"We need to leave. Now."
My voice came out sharper than I intended, but there was no room for hesitation.
"But—"
I cut Rong Xu off with a glance. We were seated beside Renshu, his breathing shallow but steady beneath the blanket. The night felt too quiet, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
We leaned closer, lowering our voices.
"What about the poison?" Rong Xu asked. "The mission isn't finished."
"It won't be," I said, "but it can be done later."
He waited, eyes fixed on me.
"We cut down the trunk," I explained. "Take the wood with us. Boil it in water continuously once we're safe. In a few days, the water will turn toxic enough to spill into the rivers."
His eyebrows lifted in visible surprise.
"You never mentioned that."
"I did," I replied. "To Renshu."
He let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "Then why didn't we do that from the start?"
"Because extracting poison directly from the bark is more effective," I said calmly. "But we don't have the luxury of time anymore. If those kidnappers realize he's gone and come after us, we're finished."
Rong Xu frowned. "We're armed."
"But undermanned," I countered. "There are ten of us. General Renshu is unconscious. I can barely walk without my crutches. Gao Ming handed leadership over without argument, which tells me he has no intention of fighting right now."
That last part lingered between us.
Rong Xu looked away, staring into the darkness beyond the trees. For a long moment, he said nothing.
"…Alright," he finally said. "We'll put General Renshu in the carriage. Cover him completely so no one recognizes him from afar. Then we move."
The idea hadn't crossed my mind, but it was solid.
"We need to cut the trunk now," I added. "Quietly."
"I'll do it," he said immediately. "You stay here. Stay with him. I'll call the others."
Before I could argue, he was already moving.
And just like that, it was only me and Renshu again.
This had happened before, being alone with him like this. The difference was that he was usually conscious. Usually scolding me, warning me, watching me like I might disappear if he blinked.
I wondered, briefly, whether he had ever done the same for me.
When I was unconscious. When I lay in his bed after the storehouse, barely aware of my own existence.
Had he sat beside me like this?
SLASH.
The sound of steel biting into wood echoed faintly through the trees. Men grunted quietly, coordinating under Rong Xu's instructions.
Then—
"Let's go."
---
Under hurried but controlled movements, everything was set.
Renshu was placed inside the carriage, his form hidden beneath layers of cloth. Gao Ming mounted a horse beside Rong Xu, his posture stiff but upright. The tree trunk was loaded onto a cart, rough and heavy, its scent sharp even in the open air.
I took my place, gripping my crutch as the caravan began to move.
"Do you think this will work?" Rong Xu asked, guiding his horse closer to mine.
I noticed it then, how he talked more when he was nervous. How he filled silence with questions, the same way I did.
"It's the best plan I have," I said honestly. "Assuming we aren't intercepted by other bandits."
He exhaled. "Right. Hopefully."
He glanced back toward the carriage. "Seeing him like that… it's exhausting. Leadership looks heavier than I imagined. I don't think I could ever do it. No wonder Gao Ming left you in charge."
I hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"Not everyone needs to lead," I said eventually. "And you're giving me too much credit. General Renshu should be the one giving orders. The only reason I'm here is because he and Gao Ming can't."
Rong Xu nodded slowly.
"I was jealous," he admitted. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that earlier. You've been struggling too. You work harder than anyone here. You push yourself constantly. It's… admirable."
I felt my lips curve into a small, unintentional smile.
Praise always made me uncomfortable. Perhaps because I never felt it was fully deserved.
"Shanxi will take about three weeks to reach," I said, shifting the topic. "We only stayed two nights here, so we'll have about a week to continue poisoning afterward. The effect won't be as strong as using shaved bark, but it'll still work."
"It's a necessary sacrifice," he said. "The poison will still be effective, right?"
"Yes."
I stared ahead, my thoughts tangled.
Was I still worrying too much? Or not enough?
There was nothing left to change now. We had chosen our path.
"Aryan," Rong Xu said suddenly. "May I ask you something?"
I glanced at him. "What is it?"
"How did it feel?" he asked quietly. "When you were beaten in the storehouse. I know it's personal. You don't have to answer. I just…"
I cut him off before he could finish. "Why?"
He swallowed. "Because when I was younger, I was beaten too. I wanted to know if it felt the same."
His voice trembled.
I stayed silent for a moment, surprised by my own willingness to respond.
"I thought I would die," I said slowly. "I didn't know what to feel. Sometimes I wished it would end quickly. Other times I just waited, wondering when it would stop. I hated it. And then… I went numb. Too tired to feel anything at all."
The silence that followed was heavy, unsettled.
I didn't know why I said it. Maybe to comfort him. Maybe because I needed to say it once, out loud.
"Who did that to you?" I asked.
"The servants," he replied. "My father was rarely home. They beat me when I was young—before I learned how to speak."
"Did your mother know?"
"She didn't," he said softly. "She loved me. When she found out, she dismissed them. But… she wasn't observant. I raised myself, in a way."
Something shimmered beneath his eyes. I pretended not to notice.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Where are your parents now?"
"My mother's still in China. My father is in Europe. Trading, I think."
Silence returned again.
Ahead of us, the road stretched onward.
Behind us, danger lingered.
And between those two points, we continued marching—with our general unconscious, our mission altered, and the weight of responsibility heavier than ever.
Hopefully, the future waiting for us would be kinder than the present.