Chapter: An Honest Answer
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat awkward after Tieu Nhan ran outside. The door was still trembling faintly, and although the sound of her footsteps had already faded down the corridor, no one spoke at once.
Cat Thanh stared toward the doorway for a long time. The cheerful smile that had remained on his face since Hao Nhien arrived at the Sand Thunder Tribe had completely disappeared, replaced by a weariness he could no longer hide. He lifted his cup, set it down again without drinking, and finally let out a quiet sigh.
“Hao Nhien, stay a little longer. There are a few things I think I should explain clearly.”
Hao Nhien had originally intended to leave that day. Tam Thành's forward camp was still more than ten days away, and many matters were waiting for him to discuss with Lieu Thien Van, but after Tieu Nhan's reaction just now, he could hardly pretend that he had seen nothing.
He returned to his seat.
“Go ahead, Clan Head Cat. I am listening.”
Cat Thanh poured more tea into his cup. The pale purple liquid released a clean, refreshing fragrance reminiscent of the air after a thunderstorm. Watching the thin steam rise, he spoke slowly.
“The Sandwood Tribe is one of the larger tribes in the Western Wastes. Their cultivation methods lean toward the Wood affinity, and they are particularly skilled at nurturing spiritual herbs, preserving water sources, and treating injuries. In a place as lacking in water and vegetation as the Western Wastes, those abilities have always given the Sandwood Tribe considerable standing.”
Hao Nhien listened without interrupting.
“Their Young Clan Head is named Sa Binh, the youngest son of the current Clan Head. He met Tieu Nhan several times during trade exchanges between our tribes, and afterward the Sandwood Tribe repeatedly hinted that they wanted the two families to become closer through marriage.”
Cat Thanh raised his cup but did not drink.
“At first, I did not oppose it. The Sand Thunder Tribe was under pressure from several sides at the time. Some trade routes had fallen under Heavenly Eye's control, while our supplies of medicine and food were not always stable. If a marriage could create a closer bond with the Sandwood Tribe, then at the very least Sand Thunder would gain another path to rely on.”
He paused before continuing.
“Sa Binh did not appear to be a bad young man either. His talent was respectable, his cultivation was not weak, and he knew how to behave properly in front of his elders. Because of that, I once thought that if the two of them spent more time together, Tieu Nhan might eventually change her mind.”
Cat Thanh shook his head.
“Looking back now, I placed the tribe's interests too far ahead of my daughter's life. I used to think that as long as the other side was not too bad and the marriage could help Sand Thunder survive its difficulties, asking Tieu Nhan to yield a little was not such a terrible thing. But in the end, I would not be the one living with that choice for the rest of my life.”
Hao Nhien looked at him.
Cat Thanh did not avoid his gaze.
“Recently, I have also received several pieces of information that make it even harder to continue treating this arrangement the way I once did. The Sandwood Tribe may have moved much closer to Heavenly Eye than they admit publicly. It may no longer be limited to ordinary trade. There is a real possibility that they have reached a deeper agreement.”
Hao Nhien's gaze darkened.
“Do you have evidence?”
“Not enough to draw a firm conclusion.”
Cat Thanh shook his head.
“But several Sandwood caravans have recently begun using routes controlled by Heavenly Eye without being inspected the way other tribes are. Certain supplies that used to be difficult to obtain have also appeared in their stores in unusual quantities. I had planned to find an opportunity to speak directly with the Sandwood Clan Head, but I did not expect Sa Binh to come here first.”
Hao Nhien gave a slight nod.
“Does Tieu Nhan know about this?”
“She knows some of it, but even without Heavenly Eye, she never wanted this marriage.”
Cat Thanh glanced toward the door.
“Tieu Nhan lost her mother when she was young. She grew up among the warriors of the tribe and was taught from childhood to wield a blade, ride beasts, cross sandstorms, and stand on her own when danger came. Perhaps because of that, she values freedom more than many people do. The older she became, the less willing she was to let others decide the path of her life for her.”
He fell silent for a moment before looking directly at Hao Nhien.
“But that is not the whole reason.”
Hao Nhien paused slightly.
