The person sitting beside the pond was indeed Tieu Lan.
She wore a pale blue robe, her long black hair falling down her back. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and although her eyes rested on the pair of celestial birds nestled together on the water, her thoughts seemed to have drifted somewhere far away.
Hao Nhien stopped beneath the tree and did not call out to her right away. He simply stood there in silence.
Compared with the last time he had seen her, Tieu Lan had not changed very much. She was still small and delicate, with the same long hair and familiar gentleness, though her face seemed a little thinner than before. Under the moonlight, her eyes glimmered as if covered by a faint layer of mist.
Tieu Lan lifted her head and looked at the moon above the treetops.
“Young Master…”
Her voice was so soft that it was almost meant only for herself.
“Where are you?”
She had no idea that someone else had already entered the courtyard.
On the pond, one of the celestial birds stirred slightly and tucked its head deeper beneath the wing of the other. Watching them, a faint smile appeared on Tieu Lan’s lips.
“At least you two are still together.”
She reached out and lightly touched the water. Small ripples spread outward, breaking the reflection of the moon into countless fragments of silver.
The sight reminded Hao Nhien of the days aboard the Cosmic Ark. Back then, he had sat with her beneath the moon and told her all kinds of strange stories about places she had never heard of. Sometimes he would deliberately tease her until her small face turned red and she refused to look at him for quite a while.
Hao Nhien did not know what Tieu Lan was thinking about now, but simply seeing her back brought those memories, buried beneath everything that had happened recently, slowly back to the surface.
At that moment, Tieu Lan whispered,
“Come back soon…”
She looked at the pond for a while before continuing.
“Tieu Lan is waiting for you to watch the moon with me.”
Something deep inside Hao Nhien trembled.
He took one more step.
“Tieu Lan.”
The voice sounded behind her, low and familiar, carrying the dust of a very long journey.
“I’m back.”
Tieu Lan’s body immediately stiffened.
The hand resting on her knee trembled slightly. She did not turn around at once. She only sat there beneath the tree, motionless, as if afraid that if she moved too quickly, the voice she had just heard would vanish like a dream.
Hao Nhien watched her small shoulders tremble. He did not call her again. He simply stood there and waited for her to turn around on her own.
“Young…”
Tieu Lan swallowed.
“Young Master?”
Her voice shook so badly that it was almost soundless.
Hao Nhien still did not answer right away.
Tieu Lan slowly turned her head. The moment her eyes met the figure standing beneath the tree, they widened.
Hao Nhien was still dressed in a gray robe. A little desert dust remained on his shoulders, and his hair at the temples was slightly disheveled from the long journey. His face seemed a little more hardened than when he had left Tam Thành, but when he looked at her, his eyes were as gentle as before.
Tieu Lan stared at him without blinking. Her lips moved several times, as though she wanted to say many things, but no sound came out.
Then she suddenly stood up.
The movement was so quick that her foot slipped slightly on the stone beneath her. Hao Nhien had just started to step forward when Tieu Lan rushed straight into his arms.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and her face buried itself against his chest. Her small body trembled visibly.
For the first few breaths, Tieu Lan could not say anything.
Hao Nhien only felt a warm dampness quickly soaking through the front of his robe.
“Young Master…”
Her voice broke between sobs.
“It really is you…”
“You’re back…”
“You really came back…”
Hao Nhien stood still and let her hold him. He also let her cry.
After a while, his arms slowly came around her. One hand rested on her back, while the other gently stroked the soft hair that the night wind had slightly tangled.
“I’m back.”
He spoke very softly.
“I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”
The arms around him immediately tightened.
Her crying, which had just begun to quiet, broke out again. Hao Nhien could feel every tremor passing through her body. He did not know what Tieu Lan had been thinking during these days, nor how many nights she had sat alone beside the pond like this.
But he understood that his silence had made her worry far more than he had imagined.
Hao Nhien held her for a long time.
He did not say anything flowery, nor did he tell her not to cry. He only kept her in his arms until her sobs gradually faded and her breathing became more even.
After a while, Tieu Lan slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were red, and tears still clung to her lashes, but a very small smile had appeared at the corner of her lips.
She lifted a hand and touched Hao Nhien’s cheek. Her fingertip moved gently across a small scratch near his chin, slow and careful, as though she were using touch itself to make sure that the person before her was truly real.
“Young Master has gotten thinner.”
Hao Nhien smiled.
