Chapter 12: Ballad of Mount Twilight

Ballad of Mount Twilight

"Hong Rong!"

I sat down with ragged breathing. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. I looked around and saw the stone wall of the cave.

I fell asleep.

And I dreamt of Hong Rong.

His death kept on playing inside my head.

The coldness of the evening brushed my skin making me shiver. I just noticed that it's now raining hard outside and the fire is already dead.

With my eyes wide open, I stood up and went to the stack of woods I cut earlier. After collecting a pile of them, I threw some of it in the gleaming remnant of the fire.

Later on, the fire blazed again. I sat down in front of it and let the heat warm my freezing body. I touched the clothes I hung and I got disappointed when I felt that it's still damp.

Suddenly, I heard a moan. Then I remembered Cold Face. I looked at his direction and saw him still lying on the banana leaves. My brows furrowed when I noticed that his shoulders are trembling.

I went to his side and sat down.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Cold Face didn't answer. He's still asleep. I placed my hand on his forehead and sighed in relief when I felt that he doesn't have a fever.

Cold Face keep on moaning. He's feeling cold. He's freaking topless and lying in a hard ground while it's raining hard. He will unquestionably freeze.

But what should I do?

Our clothes are wet and we don't have anything to cover our body. Even I was shaking in the cold too!

An idea popped inside my head but I instantly shrugged it off. Nah. That is kinda embarrassing and awkward.

But...

I don't have any choice!

There's no time concerning the principles of right and wrong in behavior. Also, it's not like I'll do an obscene thing.

So I overcame my hesitance and laid down beside Cold Face. I put my hands around his bare cold body and embraced him.

Suddenly his body twitched and I felt his hand grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?!" he said with an alarmed voice.

"You are shivering in the cold. I am too. Our clothes are damp and we don't have any blankets here. This is the only solution I came up with."

"You are a woman and I am a man! It's already unethical for both of us to stay together in a closed space then you will hug me when I'm naked and you are only wearing your inner garments?"

"Tss. Unethical my face. It's not like I'm doing something rancid. I am just hugging you to lessen the cold I'm feeling."

"Are you not afraid of me? Are you not scared that I'll do something to you?"

"Why would I be scared of you when I know how much you dislike me? Just like now. You cringed at my mere touch."

I sarcastically laughed at my own remark while he remain silent.

"Why?! Do you have any intention of harming me?!" I screamed at him.

"Of course I don't have!" he instantly replied.

"Then what else are you whining about?"

"Are you not worried about your reputation?"

"What's the use of reputation when I'm about to freeze to death? I don't care what others will think of me. What matters to me is that I live."

He didn't answer. Why does it seem that he's more conservative than me? Aish. Ancient period really sucks. It's already immoral for them when opposite sex stayed indoors together. If they only know how liberated people were in my time. Like strangers having a one night stand. Lol.

"I am not a pervert or anything. I know that you really hate skin ship especially between man and woman but we don't have any options left. Forgive me for invading your cherished space and privacy. We can only seek warmth from each other."

Of course he didn't answer. Well atleast I still told him my reasons.

I am now facing his wide back. Now that I'm facing his back, I can see his scars clearer. Compared to the scars I saw earlier, the scars on his back are greater and hideous. He had scar from the back of his right shoulder to the middle side of his left waist. By just looking at it, I can feel how painful it is. How did he even survive this big slash from a sword?

Maybe he has led and fought too many wars.

But no matter how accustomed he was to being injured, I still have to take him to the doctor. The yarrow is just a first aid. I am afraid that his wound might still get infected.

Once again, I put my hands around his body. His body stiffened but unlike before, he didn't remove my hand from him and let me hug him.

"We have to leave as soon as possible. We should sleep now so that we can wake up early tomorrow."

I moved closer and hugged him tighter. The intense cold that had enveloped me earlier had gradually disappeared and was replaced by heat.

I closed my eyes. With the wamth and security I am feeling beside me, I drifted to sleep.

-*

I woke up feeling warm air brushing my cheeks. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of shrewd and sparkling orbs staring at me. His slanted eyes are frightfully intense and those vividly black colored iris looked uncommonly blank at first but when you stare at it for a long time it look formidably deep. It looked hypnotic and strange. Holding both danger and beauty.

Before I could get lost in those eyes, I averted my gaze. I removed my hands from his body and distanced my self from him.

How long has he been staring at me?  How long have we been in that position?

Damn that was awkward.

Aside from staring at each other, we're both in each other's arms. I remember hugging him from the back. How did we end up in that position?

"I-"

Before he could speak, I stood up and went to our clothes that are hanging. When I touched it, I could no longer feel the moist in it. It's already dry.

I took my robe and wear it. Then I took Cold Face's and went to his side. I saw him staring at my opposite.

