The second stretch of travel was far more uneventful: He Zhecheng and Xu Boyan fell asleep. The Bai Ze token was returned and in its place was the qilin scale from before, resting on his lap. Shu Cailing managed to get another chapter into the book on moxibustion before he nodded off, too, leaning against Hongshi's side.
The sun had long since set when they finally stopped at an inn. Hongshi nudged Shu Cailing awake; a minute later, there was a knock on the carriage door.
"Master, Second Young Master, we've arrived at our stop."
He Zhecheng was first to wake. With a wide, unrepentant yawn, he stretched, pausing for a while to stare blankly at nothing. Shu Cailing rubbed his eyes as he watched his unmoving form, equally as dazed. After a while, He Zhecheng finally moved to nudge Xu Boyan, leaning down as he did so, groping under the seat. Then, while tugging at something, he called out, "Boyan, oi, we're here. Wake up."
"Huh… Ah? Huh?"
As Xu Boyan stirred, letting out mumbled sounds of confusion, He Zhecheng elbowed his legs. "Move your feet, it's blocking my—"
“Huh?” Shu Cailing asked.
After a brief trail of clacks, it turned out that He Zhecheng was grabbing a pair of crutches stored below the seats. Shu Cailing watched as he maneuvered around with it, getting off the carriage after He Jian opened the door from outside— Having a wheelchair, a cane and crutches seem so complicated, yet it does seem like a naturally-found solution to each of these situations… It was clear that He Zhecheng could not walk any considerable distance due to pain, but he also was a proud man who refused to be manhandled. A cane would be a more reasonable height and easier to grasp when he was climbing into the carriage— after all, hauling himself upwards, one of his hands would be grabbing onto the carriage door itself. Meanwhile, while getting down, the two crutches would temporarily substitute his legs as he lowered himself to the ground.
Shu Cailing made no comments as he observed. He had no experience with such a disability, after all, and only made mental notes to expand his knowledge.
He Jian immediately came over with a wheelchair, and He Zhecheng only took one step before collapsing back into it. With a dim, tired smile, Xu Boyan tilted his head and urged Shu Cailing and Hongshi to get off the carriage first.
The inn was only lit by two lanterns by the door, and in the darkness, there wasn’t much to see. Everyone trudged in without much spirit. There was a dinner already prepared, and everyone ate lethargically before letting themselves be directed to the available rooms. The room was small, just enough for two beds, but that might be a blessing in disguise because the beds were right there.
Shu Cailing tumbled in with a yawn and crashed down on the nearest one. "Even though I rested in the carriage, I still feel so tired. Haah."
"Travel rarely gets easier even without you walking on your own two feet."
Turning his face to press his cheek against the wood, Shu Cailing huffed. "Your platitudes hold no meaning for me given that you don't experience fatigue at all."
Hongshi raised an eyebrow. As he closed the door behind him, he pulled out a luminescent pearl, before seemingly injecting it with a bit more energy to intensify its gentle light. Then, with a bit of qi, the pearl hung in the air, as though a small moon brought down to earth.
"Then I'll take them back. Go exercise, walk along the carriage for at least one shichen."
Tearing his eyes away from the pearl’s glow, Shu Cailing clung to the wooden bed with a pout. "This is bullying the young."
Hongshi stared down at him with a raised eyebrow as he settled in his own bed, putting the peach wood sword on the small table nearby. After a moment, he let out an amused huff.
"Do I look like I wouldn't bully the young?"
"Terrible," Shu Cailing said, shaking his head.
A snort. "Go sleep, then."
"Now I'm too awake… Oh right, I did manage to understand the dynasties better!" Shu Cailing rolled to his side, peering up at his shige. "I only started on Wei, though. There really is something strange about the end of it."
Briefly, he thought about his shige’s long lifespan, and how much less interesting the red dust and its flow would be for someone so long-lived. For one, Bai Mingyuan had never shown interest in the stories brought to the islands by newcomers; whenever they started talking about the dynasties or the imperial court and its unending struggles, Bai Mingyuan would always just laugh gently and raise his cups, urging everyone to drink more.
Hongshi was even less interested in those stories than his dad.
Still, in the dark, he just stared back at Shu Cailing, crossing his arms as he shifted his sitting position. "Start from the beginning."
"The beginning beginning?"
"...All right, keep it brief."
