Chapter 167 Into The Phoenix Chamber Part 47

Sitting by the small bonfire, enjoying the night and the warm wind, Abrafo was suddenly reminded of the sleepless nights he had experienced when he was poisoned by the itchy powders Bong threw at him.

Abrafo stretched out his hand and said, "After you lost, you crawled away with your tail between your legs, and then threw the itchy powder at me, making me spend many sleepless nights. Now, hand those powders over."

Bong looked at Abrafo strangely and asked, "Why do you suddenly want those powders?"

Abrafo said sternly, "Not only the powder, but also the sleeping pills you poisoned me the night before we set off to board the ship. Hand them over too."

Bong burst into laughter and said, " You told me to keep our relationship secret, but since you made these demands...." He moved closer to Abrafo and touched Abrafo's left shoulder with his right shoulder. He lowered his voice and whispered. "Does this mean that you admit that there is a relationship between you and me?"

Abrafo quickly pushed Bong away and said, "In your dream, there is nothing between you and me."

"Stop denying it," Bong said. "I can tell you right now, if you want to go the shameless route, I'm not afraid to follow you, because if I'm ranked second among the most shameless people in Misnix, no one will dare to say they rank first."

Abrafo sneered coldly at Bong and said, "That's not something you should be proud of."

Watching Abrafo and Bong arguing, U-ri smiled and said, "I remember the first time you two fought, I thought at the time: Are these two flirting or fighting?" The group laughed. "For real... I didn't make it up. The way they fought that night, it looked like they were flirting and dancing on that road. I even doubt whether Abrafo was really there to rescue me or find a dance partner."

"U-ri, you ungrateful old man, how dare you speak to your savior like this? See if I will rush to save you next time you are captured. Were you deaf and didn't hear anything? That night, this jerk plan to kill you."

U-ri said, "I'm not old enough for hearing loss yet. I hear very clearly."

Bong said, "Sir U-ri, you saved my life. For that, I will never hurt you. If someone wants to hurt you, they must go through me first.

Abrafo said sarcastically, "Really? It seems that I have saved you several times myself, but why didn't I see any reward?"

Bong turned to Abrafo and asked with a smile on his face, "What kind of reward do you want?"

Knowing that Bong and Abrafo would start bickering again and that the mutual apology conversation would probably last until the morning break, U-ri smiled at Bong and said "I understand completely. Your Highness doesn't have to worry anymore." He chuckled. "After all, Your Highness did not harm me."

Bong said, "My initial intention is not to hurt you, but to make you give up the idea of entering No Man's Land. Especially you." He reached out and grabbed Abrafo's left arm.

Abrafo said, "That's not going to happen."

Bong said, "If this is the case, I will lock you up and never let you leave."

Abrafo was about to argue further with Bong, but Hajime grabbed his right arm. "We will consider His Highness's goodwill," Hajime said.

Abrafo smiled angrily, shook his head, and said, "Yeah... Just like Hajime said, we will reconsider your good suggestion. So, now you don't have to worry about locking us up." He frantically pulled his arm away from Bong's hand.

The four Tanzanies looked at Abrafo and Bong and snickered to themselves.

After U-ri had laughed enough, he exhaled happily and said, "Michio... you lost, you owe me two kilos of beef jerky."

Hajime asked, "What bet? Why wasn't I invited?"

U-ri said, "You weren't there when we made the bet."

Michio said unhappily, "I bet U-ri that on this journey, someone will confess to Abrafo before Yul."

As Abrafo sat with his hands folded and looked grumpily at his friends seated around a small bonfire, the four Tanzanies and Bong burst into laughter.

"Well, the old man needs some rest. So, I'm going to bed," U-ri said. He stood up and started walking towards the blanket Michio had prepared earlier that night. "Don't wake me up, I'll wake up to the sound of birdsong tomorrow morning."

The four Tanzanies laughed at U-ri as he walked towards the blanket.

Abrafo yawned, stood up and said, "Well, I think I'm going to bed too."

Bong quickly stood up and asked, "What about me? Where should I sleep?"

Abrafo looked at Bong and said, "Who knows? Either you go back and sleep on the other side of that puddle with your friend Lixin, or..." Abrafo looked at the ground and smiled. "Sleep anywhere on the ground. How about over there?" He pointed to a rock a few meters away. "That seems like a good place, you could fall asleep leaning against the rock." He looked at Bong with a smile, then walked towards his backpack.

Bong's lips curved down, staring at Abrafo madly, chasing after Abrafo towards Abrafo's blanket.

After hearing Bong's story, Yul's heart becomes heavy with worries knowing that no matter what decision they make, it will bring pain to the innocent people they are trying to protect. He now believes that what Bailong told them back then must be true. If they succeed and possess the White Dragon Tail, they will save Tanzang Kingdom and its people, but at the same time they will destroy the other kingdoms and their citizens. Yul knew that no matter which path they took, a lot of people would be hurt. Thinking about catastrophe death of innocent people makes it difficult for Yul to fall asleep.

