Chapter 2-13

“Don’t go. You said we’d live together. You said we’d get married.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Bai Shixuan wiped away Xuelan’s tears as she apologized through her crying. Xuelan then raised both hands and began wiping away the tears running from Bai Shixuan’s eyes down his cheeks.

“Stay healthy.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t manly enough. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“…Okay.”

He wanted to say something else, but apologies were all that kept coming out of his mouth. Xuelan smiled and nodded as she looked at him. But it was not her usual bright smile. Seeing such a sorrowful smile on her face made the tears that had stopped begin flowing again.

“Go and eat properly. Stay healthy. Someday, I’ll come see you. I’ll come find you.”

“…Shixuan.”

“Answer me!”

When Bai Shixuan spoke sharply to Xuelan after she merely called his name without answering, she gave a small nod.

“I’ll wait. I’ll definitely wait for you.”

“No matter where you are, I’ll find you.”

Xuelan nodded through her tears, and Bai Shixuan pulled her into an embrace. As he held her small, trembling body, Xuelan gently pushed against him and slipped out of his arms. Then she placed both hands on Bai Shixuan’s cheeks and kissed him on the lips.

“I’ll wait forever. Even if you never manage to find me…….”

Xuelan spoke as she pulled her lips away from Bai Shixuan’s. Then she smiled at him once more and began walking toward the palanquin. Once Xuelan climbed aboard, four women bowed to the Madam and lifted the palanquin. The four women appeared to be trained in martial arts, for they began moving away at tremendous speed.

‘Damn it.’

He was furious at himself for being unable to do anything. Bai Shixuan stared blankly as the palanquin disappeared from sight, then trudged weakly back toward the lodging. When he entered the room, Zhang Hong glanced at him.

“Xuelan came by. She told me to give you this.”

Zhang Hong handed something to Bai Shixuan, who wore a gloomy expression. When he unfolded it, he found a letter. Xuelan had probably written it before leaving. Along with the letter was a small pouch. When he opened it, he found all the money Xuelan had been saving.

“Ugh, ngh.”

No matter how hard he tried, he could not hold back his tears. Bai Shixuan somehow restrained his sobs as he placed the money he had saved into the pouch Xuelan had left him.

“You okay? Cheer up, kid. There are plenty of women in the world.”

“…Hyung. Uncle is here, right?”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for everything.”

Bai Shixuan bowed deeply to Zhang Hong and left the room. He immediately went up to the third floor and stopped in front of Jiang Taimu’s room. After wiping away his tears, Bai Shixuan steadied his voice and spoke toward the room.

“Uncle, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

Jiang Taimu’s voice immediately came from inside. Bai Shixuan took one deep breath, exhaled, then opened the door and stepped inside.

“What is it?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?”

At Bai Shixuan’s words, Jiang Taimu stared directly into his eyes. Bai Shixuan met his gaze without backing down.

“We don’t stop men who say they want to leave. That’s the rule of the Flower Fragrance Pavilion. If you want to go, you may.”

After studying the determination in Bai Shixuan’s eyes for a moment, Jiang Taimu spoke. Bai Shixuan then bowed deeply to him.

“Thank you for everything.”

“Are you going after Xuelan?”

“Yes.”

When Jiang Taimu asked as Bai Shixuan rose from his bow, Bai Shixuan looked him directly in the eyes and nodded. Jiang Taimu stared steadily back at him before speaking.

“Don’t go. You’ll only get yourself killed.”

“That won’t happen. They have no reason to kill me.”

There was no way Xuelan would kill Bai Shixuan. Moreover, he believed martial artists would have no reason to kill someone like him who did not even know martial arts. He was following her because he believed that martial artists did not engage in meaningless killing.

“You will definitely die.”

“People say martial artists don’t kill without reason.”

“…….”

At Bai Shixuan’s words, Jiang Taimu sighed. There was no stopping him. Bai Shixuan’s resolve was far too firm. Jiang Taimu could tell that no matter what he said, he would not be able to break Bai Shixuan’s determination.

“Hmph. Then hurry up and go.”

“Yes.”

After saying his farewells to Jiang Taimu, Bai Shixuan returned to his room and began packing his belongings. There was not much to pack. His clothes, a flint, and the money and letter Xuelan had left him were everything.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. Thank you for everything.”

“That’s a shame. Still, come visit sometime. We’ll have a drink together.”

Zhang Hong smiled regretfully as he spoke, and Bai Shixuan smiled back before leaving the room. There was no need to say goodbye to every single person. He greeted the people he happened to encounter as he left the lodging, but there were many he never got the chance to say farewell to. Still, he felt no regret. Right now, Xuelan was the only thing that mattered to him.

‘Was it this way?’

When Bai Shixuan reached the back gate, he looked in the direction the palanquin had gone. Just as he was about to start walking that way—

“Are you going after Xuelan?”

“Yes.”

He turned his head and saw the Madam wearing her face veil. When Bai Shixuan nodded in answer, he heard her let out a quiet sigh.

“You’ll only die if you go.”

“…….”

“I see. I won’t stop you. But if you die, Xuelan will be heartbroken.”

Bai Shixuan nodded at the Madam’s words. Jiang Taimu had also told him he would die, and now the Madam was saying the same thing. That meant there truly was a chance he might die. But Bai Shixuan believed the possibility of seeing Xuelan again was greater than the possibility of dying.

After briefly bowing to the Madam, Bai Shixuan left the Flower Fragrance Pavilion. There were still tracks. Footprints from the women appeared once every three zhang.

Bai Shixuan began following those traces. Whenever he wanted to see Xuelan’s face, he fingered the letter tucked inside his clothes.

‘Tsk. She should’ve just told me in person.’

Because he could not read, Bai Shixuan was unable to understand the letter Xuelan had left him. She had taught him a little writing over the years, but he had always been too busy chopping firewood, and by the time he finished, he was too exhausted to study properly. Bai Shixuan wondered what Xuelan had written, but since he could not read it, all he could do was sigh and keep touching the letter.

‘Is this the place?’

Just how fast were they? Aside from the tracks left by the four women carrying the palanquin, there was nothing else to be found.

‘Internal energy. I want to learn martial arts.’

He wanted to learn martial arts and proudly bring her back. But that was impossible for him. Even if he took every bit of money he currently had and went to one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, he would not be able to learn high-level martial arts.

‘Xuelan was strong.’

Unless he learned one of the advanced martial arts of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, he would never be able to bring her back. In that case, learning martial arts from one of them would have to be postponed for now. Unless he had a great deal of money, someone of Bai Shixuan’s lowly status would never be allowed to learn advanced martial arts.

‘But first, I have to follow them.’

He did not know exactly why he was chasing them. At first, he had wondered whether martial artists might kill someone like him who knew no martial arts, but both the Madam and Jiang Taimu had told him he would die. There had to be a reason for that. Even so, for some reason, he desperately wanted to see Xuelan’s face again. And so, without even realizing it, Bai Shixuan found himself blindly chasing after her.