Chapter 16: Oath
The firelight in the cave flickered, illuminating the faces of the two people, each of whom was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Li Lianhua's arm wound had been properly bandaged, but his doubts only grew. He quietly observed the sound of the flute flying—his eyes, usually sharp as a knife, were now focused intently on the dancing flames, the lines of his profile appearing particularly profound in the interweaving of light and shadow.
"Your swordsmanship..." Li Lianhua said carefully, "It seems different today when you dealt with Jiao Liqiao than in the past."
Di Feisheng paused slightly as he stirred the firewood, but he didn't look up. "What's the difference?"
"More fierce, and more... familiar." Li Lianhua chose her words carefully. "It's as if some of her old moves have been restored."
The flames crackled, and the cave fell into a brief silence. Di Feisheng finally turned to look at Li Lianhua, his eyes dark and unreadable. "You want me to regain my memory?"
Li Lianhua was stunned by the question and didn't know how to answer.
Hope? He naturally longed for the complete Di Feisheng, the Di Feisheng who had once been his equal, his enemy and his friend. But after regaining her memory, would the Di Feisheng still be the one who panicked when he was injured and stayed by his side every night?
"I don't know." Li Lianhua lowered her eyes and said softly, "I just feel that if you have remembered something, you shouldn't hide it from me."
Di Feisheng stared at him for a long time, then suddenly stood up and walked over to Li Lianhua and squatted down. The distance between them instantly closed, and Li Lianhua could clearly see the fire dancing in his eyes.
"If I say I do remember some fragments," Di Feisheng said in a low voice, "what do you think?"
Li Lianhua's heart skipped a beat: "What clip?"
"The silhouette of a man in white standing by the lotus pond," Di Feisheng's gaze became distant, "a world-shaking duel, and... a promise."
Li Lianhua's fingers unconsciously tightened. Di Feisheng's description clearly depicted their first encounter and their frequent duels. That promise... which one was it in his memory?
"What, what kind of promise?" Li Lianhua's voice trembled unconsciously.
Di Feisheng suddenly shook his head. "I can't remember it clearly." His gaze refocused on Li Lianhua's face. "I just remember it seemed like a very important matter, related to a very important person."
Their gazes met, and the air in the cave seemed to freeze. Li Lianhua searched for answers in those deep eyes, but only saw her own confused reflection.
"You..." Li Lianhua opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know what to ask.
Di Feisheng suddenly raised his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair from Li Lianhua's forehead. The movement was so natural that it seemed as if he had done it a thousand times. Li Lianhua shuddered, but did not move away.
"Some things, whether you remember them or not is not important." Di Feisheng's voice was so soft that it almost blended into the crackling of the burning firewood. "What matters is the present."
His fingertips slid down along the hair, brushed Li Lianhua's cheek lightly, and finally stopped above the bandaged wound, hanging in the air, not daring to touch.
"I only know that when I saw you injured, it hurt here." Di Feisheng's fingers gently touched his heart, "It hurts like I've never felt before."
Li Lianhua stared at him blankly, a complex mixture of bitterness and sweetness welling up in his heart. He suddenly became afraid—afraid that Di Feisheng would really regain his memory, afraid that the past grudges and hatreds would shatter the rare peace at this moment, and even more afraid that the person in front of him who was heartbroken for him would disappear.
"Maybe... there's no rush." Li Lianhua lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's. "As for memory, just let it take its course."
The corners of Di Feisheng's lips curled up almost imperceptibly: "Okay."
At that moment, Fang Duobing could be heard humming a tune from outside the cave, drawing closer. As the night deepened, the only sound in the cave was the occasional crackle of the firewood. The two men lay down.
Li Lianhua tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Di Feisheng's words, "The oath we made under the moon," echoed in his mind like a spell. He quietly leaned over and, in the dim light of the fire, observed Di Feisheng's sleeping face. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were pondering something even in his dreams.
Suddenly, Di Feisheng's body trembled slightly, and his breathing became rapid. Li Lianhua was about to get up to check, but saw Di Feisheng suddenly open his eyes, and a rare flash of confusion and pain flashed in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Li Lianhua asked softly.
Di Feisheng didn't answer immediately, but raised his hand to rub his temples, his eyes gradually regaining clarity. He turned to look at Li Lianhua, his eyes complex and difficult to read.