“So have you.”
Tieu Lan immediately shook her head.
“I haven’t.”
“You have.”
“I haven’t.”
Hao Nhien looked at her slightly thinner face.
“Then tomorrow, cook an extra table of food.”
Tieu Lan sniffed and finally could not stop herself from laughing. Her smile was still mixed with tears, making her look both pitiful and a little amusing.
Hao Nhien lowered his head and placed a very light kiss on her forehead.
“Let’s go inside. It’s getting late.”
Tieu Lan nodded softly, but her hand still clutched his sleeve tightly, showing no intention of letting go.
The two of them entered the small room together.
The wooden door closed behind them, blocking most of the night wind outside. Only the rustling of leaves and the occasional soft sound of water from the lotus pond could still be heard through the window.
The room was simply furnished but very clean. A small wooden table stood near the window, with two chairs facing each other and a white teapot on top. In one corner, bottles of medicinal ingredients were neatly arranged by type.
There was not even a thin layer of dust.
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Tieu Lan wiped away her tears. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, she hurried toward the tea table.
“Young Master, sit down first. Tieu Lan will make tea.”
Hao Nhien sat down and watched her busy figure.
The motions of taking out the tea, heating the water, and rinsing the cups were as familiar as ever. For a moment, he had the strange feeling that the time they had spent apart had never existed.
A short while later, Tieu Lan brought him a cup of tea.
“The tea is warm now. Young Master, drink some so you won’t be as tired.”
Hao Nhien accepted it.
Warmth from the porcelain cup spread into his palm. He took a sip and tasted the light, clean flavor. It was slightly bitter at first, then slowly left behind a faint sweetness on his tongue.
It was not precious spiritual tea, nor could it restore spiritual power.
But one sip was enough to make Hao Nhien’s shoulders truly relax.
Perhaps it was not because of the tea at all.
Perhaps it was because of this room, the person sitting in front of him, and the feeling of peace he had not experienced for far too long.
Tieu Lan sat across from him. Her hands rested close together on her knees, and her eyes almost never left his face.
Whenever Hao Nhien lowered his head to drink tea, she would lean slightly forward. Only when he looked up again would she slowly sit straight.
Hao Nhien noticed every one of those small movements.
His heart felt warm, yet there was also a faint ache within it.
He took another sip of tea and slowly looked around the room.
It was very quiet.
But someone was missing.
Hao Nhien put down his teacup.
“Tieu Lan.”
“Mm?”
“Where is Quan Nha?”
The smile on Tieu Lan’s face slowed slightly. Hao Nhien did not see panic in her eyes, only a little hesitation.
“Sister Quan Nha went out on a mission.”
“A mission?”
“Yes.”
Tieu Lan nodded.
“Three days ago, someone from the City Lord’s residence came with a message. Sister Quan Nha read it and prepared to leave right away. She said the mission was not very dangerous and that she would only be gone for a few days.”
Hao Nhien frowned slightly.
“Who delivered the mission?”
“The person wore the uniform of the City Lord’s residence and carried a token. Sister Quan Nha checked it before she left.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
Tieu Lan shook her head.
“She didn’t say clearly. She only said she had to make a trip outside the city. Sister Quan Nha also told Tieu Lan not to worry.”
She paused before adding,
“Today is only the third day. Maybe she’ll come back tomorrow.”
Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.
He trusted Quan Nha to be cautious enough not to follow an unclear mission without checking it, especially since the messenger had carried a token from the City Lord’s residence. Still, the fact that she had been gone for three days without leaving a specific destination made him pay attention.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the City Lord’s residence and check the mission.”
He said,
“If it was an ordinary mission, then that is good. Perhaps while we are talking, she is already on her way back.”
Hearing that, Tieu Lan’s shoulders seemed to relax a little.
She nodded softly.
Hao Nhien looked at her and asked,
“Do you want to hear what happened in the Western Wastes?”
Tieu Lan’s eyes immediately brightened, but a moment later her brows drew together slightly.
“Was it very dangerous?”
Hao Nhien thought for a moment.
“A little.”
Tieu Lan looked at him with obvious disbelief.
“Every time Young Master says ‘a little,’ it ends up being very dangerous.”
Hao Nhien laughed.
“You understand me that well?”
“Of course.”
Tieu Lan gave a soft huff.
“Tieu Lan has followed Young Master for a long time.”
Hao Nhien did not argue. He simply began to tell her.
