The night wind blew chillingly through the gathered martial artists. The continuous burning of the fabric mill sent thick smoke into the air, staining the clothes of everyone present. The groups—the Cao siblings, Rao Zhengsheng's core party, and the powerful newcomers led by Yong Taihua—looked at each other without saying a word, each waiting for the other party to break the tense silence.
Yan Zhanjin, the physician, walked to the seriously injured Zhou Guotin to initiate contact. After examining Zhou Guotin, he delivered a grim assessment. "You have broken a few bones, Zhou Qianbei, you need to rest for a few months before the broken bones can heal completely."
Zhou Guotin, spitting out blood, asked weakly, "What about my two Da Shixiong?"
Yan Zhanjin looked down solemnly. "I'm sorry, they are dead."
Yong Taihua stepped forward, adopting a calm, respectful demeanor. "Zhou Qianbei, I will ask someone to send the bodies of Su Qianbei and Yan Qianbei back to Huangshan. As for now, you have to rest well and heal the broken bones." He turned to Yong Caixia. "Send a signal to others that we have found three Qianbei."
The focus then shifted abruptly. Cao Yanmei rushed over from behind Cao Wenyan and went straight to Yan Zhanjin. She grabbed Yan Zhanjin's hand and forcefully drew him toward the wounded Yongzheng. "Yan Yisheng, come and see this dumb Taoist."
Before Yan Zhanjin could move, Chen Dandan grabbed his left hand and pulled him back toward her. "Are you and your ge kidnapping people again?"
Cao Yanmei slapped Chen Dandan's hand away from Yan Zhanjin's arm, her temper flaring. "The dumb Taoist is standing right there! How is this called kidnapping?"
After being physically pulled back and forth by the antagonistic Cao Yanmei and Chen Dandan, everyone else stared awkwardly at the ridiculous spectacle. Yan Zhanjin finally pulled his hands away from the two women, rubbing his arms. He sighed. "Enough. I will look at him. Don't pull my arms back and forth, it hurts."
He shook his head, his eyes scanning the group until they fell upon Xue Horan. His expression froze, and he murmured, "Mu Dishi..." Yan Zhanjin walked, transfixed, past Yongzheng and went straight to stand in front of Xue Horan and Rao Zhengsheng.
Rao Zhengsheng instantly moved, stepping forward to shield Xue Horan. He looked at Yan Zhanjin firmly and asked, "What do you want?"
Yan Zhanjin ignored the hostility, blinking at Xue Horan as if trying to clear his vision. "Why do you look so much like the person I know?" He continued to stare intensely at Xue Horan, utterly fixated on the resemblance.
Rao Zhengsheng felt a primal rush of fury at Yan Zhanjin's intense scrutiny. "Don't stare at him, he is not Mu Dishi!" he snapped, staring frantically at the doctor.
Rao Zhengsheng hated it whenever someone looked at Xue Horan with such eyes. Whenever someone looked at Xue Horan with that kind of gaze, he knew they were having dirty, sexual thoughts. He knew that Xue Horan had a delicate, beautiful complexion that made some men look at him with lust.
Xue Horan, feeling the weight of the unwanted attention, hid his face behind Rao Zhengsheng and clenched his hands tightly onto Rao Zhengsheng's belt.
Yan Zhanjin, oblivious to the danger, shouted at Yong Taihua. "Yong-xiong, come over here! This man—" He pointed emphatically at Xue Horan. "—looks so much like your Shizun!" He cried out in pain. He turned his head and met Rao Zhengsheng's furious eyes.
Rao Zhengsheng was already holding Yan Zhanjin's fingers tightly, bending them backward until the doctor cried out. "Never look at him with that kind of eyes!"
Chen Dandan hurriedly walked over, rushing to her shixiong's defense. "Shixiong, my da shixiong didn't mean it in a bad way! He is a doctor, and he needs his fingers to do his job effectively!"
Yan Zhanjin snorted in pain. "My shimei is absolutely correct. I still need my fingers to save lives!"
Rao Zhengsheng, recognizing the practical threat, reluctantly released Yan Zhanjin's fingers. Yan Zhanjin rubbed his injured hand, then looked back at Xue Horan, his professional instincts kicking in. "Are you hurt? Do you need me to check you?"
Xue Horan shook his head shyly. "I'm fine."
Cao Wenyan stepped forward, offering a rare, curt word of apology after striking Xue Horan. "I accidentally hit him."
Yan Zhanjin smiled gently, trying to put the young man at ease. "Are you hurting anywhere?"
Xue Horan shook his head again, too shy and overwhelmed to accept the medical attention after the intense fight and Rao Zhengsheng's furious defense. "I am fine."
Yong Taihua finally interceded, using his authority to impose a truce. "There is an abandoned temple one mile from here, where we can spend the night. I hope everyone can put aside their differences for one night."
Just then, Fu Yuanjun, Elder Tong, and ten disciples approached from the left. Fu Yuanjun and the eleven people from the Tianshan Sect walked toward Yong Taihua, providing a substantial increase in numbers and stability.
Yan Zhanjin threw a ceramic bottle at Rao Zhengsheng. "This is a painkiller ointment, applied to the skin." He smiled warmly at Fu Yuanjun. "Fu-ge."
Fu Yuanjun immediately addressed Yong Taihua. "We were almost here when we saw your signal." He then noticed the bodies of Su Lie Jie and Yen Shoi Ming lying on the broken table. "The two Qianbei.. they?"
