Return to the Island

[patricia n]

a wise writer once told me that he was waiting for me to define myself. but you know what? i don't want to define myself! but here's to him and his creative mind to balance (and i highly recommend his works-and i'll reveal his identity the day he gives my permission to) the cheesy and horrible fanfics which writers like myself produce. if i have to reinvent myself, then i will have to find another outlet for my stress...alas, i barely have enough time to write.

so with that said, let me introduce this fic which is based on a equally cheesy artwork by the same name: RETURN TO THE ISLAND

and darn it! i am not ashamed to be cheesy.

special thanks to asalie from winglin for the beautiful poster.

[patricia n]

Part 1

The boat creaked gently as the waves slightly rocked against it, creating much difficulty for the boatman to row it towards the shore. The boatman was a simple man who had made a decent but honest living over the past twenty years by rowing passengers to their destination. He did not possess much in life; however, he was beyond content. The wisdom which he accumulated over the past forty five years taught him that true happiness could only be found from within. He silently sighed to himself, for today, he would also be experiencing exhaustion. He underestimated the winds that morning and it appeared that this trip would take him four hours longer than he had anticipated. Ordinarily, he would refuse to travel that much distance in a day; however, today was different because the circumstance was special.

He looked at the only passenger on his boat and observed her silently for a minute. Despite his age, he was a man after all. What man could resist such beauty before his eyes? One could not call the maiden young, but one also could not call her old. She looked about twenty seven. The breeze blew against her dark ebony hair, making her appear more frail. Her dark black eyes shone brilliantly, and her pink full lips were set in their natural pouting position. She must be from a wealthy family because her skin was as white as snow, unlike the peasants whose skin darkened from working rigorously out in the fields. The boatman had seen more beautiful women in his lifetime, but none possessed the same aura which she gracefully carried. Shaking his head, he chuckled silently to himself as he thought, “You fool. What will your wife think if she finds you eying a younger lady?”

The maiden continued to look out into the ocean quietly. Since she and the boatman left the dock that morning, neither had spoken a word to one another; nevertheless, the boatman was the least of her concerns. Seeing the vast emptiness of the ocean, she unconsciously pulled out a hairpiece from her garment and tightly held on to it.

The boatman finally broke the peaceful silence. “Miss, we will get there after the sun sets.”

Although absorbed with her thoughts, the maiden detected the subtle hesitation in his voice. Without tearing her eyes away from the ocean, she announced, “Elder, consider your debt paid off once I arrive at the island.”

The sound of her voice was hauntingly wondrous; it almost made the boatman regret the silence during the trip. Almost.

As if suddenly realizing the hairpiece in her hand, the maiden fixated on it with such intensity that it piqued the boatman’s curiosity.

“Miss, what sentimental value does that hairpiece have?”

Although the maiden heard him, she remained silent because she did not know from where to begin her explanation.

[patricia n]

Part 2

Along the main street in the small town of Endless Stream, every important and rich figure in town excitedly discussed the upcoming wedding of the eldest daughter of the Yip family, the most influential family in Endless Stream and all towns nearby. Although Master Yip had seven wives and was quite a womanizer during his youth, God had frowned upon his actions and punished him with five daughters and no sons. Nevertheless, being the devious entrepreneur he was infamous for, Master Yip used this curse to his advantage and exploited his daughters for his gain. His eldest daughter, Yip Suen, would soon wed the oldest son of the second most influential family in the area, the Chan family, and it was Master Yip who encouraged Yip Suen to resort to underhanded tactics to lure Chan Kin Fung into agreeing to the marriage. However, this fact was never the topic of anyone’s conversation, for a horrific fate was in store for the person who was caught speaking lowly of the Yip family.

Despite Master Yip’s scheming ways, a grand wedding held much potential for good business, thus, vendors and merchants aggressively approached the Yip family servants when they wandered around the streets.

Yeung Yi barely had the chance to examine the wedding fabric before another merchant pulled her aside to look at his product. At seventeen years old, Yeung Yi was still a petite maiden who was too weak to resist the pull of the various merchants tugging her in different directions. How she longed to scream at them to give her peace and allow her to complete her task in a timely manner, but any attempt would be futile among the roars of the merchants. Everyone in town knew Yeung Yi as Yip Suen’s personal maid, hence, every merchant wanted her attention in particular. Getting frustrated with their relentless demands, Yeung Yi resolved to return home empty-handed to decorate the house instead.

While walking back, she saw the future groom delivering gifts to the Yip family. Hoping no one saw her, she quickly snuck out to the west wing of the manor; unfortunately, Chan Kin Fung saw her. He immediately excused himself and discreetly chased after Yeung Yi. He made certain they were out of ear shot before he approached her, “Miss Yeung!”

Feeling uncomfortable with his presence, Yeung Yi took a few steps back and politely bowed, “Young Master Chan.”

“No need for such formality. Afterall, we will all soon be one family.” He touched her arm and watched her squirm and struggle to release herself from his grip. “Have I told you how beautiful you’ve gotten since I last saw you? I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more beautiful.” He stepped forward to smell her hair. “Ahh, how you intoxicate me.”

“Young Master Chan, please be respectful. I am your future wife’s maid.”

Reluctantly releasing his hold of her, he smirked as he remarked, “That is one of the reasons I agreed to marry Yip Suen. It will give me more opportunities to interact with you.”

“You’re shameless.” She abruptly turned around and saw Yip Suen staring at her with much hatred. Once a woman is outraged, she will lose rationality and the consequences are unimaginable, especially a woman such as Yip Suen who always had her way since birth.

“Young Mistress!”

