Chapter 37 Wedding Gift

Xue Longwei spit out a mouthful of black blood. Yongzheng was about to transfer more internal energy to heal Xue Longwei, but Xue Longwei stopped him. He said, "Dirty beggar, at this point, it is useless to transfer your inner energy to me. It doesn't do me any good." He looked at Xue Horan who was crying nonstop. "Horan, I'm thirsty, go get me some water."

Xue Horan refused to go, "I don't want to go."

Xue Longwei, "Be obedient and go."

Xue Horan then said, "Yongzheng, stay with my father, I will go fetch some water."

Yongzheng, "Be careful." He watched as Xue Horan disappeared from the cave entrance. "Xue qianbei, what would you like to say to me?"

Xue Longwei knelt on the ground, "Promise me one thing."

Yongzheng said, "Xue qianbei, you don't need to kneel. If there is anything I can help you, I am willing, as long as you don't ask me to kill for you."

Xue Longwei said, "I'm going to teach you the last twenty moves of 'Butterfly Swords Manual'. You must promise me that you will pass it on to Zhengsheng."

Yongzheng worried and said, "Xue qianbei, you know, once your energy flows, your meridians will be completely destroyed. The poison in your body will rush to your heart, and you will die within minutes."

Xue Longwei shouted wildly, "Yes, I know, but my time is limited. No matter what, I will die. If you don't promise me, I will forbid Horan to befriending you."

Yongzheng closed his eyes, "What about Horan? What do you want me to say to him?"

Xue Longwei said, "Just tell him the truth. Horan hates lie, because he never lied."

Yongzheng said, "Let's start then."

Xue Longwei, "Dirty beggar, pay close attention."

After Xue Longwei displayed all the twenty moves to Yongzheng. He fell to his knees, vomiting more blood. Yongzheng picked the two sticks on the ground and began to show Xue Longwei the moves Xue Longwei just shown him.

Xue Longwei laughed, "Dirty beggar, your memory is really good." He coughed and vomited more black blood. Yongzheng knelt behind him, supporting Xue Longwei's back.

Yongzheng asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Yongzheng was about to impart more internal energy to Xue Longwei, but was stopped by Xue Longwei. This time, his voice was not as strong as before. He choked on his blood, "It's useless, dirty beggar."

Yongzheng asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Xue Longwei said, "If it's not too trouble you, please look after Horan. His martial arts is not good, and he is very likely to be uses by others." His voice became almost a whispering tone. "Dirty beggar, remember, these last twenty moves can only be teach to Zhengsheng the day after he married Horan. You can tell him that this is my wedding gift to him. If he doesn't keep his promise, refuse to marry Horan." He chuckled lightly. "Forget it then. Don't teach him a single move."

Yongzheng said, "I will remember. Xue qianbei, I promised you that I will take care of Horan. I will not put him in danger. I...I...I will use my life to protect Horan."

Xue Longwei smiled, "You…"

Yongzheng said, "I know you worry about him. I promised you that if Rao Zhengsheng refuses to marry Horan, I...I will stay with him."

Xue Longwei, "Do you like him?"

Yongzheng nodded and said, "I love him."

Xue Longwei chuckled, "Very good. Very good. I can rest in peace."

Xue Horan walked into the cave with a leaf cone of water, "Father, I'm back." Seeing that Xue Longwei is in poor health, he rushed towards Xue Longwei. "Yongzheng, why is my father look worse than when I left him?"

Yongzheng looked at Xue Horan and said, "Horan, quickly tell him what you want him to hear."

Xue Horan heart dropped, "What...?" He held Xue Longwei's right hand. "Father, don't leave me."

Xue Longwei grabbed Horan's hand and Yongzheng's hand, "Horan…he…Horan…he like…" He smiled and sat forward facing Xue Horan. Then his body fell back into Yongzheng's arms. He gasped twice and died inside Yongzheng's arms.

Xue Horan asked in tears, "Father…Father…he like what? You haven't finished speaking yet. Get up and finish your words. Father…Wake up." It may be because of shock or the unwillingness to accept that his father died right in front of him, Xue Horan slowly shut down and fainted.

