When the wind blew past the lovers, it offered a cool, fleeting reprieve from the hot summer morning sun. They found themselves somewhere at the bottom of the mountain, the dagger still brutally lodged in Guo Baiyu's upper right chest. He was still coughing weakly on Zhao Renshu's back, each shallow breath a ragged gasp.
"Renshu... Renshu... Stop... Stop!" Ping'an cried out, her voice laced with raw worry. "Let him down!"
Zhao Renshu found a small patch of shade beneath a gnarled tree. He gently lowered Guo Baiyu from his back, his heart clenching at the sound of Guo Baiyu's alarmingly shallow breathing.
"Ren... Shu..." Guo Baiyu murmured, his voice barely a whisper, his eyes growing heavy, clouded with fatigue and pain. "Pull out the dagger, but be careful not to cut yourself." He fought desperately to keep his eyes open, a silent fear gripping him that if he closed them, he might never see their faces again.
"Hang in there, brother," Zhao Renshu whispered back, his own voice tight with worry.
With a grim resolve, Zhao Renshu pulled out the small dagger. Black, viscous blood spewed forth, a horrifying spray against the dusty ground. Guo Baiyu's eyes fluttered, then rolled back, and he slumped into unconsciousness.
"Why is the blood so dark?" Ping'an gasped, her voice trembling. "Will he die?"
"This is a poisonous dagger, which is why the blood is dark," Zhao Renshu explained, his face etched with worry, a rare vulnerability in his usually confident demeanor. "We will have to wait and see."
Ping'an frantically tore the fabric of Guo Baiyu's robe around the wound, making the opening larger. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she lowered her head, intending to suck the poison from the wound. But Zhao Renshu stopped her, his hand clamping gently but firmly on her right shoulder, pushing her back.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice sharp with alarm.
Ping'an shook her head, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide and desperate as she looked at Zhao Renshu. "I can't let him die. I won't let him die!" she cried, her voice rising in a desperate plea. "I have to save him!"
"What if you die?!" Zhao Renshu shouted back, his anger a fierce mask over his terror. He immediately stood up, turning his back to Ping'an, unable to bear the thought. "You don't care because you must love him very much!" he accused, his voice thick with a sudden, aching jealousy.
Ping'an was so consumed with worry for Guo Baiyu's condition that she momentarily forgot how her actions might hurt Zhao Renshu's feelings. Her heart ached, knowing that if Zhao Renshu were the injured one, her response would be precisely the same.
Zhao Renshu was still incandescent with anger, yet he managed to speak calmly, though his back remained turned to her. "Do you know if anything happens to you," he began, his voice strained, "I don't know if I can move on."
Ping'an rose and enveloped Zhao Renshu in a tight hug, burrowing into his back. Zhao Renshu turned, pulling her into a fierce embrace. Ping'an then tiptoed, reaching up to kiss him deeply on his lips.
At that moment, Zhao Renshu wished time would stop, would stretch this precious instant into eternity. He wrapped his arms fiercely around her waist, deepening the kiss. He loved her so profoundly, a love that felt like a spider web – once entangled, there was no escape. The more he struggled against its pull, the more tightly it wrapped around him. A lingering doubt pricked him: if he were the injured one, would she show the same fierce devotion?
"You know..." Ping'an whispered against his lips, tears still glistening in her eyes. "If the person lying there were you, I would do the same."
Zhao Renshu pulled her back into his chest, holding her close. He raised her face with both hands and began to kiss her lips, tasting the salt of her tears. He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice a raw whisper. "Do you love me?"
"You know wholeheartedly that I do," Ping'an replied, her voice soft but firm.
Zhao Renshu smiled, a radiant, relieved smile, and then kissed her again, intertwining his tongue with hers. He tasted her desire, she felt his hunger. Both of them were lost in ecstatic bliss until Guo Baiyu's soft moan, a whisper of pain, pierced through their euphoria, pulling them back to a harsh reality.
"Water," Guo Baiyu murmured weakly.
Ping'an quickly broke away and rushed back to Guo Baiyu, holding his hand.
"Baiyu, can you hear me?" she pleaded, her voice urgent.
Guo Baiyu kept mumbling "water," his eyes still closed.
Zhao Renshu looked at Ping'an, then offered a flirtatious smile, a flicker of his usual charm even in crisis. "I'm going to find water, and you stay here with him. Shout if you need anything." He began to walk downhill.
"Renshu! Be careful!" Ping'an shouted from behind him.
Zhao Renshu turned, gave Ping'an a reassuring smile, then continued his descent.
It felt like a decade since Zhao Renshu left. Guo Baiyu still hadn't opened his eyes, continuously mumbling for water.
Ping'an kissed Guo Baiyu on his right temple. "Hold on a bit longer," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Renshu is looking for water."
