Before the bird's first chirp and before anyone woke up early in the morning, Yongzheng calmly watched Xue Horan sleep, nestled on the side of Rao Zhengsheng's lap. He had promised Xue Horan that he would take him to find Rao Zhengsheng, but for some reason—a strange twist of fate—they had met before ever reaching Tianshan. Yongzheng had no need to follow them any further.
He slowly and silently got up and walked to the door. He turned his head and took a final glance at Xue Horan, who was sleeping peacefully in the warmth of the person he had been searching for. Yongzheng quietly walked out of the room to the front of the temple.
Early that morning, the martial artists began to stir, preparing to organize the search for the missing Yang Ru. As they gathered outside the courtyard, Rao Zhengsheng gently woke Xue Horan.
Rao Zhengsheng whispered, "Hao'er, wake up."
Xue Horan slowly sat up and stretched out his arms. He yawned, his eyes still half-closed. "Zhen Ge..."
Rao Zhengsheng's tone was set. "Let's wash your face and eat something before we part."
Xue Horan was immediately confused. "Where are we going?"
Rao Zhengsheng answered firmly. "I will take you home."
Xue Horan instantly resisted. "Zhen Ge, can I stay with you for a while before you send me home?"
Rao Zhengsheng was insistent. "No. Shifu and Shimu must be worried sick about you."
Xue Horan played his card. "Before I came, I wrote them a letter, saying I'm coming to you."
Rao Zhengsheng's expression tightened. "Don't be stubborn. The world of martial arts is different from what we see in the textbook."
Xue Horan grabbed Rao Zhengsheng's left sleeve, his own reasoning sharp. "I know that. Zhen Ge, you always treat me as a child and don't let me experience the world of martial arts. How am I supposed to grow up and fend for myself? If you let me stay in Butterfly Island, I would never have experience of the outside world. If Butterfly Island no longer exists, how can I live without being taken advantage of by others?"
Rao Zhengsheng's voice rose, laced with fear. "Horan... life outside Butterfly Island is not what you imagined!"
Xue Horan looked at Rao Zhengsheng and noticed the unusual severity in his face. During the year they were separated, Rao Zhengsheng had never been angry with him once, but this time, Rao Zhengsheng was genuinely furious. He recalled the anonymous letter he had received, and he realized the person who wrote to him was right about Zhengsheng's controlling nature. He smiled softly at Rao Zhengsheng, accepting the temporary truce. "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go home after eating."
Only after Xue Horan agreed to go home did Rao Zhengsheng begin to brighten. He gently stroked his hair. "It's not that I don't want to take you, but it's too dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Xue Horan looked around the ancient temple, but Yongzheng was nowhere to be seen. Then he saw Dong Lanying walking in with Yuan Xiurong, but Yongzheng was not with them either. He turned back to Rao Zhengsheng and asked, "Where is Yongzheng?"
Dong Lanying answered Xue Horan's question about the missing Taoist. "He was not there when we woke up this morning."
Rao Zhengsheng dismissed the matter quickly. "He might have left already." He then turned to his junior sister. "Lanying, you send Horan to the pier and then meet us in Sword Village."
Xue Horan immediately challenged him. "You are not sending me off?"
Rao Zhengsheng's tone was firm. "Be good, follow Lanying home. Lanying, you make sure that Horan boards that ship."
Xue Horan looked at Rao Zhengsheng, his face set in a stubborn mask. "Da Shixiong, no need for Shijie to send me off. I'm old enough and can walk back to the pier. It's only a two-day walk. I still remember the way back."
Rao Zhengsheng knew that every time Xue Horan called him 'Da Shixiong' instead of Zhen Ge, it was because he was deeply upset. Xue Horan picked up his sword and began to walk out of the temple. He sighed deeply and hurriedly chased after him, catching up to Xue Horan at the main entrance. He quickly grabbed Xue Horan's right hand.
Rao Zhengsheng pleaded, "Horan... Don't be so unreasonable?" Seeing Xue Horan's tears, he knew the distress ran deeper than just being sent home. Xue Horan was a kind soul who shed tears but refused to express his anger or feelings directly, never resorting to hitting or yelling.
