When the Guozhao Hunters, Deming, and Weici finally arrived in Waterfall City, it was already evening, the sky painted in hues of orange and purple. The vibrant voices of the people boomed loudly on the bustling streets, a lively symphony from stall hawkers calling out their wares to traveling hunters and merchants haggling over prices. Once they walked through the grand front gate of Waterfall City, the Guozhao Hunters, familiar with the bustling metropolis, led the two newcomers towards Sunrise Inn, a beacon of warmth and light.
Deming and Weici, who had never journeyed this far before, had their eyes wide with wonder, sparkling like newly polished jewels as they saw the dazzling nightlife of a truly magnificent city. Their eyes swept across the vibrant street, taking in every detail, their mouths barely having time to close with an "aw" of pure astonishment.
Weici turned and asked Yang Bao, her voice filled with childlike wonder, "Brother Yang, is this Waterfall City? It's even more beautiful than the stories!"
Yang Bao smiled, a genuine warmth in his expression. "Yes, Weici. This is Waterfall City. Let's go to Sunrise Inn now, and you can rest."
"Why Sunrise Inn?" Weici asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Sunrise Inn belongs to Aunt Xiong, our Shimu's younger sister," Yang Bao explained, a touch of familial pride in his voice. "It's like an extension of our home."
Yu Lei turned and glanced at Weici, a playful smirk on his face. "We have our own sleeping area in Sunrise Inn. It's like home, and the best part is, we don't have to pay." He turned to Weici, his gaze direct. "Do you have money to pay for accommodation and food, little fairy?"
Weici bit her lower lip, a rare moment of embarrassment. "No," she admitted softly. She turned to Deming, her eyes pleading. "Brother Deming, do you have money?"
Deming shook his head, his face solemn. "I don't have money, Weici."
Yu Lei smirked, a triumphant gleam in his eye. "Then let's rest at Sunrise Inn, it's our only option anyway!"
When the hunters arrived at Sunrise Inn, they walked discreetly to the back door, avoiding the main entrance. There were ten simple, yet comfortable rooms, separate from the other workers' rooms, opposite each other, with five rooms on each side, forming a quiet courtyard.
Yang Bao looked at the hunters, his voice tired but firm. "Everyone, go take a bath, get cleaned up, and then we go to eat. We'll meet in the dining hall."
Weici looked at Yang Bao, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Brother Yang, what about us?" She pointed to herself then to Deming, unsure of their place.
"You can choose one of the rooms," Yang Bao said, gesturing generally. He then looked at Deming, his smile gentle. "Brother Deming, please follow me this way. I'll show you to a room."
Deming, still wary, said, "I will stay in the same room with Sister Weici. We're together."
"It's inappropriate for you two to stay in the same room, Brother Deming," Yang Bao said with a kind but firm smile, understanding the societal customs. "Follow me this way."
Yang Bao led Deming into the first room on the right, a simple, clean space. He opened the door, and the two walked in. Yang Bao looked at Deming, his gaze reassuring. "After you take a bath, meet us in the dining hall. Ah Lei will wait for you outside of the door, so you won't get lost."
Deming looked at Yang Bao, a flicker of anxiety in his eyes. "Will your Senior Brother be there too?" he asked, his voice soft, still haunted by the previous encounters.
Yang Bao shook his head, a gentle smile on his face. "No, Senior Brother is back in Cloud City. He teleported there after he left us." Yang Bao smiled at him, a comforting gesture, and then closed the door, leaving Deming alone.
Deming didn't understand why Guozhao Zhiqiang had already returned to Cloud City in just a few days, leaving them. He looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. It was a very simple setting, yet clean and welcoming. He wanted to know whose room he was sleeping in tonight, this place that felt so much like a home. After taking a bath and changing into the clean clothes provided, he sat on the bed and stared at the door, lost in thought. His gaze drifted to a painting of a beautiful woman hanging on the wall. The woman looked decent, serene. She was sitting under some blossom trees, writing, with delicate petals scattered across the beautiful blossom valley. Then a soft knock on the door startled him. He quickly got up and opened the door; it was Yu Lei, his face cheerful.
