The compounding injuries forced RongCheng to delay his return, causing anxiety to manifest ever more clearly upon his face.
Yan Si walked over from afar to sit beside RongCheng. Seeing him continually gazing at the jade pendant and letting out one sigh after another, the boy asked with a hint of curiosity, "Is eldest brother still worried about your wife?"
RongCheng nodded faintly: "So many days have already passed, leaving my wife entirely alone in the imperial palace... I truly cannot put my mind at ease."
Given that even he himself had been covertly plotted against, that other person, it was to be feared, also faced more ill fortune than good...
"The imperial palace?" Hearing this, Yan Si felt even more mystified and asked, "Your home... is in the imperial palace?"
RongCheng nodded faintly, still having no intention of revealing his identity to the child...
Although he inherently did not know much about the imperial palace, it seemed Yan Si could imagine the level of danger of that place; after all, he had already found the Shi family residence terrifying enough, let alone...
Yan Si carefully cleansed RongCheng's wounds and consoled him in a low voice, "Eldest brother should not worry; try your best to recuperate well so you can heal quickly and return early... In probably about four or five more days, you will manage to walk with some effort."
Currently, this was the only way left. RongCheng nodded faintly: "Very well, I trouble you to help me."
"It is no trouble..." It was no trouble whatsoever.
Yan Si was exerting his entire strength to help RongCheng, frequently venturing into the forest to forage for good things to nourish him, and when night came, he would sit right beside him to watch over him, primarily wishing only to remain closer to his light a bit longer. Knowing he would not be intimate with the man for much longer, he took advantage of that scarce and precious time to stay near him.
Like a moth throwing itself into a flame, trying hard to perceive the radiance before being completely burnt to ashes. He thought that draining his strength a little was perfectly fine; waiting until after the person departed in the future to make up for the sleep would still not be too late.
Meanwhile, RongCheng currently did not have enough peace of mind to pay attention to Yan Si, even beginning to view his care and attention as a matter of course.
In the end, Yan Si neglected himself to such an extent that by the time the man gradually recovered, it was precisely when the boy became weaker than ever before.
On the fifteenth day in the cave, RongCheng's injuries had recovered a great deal. To allow the man a comfortable place to sleep, Yan Si went back to his own nest of leaves; the moment he lay down, he sank into delirium, completely oblivious to heaven and earth.
In the middle of the night, Yan Si woke up with a start, realizing that he was no longer lying on the nest of leaves but was at RongCheng's spot... Instantly, he forced himself up in a panic and asked blankly, "Why did I sleep here?"
"I was the one who brought you over here..." RongCheng was still sitting right next to him; seeing the boy wake up, he felt both glad and angry, scolding softly in reproach, "I already told you that you must not neglect yourself anymore... Why do you still keep acting like this?"
Just now while sleeping, he had suddenly heard the boy groaning very softly; when he walked over to check, touching him only to discover that his breath was exceptionally weak, and at times his heart almost stopped beating, giving him quite a terrifying fright.
Suddenly being scolded, Yan Si's heart felt profoundly sorrowful, and he merely shook his head, saying, "Eldest brother has no need to worry, I... cannot die. Sleeping a few more days will make me well."
Afterward, he fumbled in the darkness to find RongCheng's hand; having just checked his pulse, he said in a low voice, "Eldest brother's injuries have recovered a lot... I see you worry for your wife at home so intensely, how about tomorrow morning you hurry up and return."
By this time, Yan Si was already extremely tired, wishing only to be granted a great deal of sleep, it was only that...
After a long period of silent contemplation, he hesitantly offered, "Occasionally... occasionally can you return here to visit me?"
So that in case he missed the man, he could still hope for a day to meet again; otherwise, throughout his entire life, he truly would have nothing left to wait for.
RongCheng suddenly gripped Yan Si's hand tightly, shook his head, and asked, "Why must I return to this place?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Si's heart abruptly suffered an intensely violent ache, his deep hollow eyes instantly welling with unshed tears, and he stammered, "Did... did you not... did you not promise me a set of new clothes? Have you forgotten it? Truly forgotten it?"
Even though in terms of benevolence and gratitude, the man had already repaid him, but... but... if he did not return anymore, what could he hope for? This place would be just as dark and cold as before, all the joy he had just acquired would suddenly turn into despair, and a new coat... would also remain only in a dream.
RongCheng suddenly pulled Yan Si and cradled him into his chest, saying, "I will give you a great many new clothes... Because you will go together with me, why would I still need to return to this place?"
