The sky was already dark by the time Nie Hanchang returned to the Lightwind Pavilion. There, he could see Zhao Yunxiao seated alone under the pavilion, the small table beside him laid out with simple dishes and a jar of wine.
"What a surprise. Never thought that I would ever see you enjoying your food here like this instead of doing something more productive," Nie Hanchang exclaimed while trudging through the dense layer of fog that covered the ground to join Zhao Yunxiao under the pavilion.
"I have to admit that it is rather nice to slow down and think about things from time to time. Care to have a drink with me, Senior Martial Brother Nie?" Zhao Yunxiao gestured to a seat beside the small table.
"Is there something that you would like to say?" Nie Hanchang asked while taking his seat.
"Always to the point," Zhao Yunxiao smiled wryly. "You know, ever since the previous mission, I have been thinking that relationships between people are just like the cultivation path. They might be tough and complicated, but no obstacles are without solutions. In fact, I believe that anything can be overcome with willpower. In the face of time, everything is trivial."
"Oh? Hahaha! So, that is what this is about!" Nie Hanchang blinked blankly for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. "Don't worry, Junior Martial Brother Zhao. I might not be thrilled about Senior Martial Sister Mu's wedding, but I have already accepted it and decided to move on."
"Really?" Zhao Yunxiao asked while pouring him a cup of wine.
"Really," Nie Hanchang answered without hesitation as he took the wine. "Let this cup of wine be proof that I am speaking the truth. I am genuinely happy that Senior Martial Sister Mu has managed to find what she wants. Now, it is up to me to seek out what I have always wanted as well!"
As Zhao Yunxiao watched Nie Hanchang down the cup of wine in one gulp, a smile of relief appeared on his face.
"That's good to hear," Zhao Yunxiao nodded while pouring another cup for Nie Hanchang. "In that case, let this drink not be about complicated relationships, but about achieving our goals instead! To a new beginning! Cheers!"
"To a new beginning!"
The two cups clinked together before the duo downed their respective drinks in one shot. From there, the two of them started enjoying the food and wine without mentioning a word about Mu Manyu or the upcoming wedding.
That was, until someone else arrived at the Lightwind Pavilion.
Both Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang stood up instinctively upon seeing this newcomer.
Wearing the regular robes of inner disciples did not diminish her beauty one bit. Her long black hair stretched down to her back, held neatly by a simple flower pin. Her eyes were clear and bright even under the dim moonlight. Despite her youthful looks, each step she took emanated a feeling of demureness and maturity.
"Senior Martial Sister Mu...?" Nie Hanchang blurted out in shock.
That's right.
This was none other than Mu Manyu – inner disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, and Nie Hanchang's childhood friend.
"Junior Martial Brother Nie," Mu Manyu said with a smile. "It's been a while."
"I shall leave you two to chat for now," Zhao Yunxiao did not intend to stick around in such a situation.
"I appreciate that, Junior Martial Brother Zhao," Mu Manyu said as Zhao Yunxiao walked past her. "That said, this is quite the place that you have built."
"Thank you, Senior Martial Sister Mu, but it's not all my work. In fact, I am probably the one who contributed the least," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged without slowing down. "Though I would appreciate it if you could avoid telling anyone about what we did to this place. We don't want any trouble."
"Don't worry, I will keep this place a secret for you guys," Mu Manyu smiled as she turned her attention back to Nie Hanchang. "So, may I join you?"
"Please do," Nie Hanchang nodded with a smile of his own. "Let's have a final meal together with you still being an unmarried lady."
In the distance, Zhao Yunxiao calmly joined up with Gu Qiansi, who had been waiting in the long path leading to the Lightwind Pavilion.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"What do you think?" Gu Qiansi responded with a question of her own.
"Who knows? But either way, this is probably what they both needed," Zhao Yunxiao let out a helpless sigh.
Under the Lightwind Pavilion, Mu Manyu watched as Nie Hanchang poured a fresh cup of wine and prepared a new pair of chopsticks. When he was done, she silently picked up the cup of wine and took a small sip.
"Do you remember when we were young?" Nie Hanchang was the one who broke the silence. "You always stood up for me when others laughed at me – both for having no parents and for stubbornly sticking to the bow and arrow."
"Well, I can't help it. Someone has to take responsibility for that clueless little crybaby who keeps following me around," Mu Manyu smiled.
"Hey, I might be clueless, but I had a legit reason for crying often! I lost my parents!" Nie Hanchang retorted.
"Haha, yes. Yes, you did. I never claimed otherwise," Mu Manyu chuckled as memories surfaced in her mind. "We were really close back then, weren't we?"
"You always told me how talented I am, even though it was clear that my talent is far below yours," Nie Hanchang sighed. "The assurance really helped me. Though I have to admit that the growing difference between us secretly got on my nerves a little as well."
"Is that so? I actually didn't know that," Mu Manyu smiled wryly. "However, I wasn't lying when I said that you are talented. And I won't be lying now when I say that you are talented either."
"I know that you have always believed in me," Nie Hanchang nodded appreciatively. "Because of that, you have become one of my main motivations to become stronger as well."
"Is that so? That's very nice to hear," Mu Manyu replied.
"Just hearing that is not enough," Nie Hanchang locked gazes with Mu Manyu's eyes for more than three seconds for the first time that night. "I promise that I will definitely become a powerhouse one day. I will prove to you, and everyone else, that your belief in me, as well as your efforts of protecting me and telling others that I am talented, are not a complete waste."
