Shan Si was focused on his surroundings and hadn't once glanced in Tao Hua's direction—in fact, he rarely even batted an eyelash. Luckily, the first bit of this adventure wasn't so rough.
That changed along with the scenery. The deeper the two entered, the colder the air became. It was brighter, but that wasn't a blessing by any measure. This light was caused by the lack in greenery, allowing the moon's rays to glisten brightly against each frosty weed, rock, and barren tree.
This also made the temperature worse, as there wasn't much protecting them from the gales that howled.
And the moment they approached what sounded to be a running brook covered with a layer of snow was when Tao Hua realized they'd entered a completely different space than the summer calm of Zhonglai. He looked down at the snow-covered ice, ahead to see the accumulating piles of white and pine trees, then he looked back. There wasn't any snow in sight, only frost and barren trees.
Like two worlds colliding.
But even if he wanted to marvel at the absurd beauty of such an anomaly, his mind couldn't quite escape their earlier conversation. It shifted between embarrassment, anger, sorrow, and hurt. In all honesty, it was Tao Hua's confidence that had taken the brunt of it all, even if there wasn't much there to begin with.
His mind was completely wrapped around every negative thing said, and it held him hostage better than this man ever could.
Tao Hua watched as Shan Si stepped onto the frozen river, his foot swishing from one side to the other, revealing a glistening slate of thick ice. He did this repeatedly until reaching the other side of the brook—clearing a path out entirely.
Looking back, his eyebrows rose as if to say, "Move."
Obliging, Tao Hua carefully positioned one foot onto the ice. He stirred it around, watching as the black and blue sparkled under the moonlit sky. There really should have been amazement in his stare, as this would be the first he'd ever interact with such a climate; however, that was further from the truth.
Tao Hua was, instead, uncertain. He treated that handcrafted path the same way one would trying to board a rocky boat, struggling with every fibre of his being while trying to steady himself upon boarding. But there was nothing around for him to grab onto, so he just had to carefully slide at a pace slower than a snail; one creeping foot forward until he could finally assure that both feet were firmly placed onto the ice.
Arms straightened and spread outward, Tao Hua balanced himself, inhaling the bitter cold in one violent gulp. Stiffened, and somewhat astonished, he stared down at his dingy white boots.
He did it! He was on the ice!
Shooting his head up to look at Shan Si with a smile ALMOST forming on his lips, he wasn't met with any praise whatsoever. Instead, he noticed how Shan Si had his eyes locked not on Tao Hua's feet.
They were intense, as if attentively watching each and every step he'd make.
Odd.
Whatever the reason, Tao Hua shook it off. He glided his foot forward, grabbing the skirt of his robe and lifting it up a bit. Then, he repeated it with the second; however, this would be his first mistake in a series of constant plummets.
Tao Hua immediately slipped and slammed right onto his tush with an omph! This prompted a loud sigh from Shan Si and a few mumbled phrases Tao Hua was too shocked to catch.
It was cold, and given the poor state of his robe, it would annoyingly stick to the ice.
Frustrated, Tao Hua tried to rip it off, while fumbling over himself. Another slip, and then another, and a third. It was an absolutely pitiful sight to witness, but Tao Hua couldn't quite focus on the audience. He had to figure out how the fuck one managed to survive in such a harsh and cold climate.
He twisted the upper half of his body, pressing his hands to the ice before flipping onto his knees. This caused him to flinch as the cold soaked through the silken gauze, but it wasn't the gashes that caused him pain. It was in the way this intense temperature burnt the tips of his fingers, which complimented the way each wintry inhale seared his lungs.
All he could think was: Why do people romanticize this weather in books?!
It wasn't romantic one bit! It was truly awful, and nothing about winter was soothing, calming, or magical as once written. In fact, it was so quiet that Tao Hua thought it was better to say this snowy atmosphere felt rather lonely and terrifying.
For someone who'd been lonely most of his life, that was probably one of the worst insults he could offer such a place.
A few more slips and Tao Hua had given up, deciding it was better to just crawl than walk. He was just about to start when a hand gripped his arm, and when he looked up, he saw the distressed scowl of Shan Si.
"Oh." Tao Hua paused, blinking a few times. This was a new expression on the roster of many different faces.
Despite the cold pinching at his cheeks, Tao Hua's face would flush the more he realized just how utterly stupid he must have looked. Thus, his eyes would vacate, shifting away from the judging glare shamefully.
Shan Si lifted him to his feet attentively—it was actually gentle, and oddly so, given how this man had handled him all night. Even worse, when factoring in what he'd admitted and the harsh words said.
But that, too, was a fleeting moment. I would pass as quickly as the biting winds, sending Tao Hua gliding along the ice toward the other side of that thin brook in one measly shove.
THUMP!
