"Shifu," Li Yu says the night before they set out to leave, his head rests on Dong Hengmu's shoulder, "Am I not old enough yet?"
His hair is silky between Dong Hengmu's fingers. There's a sliver of moonlight that trickles through the window, the air is chilled. The fire beneath the bed has already gone out. It's late. He's tired but restless.
"You are," Hengmu finally admits. "You are."
…
Before they set off, Dong Hengmu grants him a courtesy name. Wei as in perseverance and zhen as in truth. There's a hidden sadness in Dong Hengmu's eyes but he does not tell his silly disciple about his own truths. It's better to keep them to himself.
Meanwhile, Li Yu wears his new name proudly. He likes the sound of Li Weizhen, even though his silly master imparted him with the surname Dong. That's alright, Weizhen supposes. There are always those things better left to oneself.
…