"No!" Yan Si struggled out of RongCheng's chest, shaking his head in refusal: "I am not going... I absolutely do not want to go!"
The outside world was terrifyingly dangerous; he would rather bury his life in this place: "You can just leave me here, and occasionally come visit to bring me a few apples, just that... I only need that."
RongCheng let out a sigh and caressed Yan Si's head, saying softly, "Foolish little brother, how can I possibly leave you behind? Follow me quickly."
"No! I am afraid... I am afraid it is dangerous out there... I am not going... I do not want to go... On my own I can still live, please do not worry!" He would restrain his heart to wait here, no matter how many years, he would wait... Never expecting that this brief encounter would cause such waves to rise in Yan Si's heart, because the man was the first person to see him and treat him well...
Hearing this, RongCheng suddenly gritted his teeth and scolded, "It is not a matter of whether you will live; I know you will live, but I do not want you to continue living like this, do you understand or not?"
"I... I..." Being scolded, Yan Si instantly curled his body up out of fear, and his frame also automatically shuddered.
Seeing him like this, RongCheng felt even more heartbroken; once more he pulled Yan Si into his embrace while simultaneously holding him tightly, comforting him, "Trust in eldest brother, depart with me, I will absolutely protect you at all costs! Also promise me, you must absolutely live well, do not fail my intentions, can you? Promise me!"
"I..." Yan Si hesitated and did not reply, because he himself could not yet comprehend what that living well was like.
RongCheng gripped Yan Si even more tightly, saying, "We have already become sworn brothers, and have already cut our flesh to vow an oath; could it be you truly want eldest brother to be punished by heaven and earth? Quickly... promise me."
"Punished by heaven and earth!? No... I do not want that!" How could he bear to watch him be punished by heaven and earth?
"Then you must go with me; tomorrow we will depart together, alright?"
Suddenly caught in a difficult dilemma, in the end Yan Si had no other choice but to nod in agreement, only asking haltingly, "Out there... is it very terrifying?"
That time confronting the Grand General's residence, he had already found it terrifying enough... he truly did not dare to think about it further.
RongCheng caressed his head, smiled, and said, "Not at all, there are still a great many beautiful things, especially when..."
Yan Si asked with a hint of curiosity, "That is when?"
RongCheng's gaze suddenly became profoundly tender, and he said, "Especially when you find the person you love most in the world, and together with that person experience happy days that are impossible to forget."
Does a person like what he speaks of truly exist in the world?
That was right... After a moment of deep contemplation, he thought he had found him, right here...
"So that is what is called love!" The warm voice was like pouring honey into his heart; being beside RongCheng, Yan Si felt exceptionally secure... He loved him very... very much... to the point where there was no way to count it... Although it was not yet clear what happiness was like, the time that had just passed consisted of days that throughout his entire life he would never forget.
Suddenly understanding, Yan Si took the initiative to wrap his arms around to embrace RongCheng, asking in a low voice, "Will eldest brother protect me by my side for a whole lifetime?"
Thinking that he had successfully persuaded the boy, RongCheng nodded faintly to put his mind at ease: "Yes, I will always protect you by your side."
Hearing these words, Yan Si's heart suddenly felt an overwhelming joy, beating continuously with a thumping rhythm—a strange sensation of jubilation that he had never experienced throughout more than ten dark years.
In the final analysis, Yan Si departed solely because he was too attached to RongCheng, wishing to remain by his side and ready to pay whatever price. The only person who accepted him and inadvertently became his entire world, was the very source of his life.
The two of them had originally intended to depart the next morning; however, Yan Si's health was currently exceptionally weak, and RongCheng had also not completely recovered, so in the end they had no choice but to remain in the cave for a little while longer.
During the days that followed, Yan Si only then began to perceive profoundly what was called joy and happiness. He was cradled in RongCheng's embrace, receiving warmth, and then peacefully sank into beautiful dreams.
"If only these warm days could last forever..." He began to grow covetous, wishing only for time to freeze and remain forever in this cave, acting as a child cherished by his elder brother.
And so, RongCheng inadvertently dragged Yan Si back to the very first days of his childhood, where he had been abandoned in an utterly heartless manner. Within his innermost mind, the man thought that an elder brother making up a little something for his younger brother was perfectly fine. It was only that he would never know, precisely because of that seemingly beautiful action, it had aroused the single most terrifying fear of loss within the boy.
A relationship was silently being formed through the patching up of fragments from the past—a source of sunlight so brilliant and dazzling that it left the creature in the darkness completely unable to see anything else anymore.