Xie Song-jun

2022 years after The Long Night

Wúmeng

Song-jun can’t wait to have a bed again. Granted, it might be a few more weeks until she lays in one herself, but they’re approaching Wúmeng soon and she genuinely thinks that even knowing a bed is nearby will ease some of her fatigue.

A small reassurance is the messages she sends and receives from her fathers. She’ll be working on some tedious little chore when the words on her wrist catch her attention. It’s always in Yi-jun’s familiar handwriting, always just a few lines asking how she is and if she’s having fun. Song-jun usually responds as soon as she can, deflecting and inquiring how her fathers are. She hopes that when she returns they aren’t too upset with her.

The chill in the air is evident now. Song-jun pulls her father’s jacket tighter around herself and checks that her hair is fully tucked into her hat before climbing out of the tent. Right away she’s caught under the arm of one of the more boisterous of the group, a short, loud-spoken man named Yi Jihao. Song-jun tried to stay very far away from him but it was usually rather difficult. Apparently, today was going to be one of those days…

“G’morning, A’Song!” He grinned, practically dragging her along to the campfire that had run almost all night and was starting to dwindle.

In the early morning light only a few were out. Song-jun saw Tang Lim sitting idly. Su Lan’s tent, as per usual, was sealed shut and undisturbed. Song-jun was pleasantly surprised that she’d had to interact with the demon very little so far.

Yi Jihao’s arm around Song-jun’s shoulder had begun to hurt a bit. She should be used to roughhousing but the way they treated her here was almost cruel on purpose. Song-jun couldn’t imagine treating anyone, especially a servant or farmhand this badly…

“Well,” Yi Jihao sighed. “You see that? You see how we’re gonna need some more firewood soon?”

Song-jun nodded, about to begin her usual tirade of; yes sir, of course sir, right away sir! But before she could even so much as attempt to wiggle her way out of the man’s hold, suddenly there was a hand reaching up to grab hold of her hat. Without thinking, Song-jun immediately grabbed that person’s wrist to stop them.

Her heart froze and then sank even further when she turned and saw that the hand belonged to Tang Lim. He stared at her with narrowed eyes and a thin, strange frown. Song-jun was just about to let go of him and bow repeatedly in apology… sorry I thwarted your attempt to uncover my true identity, but then the air was whooshing out of her lungs from a strong kick to the back of her knee. As she crumpled to the ground and barely caught herself, she could hear Yi Jihao cursing-

“What the hell?! You better remember your place, boy! Who do the fuck do you think you are?!”

A Princess, you imbecile…

Song-jun didn’t raise her head, instead, she tried groveling.

“Begging your pardon, it was a mistake! Please allow me to fetch firewood for my lords-”

But Yi Jihao was the sort of man who would keep kicking you down until he thought he’d flattened the attitude out of you. From the corner of her eye, Song-jun saw the way he was reaching for her. She closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate to get tossed around. She could handle it, she could… she just… needed to remember why she was doing this. For family, for home-

“Hey, what?!”

Song-jun blinked, suddenly aware that she’d been yanked effortlessly to her feet. Yi Jihao was glaring at the person in front of her and when Song-jun looked up tentatively, she was stunned to see Su Lan.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Not here,” she heard him say.

Tang Lim regarded Song-jun with a strange apprehensiveness, and Yi Jihao just looked perturbed. To Song-jun’s surprise, Su Lan continued…

“It’s unsightly to discipline a servant in public. As guide, he’s my responsibility.” Then Su Lan turned over his shoulder and seemed to glare at Song-jun.

“Go.” He hissed at her, nodding at the forest. “And don’t expect any leniency from me,”

With the door wide open for her, Song-jun ran. She bowed several times but kept her mouth tightly shut, a bit flabbergasted that of all people, Su Lan had been the one to help her in that unpleasant situation.

She wandered for a bit, relieved to be away from the camp. After a little while, she began picking up the driest sticks she could find for kindling, and it wasn’t long before she crossed paths with Su Lan again, though he appeared not to be looking for her.

Song-jun found him after wandering deeper into the forest. Su Lan was gathering firewood too but was obviously thinking deeply about something. Song-jun didn’t mean to sneak up on the man, but still couldn’t hide her smug satisfaction when he was startled by a branch breaking under her foot.

He turned away immediately and kept walking, “What do you want?”

The Princess paused. Why… did it always look like Su Lan was actually afraid of her? Maybe he just really didn’t want the others to know who he was?

Song-jun frowned, crossing her arms pointedly.

“I have a couple questions for you.” She decided that after that, he definitely owed her at least an answer to this one thing.

“About my father-”

“Then ask him,” Su Lan huffed and walked away. “Leave me alone!”

Song-jun just followed, weaving through the trees to walk alongside the man as he very clearly tried to lose her. It was no use.

“He won’t ever talk about what happened between you two!” She frowned, “I want to understand… I need to know-”

Su Lan suddenly stopped, turning to her, clearly more frustrated now than afraid.

“Why? Why?! We were best friends and I betrayed his trust in every way, what else do you need to know? Stop meddling in things that don’t concern you, Princess. Leave the past buried, as the rest of us have.”

Without thinking, Song-jun blurted-

“My father hasn’t buried anything! He still wonders. I know he has just as many questions as I do!”

Su Lan looked absolutely murderous as he glared at her, but A’Jun didn’t back down in the face of a fight. She was determined, and she would get the answers she wanted.

Sneering venomously, Su Lan nearly shouted at her;

“I never imagined a child raised by those two would be so-”

Song-jun, realizing she was wearing him down, grinned widely and stuck her chin up, knowing she was the picture of smugness.

“What?! Persistent? Hah! Did you even know them at all?! My fathers waited centuries for each other! To be reunited after you tore them apart! They never gave up, and neither will I…”

“That’s not-”

Su Lan stopped himself, giving Song-jun a sharp look before turning away again. The Princess followed even now.

“Just answer one question! Just one,” she begged. “If you tell me, I’ll leave you alone!”

That seemed to get his attention. Su Lan paused, sighing loudly and barely looking over his shoulder as he mumbled in defeat.

“What?”

Song-jun narrowed her eyes, preparing to judge for herself if he was lying…

“Did you love my father, once? Was everything really because of Meng Bai and not your choice? Why did you never return from that mission, never even try to contact him? Did you really not know that Songcai was already dead when you cast the curse? And… when you came back, after they were married and everything was good again, why didn’t you stay?”

Okay, maybe it was more than one question. Su Lan’s shoulders seemed to dip a little. For several moments, Song-jun thought he’d just leave again, but then he replied. He really only gave an answer to one question, but for some reason Song-jun felt as if he had answered everything.

Before leaving for good, the snake god told her; “I never stopped loving him.”

And then he was gone.