He did not tell her everything, especially the details that might keep her awake all night, but he still told her about Heavenly Eye Forward City, about the people who had chosen to escape Heavenly Eye’s control, and about Luu Thanh leading seven hundred and twelve people across the Western Wastes to safety.
He told her that the Fire Qilin Tribe had gathered again, that Lanh Hoa and Luu Tan were leading the remaining clansmen toward Tam Thành, and that through a chain of circumstances he had been unable to avoid, he had become the Clan Head of the Fire Qilin Tribe.
Tieu Lan, who had been listening very attentively, immediately widened her eyes.
“Young Master became a Clan Head?”
“The situation pushed me into it.”
Hao Nhien said.
“At the time, I couldn’t refuse.”
Tieu Lan looked at him for a while, then smiled softly.
“Tieu Lan isn’t surprised.”
“Why?”
“Because wherever Young Master goes, there will always be people who trust you.”
Hao Nhien paused.
It was only a very simple sentence, without any reasoning behind it, but it still brought warmth to somewhere deep inside him.
Tieu Lan suddenly asked,
“Then from now on, does Tieu Lan have to call you Lord Clan Head?”
Hao Nhien thought about it seriously for a moment.
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
Tieu Lan immediately puffed out her cheeks.
Hao Nhien laughed and reached over to gently rub her head.
“I’m joking. To you, I’m still Young Master.”
A faint blush appeared on Tieu Lan’s face. She did not avoid his hand and only lowered her head with a smile.
Hao Nhien continued telling her about Sand Thunder, the plan to establish a communication post between the tribes, and the name Hoa Van Town that had only recently been placed on the map.
When he mentioned the Yin Soul Sect and the Corpse Summoning Ritual, Tieu Lan’s expression immediately changed.
She did not ask how many people he had killed or how the battle had gone. Her eyes only quickly swept from his face to his shoulders, arms, and whatever parts of his body she could see.
“Was Young Master injured?”
Hao Nhien knew that if he answered no, she would not believe him anyway.
“There were a few injuries, but none of them are serious anymore.”
“Let Tieu Lan see.”
Hao Nhien hesitated slightly.
Tieu Lan did not urge him, but the way she looked straight at him made it clear that she had no intention of giving in.
In the end, he could only pull his collar aside slightly, revealing a wound near his shoulder that had nearly closed. A thin bandage still covered it to prevent friction while traveling.
Tieu Lan’s lashes trembled.
Her eyes, which had only just stopped being red, immediately grew moist again.
“And Young Master calls this not serious?”
“It really is almost healed.”
“Young Master always says that.”
Tieu Lan stood up, took a medicine box from the corner of the room, and returned.
“Let Tieu Lan change the dressing.”
Hao Nhien did not object.
He sat still while she removed the old bandage.
Tieu Lan’s movements were gentle and much more practiced than before. She checked the edges of the wound, cleaned away the old medicine, then applied a fresh layer of medicinal salve. Her hands no longer trembled at the sight of blood or injury, but her expression only became quieter.
That silence made Hao Nhien feel more guilty than any scolding could have.
“Tieu Lan.”
“Mm?”
“I’m sorry.”
Her movements stopped.
“For making you worry.”
Tieu Lan lowered her head and continued tying the bandage. Several breaths passed before she finally spoke.
“Tieu Lan doesn’t need Young Master to apologize.”
She looked up.
“I only need you to remember that someone is still waiting for you to come back.”
Hao Nhien looked at her for a moment, then reached out and took the small hand resting on his shoulder.
“I remember.”
He gently tightened his grip.
“I can’t say I’ll never face danger again, but no matter where I have to go, I’ll try to find my way back.”
Tieu Lan looked at him for a long time before finally nodding softly.
Time slowly passed.
The tea on the table had already gone cold, and the moon outside the window had shifted to one side.
Tieu Lan moved closer and gently rested her head against Hao Nhien’s uninjured shoulder.
Neither of them spoke for a long while.
There was only the sound of wind moving through the leaves, the occasional soft touch of pond water against stone, and the breathing of the two of them gradually becoming even in the quiet room.
After a while, Tieu Lan softly called,
“Young Master.”
“Mm?”
“From now on…”
She hesitated, two fingers unconsciously tightening around the edge of his robe.
“Could you not stay away for so long again?”
Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.