This time, Cat Thanh did not carry the teasing smile he had worn while Tieu Nhan poured the tea. His voice was direct.
“That day, you saved her and the Sand Thunder group from the Sand Foxes. Later, when news came back from Heavenly Eye Forward City, people said someone had stood before a great crowd, openly spoken the words that the Western Wastes had endured in silence for too long, and then led thousands of people out of the city.”
Cat Thanh watched Hao Nhien for a while.
“Tieu Nhan asked me more times than I can count whether that person was you.”
He set his cup down.
“I am her father. There are things no one needs to tell me before I can see them.”
Then he spoke more slowly.
“She has feelings for you.”
The room fell quiet. The faint bubbling of the kettle over the brazier suddenly seemed much clearer.
Hao Nhien watched the steam rising between them, and his mind returned to Tieu Nhan's expression when she saw him that morning, the blush on her face when Cat Thanh teased her, and the way her eyes had nearly lit up when she heard him admit that he had been the man who stood in Heavenly Eye Forward City.
He was not completely unaware.
Until now, he had simply avoided thinking too deeply about it.
It was not because he wanted to take advantage of the ambiguity, nor because he enjoyed being admired by a young woman. He simply understood that once he truly faced those feelings, he would have to give her an answer, and sometimes an honest answer was more difficult to speak than drawing a sword against an enemy.
Cat Thanh leaned back in his chair.
“Hao Nhien, I am not telling you this to pressure you, nor do I intend to use my daughter to bind the alliance between Fire Qilin and Sand Thunder more tightly. In fact, everything that has happened recently has made me realize that if Sand Thunder wants to protect itself, then those of us who carry weapons should find a way ourselves.”
He lowered his eyes toward the tea in front of him.
“I once thought exchanging a marriage for another source of support for the tribe was worthwhile. But I would not be the one forced to live with that choice. If the tribe faces hardship and I make my daughter bear that burden for everyone else, then what exactly am I protecting?”
Hao Nhien remained silent for a moment before asking,
“What have you decided?”
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“I will not force her.”
Cat Thanh answered without hesitation.
“No matter what conditions the Sandwood Tribe brings, if Tieu Nhan does not agree, the marriage will not happen. I will handle the matter with Sa Binh myself.”
He paused, then looked directly at Hao Nhien again.
“But as for what exists between her and you, I want one truthful answer. Hao Nhien, how do you see Tieu Nhan?”
Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.
After a while, he said,
“Tieu Nhan is a very good person. She is strong, straightforward, and not someone who easily bows before something she does not believe in. I value her greatly.”
Cat Thanh remained silent, waiting.
Hao Nhien understood what he wanted to hear.
“But those feelings are not romantic.”
The faintest trace of expression disappeared from Cat Thanh's face.
He lowered his gaze toward the tea and remained silent for a long time before sighing.
“I know it will hurt her. But pain from a truthful answer is still better than waiting for something that will never come.”
Hao Nhien nodded.
“I should tell her myself.”
Cat Thanh looked up, weariness still visible in his eyes, though some of the tension had eased.
“Yes. That answer should not come through me.”
He gestured toward the mountains behind the tribe.
“She usually goes to the ancient Thunderwood Tree whenever she wants to be alone. She is probably there now.”
Hao Nhien rose.
“I will make things clear.”
Cat Thanh stood as well and placed a hand on his shoulder. This time, he did not strike it heavily as he had when they discussed the alliance.
“Do not promise anything you cannot give her, but do not speak vaguely simply because you are afraid of hurting her either. A clear answer may make her cry today, but waiting without an answer will hurt her far longer.”
Hao Nhien met his gaze.
“I understand.”
He cupped his fists and left the main hall.
The wind of the Western Wastes swept past the stone pillars carved with lightning patterns, and thin threads of purple electricity occasionally ran across their tops before disappearing. Hao Nhien's steps remained steady, but his thoughts were no longer as light as when he had first arrived at the Sand Thunder Tribe.
Against spirit beasts, he could draw his sword. Against powerful enemies, he could calculate victory and defeat before deciding whether to fight or retreat. But the sincere feelings of another person were not something strength could solve.
All he could do was tell the truth.