When Xue Horan slowly opened his eyes, he was alone in the cave. He hurried out and saw Yongzheng digging the ground with a hoe. He saw his father lying beside the dug hole.

Xue Horan asked, "Yongzheng, where did you get this?"

Yongzheng said, "I went back to your house and took it. The wooden shed is the only place that didn't caught on fire."

Xue Horan sat beside his father's body. He looked up and saw Rao Zhengsheng walking towards them with his mother on his back. He ran to Rao Zhengsheng. He shouted, "Da shixiong."

Rao Zhengsheng looked at him in tears. His crying voice was hoarse, "Horan…shimu…she..."

When Xue Horan looked at the faces of Rao Zhengsheng and Dong Lanying, he already knew that his mother had passed away. He asked with tears, "Is she dead?" Rao Zhengsheng nodded. "She is dead?"

Rao Zhengsheng, "Horan…"

Xue Horan, "She is dead." He felt his heart beating faster and faster. Then suddenly everything turned black, and he merged into the darkness.

As Xue Horan's body slowly fell to the side. Yongzheng rushed forward and held Xue Horan before he falling to the ground. He picked Xue Horan up and leaned Xue Horan's body against the tree.

In the next few hours, Rao Zhengsheng and Yongzheng took turns digging a larger grave. After the grave was dug, Rao Zhengsheng first put Xue Longwei's body in the dug grave. Afterwards, he placed Xue Luxia's body beside Xue Longwei. He saw some dried blood stains on Xue Luxia's lips. He took out his handkerchief and began to wipe away the dried blood.

When Rao Zhengsheng wiped Xue Luxia's lips, he remembered all the sweet memories of being on Butterfly Island with his younger juniors, his shifu and shimu whom he regards as his parents. He wish he can go back in time, back to that wonderful family night. He started sobbing.

Inside the small house, Xue Horan, Xue Luxia, Yen Nuo brought all the dishes to the round table. They sat together around the dinner table, happily talking about what they did during the day. As everyone knows, those happy times will not last forever, nor can they be captured by time.

Yuan Xiurong, "Rao gege, please don't cry anymore. Anyway, they are gone."

Rao Zhengsheng, Yongzheng, Dong Lanying went back and retrieved the other three bodies. They also dug three graves and put three bodies in dug graves.

They waited until dark when Xue Horan regain his consciousness, after Xue Horan said his last goodbye to his parents and his three seniors. The four people began to cover the four graves with dirt and stones.

Rao Zhengsheng, Xue Horan, Dong Lanying knelt in front of the grave of Xue Longwei and Xue Luxia. Rao Zhengsheng said, "Shifu…Shimu… juniors, rest in peace, don't worry about anything else. I will kill Cao Fengge and avenge your death." He grabbed Xue Horan's hand. "In front of your graves, I will take care of Horan for the rest of my life. I will marry Horan."

Later that night, Yongzheng woke up in the middle of the night and found that Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan's were gone. He walked out of the cave and saw Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan sitting before Xue Longwei and Xue Luxia's grave.

Rao Zhengsheng looked at Xue Horan and said, "Horan, Let's marry."

Xue Horan looked at Rao Zhengsheng and asked, "Da shixiong, are you absolutely sure that you want to marry me?"

Rao Zhengsheng said, "Yes, sooner or later we going to get married. I would like to marry you in front of shifu and shimu."

Xue Horan then said, "If you marry me, you can't not marry another person. Will you agree?" He stopped and waited for an answer, but he knew he wouldn't have one. "Da shixiong, think carefully before deciding. I will spend three years mourning for my parents, and you can answer me at that time." He got up and started to walk away.

Rao Zhengsheng pulled Xue Horan into his arms. He lowered down his head and kissed Xue Horan's lips. After they part their lips, Rao Zhengsheng said, "Horan, I really do love you."

Xue Horan said, "Three years is a long time, let see if da shixiong still feels the same."

Rao Zhengsheng held Xue Horan tightly inside his arms. He said, "Back then, now, three years from now or twenty years from now, you will always be the number one person inside my heart."