He pummelled straight into the snowbank, face first, sending snow flying all around the area; some partially on Shan Si. It was freezing, and due to Tao Hua's retaliating body heat, it started to soak through the blue fabric.
Even more unpleasant. But hey! At least it was kinda cleaning it.
Maybe.
Swiping each dusted bit off his shoulders and arms, the sound of tapping crossed the ice, and soon Tao Hua was pulled right out of that pile.
Greatly unpleasant, actually. But it did solve their issue of Tao Hua's clumsiness.
"Do you see why I said dres warm?" Shan Si brushed along Tao Hua's shoulders and arms, helping the disorientated man steady himself once more. During this, he added, "It's only going to get worse from this point onward. When on ice, try and lock your muscles. In the snow, trace my footstep. Got it?"
Why… Tao Hua thought, staring down at the imprint of his face in the snow. This night was starting to feel more and more miserable with each happening, and now he had to add Shan Si's weirdness to the mix.
He reached up to his cheeks, trying to dry them before the cold froze them over. He's been acting weird since our argument…
Wrinkling his lips, Tao Hua tried to decide if this was a bad omen and if he should prepare for something far worse than anything said.
With a defeated sigh, Tao Hua lowered his head and slowly nodded. In a breathless whisper, he replied, "Understood."
Staring at him for a moment longer, Shan Si waited before letting Tao Hua go. Then, the crunching proceeded toward a hoard of pine trees, shaking the snow off a few pine branches and lifting them up. He turned to look at Tao Hua, simply waiting and nothing more.
But those pine branches remained in his hand, held up, and clearing the way entirely for someone of Tao Hua's height.
Past that opening, and within the tree-abundant grove was mostly darkness, and Tao Hua's fear highlighted against the light that they'd soon abandon.
Was Shan Si expecting him to go first?
He…really, REALLY didn't want to go first, but the longer Shan Si stood there waiting, the more Tao Hua realized he hadn't a choice in the matter.
Shoulders slumping, Tao Hua hesitated before stretching out his legs. He placed it in one of Shan Si's footprints, doing the same with the other. With each awkward step, Tao Hua struggled to match the ridiculous space between each print.
In doing so, Tao Hua held up his robe as the air assaulted it violently, cursing his own stature and poor genetics as he huffed.
But the ultimate issue was that each step forward was another drop in the temperature, and each mile walked was exerting energy Tao Hua didn't have to offer. It genuinely felt like they were passing into another world entirely, and this was the entrance.
It was so sudden; to be exact, Tao Hua really wasn't sure how much of it he could actually handle.
Moving past Shan Si, he stopped before the gloom that was only defined by the light entering through the opening. It was little patches of snow, looking more and more omnimous the longer Tao Hua stared at them.
So, he took a large breath in, filling his chest with the scent of refreshing pine. Just as he dipped his body forward, ready to run in, he was stopped.
His shoulder was caught, and suddenly the entire scene lit a dim glow of orange. This allowed Tao Hua could see each pattern shadowed in the trunks, the pointy bristles of the branches, and the sparkling snow.
Now that he could actually make out the patterns…they really weren't all that scary, truthfully. In fact, it was pretty.
Still awful, though. Even pretty things could be horrendous. Take the man next to him, for example.
After a few blinks, Tao Hua turned to look at Shan Si. In his hand, he held what looked to be a ball of fire, flickering against the wind as if his hand were the base of a candle.
Tao Hua blinked a few more times, astonished, before Shan Si leaned in, lifted Tao Hua's hand, and carefully placed the fire into it. It hovered just enough not to impact the gauze or his skin, and it weirdly didn't sear with how close it was.
"It won't burn you." He said, nudging Tao Hua's hand away from his body and further ahead. "And try to keep it out of harm's way. It'll be enough to get you through this small stretch before we emerge back into an opening. That's all I can offer you right now."
Glowing against the features of his face, Tao Hua stared at the fire in his hand, stricken with both awe and anxiety. Then, he turned his head to Shan Si, but Shan Si was already moving past him and into the forest.
Tao Hua's brows pinched, just as Shan Si removed his sword, cutting a few more branches along the way. Of course, he didn't have any problem with the branches, so it made his actions even more peculiar.
Drifting back to the fire in his hands, Tao Hua watched as the flame gradually dimmed the father Shan Si was from him.
Very different... he thought, his eyelids lowering the longer he watched the flame dance against the white backdrop.
Through this, his stomach twisted and churned aggressively, as if Tao Hua was already preparing for the next switch-up. Even so, despite it being dastardly cold out, all he could feel was the warmth of the flame.
I don't understand him at all.
To prevent that flame from dying so soon, Tao Hua hopped in Shan Si's footsteps to remain close, and the two were off into the woods and on their way to wherever the fuck they were going.
Chapter end.