Duie's eyes were burning with unshed tears as he dragged Su Nian through the dark forest. His grip was firm, his steps furious, and his breath ragged. He didn't stop until they reached the familiar plum tree....a place he often visited to quiet his restless heart.
Without a word, he pushed Su Nian toward the tree and stood in front of him, staring him down with an intensity that pierced straight through the soul.
It was as if his eyes alone were screaming
"If I hadn't been there today... you..."
His voice failed, but his eyes betrayed the pain he carried. Pain that had never truly healed. His deepest wound....his failure to protect his sister's dignity.....had been ripped open again. That failure… was the very reason he had saved Su Nian today.
Duie turned away, trying to swallow the fury welling in his chest. It took everything in him not to break. After a long, aching silence, he asked just one question, his voice low and hoarse:
"Which division did you apply to?"
Su Nian, voice trembling with fear, barely managed to reply:
"The Emperor's Elite Disciples Class... First Division."
Duie nodded slightly and told him to wait there. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away to fetch water.
As soon as he was gone, Su Nian collapsed by the tree, and the dam finally broke.
He sobbed....loud, broken sobs, as if he had found, for the first time in his life, a place where he could finally cry.
He was a warrior. A boy. But even boys feel pain. Even warriors bleed inside.
He had emotions too. He hurt when insulted. When beaten. When cursed and scorned.
But Duie hadn't truly left.
He stood hidden behind a nearby tree, silently watching, his own eyes blurred with tears. Broken. Hollow. Barely holding himself together.
Seeing Su Nian in that state....so similar to what his sister had once endured.....was like reliving the same nightmare. Two shattered souls, crying apart... yet unknowingly feeling each other's pain like it was their own.
---
When they returned to the academy, the teachers were already waiting at the gate.
They had learned what had happened with Su Nian.
Duie's sister had followed him into the forest after he disappeared for too long. She had seen everything. Heard everything.
And now the academy knew the truth.
Su Nian's mother was summoned and held accountable.
The officers at the gate treated both boys with rare gentleness. But rules were rules. And they had broken them.
Their punishment was light: four hours of silent meditation in the Northern Hot Springs.
Special ceremonial garments were provided, and the two were sent on their way.
---
The Northern Hot Springs...
They stood in the steaming water, dressed in white, backs turned to each other. Silent.
A strange serenity filled the air.
Suddenly, Duie noticed something....blood dissolving into the water.
Alarmed, he turned.
And his heart nearly stopped.
Su Nian's back was soaked in blood. The hot water had begun to melt away the dried wounds.
Duie rushed to him, panic in his voice.
"Where are you hurt? Tell me! What happened?"
But Su Nian said nothing.
His silence was louder than words. His dry eyes spoke of helplessness, of disbelief.
Had someone really saved him?
Had someone really… shown him kindness?
Ever since his mother had slapped him, all hope had shattered within him.
Now, he didn't know how to process this compassion.
He pitied himself....for being so lifeless, so empty, so… alone.
And yet… Duie had come.
And even the teachers had spoken kindly to him.
It was too much.
It was joy. It was peace.
And also a cruel reminder of his own pain.
Finally, Duie couldn't take it anymore.
Carefully, tenderly, he began to undress him.
He undid Su Nian's belt, unsure where the wounds were.
His hands, usually rough and calloused, were now as gentle as falling petals.
He slid the robe from Su Nian's shoulders.
And what he saw made his breath hitch
His back was torn.
Lash marks. Blade wounds. Bruises layered upon bruises.
It wasn't just punishment....it was cruelty.
Without a word, Duie helped him out of the water, wrapped him in his own robe, and sat silently beside him.
There was no strength left to ask anything.
Only quiet, shared pain.
---
From that day on… Duie's behavior toward Su Nian changed.
He still argued with him. Still teased him.
But now, he watched over him.
Protected him.
Days turned to weeks.
Weeks into months.
Time flowed like water....but the air between them had changed.
Together, they kept watch over Yu Sui and Mo Yan, observing their little moments, secretly enjoying their shared glances.
Only they knew
That maybe... the two liked each other.
And maybe... deep down...
They too had started to see a reflection of themselves in one another
Two hearts bound by silent understanding.
Two souls, broken
but healing.
Together.