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Jiang walks through the now-ruined Sky Lotus Sect. It’s been a long time since her last visit here. Bringing Red Tooth, formerly known as Quan, to cure him was an opportunity for her to revisit the sect where she spent her entire childhood. However, what she didn’t expect was that Chicken Island would be attacked at the very moment of her absence. So, she had no choice but to ask Quan to come back and protect the island for her.
It’s now been about two weeks since the incident. Before leaving, Quan had asked her why she wasn’t returning to the island with him. She answered that she wished to stay there with her master. Even she does not know why she said that or where the sudden desire to stay came from. Perhaps it is the guilt that still lingers within her even after so many years… The only thing she knows is that something inside her told her to remain there, she followed that will, and he didn’t question it.
The truth, however, is that many years have passed since the master’s death and without a successor available, all the members ended up leaving the place. What remains now is obvious decay.
Many of the plants have dried up and weeds have grown in their place, there are cracks in the various walls and holes that now serve as homes for rats and other critters. The dormitories are, surprisingly, one of the few places that remain minimally intact. Which is a relief, otherwise Jiang would have had nowhere else to stay during the freezing nights in this Xuanwu region.
Entering her old dormitory brought back a flood of memories. The day she received the curse and was expelled, she obviously could not return here, so all her belongings remained untouched since that day. It’s almost as if she’s suddenly back in the past.
Quan, sitting on the floor of the room, complaining about the difficulty of that day’s training while she responds that he is just clumsy. A boy and a girl, the two of them alone in the same closed room. That was something strictly forbidden in the sect at the time. Not that they had ever done anything beyond that—they simply enjoyed each other’s company. For a moment, she wondered what would have happened if, in one of those moments, there had actually been an extra touch, an action that would have triggered an unstoppable derailment of emotions. She felt her cheeks burn with heat and shook her head, pushing away those thoughts, now lost in a past that would never return, and decided to go outside for some air.
The sun had set several hours ago. A cool breeze blew as Jiang walked silently, illuminated only by the moonlight and the few stars decorating the night sky. She wandered lost in her thoughts and memories. She still bore the same youthful appearance with which she had seen Quan leave two weeks ago—the same appearance she had when she rejected him all those years ago. It’s strange, she thinks, by now, she should have reverted to her cursed elderly form. However, she chose not to dwell on the matter, believing that perhaps the place still held a remnant of power that delayed her imminent transformation. A small glimmer of hope to which she could cling, a thought that maybe, just maybe, a piece of that ruined past still lingered there, calling for her, asking her to stay.
Her thoughts are interrupted when she spots a faint light in the distance. It seemed to be the figure of a person. At this time and in this long-abandoned place, she thought it could be a thief, an assassin, or perhaps just a beggar seeking shelter for the night. So she continues walking, now toward the still figure a few meters ahead.
As she gets closer, she notices that the person remains motionless. Still, if necessary, she knew what to do to defend herself. When she got close enough, she could distinguish the silhouette more clearly. It was definitely a person, standing with their back turned, staring at the sea stretching to the horizon. Many of their features were indistinct in the darkness, despite the faint glow the figure seemed to emit. Jiang tries to get their attention and asks what they are doing here at this time of night, but the individual remains silent. Finally, Jiang gets tired and steps forward facing the person head-on.
She takes a few moments to analyze who is now in front of her. The figure, whom Jiang already perceived as female, wears a light blue or white uniform, very similar to the one she is currently wearing. But it is when she faces the woman’s face that she loses her breath for a second. The oval face, now marked by the typical features of old age, the sea-green mark drawn on her forehead—this is a face Jiang knows very well. Upon realizing the woman’s identity, she widens her eyes and stumbles backward, nearly falling.
“M-Master” These are the only words Jiang can utter after such a shock.
The woman remains silent for a few more seconds, prolonging Jiang’s now endless questions. Then, she slowly turns her face and gives a small smile.
“Let’s sit down, Huilian… we have a lot to talk about,” she says calmly as if her sudden appearance hadn’t turned Jiang’s world upside down in just a minute.