Shu Cailing laughed. "Well, it's just… So Wei used to be a vessel state to another country, I already forgot which, and the first emperor was… Okay, I think the first three were fine. The fourth was apparently very good and ruled for 12 years. I think he died from a fever after spending the night outside in the rain while mourning the death of his mother?"
"This is brief?"
A huff. "I summarized 3 pages into several sentences for you!"
"Keep it even more brief."
"Ugh. All right. Listen carefully! Wei used to be a vassal state that broke away from its ruling state. It enjoyed five decades of being its own nation before political upheaval led to a coup that was coordinated with the nomadic tribes' attack on their capital, Xingdu. It ended with the total loss of the capital city, as it remained in flames for centuries— to this day, apparently— but the next reigning dynasty took over the rest of what once was Wei. They just picked someplace else for their capital."
Hongshi was frowning now. "Still on fire?"
Shu Cailing nodded. "Xu-xiong said that it apparently was heavy with yin qi as well. It made me think… is it okay to just leave something like that for so long? That’s multiple centuries in which a place is just… on fire and radiating evil…”
“The age wherein the divine beasts and gods directly intervene with mortal affairs has long passed, and as much as possible, it’s to be avoided.”
“It seems like such a severe problem to leave alone, though. Could normal humans even deal with that?”
Hongshi shrugged. “They started it, they should end it.”
Shu Cailing, “......” Well, impeccable logic, actually…
Hongshi shifted in his seat. “The island was created by Dad as a sanctuary for yaoguai. The only requirement is that whoever enters must vow to try and let go of their obsessions in the mortal world.”
At that, Shu Cailing fell silent, recalling the people of the island.
“Whatever happens in the mortal world. happens. Heaven and Earth will, by its natural course, exact justice in trying to maintain balance. If a yao is indeed responsible for great evil, retribution will come for them even if they crawl to the ends of the earth.”
The mental image was rather visceral. But Hongshi’s expression hadn’t changed; if anything, there was a harder edge to his eyes, its red gleam turned cold by the silver light.
Tree yao, especially those of plants known best for their blossoms, were often stereotyped as gentle and beautiful. Hongshi seemed to defy this pre-existing notion for as long as Shu Cailing knew, but moreso than simply not being gentle or beautiful, it was more that Hongshi was unyielding as a blade.
Or a tree trunk. After so long, it had grown stiff, and would sooner break and crash down than bend with the wind.
There was a moment of silence as Shu Cailing eyed Hongshi.
“...Do you have obsessions you can’t let go of, Shige?”
Another silence.
In the dim room, the quiet sounds of their breathing suddenly felt loud. Autumn insects outside made themselves known. Shu Cailing could hear someone down the hall open their bedroom door and walk past their room, footsteps hurried. Despite knowing that the question he asked was beyond sensitive, Shu Cailing kept his eyes firmly on his shige.
His shige, on the other hand, averted his gaze. After a few moments, he dug into his belongings and pulled out a jar of wine and a single cup.
The fragrance of peach blossom wine filled the room, flowing out along with the lightly tinted liquid.
Father and son really aren't that different, at the end of the day.
But Shu Cailing had massive reserves of patience for this father and son pair, if only from living with them his entire life. He simply waited.
“...One,” Hongshi admitted, in the end. “One that I just can’t give up on. It’s been centuries, but I can’t give up yet.”
Without realizing it, Shu Cailing already pushed himself up onto his elbows, lethargy having been shed from the lines of his form.
“Why?”
In the dark, he glimpsed pain and resolve both.
“Because if I do, that obsession will only fester even further and become all consuming. I’m the last tether, the sole barrier.” Hongshi poured himself another cup of wine and took a long sip, lingering in the silence. “I was there at its very beginning. I need to make sure it comes to an end.”
____
Morning turned out to be quite a busy, harried affair— due to the exhaustion of the previous day, Shu Cailing only woke up when Xu Boyan knocked on his door to fetch him for breakfast. Upon spotting the glow of the luminescent pearl from the doorway, he leaned back to take in Shu Cailing's face, and asked with mild amusement, "Did you stay up reading?"
Shu Cailing hummed noncommittally.
Before he told Shu Cailing to go sleep, seeing as it was nearing midnight, Hongshi simply sat there, wine cup in hand yet not drunk.
He did say something else, though.
