The street lamps shone coldly in the dark, attracting a hoard of moths unable to suppress their natural instincts. They crashed against it repeatedly until a pile of corpses began to form under the lamp.
“Are you alright?” Light catching the curves of her side profile, Tang Yuyan expressed her concern gently.
“I’m alright. I’m good,” answered Xia Lei. “I think you should pay more attention to those entering China from Japan.”
Tang Yuyan studied his face. “You’re worried there’ll be more assassins from Japan?”
Xia Lei nodded. “I interrogated one of them. He tells me I have angered the Japanese samurai community and will stop at nothing to kill me. They’re not just after me, they’re after my children too.”
Tang Yuyan kicked the lamppost beside her in anger. “Damn it! How could they not spare innocent children?! That’s inhumane!”
Xia Lei replied, “My children inherited my evolved genes, that’s why Japan sees them as a threat too. The current assassination was directed by the Hattori clan, Hattori Mei is probably still alive.”
“She’s alive?” The woman gasped. “So the intel we collected wasn’t true?”
Xia Lei nodded. “Can you please investigate the Hattori clan’s current directions on my behalf?”
Tang Yuyan stated, “Your business is my business too. Rest assured, I’ll look into this for you. As soon as I find out who’s involved with the Hattori clan’s operation, I’ll launch a clean-up project.”
Bureau 101 had their ways.
If samurais could enter China and execute guerilla attacks, Bureau 101’s assassins too were equally capable of taking out those that needed to be held accountable. There was a need for balance. Tang Yuyan was the director of the Bureau 101, she’d definitely get it done.
“Thank you. That’s all for my report. It’s time for me to go home, my wives and children need me more than ever at a time like this,” said Xia Lei.
Tang Yuyan murmured lowly, “Why are you thanking me?”
Xia Lei avoided her melancholic gaze. He tilted his chin to look at the night skies above. Tonight’s view was a pristine full moon in the middle of a span of harmonized blues and blacks with countless radiant stars in the distance. They were so out of reach and they were very mysterious. Humans fought for their lives on this tiny planet. They’d calculate their odds and claw at each other’s throat. Forget about humans, even planet Earth was nothing but a grain of sand in the boundless universe.
His abrupt musings and thoughts were odd. Despite that, he felt like he had arrived at something, like the sudden realization of a Buddhist philosopher.
Without warning, Tang Yuyan suddenly strode forward and wrapped her arms around Xia Lei. She squeezed him tight as if he’d disappear out of sight the next second.
Her firm and round breasts were pressed against his chest bringing about a wonderful sensation. Xia Lei’s head in the clouds moment brought back to Earth so fast that he’d suffer a whiplash. He watched the beautiful face in his proximity with no idea of what to say.
“I’ve been counting days. I really wished this was two years later…” Tang Yuyan’s voice was full of yearning and sadness. “Why are you making me wait for so long? Don’t you know how precious a woman’s most beautiful years are? I wish to offer my everything at my best. Why are you so cruel? Why are you making me wait for so long?”
Xia Lei was melting away. “Yuyan, I…”
He wished to tell her the truth but he knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The reason behind the extensive wait was because Xia Lei was certain that he’d no longer exist on the face of this world when the time comes. He’d either die in the hands of the black-robed man or he’d enter the ancient alloy box’s realm with no return. With that being said, he had never once sincerely considered getting together with her!
This promise was nothing but a knife masked in a lie.
If he revealed it now, Tang Yuyan would be crushed.
So he chose to have her take the damage naturally two years later.
Suddenly he felt sorry for her. Tang Yuyan was a woman tied to a renowned ancient clan. Many were envious over her family background and career but who knew that the woman herself did not even possess the right to chase after her own happiness? Who had any idea that her most ideal form of life was to live like a simple woman?
“Come on, tell me. Why?” Tears were rolling in Tang Yuyan’s eyes.
Xia Lei could not bear to say it.
Tang Yuyan forcefully pushed at him. “You’re lying to me. You must be lying to me, right? You’ve never thought of wanting to be with me, that’s why you made that promise, right?”
She was an intelligent woman. There was always something very eerie about a woman’s sixth sense.
Tears began to pour from her rims. She was already suffering before the inevitable had taken place. There was no telling how she would react to the truth.
Xia Lei found it difficult to imagine. He reached over and pulled her hard into his embrace. He dove down and seized her cherry lips.
“Mmph…” Tang Yuyan made a small noise of surprise before closing her eyes.
Suddenly, the answers weren’t important anymore.
Xia Lei felt free in that instance. He was only left with this much time to live. Why was there a need to hurt someone who loved him so deeply?
They finally separated after a while.
Tear streaks were all over Tang Yuyan’s dainty face but her lips were curled into a contented smile. This was the first time Xia Lei had initiated a kiss. That initiative meant a lot to a woman.