Yul looked back at Abrafo and Bong and then at Michio. "Michio, there's no need to stay guard. "Go to sleep," Yul said. Michio stood up and walked away, and Yul turned to Hajime. "Go to sleep."

Hajime asked, "What about you?"

Yul said, "I'm not sleepy yet?"

Hajime looked at Yul and asked, " Are you thinking about what Prince Bong told us earlier?"

Yul nodded.

Hajime said, "Let's talk. Two heads are better than one."

Yul sighed heavily and said, "What are we going to do? Is it the right thing to do? What if anything we plan to do results in the loss of millions of innocent lives? While we save Tanzang from destruction, the rest of the land will be destroyed. I couldn't find myself exchanging lives, choosing who should live and who should die."

Hajime looked at Yul and said, "I don't know about you, but to me. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure the people I love are protected."

Yul said, "That's what I want, but saving myself and bring harms to others is something I can't and won't do."

Hajime looked at Yul and said, "Then your view of importance is different from mine." He stood up abruptly. "Why do I think two heads are better than one?"

Yul quickly stood up and grabbed Hajime's arm. "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly unhappy?"

Hajime looked up at Yul and said, "Let me ask you, is the happiness of you and your parents more important, or the happiness of the Tanzang citizens is more important?" Hajime suppressed his sadness and held back tears.

Yul stared at Hajime and said, "I believe everyone deserves happiness, and no one's happiness is more important than another's. A peaceful neighbor means a peaceful home. I was taught to love and protect those who are weak."

After hearing Yul's answer, Hajime finally understood that Hajime's way of thinking was different from Yul's. In Hajime's life, unconditional love was something he had never experienced before. He longs for love like a child long for candy. He thinks love is important to him because he must work hard to have someone love him, but in the end his efforts fail to keep the person he loves. Hajime's tears finally flowed down his cheeks, and he said, "My heart was not blessed with so many types of loves like yours, so I can't calmly measure who is more important than who. I only know that even if it violates my morals, or if I was going to the deepest hell, I wouldn't let anything happen to the people I love. I would protect them, even if it meant I had to kill to protect them." He removed his arm from Yul's hand. "All I know is... I will do whatever it takes to save what little happiness I have."

Yul approached Hajime and said, "This is selfish thinking."

Hajime looked at Yul with tears in his eyes. He raised his voice and vented his dissatisfaction directly to Yul. He angrily said, "Yes, I am a selfish person. I am a very selfish person, but this selfish person will not trade your life, Abrafo's life, Michio's life, or U-ri's life for anyone's life." He turned away from Yul. "I want to be alone, don't follow me." He wiped away his tears and walked towards the hill.

For the first time, the Abrafo, Michio, and U-ri saw Hajime vent his anger for the first time. Despite the distance, they didn't hear the entire conversation between Yul and Hajime, they only heard the last part where Hajime raised his voice to Yul.

Abrafo looked at Bong and said, "You stay here and don't cause trouble. We have enough on our plate."

U-ri stood up and said, "You three stay here." He sighed and walked to Yul's side. "What's wrong?"

Yul said, " I don't understand why Hajime thinks that. He and I have completely different views." Yul sighed. "I questioned myself whether saving Tanzang was the right decision, but Hajime didn't think so. He wanted to do whatever it took to save Tanzang, even if it meant we were destroying other kingdoms."

U-ri smiled and said, "That's because he loves you and regards your mission as the most important." He looked at Yul. "If you decide to forget Tanzang and live here, Hajime will comply with your wishes. Hajime just doesn't want you to regret your decision."

Yul was surprised when he heard U-ri's response. "Hajime loves me?" Yul asked.

U-ri said, "I promised him not to tell anyone, but he once confessed his feelings for you to me." U-ri sighed. "Sometimes, when we are in love, we tend to become selfish, but if we open up and express ourselves to each other, there is no difficulty in reaching a conclusion."

Yul said, "I don't know what he really wants."

U-ri smiled and said, "Then ask him. Ask him what he wants. Your opinion is different from his because you two did not grow up in the same environment and did not receive the same amount of attention. For example, you were born into a wealthy family with a high status, but Hajime was not. He is a mage who has been hiding for many years. So, you can't expect him to understand you. Hajime is still young and a smart person. You are much older than him, slowly teaching him and guiding him how to see the world the way you do. "

Yul turned to U-ri and said, "Thank you...I understand now. I'll find time to talk to him."

"Oh heaven, someone come and save me!"

"Dead men!"

"These people are infected."

Horrible screams sounded in the night.

Meng rushed towards the Tanzanies and Bong. He shouted, "They've turned. They've turned. We must leave now."

U-ri asked, "What's wrong?"

Meng said with a shaky voice, "Many people turned into dead men."

Yul saw Hajime still walking towards the hill, he ran to Hajime and shouted, "Hajime! Stop!"

Abrafo, Bong and Michio stood up as U-ri walked toward them with Meng.

Michio turned to looked at Abrafo and Bong. "Dead men..." he said. "They're here, but how?"

"Shit..." Abrafo frowned and grabbed the sword.

In the dead of night, the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and the familiar roar of the dead came from the direction of the water holes.