"It's good to not rush through the carefree years of your youth, especially when you are blessed with a peaceful upbringing."
Honestly, Shu Cailing felt guilty.
"Ah. Tao-xiongtai already woke up?"
"...Yeah."
Xu Boyan probably sensed the atmosphere, because he didn't ask any other questions and just ushered him to get ready and join everyone for breakfast.
Even He Zhecheng was already on his way out, waiting in his wheelchair at the head of the hallway.
Shu Cailing shook his head clear of his thoughts. He could apologize to Hongshi for overstepping later. But since Hongshi wasn't there when he woke up, then it most likely meant that he still didn't want to see him, so it was better to give him space.
"All right, just give me a moment, Xu-xiong!"
Hongshi wasn't there during breakfast. It felt like he simply materialized at the entrance of the inn when it was time to leave, saying nothing as he headed straight for the carriage.
Nobody made a comment.
The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. More truthfully, though, the rest of their journey was suffocated with a stilted silence. He Zhecheng was asleep for a long time, though, which made Shu Cailing suspect he was taking some medication. Whether it was related to his outburst was impossible to tell. But after the first two days of silent riding, Shu Cailing finally couldn't bear it anymore and started the occasional conversations, which thankfully was not an issue.
At least Hongshi met his gaze now, on the third day. Still, he spent most of his time staring at the curtains as though he could see past it.
On the last day, as though compelled by the approaching of their destination, He Zhecheng was wide awake. Parting the curtains and sticking his head out, he asked, "Have we passed Old Yi's teahouse yet?"
"In another li, Young Master He."
"Damn. All right."
Mid-morning sunlight streamed into the dim interior after so long, and the glare made some of the others wince at the sudden brightness. Still, before He Zhecheng could close the curtains, Shu Cailing poked his own head through to peer outside. Around them were cultivated fields, stretching into the far distance— most of it had been harvested, leaving it half golden half brown. "How close are we?"
"Another shichen to reach the gates," He Zhecheng explained as he ended up pulling the curtains to one side and tying it up, allowing the sunlight in. After taking in Shu Cailing and Hongshi's expressions, Xu Boyan did the same with the other side. "Then two ke to pass the gates, if not too many carriages are queuing. Another three ke to reach Boyan's residence."
"Xu-xiong has a residence of his own?" Shu Cailing turned to him curiously. "Are you married, then?"
He Zhecheng gave his friend a side eye, too.
"...I wasn't aware that you have to be married to own a residence," Xu Boyan said.
"It's a house ba," Shu Cailing answered. "That's too big for one person. Ah, wait. Do these guards live with you? Does He-xiong?"
The houses on the island tended to be either a small hut or the residences in the main complex, which housed a group of eight to twelve. Shu Cailing doubted Xu Boyan would live in a hut, but a big house must be lonely to reside in alone. But, counting the guards alone…
The idea of living with just guards filled Shu Cailing with nothing but pity, though.
But that lingering thought was soon broken. It seemed like the rest He Zhecheng had gotten these past few days had renewed his energy, perhaps a bit too much, because he was becoming surprisingly chatty.
"My family isn't rich enough to buy me a house in Dongyang ba," He Zhecheng snorted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I have to stay with Xu-xiong, unfortunately."
Xu Boyan raised an eyebrow— a rare sight that Shu Cailing stared at for a brief second. "Your mother offered, and your brother-in-law was even in talks with someone about buying their residence when they were considering selling it to move to another neighborhood. You told them that it'd be too far from your favorite eel noodle stand."
"It was."
"...You don't eat eel."
"I don't," He Zhecheng agreed flippantly. "But it's the only eel noodle stand whose owner I know in passing, so it has to be my favorite out of all eel noodle stands."
Shu Cailing laughed.
"I guess He-xiong could at least keep things lively."
He Zhecheng scoffed. "What do you take me as, a pet songbird?"
"A songbird is too dainty," Hongshi dismissed. "You're a territorial goose."
"A goose?!" After a pause, however— "Actually, yeah. Those bastards are pretty savage and physical."
Shu Cailing laughed. Inside, though, he sighed in relief.
They were going to arrive soon. Hongshi was already back to talking with them.
It hadn't even been a month since they left the island. Shu Cailing took a lingering glimpse of the world outside, a blur of colors and light. Hopefully, things wouldn't… get too bad.