The two women sat down, then, looking at the sea, which was restless under the night sky but still carried a sense of tranquility. Jiang remained silent, still unsure whether the person beside her was simply a dream or a cruel illusion conjured by her mind. The first to break the silence was the master.
“It’s been many years Huilian… how have you been?” - she said, glancing sideways at her former disciple, speaking as if this situation was the most natural thing in the world.
“Master I-” Jiang stammers, still shaken. - “I don’t understand… how… how are you alive?”
The master smiled slightly, almost as if she had already expected such a question.
“I’m not, Huilian… I died years ago.”
“Then how-?”
“I don’t fully understand this situation either… It’s as if my spirit is still connected to the sect in some way… And I feel that I cannot leave in peace without telling you what I have always wanted to say since the day you were expelled.”
Jiang swallowed hard upon hearing the mention of her expulsion.
“Master, I… I always wanted to apologize… I broke the rules and-”
The Master places a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her mid-sentence.
“It is I who should ask for your forgiveness, Huilian…” she pauses and looks at the sea, with a nostalgic expression. “As you know, the sect has always been very strict with rules. Certain types of relationships were forbidden, mostly because they interfered with the emotions of the members but also because of our secret technique, the Bloom of the Sky Lotus.”
Jiang kept her eyes on the ground, unable to utter a word, as guilt quickly took form inside her.
“However,” the master continued, “I understand that sometimes those kinds of emotions are uncontrollable. But since those were the rules, I had to punish you. The truth is, it was incredibly difficult for me, Huilian. You lived your whole life here. I practically raised you, and without realizing it, you had become like a daughter to me.”
Still, without looking at the master, Jiang finally mutters something.
“Once again… I-I want to apologize… I know it’s too late, but… I promise I’ll do everything to redeem myself… I never wanted to betray you but I also couldn’t let you kill him…”
Slowly, the master turns to look at her and gives a slight smile.
“Huilian, I am not trying to lecture you, quite the opposite…” She paused again and looked at the sky as if trying to recall something. “After you left, the sect was never the same again. Without realizing it, you had become important to many people here, including me. I always wanted you to be my successor, and there was no one more suited for the position. Because of this, the clan quickly fell into decline, many members left, and those who remained were not talented enough to take my place. And in the end, I found myself thinking that maybe, instead of considering those emotions as a weakness, we could have used them to our advantage…”
Jiang finally lifts her head slightly and, with her eyes still damp, observes her master, confused, as she continues her speech.
“When I realized this I was already too old. I would never be able to do anything with the little time I had left. But you would have been a great Master, Huilian… I believe you would have found a way to improve our techniques and rid us of such trivial weaknesses. Surely, you would have brought much prosperity and change to our sect.”
Tears return to Jiang’s eyes once more.
“Master… I-I don’t deserve such an honor… I… betrayed you… I…”
The master, however, places, once again, a hand on her shoulder and smiles gently.
“Everything I say is simply the truth, Huilian… there is no need for such formalities. And what you consider betrayal, I see as a wake-up call that should have led us to change. You see, Huilian, for years I tried to find a way to reverse the Sky Lotus Ten Commandments. I wanted to undo the mistake I had made. And I succeeded. I discovered how to reverse it. But fate is cruel, and I died before I could find you, unable to forgive myself for what I did to you, for extinguishing the perseverance that once flowed through your veins.”
Jiang’s features now alternate between shock, sadness, and guilt.
“Master but… but how? That was the worst of punishments, I thought it was impossible to undo…”
“I did too, but I found a way… It’s not easy to perform the ritual, but it is possible.”
The master now takes Jiang’s hand and looks her in the eyes.
“I know we can’t go back to the past, but please, Huilian, at least let me correct this mistake and remove your curse.”
“I… I don’t know if I deserve it… This punishment was deserved, Master, I don’t think I should remove it…”
The elderly woman smiles slightly.
“We are both in the same situation. None of us can erase the guilt that dwells in our souls. But guilt gets us nowhere. The more we hold onto it, the more we sink into the abyss. So I ask you, Huilian, let me fix this, and let us both rid ourselves of the shadow that darkens our hearts.”
Jiang looks at her master, in disbelief and emotion. After a few moments of silence, thoughts racing through her mind, she finally gives her answer.
