Light rain began to sprinkle on the mountaintop as Hajime and Yul were the last to enter the cabin. Abrafo, who had been sitting at the table, noticed the figures outside rushing towards their shelter. With a swift motion, he sprang up and slammed the door shut just as Kexin reached it.
Kexin pounded on the door twice. "Hey!" she yelled, her voice dripping with irritation. "Open the door! We want to shelter from the rain too!"
Abrafo stood up, opening the door just wide enough to peer at Kexin. "Go somewhere else," he retorted, his voice dismissive. "This cabin is too small to accommodate extra people."
"I'm sure that cabin can accommodate more than five people!" Kexin argued, trying to force the door open and step inside.
Drenched from the rain, Kexin tried to squeeze in, but Abrafo pushed her back firmly. "I've already told you that our small cabin is wide enough for us alone," he stated, closing the door forcefully in her face.
"You morons… open the door!" Kexin roared, her voice echoing with frustration.
"Keep rattling your nonsense!" Abrafo yelled back, his patience wearing thin. "If you keep upsetting me, I'm going to kick your ass!"
Michio looked at Abrafo, his expression disapproving. "Abrafo! This is not the way you should talk to a lady!"
Abrafo sneered, spitting disdainfully. "Ptui… you call that a lady? You must be blind if you see her as a lady, Michio." He settled back onto the small bench opposite Yul and Hajime. "I thought the women in Tanzang had bad manners, but oh my god, I was wrong. Today, I can finally say that Tanzang women are the best in the land!"
Michio sat across from Hajime and gently pushed a bowl of mushroom soup towards him. He coaxed softly, "Hajime, don't be angry. Come, drink some soup to relieve your anger. My master often said that when people are hungry, they make unconscious decisions."
Hajime sighed. "The truth is…" Everyone in the cabin leaned in, waiting for him to elaborate, but after a moment, Hajime didn't continue. Instead, he picked up the soup and drank it in one breath. Finishing the bowl, he placed it on the table and looked at his companions, a small, grateful smile gracing his lips. "Thank you for your concern. Michio, your master was right. People often make stupid decisions when they're hungry."
"I don't think your decision just now was stupid," Abrafo declared, his voice firm. "Even a gentleman like me, who loves beautiful women, can't stand that golden spoon brat."
"I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one," Hajime admitted, a hint of relief in his tone.
"Hajime," Abrafo began, his gaze thoughtful, "sometimes our heart is like a half-full bucket, and if someone keeps adding water to that half-full bucket, eventually the water will overflow."
Hajime looked at Abrafo, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "I understand what you mean."
U-ri reached out and gently took Hajime's hand. "Do you want to talk?" he asked, his voice soft with genuine concern. "If you trust us, we will share this burden with you. Let's each share something that no one else knows about us." He looked around at the young men in the room, his eyes earnest.
"Great idea," Michio said, his face brightening. "I'll start. I've never kissed anyone before."
"Everyone knows this," Abrafo scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Monks should be abstinent."
"Well, I don't think I have any more secrets," Michio conceded with a shrug.
U-ri's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I know the secret tunnel to enter the secret room of the tenth king's final resting place." He watched the other four people stare at him, speechless.
"How?" Abrafo finally managed to ask, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I found it by accident," U-ri explained, a proud glint in his eye. "I've never shared this with anyone until now."
"Are you going to take this secret to the grave?" Yul asked, his voice low and serious.
"I thought maybe I'd wait until my last breath to tell you," U-ri said with a chuckle, then looked at Abrafo. "And you?"
"I… um…" Abrafo hesitated, then looked at Yul. "I always hated Yul… until he took the fault for me."
"What fault are you referring to?" Yul asked, a faint frown creasing his brow.
"You know when we were training at the camp," Abrafo confessed, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "I cut those rice sacks with your knife and blamed it on you."
Yul sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. "I've always wondered who made the joke on me, and it turned out to be you."
"Well…" Abrafo continued, his voice tinged with a touch of old shame. "Even though you were struck twenty-five times in the back and bled for several days, my hatred for you persisted. Until we were attacked by the bear protecting its cubs. You saved me from being torn apart by the bear. From that day on, I realized why many people praised you but not me."
"What was your reason for wanting to hurt me?" Yul asked, his gaze gentle now.
"Jealousy…" Abrafo admitted, his voice barely a whisper, his cheeks flushing.
Michio's jaw dropped in genuine shock. "Jealousy is your excuse. You know, Yul could have died from being struck twenty-five times!"
"Hey, don't judge me!" Abrafo retorted defensively. "I was fourteen at that time. It's all because I hated being compared to you, especially by my father. Sorry, I was too greedy to accept that you're better than me." He sighed, a heavy weightlifting from his shoulders. "Wow, telling you this makes me feel better. How about you?"