Ping'an gazed at Guo Baiyu's fading, pale face, and her heart clenched with overwhelming sadness, as if thousands of knives had pierced her all at once. She gently helped Guo Baiyu's head rest on her left shoulder, cradling him, and softly held his right hand.
"Ping'an..." Guo Baiyu whispered, a weak cough rattling his chest. "If I make it out alive, I wonder... at the end of Renshu and my agreement, will you choose me... over him?" A faint, sad smile touched his lips. "If I die here, I don't have to find out. This is a good thing... that it ends up like this because I... I don't have to experience rejection pain."
Ping'an hugged him fiercely, her face pressed against his right cheek. "Don't talk like that!" she sobbed, her voice muffled against his skin.
Guo Baiyu closed his eyes, too weary to keep them open any longer. He felt her touch, heard her desperate words, and then felt her tears fall on his head, slowly tracing a path down to the side of his right cheek and into the corner of his mouth. As her salty tears entered his mouth, mixing slowly with his saliva, he tasted the undeniable depth of her love for him.
"Don't cry, dear," Guo Baiyu murmured, his voice barely audible.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!" Ping'an sobbed loudly, her body shaking.
Guo Baiyu gathered every ounce of strength he had left and forced his eyes open. He looked into hers, his gaze piercing. Guo Baiyu was exceptionally skilled at reading people; some might lie through their teeth, but their eyes always held the truth. When he looked at Ping'an, he saw nothing but raw hurt, profound love, and undeniable truth. He pressed his lips to hers in a tender, lingering kiss. "Ping'an, I really love you." He then passed out again in her arms.
Ping'an called Guo Baiyu's name, shaking him gently, but there was no response. She held Guo Baiyu's seemingly lifeless body, begging him to wake up, but she only heard his faint, repeated murmur of "water."
She carefully leaned Guo Baiyu against the small tree. Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed Guo Baiyu's jade ornament that was tightly tied in his hair. With desperate strength, she smashed the jade against a rock. It broke into three pieces. She found a small, sharp piece of the broken jade, and then made a small, deep incision in her lower left forearm. Her blood rushed out like a vivid red stream, dripping onto Guo Baiyu's face.
"Open your mouth," Ping'an said softly, her voice strained. She opened his lips with her right fingers. "Drink some water."
Guo Baiyu slowly swallowed Ping'an's blood. After his thirst seemed momentarily sated, he slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't quite see water, but what he saw was red blood pouring down like spring raindrops. He suddenly woke up with a gasp and sat up quickly. He stretched out his right hand and pressed hard against her bleeding wound.
"Are you mad?!" Guo Baiyu shouted in frustration, his voice hoarse, pressing even harder on her wound. "Why are you doing this?!"
"I don't know," Ping'an whispered, tears still streaming. "I just want to save you."
"Never do it again!" Guo Baiyu commanded, his tone firm. He tore a piece of cloth from his robe and, despite his weakness, carefully wrapped the cloth around Ping'an's wound. Even though he was very weak and could hardly stand, he gently pulled her into his arms, embracing her like a true gentleman.
"Please don't be mad," Ping'an cried, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I really don't know what to do. I am not smart like you or talented like Renshu... I..."
"Ping'an..." Guo Baiyu whispered, his voice soft, almost a plea. "Please don't wrap me around your fingers too tight." He stretched out his right hand and gently touched her face. "If... when the time is up, and you and Renshu walk away, these memories will be impossible for me to erase." He held her tightly, a desperate cling in his embrace.
Ping'an didn't want him to dwell on such painful thoughts, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Renshu has been looking for water for a long time," Ping'an said, forcing a smile. "I'm afraid he may be in trouble. Let's go find him."
Guo Baiyu, far from stupid, recognized her attempt to change the subject. He knew she was a bad liar.
"You go ahead," Guo Baiyu said. "I will wait for you here."
"No, let's go together," Ping'an insisted.
Guo Baiyu smiled weakly. "I can't walk. My left leg can't support my body. You go ahead."
Ping'an smiled, a confident, determined glint in her eyes. "I won't do such a thing." She pulled away from his embrace and turned her back to him. She was relieved that he was more conscious. She patted both her shoulders. "Come, climb on, I will carry you on my back."
Guo Baiyu refused, a flush rising to his face. "Letting you carry me? I don't think this is appropriate."
"I am strong!" Ping'an boasted, full of confidence. "Remember, I used to chop wood and carry firewood. The two years that we were not together, I also received special training from Renshu."
Guo Baiyu felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. What if someone saw them? How utterly mortifying would that be? Yet, at the same time, he could do nothing; his legs were too weak, he could barely stand. He leaned over, resting his body on Ping'an's back. He was genuinely surprised at how strong Ping'an was.
"Don't be embarrassed," Ping'an teased, her voice light. "You're not ashamed of falling in love with me and Renshu. Why should you be embarrassed about small things like me carrying you on my back?"
"There are differences between the two," Guo Baiyu mumbled, though he couldn't articulate them.
