Chapter 28 A Sparrow Forgot Its Father's Name

Plum Blossom Villa is far away in Qi'an. Even traveling day and night, it would take at least half a month to get there.

Zhou Ziheng and his two companions had traveled all night and were quite exhausted, so they had no choice but to rest for a day in Tanglin.

After such a long journey, even the most lively Xi Bingyi was too exhausted to speak. The group sat in the carriage, and Zhou Ziheng lifted the curtain to watch the bustling street scenes of Tanglin City flash by.

Tanglin City is close to the center of the Wen Dynasty. Unlike Liyangzhuang and Landu, life here is more prosperous, and the court has a deeper influence on it.

Zhou Ziheng glanced at the wanted posters for wanted criminals posted not far away, but didn't see the names of the Zhang brothers. He wondered if the message hadn't been sent yet or if the court had other plans.

He lowered the carriage curtain and shifted his gaze to Huo Qin.

Strangely enough, Huo Qin was unusually silent the whole way. Although he was not talkative in the past, he was never like this... so detached.

Zhou Ziheng sneered and easily concluded: This person has definitely reverted to his old ways!

Huo Qin glanced at Zhou Ziheng and knew what the other was thinking, so he quickly raised his hands to beg for mercy:

"I didn't, I didn't, don't do anything rash."

Zhou Ziheng still sneered, and even Xi Bingyi slowly looked at Huo Qin.

He was truly frightened by the two fellow disciples, and quickly explained, "I just remembered a legend I heard a long time ago when I was traveling in Tanglin."

Xi Bingyi adopted an expression of attentive listening. Huo Qin paused for a moment, then continued:

"Legend has it that the chief minister had a precious daughter whom he spoiled rotten. He gave her everything she wanted, and even the princess's entourage was not as grand as that of the chief minister's daughter."

"But this girl is spoiled and willful, unwilling to be confined in Chang'an, and always finds ways to travel far away."

"His father wasn't watching her closely enough, and the girl disappeared."

"And then?" Xi Bingyi asked, "A pampered young lady who is unarmed will probably die a gruesome death, won't she?"

Huo Qin shook his head, but then slowly nodded.

Several months later, the girl returned home.

"But he was poisoned by a sparrow."

...

The carriage rumbled to an inn, and the driver reminded the three that they had arrived at their destination.

Zhou Ziheng paid the money and looked around. He found the surroundings filled with a mystical atmosphere, with wisps of mist drifting in from behind the inn, bringing a damp warmth.

After receiving the money, the driver smiled and said, "This inn has the largest hot spring in Tanglin. Our hot springs are also very famous. Why don't you all take a soak to warm yourselves up?"

Zhou Ziheng then learned the meaning of the name "Tang Lin". He nodded and walked into the inn.

The driver was right. The inn was clean and tidy, exuding a rustic and grand atmosphere. Looking through the lobby, one could vaguely see a secluded path leading to the backyard, from which warm mist drifted.

The waiter was exceptionally enthusiastic. Perhaps noticing that the three of them were wearing expensive cotton-padded coats, he quickly arranged the three best rooms for them. "Sirs, our hotel offers a hot spring bath with every stay. Once you're settled in, just call me and I'll take you there to experience it."

Zhou Ziheng squandered the silver given to him by Zhang Yuanhan without batting an eye. He already had a lot of travel money with him, plus the money he extorted from Zhang's family...

Zhou Ziheng, who was extremely wealthy, spent his money with great confidence. He even bought some meat and rice dishes and asked the waiter to deliver them to his room later.

Having grown accustomed to a life of hardship, Huo Qin found it difficult to express his frustration as he watched the money slip away like water.

Xi Bingyi, on the other hand, was used to a life of luxury. She pouted and said, "Senior brother, are you going to just give us a little bit of meat?"

Zhou Ziheng shook his head mysteriously: "Wait until tonight, I'll definitely have something good for you tonight."

The waiter led the three to their rooms. Zhou Ziheng and Huo Qin's rooms were next to each other, while Xi Bingyi's room was further inside. The group waved goodbye and went to their respective rooms to rest.

Zhou Ziheng rested for a while, and just then the waiter brought up the food. Without saying a word, he took the bowl and chopsticks and knocked on Huo Qin's door.

When he opened the door, he found that Xi Bingyi was also in the room.

Zhou Ziheng was shocked. He first glanced at his embarrassed junior sister, then glared fiercely at the helpless Huo Qin.

"What are you doing?!"

"Oh dear, senior brother, now that you've found out..."

Huo Qin's face twitched, and he quickly pulled Zhou Ziheng in, interrupting Xi Bingyi's nonsense: "She just wants to ask me about the sequel to that legend."

Seeing that she hadn't managed to fool her senior brother, Xi Bingyi sighed and said, "This is pointless... What are you doing here again, senior brother?"

Zhou Ziheng put down his food and said, "It's all because of Huo Qin. He can tell at a glance that he's still worried about his father."

"I must interrogate him thoroughly today!"

Huo Qin shifted his feet away from Zhou Ziheng and quickly changed the subject.

He pointed at Xi Bingyi: "You came to me because of that legend."

He then pointed to Zhou Ziheng: "You came to me because of my father."

He stroked his chin and pointed to himself: "Coincidentally, I also have something to discuss with you."

"I've wanted to ask this question for a long time: what is the significance of the pseudonym 'Mei Le'?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Bingyi blinked and said nonchalantly, "It's meaningless, it's just following the trend."

"After all, 'Zhou Ziheng' is just a pseudonym!"

For the first time, Huo Qin's unwavering expression cracked. He gritted his teeth and glared at the culprit, only to see Zhou Ziheng tiptoeing away, preparing to make his escape.

