Chapter 16: Heads no Tails

"Hello, Xin."

Li Hao was leaning over him with a carefree smile on her face. Still, just as the sun was in decline, so there was a hint of tiredness in her eyes.

"Sister Li Hao…"

"Nice to see you, you wanted to say." She ruffled his hair.

"Hard day, isn't it?" The girl sighed.

Xin wasn't sure, was she talking about him or herself?

"For both of us."

"Something happened?"

"Well…" She became slightly hesitant.

"You better without knowing it, for now. Maybe later."

"I see."

Everyone has secrets; Xin decided not to pry on. He didn't want to trouble Li Hua.

"So, has the Master accepted you as a disciple yet?"

"You know?"

"Yes, to be honest…" Suddenly, she leaned forward. It was so abrupt that Xin could only freeze. Then he felt the warm currents of her voice caressing his ear. His face reddened.

"Actually he isn't my Master."

Then she stepped away with her hands behind her back.

Wei Xin touched his ear. Little shiver was running through his body like the echo of her voice.

"Come on, ask what I meant by that."

"A… What did you mean?"

Her smile gained a mysterious flavor.

"I will tell you when you join us."

"Okay…"

Everything fell silent for a few seconds; Li Hua was looking at the sky, Xin was gazing at her back.

"Maybe I'll tell something more." She assaulted him once more.

"It's me who told master to take you as a disciple."

Now Xin was surprised.

"Why?"

"Actually… I'm not sure. Maybe I want to be someone's elder sister as a way to cope with being a younger sister myself. Or maybe not. You can't explain yourself." She shook her head.

Xin had many guesses by now, but he also knew a good saying: the more guesses you have, the less likely for any of them to be right.

"Or maybe I just like your hair."

She patted him once more.

"Either way, I will be waiting, Xin. Bye."

She several steps, but then turned and said:

"Ah, and stay away from the forest. It will be dangerous soon."

After which he headed to the lake.

Xin's gaze followed her until the sun blinded him.

Then, once again, he closed his eyes and started thinking. He could still feel her voice in his ears.

"Stay away from the forest", he's been hearing that a lot lately, but will he follow that advice?

He should, that will be logical. To follow sister Li Hua, to be a disciple of doctor Shi. Sounds like an interesting future, maybe he really will be able to cure his illness. And maybe even something more…

That's it, right.

He was about to stand up when…

"What a troubled kid, need a piece of advice?"

A voice, not too hoarse, not too smooth, not too loud, not too quiet, but definitely somehow unpleasant and haughty rang from the side. Xin looked over his back.

There he saw a man in a black garb over a pure-white shirt. Yin Zheng, it was rare to see him just strolling around the village, has something happened?

"You're giving me some bad look, kid. I was returning from checking the forest; there was a beast attack recently. However, then I saw you, clearly troubled about something, and being a middle-aged man I just couldn't resist my fatherly instinct to lecture some brat. Now, listen."

Xin was confused, but his attention was drawn.

"You see, kid, there's no right way you're trying to find, You're probably thinking along the lines of, "what should I do; what will be the right choice?" how not to step away from the right path, basically, but the path is but an illusion. Look here."

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Ying Zheng took a coin from his pocket.

"Imagine tails being one of the choices you have, and heads the other. Now just toss it into the air."

Xin was even more confused. Ying Zheng's speech was faulty in many ways, but the most obvious one...

"What are tails and heads?"

Ying Zheng froze. Then said:

"Doesn't matter. Just one side and the other. Toss it already."

Xin barely caught the coin thrown to him. Just toss it… Shaking his head he did as he was told.

Little gold coin went into the air, spun for a bit, catching the golden gleam of the sun, and stilled between Ying Zheng's fingers.

"The image of our glorious Emperor. So, what is it?"

Xin looked at him strangely; he finally understood what was the misunderstanding about.

"They are same."

"What?"

"Sides of a coin are same."

"Are you…" Ying Zheng looked over the coin. His eyes went wide.

"Now that what they mean by not paying attention to minor stuff. Ha. Both are heads."

He sighed with annoyance and threw the coin away.

"I admit, that was some shameful display."

"And, I'm not trying to find some right way. I was logically thinking about possibilities…"

"Fine, fine. I was projecting my past itself onto you. Let the man do his moralizing. Still, just imagine the situation not as a couple of roads, but like a big ocean. There's no limitations, no path. Only the wind, or luck."

Xin became silent thinking about his words. Then he said:

"But people can navigate the ocean."

"Yes, yes, you annoying kid. I got it, do what you want. What a generation will follow… However."

Ying Zheng looked Xin into eyes. His own reflected the shine of the sun.

"Of course you can know where the shore is. However, even if you'll sail into that direction, you can always find a storm instead and end up in the depth.

Now Wei Xin didn't know what to answer. The luck is supreme, and there's nothing you can do about it. If it is true, then it is really upsetting.

"So nothing we do matters? If there's no choice and only luck?"

"Quite the opposite, there's nothing but choice. Only you can decide what luck is good, and what luck is bad."

"But… if I die. How can It be a good luck?"

Ying Zheng shrugged. Then took something out of his pocket. It looked like a little tube, but Xin wasn't sure. Suddenly, it ignited, emitting smoke. Ying Zheng placed the thing between his lips and said:

"And why do you think death is a bad thing? Well, it is, in my opinion, but I know a guy who would disagree. And of all people, he is really worthy to listen to."

---

After saying that he departed, leaving the confused child alone. What the boy didn't know about was the shit-eating grin Ying Zheng had all way to his home...

Still, Wei Xin was clueless now. He decided not to think too deeply about Ying Zheng's words.

Instead, he looked at the coin. He was a bit ashamed at how he picked it up the moment Ying Zheng left. Poverty changes people.

Using his Qi he bent Emperor's face a bit, took a breath and tossed it up. The sun wasn't there anymore, he barely managed to find it in the grass. The Emperor looked as if he had a mouth full of water with his cheek swelling.

"Wait, I should assign sides first…"

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