hands as large as Bazar Batu's face, and his powerful frame reminded Bazar Batu of the mighty Mongol warriors he'd seen during the Naadam festival.
"Big dummy," he whispered, a mix of affection and amusement in the nickname. He closed his eyes and soon fell into a peaceful sleep.