He sat exactly where the cool, damp sand met the dry, fine grit, his posture relaxed yet attentive. Xue Horan's right hand rested idly on his knee, the sand still clinging faintly to his skin. His gaze was fixed, not just on the sea, but on the spectacular, deliberate demise of the day.
The sky was aflame. The horizon was a dramatic, blended canvas of burning orange and deep, wounded crimson, bleeding into streaks of gold and bruised violet above. The enormous sun was low, heavy, and silent, casting a brilliant, dancing path of light across the shifting surface of the sea.
The sea performed its endless, rhythmic ritual. Each time the wind pushed the water toward the shore, the incoming wave swelled and broke with a soft, sighing rush. As the water receded, whispering back into the depths, a fine, cool mist of spray lifted into the air. With every kiss of the wave against the sand, Xue Horan could faintly taste the sharp, pure salt of the sea on his lips, a flavor as ancient and constant as the tide itself.
He was utterly alone with the vast, beautiful spectacle, feeling the cool evening air settle in and hearing only the constant, soothing rhythm of the waves.
Yen Nuo sat down beside Xue Horan. She spoke gently, breaking the silence. "Hao'er, watching the sunset every day does not make Da Shixiong come home sooner."
Xue Horan didn't turn. "I know that."
Yen Nuo relayed her errand. "Shimu sent me to call you to dinner."
"I'm not hungry," he replied flatly.
Then, from behind Xue Horan and Yen Nuo, Shi Rou came running, panting heavily, almost out of breath. She yelled, "Nuo Shijie… Hao'er…" She stopped and took several breaths before continuing to speak. "Hao'er, there is a guest at our house! He says he came to see you."
Xue Horan frowned, confusion replacing sorrow. "Guest? In addition to the three of you, the only people I know are Da Shixiong and Lanying Shijie. I don't know anyone else. Who would it be?"
Yen Nuo immediately jumped to a conclusion. "Perhaps because you ran away from Da Shixiong, he followed you home to sweet-talk you into forgiving him."
Xue Horan's face hardened as the memory of previous night many days ago resurfaced. "He won't, when he has her…"
Shi Rou tilted her head. "Her? Who is 'her'?"
Xue Horan immediately shut down the conversation. "Nothing, you heard it wrong."
Yen Nuo stood up. "Let's go home and see who came to see you."
Xue Horan stood up and wiped the sand off his buttocks. He tried to inject a note of courage into the unknown. "I didn't offend anyone. Let's us go who would the guest be?"
Standing in the small guest hall, Xue Longwei stared down at the dirty, disheveled Taoist. He took a breath and said sternly, "You said you came to visit Horan. As long as I can remember, I know everyone that Horan has befriended, and you are not one of them."
Yongzheng remained calm. "I told Horan that if I come down here, I will visit him."
"Bullshit!" Xue Longwei roared. He lunged forward at Yongzheng.
Yongzheng folded his arms in front of his chest, blocked Xue Longwei's punch, and used the force to make the family head stumble back toward the door.
Undeterred, Xue Longwei rushed forward and kicked a few times directly at Yongzheng's chest, but Yongzheng swiftly blocked the feet, allowing himself to retreat further toward the exit.
As soon as Xue Longwei landed, he swung his right foot in a sweeping arc at Yongzheng. To avoid being knocked down, Yongzheng flipped cleanly over Xue Longwei. Xue Longwei quickly shifted to his left and sent his right foot toward Yongzheng's abdomen. Yongzheng blocked Xue Longwei's foot with his left hand, flipped over his body again, and then, as soon as he landed, kicked Xue Longwei hard in the abdomen.
Xue Longwei's right hand managed to block Yongzheng's foot, but the powerful force of Yongzheng's kick still pushed Xue Longwei backward toward his leader's chair. Enraged, Xue Longwei released his butterfly sword toward Yongzheng.
Yongzheng quickly executed four backflips toward the door. Then, Xue Longwei flew forward, preparing a heavy final blow.
Just as the two were poised for the decisive strike, Xue Horan rushed into the conference room from the side. He shouted, "Father, stop!"
