[ xie lian's heart swells for a moment, recalling the words of an elder hua cheng.

Where one might end, another will begin - another banquet, another story, another journey. The fox and the rabbit would meet, again and again.

he has to duck his head to keep his expression hidden, the small smile lighting up his exhausted features like the warmth of a hearth. it feels like hope, something xie lian has lost sight of every now and then, in the hell of his life.

absently, he lifts his hand to press it to his own chest. ]

We have tried to. [ watch over him. ] And we - and I have often failed.

[ ... ] I told you to stop believing in me once, you know. You are quite stubborn - you never did, did you?