Yong Taihua's voice was heavy with finality. "They are dead."
The road to the abandoned temple was not far from the burning mill. When the large group of martial artists arrived at the dilapidated structure, it was already midnight. As the group of volunteer martial artists, led by Yong Taihua and Fu Yuanjun, retired to a different room to discuss the grim discovery of the three dead Huangshan men, Rao Zhengsheng pulled Xue Horan to a quiet corner of the temple.
Yongzheng supported the injured Dong Lanying, letting her sit down near Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan, while Yuan Xiurong immediately began examining Lanying's wounds. Yongzheng's gaze, however, was fixed on Rao Zhengsheng. He watched as Rao Zhengsheng stretched out his hand to untie Xue Horan's robe. He remembered how embarrassed Xue Horan had been when he asked him to change clothes the night before, but in front of Rao Zhengsheng, Xue Horan was not embarrassed at all.
Rao Zhengsheng's voice was gentle but authoritative. "Turn to me and hold this."
Xue Horan pulled the hems of his robe and looked at Rao Zhengsheng with worried eyes. He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Rao Zhengsheng sighed, his expression complex. "You should be." He looked up at Xue Horan's neck and instantly saw some faint, worrying marks. He quickly grabbed Xue Horan's left wrist.
Xue Horan groaned softly. "Zhen gege, it hurts."
Rao Zhengsheng pushed Xue Horan's sleeve back and saw four distinct fingerprints bruised into the tender skin. He checked Xue Horan's other hand, finding similar marks. He looked up, his voice low and dangerous. "How did you get these?"
Xue Horan hesitated. "Could we not talk about these marks?"
As soon as Xue Horan said this, Rao Zhengsheng knew that his worst fears had become a reality. Rao Zhengsheng leaned in and asked softly, his anger laced with deep concern, "Has anyone done anything to you?"
Xue Horan quickly shook his head, trying to reassure him. "No, Yongzheng helped me. They are all dead now." He was afraid that Rao Zhengsheng would be even more angry, so he forced a smile. "Zhen gege, do you know that the expression on your face right now looks like a shark?"
Rao Zhengsheng poured the medicine in his hand, ignoring the nervous attempt at humor. "Hao gege, even if you have grown taller, you are still a naive child in front of me." He began applying the ointment to the bruised wrist. He heard Xue Horan groan. "Does it hurt?"
Xue Horan breathed out slowly. "Mmm."
Rao Zhengsheng coaxed him tenderly, "Hold on for a while, eh..."
Dong Lanying looked at Yuan Xiurong. She knew the expression on Yuan Xiurong's face—a mixture of pain and frustration—told her that Xiurong could no longer bear watching the intimate moment between Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan in the corner of the temple.
Dong Lanying asked gently, "Yuan jiejie, are you okay?"
Yuan Xiurong bit her lower lip lightly, trying to regain her composure. "I'm fine. You have been hit twice; how is your injury?"
Dong Lanying waved off the concern. "I'm fine."
Yuan Xiurong stood up, the need for space overriding her injury. "That's good. I'll get something for us to eat." She walked toward the door.
Dong Lanying quickly got up, despite her injuries, and followed Yuan Xiurong. She found her standing at the door, staring out into the night.
Dong Lanying addressed the elephant in the room. "Da shixiong and Horan are always like that. He has always been like this to Horan. He has spoiled Horan since he was a child."
Yuan Xiurong spoke the observation that truly wounded her. "It seems that Rao Gege is quite comfortable with Xue gongzi."
Dong Lanying confirmed the depth of the bond. "Yes, Da Shixiong is very protective of Horan. As far as I can remember, da shixiong will take Horan wherever he goes."
Yuan Xiurong questioned the current circumstances. "Why didn't Rao Gege take him to Central Plains, then?"
Dong Lanying explained the logic, pointing out the inherent danger of Zhengsheng's life. "Because da shixiong didn't want Horan to be in danger, so Horan was not allowed to come with us." She looked back toward Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan in the corner of the temple, offering a blunt, painful truth. "Yuan jiejie, if you want to stay with da shixiong, you must accept Horan's existence, otherwise da shixiong will never choose you over him."
Just then, a nun walked over, offering much-needed sustenance. "Benefactors, there are tea and steam buns behind the temple."
Yuan Xiurong smiled politely at the young nun, the conversation momentarily paused by the unexpected hospitality. "Thank you."
Sitting not far from Rao Zhengsheng, Yongzheng glanced repeatedly at Xue Horan and the man who was tending to him. He saw Xue Horan's head resting comfortably on Rao Zhengsheng's left shoulder, his hands tightly clasped onto Rao Zhengsheng's left hand—a picture of absolute security and devotion.
Yongzheng fought against the powerful emotion gripping his chest. He knew he shouldn't harbor such strange, consuming thoughts about Xue Horan, especially given the clear, fierce love between the two young men. Yet, the feeling in his heart was an undeniable, aching reality.
He closed his eyes and began to recite his master's teachings, seeking the stoicism and peace of the Taoist path, but the storm in his heart seemed more unquenchable than any words of wisdom. The image of Xue Horan, the feel of his soft skin when he carried him, and the fear in his eyes were etched into Yongzheng's mind.
He understood now, with a clarity that was both painful and absolute, why his master had always held him back from fully embracing the discipline, why he would not let him participate in the ceremony of becoming a true Taoist. His heart, his very essence, was not yet detached from the transient, emotional chaos of the mortal world. He was a Taoist in name and practice, but his heart still yearned in a very human way.