The Fallen Moon Oasis was at its most beautiful at night. Who would have thought that such captivating scenery would be hidden in this desolate wasteland?
The moonlight slowly descended, casting a layer of silver on the earth. As it scattered over Fallen Moon Lake, the rippling surface reflected a fragmented spectrum of colors that draped over the shore. The colors swam with the lake's gentle waves, as if performing a silent dance.
The desert nights were cold, so Tang Jinnian and Rao Shuang built a bonfire in front of the hut, while Xue Qiming sat far away, holding Xue Niang in his arms.
Rao Shuang occasionally stole a glance at Xue Niang, while Tang Jinnian's gaze repeatedly drifted to the gourd at Xue Qiming's waist.
Xue Qiming held Xue Niang, staring intently at the lake, lost in thought. Xue Niang curled up in his arms, clutching her small jug, her eyelashes fluttering as she dozed off.
Tang Jinnian coughed lightly, glancing over at Xue Qiming. When Xue Qiming shot a sideways glance back at him, Tang Jinnian finally spoke, "Unbound Bodhisattva, why did you come here?"
Xue Qiming redirected his gaze to the lake. "If you can come here, why can't I? I could ask you the same... what are you here for?"
Tang Jinnian's eyes shifted, a slight smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm here... naturally to look for Impending Sword Baili Gucheng."
"Well, isn’t that a coincidence? I’m also here looking for him."
"What do you need him for?" Tang Jinnian asked, subtly frowning.
"None of your damn business." Xue Qiming snorted coldly.
Tang Jinnian sneered. "You don't have much but you have quite the temper."
"Not too much, but I'm more than enough to handle you," Xue Qiming replied, turning to stare down Tang Jinnian.
Rao Shuang covered her forehead, thoroughly exasperated with these two. They couldn’t exchange a few words without arguing.
"Enough, I’m not in the mood to argue with you." Tang Jinnian looked at Xue Qiming with clear mockery. "I won't hide anything... I’ve been here for two days, and Impending Sword is nowhere to be found. I’m well-stocked with provisions, so I’m in no rush. But you... if you plan to wait, go right ahead. As for food and drink, figure it out yourself."
Xue Qiming ignored Tang Jinnian’s words, saying nothing more. He simply stood up with Xue Niang in his arms and walked toward the lone hut.
Seeing that Xue Qiming was already opening the door, Tang Jinnian couldn’t help but shout, "Hey! What are you doing!?"
"Sleeping," Xue Qiming replied without looking back, one foot already inside the hut.
Tang Jinnian wouldn’t have it. He stood up and pointed at Xue Qiming, shouting, "Stop! Who said you could stay in that hut?"
Xue Qiming shot him a glance with a look of utter disinterest, then turned and slammed the door shut.
"That's too much!" Tang Jinnian raged, taking a few strides forward, about to kick the door. Just as he lifted his foot, the door opened again, revealing Xue Qiming’s dark and menacing face. He pointed at Tang Jinnian’s nose and warned, "One more word, and I’ll tear your mouth off!" With that, he slammed the door again.
Outside, Tang Jinnian’s face turned ashen with anger, and the fury in his eyes nearly set him ablaze. At this moment, Rao Shuang finally ran over, grabbing his arm and urging him, "Forget it; he’s got the upper hand. Let’s not provoke him. It’s just a hut, there's no harm in letting him have it. Besides... he has a child with him."
Tang Jinnian shook off Rao Shuang’s hand and glared at her.
"I still haven’t held you accountable for what happened during the day!"
Leaving Rao Shuang behind, Tang Jinnian walked over to a large rock by the lake and sat down alone. Rao Shuang pursed her lips, then returned to sit by the bonfire, tossing a couple of dry branches into the fire.
After a long silence, she turned to look toward the hut. Seeing no movement, she slowly walked up behind Tang Jinnian and casually asked, "So... if Impending Sword doesn’t come back, are you just going to sit here and keep waiting with Unbound Bodhisattva?"
Since Tang Jinnian didn’t respond, she continued, "Without Impending Sword’s help, just the two of us probably won’t be able to handle him. This isn’t much of a plan..."
Tang Jinnian snorted coldly. "He's just a brute. If my puppets hadn’t all been destroyed, taking him down would have been a piece of cake..." As he spoke, he flung a stone forcefully. It whistled through the air, skipping across the lake over ten times before finally landing on the opposite shore.
Rao Shuang covered her mouth, laughing softly. "So you’re out of options too, huh? Why are you so upset at yourself? It's best to stay calm and let things play out. We’ll see what happens once Impending Sword returns."
Tang Jinnian glanced at Rao Shuang. "Do I need you to remind me? Don’t I know? I’m curious to see how long that beggar can last without any food."
As it turned out, he could not even last a day.
By the next day, before noon, Xue Niang was tugging at Xue Qiming’s sleeve, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "I’m hungry."
Xue Qiming swallowed, looking down at Xue Niang and then glancing toward Tang Jinnian and Rao Shuang in the distance. The large cloth bag the woman had brought yesterday was lying right next to them.
Gritting his teeth, Xue Qiming stomped his foot hard and said to Xue Niang, "Just wait!" Then he took large strides toward Tang Jinnian.
Tang Jinnian was sitting by the bag, drinking water from a jug. He hadn’t even swallowed before he saw Xue Qiming storming over. Before he could say a word, Xue Qiming kicked him over. The jug fell, spilling water on the ground, and Tang Jinnian choked while drinking, breaking into a fit of coughing.
"Cough... damn beggar... cough, cough." Tang Jinnian got up, face red, either from rage or choking, and lunged at Xue Qiming. "You! Cough... You’re going too far!"
"Get out of the way!" Xue Qiming pushed Tang Jinnian aside without engaging further. He grabbed the bag and ran, rummaging through it as he went.
By now, Tang Jinnian had caught his breath and began chasing Xue Qiming. Forgetting all sense of decorum, he cursed as he ran, "You shameless thief! Get back here!"
Xue Qiming quickly reached Xue Niang, and as he ran past her, he slipped something into her hand. "Here, eat this!"
Xue Niang’s mouth fell open in surprise, her gaze following Xue Qiming as he disappeared into the forest. Looking down, she saw that he had slipped a dried bun into her hands as he left.
"You shameless scoundrel!" Tang Jinnian chased Xue Qiming into the woods, his voice distorted by rage. "I’ll settle this with you today!"