The Shattered Silence

Entering the warm, inviting glow of the Sunrise Inn, Xiong Lifeng walked in, her arm gently supporting Boss Xiong. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, landing on her two beloved brother-in-laws, Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, eating at a quiet table in the back. With a soft smile, she guided her father towards them.

"Where are they?" Boss Xiong asked excitedly, his voice filled with a surprising eagerness, eager to see them.

"Father, over there," Xiong Lifeng gently guided him, a tender hand on his back. She helped her father settle into a chair next to Guo Baiyu, then took the seat beside him.

"Brother-in-laws, I didn't expect you to come," Xiong Lifeng said with a genuine smile, her eyes twinkling.

"I didn't know you opened a restaurant here?" Zhao Renshu asked, a note of genuine surprise in his voice, looking around the bustling inn.

"Just last month," Xiong Lifeng replied, a hint of pride in her tone.

Boss Xiong, his expression turning somber, asked, his voice softer now, tinged with a deep concern, "How is she?"

"She's still the same," Guo Baiyu said, his voice heavy with a grief that hadn't truly lessened. He looked closely at Boss Xiong's face, a flicker of concern. "What happened to your eyes?"

Boss Xiong sighed, a weary sound. "This is also part of aging," he confessed, a wistful smile playing on his lips. "As we get older, our eyesight is getting worse."

Xiong Lifeng smiled gently, steering the conversation back to happier news. "Dachin and Yaoting haven't arrived yet; we just came from the mayor's house."

"We are meeting them at Star Inn," Guo Baiyu informed them, recalling their original plan.

"They said that since we are here, they will come here," Xiong Lifeng explained, her smile widening.

"How are Lim Peizhi and Yueliang?" Zhao Renshu asked, his voice softening slightly, genuinely curious.

"Yueliang gave birth to a baby girl this morning!" Xiong Lifeng announced, her face beaming with pure joy, unable to contain the happy news.

Zhao Renshu chuckled, a rare moment of lightheartedness. "It only took them three years to have a baby girl!"

Boss Xiong turned his head to look at Xiong Lifeng, a serious expression on his face. "When do you plan to get married and have children?" he prodded, a question that held both hope and expectation.

Xiong Lifeng's face flushed a deep crimson, and she groaned in exasperation. "Father!" she exclaimed, her voice mortified.

Boss Xiong sighed sadly, a wistful look in his eyes. "If Ping'an were here," he murmured, his voice laced with regret, "she might have many children."

Guo Baiyu turned to look at the now smiling Boss Xiong, his own smile tinged with profound sadness. "I'm sorry," he said gently, "as long as Ping'an is with us, she will never be able to conceive."

"What? Why?" Boss Xiong asked, baffled, his expression shifting from wistful to confused.

Guo Baiyu explained, his voice heavy with the weight of their destiny. "She is the reincarnation of Syaoran. Our story is very complicated. Let's just say, five hundred years ago, she made a big mistake with us, and heaven punished us."

Boss Xiong sighed, a sound of profound empathy. "If she hasn't become a clay sculpture and can't get pregnant, do you two still want to be with her?" he asked, his voice filled with gentle concern, testing their devotion.

"Yes, because we love her very much," Guo Baiyu stated firmly, his gaze unwavering, leaving no room for doubt.

"We decided long ago that she is our wife," Zhao Renshu added, his voice equally resolute, a fierce possessiveness in his tone.

Boss Xiong said, a hint of genuine concern still lingering in his voice, "Without children, when you three are my age, who will take care of you three?"

Zhao Renshu, always quick to lighten the mood, tried his best to cheer up Boss Xiong. "The good thing is that we have hundreds of disciples," he declared, a wide grin spreading across his face, "all of whom are your grandchildren! If you need someone to fix the roof, call Shan to send a message to them, and they will come to help you."

Boss Xiong and Xiong Lifeng burst into laughter, a rare moment of genuine, shared levity, the tension dissolving for a moment.

Just then, there was a burst of joyous laughter from outside the door, and Lim Peizhi walked in, beaming, holding his precious new child in his arms, followed by two nursery maids.

"Baiyu, Baiyu!" Lim Peizhi exclaimed, his voice bubbling with uncontainable excitement and pride. "Give my daughter a name!"

Guo Baiyu was taken aback, genuinely surprised. "She is your daughter; you should give her a name," he protested gently.

Lim Peizhi sat next to Guo Baiyu in another chair, a playful glint in his eye. "Hey, I already told Yueliang that for our first daughter, I'd let Ping'an give the child a name, but since she's not here, you are the second choice."

"You know, Baiyu isn't the only person who can name things, right?" Zhao Renshu grumbled, a hint of disappointed jealousy in his voice.

Lim Peizhi merely smiled, a teasing glint in his eye. "Hongse said you are illiterate."

"No, I am not!" Zhao Renshu protested indignantly, his face reddening.

Lim Peizhi chuckled, a warm, genuine laugh. "Hongse said you named your disciples Kuaizi (Chopsticks), Yizi (Chair), Shaozi (Spoon), and Panzi (Plate)... I don't want my children named after these!"

