Deeper Heart than the worth of the man

"I love Ruo," Han Li said out loud, his face adorned with a chagrined smile. 

He touched the Feather of Feelings. 

The feelings were akin to icy tendrils, the emotions deep enough that the other man felt as if he was frozen in the abyss until blood oozed from the side of his lips and he stumbled back. Stunned was an understatement.

He was feeling fear.

"The emotions he has for the young woman are filled with guilt and an intense sense of protection, I can't even..." The man coughed blood again. "I can't even come close to grasp its depth. The guilt is so simmering I'd be washed in bitterness if I touched it. This youth, what is he? Can kids in their twenties even feel such intense feelings for others?"

The questioner's gaze had changed. Now, his eyes held an irrepressible fear and respect as he once again showed Han Li the feather. 

Han Li looked at him mockingly, amusingly even. Meanwhile, on the side, Monk Hen Shin had a solemn expression.