“Very well, Master, let’s do it.”
The master squeezes her hand lightly and nods.
“Alright, it won’t be an easy process and will likely consume a lot of energy. As you’ve probably noticed, you’ve been in this form for a long time—that was also my doing… During this time, I’ve been trying to delay your transformation, as being in your original body makes the process easier. Now, please, sit over there on the ground, Huilian, and let’s begin immediately.”
Jiang follows the master’s orders and sits where she is instructed, under the moonlight, which is now perfectly in the center of the sky. And then, the ritual begins.
This process lasts about an hour. The technique is similar to removing a demon from a person’s body. The difference is that what is being eliminated is not a demon but the cursed part of the person. It’s like removing half of the person, both literally and metaphorically. The process is extremely painful and Jiang lets out screams of agony throughout it. At the end, the beam of light that had surrounded Jiang fades, and she collapses onto the ground, breathing heavily. The master is not in much better shape, also gasping on the ground. Strange—wasn’t she a spirit? Jiang no longer knows what to think, nor can she even process it at the moment. But a strange sensation runs through her body—has she truly returned to normal? Or will she wake up in the morning only to discover that this was nothing more than a cruel dream meant to torment her mind?
After a few minutes, they regain enough strength to sit back where they were before the ritual.
Jiang looks at her body, still unsure if the process truly worked. However, she feels as if her soul has been ripped out and placed back in again, which sends shivers down her spine.
“Master…” She begins, breaking the silence. “What should I do now? I came here to try to atone for my sins, but this was anything but what I was expecting. Now I’m lost, the guilt inside me has not completely faded, yet I have realized that you do not want me to stay here blaming myself either… So what should I do? Tell me what I can do to finally feel that I am worthy of your forgiveness…”
The master hesitantly placed her arm slightly around her shoulders, almost like a half-embrace, something she had not done in years. And looking at the stars, she said:
“Return to where you came from, Huilian. Live your life and be happy, there is nothing I wish for more after all I put you through. Go and carry my teachings, but do not forget to experience things for yourself as well. Become the Master of your own life, Huilian, that is the only advice I have for you.”
The master paused and then looked at her as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, and do not take too long to return, you’ve wasted many years, but he’s still waiting for you.”
Realizing what the master was referring to, Jiang turned red and mumbled some incoherent words while the other woman laughed. A strange sound, one that Jiang had not remembered hearing for a long time.
For some time, the two continued talking, sharing the adventures of their lives after taking different paths. But Jiang began to feel the physical effects of the ritual that had occurred earlier, and with each passing minute, it became more difficult to keep her eyes open. The Master then allowed her to rest her head on her lap, something Jiang used to do as a child. Almost asleep, she could swear that the master had a faint glow around her, and from her, tiny particles seemed to drift away with the wind. Almost as if she were disappearing.
Jiang felt the impulse to try to catch them, to put them back into the body from which they were so slowly departing. However, she had no strength left, and the master, noticing her anxious gaze, closed her eyes and whispered:
“Sleep, Jiang. My spirit will always be with you… so rest, I will never leave.”
With that, Jiang’s last bit of strength faded, and she fell asleep.
The next morning, she woke up feeling exhausted. She was back in her former dormitory at the sect. Looking around, she thought what a cruel mind she had, capable of torturing her with such a beautiful dream. Then, her gaze fell upon the bedside table, where a beautiful white lily now rested. Jiang slowly picked up the flower and smiled, tears at the corners of her eyes threatening to fall.
Shortly after, she got up and started packing everything—her journey to Chicken Island was still long.
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The sun is already low, accompanied by the sky now in a shade of pinkish-orange. However, voices can still be heard—people chatting and wrapping up their workday on Chicken Island. Quan has finished the day’s tasks and is now, accompanied by the members of the island’s purity society, making the rounds through the city.
About a month has passed since his last conversation with Jiang. Now, as he walks, he is distracted, wondering how long she plans to stay in the Sect, if not forever. Despite being long extinct, it always seems to find a way to prevent them from moving forward with their plans. Quan sighs in frustration as he tries to clear his mind of such thoughts.