"Time for dinner, Brother Deming," Yu Lei said, his voice bright.
Deming stopped Yu Lei before he could turn. "Brother Yu, can you read?" he asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
"Yes, of course," Yu Lei replied, a little surprised by the question.
Deming pointed to the painting, specifically to the calligraphy beside the woman. "Can you read it for me?"
Yu Lei smiled at Deming, a gentle amusement in his eyes. "You don't know how to read, Brother Deming?" Deming shook his head, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. Yu Lei then read the poem aloud, his voice clear: "'Meet or part, live or die, took an oath, swore our lives. Walk with you side by side, be your cane throughout your life, I will always be beside you, until hair is grey, and our days are due.'"
"Who wrote this?" Deming asked, his voice soft, deeply moved by the words.
Yu Lei looked at the painting, then at Deming, a knowing smile on his face. "Oh, that was our First Master, Master Guo Baiyu. He wrote it for our Shimu. That painting was of our Shimu when she was young. I believe she was around seventeen or eighteen years old."
"Then this must be your Master and your Shimu's room?" Deming asked, a profound sense of awe in his voice.
Yu Lei smiled, shaking his head. "No... this is the room of our Senior Brother, Guozhao Zhiqiang."
Deming's eyes widened in shock, the words of the poem echoing in his mind, suddenly taking on a new, painful meaning. Deming and Yu Lei left the room and walked towards the inn's main dining hall. Deming, still reeling, said, "Brother Yang told me that your Senior Brother has returned to Cloud City. How did he get there so fast, if he was just with us?"
Yu Lei, without thinking, replied, "He uses the teleport talisman, a special magic."
"Do you have one?" Deming asked, a flicker of desperate hope.
"We all have teleport talismans," Yu Lei confirmed, "it's a basic tool for Guozhao Hunters."
"Can I have one?" Deming inquired, his voice low.
"Ask Second Senior Brother," Yu Lei replied, "he's in charge of supplies."
"Does your Senior Brother have a lover?" Deming asked, the question escaping him before he could stop it, a strange jealousy twisting in his gut.
"Ah…" Yu Lei answered, a little embarrassment in his voice, realizing the implication. "There are many female hunters, our younger generations, who liked him, and many still do. I hope that answers your question, Brother Deming."
"Why do you join the sector?" Deming asked, shifting the topic, trying to understand their world.
"I didn't have a choice at that time," Yu Lei said, a hint of past hardship in his voice.
"If you were allowed to choose, would you still join them?" Deming probed, seeking to understand their loyalty.
"Definitely," Yu Lei affirmed, his voice firm, unwavering.
"Why?" Deming asked, genuinely curious.
"You don't understand if you don't live in Cloud City, Brother Deming," Yu Lei replied, a profound conviction in his voice. "It's a feeling of belonging, of family."
When the two arrived at the main dining room, it was full of people, a cacophony of voices and laughter. Most of the customers were hunters, their weapons clanging softly as they moved. The two men found their group sitting at three large tables, already eating. Just as they continued to walk towards their friends, someone suddenly attacked them from behind, a swift, unexpected lunge.
Yu Lei, reacting instantly, pushed Deming toward the group, shoving him out of harm's way, quickly turned around, and began to fight the young man, a playful yet skilled skirmish. The young man then flipped back, landing gracefully on a nearby table, his movements agile. The youth smiled at Yu Lei, a challenge in his eyes.
Yu Lei smiled, a knowing look. "Lim Junjie," he greeted, recognizing his opponent.
Lim Junjie jumped off the table, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Yu Lei, where is your Senior Brother? He promised me that he would come to Capital City!"
Yu Lei cracked his knuckles, a playful threat. "He has gone home, Junjie. Back to Cloud City."
"Is he afraid of my sister?" Lim Junjie asked, a taunt in his voice. He then looked at Deming, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "Why are you here? Your sector, Snow Sector, is at my residence, not here."
"You might have mistaken me for someone else," Deming said, his voice tight, trying to deflect the accusation.