"Nobody knew about it, and nobody here could tell anyone else," Yul said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
The four men said in unison, "We agreed."
"I… I'm afraid of caterpillars," Yul confessed, his voice a little sheepish, "especially the big green one."
The four men burst into loud laughter, filling the small cabin.
Michio slapped his knee, tears of mirth in his eyes. "I thought that a powerful Palace Captain like you isn't afraid of anything, but… caterpillars! Hahaha!" He continued to laugh, unable to stop.
After their laughter subsided, Hajime cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it's my turn."
The men nodded, their expressions attentive.
"Everyone knows I can't die, right?" Hajime began, his voice soft.
"We know," U-ri confirmed, his gaze steady. "We've seen it with our own eyes."
"To lift the curse off me," Hajime explained, his voice growing more serious, "only someone who truly loves me can break that curse. But if I love that person to the same degree, my time with that person will be short."
"How short-lived are you referring to?" U-ri asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"I don't know, but somehow we will be separated," Hajime said, his gaze drifting over the faces of the four people in the cabin. "I lost control because the woman outside our cabin reminded me of someone I knew in a previous life. She paid people a lot of money to hurt me. So whenever I saw someone who acted familiar to her, I would suddenly become angry. But Yul is right. I must live for the present and not the past, because the past can't be changed. So, I'm sorry, I didn't think before calling my wolf. I didn't realize that my sudden impulsive decision put everyone's life at risk."
Abrafo chuckled, a comforting sound. "We're still alive, right? Next time you're about to unleash something like that, just warn us first. No matter which side you choose to vent your anger on, we'll be right behind you."
Hajime looked at the people sitting beside him, tears suddenly welling in his eyes. "I appreciate your kind words," he said with a heartfelt smile, fighting back the happy tears.
Standing before a majestic man with white hair and a long white beard, Baishui lowered his head slightly. "Father, I didn't know you would come," he greeted, his voice respectful.
Bailong, the elder, looked at Baishui, his gaze stern. "I thought I told you to stay inside the magic realm and continue to cultivate your skill. Before leaving, I made it clear."
"I heard father loud and clear," Baishui replied, a hint of defiance in his tone, "but staying at the bottom of this lake makes me feel lonely."
Bailong's anger flared. "If Huoyan wakes up from his deep sleep, you won't be so lonely! When you see the places, you love and the people you care about burned to death, and you can't help them, that's when you will feel lonely!"
"Huoyan was imprisoned for many thousands of years, long before I was born," Baishui argued, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't even know him. Since we are not enemies, why would he burn everyone to death? I don't understand."
Bailong slapped the armchair with his palm, the sound sharp. "Jiāo!"
Jiāo hurriedly knelt, bowing her head. "Your Majesty, forgive me. I tried my best to prevent the Ninth Prince from leaving the magic realm, but…"
Baishui stepped forward, shielding Jiāo. "Father, this has nothing to do with Jiāo. If I want to leave here, no one can stop me, not even Jiāo."
"Very well, then I will take you back to the South Sea," Bailong stated, his voice final.
"I won't go," Baishui declared, standing his ground. "I love the mountains and the chirping of the birds."
"You've had enough!" Bailong thundered, his patience clearly at an end. "Your eight brothers have successfully advanced to the next level, but you haven't progressed for more than six hundred years. How shameful! You hatched a few days later than your brothers, so I just let you do whatever you want, but from now on, you will no longer be so free. You must go back with me."
Baishui stood firm, his chin lifted. "I would rather be a happy dragon that walks on two legs than a regretful dragon that can fly."
Jiāo tugged frantically on Baishui's sleeve, her eyes wide with pleading. "Please don't talk back," she murmured, a desperate whisper.
Bailong frowned, a deep displeasure settling on his face. "Well said. You haven't seen blood, so you don't see my good intentions." He stretched out his hand and, with a swift motion, pulled the source of life from Baishui's body. A small, shiny white sphere hovered in Bailong's hand. "Jiāo, send him up. I'll wait and see how long you can last as a mortal." With those words, Bailong vanished suddenly.
Baishui collapsed to the ground. Jiāo frantically grabbed his hand, her face contorted with worry. "Ninth Prince," she cried, seeing Baishui's face already turning blue. Her voice filled with even greater alarm. "What's the matter with you? Why did you start to turn blue?"
Baishui coughed, a racking sound, and clutched Jiāo's hand tightly. "Jiāo… Jiāo." He gasped, struggling for air. "I can't breathe… I can't breathe…"
Jiāo quickly used her magic to create a shimmering bubble around Baishui. She gripped the magic bubble, her voice strained. "I'll take you up!"
"Hurry up," Baishui wheezed, his voice faint. "I'm dying."