"What's wrong?!" Zhao Renshu argued, genuinely confused. "These are things we use every day; why not name our children after them?"

Guo Baiyu smiled, a quiet knowing in his eyes. "Lim Yingyue," he suggested softly, the name flowing like poetry.

Lim Peizhi nodded slowly, his face lighting up with immediate adoration. "Reflection of the moon," he murmured, tasting the name.

"She will be the beautiful reflection of her mother," Guo Baiyu explained, his voice imbued with tender meaning.

Lim Peizhi gently handed Lim Yingyue back to the nursery maid. "Bring my daughter back and tell my wife that her name is Yingyue," he instructed, his voice filled with pride.

As dusk approached, casting long shadows across the city, Fang Yaoting, Lee Dachin, Guo Longtong, and Huang Hongse finally arrived. The greeter, now busy but efficient, led them to the big, round Chinese red table, where all their friends sat, illuminated by lanterns. Fang Yaoting dropped two large, heavy sacs onto the floor with a thump.

Lee Dachin looked Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, a gentle smile on his face. "The children asked us to bring you guys peaches," he said, gesturing to the bags.

Fang Yaoting added, "One bag for you and the other is for Boss Xiong."

Zhao Renshu took a large, enthusiastic bite of his meal, his mouth full. "Didn't you tell them that we planted peach trees in Immortal Valley?" he mumbled, his voice full of food.

Guo Baiyu looked at Lee Dachin, his brow furrowed with a hint of concern. "I thought you said Zhiqiang is nearby."

Lee Dachin sighed, a wistful sound. "He still couldn't overcome Ping'an's situation. He may be nearby, but that doesn't mean that he will come. Shan assigned him a task."

"Let him do his assignment," Guo Baiyu decided, a flicker of understanding in his eyes, knowing Zhiqiang needed time to heal.

Xiong Lifeng, ever the bustling host, brought a few more steaming dishes out. "Let's eat before winter comes," she urged, her voice warm, "it will be another year until we see each other again." The other three waiters followed, bringing even more dishes, laden with food.

Zhao Renshu looked at Lee Dachin, his eyes glinting with anticipation. "Dachin, did you bring it?"

Fang Yaoting reassured him, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry, we brought ten sacs."

Zhao Renshu gave Fang Yaoting and Lee Dachin a wide, genuine smile, clearly pleased, his eyes sparkling with delight.

While the friends were eating happily, their laughter echoing through the inn, Siyuan burst into the front door, almost out of breath, his chest heaving, his face pale with alarm.

"Doctor Guozhao... that..." Siyuan gasped, struggling for words, his eyes wide with urgency.

Guo Baiyu, sensing the gravity of the situation, immediately stood up and walked calmly to Siyuan. "Calm down," he urged, his voice steady.

Siyuan finally managed to gasp out the horrifying news, his voice trembling. "The statue of Ping'an was broken into pieces!"

"What?" Guo Baiyu gasped, his face draining of color, utterly taken aback, a profound shock seizing him.

"I didn't see it with my own eyes," Siyuan explained, still panting, his eyes wide with the relayed horror. "The soldiers said that the statue suddenly began to crack, then shattered into countless fragments, and a bright sphere floated away."

"Has anyone caught the orb?" Zhao Renshu asked, his voice sharp, piercing, laced with desperate urgency, appearing suddenly by Guo Baiyu's side.

Siyuan shook his head, his face grim. "No."

Guo Baiyu looked at Zhao Renshu, worry etched deeply on his face, his eyes filled with fear. He murmured, his voice barely audible, "What are we going to do now?"

Seeing the profound worry etched on Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu's faces, Boss Xiong, his own aging eyes filled with concern, became very alarmed. He asked, his voice trembling slightly, "What does it mean?"

Guo Baiyu explained, his voice grim, filled with a terrible knowledge. "It is her soul. We must find it. When her soul reaches the gate of hell, we won't be able to retrieve it."

"Jump on my back," Siyuan offered quickly, his centaur form already shifting, ready for immediate action. "We can go faster."

"We will catch up!" Fang Yaoting called out, his voice resolute, already preparing himself.

"It's too dark at night, come in the morning," Guo Baiyu decided, his mind processing the immediate danger, knowing the terrain.

The two men, without hesitation, jumped onto Siyuan's back, their movements swift and practiced.

Zhao Renshu, his face a mask of fierce determination, raised two fingers, chanting rapidly, his voice a low, urgent hum. "The beautiful white face, flawless skin, smiling red lips, ghostly face, in darkness nothing will see me, but I will see them, lend me your night eyes!" He felt a sharp, searing pain in his two fingers as the magic took hold. "Siyuan, close your eyes!" He smeared his blood on Siyuan's eyes, a visceral act. Siyuan's eyes immediately opened, the dark green now a fiery, luminous red, piercing the darkness. The three men, their forms a blur, rode fiercely into the night, returning to Immortal Valley.