Xue Horan pulled his hand away and wiped his tears. "I am not the only one who is unreasonable." He looked him in the eye. "You think I'm useless and can't defend myself, so you don't let me go with you, but you let a woman who has zero knowledge of any fighting skills go with you." He began to walk down the steps.
Rao Zhengsheng finally understood why Xue Horan was upset—it was jealousy mixed with fear for his own dignity. He walked down the steps quickly and stood in front of Xue Horan. "Hao'er, do you think I care more about Xiurong than you?"
Xue Horan didn't answer, his silence a damning confirmation.
Rao Zhengsheng smiled lightly, pulling Xue Horan back toward him. "Nonsense. I promised Chief Yuan; I will send Xiurong to Sword Village." He held onto Xue Horan's hands. "Hao'er, I want you to know that in my heart, no one can replace you." He gently wiped Xue Horan's tears and sighed with a smile. "Well, I surrender to your tears." He pulled Xue Horan into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Stop crying. I allow you to go with me." He pulled Xue Horan back and kissed his forehead as a final seal on the deal.
Yuan Xiurong stood on the stairs, watching Rao Zhengsheng openly coddle Xue Horan as if Xue Horan were his wife. She hesitated, looking at the close, passionate relationship between the two. Her heart sank, broken by the stark display of intimacy.
Dong Lanying stood beside her, noticing her shock. "Don't be so surprised. Da Shixiong is like this to Hao'er, whether there is anyone else watching or not. They have been like this since they were young."
Yuan Xiurong, seeking clarification on the limits of their intimacy, asked, "Does your Shifu and Shimu say anything about this?"
Dong Lanying, oblivious to Yuan Xiurong's internal turmoil, asked, "What kind of say are you referring to?"
Yuan Xiurong finally voiced her confusion. "They are both men."
Dong Lanying delivered the final, crushing blow. "Da Shixiong is the one who asked Shifu and Shimu to let him marry Hao'er."
Yuan Xiurong's heart sank completely. She turned around and asked with a gasp, "Is this true?"
Dong Lanying confirmed the lifelong devotion. "Da Shixiong wanted to marry Hao'er since he was a child." She looked pointedly at Yuan Xiurong. "That's why I told you that if you want to stay with Da Shixiong, you must accept the fact that Hao'er exists before you." She then began to walk down the steps and shouted lightheartedly at the embracing couple. "Don't be too intimate, otherwise the sun will be shy and afraid to come out!"
Yuan Xiurong managed to compose herself and walked down to face them. She smiled politely. "Good morning, Rao Ge." She then forced a smile for Xue Horan. "Good morning, Xue Gongzi."
Rao Zhengsheng, now cheerful, corrected her. "Xiurong, just call him Horan. 'Xue Gongzi' seems to be too distant; we are all friends."
Yuan Xiurong nodded, adapting quickly. "Then you can call me Xiurong."
Yan Zhanjin shouted from the stairs. "Xue Gongzi, good morning!" He waved and quickly walked down the steps, stopping in front of Xue Horan. He handed Xue Horan two ceramic bottles. "Here, take it." He placed the two ceramic bottles into Xue Horan's hands. "These two are good medicines. One is to apply to the wound to help it heal faster. The other is to help stop bleeding."
Xue Horan accepted the medicine, a simple act of acknowledgment between two men. "Thank you."
Yan Zhanjin smiled, his expression warm but regretful. "Take it as an apology for yesterday's incident." He looked at Xue Horan's face, his smile widening with genuine recognition. "You really resemble Mu Dishi."
Rao Zhengsheng, eager to leave the complex emotions and danger of the temple, gently grabbed Xue Horan's hand, and the two began walking away.
As they left, Yan Zhanjin called out, a wistful note in his voice. "And he reminded me of Ma-ge."
Yuan Xiurong, maintaining her composure, offered a formal farewell. "Until next time, Yan Yinsheng." She quickly followed the three classmates out of the temple.
Yan Zhanjin was left alone, his smile fading into a troubled frown. "Whatever happened to Ma-ge and Mu Dishi..."
When the sun finally began to peek over the horizon, casting long shadows across the dusty courtyard, he watched the four figures disappear from the old temple, their departure carrying the weight of unfinished business, betrayal, and a mystery that was only deepening.