"Hu Dingxiang, don't pretend you don't know me," Lim Junjie retorted, his voice sharp, clearly identifying him. "We met many times during the sectors' competition; you can't fool me."
Hearing the name Hu Dingxiang, the name of his tormentor, Deming was filled with a sudden, burning anger. He just stared at Lim Junjie, his eyes blazing, without saying a single word, the hatred palpable.
"Although brother Zhiqiang pays special attention to you, it doesn't mean that he loves you more than me. Ha...ha...ha…" Lim Junjie taunted, his voice filled with a petty jealousy, trying to provoke a reaction.
Deming gnashed his teeth, his body trembling with rage. "You can have him and stay away from me!" Deming snarled, his voice raw with fury. He walked directly to Weici and sat abruptly beside her, seeking refuge.
Yang Bao saw the profound frustration and anger on Deming's face and decided to intervene. He stood up, his presence commanding. "Junjie, stop joking. The person here is called Deming, he is not Hu Dingxiang from Snow Sector. You've made a mistake."
"I'm not even joking!" Lim Junjie declared, dismissing Yang Bao's words. "I came to see Brother Zhiqiang! I will go to his room and wait for him. I want to sleep with him tonight; it's been too long!" he announced, leaving towards the back of the inn, heading for the rooms.
Yu Lei shouted, his face exasperated, and chased after Lim Junjie, "Junjie, wait…! You can't just barge into Senior Brother's room!"
Yang Bao shook his head, a resigned sigh escaping him. "Ah Lei, let him go... everyone just eats." He looked at Deming, whose face was still gloomy and contorted with anger because of the confrontation. "Brother Deming, don't think too much about it. He has always been like this to Senior Brother, a bit of a nuisance. Would you mind sharing a room with me tonight, as Senior Brother is not here?"
Deming sighed, a weary sound. "No, I don't mind," he replied, accepting the offer, needing the safety of Yang Bao's presence.
Yu Lei quickly followed Lim Junjie into what he knew was Guozhao Zhiqiang's bedroom. He found Lim Junjie already lying cross-legged on the bed, making himself comfortable. Yu Lei stood by the bed, his arms crossed, a look of exasperation on his face. "You have a comfortable bed at home, Junjie, why are you still here, bothering Senior Brother?"
Lim Junjie did not open his eyes, a smug smile on his face. "If brother Zhiqiang was willing to come to my house to visit me and sleep with me in my comfortable bed, I wouldn't be here, would I?"
Yu Lei kicked Lim Junjie's cross-legged foot, a playful but firm nudge. "You are not ashamed at all, are you?"
Lim Junjie opened his eyes, a mischievous glint in them. "Yu Lei, your brain must be dirty," he chuckled, amused by the implication. "To be honest, I don't mind at all, if brother Zhiqiang's feelings for me are more than brotherhood, I'd welcome it!" He sat up on the edge of the bed and stared at Yu Lei, a challenging look in his eyes. "Speaking of shame... I think your behavior with Tian Xiang is even more shameful, isn't it?" He laughed out loud, a boisterous, teasing sound.
Yu Lei, his face flushing with anger at the mention of Tian Xiang, grabbed Lim Junjie's neck, his grip firm. "I will show you what happens to people who don't follow the rules, Lim Junjie!"
"I'm not afraid of you mortals!" Lim Junjie shouted, his voice filled with playful defiance. He grabbed Yu Lei's belt and, with a powerful shove, pushed him onto the bed. The two young men began to wrestle playfully on the bed, their laughter filling the room.
Three juniors standing outside the bedroom listened to the sounds of the two young men wrestling on the bed, their grunts and laughter echoing. The first junior asked, "Do you want to stop them? They'll break something."
The second junior said, "No, let them fight. Stop them midway, you will get a black eye. Do you want a black eye?"
The third Junior said, "I hope they don't mess up Senior Brother's room too much. He'll be furious."
The second junior said, "Let them continue, let's go eat. I'm starving."
The three juniors left and headed to the main dining hall, leaving Lim Junjie and Yu Lei to their playful brawl.