"Old Yan, I’m leaving first." Her farewell ca from behind.
He did not turn around, just nodded: "Go ahead, I know you have things to attend to."
When the automatic door behind opened and closed, he turned sideways, looking at the empty space behind him.
May the Union’s battle flag fly high, may the Union’s will endure, may all races unite, may all lovers under the sky grow old without parting.
The old man prayed silently in his heart.
Yet he could not see the splash of water droplets on the dustless ground.
......
"Sage Li, why are you sitting here idly." The City Guardian of Tianfu climbed the steps, looking at the executing Sage of the Southwest Provinces sitting beneath the statue, he questioned: "I heard from your apprentices, you’ve been sitting here for three days."
"...I am lost." She answered, the woman reeking of alcohol put down the empty bottle in her hand.
"As a Sage, you are supposed to dispel confusion for us mortals, how can you be lost." The young City Guardian sat down beside her.
He looked at the long street on the steps, waiting for her answer.
"It’s sothing you shouldn’t know, Guardian i, sotis, the more you know, the more painful it becos."
"Even if it’s sothing widely spoken of among the sub-humans, should we still not know?" The young man asked.
"Sub-humans always have paranoia, and we humans are the most changeable, over the years, there have been nine Sages who have beco aberrant and fallen, and five of them were humans, we really aren’t qualified to criticize them... Guardian i, but since you know, I can tell you, it was all because I betrayed my oath."
"How could it be, your loyalty to the flag before us is evident, besides, you don’t bear the marks of aberration, how can you say this about yourself." The young Guardian i said with a smile.
"No, I truly betrayed my oath, I swore a long ti ago not to take any oaths with the so-called deities, but... three days ago, I broke my oath." Sage Li replied.
"Because of that lady?" He frowned.
"Yes, because of that lady." Sage Li answered, with eyes reflecting the scene.
He wanted to say more, but the shout from the coachman below the steps interrupted: "Guardian i, the eting you prepared for is about to start."
"...I’m sorry, Sage Li, I must go now, but believe , the sacrifices you made that day will certainly be rewarded in the future, if the rumors circulating in the Supernatural Realm are true, we’ll... we’ll finally be free from Chaos’s grasp, what a great future it is, my lady, the sacrifices of our generation will secure peace for ages."
The young City Guardian finished and ran down the steps.
Left in place, Sage Li finally stood up, she turned, maneuvered around the statue, looking at the hills dotted with tombstones ahead.
Familiar steps brought her before a particular gravestone.
On this gravestone was a photograph of a young man, the picture weathered by ti had turned gray and white.
No na was inscribed on the stone, but there was a line of text.
Your sacrifice unknown, your deeds eternal.
Sage Li sat beside the grave.
"You said, in this world, soone always needs to sacrifice, you with no ties, no attachnts, are most fit to beco a disciple of Confucius... but you didn’t know, with your departure, I am also left with no ties, no attachnts... I curse all those so-called deities, but... three days ago, I heard everything the lady said, it was so beautiful, so beautiful that... it made choose to betray my own oath."
"I’m sorry, I wanted to keep that oath, but compared to Thainan’s future, my hatred is insignificant."
"I only wish the Union’s battle flag to fly high, the Union’s will to endure, all races to unite... and that I may see you once more in the last mont of my life, so I can speak the words I was too cowardly to utter."
But it’s impossible, Sage Li lowered her head, hugging her knees, crying silently without realizing the ordinary-looking young man standing on the steps not far away, showing a rare expression of sadness, nor could she realize that the young man in the photograph was embracing her from behind, offering quiet comfort.
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