ReZhui smiled as he heard the diminishing sounds of ShiYan’s excited footsteps.

‘Perhaps I already did what I needed to do back then.'

He made a turn.

‘Either way, I now love how things are going between everyone.’

Mentally, he gripped his fist in aspiration.

‘Let’s continue to do our best, myself!’

He then arrived at the front of the room where YaoMing told him she was staying. Looking at the width of the room, ReZhui breathed deeply.

“Here goes nothing.” And he knocked before opening the wooden double doors.

“Mrs He, please pardon my intrusion.”

“...! Oh, child, don’t bother. Please, come and take a seat.” TianXing, dressed in a warm robed nightgown, gestured to a stool next to her bed and bedside table. It was the place YaoMing would sit whenever he did her personalized health check ups. Nodding at her request, ReZhui approached with caution. He passed Eddisson who surprisingly fell asleep on the nearby round table under a pile of books. He slept very soundly.

“...” ReZhui then placed the tray onto the table and sat down, meeting TianXing from eye to eye. He also looked around the room. It was relatively huge to his very own and had limited furniture or grandeur. The paints used were calm and muted. With the large bed placed next to a window that looked out to one of the beautiful gardens in the residence, this felt like the ideal place to recover, and there she sat, with her back resting on the cushioned headboard and her lower torso under several layers of blankets.

Facing back to TianXing, ReZhui now realized how much of her story was true. Even at a distance and moreover now, infected with syphilis and riddled with black spots all over, now that she was healed, washed and well-fed, ReZhui had no doubt that TianXing truly was a natural beauty, especially when she was younger. Perhaps, she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen in his life. There was a level of maturity in her aura that charmed him regardless of age.

ReZhui flushed a hint of red, and looked away in embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to him, TianXing realized this.

“I am sure ShiYan will grow to a finer woman than I am. You are one lucky man, ReZhui.” she teased.

“...Sorry, Mrs He…anyhow, Mr Xu told me to send you this.” He carefully handed her the bowl.

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of strength now. So let go now.”

“Alright.”

Slowly, with grace, TianXing then swallowed the medicine whole. A slight flinch in her strained expression suggested this was not a pleasant dish.

“How is it?” ReZhui asked regardless.

“I just have to put up with it. Artificial flavoring would make it more distasteful. The key for such herbs, ReZhui, is to hold your breath as you consume it quickly.”

“I see. Then, please continue your rest, Mrs He. You must get better soon.”

However, before ReZhui could get up, TianXing fired back.

“What’s the rush, ReZhui?”

“...?”

Facing back, he replied, “Aren’t we supposed to not disturb the patients? YaoMing instructed that to me.”

“What a considerate child you are, ReZhui, but I feel hurt if you think that I’m not worth your time.”

“But, Mrs He, that’s not what I meant-”

“Then, for your ‘patient’, you wouldn't mind staying beside me for a little longer, do you?”

“...I understand.” And he shuffled his stool closer.

“Was it instinct?”

“Pardon?”

“You knew I had a purpose, didn’t you?”

Rubbing the back of his head in defeat, ReZhui admitted, “Well, I did have a feeling that something was up between my master and yourself.”

She smiled, and then clapped, like her expectations had been met.

“I applaud your skills, ReZhui. It’ll be much easier down the line if the potential has already seen utilization.”

“Mrs He…what are you…” She surely was playing a mind game here.

“I heard from Elder brother about what happened that night.”

“w-what!” In shock, ReZhui jerked up.

“...”

“Excuse me…but how did you know that? Did YaoMing share this?”

“For such a man as my beloved elder brother, ReZhui, he would never do that. He would rather keep it to himself and manage from there.”

“oh…”

“But, he has quite the bad track record for keeping it hidden so I saw the change in his mannerisms the day after.”

“...” ReZhui could hardly believe that.

“He was a tough one to crack but I eventually won.”

“I see..”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“...This just means that you now matter much more to him than what you initially thought off.” She whispered into his ear.

“I-I-alright.”

‘So it’s like that, huh.’ ReZhui chered inside.

“But, ReZhui, listen closely.”

“...”

“I disagree with his methods.” She had a stern glare.

“...” And he had no response.

“Freeing my delusional self, came back the old, merging both anew-”

“...”

“That’s the lady of He that you see today.”

‘Could I do this too?’ ReZhui reflected.

“Quite the night owl this persona was, appearing only in my 40s.”

“...”

“Well, it’s better late than never, so let me emphasize this, ReZhui.”

“What…”

“Give up growing your dreams.” She growled sternly.

“...NO!” Like a spotted deer, ReZhui went on the defensive. He has seen enough to never abandon it all. “I cannot allow it.”

“You’re a double-edged sword, ReZhui. Unpolished and stiff. LuJi would never wield you into battle.”

“I…Enough with these riddles.”

“You have already seen how my life turned out once I stepped beyond our boundaries.”

“...!”

