After the intense meeting in the conference room, the martial artists were sitting and enjoying their dinner. As everyone settled down, Yuan Zixin walked into the room, accompanied by his daughter Yuan Chaomei and the long-lost Dong Lanying. A servant quickly guided the three to a table in the already crowded room.
Yuan Chaomei spotted familiar faces. "Father, over there is Xiurong."
Yuan Chaomei, Yuan Zixin, and Dong Lanying walked straight to Rao Zhengsheng's table and sat down. Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan were overjoyed to see Dong Lanying, while Yuan Xiurong was equally happy to be reunited with her family, Yuan Zixin and Yuan Chaomei.
Yong Gui stood up and held his cup of wine, drawing the attention of the room. "Everyone," he announced with a proud smile, "I want everyone to know that my son, Yong Taihua, and Chen Fa's daughter, Chen Dandan of Jinfeng Sect, will get married next spring!" He raised his cup higher. "I want to invite everyone to attend their wedding in Sword Village!"
The martial artists immediately erupted in well-wishes.
"Yong Gongzi and Chen Guniang are a perfect match!"
"Congratulations to both of you!"
Yong Taihua and Chen Dandan stood up together and thanked the martial artists who congratulated them, basking in the warm atmosphere.
The happy muttering around the conference room was suddenly pierced by a louder voice. One of the martial artists, who seemed to know Yuan Zixin, asked out loud, "I almost forgot, Yuan-xiong, when will your daughter marry Rao Gongzi?"
Yuan Zixin replied easily, "Whenever they are ready."
The martial artist then looked pointedly at Rao Zhengsheng. "You two had better hurry up. You two met earlier than Ah He—" He laughed, making a jest of it. "Right now, Ah He already has two children, and you two haven't gotten married yet. It's not good to stay engaged for too long."
Xue Horan froze, staring straight at Rao Zhengsheng. Their eyes met across the table.
The words "met earlier" and "stay engaged" hit him like physical blows. It suddenly struck him: Rao Zhengsheng had known Yuan Xiurong for a very long time, and the entire Central Plains martial world knew about their impending marriage. This was what Rao Zhengsheng had been doing—leaving Xue Horan foolishly waiting at home while he enjoyed his life and pursued this long-standing engagement in the Central Plains.
Xue Horan suppressed his rising anger, fought back the tears, and quickly moved his eyes away, focusing instead on the smiling figures of Yong Taihua and Chen Dandan. He turned his body slightly, desperately pretending not to pay attention to Yuan Zixin's conversation.
No one in the world knew Xue Horan better than Rao Zhengsheng. He knew that as soon as Xue Horan heard this, he would be completely devastated, but Xue Horan would never open his mouth to let him know the extent of his pain. He knew that if he were to ask Xue Horan to let him marry Yuan Xiurong, Xue Horan would smile and offer his congratulations, only to later cry secretly in his room when no one was around.
In an effort to comfort him and possess him, Rao Zhengsheng reached out and held Xue Horan's hand tightly under the table.
Rao Zhengsheng replied to the nosy guest with practiced casualness. "I haven't decided yet."
The martial artist teased, refusing to let it go. "You should decide quickly, otherwise, I might have my second son ask for Yuan Guniang's hand!"
That night, everyone was very happy, enjoying the food, the drink, and the fun, but there were three people who didn't enjoy the celebration much at all.
That night, Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan were forced to share a room because the village was too crowded, with not enough rooms for all the guests.
Rao Zhengsheng opened the door and saw Xue Horan sitting quietly at the table. He walked over and sat beside him. He held Xue Horan's hand, offering what he hoped was comfort. "Hao'er, don't care too much about the elders; they always like to make jokes."
Xue Horan cut straight to the core of his agony. "Zhen Ge, are you serious when you say you want to marry me?"
Rao Zhengsheng met his gaze. "Yes."
Xue Horan's voice cracked. "Could it be because you care about me like your younger brother?" He couldn't hold back the pain any longer and burst into tears. "I completely believed in you, listened to you obediently, and waited on Butterfly Island, but I didn't know that life outside Butterfly Island is so different."
Rao Zhengsheng insisted on his commitment. "Hao'er, I won't change my mind. I will marry you."
Xue Horan presented his ultimate test. "Then can you just marry only me?"
Rao Zhengsheng sighed, a long, deep sound of hesitation. "I..."
Xue Horan pressed him. "You what?"
Rao Zhengsheng looked away. "I... this is very complicated."
Xue Horan demanded the truth. "Da Shixiong, do you love her the same as you love me?"
Rao Zhengsheng's heart sank. He raised his hand to wipe Xue Horan's tears and pulled him into a desperate hug. "Hao'er, I'm sorry. You know I am the only survivor of the Rao family. If I only marry you, the Rao family will have no offspring."
Xue Horan, still grasping for any alternative, offered another compromise. "Then can you marry someone else other than Yuan Xiurong? Someone I chose."
Rao Zhengsheng tightened his grip. "Hao'er, it doesn't work like that."
Xue Horan pulled back slightly. "It doesn't work like that because Da Shixiong loves her. Am I right?"
Rao Zhengsheng offered his final, honest plea. "Hao'er, I admit that I love her, but she does understand that you will always come first."
Xue Horan cried harder, the pain overwhelming. "Da Shixiong, why not just lie to me? If you lied to me that you love me the most, that you will only marry me, I would return to Butterfly Island obediently and continue to wait for you!"
