Xue Horan watched the figures of Yongzheng and Dong Shun slowly disappear into the fog above. As he sighed, the events of the previous night flashed back to his mind, confirming the heavy decision he had just made. In his heart, he knew he had chosen the best path for the greater good of everyone involved.
The night before, long after the sun had set, Xue Horan had been abruptly woken in the dark cave. He felt a gentle shake on his shoulder and saw Dong Shun stared down at him. Dong Shun slowly crawled out of the cave, and Xue Horan quietly followed.
Dong Shun led him far away from the campsite, down the stream, and finally stopped. Xue Horan sat down across from his elder.
Dong Shun looked directly at him. "I know that Xue Longwei helped Zhengsheng and raised him. I also know that Zhengsheng has a deep connection with you."
"How does qianbei know?" Xue Horan asked, surprised.
Dong Shun didn't answer directly. "Xue gongzi, do you know what breaks a family apart?" Xue Horan shook his head. Dong Shun explained, "Three issues can break the strongest bond between families: Money, power, and love."
"What exactly does qianbei want to say to me?" Xue Horan pressed.
Dong Shun revealed his concern. "Zhengsheng and Diwei care about you very much. Did you know that the Rao family only has them as offsprings?"
Xue Horan quickly offered the political reality. "Don't worry, Dong qianbei. Da shixiong has an arrangement to marry Yuan Xiurong. The Yuan family has helped him a lot throughout the years. Xiurong is a very beautiful and smart lady."
Dong Shun sighed with relief. "That's good." He then focused on the other brother. "Diwei?"
"Yongzheng, he is currently a Taoist, but his shifu will not let him pass the ceremony," Xue Horan said.
Dong Shun cut to the heart of the matter. "What is your relationship with Diwei? Don't tell me it's just a relationship between brothers or friends. I want to tell you that if Zhengsheng marries Yuan Xiurong, Diwei must marry Lanying."
Xue Horan replied evenly, "I completely understand."
Dong Shun pressed his advantage, highlighting Xue Horan's position. "Xue gongzi, if Zhengsheng married you, where do you think your place will be in the Rao Manor? You are the person Zhengsheng can never announce as his partner, and do you think the Yuan will agree?" He paused, emphasizing the strategic importance of the other matches. "As for Diwei, the Dong and the Rao have been friends for many years, and this relationship will continue."
Dong Shun let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "Xue gongzi, I know your parents are dead. There is no one above the cliff who will wait for your return, so it's not bad to live here. I lived here for twenty years. You have fish and berries. A simple life of three fish a day is more peaceful than facing future hardship and humiliation stares."
He stressed the duty of the Rao heirs. "Zhengsheng and Diwei are different from you. They have to continue their father's legacy that was left to them. They have to continue with the family line and regain their title in the martial arts world."
Dong Shun began to crawl away, his message delivered. "I hope you take my words into consideration."
As the night event had left him, he crosses the pond to the other side, he stood and watched the fog, and he closed his eyes. The quietness of his surroundings makes him realized that he is now truly by himself as the only sound he heard of sounds of him breathing and his own heartbeat.
Rao Zhengsheng reached the top of the cliff first. Dong Lanying rushed forward and reached out, pulling him up and over the precarious edge.
Gasping for air, Rao Zhengsheng pressed a hand to his heavy, aching chest. His voice was raw as he admitted, "Lanying, I truly thought Cao Fengge was playing one last, cruel trick on us."
Before Dong Lanying could speak, Cao Yanmei pushed her aside, her eyes frantic. "Is the stinky Taoist hurt?"
"No, he is coming up, but asked your men to help pull him up," Rao Zhengsheng explained.
Cao Yanmei's face was a mix of panic and confusion. "He was badly injured?"
"He is carrying a person on his back," Rao Zhengsheng revealed.
Cao Yanmei immediately shouted to the workers she had hired. "You five come over and help pull the ropes!"
Rao Zhengsheng then turned to a stunned Dong Lanying. He smiled warmly. "Lanying, Dong shushu is still alive."
Dong Lanying looked at him incredulously. "What did you say?"
"We met Dong Shushu below, and Yongzheng is carrying him up," Rao Zhengsheng repeated.
Overwhelmed, Dong Lanying burst into tears. "My father is still alive?" She immediately rushed to the edge of the cliff, agitatedly straining to see below.
Yuan Xiurong rushed into Rao Zhengsheng's arms. "Rao gege, I thought you were gone!"
"Me too," he admitted. "But directly below here, there is a bottomless pond. This bottomless pond saved my life—not only mine, but also Horan, Yongzheng, and Dong shushu." He held her tightly, then added softly, "Xiurong, I told Horan about us."
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
"I dare to love both of you, so I can't lie to either one of you."
Yuan Xiurong smiled, her relief palpable. "What did Horan say?"
Rao Zhengsheng's smile widened. "He smiled at me and said that he would name our first child, Rao Bu Hen."
"Did he accept me?"
"Yes," Rao Zhengsheng confirmed.
Cao Yanmei suddenly shouted at the five men helping with the ropes, her voice cracking with excitement. "Pull them up quickly! I see them now!" She pointed down. "Quickly!"
Yongzheng stretched out his hand from the mist, and Cao Yanmei quickly grabbed it, pulling him onto the solid rock. She immediately hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Stinky Taoist, I thought you were dead!"
"I'm not dead yet," Yongzheng confirmed simply. He immediately turned his attention to the rope, efficiently releasing the knots that bound Dong Shun to his back. He then crouched low, steadying himself to allow his uncle to climb down from his back.
