CHAPTER 5 - Blood Oath of Brotherhood
[PART 2]
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That night, after the oath of brotherhood, Yan Si finally agreed to sleep beside RongCheng. His mind was still drifting, light and dazed, like walking through mist.
"Big brother… do I really have a big brother now?" Right now, he truly couldn't tell if this was real or just a dream. What if—when morning came—everything changed again?
"No… it can't be a dream." His leg still hurt terribly, after all...
Just to be sure, Yan Si turned around to face RongCheng and asked, "Are you… really my big brother?"
"You silly thing…" RongCheng sighed and rubbed his head. "You think I'm fake? Now sleep."
Yan Si, already exhausted, felt reassured by that voice and soon slipped into slumber.
Outside, the rain still whispered on. The clothes clinging to Yan Si were damp from earlier, and the cave's chill seeped into his bones. His thin body trembled nonstop.
Feeling the small figure beside him shivering, RongCheng sat up and nudged him. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Yan Si only shook his head. "It's nothing… just a little cold."
"…Cold like that and you call it a little?" RongCheng frowned. After a moment of silent thought, he shrugged off his outer robe, baring his chest, and said, "Sit up, take off your clothes, and come here."
"Take off… my clothes?" Yan Si jolted upright, startled. "W-Why…?"
Knowing full well this boy wouldn't listen, RongCheng didn't bother explaining. He simply reached over, stripped off Yan Si's damp layers, and pulled him firmly into his embrace.
"What… what's going on?"
Yan Si's head spun, his chest pounding—
Because…
Skin pressed against skin. He could hear the man's heartbeat, the rhythm of his breathing, and more than anything else—the warmth. That warmth flowed from RongCheng's body into his own, gently driving away the biting cold.
"So warm…" It was so warm. Just like that distant dream—being held in the arms of a mother he had never known, and yet feeling indescribably safe.
"So nice…" It really was so nice.
Seeing that the person in his arms had stopped struggling and now lay quietly against his chest, RongCheng smiled gently and asked, "How do you feel? Is it warm enough now?"
But no reply came. Instead, all he could hear was the steady rhythm of Shi Yan Si's breath. The trembling that had racked his body earlier had faded, and slowly, he drifted off into slumber.
The next morning, RongCheng took Shi Yan Si into the forest to pick wild apples. He had always planned to return, so he had carefully marked the way from the very beginning. Yet now, no matter how far they walked, the path felt increasingly wrong.
Both of them were injured, yet somehow they had wandered much farther from the cave than they intended. Unable to go on, Shi Yan Si sat down on the damp ground and asked, "Big brother, are you sure we're going the right way? Why haven't we arrived yet?"
RongCheng also felt something was off. He had clearly made markings, so why were they now nowhere to be found?
The forest air was thick with dampness, still lingering after the heavy rain from the night before. A chill wind swept through the trees, making Shi Yan Si shiver. He instinctively pressed close to RongCheng, his voice trembling: "Big… big brother, maybe we should go back. We don't need to pick the apples."
His fingers were ice cold, his body subtly shaking—clearly afraid. RongCheng immediately took his hand and asked softly, "What's wrong? What are you afraid of? I'm here. There's nothing to fear."
Though Shi Yan Si nodded, the trembling did not stop. The feeling was familiar—every time he was about to face something dangerous, his body warned him in this way. For others, death might mean an end, but for him, burdened by Qin Sheng, death only meant endless cycles of pain and revival.
Seeing this, RongCheng stopped insisting. He simply said, "Alright, let's go back."
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He nodded once again in agreement, quietly following RongCheng. After a while, Yan Si suddenly halted, carefully observing his surroundings. Sensing imminent danger, he quickly grabbed RongCheng's hand, urging, "We should take another path."
RongCheng was naturally confused. "What's wrong? This is clearly the right way."
Yan Si anxiously shook his head. Could it be that RongCheng didn't sense it? "That's right… How could you possibly sense danger…?" Only someone like Yan Si—who had been tormented countless times by wild beasts—could instinctively sense and evade danger from afar.
Trusting his instincts, Yan Si insisted, "I feel there's danger ahead. Can we wait here for a bit?"
Seeing Yan Si's serious expression, RongCheng chose not to object. He nodded, "Alright then, you should take this chance to rest."
Yan Si quietly sat down, leaning against a tree, while RongCheng sat close by. Finally finding a chance, RongCheng asked, "I noticed your medical skills are quite good. Who taught you?"
Now that they were sworn brothers, RongCheng naturally expected honesty from Yan Si. Yet, Yan Si only shook his head, murmuring softly, "Sorry… I… I can't say."