Xue Horan's voice distracted Yongzheng and prevented the Taoist from fully blocking Xue Longwei's incoming punch. Yongzheng turned to the left; his focus diverted to the figure who was racing toward him. He felt a rush of happiness seeing Xue Horan's innocent face. Then, Xue Longwei's powerful punch landed directly on Yongzheng's left shoulder, sending him flying out of the conference room and into the front yard.
Xue Horan rushed out of the conference room. "Yongzheng!" He helped the Taoist get up; his voice filled with concern. "Yongzheng, are you alright?"
Yongzheng steadied himself. "I'm fine."
Xue Horan turned to his father, his eyes flashing with anger. "Father, why did you punch him?"
Xue Longwei defended his actions. "Hao'er, this dirty beggar claims to know you. I don't believe him because I know all your friends, and he is not one of them."
Xue Horan retorted sharply. "Are you too old that you forgot that I just returned from the Central Plains? Are you questioning my ability to make new friends?"
Xue Longwei looked at Yongzheng with renewed scrutiny. "Is he really your friend?"
Xue Horan confirmed emphatically, "Yes. You apologize." He looked at his father, demanding respect for his guest.
Xue Longwei was indignant. "Me… I am the head of the family! Why should I apologize to a dirty Taoist?"
Xue Horan stood his ground. "Because you were wrong to hit him! Moreover, he is our guest. How can you treat your guest like this?" He walked right up to Xue Longwei. "Are you apologizing or not?"
Xue Longwei rolled his eyes and looked at Yongzheng with indifferent disdain. "No."
Xue Luxia walked in from behind, having witnessed the end of the exchange. "Lao Gong, there have been no guests for many years; how can you treat our guest like this?" She walked to the front of Yongzheng, bowing slightly. "I apologize for my husband's misconduct. Can this distinguished guest eat with us?"
Xue Horan declared, "Yes, he will." He looked at Yongzheng and realized that the Taoist truly was as dirty as Xue Longwei claimed. "Yongzheng, take a bath and change clothes before going to eat." He took Yongzheng's hand and pulled him away from his parents.
Xue Horan led Yongzheng to the back of the house. He pushed the washroom door open and grabbed Yongzheng's hand, leading him inside. In front of them were four bathing stalls. He pushed open the door of one stall. "You go ahead and take a bath. I'll get you clothes."
Xue Horan quickly entered his room and pulled out a set of his new clothes, only to realize his clothes would be far too small for the taller, broader Yongzheng. He looked over at the new set of clothes he had made specifically for Rao Zhengsheng. He picked them up and stared at them. He sighed deeply. "I guess you are not meant to be worn by Da Shixiong." He walked back to the washroom with the clothes.
Xue Horan entered the bathing area. Unexpectedly, Yongzheng was already naked and almost finished bathing. "Yongzheng, change clothes here," he said, before his eyes widened, staring at Yongzheng's muscular body covered with scars. He noticed what appeared to be some kind of symbol on the back of Yongzheng's left shoulder blade. The small white towel was not within reach, so Yongzheng hadn't turned around to face Xue Horan.
Xue Horan stared for a moment until he realized he was staring at a naked man. He instantly dropped the clothes onto the wet floor and covered his eyes. "Yongzheng, I'm sorry! I thought you were still wearing clothes." He hurriedly bent down and snatched up the clothes. "I'll leave the clothes here." He put the clothes on the stool and rushed frantically out.
After Yongzheng had dressed himself, wearing the garments originally intended for Rao Zhengsheng, he walked out of the washroom and found Xue Horan still standing nervously in front of the door. "Horan, I'm done."
Xue Horan turned around and faced the newly clean Yongzheng. He bowed his head. "Yongzheng, I'm sorry."
Yongzheng dismissed it with a wave. "It doesn't matter; we are both men."
Xue Horan, still trying to make amends, offered, "How about I make your hair for you?"
Yongzheng politely declined. "It's okay."
Xue Horan insisted. "Let me do your hair for you as an apology."
Inside the grand dining hall, a palpable tension hung over the air, thick and oppressive as the steam rising from the array of meticulously prepared dishes. Everyone was seated, the meal fully laid out, but two places remained conspicuously empty: those belonging to Yongzheng and Xue Horan.
Xue Longwei's patience finally snapped. He leaned forward, his voice tight with irritation. "Someone go get Horan and that guest of his. Everyone is hungry."