“I was the step-daughter of a dying household with little to spare. You, on the other hand, are just the son of a backwater village chief that’s satisfied with its isolated lifestyle.”

“D-don’t insult my-”

“You will fall harder, ReZhui, and let me tell you once more, it would never be a peaceful resolution in this dog eat dog world that we live in.”

“...”

“Why risk it all when you could leave it to the others that are deemed worthy for this role? You could live the life of a farmer, have a mundane life, have a regular happy family and raise your cherished kids. In your older years, lie on your rocking chair with your adorable grandkids as you witness your last sunset. You can pass without ever seeing another gun nor blade in your life!”

“...”

“Why bother with other people’s business? …It’s less painful that way.”

“...”

There was no reply.

“So ReZhui, what would you do now?”

“I…I…I will never give in!” he declared.

“...!”

“Mrs He…did you know why I am even in this very place to begin with?”

“I can guess-”

“Exactly!” ReZhui stood up. “Hence, I wanted to learn more of everything. Everything that I can grasp in my power to grant me strength…”

“Strength?”

“The strength to protect those that I care for.”

“...”

“Ahhh…armmm…t-the-though you may be right in saying that I can find an easy way out and turn a blind eye…If I were to do what you say, I will be lying to myself about what I truly wanted.”

“...”

And that’s when it all clicked for him.

“I’m scared!”

“...!”

“I’m frightened…When I first heard your story, it pains me that you suffered so much, I knew it was sympathy. But this other emotion I had. I now realized, it was fear or unreadiness.”

“...”

“I am unprepared, so I will continue to train under Mr Xu and Teacher Woo.”

“ReZhui…”

“I would like to thank you too, Mrs He, for worrying about me. But, I will be fine and I must be fine.”

“...”

“And that’s also how I found my answer to his question.”

The boy grinned in reassurance. “I guess this world is so huge, that I totally forgot what fear was.”

“...”

“Mrs He?”

“I recalled when we first encountered one another. Do you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And I figured, this is actually our first exchange of words, agree?”

“...That’s actually true.”

“Well, what a first expression, am I right, ReZhui?”

Her face was calm and warm.

“I suppose so.”

That’s when she lowered her head in a deep bow. Once again, ReZhui fell into shock.

“Mrs He, w-what are you-Please sit up!”

But she didn’t budge.

“As the other sibling of this household, I too have the obligation to convey my gratitude to our savior.”

“...”

“Thank you very much, ReZhui. For Eddisson, my dearest brother and myself, may the Buddha bless you a righteous path.”

In the end, ReZhui knew the significance of her actions. Anything done to deny it would only be a strike at her very pride.

“...I understand.”

So, let them be.

And TianXing, having done what she wanted, returned to her resting position.

“I also want to apologize for insulting your family earlier, ReZhui. I just wanted to ensure your resolve.”

“Why though?”

“Because for one to rival against men of power, an individual must first start with sheer grit and overwhelmingly tenacity.”

“...”

“And there’s plenty within you already.” She patted the front of his chest.

“What’s this all leading to, Mrs He?” Anticipation and frustration were sides of the same coin.

“Such a unique character will also come in handy, ReZhui, because to bring out your true potential, I volunteer to be your teacher under those categories of social, financial and economical structures of society.”

“w-what…!”

“I insist, ReZhui, and my eldest brother also agreed to this instantly.” Her smile spread from ear to ear.

“...!” It was another reveal that drove his mind blank. She then pointed at the table Eddisson was fast asleep upon.

“See those books over there?”

“Yes…”

“Eddisson spent the entire night going through the course for yesterday and now it's your turn.”

“...!”

“Tomorrow morning, a delivery will come for your set of books and I’ll officially be lecturing you both from then on.”

“...”

“Until the both of you would reach my level with readied second-hand experience.”

“...”

“What do you say, ReZhui, my benefactor?”

“I will do it.” Came his steadfast answer.

“Splendid”

With her encouragement, ReZhui then approached the table, wondering how to remove those books without waking Eddisson up. As TianXing watched on with humor, a thought soon surfaced within her.

‘At least…this may be my form of vengeance against the darned Kiefrurpez, not that I will forgive myself if I sincerely consider that the sole intention for my current actions. Hamilton, Ferase, Mr Tai. Our child is now safe within your deepest wishes. He has arrived under your in-laws' household with me at the reins as well, while I’ve permanently damaged myself over the past decade and those deeds would soon catch up with me.

But you don’t have to worry. I still have the energy to make these children grow, to eventually surpass me and possibly his father and godfathers.

Though, I hope that Eddisson would never consider this revenge as his whole existence. If he throws coal at his enemies, his own hands would also be burnt, and as a mother, I cannot wish for that to happen. I hope that he will find his own way of living before it’s too late.

In the meantime, I will continue to do my hardest until the time comes for me to join you all…until then, I hope you will be watching over us above the Heavens.’

Given there wasn’t any altar or cemetery, all TianXing could do was pray from the bottom of her heart, and she surely hoped that this much would be plentiful enough to reach their souls above.