"Here's your clothes."

He stretched his hand to me without looking at my direction.

"You can look at me now. I am already dressed."

Cold Face turn around and took his clothes I'm handing. I glanced at his wound and saw that it is no longer bleeding.

"How are you feeling? Is your wound still hurting?"

"Not anymore."

"Good to hear that. But we still have to go to the physician."

All of a sudden, my stomach growled. I am starving. Cold Face's certainly hungry too. We both haven't eaten since yesterday.

"Wait here. I'll get us some food."

"I will help you."

"No. Stay here. Save your strength for later because we have a long walk to do."

I didn't let him retort and walked outside the cave. The sun is already up. The soil is still damp from the rain. I can feel the mud sticking to my feet.

Right.

I forgot.

I am not wearing shoes at all. I can't believe that I'm walking with my bare feet. All the foot massage I did are wasted now because I know that my feet already have scrapes and calluses. I wonder how will I treat these when there's no foot spa here.

Too much for useless concerns. I should look for something to eat.

Hong Rong taught me how to hunt so I knew what to do but I don't have any materials to use. So I'll probably search for fruits instead.

This mountain is surely bountiful because after minutes of searching I saw a tree of rose and crab apple. I delightedly picked bunch of them and put it inside my robe. When I'm satisfied with the numbers, I went back to the cave with a big smile plastered on my face.



"Look what I got here! I saw trees of wild apples and I picked a bunch of them."

I placed the apples in the banana leaves. I took one and took a bite.

"Hmm this rose apple is sweet and crispy. I wonder if this crab apple is sour. Here take this."

I handed him a rose apple but Cold Face only looked at the fruit.

"I'm sorry that's all I got. I don't have any materials to hunt that's why."

"No. It's not like that."

"Then why aren't you eating? Don't you eat apples?"

"I'm just ashamed of myself. I should be the one providing you food but you are the one doing it. I am giving you a hard time."

Wah. Is this really Cold Face? When did he become shamefaced and sheepish?

"You should not think like that. What I am doing right now is nothing compared to the assistance you've given me. You saved me countless of times and at last I have given the chance to pay back. There are only two of us left. Who else can we ask for help? Isn't it just each other too?"

And I also made a promise to Hong Rong to take care of you.

Hong Rong.

A tear escaped from my eye but I immediately wiped it. No. Not again. But no matter how I tried to suppress my tears, it continue falling down as the pain in my heart prick me.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I remembered Hong Rong again."

I probably look stupid right now. I am sobbing while eating the sour crab apple. Well no one can blame me. It's not easy to accept the death of an important friend. This is also the first time that I have lost a loved one so it's difficult to recover from the grief.

"Hong Rong is like a little brother to me. We spent so many times and journeys together. Just like you, I'm still mourning for his death. But although he's gone, the memories we shared with him will never be erased from our hearts and minds. Hong Rong is here inside of us. He will forever live with us."

I nodded at him. I remember seeing his voice and shoulder's shaking when we bid our farewell to Hong Rong. He undeniably cried too but not as loud as mine. He knew Hong Rong longer than me and they definitely have that strong bond. The pain he's feeling right now is nothing compared to mine. Cold Face may not show his sorrow but I know that he's hurting inside.

Silent tears is the most painful one. You can feel it in your throat and chest but you keep suppressing it.

"So you should take care of yourself. Hong Rong treasures you the most. Live your life like your living his."

I will never let Hong Rong's sacrifice go in vain.

After eating, I helped Cold Face stand up. Thankfully he didn't shooed me away and allowed me to support him. With his arms hanging around my shoulder, we walked outside the cave.

Unlike yesterday, Cold Face was no longer heavy and it's easier to assist him. But we still need to slow down so that his wound does not bleed again. My only wish is that his condition does not get worse.

I don't know how long will it take us to get down from this mountain. Maybe a day or two? I hope that there will be no misfortune that will happen to us.

"Why are you barefooted? What happened to your shoes?"

I looked at my feet that is now covered with dirt and mud.

"Ah. I threw it to the assassin."

He suddenly stopped walking. What he did next surprised me. He removed his shoes and kicked it beside me.

"Wear this. A woman should not walk without shoes. It's a very important part of your body."

"No n-"

"I allowed you to help me. Do the same thing for me."

That made me shut up. I still want to refuse but I am afraid that he will reject my assistance to him again.

I stared at the his shoes. Now that my feet have the attention, I suddenly felt the stinging sensation from it.

I'll just accept his offer and wear this.

"Thank you." I said to him.

I wore the shoes. My feet only covered only about half of his shoe space. I am five feet six inches tall but my feet is only six inches. What a big feet he has.

