The sun now slanting down disappeared behind the towering mountains. Night had fallen fast upon the village. The moonlight splashed down its watery, white-silver glow onto the village, immersing and illuminating it. In the distance, the trees were silhouetted against the deep velvety sky.
After his fight with An Sun, Bai Han remained shut off in his room. When Elder Cai came to inform him about dinner, Bai Han had asked to eat in his room. Not thinking to question him, he allowed Bai Han to do as he pleased.
Bai Han stood frozen by the desk, his hands clenched into fists behind his back and his lips pressed together in a thin, white line.
He took a deep sigh and stared out into the dark window. By now, he was certain everyone must be asleep by now.
Including An Sun.
With those thoughts in mind, Bai Han's expression turned grim. He recalled the young man's words earlier that day and experienced a sense of guilt well up.
He needed a drink!
Bai Han turned and walked out of his room. Silently, he stepped down the stairs of the inn and headed to the bar.
Hmph, if they planned on paying for their stay, he might as well enjoy it!
While walking to the bar, Bai Han's gaze swept over the area when he distinguished a familiar back sitting by the window, staring at the full moon above in a daze.
The cool moonlight threw a bright silver cloak over An Sun, setting him aglow. He was silent while he sipped the gourd of wine in his hand.
"What's the meaning of this?" Bai Han snapped when he saw An Sun drinking leisurely.
An Sun merely looked at him, not saying a single word.
Bai Han felt somewhat awkward and coughed, "Erβ¦Mind if I join you?"
An Sun grunted in approval and reached for a cup to pour wine into. He silently passed it to Bai Han. Sitting beside him at the wooden counter, Bai Han grabbed the cup of wine and chugged.
"Quiet night." He said.
An Sun sounded a hum. Bai Han pressed his lips together and parted them, yet he just couldn't let a single sound out. The two sat in silence.
The night was quiet and soundless.
An Sun held his gourd of wine and sat on his stool, looking relatively tranquil. On the other hand, Bai Han evidently looked flustered and tense. He had already been sitting for almost half an hour, and yet An Sun did not utter a single word.
The period of silence within the bar made Bai Han feel like years had passed instead of just minutes.
After a few drinks, Bai Han broke the silence. "How are your injuries?"
"Fine." An Sun casually replied.
He glanced at Bai Han's empty cup and grabbed it. An Sun poured more wine into his cup before passing back. "Yours?"
Bai Han didn't dare mention how he was immobile for nearly two hours after being punched in the stomach. He had no choice but to cough awkwardly and take his cup with averting eyes.
"Good, good."
An Sun just simply nodded and sipped his wine. At the same time, Bai Han sipped his red wine slowly. He continued looking at An Sun with an uncertain gaze.
When An Sun saw that Bai Han was sneaking glances at him from time to time with eyes anxious and full of uncertainty, he felt the corner of his lips twitch.
"What is it, old man?" He sighed.
Bai Han was taken aback and froze up. He cleared his throat again.
"I want to apologize for my actions earlier. I was too quick to doubt you and insulted your kind acts. So, I apologize."
An Sun remained silent for a while and then suddenly said, "I appreciate your apology, but I do not accept it."
Bai Han was stunned. He frowned. "What? Why?"
An Sun sighed and turned to look at Bai Han with a lazy expression. His long black satin hair draped down the side and framed his gorgeous face.
His tone turned cold as he said, "There's nothing wrong with your apology, but saying sorry does nothing when you continue to make the same mistakes. Just because the words were said, does not mean I need to accept them."
Right after he finished speaking, the fog covering Bai Han's eyes seemed to have lifted in an instant.
Shame and guilt flashed through his eyes. An Sun's words felt like a slap to his face. Although it didn't hurt, he was still ashamed.
How could he expect An Sun to forgive him so easily?
Although he opposed the young man somewhat, he had come to understand his character. He was a man who relied on actions, not words. Especially when regarding gaining his trust. Bai Han shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Hah, you're right." Bai Han laughed mockingly to himself. "I guess I'll need to work on that, huh?"
An Sun said nothing, but rather released a deep grunt. At this, Bai Han let out a faint laugh. In an instant, the originally tense atmosphere turned amiable, the two men drinking quietly.
"Did she ever mention me? When she was with you, did she ever talk about me?" Bai Han suddenly asked.
An Sun remained silent. A minute passed before he nodded his head, "Yeah, she did."
Bai Han hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't resist asking, "Whatβ¦What did she say?"
An Sun sipped his wine. "I had asked her if she would return to her blood-related parents if they were still alive."
At this moment, Bai Han's features were contorted with tension. There was an aura of self-restraint around him as if he was trying to suppress the sadness and nervousness within him.
"She said she'd stay with you. It was because of her that I realized how foolish I had been. The feelings of love I thought I had were nothing but an obligation."
As many different thoughts ran through his mind, the depths of An Sun's eyes grew as fathomless as the night sky dotted with the light of faraway stars. He then turned to look at Bai Han with a deep gaze.
An Sun suddenly smirked. "You raised a good granddaughter."
Cracks started appearing in Bai Han's frozen expression as he processed his words. The weird look on his face made An Sun's smile broaden. Bai Han wanted to speak, but he found he couldn't say a word when faced with the sort of expression on An Sun's face.
Bai Han's lips pulled back into a bitter smile.
"Haha, it would seem I didn't raise her at all." He mumbled to himself.