As he had promised Jiang, he has been taking care of and protecting the island, now taking her place while she’s away. But the constant trivial complaints from the island’s members, having to deal with talkative elders, the exhausting lectures and presentations, the couples’ therapy sessions—which Quan doesn’t even understand why are part of his duties—and the huge pile of paperwork that is still sitting in his office waiting to be touched, all take their toll on a person’s patience. Quan is beyond exhausted, and it’s his poor hands that have suffered now that the blood demon has left his body. He really doesn’t know how Jiang managed to endure all this without going insane…
Eventually, the sun set and the sky turned completely dark. The three of them now walk along the beach, still making their rounds. But then, Quan notices a strange figure disembarking on the beach in a small boat. He and the other women point their flashlights to uncover the identity of the strange intruder. He has to blink twice to make sure he’s not dreaming. Right there, on the beach, stands Jiang, who just arrived from her “vacation” in the sect.
The group approaches her, and for a moment, Jiang and Quan lock eyes, as if having a mental conversation. However, the moment is interrupted by the two women who quickly run to hug her, happy for her return. Quan now stares at the ground, unsure about what to do in this situation, but even without admitting it, he feels happy and relieved by her return too.
After all the greetings and concerned questions are done, the women finally release her. They mention that they are in the middle of their city patrol, and Jiang offers to join them.
And so, that’s how Quan got into this situation. The two women walk ahead while Quan and Jiang walk awkwardly, side by side, behind. Both have so much to say, yet at this moment, all they do is steal occasional glances at each other. If their eyes accidentally meet, they quickly look away.
He’s not sure why he’s so nervous. It’s almost as if he’s back in his younger days when just a mere exchange of glances would leave them both redder than a tomato. What he wanted the most right now was for the two women in the front to leave, so they could finally talk.
However, now that the woman he loves is walking right beside him, he knows that the moment they are alone, he will have to face the terrifying reality of their feelings for each other, and that’s making him more anxious than usual. Deep down, he’s afraid she came back just to say goodbye forever, slipping through his fingers once again.
Jiang, much like him, seems to have her head spinning. She can only think about the conversation she had with her master about this subject. Now that nothing seems to be holding them back, she feels nervous about taking the first step. Since disembarking, they’ve only shared an awkward “hello” and the tension is palpable.
Almost as if sensing the heavy atmosphere between them, one of the women walking ahead turns around and, seeing their flushed faces, asks if they are alright. To which both reply affirmatively with a squeak.
A few more torturous minutes go by, and the patrol finally comes to an end. The two women say goodbye and Jiang promises to tell them all the details tomorrow after a well-deserved rest. And so, the two of them are finally alone.
For a while, they remain silent, not looking at each other. And when they finally open their mouths to speak, they end up talking at the same time, which leads to a series of embarrassed apologies. After several embarrassed “No, you go first”, Quan laughs and finally says:
“Okay this is stupid… can we just… talk?”
To which she responds with a nod. They leave the middle of the street and sit on the grass, in a spot with a clear view of the sea surrounding Chicken Island. Tonight, the sea is strangely calm.
They gaze at it for a while and the one who breaks the silence is Quan.
“So… uh… weren’t you going to stay in the sect for a while? A month was pretty short… Did you really come back to stay, or…?”
“Oh yeah, I… I really did come back.”
An awkward silence settled again until Jiang spoke.
“I wasn’t expecting you to take my place while I was away. But thank you, Quan, for helping me protect the island.” She finally looks at him with gratitude. “This place is very special to me.”
Seeing her expression and hearing her words, he feels the blood quickly rush to his cheeks.
“Ah… it was nothing, no need to thank me…”
After composing himself, he clears his throat and continues speaking.
“And I’m impressed. I don’t know how you put up with all the work on the island. I’ve been here for a month and I still haven’t gotten used to it at all.” He sighs.
“I like helping the islanders…” she pauses and looks at him. “But you really took the job seriously. Where did you even get that suit?”
He looks down at the elegant suit he’s wearing.
“Oh, this? I bought it with some money I had. If I’m going to do the job, I have to do it right. And also, your ‘friends’ said I looked too threatening in my other clothes…”
“I see… Still, I’m sorry for making you go through all this trouble. It must be complicated, right? Having to pay for a place to sleep and everything…”
His posture stiffens.
