At night, after everyone had returned to their rooms, Mu Qing came to Master's door and knocked.
"Mu Qing, what's wrong?" Master asked as he made way for him to enter. Then, he closed the door.
"Master, I happened to hear from Jiuan and Uncle-Master yesterday…"
"Jiuan has already… already died once…" He could not bring himself to say it. His voice was dry and hoarse.
"Master, I still want to hear you tell me if this is true."
Master looked at him silently for a while, and Mu Qing looked back at him.
Mu Qing had always been a very calm person. Master rarely saw Mu Qing like this. It was as if he was forcefully suppressing some emotions or was about to collapse.
"It's true."
As soon as this voice fell, a string in Mu Qing's mind seemed to suddenly snap. It was as if someone had stabbed him in the heart with a knife. It was so painful that he could barely sit still.
"Master, can I know why?"