Chapter 11: The Cry in the Gorge.
Yao Zi noticed her hesitation and frowned wondering why she was so hesitant, only for his ears to suddenly burn red as he quickly clarified, "I-I'm not trying to do anything weird, alright?! I just—I'm just trying to help!"
Jiang Xue's heart skipped at his flustered reaction. She hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable.
"...Okay." she finally whispered.
Without another word, she carefully climbed onto his back, her arms looping around his shoulders while he hooked his hands under her knees. As he stood up with ease, she felt the warmth of his back against her chest, the steady rise and fall of his breath oddly reassuring.
They began moving forward in silence.
Jiang Xue lowered her head slightly. Something about the quiet atmosphere felt different, like there was a distance between them now that hadn't been there before.
"Yao Zi… are you mad at me?" she asked hesitantly.
He stiffened slightly, caught off guard by the question. "Huh? Why would I be mad at you?"
She shook her head. "No reason…"
" There better not be..." Yao Zi spoke softly, almost as if he was talking to himself. "Why would you think that anyway. You know I really love you, right?"
Jiang Xue's breath hitched. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his robes, her heart pounding.
She knew he meant it in a familial way, but hearing him say that, still sent an unfamiliar warmth blooming in her chest.
"Promise me," she suddenly whispered.
Yao Zi glanced at her. "Promise what?"
She hesitated before answering. "...Promise that this will never change."
His brows furrowed. "What are you going on about now, What'll never change?"
Jiang Xue took a deep breath, gathering her courage, her big beautiful round eyes staring into his partially turned face. "I mean… I don't want you to change. Or leave me behind."
Her voice was quieter now, almost fragile. "Ever since mother… ever since she died giving birth to me, Father has always been so busy with clan matters. And I… I've always felt alone."
Yao Zi's grip on her legs tightened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.
"But then… the day Father brought you back to the clan, everything changed. You were always there. No matter what, you were always there for me," she continued. "And I don't want that to change. I don't want you to grow distant or leave me behind one day."
The vulnerability in her words hit Yao Zi harder than he expected.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Then, after a brief pause, he let out a quiet chuckle. "Idiot."
Jiang Xue stiffened. "Wha—"
"You're worrying over nothing," he let out a teasing chuckle. "I was never planning on leaving you behind in the first place."
Jiang Xue's eyes widened. She had expected him to think about it for awhile at least yet the fact he didn't even hesitate to reply as if it was the most natural thing in the world left her stunned.
A smile bloomed across her tear-streaked face. Without thinking, she tightened her arms around his neck and hugged him from behind.
The sudden shift in weight nearly made Yao Zi stumble. "Hey! Be careful! If we both fall, who's going to carry who then?!"
Jiang Xue giggled. "Then I'll just carry you!"
"As if you could even lift me with that sprained ankle of yours." Yao Zi chuckle.
Their laughter echoed through the courtyard, filling the evening air with warmth.
And in that moment, for just a little while longer, everything felt right. To bad everything didn't go as she thought it would. Instead of keeping his promise to her... he'd left her as well.
Having recalled that treasured memory of hers, A whisper left her lips, barely more than a breath.
"I'm sorry, Brother Yao…"
The words hung in the still air, vanishing into the suffocating silence of the room.
The night stretched on, but Jiang Xue remained as she was, clutching the last piece of the past she could still hold on to, drowning in a sorrow that no words could ever mend.
Back within the Qin mountain gorge...
Yao Zi had already begun his journey out of the gorge. Each step he took stirred small clouds of dust from the uneven stone beneath his feet.
Above him, the night sky was a ceiling of black ink with faint star's, and around him, only the faint blue shimmer of the ghostly blue sturgeon spirit he had summoned, lit the way. With it's soft, flickering light that barely pushed the darkness back. At most he could only see properly within a ten meter radius.
Still, it was enough. The spirit swam lazily through the air beside him, its translucent fins trailing faint trails of light behind them. Its form was long and serpent-like, teeth faintly bared as though it was eternally hunting.
Yao Zi's eyes swept the path ahead, sharp and cold.
" If It were up to me, I would've preferred to journey during the day." he murmured. "But I'm afraid I can't sleep peacefully in such open terrain....who knows just what might pick me off during my rest." he wasn't willing to trust the spirits to protect him when he wasn't even sure what their martial prowess was.
The quiet around him pressed in like a second skin. The deeper he went, the more unnatural it felt—as though this place had been sealed from time.
Shrieeee!!!
Just when he thought the silence would prevail, he then heard a strange cry from above, distorted and strange.
"Tsk... looks like we've got trouble"
Yao Zi froze mid-step. The spirit beside him jolted, but instead of it taking a cautious stance like Yao Zi, its body tensed like a hound catching a delectable scent. Its glow pulsed brighter, flickering with excitement.
"Whatever it is, it must be beneficial for the spirits." Yao Zi said, watching it carefully.
The spirit gave no reply, but its behavior was answer enough. With a sudden burst of speed, it shot upward, mouth opening as its ghostly form shimmered violently.