We both started walking. Luckily we are walking slowly otherwise my strange walk will be obvious. His shoes are too big for me. All of a sudden, I heard him snickering.

"Are you laughing at me?!"

"What? No! What are you talking about? I am not laughing."

"Huh! What a liar! Your shoes is huge that's why I looked funny while walking! This guy!"

I rolled my eyes at him. This guy may have his natural poker face but I really heard him snickering.

The two of us continue bickering while walking. This is what I'm talking about. Now that we're alone together, our fight will be nonstop. Just like what's happening right now. We're squabbling over petty matters.

We just stopped arguing when he stopped retorting. Huh! He did the right thing. I am not the type who surrender first. He can't beat me when it comes to petty fights!

Drops of water fell from the sky one after another. Until the downpour gets heavy and we got wet from it.

"Maybe we stink. First, we fell into the river. Now we're soaking wet in the rain. The heavens love bathing us." I joked.

"You really have the nerve to make a joke during this time. You're really something."

We are surrounded with nothing but trees that's why even if it's raining hard, we didn't have a choice but to continue walking.

"I'm really a jinx. I always bring bad luck!" I said annoyed.

"What did you say?" Cold Face shouted.

"I said I'm a jinx!" I shouted back.

"The rain is pouring hard! I can't hear you!"

"Then shut up and don't ask! This cold face!"

"Did you call me Cold Face again you woman?!"

Yikes! How did he hear that?! HAHA.

"What?! I can't hear you!" I lied.

"I said I heard you call me Cold F-"

Before he could even finished his words, Cold Face slipped on the mud making the both of us roll down the steep road.

I could feel the hard rocks hitting my body as I continue rolling down. I'm pretty sure that the mud already covered my whole body like a ganache.

The rolling stopped as I lay on the muddy ground while looking at the crying sky. Rain continue falling down my face making the coldness creep inside my body.

My gawking ceased when I remembered the injured man with me. I sat down and looked for him. Worry conquered me when I saw him lying on the ground meters from me. I stood up and ran to him.

"Cold Face!"

I sat down and held his face. When I saw him with his eyes closed, I softly shook his jaws.

"Cold Face! Wake up! Are you alright?!"

Gush of relief filled me when he opened his eyes. I plastered him my big smile then I put his head on my lap.

"Thank God! I thought you passed out!"

"I'm right. You called me Cold Face."

I ignored him and scan his body. My eyes went to his stomach automatically. I opened his robe and gasped when I saw his wound bleeding again.

"Shit! Your wound is bleeding again."

"That's nothing. Don't worry. I can still move."

He sat down. I stood up and assisted him to stand up.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"We need to find shelter. The rain is pouring hard and I think it will take a long time before it subside. We can't stay wet like this."

Cold Face and I began walking again. We slowed down even more due to his opened wound and also to be careful of slipping again.

For almost half an hour of walking in the rain, we saw a hut nearby. The hut is small and old. The beams are made of bamboos and the roof is made of straws. From the looks of it, it seems to be abandoned. With no hesitation, we entered the house.



"Geez! It's freaking cold and we're soaking wet!" I exclaimed.

Contrary to the outside appearance of the hut, the interior does not seem to be abandoned. The door is not broken and have a lock. There is a bamboo bed with a folded blankets on it. There is also a table with bowl and plate above it. Above all, there is a fireplace with stack of woods below it.

"Heaven's blessing!" I said delightedly.

I assisted Cold Face and made him sit on the bamboo bed.

"Take off your clothes and wipe your body with this fabric. I will make a fire."

After throwing him the fabric, I went to the fireplace and started brushing the woods against itself. When the fire is already blazing, I removed my robe and left my inner garments. Then I squeezed the water from it and hang my robe near the fire.

I turn around and saw Cold Face now only wearing his inner pants. I went to his side and glanced at his bleeding wound.

"Give me that fabric."

Cold Face looked at me and immediately turn around with his ears flushing red. I snorted and grabbed the cloth from his hands.

"Sorry for making you feel abashed again but I have to dry my clothes or else I'll have a pneumonia."

He didn't speak and remain looking at the other side. I took his wet clothes and began wiping his wound with it. Then I tore the fabric and wrapped it around the wound.

"Again, that's only a first aid. When the rain stops, we'll continue walking. Give me your robe. I'll hang it near the fire."

Cold Face gave me his robe and I hung it in front of the fireplace. I also search for something to eat but there was nothing. Only several pieces of ginger are laying on top of the wooden cabinet.

Using the knife sitting on the table, I peeled the ginger's skin and chopped it into thin slices. Then I took a pot and went outside the hut to catch some water from the heavy rain. I am sure that the rainwater in this era isn't dirty unlike the rain from my period where the smoke of cars and factories causes acid rain. So it's safe to use this.