"You don't have to promise me that. I already know that you will prove yourself one day," Mu Manyu's smile was as warm as ever.
"When you were selected to enter the inner sect, I was truly happy for you," Nie Hanchang said.
"I know. Even if you tell me otherwise, I wouldn't have believed you," Mu Manyu paused for a moment before continuing. "...What about now? Are you happy for me now?"
"...This is what you wanted, so I am naturally happy that you got what you wanted," Nie Hanchang similarly paused before giving his answer. "Congratulations."
"Is that so...?" Mu Manyu's words trailed off a little. "Will you be coming then? To my wedding."
"Who knows? I might be busy. After all, I still have something to prove," Nie Hanchang leaned back into his seat. "But either way, believe me when I say that I am sincerely happy for you to have found someone you love, who loves you back just as much. You never said it, but I know that this has always been your dream. I'm glad that it has finally come true."
Even if it wasn't me who made it come true.
"...I understand. Thank you, Junior Martial Brother Nie," Mu Manyu nodded. "I'm sure that you will find your destined one as well. Eventually, you will also be someone's dream come true."
"And when that happens, don't be surprised when I come show off in front of you," Nie Hanchang grinned.
"Haha, let's just hope it doesn't take so long that we have forgotten this conversation by then," Mu Manyu chuckled.
The rest of the conversation flowed naturally as the two reminisced about their past. They had spent plenty of time together since they were little, only for it to reduce greatly after Mu Manyu became an inner disciple. And in the future, both of them knew that it would surely reduce even further.
Who knows?
This might just be the final time that they would ever have a meal together alone.
After a couple of hours, Mu Manyu left the Lightwind Pavilion, inevitably leaving Nie Hanchang there alone, as she had when she left for the inner sect.
"You must be really busy with the wedding preparations, Senior Martial Sister Mu," Zhao Yunxiao's voice sounded out from behind a tree after Mu Manyu stepped out of the path to the pavilion. "Thank you for coming despite that."
It was clear that he had been waiting there for her.
"It's nothing. I wanted to come as well," Mu Manyu chuckled. "That said, I should be thanking you for giving me this opportunity instead."
"You should be thanking Gu Qiansi. She didn't consult me on this," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged while stepping out from the shadows.
"Hmm, what do they call this? I believe it is... all according to plan. Am I right?" Mu Manyu smiled. "Your calculations are as impressive as ever, Junior Martial Brother Zhao."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes.
"You are truly as humble as Senior Martial Brother Zuo[1] said you are," Mu Manyu complimented. "And also a busybody who seeks to protect everyone around you without being asked. I am glad to see that Junior Martial Brother Nie has now become one of these people."
"Oh? What did Senior Martial Brother Zuo say about me exactly?" Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes. "Did he admit just how many of my gifts to Elder Ying he took for himself?"
"Even if he did, I wouldn't tell you," Mu Manyu smirked.
"Can't trust a married couple to sell each other out. I understand," Zhao Yunxiao sighed helplessly. "I'd just have to live with never knowing the full extent of my losses."
"That said, I am truly thankful for this opportunity to speak to Junior Martial Brother Nie," Mu Manyu's tone turned solemn. "I have been thinking about whether I should come speak to him, and this has really helped me undo a knot in my heart."
"I will help you convey your gratitude to Gu Qiansi. She would be ecstatic to hear that," Zhao Yunxiao replied. "That said, I do have one final question for you that I hope you can answer as honestly as possible."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever liked Senior Martial Brother Nie?" Zhao Yunxiao asked. "Not as a childhood friend. Not as a fellow disciple. Not as a junior. But as a man."
"So, this whole thing is just an excuse for you to hear some gossip?" Mu Manyu chuckled. "Anyway, I will satisfy your curiosity as a show of my gratitude. After this, we are even. I indeed used to like Junior Martial Brother Nie, and have also thought that it would be nice if we could get together in the end. But regardless of seniority and talent, I am also a girl who wants to be loved – to be shown care and concern. In that aspect, I slowly came to understand that Junior Martial Brother Nie's hesitant personality when it comes to relationships is ultimately not what I am looking for in my lifelong partner. That was when I decided that both of us would be better off not being together. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "Yes, it did."
"In that case, I will get going now," Mu Manyu said. "Farewell, Junior Martial Brother Zhao. And I hope you figure out all the things that are important to you as well."
"Farewell, Senior Martial Sister Mu," Zhao Yunxiao answered with a bitter smile on his face. "Thank you."
Hesitant personality, eh?
Over the days that he had spent with Nie Hanchang, Zhao Yunxiao had come to understand that the latter merely wanted to wait till he had established himself before officially expressing his feelings to Mu Manyu. Otherwise, he simply found himself undeserving of the childhood friend whom he had always seen as a goddess.
However, not everyone could wait indefinitely without as much as a promise.
It was difficult to blame either Nie Hanchang or Mu Manyu for this outcome.
He could only think about how much Nie Hanchang would curse himself if he knew just how easily things could have changed.
[1] Inner disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect. Mu Manyu’s betrothed and works as a guard for the Core Grounds from time to time. Known for being a caring and righteous man, and especially for his devotion towards his cultivation partner.