eunoia | bl | tgcf

Chapter 4: Part Three

Chapter 4
Honglan Mountain

Part Three
Withering

.

.

"I go by two names; one is Xiao Lan and the other is—" Xiao Lan's heart suddenly finds his next words to be a bit sweet, making him feel more at ease. "—Hua Yunlan."

Hua Cheng bites his lip, finding the god responsible for Yun-ge's situation to be incredibly despicable.

Don't worry, Yun-ge. From now on, we shall never part. And once we find gege, the three of us shall be together for as long as time allows us.

.

.

.

.

Xiao Lan glances at this man called Hua Cheng.

He has a vague feeling that he knows who this man is but is unwilling to admit it. The questions burning in his heart simmer down as he fools himself into believing that Hua Cheng is a different person from the one he is thinking of.

The past does not matter. He is reluctant to know the reason for that child's departure, reluctant to know whether Xiao Lan had lacked something or done something wrong.

What he wants now is the present.

Hua Cheng is still focused on answering the questions Xiao Lan presented earlier so the flower quietly checks on his cultivation.

Hua Cheng arrived seven years ago so my cultivation has yet to reach its former level. When he had decided to return into a child's form, it is for the reason that the flesh being cut from him is lesser than when he is in adult form.

Before, there were more than 1001 swords that descended from above. Furthermore, it consumes much more of his cultivation to repair the adult's form compared to a child's body.

The flower has wilted after not seeing the sun and feeling the fresh rain. Even a resilient flower such an orchid would die in this kind of environment.

The vibrant eyes that reflected the morning warmth have gone dim and languish. He cannot even find it in himself to raise his arms to wipe the blood off his face.

I'm... so tired. He wants to feel Mother's embrace but he is stuck in this place where no plants nor even weeds grow. He misses Mother's songs and the lively chorus sung by his brethren and sistren.

Most of all, he misses his brother who was forcefully taken away from him.

Min-ge, where are you?

...

Hua Cheng noticed long ago how absentminded Yun-ge appears. Yet he does not voice the questions in his mind and silently waits for the other to leave his thoughts.

When he meets the other's eyes, the ghost 'flower' asks, "Yun-ge, may I try to rewrite the array now?"

"Not yet." His voice is weak yet steadier than before. "The way you are now, you might as well be trapped in the array, too."

"..." Hua Cheng is speechless. He has been learning for seven years but Yun-ge just implied that he may mess up big time if he tries to apply what he learned. It is not that he boasts about himself but he is a quick-learner, so when he began learning, he was confident that he could free Yun-ge in less than five years.