"If you are tired, rest your head on my shoulder," Ping'an offered, her tone gentle.
Guo Baiyu rested his head on her shoulder, staring at her. The more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed, her true radiance shining through. In the past, he had met many upper-class women, renowned for their beauty and accomplishments, but none had ever truly captured his attention. He asked himself why an ordinary young woman in dirty clothes, sitting on a dusty road, had attracted his attention and even made him fall so deeply in love.
The lovers walked down the hill the same way Zhao Renshu had gone. When they reached the bottom of the hill, the road became a T-shaped intersection. The lovers stopped.
"Which way?" Ping'an asked.
"Go to the right," Guo Baiyu instructed.
"Do you think Renshu came this way?" Ping'an asked.
"He must have," Guo Baiyu affirmed. "Look at the greens and berries. If he walked left, that would be crazy. The surrounding area seems more like a desert."
The lovers continued to go further and further. When they went deep into the forest, they heard birds singing everywhere, their melodies filling the air. They also heard the faint sound of water flowing downstream.
"A river must be nearby," Ping'an mused aloud.
Guo Baiyu spoke softly by Ping'an's right ear, his breath warm against her skin. "Ping'an... please tell me truthfully. Do you love me?"
"Yes," Ping'an replied immediately, without hesitation.
"When?" Guo Baiyu pressed, a hopeful note in his voice.
"A long time ago," Ping'an smiled, her voice full of tenderness.
"You don't need a second to think about it before you answer?" Guo Baiyu questioned, surprised by her quick response.
"Why do I need time to think about it?" Ping'an laughed softly. "If you ask me a thousand times, the answer will always be yes." She smiled, looking forward, her eyes bright with conviction. "Some men have two or three wives. Many rich men have six or seven wives. Even the emperor himself has more than three thousand concubines. If I love two men, what's the matter with that?"
Guo Baiyu still stared at her, a faint "Hmm" escaping his lips. He wondered how foolish Ping'an was, how naive to the harsh realities of their society. "If you marry us," he said, his voice soft but tinged with sadness, "society will never accept it. For the rest of our lives, we will be abandoned. Can you accept it?"
"Baiyu, can you?" Ping'an countered, her gaze unwavering. She smiled, then tilted her head, touching his head with hers. "I don't care what others say. I knew long ago that people's mouths are the most dangerous weapon. They can gossip from heaven down to hell, from across the West Coast to the East Coast. I don't care. I sincerely believe that people in love have the right to be together."
After a while, Ping'an and Guo Baiyu encountered a beautiful stream, its banks adorned with beautiful flowers everywhere. Ping'an found a fallen tree. She gently put Guo Baiyu down and helped him sit on the tree.
"I will go get some water," Ping'an said.
Guo Baiyu held her right hand to stop her. She turned around. He pulled her closer. "Take a break. I'm not thirsty yet."
She sat next to him, leaning her head on his left shoulder. "Baiyu, you know that you are not the only person in my heart. Can you really love me?" She felt her eyes welling with tears, because she already knew the painful, unspoken answer to her question. "If Renshu accepted you, can you accept him?"
He said nothing, his silence a heavy weight.
Ping'an held back her tears, her voice barely a whisper. "I asked Renshu this question before. He can't answer me either, and I don't expect an answer from you." She knew the answer very well, but she just wanted to ask, perhaps hoping for a different response, a miracle. "I'll go get some water."
Ping'an stood up and grabbed a large leaf, folding it into a small, closed cone at the bottom. She walked to the river bank. She bent down, fetched some water in the conical leaf, and walked back to Guo Baiyu.
Ping'an sat next to Guo Baiyu. She let him drink the water first, then poured some water into her hand to wash off the dry blood on his lips without mentioning a word. His handsome face appeared again after all the blood was washed away.
"Ping'an," Guo Baiyu said, his voice soft. She looked at him. "Are you mad because I can't give you the answer?"
"Silly," Ping'an scoffed, a gentle smile. "I'm not mad." She smiled at him. "I will tell you the same thing I told Renshu. Everyone has their own purpose in life, and we will work hard to achieve it. Renshu's purpose in life is to become the best hunter out there and continue to carry the legacy of Master Zhao. Your purpose in life is to be the best son for your family. My purpose in life is to live a peaceful life, knowing that someone once loved me."
"Ping'an... I..." Guo Baiyu began; his voice filled with a desperate longing to articulate his complex feelings.
Ping'an deliberately avoided eye contact, her gaze fixed on the creek, trying to maintain a positive outlook on their complex love triangle. She stood up to avoid the awkward situation.
Guo Baiyu suddenly stood up, unsteady, and grabbed Ping'an's arm. "Ping'an, I don't feel right."
Ping'an caught Guo Baiyu before he passed out. Then she suddenly felt that something was wrong with herself. A dizzying wave washed over her, and she fainted, collapsing beside him.