Niang Jun woke up with a dizzy head. His vision was foggy. He was trying to get hold of himself when he heard that voice again. The voice which haunted him in his dreams…the voice which always made him remember his unforgivable sin. “How do you feel now?”, the voice asked softly. Suddenly at hearing this voice, a shiver ran through Niang Jun’s body and he became the most conscious of his whereabouts. Before him was a figure of woman kindling fire, he could only see her back. At once, the former events ran through his mind. ‘If all that wasn’t a dream, then surely, she is…’, he was contemplating hard about this matter. But how could that even be possible. He had himself witnessed… But when the woman turned her face towards him, all his fantasies became true and his logic became something absurd. Looking at him wide awake but still making no response, Xia Ruo stood up and sat near him quietly. “It has been long, hasn’t it? You were always right, I can’t do anything without you, and look here I am…. Well, I doubted if you’ll…”, Xia Ruo suddenly stopped when something pinched her. “Oi! What are you doing?”, she cried when she looked at Niang Jun, who was flabbergasted himself. “Nothing, just checking if you are real.”, he replied. “Of course, I am real? What did you take me for, a ghost? And, do you really have to pinch that hard? Look my skin…”, before she could have said any further Niang Jun hugged her. It had been so long since her being felt such warm embrace. She had been buried in that snow for so long, and her body had turned so cold that she never imagined that she could get everything back that she possessed earlier. It was love and warmth of a true relation. Nothing like that Li Jing’s lowly and fake caresses. “I just can’t believe my eyes. I thought…that…y-you…”, Niang Jun couldn’t speak anymore, his eyes were filled with tears of joy. Of course, his wildest dream had come true. And now he didn’t feel as guilty as before. Wiping off his tears and getting accelerated with both joy and curiosity he asked her, “How did you reach here? I mean this place is very far away from…” He was suddenly stopped when Xia Ruo said, “You need not know it. It’s one of my life’s horrific memories.”, and then getting a little snappier she continued, “Have you come all the way, just to ask me these rubbish questions? Are you not happy that I am still alive?” Silence prevailed for a moment. “Well, I didn’t mean that. Anyhow, do you plan to return?”
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“Do you want me to?”, asked Xia Ruo. Niang Jun wanted to say a lot just as she asked it. He wanted to tell her that how much he had dreamt of this incident, of meeting her again. He even had hallucinations sometimes, that she was sitting right beside him. And he wanted to tell her how alone he has become in this world, without anyone by his side. But he controlled all these emotions and said at length, “Well, I’d love you to return only if you’d want to.” A grave silence prevailed in the cave for a moment then looking out of the cave Xia Ruo said, “The storm has stopped now. We should hurry on our way before it rouses back.” At hearing this Niang Jun smiled widely at her, but suddenly his expressions changed. “What happened?”, asked Xia Ruo, who hadn’t expected it. “You see, it has been 30,000 years since you disappeared. Even though I am not asking where you had been all this time, but the villagers will surely ask. And there’s Li Jing too. Moreover, to satisfy themselves about your disappearance, a story is very popular among the villagers.”
“What kind of story?”
Niang Jun’s face turned still as death itself and he spoke with hesitation, but gloominess, “They believe that you had a secret lover and that the day you disappeared, you had actually run away with him.”
“What rubbish? How could they…just… You know I am not like that, right?”
“Yeah, well I do, but they don’t and I am afraid that it’ll be hard for you to go back.” Then looking at her blue face, after a second Niang Jun spoke chirpily, “But there’s a way.”
“What way?”, Xia Ruo looked at him with hope filled in her eyes. Niang Jun grinned and said, “They have problem with Xia Ruo, but if you’ll no longer be Xia Ruo, then I think…yes! That’s the way.”, but when he looked at her perplexed face he elucidated more clearly, “If you go under a hidden identity.”
“And how will that happen? I mean what…whose identity?”
“You don’t worry in the least about that. I have a secure plan. Everything’s set.”, Niang Jun grinned even wider.
But Xia Ruo couldn’t help but worry. This expression on his face meant, there was something really weird going in his mind. As far as she knew him, his plan would surely be troublesome. But she could do nothing, moreover, she didn’t have an alternate choice or better idea herself. So, she consented in going with the flow.