Time flies, a moment is eternity.
Since the day she left the inn, Bai has stayed in this city without going anywhere else.
No longer working as an assassin, her days were very mundane, with simple tasks to do every day.
She would sit in the bamboo forest, exchanging the fish she caught for a living;
If she caught more fish than needed, she would keep some for herself or feed a cat as usual.
Besides that, she would make a daily trip to the inn;
The reason for doing so, she wasn't quite sure herself, but the desire in her heart to see "Big Brother" again was undoubtedly sincere.
However, since the day they parted ways, Bai never saw "Big Brother" again;
When she asked the inn's Merman Sister, she was told that the guest had long since checked out.
Checking out meant leaving, but where exactly they had gone, she would never know.
So, Bai continued with her unchanging life, pouring the rest of her days into this place filled with memories, waiting for a miracle her heart had always yearned for.
That miracle, in the end, never happened.
In the blink of an eye, many years passed.
On this day, as Bai walked towards the bamboo forest, she heard a commotion from afar, a familiar mix of tranquility mingled with a hint of clamor and melancholy;
In an instant, Bai felt transported back to the time when "Big Brother" had led her here, experiencing joy and excitement amidst the tranquil bamboo forest.
Unconsciously, a smile of intoxicating delight crept onto Bai's lips.
She reached the entrance of the bamboo forest, carefully pushing through the thick, aged bamboo leaves, stepping forward;
The emerald green leaves under her feet rustled like old cotton in winter, soft, creating a faint rustling among the murmurs of the bamboo forest.
A sudden gust of wind brought a chilling autumn breeze, a harbinger of the coming fall. It was nearly the end of summer, the fiftieth summer Bai was about to bid farewell to in this city.
The fiftieth year of their promised meeting was coming to an end;
Still, Bai had no intention of leaving this place, considering it her final resting place, ready to embrace her end here.
After walking a distance, Bai found a sturdy bamboo, leaning against it for support.
Leaves danced in the wind, fluttering like frail butterflies;
Their shapes resembled the leaves Bai and him had seen together in this very place years ago. It was quite a resemblance.
Bereft of words, Bai only heard the fragmented wind, the mournful rustle of dead leaves, singing a mournful elegy.
Out of nowhere, she suddenly doubled over, hands shakily holding her chest, coughing violently, each cough sounding like a throat being choked.
Her petite figure, pale as a blade, yet exuding a fragile, glass-like quality.
Rustling. Footsteps approached through the woods, and every time Bai heard such sounds, she couldn't help but think it was him, instinctively looking in that direction.
This time was no different as Bai's lifeless eyes shifted sideways, spotting a young girl with a ponytail gradually walking towards her.
The girl was Myin, someone Bai didn't recognize.
A glance at Bai revealed her pallid, worn-out face, devoid of color on her lips;
The girl's eyes, lacking radiance, were fixed on her, a blend of serene depths clouded with faint melancholy and unvoiced queries.
Meeting Bai's gaze, Myin offered a light, fleeting smile;
In response, Bai reciprocated with a healing smile, reminiscent of the clarity and beauty of their past.
"Who are you?"
"My parents were a ranger surnamed Wang and a mother surnamed Xia."
Myin had to lie to Bai.
In order to appear before Bai and engage her in conversation, she had to pretend to be the child of those two individuals.
Seeing the daughter of an old friend made Bai's expression complex, turning her head slowly, unsure of what to say.
During this silence, Myin continued to observe her with that faint smile on her face, her eyes deep and brooding;
Hidden within her gaze were blurred affection and compassion, refusing to reveal everything.
"How's your dad doing?" Bai finally spoke after a long pause, leaving Myin at a loss for words.
Myin knew Wang Xiaole had passed away many years ago, and there was no straightforward answer to give.
But would this kind of answer be what Bai wanted to hear?
Myin was here because she couldn't bear to see this girl having regrets at the end of her life.
Despite it being meddling, Myin hoped to offer Bai some solace through her words.
Her response couldn't be half-hearted.
Though she couldn't tell the truth, Myin had no intention of lying either;
For a merchant like herself who valued honesty, there was only one suitable response:
"My father is in excellent health, and he has lived a relatively happy life!"
In Wang Xiaole's brief life, there were moments of beauty remembered until the end, his fondness for a certain girl, for whom he sacrificed everything.
For Myin, his life was indeed a happy one.
