"Brother," I said, raising my cup above a hall full of dignitaries and nobles. "You've come to kill me."
The door flew open in the wind and rain. Lightning cast the long shadow of a swordsman across the floor.
An iron sword. A gaunt frame. Tired eyes. A body reduced to skin and bone.
A ragged robe, soaked through.
I slowly rose above the heads of those swine, those so-called important people.
For the first time in all these years, the black lion that was me was no longer merely lying low. The people were so shocked they scarcely dared breathe.
"I heard you swore to start at the northernmost edge of Tianshan and kill every demon, ridding the people of evil, and that you wouldn't stop until you reached Jiangnan. I knew then that you would find me."
"Brother!"
I growled the word softly, as if a ball of fire burned in my chest.
"I saw you today and knew you're still the same old do-gooder. Anyone can step on your head and order you around like a dog," I laughed, "all in the name of ridding the people... of evil."
"All these years, you wouldn't even spend a little money on yourself to buy a decent silk robe. Look at those swine in the hall, dressed so lavishly."
I pointed at the fat pigs inside. "Good people don't live long, but evil outlives generations. I've killed off all the 'great heroes' like you. After spending so many years among these fools and swine, I've grown bored."
"I've been waiting for you for so long, Brother! Will you come embrace me?" I strode toward the swordsman, arms outstretched.
"Or will you kill me?"
The man's hand trembled slightly. As I walked toward him, I quietly drew a blade from beneath my cloak, its nimble, palm-width edge concealed in my hand.
"If you don't kill me, you'll never reach the Jiangnan you've dreamed of in this lifetime."
*
The blossoms of the cherry tree, their petals opening in splendid bloom.
Among all those alive today, none are dearer than brothers.
Many years ago, in the dark chaos before we were born, we held each other.
*
Theme: To perish together.
