The silence wasn't absolute, but it was profoundly different. The violent drumming of last night's deluge had been replaced by a pervasive, gentle drip from every leaf and branch. It was the forest exhaling, slowly releasing the water it had so greedily drunk.
A weak, diffused light filtered through the dense canopy, not quite sun, but a pearly gray luminosity that painted the forest floor in muted, ethereal tones. Every surface was lacquered in a glittering, defiant sheen. The needles of the towering pines sparkled, each holding a perfect, trembling droplet. The broad leaves of the ferns, beaten flat by the downpour, now rose slowly, slick and vibrant green, reflecting the faint light like polished jade.
The air was a thick, earthy soup, redolent with the smell of wet soil, decaying leaves, and rich, dark loam. The usual sharp tang of pine was subdued, overtaken by this deep, primal scent of saturated earth. A fine mist, born from the rapidly evaporating water, clung to the lower branches and swirled lazily between the tree trunks, giving the woods a dreamlike, almost secretive quality.
When the sun finally broke through, painting the horizon in a hue of orange and red, the birds began to sing in the woods. Xue Horan finally woke up, his large eyes swollen and red. His beautiful eyes looked as though they had just been stung by hornet bees.
Xue Horan looked up at Yongzheng and found that the Taoist was still meditating. He slowly lifted his head from Yongzheng's left shoulder. "Yongzheng, it's morning."
Yongzheng opened his eyes and looked at Xue Horan. He asked gently, "Did you sleep well?"
"My neck hurts," Xue Horan admitted, touching his eyes gingerly. "Yongzheng, can you not tell anyone about last night, and don't ask me why I cried."
Yongzheng agreed without hesitation. "Alright."
Xue Horan stood up and stretched out his arms. He embraced the morning sunshine with a forced smile on his face and sighed happily. "Are we even close to Sword Village at all?"
Yongzheng answered practically, "We are about a day's walk from Sword Village."
Xue Horan reflected for a moment. "To be honest, I just want to go home, but since we are only a day of walking from Sword Village, if I don't go, I will regret it later."
Yongzheng asked the question that hung between them. "Are we looking for your Zhen Ge?"
Xue Horan recalled the devastating memories from the night before. He made a quiet, firm decision. He had nothing with which to compete against the smart and elegant Yuan Xiurong, so he forfeited. Moreover, what Yongzheng had said last night—about not being defeated by something beyond his reach—made him understand that if Rao Zhengsheng was truly beyond his reach, there was no point in wearing out his arms trying to pull him closer. He forfeited.
He believed strongly in the true word of love: if he loved a person wholeheartedly, he also hoped the other person would genuinely love him in the same way. Xue Horan had learned from the conversation he overheard that inside Rao Zhengsheng's heart, Rao Zhengsheng loved Yuan Xiurong just as much as he loved Xue Horan. This balanced affection was the final reason why Xue Horan decided to give up and return to Butterfly Island.
Xue Horan masked his heartache with a sudden, pragmatic decisiveness. "Let's go forward, we might find him along the way."
Yongzheng noticed the change in Xue Horan's demeanor. Since they had been together, he knew the special intimacy between Xue Horan and Rao Zhengsheng; something profound had clearly happened between them last night. He wanted to ask and offer counsel, but fearing Xue Horan didn't want to answer, he decided to keep his lips sealed.
"Then let's go back to the river to see if anyone is there," Yongzheng suggested. "I only know the way to Sword Village if we are on the main road."
Xue Horan chuckled, a genuine, albeit strained, sound. "So, you don't know the way from here."
"No…" Yongzheng admitted. Hearing Xue Horan's laughter, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the despair hadn't entirely consumed him.
Xue Horan took a few steps, but Yongzheng didn't seem to follow. He turned around and found that Yongzheng was still sitting beneath the tree. "What's the matter?" he asked.
Yongzheng shifted uncomfortably. "My knees are both stiff." He had been sitting in the same rigid position, acting as an unmoving pillar for Xue Horan's heartaches throughout the entire night, causing his legs to become stiff and numb.
Xue Horan stretched out his hand. "I'll help you get up."
Yongzheng stretched out his hand slowly, grabbed Xue Horan's offered support, and pulled himself up. They walked back along the riverbank and soon found some survivor martial artists along the way, joining them on their journey toward Sword Village.
Yongzheng and Xue Horan walked about three miles with the survivors until they reached a small village. They followed the martial artists to a vendor stall in front of the village, where the tired travelers immediately sat down to rest.
One of the martial artists asked the vendor, "Boss, do you see any martial artists came by?"
The shop owner replied readily, "Yes, a large group of martial artists just came by two days ago. Some young martial artists also came yesterday. This morning there are some young martial artists came through too. If I heard correctly, I believe they are heading to Sword Village."
The martial artist thanked the shop owner. He said to the person next to him, "It seems that we are not the only survivors."
Another martial artist nodded. "Let's take a break, wait until we recover, and then continue to Sword Village."