"Zhou Ziheng!!"

Zhou Ziheng babbled incoherently, "This isn't my fault!! Didn't I say that when we first met?!"

"Zhou Feizhou, Heng Feiheng, these are obviously pseudonyms!!"

-

"Han Shuang...no, don't do it for me anymore..."

"It's okay, it's okay, hang in there. Look at our child, you haven't named him yet. Please hang in there a little longer, okay?"

A crimson hue filled the air, and Huo Qin suddenly opened his eyes from his sleep.

In my memory, the image of a man and a woman embracing is frozen in time, but upon closer inspection, all I see are bloodstains.

He blinked, and the image vanished like smoke, along with the blood droplets; the memory disappeared completely.

Huo Qin's eyes darted around, and it took him a while to realize that he was in Tang Lin's inn.

He sat up, turned his head to look outside, and saw the blood-red setting sun reflected in his eyes.

He has a congenital condition: as he gets older, his memory is being lost at an increasingly rapid pace, to the point that he can no longer control it.

After a good night's sleep, he felt much more awake. He straightened his clothes, tidied his hair, and pushed open the door. He saw Zhou Ziheng standing at the door, looking like he was about to knock.

"Awake?" Zhou Ziheng asked somewhat guiltily, offering Huo Qin a bone flute as an apology.

"This is the bone flute of the Holy Mountain. As long as I play it, I will find you no matter where you are."

Huo Qin reached out and took it, gently stroking it with his fingers.

His anger hadn't subsided, and he deliberately sneered, "Stalker?"

Zhou Ziheng: "..."

Xi Bingyi quickly added, "When we get to Plum Blossom Manor, I'll give you something nice too."

Seeing the two people watching him cautiously, Huo Qin couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

He sighed, "Weren't we going to soak in the hot springs? Why aren't we leaving?"

“That’s right, that’s right!” Xi Bingyi immediately grabbed the two of them by the hand and said with great interest, “I’m so curious about the hot springs here!”

Passing through the lobby and into the backyard, stepping onto the stone-paved path, our eyes were drawn to the dense evergreen trees all around, and the warm mist from the hot spring wafted by. The waiter led the three of us to the secluded hot spring pool.

"If you walk to your left, you'll find the women's hot spring, and if you walk to your right, you'll find the men's hot spring."

The waiter led the three of them to a huge banyan tree, which divided the road into two paths, left and right.

He pointed out the way, handed Zhou Ziheng three clean cloths, and continued, "The shop hasn't had much business lately, so there shouldn't be anyone else in the hot spring."

Xi Bingyi excitedly took the cloth and went to her left, saying with a smile, "See you later!"

Zhou Ziheng and Huo Qin also went to the men's hot spring. The steaming mist filled the air, and the warm, hot air was so intense that just being there made one feel comfortable, as if it could dispel the cold and gloom of the whole winter.

Smelling the faint scent of sulfur, Zhou Ziheng deftly stripped off his clothes and slowly slid into the hot spring. The intense heat enveloped him in an instant, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Ziheng was very pale, but he also looked very strong.

Her overly pale body resembled a shimmering white fish in the hot spring, or moonlight spilling onto the water's surface.

Zhou Ziheng hummed a song contentedly. The shadowy tree shadows accompanied the rising warm air, and the moonlight poured down like mercury, enveloping the hot spring in a clear glow.

Huo Qin also took off his clothes and went into the water. He couldn't see clearly at first, but when he got closer, he saw that Zhou Ziheng's body was covered with dense scars.

The illusory peace is always so easily shattered, and the bloody reality never bestows a kiss of grace.

He found it strange that he had been traveling the world for much longer and had fewer scars than the other man, so how could Zhou Ziheng, the eldest disciple of the Holy Mountain, have so many new and old wounds?

Huo Qin asked curiously, "Where did you get so many scars on your body?"

Zhou Ziheng's expression was calm. He silently raised his left hand, revealing the lifelike osmanthus mark on his arm.

“Every time it flares up, I feel like I’m dying, and I always need something else to distract me from the pain.”

He didn't wallow in self-pity; he simply stated a fact, and even his expression was quite relaxed.

Speaking of the curse of winning the laurel wreath, Zhou Ziheng asked Huo Qin in return, "How come your father also had this curse?"

Hochin remained silent.

Zhou Ziheng was speechless. He glanced at Huo Qin with disdain and then asked, "What is your father's name?"

Huo Qin, whose memory had long been lost: "..."

"Heh heh." Zhou Ziheng sneered, "Forgot your father's name and still want to find him? I sincerely wish you all the best in the future."

He spoke in a sarcastic tone, launching a cryptic psychological attack on Huo Qin with a seemingly indifferent manner.

Huo Qin couldn't remember his father's name at all, not just his father, but many other things as well.

This feeling is strange. It's as if many important things in his memory are covered by a white cloth, but he can't grasp this white cloth and can't lift the vortex of memories.

Aside from this unpleasant topic, the two of them enjoyed a rare moment of tranquility.

After soaking for almost half an hour, Zhou Ziheng felt his bones had softened. He stretched, propped himself up, and came out of the hot spring.

Water droplets rolled down his back. Huo Qin squinted to look, but could only see old, almost healed pink scars and recent, swollen, brownish wounds, crisscrossing like a perfect painting.

His back was like a wall riddled with wounds, so fragile that it seemed about to collapse at any moment, yet the powerful muscles and spine also revealed the owner's strong and vigorous vitality—a strange contradiction.

Zhou Ziheng left first, instructing, "Don't soak for too long."

Huo Qin's expression was calm, like a bottomless lake.