When I am already satisfied with the amount of water I collected, I went inside and placed the pot on the fireplace. After a few minutes of waiting, the water boils. I put the chopped ginger in the boiling water and covered the pot. Using a ragged cloth, I removed the pot from the pan and placed it on top of the wooden table. I took two bowls and poured the smoking liquid to it. The pungent and peppery sharp aroma spreads in the air lingering inside my nose. Then I took the bowl and went to Cold Face.

"Here. Drink this Ginger Tea to warm up."

"Thank you."

I let the piping hot beverage cool down a bit before taking a sip. When the wamth of the tea is tolerable, I took a sip from my cup. As expected, the tea gave me warmth and made calm.

"We're still fortunate that we have found a hut in the middle of nowhere. Also, it seems like someone is living here. I wonder where he or she is. He'll be dumbfounded once he gets home because there are strangers in his house. Haha." I joked.

As usual, Cold Face didn't react and I mumbled in annoyance. This one really doesn't know how to get a joke.

"We'll ask him for help when he arrives. So let's rest here for a while."

After finishing my tea, I sat near him.

Cold Face moved to the farther side giving me a space. I lay on the bamboo bed and wrapped my freezing body with a blanket. I also felt him lie down next to me. Then I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

--*

A strange feeling woke me up and when I opened my eyes, I saw an old man staring at me. I immediately sat down making Cold Face's arm that is embracing me unclasped.

"What an appalling sight. You really chose my house for cloud and rain?"

"Cloud and Rain?" I asked with a perplexed look.

My brows furrowed in confusion while Cold Face coughed so hard like he's going to throw his lungs out.

"Hey are you alright? Wait, you're burning up!"

I turned to the old man and spoke.

"Old man, I apologize for barging into your house but we really have no choice! It's raining hard and he's wounded! Please help us! Help us get to the doctor!"

The old man looked at us with his discerning eye. I showed him my pleading expression to convince him.

"Let me take a look at him."

I got out of the bed and let the old man examine Cold Face. He touched his forehead and then removed the cloth I wrapped around Cold Face's wound.

"Your wound is infected that's why you have a fever. Based on its appearance it looks like a sword cut. How long has your wound been?"

"Three days." Cold Face uttered with a weak voice.

"Three days? Wah. How are you still alive? With this wound, you should have died of bleeding."

"I applied Yarrow in it."

"You did a good job putting Yarrow as a first aid. It temporarily stopped the bleeding but the wound is severe."

"Is it that bad? Why does it look shallow?"

"Even if I tell you, you won't understand."

"Wait. Are you a doctor?"

The old man didn't answer. With his words earlier he sounds like a physician. He also looked like those herbalist.

"Cold Face!" I screamed in horror when I saw him passed out.

"He fainted because of his high temperature."

"Please heal him!"

"I'll see what I can do."

The old man went to table and crouched. He stretched one of his hand under it and pulled a wooden chest. When he opened the chest, I saw several jars and containers inside it.

"Boil water."

I nodded at him and took the pot that is now cold. Now that the rain has stopped, I don't know how to get some water.

"Uhm, where can I get water?"

"There's a jar behind the door."

I walked to the door and there's really a jar behind. I removed the lid and scooped up some water from it. I thanked the old man when he made a fire and took the pot from me.

When the water boils, he took two bowls and pour the boiling water from it. In the smaller bowl, he put the powder from one of his jars and stirred it.

"Make him drink this."

"What is this?"

"It's a tea made from the dried crushed root of moutan. It will reduce the amount of heat in his body. It's an antibacterial too."

Confirmed. He's really a doctor. I wonder what he's doing here in the mountain and not in the city where he can earn money. Well, I should not interfere and ask about his personal life.

"After feeding him that, wipe his body with cold water. I already cleaned his wound and I put medicine in his wound. I'll just get some water from the stream."

"Thank you so much Old Man!"

The old man left the house. I scooped some tea with the wooden spoon and blew it to make its heat tolerable to drink. Then I carefully put it in his mouth. Cold Face groaned and some of the liquid spilled. I took a cloth and wiped his wet chin.

"Hey. You need to drink this to get healed. This may taste bitter but it will make you feel better."

I put another spoon of tea in his mouth and luckily nothing spilled. I continue feeding him the tea until the bowl is empty.

After feeding him the medicine, I took a basin and scooped some water from the jar. I wet a cloth and squeezed the excess water from it. I began wiping the damp cloth on his body.

Now that he's lying here unconscious, he looked weak and fragile. There is no trace of his strong aura. I can only see him groaning in pain.

Cold Face. I hope you get well soon. I am not use to this side of you. I don't care if we fight for the rest of our lives as long as you recover. You are the only one left to me.

"Don't worry. I am just here to take care of you. I will not leave you."