A narrow stone path behind the Sand Thunder Tribe wound upward along the mountainside. Low shrubs with dark-purple leaves grew along both sides, and small electrical arcs occasionally flickered across them with soft crackling sounds.
After walking farther, Hao Nhien saw the ancient Thunderwood Tree.
Its trunk was so massive that several adults together would still struggle to encircle it. The bark was dark and hard like stone, covered in countless long scars left by lightning strikes over many years. Some cracks ran deeply through nearly half the trunk, yet the blue-green canopy above still spread wide, swaying in the wind as though none of those wounds had ever been enough to bring it down.
A large boulder rested beneath the tree.
Tieu Nhan sat there with both arms wrapped around her knees, staring out across the distant desert. The wind had loosened her hair, leaving several strands against her cheeks. Her dark-brown eyes were still red, even though she had already wiped away the tears around them.
The sound of footsteps made her turn.
When she saw Hao Nhien, her gaze shifted noticeably. The firmness in her expression softened for a brief moment, but she quickly rose, straightened her back, and addressed him.
“Clan Head Hao Nhien.”
Her voice was still slightly hoarse.
“Did my father send you here to persuade me?”
Hao Nhien stopped several steps away, close enough not to seem distant but far enough that she would not feel crowded.
“No one sent me. I wanted to come and see you.”
Tieu Nhan's hand tightened slightly around the edge of her robe. After a moment, she sat back down on the boulder.
Hao Nhien sat beside her, leaving a comfortable distance between them.
The desert stretched toward the horizon before them. Wind moved through the lightning scars in the Thunderwood Tree, producing a faint rustling sound.
Neither spoke immediately.
The silence lasted for a while before Hao Nhien finally said,
“Clan Head Cat told me about Sa Binh.”
Tieu Nhan's shoulders tightened slightly.
“I do not like him, and I do not want to trade my life for an alliance. My father once told me it was for the tribe, and I used to think that if it was truly necessary, perhaps I could force myself to accept it. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew I could not.”
She lowered her eyes toward her hands.
“I do not want to endure it anymore.”
Hao Nhien nodded.
“Then do not.”
Tieu Nhan looked up, surprise briefly appearing in her eyes.
Hao Nhien gazed toward the desert.
“Marriage concerns your entire life. No one should decide it for you, and Clan Head Cat understands that now as well. He told me clearly that if you refuse, the marriage with Sa Binh will not happen.”
Tieu Nhan's eyes immediately reddened further. She turned her face away, took a breath, and only then spoke.
“Please do not say things like that to me right now.”
Hao Nhien looked at her.
“I am only saying what I believe is right.”
Tieu Nhan remained quiet for a while before asking softly,
“Did you come here only to talk about Sa Binh?”
Her voice was low, but Hao Nhien heard every word.
He was silent for a moment before turning toward her.
“No. There is something else I need to say.”
The hands resting on Tieu Nhan's knees slowly tightened.
She did not look at him.
“I know.”
Hao Nhien watched the side of her face.
“But I still have to say it. If I know how you feel and remain silent while allowing you to keep waiting, that would be the greater disrespect.”
Tieu Nhan lowered her head.
Hao Nhien spoke carefully.
“Tieu Nhan, I value you deeply, but what I feel for you is not romantic love. There are already people in my heart who are extremely important to me, along with feelings and promises that I cannot betray.”
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
Hao Nhien did not turn away.
“I know hearing this will hurt, but I cannot accept your feelings while already knowing that I cannot return them. If I did that simply because I was afraid to make you sad, it would not be kindness. It would be selfishness.”
A tear fell onto the back of Tieu Nhan's hand.
Hao Nhien saw it.
His hand moved instinctively, then stopped.
He did not reach out to wipe away her tears or put an arm around her shoulders. A gesture of tenderness at the wrong moment could easily become another signal, perhaps even a promise he had never intended to make.
So Hao Nhien simply remained beside her.
A long while passed before Tieu Nhan raised a hand and wiped her face. When she looked up again, her eyes were still wet, but this time she faced him directly.
She did not call him Clan Head.
“Hao Nhien.”
“Mm?”
