In the last two days, Rin stayed bedridden, eating warm foods, drinks, and reading books. For the first time in a while, she was able to relax a little. Every so often, General Guo and Bai Han would stop by before leaving to go train the Bai troops.
Currently, Rin was chewing on red dates while sitting in the Bai Manor pavilion. A thin woven blanket was placed over her frail shoulders as she picked another date up with her slender fingers.
"Don't think because I'm not watching, I don't notice you slacking off. Remember the closest targets are usually the hands and arms. The faster you remove the sword from your opponents' hands, the more advantages you have. Don't be shy to kick their legs if you need to."
Standing in front of the girl resting in the pavilion, Aiguo wiped the sweat from his forehead and clutched the sword in his hand.
"Right." He nodded his head.
Aiguo continued cutting the air with his sword as if there were an opponent in front of him. His gaze was perceptive as he struck from left to right.
While he continued to train, Rin ordered a maidservant to deliver a wet cloth to her. She wiped the sticky red date residue from her fingers before taking a sip of the ginger and brown sugar drink. She licked her sweetened lips.
"That's enough." Rin gently set her teacup down. "You can retire for today."
Aiguo's movements came to a halt. He swept his gaze to Rin and frowned somewhat.
"Did I do something wrong?" He couldn't help but ask.
Rin glanced down at him and sighed. "No, you did well today. But it's not good to overwork yourself too much. Otherwise, you're incapable of training for the next day."
Master Qiu said these words to her. Hopeless to hear, but true.
Aiguo had wanted to say something, but upon seeing the girl's pale complexion, he kept his mouth shut. He nodded his head and collected his sword before leaving with a lowered head.
Rin watched his movements and gave out a helpless sigh.
"Let us go." She informed the maidservants, who nodded their heads and helped collect the pits of red dates and tea.
"Rin."
Just as she stood up to leave, she suddenly heard a deep and low voice call her name. Lifting her head, she glanced at the figure walking toward her.
"An Sun," Rin naturally smiled with a small nod in her head.
The young man stepped toward in her in only a few strides until he was a few inches away. His dark, gray eyes peered down at the girl before him.
Today, she was clothed in a light yellow dress with a light blue outer layer embroidered with flowers. The colors only seemed to make her complexion appear even fairer, but the bright cleverness in her eyes contradicted the fragileness.
Seeing how she appeared better than before, his heart was at ease.
"Do you mind if I speak with you for a moment?" An Sun asked.
Rin blinked but nodded her head. She dismissed her female servants before guiding An Sun to the pavilion where they passed a crystal blue lake. With her hands resting in behind her, Rin remained quiet while they walked along the bridge.
"Are you feeling better?"
The deep voice caused Rin to look up.
She smiled softly and nodded. "I'm very well now."
"I saw you cough blood." An Sun frowned, his voice unable to conceal his displeasure.
Rin looked at his scowling expression and sighed. "It's nothing to worry about. It's just an old illness that happens to resurface once in a while."
"Old illness?" An Sun's frown deepened.
He seemed to recall the words he heard that night from General Guo and Bai Han. It was an illness that resurfaced during the winter. With this in mind, his eyes dimmed a little. He suddenly stopped walking, causing Rin to turn around and glance at him with a puzzled expression.
"Then during those first days, you stayed with my men and I…Did that happen to worsen it?"
Rin didn't say anything while she looked at An Sun. After a while, she sighed.
"I won't deny it may have, but that was all in the past now. There was no way of you knowing." She lowered her eyes to the hands resting in front of her.
"That doesn't mean I can't have regrets." An Sun's voice got deeper.
The clear displeasure in his voice caused Rin to lift her head and sigh.
"I take it this isn't what you wanted to discuss with me?"
Noticing she wanted to shift the subject, An Sun bit back the words he wanted to say and huffed with a grim expression.
"Well?" Rin curiously tilted her head.
An Sun glanced down and sighed, his gaze shifting to look out at the water surrounding the pavilion.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Rin froze at his words, and her eyes widened. Elevating her head to look at An Sun, she gave a stunned and bewildered expression.
"So soon?"
The edge of An Sun's mouth curved a little. "Are you going to miss me?"
Surprised flashed across Rin's expression. She blinked her eyes rapidly before a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks and she glanced away. She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself.
"I was just surprised. If I remember correctly, you said you needed time to prepare."
An Sun nodded with arms crossed. "A week is a long enough time to prepare."
'So it had already been a week.'
Rin grew quiet. Her hands rested on the rail of the bridge as her eyes looked down into the clear, jade-colored water.
"Where…Where will you be returning when you complete your goal?"
An Sun shifted his gaze from the lake to Rin, seeing the controlled expression on her face as she spoke. However, for the briefest moment, he detected a trace of conflict flash before her eyes.
His eyes curved and he chuckled.
"Of course here." He looked back at the water and chuckled deeply. "The Bai family is my most reliable alliance, after all."
Hearing his words Rin's smiles were gentle as she lowered her gaze and looked back at the water, a few koi fish moving around.
"Then, hopefully, the next time we meet, both of us will have fulfilled our lifelong wish."
An Sun wordlessly hummed in agreement. The two figures stared out at the lake surrounding the pavilion in silence. As a gentle breeze passed by, it carried along with it the mild fragrance of the chrysanthemum blossoms.