This being Xue Horan's first visit to the Central Plains, he had many questions. He turned to Yongzheng and asked, "Yongzheng, why should these people rush to Sword Village?"
Yongzheng explained. "Sword Village is a gathering place for all martial artists, both black and white."
Xue Horan looked puzzled. "There are black and white martial artists?"
"This is just a term used in martial arts circles to describe orthodox and unorthodox sectors," Yongzheng clarified.
Xue Horan challenged the terminology. "How do we know that the orthodox sectors are truly full of righteousness? And that those who are from unorthodox sectors are really as evil as they say?"
Yongzheng paused. "You don't believe it?"
Xue Horan shook his head. "My father taught us to look at a person, not to judge him from his origin, but to judge him with our hearts. Only our hearts can truly judge whether a person is good or bad."
Yongzheng felt a familiar resonance. "Your father reminds me of my Shifu."
"If your Shifu's philosophy is the same as my father's, then he is a good person," Xue Horan affirmed. He then paused for a moment, frowning. "Yongzheng..."
"What's wrong?"
Xue Horan looked genuinely distressed. "I lost my money bag."
Yongzheng reassured him calmly. "It's alright, mine is still here."
In the distance, Rao Zhengsheng and Yuan Xiurong spotted many martial artists sitting and eating, so they decided to approach the group to rest and ask if there was any news of Xue Horan and Dong Lanying.
Yuan Xiurong immediately urged Rao Zhengsheng. "Go and ask if they've seen Horan or Lanying."
As Rao Zhengsheng and Yuan Xiurong drew closer to the group of martial artists, Rao Zhengsheng's heart leaped—then seized. He discovered that Xue Horan and Yongzheng were sitting side by side at the same table.
What he witnessed next made his heart pound violently: he saw Xue Horan and Yongzheng eating together happily, and then Yongzheng took out a handkerchief and began to wipe Xue Horan's face. Seeing this intimate action, Rao Zhengsheng clenched his fists, jealousy and suspicion immediately boiling over. He was ready to fight Yongzheng to the death.
Rao Zhengsheng reached the table, grabbed Yongzheng's hand, and grasped it tightly. He gritted his teeth and said, his voice dangerously low and unpleasant, "Take your hand away from his face." He yanked Yongzheng's hand away, then turned Xue Horan to face him. He saw a small puffiness around Xue Horan's eyes, stirring a fresh wave of concern. "What's wrong?"
Xue Horan forced a smile. "Zhen Ge..." He tried to open his eyes, but the spicy flavor of the noodle soup was too strong. "There's some soup in my eyes. Yongzheng, help me wipe it off."
Rao Zhengsheng immediately took out his own handkerchief, wet it with some tea, and gently wiped Xue Horan's irritated eyes. After repeating the soothing action four times, Xue Horan finally managed to open his eyes fully.
Xue Horan spoke, his vision still blurry. "Zhen Ge, I can open my eyes now, but my vision is still very poor. It may take a while to return to normal."
Rao Zhengsheng's possessiveness asserted itself. "I am here now, so you don't have to worry." He moved Xue Horan to another stool and sat down firmly right between Xue Horan and Yongzheng, physically separating them. He then turned to Yongzheng, his tone cold. "Thank you for caring for Hao'er, but I will take care of him from now on."
Yongzheng, who had experienced many difficulties and separations throughout his life, understood Rao Zhengsheng's meaning instantly. He knew their time together would be temporary, and since Rao Zhengsheng was here, he could now quietly remove himself and go home.
Yongzheng stood up without hesitation. "I promised Horan to take him to meet you. I already completed my task." He gave one last, profound summation. "There is no meeting that lasts forever, so I will go home after lunch."
Xue Horan was surprised and saddened. "Yongzheng, I thought we were going to Sword Village together?"
Yongzheng gestured toward the protective man beside him. "Your Zhen Ge is here. Sword Village is not far from here. He will take you there."
A note of sadness entered Xue Horan's voice. "Will we meet again?"
Yongzheng's promise was pragmatic but heartfelt. "As long as we are still alive, one day we will cross paths."
Xue Horan asked for one specific assurance. "Yongzheng, are you going to visit Butterfly Island if you visit the south?"
"If I go south, I will visit you." Yongzheng looked from Xue Horan to Rao Zhengsheng. "You two take care."
Yongzheng stood up and walked away. He met Yuan Xiurong as she walked toward Xue Horan and Rao Zhengsheng. He simply nodded at Yuan Xiurong and disappeared quickly into the crowd.
Yuan Xiurong sat next to Rao Zhengsheng. She smiled gently at Xue Horan. "Horan, we finally found you."
Xue Horan smiled back, his earlier heartbreak firmly hidden. "Xiurong Jiejie, you are here now." He didn't look directly at her, fearing that if their eyes met, his pain over their intimate moment in the cave might lead him to do something unimaginable.
Rao Zhengsheng finalized their plans. "After eating, let's find a place to rest before going to Sword Village."