Sitting in the private loft, Bubai enjoyed the scent of fresh incense and the sultry sound of guqin coming from the stage, still buzzing with activity even this late into the night.

From his seat, Bubai had a clear view of the stage in the loft across from them, his eyes fixed on a veiled beauty with light blue hair clustered with an array of cornflower hairpins, each one catching the light as her slender fingers plucks at the strings of the instrument.

Dancers in silky attire seductively swayed around her. Each one was a vision of beauty, with eyes that sparkled like jewels and smiles that promised untold pleasures…

Truly, the escorts here were much classier than Hei Hua Lou, and much more expensive…

Fortunately, he wasn’t the one footing the bill.

With his seat pulled up beside Bubai, Qian Bage poured a jug of wine down his throat with abandon, the liquid burning away his sorrows with each gulp.

Thump. The jug was slammed onto the table.

"Ouuu! Good wine!” Qian Bage uttered, his voice rough with emotion.

Bubai swirled the wine in his cup, taking another sip. "Indeed. It helps to ease the mind."

"It does.” Qian Bage wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeves before slouching onto the table, lost in the haze of wine and sorrow. “But sometimes, even the finest wine can't drown out the reality… they’re all gone, gone too soon..."

Bubai studied the voluptuous curves of Xue’er pouring wine into his cup for a moment before replying, "You’re alive, and that’s what matters. Their flames will never be extinguished as long as they live on in your memories."

“Yes…” Qian Bage murmured, his voice barely audible over the music. “My good brothers, they will live on…"

The guqin's melody shifted, its haunting tune echoing through the brothel. Qian Bage's gaze drifted to the stage, his eyes clouded with a mix of grief and nostalgia.

“Sixth and seventh brothers. Troublemakers they were, always getting into scrapes and mischief, trying to get into the pants of the women from other clans. But beneath their wild exterior beat hearts of gold...”

“And then there was my third brother, a scholar and a poet. He had a way with words that could charm even the most hardened hearts. I remember we always like to sit and listen to him, teaching us how to charm the ladies...”

“Finally… Eldest brother, caring, charismatic. He was the strongest, always wiping our butts and held up the skies for our clan. He was the beacon of hope for our family, but I didn’t expect even the strongest among us can fall…”

A flicker of pain crossed Qian Bage's features, "I miss them, every single one of them… If only I had the courage to go, then they wouldn’t have-"

Bubai placed a comforting hand on Qian Bage's shoulder. "Brother Ba, don’t blame yourself. Even if you went, it wouldn’t have changed anything."

Qian Bage's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he looked at Bubai. "Ou, Brother Bai," he whispered hoarsely. "You really don’t know how to speak words of comfort in a world filled with pain."

“Well, if it makes you feel better…” Bubai toasted Qian Bage with his cup of wine, “You can always make the world feel your pain.”

“Ou, hahaha, Brother Bai really knows how to joke…” Qian Bage tilted the wine cup over his face, allowing the crimson liquid to cascade downward.

Some found its mark in his mouth, but most trickled past, staining the world of pain hidden under the table.

With a dejected sigh, Qian Bage’s hand flopped onto the table, limp and listless, his hollow eyes glancing toward Bubai. "So… Brother Bai, what about you?”

Bubai’s half-raised hand froze in its motion, “Me?”

“Brother isn’t sincere…” Qian Bage’s voice was slurred by the effects of the wine, but his words were on point, “You said you lost someone, but never told me who.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Bubai glanced at him, a shadow passing over his features, “Way to tear open a wound.”

“Ou, I’ve picked up a trick or two from my good brother. Hahaha...” Qian Bage waved his empty cup at him.

Bubai swirled the contents of his cup before he raised it to his lips, downing it in a single gulp.

Setting it down with a soft clink, a heavy sigh escaped Bubai’s lip, and he opened up about his own pain, “Her name is WeiWei. She is the sister who brought me into this sect. She took care of me, protected me, and supported me…”

“Thanks to her, I've come this far.” A bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. "But now, I will have to walk forward alone on this thorny road. With difficulties on four sides, everyday is like seeking water in the desert. Even my life is not under my control."

“Ouuu, you have it tough, brother.” The weary Qian Bage pushed himself upright, picking up his refilled cup, “Come… good brother, drink and let our troubles melt away! Gan!”

As the melody flowed into the night, the two men were instilled with the strength to carry on, one sip of wine at a time.

…

Central District.

Walls loomed around the duo shuffling down the streets.