"I dreamt of some fragments." Di Feisheng's voice was hoarse from having just woken up. "The moonlight was bright, shining on the lotus pond."
Li Lianhua's heart skipped a beat. That was where they had first met, and where they often fought.
"What else?" Li Lianhua couldn't help but ask.
Di Feisheng's gaze became distant, as if he had penetrated time and space, returning to that unforgettable night: "You were dressed in white, standing in the center of the lotus pond, the moonlight shining on you... very beautiful."
Li Lianhua's fingers unconsciously clenched the collar of his clothes. He was indeed wearing white clothes that night because it was the anniversary of his master's death.
"We fought," Di Feisheng continued, his tone calm but with a subtle ripple. "It was more satisfying than any other time. After it was over, both of us were injured, and we sat side by side by the pool to recuperate."
Li Lianhua's breathing quickened slightly. He remembered the battle, the enthusiasm and admiration in Di Feisheng's eyes under the moonlight, and...
"And then?" Li Lianhua's voice was almost inaudible.
Di Feisheng turned to look at him, his eyes burning: "Then you looked at me and said something."
The cave was silent, and Li Lianhua could clearly hear his own heartbeat. He remembered those words, the oath he thought he was the only one who remembered.
"You said..." Di Feisheng spoke slowly, each word clear and distinct, "'If one day, one of you and I forgets the past, the other will find him, no matter where he is.'"
Li Lianhua's entire body trembled, his eyes filled with an unconcealable shock. He had indeed said such words, after that hearty duel, on a moonlit night filled with lotus ponds.
"You also said something else." Di Feisheng's eyes were fixed on Li Lianhua, not allowing him to escape. "'Because the world would be so boring without you.'"
This sentence hit Li Lianhua like a hammer in the heart. He turned his face away suddenly, his ears red. He had never thought that Di Feisheng would remember this oath, let alone that it would be brought up again in such a situation.
"You remembered." Li Lianhua's voice trembled slightly.
Di Feisheng shook his head. "Not all of it. Just this fragment, this oath." He paused, his voice growing deeper. "But I'm curious, why did you make such a vow? Did you foresee that I would lose my memory?"
Li Lianhua was silent for a long time, and finally said softly: "You were the first to say it that day."
Di Feisheng was stunned: "What did I say?"
"You said..." Li Lianhua looked up at him with a complex emotion in her eyes, "'If one day I forget who you are, you must do everything you can to make me remember, because -'"
Before he could finish his words, Fang Duobing's exclamation and the sound of fighting suddenly came from outside the cave. The two men changed color at the same time, and Di Feisheng stood up in an instant, with his sword unsheathed.
"Stay here." Di Feisheng ordered Li Lianhua, his eyes as sharp as before, as if the fragility just now had never existed.
But the moment he turned and rushed out of the cave, Li Lianhua clearly heard him whisper: "Wait for me to come back and tell me the second half."
The sound of swords clashing outside the cave was endless, but Li Lianhua was stunned, her heart in turmoil. The complete memory of that night came flooding back like a tide -
The moonlight was like a thread, and the fragrance of lotus flowers filled the air. Two wounded men sat side by side by the pond, their blood dripping into the water, creating a faint crimson glow.
"If one day I forget who you are," Di Feisheng suddenly said, his voice hoarse from exhaustion after the fierce battle, "you must do everything you can to make me remember."
Li Lianhua chuckled: "Why?"
Di Feisheng turned to look at him, his eyes reflecting the stars in the sky: "Because you are the only one in this world who can rival me. If I forget, wouldn't that be the greatest loss?"
Li Lianhua's heart moved slightly, and she continued, "If one day, one of you and I forgets the past, the other will definitely find him, no matter where in the world he is."
Di Feisheng raised the corners of his lips slightly: "Because this world would be so boring without you."
The two smiled at each other and high-fived each other in the moonlight as an oath.
Recalling this, Li Lianhua suddenly understood something. He quickly walked towards the cave entrance and saw Di Feisheng exchanging blows with several men in black. Their swords flashed like silk threads, and their momentum was astonishing.
That figure gradually overlapped with the figure under the moon in my memory.
It turns out that some things are never truly forgotten.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