Xue Luxia responded with cool indifference, not even looking up. "The guest came a long way and was quite dirty; he needs time to clean himself. It's not like waiting another half hour is going to make you starve to death."
Just as Xue Longwei drew breath to deliver a sharp retort, the large doors to the hall swung open. Yongzheng and Xue Horan entered.
Xue Longwei's frown deepened. "Finally," he muttered, loud enough for a few nearby members to hear. "We can all eat."
Ignoring her husband completely, Xue Luxia immediately rose, her expression suddenly warm and inviting. "Come... come sit over here with us."
She walked swiftly to the pair, took Yongzheng's hand, and with a deliberate, proprietary gesture, guided him to the seat. She made sure to place him beside Xue Longwei, ensuring a perfect, uncomfortable line of sight between the guest and the impatient master of the house.
Xue Longwei looked Yongzheng up and down, his eyes lingering on the neat clothes. "I didn't know that a beggar would become a hero after changing his dirty clothes," he sneered.
Xue Luxia tapped Xue Longwei's hand with her chopsticks in a gentle rebuke. She smiled warmly at Yongzheng. "Don't worry about my old man. He is always like this." She picked up a chicken wing and placed it in Yongzheng's bowl. "Oh heaven, I thought you were Hao'er. Horan likes chicken wings the most."
Xue Horan sighed. "Mother…"
Yongzheng picked up the chicken wing and placed it on Xue Horan's bowl. He said quietly, "If you like it, you can have it."
Xue Horan felt a rush of awkwardness and embarrassment. He smiled lightly. "Thank you, Yongzheng."
Just then, they heard the drum beat three times.
Yen Nuo exclaimed happily, "Da Shixiong and Shijie are home!"
Xue Luxia smiled, her face alight with relief. "Zhen'er and Lan'er are home!" She stood up immediately. "Rou'er, go get them another set of bowls." She then walked quickly to the front of the house to greet them.
Yen Nuo and Ciao Nui stood up, ready to go greet the newcomers. Ciao Nui asked, "Hao'er, you are not going to meet Da Shixiong and Shijie?"
Xue Horan kept his focus on his food. "No, I just met them a week ago."
Yen Nuo shrugged. "Alright, Ah Nui, let's go then."
A short while later, Xue Luxia's loud voice called from the front door, "Ruo'er, bring another set of bowls, we have another guest."
Xue Horan didn't need to go to the door to know who the additional guest was. He knew that Rao Zhengsheng had brought his future wife home to meet his Shifu and Shimu. He ignored the implication, keeping his eyes on his bowl and continuing to eat.
Rao Zhengsheng entered and stood directly beside Xue Horan. "Hao'er, I'm home."
Xue Horan did not look up. He replied with formal distance. "Welcome home, Da Shixiong."
Rao Zhengsheng sat down next to Xue Horan, establishing his usual place. Yuan Xiurong sat down on the other side of Rao Zhengsheng, positioning herself next to Xue Luxia.
Dong Lanying smiled, assessing the crowded table. "I'm sitting at another table with them," she announced, walking to the table where her three juniors sat and joining them.
Rao Zhengsheng turned to Xue Horan, lowering his voice. "Hao'er, I'm sorry."
Xue Horan finally looked at him, his expression one of feigned innocence. "Da Shixiong has done nothing wrong, why do you apologize?"
Rao Zhengsheng pressed the issue. "I know you are angry with me; that's why you left, leaving only a note behind."
Xue Horan held firm to his official reason. "My notes are very clear. I miss home and my parents."
Xue Luxia interrupted, trying to impose calm. "Zhen'er… Hao'er… How many times have I told you? Don't bring your differences to the dinner table. We have guests tonight, and we want to eat happily."
Rao Zhengsheng instantly deferred. "Shimu is right, I'm sorry, I forgot what Shimu taught."
Xue Horan then delivered his strategic blow. He turned to Yongzheng, ignoring Rao Zhengsheng entirely.
"Yongzheng, you sleep with me tonight."
Rao Zhengsheng stared, his eyes instantly turning cold as they fixed on Yongzheng. The clean-shaven Taoist, caught completely off guard by the abrupt announcement, was so stunned he began choking on his food.