“Ouuu~ I’ll see who dares to hurt my brother! Taste my Thousand Bage fists!” Qian Bage playfully flailed his drunken fists about, his uncoordinated movements causing him to trip over his own feet-

Bubai hurriedly offered his support, feeling a throbbing headache pulsing behind his temples, “Brother Ba, you’re drunk.”

“No! I’m not drunk! Bage is more sober than the judges of the underworld!”

Yeah right. Bubai let out a resigned sigh, “If the judges exist, their responsibilities would be too much to swim in liquor like you.”

“Responsibilities? Ha!” Qian Bage's arm flailed wildly, “What could be more important than enjoying life, brother? Besides, your responsibility already took a permanent vacation! So, you’re free to find another! Hahaha….”

With a drunken laugh, Bage leaned into the support offered, only to receive a glare in return.

Qian Bage’s hand found its place atop Bubai’s shoulder, “Ou, come on now, Brother Bai. Don't be so sensitive. You know I'm just teasing. You can handle this much, right?”

Bubai shot back, “Instead of worrying about whether I can handle things, worry about yourself. I seem to recall it’s you that couldn't handle your loss too well not long ago.”

Qian Bage clutched his chest, mocking offense, “Ouch, right where it hurts! But at least I haven't forgotten how to hold a conversation, unlike some people!”

“Honestly, you’re not much better.”

"Ou, Brother Bai, if you keep talking like this, you'll end up like your lover."

"At least I had a lover, unlike you and your endless string of brothers."

“Ou, at least I still have brothers left! Hahaha...”

The bantering duo’s steps eventually led them to a somber sight - swath of white funeral cloth billowing in the breeze, draped like an omen over the entrance and the sign over the main doorway – “Qian House”.

Qian Bage’s drunken merriment gradually faded away.

"We're here..." Qian Bage murmured, his expression clouding with sorrow.

"You can’t run from it for the rest of your life." Bubai uttered, his voice somber. “Stay strong. It’ll pass.”

Qian Bage nodded, giving Bubai’s shoulder a pat, “Same to you, brother.”

With a polite salute, Bubai bid farewell. "Well, I won't disturb you any longer."

"Brother, if you ever need help…” Qian Bage gestured towards the nearby compound. “You know where to find me.”

Bubai nodded, turning to leave.

Qian Bage watched the retreating figure - slowly but surely illuminated by the soft glow of dawn.

“Haha…” A faint chuckle escaped him, tinged with melancholy before he finally took a step toward his home.

...

After leaving the Qian Clan far behind, the looming walls clamped his road forward, strangling the last remaining traces of slackness on Bubai’s face.

Walking down the morning street, Bubai’s eyes jumped between the entrances of different compounds, many draped in white funeral cloths, casting a somber atmosphere over the scene.

Despite the solemnity of the surroundings...

Waving a fan with an arrogant smirk, dandies still strutted out of the compounds in their flamboyant attire, a stark contrast to the mourning theme.

Servants bustled about, flattering their young masters or hustling on their errands as usual.

Women were led into corners, starting a festival with men...

It seems the innocent white decors were the only reminders of the recent losses suffered by the sect.

Yet, when Bubai entered the East District, even these vanished. Not a single trace of mourning was in sight, reminding Bubai of the cold reality.

For most cultivators... death was just a passing festival.

If he doesn’t achieve eternity, one day, will this also be his end?

Bubai shook off the heavy thoughts weighing his mind, "Go home and cultivate."

Alas, the scales of life weren’t so easily balanced. The weights of reality can drop in at any given moment.

Bubai’s senses tingled, prompting him to look up.

The skies… suddenly reddened as if engulfed in flames, casting an ominous glow over the sect.

Whispers of uncertainty rippled through the surrounding disciples, many stopping in place to cast their gazes up.

Under the awed gazes of the disciples, flames licked the heavens, and the fiery hues eventually coalesced into a grand tripod that loomed majestically above them.

From it, an ancient voice boomed through the air, shaking the very foundation of the sect.

"The Cloud Sword Sect slaughtered our disciples and caused the fall of Elder Wu Changping and Elder Jia Dahu...”

The words settled over the sect like a suffocating blanket.

“This transgression cannot be tolerated by the Sun. Disciples of the Sun Furnace Sect, listen to orders!”

A searing heat seemingly seeped into every disciples soul...

“From today onward, the bounty board will be released. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth! Let them taste the wrath of the sun! Vengeance! Hunt! Kill!"

Boom! The tripod trembled and flames exploded forth, spreading out like meteors over the sect, igniting a firestorm of rage throughout the sect!

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”