“Ahh… About that…” Quan looks away. “I might have been sleeping at your house…”
She stares at him in shock.
“Wait wait wait… at my house???”
“Most of the island’s hotels and inns were full… so I thought, since you were supposed to be gone for a while, you needed someone to look after the house.” He smirks. “And don’t worry, I only slept on the couch, I didn’t touch anything else. And it’s not like I’ve never been there before…”
“But… but how did you even get in???”
“You had the key under the entrance mat. Super predictable. Looks like you don’t just have the old lady appearance, but the habits too…” He says teasingly, earning himself a slap on the back of the neck. After laughing a little more at her irritated expression and finishing his complaints about the hit, he speaks again.
“By the way, it’s been a month, and you still have that… appearance. Have you been kissing other people or…” he grins. “Was the kiss you stole from me powerful enough to keep you like this for so long?”
Now, with this provocation, she turns completely red.
“No! It was nothing like that! It wasn’t a kiss at all! And I already told you that I only kissed you because it was necessary!” she rambles, trying to justify her past actions. Soon after, she composes herself.
“Actually… I am free from the curse…”
Quan looks at her, dumbfounded.
“What do you mean you’re free? Wasn’t that supposed to be the worst punishment of the sect? Is there even a way to break it?”
“Well, I didn’t break it… The Master did…” He looks at her, increasingly confused. Noticing this in his features, she continues explaining.
“I met with the Master—she was a spirit or maybe a vision, I’m not sure. And yes, I know, it shocked me too. I still can’t fully believe what happened, but the truth is, she performed a ritual, and the curse disappeared…”
Jiang looks away for a moment, gazing at the horizon with a nostalgic and thoughtful expression. Quan, understanding what she’s thinking, speaks again.
“Senior… um… Huilian…” He looks away as well, hugging his knees to his chest. “You told me you wanted to stay in the sect ‘with the master’, so if that happened, why did you come back?”
Jiang takes a few seconds to respond, feeling a little embarrassed as she recalls what the Master told her. The truth, however, is that she didn’t lie.
He stayed here waiting for her.
How long would he have waited again?
Maybe an eternity.
Luckily, we will never know.
“Well… I wanted to stay there because of the guilt I felt for betraying the master. But I talked to her and realized it makes no sense. Tormenting myself my whole life over something that happened so many years ago doesn’t make sense. And even though I still can’t completely escape the guilt, I think I’m finally ready to move on.”
Quan listens to her attentively, and despite her speaking the last words more quietly, he’s able to hear them.
They both remain silent, processing what the words she just said might mean. He still remembers that a month ago, before he left her at the sect, she had told him that what kept them apart was the guilt inside her. He soon realized that if she no longer had it, there was nothing left to stop them anymore.
Suddenly, Quan felt hyper-aware of the closeness between the two. Their hands, now resting on the grass, were mere centimeters away from touching. His heart started pounding hard, and he wondered if she could hear it. And so, they stayed like that, looking at the sea, as if they had returned to being two young lovers. Not that reality was too far from that.
A few minutes later she resumes the conversation.
“By the way… You had to fight one of the Shadow Killers when you protected the island, didn’t you? You didn’t get hurt or anything? And as for the demon, you seem to be fine but…” Quan felt even more embarrassed by her concern.
“Well… the truth is, the battle was actually pretty quick…” He paused, recalling it. “By the way, you were right… The blood demon was really just taking advantage of me. I almost lost control in the fight against White Fox. But I managed to be stronger, and the demon left my body…”
After registering his words, it was her turn to be shocked.
“Wait, you don’t have the blood demon inside you anymore???”
Quan shakes his head.
“No. It’s kind of weird to be so weak again but it’s not that bad. Except for the fact that I still can’t measure my strength, so I’m always getting hurt.”
He showed his bandaged hands as an example. Without thinking twice, she gently took his hands, examining them. Quan turned red all the way to the tips of his ears.
“So you’re back to being a normal human? Goodness, look at your hands! Are you sure you didn’t break anything? You should be more careful!”