Before leaving, Yichang Hua had strictly warned Yan Si never to acknowledge himself as Hua's disciple, so Yan Si could only remain silent.
Receiving an unsatisfying answer, RongCheng let out a quiet sigh. "Fine, I won't force you. Then, where did you live before? Or have you always been in that cave?"
Yan Si hesitated. "I… also lived in the forest, but… not here."
"Also in the forest?" RongCheng wasn't surprised. He continued, "Were you alone or with someone?"
Thinking about those earlier days, Yan Si's eyes dimmed with sadness. "I… lived with my master."
"A master? Has he already passed away?"
"No… no…" Yan Si quickly shook his head. "He's still alive."
At this, RongCheng let out a sarcastic laugh, "Then it seems your master didn't care much about you, did he?"
Yan Si clenched his fists tightly. "It… it's all my fault. I was too foolish. You can't blame him."
If that master of his was truly alive yet had allowed Yan Si to become like this, it was indeed heartless. Yet, Yan Si still insisted on defending him? RongCheng softly rubbed Yan Si's head, comforting him, "Being foolish isn't a crime. No matter what grave mistakes you made, he shouldn't have abandoned you like this. Besides…"
After many days spent together, RongCheng couldn't believe Yan Si was capable of doing something so terrible as to deserve such treatment. There must have been deeper reasons, but if Yan Si insisted on silence, he could only respect it.
That gentle touch to his head suddenly pulled Yan Si back into reality—a life where he could be treated as a normal human being, someone worthy of care, kindness, and comfort, even if only in small ways. His chest rose and fell softly, unsure what exactly this feeling was, but he knew he genuinely liked his big brother deeply.
His fear slowly began to fade, replaced by these unfamiliar yet warm feelings, leaving him confused. He quickly stood up, stammering, "Let's... let's go back to the cave."
RongCheng smiled gently. "Not scared anymore?"
Yan Si nodded, limping ahead while RongCheng leisurely followed behind.
After walking a short distance, both suddenly stopped. Yan Si's face turned pale instantly as he called out, "Big… big brother!"
RongCheng had already seen it too, immediately moving to shield Yan Si behind him. "Step back."
Emerging slowly from the shadowy depths of the dense forest, a large leopard carefully observed the prey in front of it.
"What do we do with such a large leopard?" Yan Si panicked, uncertain of what to do since both of them were already injured.
RongCheng sighed, gritting his teeth. "Step back quickly."
Encountering a leopard at such a time was truly unlucky.
Yan Si obediently stepped back, but for each step they retreated, the leopard advanced two, clearly determined not to let them escape.
It had already picked up the scent of their fear and wounds, certain this would be an easy meal. Without hesitation, it readied to attack—after all, it simply desired fresh meat.
Facing the edge between life and death, Yan Si suddenly felt his fear vanish. Tugging at RongCheng's clothes, he said decisively, "Big brother, you run first. I'll stay behind and stop the leopard… Don't worry, I can't die."
At worst, he'd just have his flesh torn apart again—but if it ended up leaving him as just bones, how would he survive then? Would he still feel pain, or would his soul simply sleep peacefully inside a pile of bones, resting forever?
The thought made Yan Si's heart ache bitterly. He'd only just found this big brother, experiencing barely any happiness before fate forced them apart. But because RongCheng had treated him kindly, Yan Si didn't mind sacrificing himself, as long as RongCheng remained safe.
"You… what did you just say?" RongCheng couldn't believe what he'd heard. Did Yan Si really think him such a coward—someone who valued his own life above their sworn brother's? Besides, if anyone needed protection, it should be Yan Si!
RongCheng clenched his teeth fiercely. "Don't talk nonsense. If we escape, we escape together. Both of us will be fine, now step back!"
"Big brother!" Yan Si grasped RongCheng's sleeve tightly, shaking his head vigorously. "You must run!"
Such a massive leopard—even the two of them together couldn't defeat it. Yan Si himself might survive, but RongCheng definitely wouldn't.
Death… something Yan Si had longed for countless times, yet now why was he suddenly afraid? Afraid that his big brother might get hurt… afraid that RongCheng might die for him, afraid he'd never see him again, never receive his kindness, comfort, and warmth… The warmth he'd finally experienced last night—where could he ever find that again?
Amidst Yan Si's overwhelming fear, RongCheng gently patted his hand reassuringly, saying firmly, "Trust me… I absolutely won't let anything happen to you. Step back."
"Trust you…?" Right now, that truly was the only choice. He had to trust RongCheng completely. Yan Si immediately took out his dagger, handing it to RongCheng. "Alright, I trust you… so please, don't die."
Firmly gripping the dagger, RongCheng nodded resolutely. "I promise."