Xia Lei muttered, “I should go home now.”
Tang Yuyan hesitated. “Are you really serious about having me wait two more years? I… might not be as beautiful as I am now two years later. Could you bear to do that to me?”
This was as much of a hint Tang Yuyan was going to drop on him.
Xia Lei chuckled in response. “If you don’t mind how lively my family is, you can move in with us.”
“You…” The woman blinked owlishly in shock. She snuggled in his embrace. “Do you really mean it?”
“You can start with Long Bing. She’s the one who understands you the most. You two share a sisterly bond with years in the making.”
“You’re teaching me what to do?” Tang Yuyan giggled. “You don’t need to teach me anything. I’m just worried how Fan Fan and Liang Siyao would view me. Their disdain for me has not really been a secret.”
Xia Lei replied, “You saved their lives at the cost of your own wellbeing. Trust me, they’re all softies on the inside. You can start from their children, bringing up that you’ve saved their babies and share a bond with them. Ask to be their godmother and they’d most likely say yes. When your relationship with them has improved to a certain extent, bring the thought up and they’d be more inclined to accept it.”
“Haha, you’re really smart.” Tang Yuyan’s smile grew wider.
Xia Lei fell silent. He regarded her for a moment before saying, “Actually, what I mentioned just now is the easier part. I know for a fact that they’d welcome you but the hardest part of this is on you. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Tang Yuyan’s smile was wiped away.
Xia Lei went on, “I’m aware of what your grandfather, your parents and your brother are planning. Remember, I’m marrying you. Not the entire Tang family. I know forcing you to make a decision is unfair but… I really hope that you’d make the right choice.”
Tang Yuyan chewed her bottom lip slightly before nodding.
Xia Lei uttered again, “I’ll be away for the time being for about half a month to one month. I hope you can give me an answer when I return.”
“Where are you heading to this time? What do you have in plan?”
Xia Lei answered, “I’m off to do something I should do. It is none of your concern.”
“But…” Tang Yuyan stopped herself.
Xia Lei pulled her into his embrace again and cheekily pinched her behind. He grinned. “Don’t worry. You’re such a wonderful woman. I can’t bear to not taste you before I die.”
Tang Yuyan’s cheeks turned red.
Xia Lei finally released her and began travelling to the Knight XIV parked in the hospital’s parking lot.
She watched him leave in silence, finally letting her tears roll free. This time, those were tears of joy.
Half an hour later, Xia Lei was back at the Peace Mansion. His women and children were already soundly asleep. After all, their postnatal bodies were exhausted. Added with the earlier shock, the familiar environment of their home had helped them relax and put them to slumber.
Xia Lei did not wake them. He quietly walked out of the backdoor for the forest.
Tsukino Kyoko had explicitly requested him to find her in the forest. Xia Lei was in a desperate need for her answer.
The forest was not entirely quiet. There was the whistling of the wind and animal cries from all corners of the dark forest. Xia Lei’s ear dutifully received the sounds as his brain began displaying corresponding information. Left, 8 o’clock direction, 15 metres, two crickets; Right, 3 o’clock direction, a frog. Ahead, 12 o’clock direction, 37.9 metres, an owl…
These came naturally into his mind without the use of his eyes.
It made him realize that his binaural evolution was progressively mature. His hearing was becoming increasingly powerful.
He followed the path in the woods over the slope of the mountain and continued to walk a hundred metres further until a cliff appeared in his sight. There was a mountain spring at the edge of the cliff pouring down about fifty meters. The water formed a spring pool at the bottom of the cliff. The crystal clear pool only had an area of about a few square metres and a depth of a metre. This was Tsukino Kyoko’s favourite place to train and concentrate. The female ninja had requested him to find her in the back mountains. Surely this was the spot in question.
Despite that, Tsukino Kyoko was nowhere to be found in the clearing beneath the cliff.
Insects were flying all around under the pale moonlight, accompanied by the gush of night breeze blowing across the forest. As Xia Lei stopped in his tracks and concentrated, those noises were filtered out mysteriously. In his ears, Tsukino Kyoko’s little world was extremely quiet.
Suddenly, a new inexplicable source of sound entered his ear. It was coming from behind him, closing in on him very quickly!
In his mind, a dynamic picture was automatically painted. A female ninja in dark stealth clothing was approaching him. Her soft-soled running shoes had softened her footsteps against the grass. Veiled by the night breeze and relentless croaking of the insects, her presence could hardly be heard.
Even so, he caught it.
Whoosh!
Something broke through the wind!
As soon as his ears captured it, Xia Lei’s heart sunk. She was attacking him!
Had Tsukino Kyoko chosen her country, her people and her master?