“Ah… um… no… I don’t think so… They’re not that bad…”
Jiang lifted her gaze from his hands to his face. Seeing his embarrassed expression, she quickly removed her hands from his. She now also notices the closeness between them and her cheeks turn equally pink. They look into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. It was as if the air around them had suddenly disappeared.
Quan felt suffocated but couldn’t stop looking at her lips, as if they held the answer to whatever troubles were plaguing him at the moment. She realized what he was thinking of doing. A voice in her head told her to step back, that she shouldn’t give in to such impulses, but for once, she decided to ignore it.
With a trembling hand, Quan brought his injured fingers to her face. He gently caressed her cheek, taking his time, as if afraid this moment would turn out to be just another dream, like so many others he had on restless nights. He felt jealous of the bandages covering his hands, as they now prevented him from feeling, with his own skin, the beautiful face he had longed to touch for years.
He swallowed hard, and despite the dryness in his throat, he managed to say a single word. Not that any other mattered at the moment.
“Can I?” He uttered, and although Jiang could still hear the doubts lingering in the back of her mind, she decided that today she would savor the moment, with nothing, finally, holding her back from moving forward.
She gave a slight nod, and that was all the consent he needed to press his lips against hers.
Several minutes were lost in the movement of lips against lips. This was Jiang’s first kiss so she was a little lost. But judging by Quan’s equally clumsy movements, she figured he probably had no experience either. His hands remained on her face, while hers, after a brief moment of not knowing where to put them, finally found themselves around his neck. Quan seemed intoxicated by this new connection. He could lose himself forever in her lips, pulling away slightly only to catch his breath. She, despite still being unable to admit it out loud, was also enjoying the moment, and in her mind wished for it to last forever.
However, Jiang started feeling droplets of water falling. She thought it was rain and opened her eyes. That was when she realized that, in fact, the droplets were tears and that Quan was crying. She quickly broke the kiss, worried about him.
“Quan, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She asked him, bringing her hands to his face. But he buried his face in her neck and hugged her.
“Sorry…” he said. “I just got emotional because I always wanted this to happen. And now that it really is, it just felt surreal.”
She blushed slightly more but was relieved that this was the reason for his tears.
They held each other in silence for a while, his breath tickling her neck. Even so, she had never thought a hug could be this comforting. Two lovers entwined beneath the moonlight—could there be a more beautiful sight?
He lingered with his face buried in her shoulder, feeling as though he could fall asleep there forever. Then, remembering something, he smiled and finally spoke.
“By the way… I saw that steamed bun shop you opened. The pun in the name is really bad…”
Jiang felt embarrassed at the mention of the shop.
When they were still in the sect, Quan had once told her they should run away and open a bun shop together, but she refused. Years later, when she came to Chicken Island, she decided to fulfill his dream and opened the shop. The name was a pun combining both their names. The thing was, she didn’t expect him to find out about it while she was away…
“Um, that… it’s just a hobby I have and I thought the people on the island would like it, and…” She quickly started listing excuses as her face grew redder and redder. Quan lifted his face from the comfort of her neck to look at her and smirked.
“Oh, really? Then why did you give it that name, huh?”
“I, uh… well, that was…”
He laughs at her embarrassment and rests his forehead against hers.
“Either way, I was really happy to know you still remembered it.”
She sighs, both in contentment and to calm herself. They remain with their eyes closed, heads still touching.
“Of course, I remembered, Quan. Deep down, I think I wanted to say yes to you that day. I just hope it’s not too late now…”
He kisses her cheek and continues smiling.
“Better late than never. As long as you don’t mind having me around, I can give you a little help.”
Now she’s the one laughing. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and opened her eyes to look at him, and he did the same.
“You can stay Quan, I’m still learning about all of this, but I’d love for you to stay. No more barriers between us…”
Now it’s his turn to match her redness, but still, he smiles like he’s the happiest man in the world. And maybe, at this moment, he truly was. He brought his hands to her face and nodded.
“You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words.”
And that is the last sentence that he, in a sigh, pronounces, before connecting, once again, their lips.
Lost in each other, neither of them noticed the white lily that fluttered in the wind before finally settling on the calm sea beneath the starry sky.