Rao Zhengsheng wiped his tears, his expression resolute. "I will never lie to you. Don't cry anymore." He smiled, attempting to inject some lightness. "I'll tuck you in."
Just then, two soft knocks came from outside the door. Rao Zhengsheng opened the door. A maid stood before him. The maid said, "Rao Gongzi, the lady wants to talk to you."
Rao Zhengsheng turned back to Xue Horan. He smiled and said, "I'll be back soon."
Xue Horan smiled back at Rao Zhengsheng. But the instant the door closed, Xue Horan's lips trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his eyes. He remembered the conversation with his mother before leaving home.
Xue Luxia looked at her innocent son, her voice soft, but weighted with anxiety, a hand reaching out to gently cup Xue Horan's cheek, "Hao'er, it's not that I forbid you from going with Zhengsheng. It's that... you may not like what you see. The world outside of Butterfly Island is vast, and frighteningly different."
Xue Horan pulled Xue Luxia's hand away, stands tall, his voice sharp with frustration and a budding indignation, "I am a man, Mother! Why are you trying to cage me? And anyway, I miss Zhen Ge and Lanying Shijie!"
Xue Luxia's eyes search his face, a deep line of worry creasing her brow, "Hao'er, do you truly... truly hold such deep affection for Zhengsheng?"
Xue Horan tone shifts, becoming fiercely determined, his gaze unwavering. "Yes! If I didn't love him, why would I waste my time learning how to cook, how to clean, how to sew clothes? My biggest, my only dream is to marry Zhen Ge, just as we promised each other."
A sad, weary shake of her head, Xue Luxia warned. "Hao'er, those were innocent children's promises. We mustn't cling to them. My fear is that you will be desperately hurt one day. You know that Zhengsheng is the sole survivor of the Rao family, a line he is honor-bound to continue. And you know, my son, that you are a man; you can never give Zhen'er the offspring his clan demands."
Xue Horan's voice is suddenly quiet, but filled with an intense, unbreakable conviction, "I will not believe that. I wholeheartedly believe that Zhen Ge will only love me, just as my love for him is complete."
Xue Luxia manages only a heartbroken sigh, her face etched with resignation and pity, "My poor, silly child."
Xue Horan suddenly knew the truth: Yuan Xiurong did not want Rao Zhengsheng to be in the same room with him because she was afraid that Rao Zhengsheng would have sex with him, so she had purposely pulled Rao Zhengsheng away with a pretext.
Yet, Xue Horan still clung to hope. He believed Rao Zhengsheng would come back because he had never lied to Xue Horan before. He resolved to be the better man, waiting patiently like a good housewife. He watched the first candle burn out and replaced it with a new one, then watched that candle burn out, replacing it again. He didn't know how long he waited, but when the very last candle had burned out, he finally heard the sound of birds chirping.
Yes, at that moment, he understood. He was no longer the number one person in Rao Zhengsheng's heart. He was nothing but children's promises, just as his mother had always told him.
Xue Horan murmured, his voice defeated. "Zhen Ge, you really hurt me." He wiped his tears and finally let the heartbreak settle.
In a distance away, inside a courtyard where the guests' rooms were located, Rao Zhengsheng and Yuan Xiurong were sitting inside the pavilion by the pond. By the time Rao Zhengsheng had finished reading the new manual Yuan Xiurong had brought him, it was already morning.
He placed the manual down and said gently, "Xiurong, wake up."
Yuan Xiurong slowly pulled her head off Rao Zhengsheng's left shoulder. "Rao Gege, I know it's selfish to ask you to stay by my side. The idea of you and Horan sleeping in bed together... I..."
Rao Zhengsheng smiled and reassured her. "Don't worry, Horan will not be angry with you; he is a very sensible person." He smiled, confidence masking the underlying tension. "When I return to him, I will explain to him." He kissed her on the forehead. "Horan is a very humble person, and I respect him very much. We promised each other that we will only engage in sexual activities on our marriage bed."
Yuan Xiurong smiled regretfully. "Well, I guess I am…"
Rao Zhengsheng took her hand. "Xiurong, from now on, I hope you can speak freely in front of Horan, because in our future, you, Horan, and me will live together and grow old together. I don't want any problem between you and Horan."
Yuan Xiurong smiled, finally accepting the compromise. "You are right. I am not the only person who loves you very much. Horan loves you as much as I do."
Rao Zhengsheng stood. "Let's go back."
When Rao Zhengsheng and Yuan Xiurong arrived at the guest area, Rao Zhengsheng paused. "Xiurong, you go have breakfast first. I will go get Hao'er."
Yuan Xiurong, suddenly worried, said, "Rao Gege, please apologize on my behalf."
Rao Zhengsheng smiled. "Alright."
Rao Zhengsheng walked into the shared room. "Hao'er, I'm sorry, I didn't come back..."
His voice trailed off as he walked into an empty room. He saw the table covered with the molten wax from the many candles that had been burned throughout the night. He approached the bed, but it looked neat and untouched. He returned to the table and pressed under the candlelight holder, where he discovered a simple letter. He picked up the letter and read:
'Da Shixiong,
I've been away from home too long. I miss my parents, so I am going home.
—Horan'
After reading Xue Horan's letter, Rao Zhengsheng knew immediately that Xue Horan was still angry with him because, instead of the intimate "Zhen Ge," Xue Horan had addressed him formally as "Da Shixiong."