He knew he still had to return to the Tieu Dao Sect. He still had many places to go, and eventually he would have to walk a road far longer than the Western Wastes.
If he told her that he would never leave again, it would only be a lie meant to comfort her for a short while.
Hao Nhien wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“I can’t promise that I won’t go far.”
The hand holding his robe tightened slightly.
“But I can promise I won’t leave you waiting in silence like this again. If I have to go, I’ll tell you. If I can send a message, I’ll make sure you know that I’m safe.”
He paused before continuing.
“And if I can still return, then I will find my way back.”
Tieu Lan remained silent for a while, then leaned more deeply against his shoulder.
“That’s enough.”
Another quiet moment passed.
Tieu Lan suddenly shifted.
Hao Nhien lowered his head to look at her.
Her face gradually turned red, while her hands left his robe and clasped tightly together.
Hao Nhien noticed that something was unusual, but he did not ask.
Tieu Lan stayed silent for a long time, as though she had to gather all her courage before softly calling,
“Young Master…”
“Mm?”
She stopped.
Hao Nhien looked at her.
Tieu Lan lowered her head. Her ears were so red that even under the lamplight they were clearly visible. Her lips moved several times without producing a sound before she finally took a small breath and asked,
“Tonight…”
She paused for a beat.
“Does Young Master want to eat?”
Hao Nhien froze.
The room went silent for several breaths.
He looked at Tieu Lan’s bright red face, then at her hands clasped so tightly that her fingertips had nearly turned white.
The corner of Hao Nhien’s mouth curved slightly upward.
“I do.”
Tieu Lan immediately looked up, her eyes widening.
Hao Nhien almost laughed at her reaction, but in the end he forced himself to maintain a serious expression.
“I’ve been traveling all day. I really am a little hungry.”
Tieu Lan stared at him.
A heartbeat later, she immediately realized that he had deliberately twisted the meaning of her words.
“Young Master!”
Her face turned red all the way down to her neck.
Hao Nhien finally could not hold back his laughter.
“Didn’t you just ask whether I wanted to eat?”
“Not that!”
“Then what?”
Tieu Lan stared at him, her lips moving several times, but she could not continue. In the end, she raised a hand and lightly punched toward his chest.
Hao Nhien caught her hand before it could touch him.
“All right. I won’t tease you anymore.”
Tieu Lan turned her face away.
“Young Master is terrible.”
Hao Nhien still held her hand in his.
After a moment, the smile on his face slowly softened.
“I know what you meant.”
Tieu Lan immediately went quiet.
Hao Nhien gently brushed his thumb across the back of her hand.
“I want to as well.”
She slowly turned back toward him.
“But I don’t want it to happen only because you’ve been frightened for so long, or because I’ve just returned from a journey where I might not have been able to see you again.”
Hao Nhien looked directly into her eyes.
“When that day comes, I want you to know clearly how I truly feel about you. And I want to be the one who says it first, instead of making you gather all your courage to ask me like you did tonight.”
Tieu Lan looked at him for a long time.
The embarrassment in her eyes had not disappeared, but beneath it, something seemed to soften.
After a while, she lowered her head and muttered,
“Tieu Lan was only teasing Young Master.”
Hao Nhien laughed.
“Really?”
Tieu Lan raised her hand as though she were about to hit him again, but before she could, Hao Nhien pulled her into his arms.
She did not resist.
Hao Nhien held her, resting his chin lightly against her soft hair.
“Wait a little longer.”
He said,
“Next time, let me be the one to say it first.”
Tieu Lan remained silent for a long time.
Eventually, Hao Nhien felt her nod lightly against his chest.
“Tieu Lan can wait.”
Her voice was very soft.
“As long as Young Master remembers to come back.”
Hao Nhien tightened his arms around her slightly.
Outside the window, the moon remained bright.
The lotus pond lay quiet beneath the silver light. The pair of celestial birds on the water stirred slightly, then rested their heads against each other once more.
The tea on the table had long gone cold, but the small room did not feel cold at all.
Tomorrow, Hao Nhien would have to go to the City Lord’s residence and ask clearly about Quan Nha’s mission. After that, he still had to meet the Phong Van Squad, return to the Tieu Dao Sect, and face the many matters waiting ahead.
But tonight, he did not want to think about any of that.
After so many days of wind, sand, bloodshed, and separation, Hao Nhien had finally truly returned home.
And in his arms, Tieu Lan no longer had to sit alone beneath the moon.