Dong Shun sat down, taking several deep, labored breaths. He looked around at the bright sky and solid ground, his eyes wide with wonder. "I finally came back after spending so many years down there," he whispered.
Dong Lanying slowly walked toward Dong Shun, her father, before collapsing onto the ground before him. Dong Shun looked up at the kneeling figure.
"You are?" he asked, his memory still catching up after years of isolation.
Dong Lanying burst into wrenching sobs. "Father, it's me, Lanying."
Dong Shun's own tears began to fall. "Ying'er… Ying'er…" The father and daughter fell into each other's arms, weeping, their reunion overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Yongzheng saw the rope sway twice—their signal. He turned to the five hired men. "Please help me pull Horan up."
The five men and Yongzheng pulled the rope upward, their relief turning to confusion and dread when they saw that it was not a person, but a heavy stone tied tightly to the rope's end.
Rao Zhengsheng was distraught. "Horan? Where is he?"
Yongzheng was as confused as everyone else. "I don't know."
Rao Zhengsheng suddenly remembered the soaked piece of paper Xue Horan had tucked into his robe. He pulled out the soggy paper and read it quickly, his face draining of color.
Yuan Xiurong asked, concerned, "What is it?"
Rao Zhengsheng's voice was hollow. "He wrote that he wants to stay there because he has nothing here. He likes the quietness and peacefulness of the place down there. He wishes me all the best and to get what my heart desires."
Yongzheng closed his eyes, the awful truth sinking in. He knew Xue Horan was driven by the trauma of Cao Wenyan's assault and, most importantly, the reality of Rao Zhengsheng's political marriage and complex feelings.
Rao Zhengsheng, furious, turned on his uncle. He gritted his teeth. "Dong Shushu, what did you tell him?"
Dong Shun met his gaze defiantly. "Why do you think I said something to him?"
"I woke up last night, and you and Horan were gone!" Rao Zhengsheng roared.
Dong Shun, now equally enraged, confessed. "Yes, I told him to stay down there!"
Yongzheng spun around, madness in his own eyes. "Why?"
Dong Shun explained, his voice booming across the cliff edge. "You two know in your heart. Someday, you brothers will fight each other because of him. I've seen it before, and I won't let it happen to you two!"
Everyone gasped, their eyes darting between Yongzheng and Rao Zhengsheng. They spoke the question at once, "Brothers?"
Cao Yanmei was shocked. "You are his brother?" She looked at Yongzheng. "How could it be?"
Dong Shun continued, his voice heavy with political reality. "Zhengsheng, let me ask when you fully establish the Rao Manor and marry Yuan Xiurong. Your name will spread throughout the martial arts world. Diwei will marry Lanying. The two of you will be the owners of Rao Manor. Where are you going to put Xue gongzi?"
Yongzheng looked at Dong Shun, his denial burning. "I have told you many times, my name is Yongzheng!"
Dong Shun pushed the truth. "Yongzheng or Diwei, you are still the same person. You can't escape the simple fact that your surname is Rao…" He watched as Yongzheng started walking toward the cliff edge. "Yongzheng, you stop right there! No matter how you deny it, every drop of blood in your veins is still the blood of Rao!"
Yongzheng stopped, turning his head to look at Dong Shun and Rao Zhengsheng before marching back to confront his brother. He looked Rao Zhengsheng directly in the eye. "Rao Zhengsheng, will you go down and bring Horan up or not?"
Rao Zhengsheng, still prioritizing political duty, knelt before Dong Shun. "Dong shushu, please allow Horan to stay in the Rao Manor."
Yongzheng sneered, anger consuming him. "Rao Zhengsheng, you are such a bastard! Your desire for power and entitlement is so great that you forget that the reason you are still breathing is because of Horan's sacrifice!" He closed his eyes, the traumatic image of Xue Horan's body returning. His lips trembled with fury. "Rao Bu Hen… What a joke…" He roared and rushed toward Rao Zhengsheng, launching a punch. "Remember, in order to save you, he was... humiliated... by—" His fist stopped just an inch from Rao Zhengsheng's face.
Dong Shun saw his fear realized—the brothers were fighting over Xue Horan. He quickly drew Dong Lanying's sword and cut both ropes. The two ropes slid down the cliff and plunged into the thick fog.
Yongzheng shoved Rao Zhengsheng back toward Yuan Xiurong. He spat the words out. "You are not worthy of someone like Horan!" He turned and walked toward the cliff edge.
Dong Shun shouted desperately, "Diwei, come back here! You must stand with Zhengsheng and kill Cao Fengge!"
Yongzheng paused, turning back. "For the last time, my name is not Diwei!"
"You can deny all you want, but the truth will always exist!" Dong Shun asserted, his voice shaking with authority and fear. "As your uncle and the only remaining elder, I command you to step back from that cliff, head up the mountain to the Rao Manor, and help Zhengsheng kill Cao Fengge!" He stared angrily at Yongzheng.
Yongzheng closed his eyes. Dong Shun's words were true. He could deny his name, but he couldn't deny the monster he was, nor the depth of his unchanging love for Xue Horan. After a few moments of clarity, his heart had made its choice.
He opened his eyes, looking coldly at Dong Shun. His voice was monstrously deep and cold, a tone that stunned everyone standing on the clifftop. "Number One, don't take orders from anyone! He is the commander and chief of his own destiny."
With that, Yongzheng ran to the cliff and jumped down, choosing to return to the mist and the man he loved rather than accepting the Rao family's destiny.