Lu Zhenhai continued "we grew closer in the institute with training missions and taking lessons together we slowly formed a bond and were seen as a team of two after a year or so we were introduced to xue lian and he ruying there after taking a mission together he ruying was a quiet girl that spoke too little and was always on the side xue lian on the other hand was the exact opposite she talked too much i cannot even count the amount of times i threatened to sew her mouth just to shut her up hahahaha.... during those times your father grew more child like he talked more wasn't as distant as he used to be and to be honest i still remember the first time i saw him laugh wholeheartedly...."
The training grounds echoed with the clash of weapons. Dust swirled in the air, stirred by swift movements and heavy steps. Four figures stood in the wide square: Han Zhennan wielding his massive blade, Lu Zhenhai stringing his bow, Xue Lian flashing her sword with fiery energy, and He Ruying standing at the rear, palms loose yet sharp as knives, her eyes calm and unreadable.
Xue Lian twirled her sword, grinning. "Alright! Today, I'll finally defeat Han Zhennan in a spar!"
Han Zhennan glanced at her, his expression as frigid as always. His blade rested across his shoulder, gleaming under the sunlight. "You talk too much."
Lu Zhenhai chuckled as he tightened the bowstring. "I've been telling her that for years. Doesn't work. Best ignore it, Zhennan."
He Ruying said nothing. She merely stood still, her presence soft, as though she were watching from a distance even while standing among them.
"Ignore me?!" Xue Lian stomped her foot, her eyes narrowing at both of them. "Do you two think you're so great just because you brood in silence all the time? At least I make things lively. If it weren't for me, you'd all die of boredom before a mission even killed you."
Han Zhennan didn't answer, only stepping into position, his blade already raised.
Lu Zhenhai smirked. "You're about to get shut up the only way possible—by brute force."
Xue Lian lunged forward, her sword dancing with speed and precision, sparks flying as it met the flat of Han Zhennan's blade. He barely shifted his weight, parrying her effortlessly. His lips curved—not into a smile, but into something subtle, a fleeting shadow of amusement.
Xue Lian noticed it immediately. "Ha! He's smirking! He thinks this is a game! Don't you dare mock me, Han Zhennan!"
The giant blade swung in an arc, forcing her to leap back, the ground splitting from the force.
"You're not worth mocking," Han Zhennan replied in his cold, deep tone.
Her cheeks flushed red, and she charged again, screaming, "I'LL KILL YOU!"
He Ruying raised her hand, suddenly striking the air. A sharp pulse of Qi shot forward, hitting both of them and forcing the clash apart.
They froze. Han Zhennan's blade hovered inches from Xue Lian's throat, her sword tip pressed lightly against his ribs.
Lu Zhenhai whistled. "If He Ruying hadn't intervened, one of you would be bleeding right now."
Xue Lian scowled. "Tch! Why'd you stop us? I was about to win!"
He Ruying finally spoke, her voice quiet, almost gentle. "No. You were about to get a broken arm and i don't think zhennan cared enough to stop."
The air fell into silence.
Han Zhennan lowered his weapon and stepped away, his usual cold expression firmly back in place. Yet, just for a moment, a sound escaped his lips—deep, unexpected, and raw.
He laughed.
Not a quiet chuckle, not a hidden smirk—he laughed, loud and powerful, startling everyone present. His voice echoed across the training grounds, sharp and wild.
Lu Zhenhai's jaw dropped, and Xue Lian's eyes widened. "He… he's laughing?!"
Han Zhennan grinned, a fierce, untamed grin. "You really think you could have won, Xue Lian? You're nothing but noise."
"You—!" Xue Lian trembled with rage, but Lu Zhenhai quickly raised his hands in surrender, laughing too.
"Alright, alright! That's enough. If we let you two go on, you'll end up killing each other for real."
He Ruying looked at Han Zhennan, her lips twitching. For the first time since they had met, a sound slipped from her throat—a quiet laugh. Soft, melodic, and gone in an instant, but it was there.
The three others turned toward her, stunned.
"You…" Lu Zhenhai blinked. "You can laugh?"
Ruying tilted her head, her expression calm again, though a faint blush colored her cheeks. "Sometimes."
Xue Lian immediately pointed a finger at her. "Unbelievable! First Han Zhennan, now you?! Everyone is turning against me today! Do you all enjoy mocking me?!"
Lu Zhenhai chuckled. "Honestly, yes."
Her scream echoed through the courtyard as she chased after him with her sword raised, while Han Zhennan's laughter thundered again, shaking the walls around them.
---
Their bond didn't form in a single day. It was built through countless missions.
One evening, deep in the forest, they were tasked to hunt a beast—an Ironhide Boar, known for its impenetrable hide.
Xue Lian charged in first, sword gleaming. "Leave this to me! I'll cut it down!"
Her strike glanced off harmlessly, sparks flying from the beast's iron skin. She blinked, stunned, before rolling out of the way of its charge.
Lu Zhenhai fired arrows from afar, aiming for the eyes. His precision was unmatched, forcing the boar to stagger.
Han Zhennan leapt forward, his massive blade cleaving down. The ground cracked, his strength enough to halt the beast's rampage.
He Ruying's palm pressed against the earth, a pulse of Qi running through the soil before bursting upward, destabilizing the boar's stance.
Xue Lian jumped back into the fray, finally landing a slash across its exposed belly. "See?! I told you I could do it!"
"No," Han Zhennan corrected, his tone sharp yet oddly amused. "You just distracted it long enough for us to finish."
"You—!" She grit her teeth.
But Lu Zhenhai interrupted. "You did well. Without you, we couldn't have opened that weak spot."
Her glare softened, and she smiled faintly. "…Fine. I'll accept that."
The boar collapsed. Together, they stood over the corpse, battered yet triumphant.
That night, around the campfire, Xue Lian wouldn't stop talking.
"And then did you see how I cut through its stomach? That was my strike! Without me, that thing would've crushed us! Admit it!"
Lu Zhenhai groaned. "Will you ever shut up?"
Han Zhennan chuckled under his breath, staring into the flames.
Ruying, seated quietly, let out another soft laugh, hidden behind her hand.
Xue Lian noticed. "You too?! You're supposed to be the quiet one, Ruying! Don't tell me you find this funny!"
Ruying's lips curved into the faintest smile. "It is."
Xue Lian groaned, throwing herself dramatically onto the ground. "I'm surrounded by traitors!"
---
Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months.
Han Zhennan, once cold and untouchable, began laughing often—loud, bold, and fierce. He still carried his aura of dominance, but among them, he was less of a frozen wall and more of a roaring fire.
He Ruying, who had always been silent, began to speak more—never much, never loudly, but enough. She would laugh at their antics, make quiet remarks that cut sharper than swords, and sometimes even smile openly.
Xue Lian grew more talkative, if that was even possible. Her chatter filled every silence, her voice echoing during missions, training, and even when they rested. Lu Zhenhai often threatened to gag her just for peace.
"One day, I swear," he muttered, pressing a hand to his temple, "I'll shoot an arrow just to pin her mouth shut."
"You wouldn't dare!" Xue Lian snapped.
"Try me."
Han Zhennan roared with laughter, and even Ruying smiled.
Lu Zhenhai sighed, but deep down, he too was smiling.
Together, the four of them forged something unshakable.
Not just teammates.
Family.