By the torchlight, Han Ren saw Han Xiao slightly tilt his head, listening intently. He noticed rustling sounds from the distant grass, distinctly different from wind-blown leaves, suggesting someone was approaching.
“They’re here!” The brothers exchanged a glance, both showing nervousness and anticipation in their eyes.
As the person drew nearer, Han Ren’s fists clenched tightly, his eyes fixed in that direction, trying to discern a human-like silhouette in the dark night.
“Han Xiao! Han Ren!” The person called out excitedly, entering the torch’s light.
Han Xiao exclaimed in surprise, “Eldest Brother? Why are you alone?”
Han Zhong had come by himself, with no bandits accompanying him.
Han Ren rushed over, supporting the unsteady Han Zhong: “Eldest Brother, are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine, just tired,” Han Zhong shook his head, steadying himself with Han Ren’s help, and looked at Han Xiao. “The bandits, all the bandits were chased away by a great hero.”
Han Xiao looked hopefully behind him, “Is that so? We must properly thank that hero.”
Han Zhong replied, “The hero acted righteously but didn’t want to be named. He just pointed me in the right direction and left.”
—
The three brothers returned to the Xu residence as dawn broke. They first went to report safety to Madam Xu but found Nurse Zhao standing outside, wiping tears, which immediately raised their concerns.
Han Zhong approached, asking softly, “Nurse Zhao…?”
Nurse Zhao dried her tears with a handkerchief: “The doctor said the madam…” She didn’t finish, just shook her head and added, “It’s good the young master is back safely. Go in quickly; the madam is awake.”
Han Zhong hurried inside, with Han Xiao and Han Ren following.
In just one night, Madam Xu had become haggard, lying motionless on the bed.
The brothers stood silently by her bedside, holding their breath.
Yu Yi, though weak, knew they had entered.
Even lifting her eyes seemed to require great effort. She kept her eyes closed and asked weakly, “Han Zhong is back?”
“Mother…” Han Zhong’s voice broke, “Han Zhong is… safe and sound.”
“That’s good…” Yu Yi said: “But I can’t even smile now…”
She took a breath and continued: “I’m about to leave… but I’m not at peace… I can’t face your father…”
“Mother, you’ll get better. Don’t speak, rest,” Han Xiao advised. “Rest assured, we’ll never mention splitting the family again, not even once! We three brothers will work together to manage the Xu family business.”
Yu Yi’s lips curved slightly, but Han Ren saw it more like a twitch. Hearing Han Xiao say “we three brothers” made his nose ache, and seeing her difficult smile brought tears to his eyes: “Mother, I was immature before, only complaining that father didn’t trust me, didn’t entrust important matters to me. I never considered how playful and reckless I was. But you believed in me. Please be at ease; I will never disappoint you. I will make up for my shortcomings, learn from my elder and second brothers in managing the business, and contribute my modest strength to the Xu family.”
Han Zhong also spoke: “Mother, Han Zhong was narrow-minded before…”
Here’s the edited version of the article with irrelevant content removed:
“But this time, when Han Zhong was in danger, Han Xiao and Han Ren gave their all to rescue me…”
“No, that’s wrong!” Han Xiao quickly interjected. “Eldest Brother, this crisis began with Han Xiao. When I was kidnapped, it was you and Han Ren who came to find me. Yesterday, when escaping, it was you who risked your life to save Han Xiao. How can you say I rescued you? We would even exchange my life for yours!”
Han Zhong placed his hand on Han Xiao’s shoulder: “Han Xiao, after this experience, I realize how foolish we were before. We fought among ourselves, letting outsiders take advantage without knowing. If we three brothers work together, we’ll be much stronger. We can overcome any difficulties together. This is how the Xu family can prosper.”
Yu Yi weakly laughed: “Good, good… remember today… always… always…” Her voice faded, barely audible, only her lips moving.
“Mother?” “Mother…” “Mother!”
……
Chapter 18: White Room
The white room had no day and night alternation, but there was a strange box continuously flashing with characters.
When Yu Yi first saw it, she didn’t understand what it was and didn’t dare to ask the divine being. However, after spending some time together, she felt that the divine being wasn’t as imposing, and she began to ask questions.
“This is a clock, showing the time.”
“Time? Isn’t it supposed to be represented by the traditional Chinese time periods like zi, chou, yin, mao?”
“Too lazy to explain. Here’s a basic math primer, figure it out yourself.”
Yu Yi closed her eyes, with images and symbols flashing through her mind. She was startled and opened her eyes, staring at the numbers on the clock, unable to speak.
The divine being muttered softly: “This is the consequence of bringing an ancient person…”
Yu Yi recalled the first words the divine being said when she first arrived in the white room: “How did an ancient person end up here?”
“Divine master, this servant has a question.”
“Speak.”
“Why does the divine master say I am an ancient person? I am clearly not an ancient person…”
“The term ‘ancient’ is just a relative concept. People who lived hundreds of years before your time are ancient to you, right? But what about people who will live hundreds or even thousands of years after you? Then you would be the ancient one.”
Yu Yi stared in shock at the ceiling, taking a moment before speaking: “Divine master, are you saying that to you, I am someone who lived hundreds of years ago?”
“Not just that.”
“Thousands of years?”
“More or less.”
“Actually, in different space-time realms, it’s hard to compare before and after. It would be too complicated to explain clearly, so ‘more or less’ works.”
Yu Yi heard another unfamiliar term.
The divine being coughed lightly and changed the subject, “You completed this mission very well. The reward is… fifteen hundred points. Deducting ten points from when I helped you find someone, you still owe two thousand nine hundred and thirty points.”
Yu Yi asked, “Divine master, can this servant borrow some money?”
“Why?”
“This servant wants to redeem her mother and sisters.”
“There’s no need to rush. You can go later.”
“How can I not be anxious? My mother and sisters are still enslaved, possibly being mistreated at this moment. If I could redeem them a day earlier, it would be good. If the divine master would let me go to redeem them, I am willing to forgo all future mission rewards and serve the divine master for life.”
Yu Yi spoke while kneeling down and respectfully kowtowed.
“What a tempting suggestion!” the divine being laughed softly: “But I’m not that unscrupulous. Get up, and I’ll tell you why there’s no need to hurry.”
Yu Yi stood up hesitantly, and he continued: “I can send you back to the moment you left. In other words, for people in your world, you never left.”
“Back to the moment I was about to drink the poison?”
“Of course, a few hours or days later is fine. So I’m saying you don’t need to be anxious.”
You can slowly complete missions and accumulate more points before going back to do what you want.”
Yu Yi lowered her head in thought. Seeing her silent, the divine being said, “Let’s decide your next mission.”
Suddenly, Yu Yi looked up, her eyes bright and eager, “Divine master, can you send me back a few months before entering the brothel?” If so, she could warn her father about the family’s impending execution, allowing him to prepare, whether by escaping or clearing their name, preventing their execution. She was so excited that her voice trembled.