“I do not blame you.”
Her voice still trembled, but her words were clear.
“But I also want to tell the truth once. If I do not say it today, I may regret it later.”
She drew in a breath.
“I like you.”
Tears gathered again at the corners of her eyes, but Tieu Nhan did not turn away.
“Ever since I was young, everyone taught me that I had to be strong, that I had to know how to wield a blade, ride beasts, and stand on my own in a sandstorm. I always thought that needing someone else to protect me meant I was not strong enough.”
A faint smile touched her lips, sad but unhidden.
“Until the day you stood between us and the Sand Fox King.”
Hao Nhien remained silent.
Tieu Nhan continued.
“That day, I finally understood that being protected by someone does not mean I am weak. Perhaps that was when I first began paying more attention to you.”
She lifted a hand to brush a strand of windblown hair away from her cheek.
“Later, whenever I heard news about you, I sometimes thought that if you came back one day, perhaps you might see me differently. Now I know I was wrong, but I still do not regret liking you.”
Hao Nhien did not interrupt.
“I will not ask who the people in your heart are, and I certainly do not want you to betray someone else because of me.”
Tieu Nhan placed a hand over her chest.
“These feelings belong to me. I will take responsibility for them myself. I will not use them to make things difficult for you or hurt anyone else, but I also do not want to pretend they never existed simply because you cannot return them.”
Her gaze gradually steadied.
“I truly liked someone like you, and I am not ashamed of that.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“Just do not pity me.”
Hao Nhien looked at her for a long time.
He did not feel romantic love for Tieu Nhan, but his respect for her had become clearer than ever. A young woman who could admit her feelings, accept an answer she did not want, and still preserve her dignity was not something to be taken lightly.
Hao Nhien inclined his head.
“Thank you for telling me the truth. I will not take those words lightly, and I will not pity you.”
Tieu Nhan looked at him, her eyes still red.
Hao Nhien continued.
“As for the Sandwood Tribe, do not treat what I am about to say as compensation for my answer today. The two matters are separate. If the Sandwood Tribe tries to use the marriage or any other kind of pressure against Sand Thunder, the Fire Qilin Tribe will stand beside its ally.”
He met her gaze steadily.
“Not because you need someone to rescue you, but because that is what the alliance between our tribes is meant to be.”
Tieu Nhan remained silent for a moment before smiling faintly. There were still traces of tears on her face, but the smile was more natural now.
“If you say that, I will remember it.”
Hao Nhien also smiled.
“Then remember it.”
Tieu Nhan rose. She drew in a long breath and let the desert wind pass across her face, drying the remaining traces of tears. When she turned toward the stone path leading back to the tribe, her back was straight once more.
She took several steps before stopping.
“Hao Nhien.”
“Mm?”
Tieu Nhan still faced away from him.
“I will not make things difficult for you, but I cannot promise that I will simply forget you tomorrow.”
Hao Nhien did not try to comfort her by telling her to let go any faster.
“You do not need to force yourself.”
Tieu Nhan nodded faintly.
Then she continued down the stone path.
Hao Nhien remained beneath the ancient Thunderwood Tree, watching until her figure disappeared behind the dark rocks.
He knew her sadness would not vanish merely because they had spoken clearly. At the very least, however, there was no longer any ambiguity between them that could slowly become a false promise.
Wind passed through the lightning scars covering the Thunderwood Tree, stirring the blue-green leaves above.
Hao Nhien watched the tree for a while before slowly exhaling.
After leaving the Fire Qilin ancestral homeland, he had thought the hardest matters ahead would all involve Heavenly Eye, battles, and the secrets spreading across the Western Wastes. His brief stop at the Sand Thunder Tribe reminded him that as a person rose to a higher position, enemies were not the only things he had to learn how to face.
Sometimes speaking one truthful sentence required no less resolve than drawing a sword.
Hao Nhien turned and began walking down the mountain.
Sa Binh and the people of the Sandwood Tribe were still waiting below, and Cat Thanh's response to the promise made the previous year would certainly make the coming meeting far from simple.
He had a feeling that he would not be able to remain outside this matter for nearly as long as he had intended.