“How dare you seduce my fiancé?” Without warning, Yip Suen slapped Yeung Yi.

“Young Mistress, I would never do such a thing.”

“Do you suggest that he would seduce you when he already has me? Who do you think you are? You are only a lowly servant.” Grabbing Yeung Yi by the ear, Yip Suen pulled her closer and whispered, “Yeung Yi, my family treated you so well and yet this is how you repay us? From now on, I want nothing to do with you. I’ll give you five minutes to pack all of your belongings and then leave this place. The farther you get away from this town the better because if I ever see you again, I can’t promise you that I will not hurt you.”

“Young Mistress, please don’t do this. I have no where to go.”

“You should have thought of that before you tried to seduce him, you *****.”

After Yip Suen left, Chan Kin Fung smiled although his eyes darkened as he drawled, “Things would have been different had you agreed to my marriage proposal, Miss Yeung.”

“I’d rather starve to death than marry you.”

He grabbed her collar and threatened, “Let’s see how well you fare without food. I’ll make sure no one in Endless Stream and the nearby towns offers you any help and no one interacts with you. You’ll soon come crawling to me.”

True to his words, no one offered any assistance to Yeung Yi or even allowed her to purchase food. It had been three days since she last ate and she had already traveled through two towns. On the fourth day, she made her way through the third town and fainted.

[patricia n]

Part 3

A young gentleman swiftly somersaulted from one cherry blossom tree to the next. Sensing that he was quickly losing his opponent, he became overconfident and slowed down his pace. He turned his head briefly and saw that his opponent could not keep up with him; he smiled to himself as he thought that it was getting much too easy to defeat her.

The young lady looked up and frowned. She was more determined to beat him to get rid of the smirk on his face. She recklessly used all of her energy as she tried to accelerate and blindly gave chase; unfortunately, she failed to jump over the branch as she miscalculated its height.

The gentleman turned around as he heard her call for help, “Senior Brother!” She was surprised by his speed as he rushed over to her aid; it never occurred to her that he had to exert very little effort to outrun her. Nevertheless, she could not pretend to be upset at him as she observed his concern for her. She lovingly stared at his face while he was examining her injured leg and blushed as she realized how close he was to her.

Touching it tenderly, he asked her, “Where does it hurt?” He explored her leg and applied some pressure to it until the young lady flinched.

“Senior Brother, please be more gentle.”

“Junior Sister, we have to bring you home to Teacher’s wife.” He pulled her up and when he discovered that she was limping, he offered his back, which she giddily jumped on to. He effortlessly carried her back home.

Their home was a simple shack made of bamboos with a window in each room. Who would have thought that such a home was inaccessible to strangers? To get into the home was not an easy feat for outsiders, for the home was situated in the middle of a hidden maze. Only those taught the proper entry into the home could safely enter and leave as desired.

“Junior Sister, hold on tightly,” the young gentleman warned as he quickly maneuvered his way through the maze. Once he safely reached the shack, he was welcomed by his teacher’s wife.

One could tell that his teacher’s wife was an extraordinary beauty during her youth; however, the big scar across her left cheek masked whatever beauty was left in her older years. This scar had been with her for so long that she no longer remembered what she looked like without it.

The teacher’s wife approached them and noticed the young lady limping after she got off the young man’s back.

The woman immediately approached them and asked worriedly, “Li Qian, what happened to your leg? Lam Fung, I thought I told you to keep an eye on her?”

The young girl limped towards her mother and pouted, “Mother, can you spare the lecture for later? My leg is in pain.”

Lam Fung bowed his head apologetically, “Teacher’s wife, it was my fault for racing Li Qian.”

Suddenly another figure came forward from the maze. The three recognized him to be the head of the house; however, they did not recognize the unconscious maiden he carried around his shoulders. Unlike his wife, Li Lian Jie was an average looking man, some would even call him brutish. None would recognize that he was once a scholar, but that was long ago before the many difficulties he had to overcome to be with his wife. Li Lian Jie knew the three were interested in this stranger, for he had never brought home a visitor in this manner before. He offered them a warm and friendly smile before he proceeded to tease his daughter, “Li Qian, you are a naughty girl. You know it was your fault for provoking your senior brother to race you, yet you allow your mom to blame him?”

His wife returned his smile, “That’s enough, Husband. Our daughter is hurt right now so we should forgive her this time.” She turned her eyes toward the figure and asked, “Who is this young lady?”

The man replied, “I don’t know.”

“Then why did you bring her home?” Such a simple question, yet the concerns were perplexing and possibly devastating.

“Because of her necklace.”

[patricia n]

Part 4

Yeung Yi woke up to a strange environment and panicked when she did not recognize any of the faces in the room, “Who are you? Where am I?”

Hearing her stomach growl, Mr. Li ordered, “Fung, go get this miss something to eat.”

Not liking the prospect of her senior brother serving another maiden, Li Qian volunteered herself; however, her father refused, “You are recovering from a leg injury and need to sit still.” Then to his wife, he requested, “Wife, please get her a bath tub so that she could wash herself.” What wife would not get jealous when witnessing her husband paying so much attention to a younger lady; nevertheless, Mr. Li’s actions throughout the years secured Mrs.Li's trust and she never once questioned his motive.

Yeung Yi observed the man of the house barking orders in quiet obedience. She could not help but wonder why these people were helping her. Didn’t they know the consequences for disobeying the Chan and Yip families’ orders?

Directing his attention on Yeung Yi again, Mr. Li stated, “After you eat and bathe, I have something I need to discuss with you.” He then motioned for everyone to leave the room.

Yeung Yi quickly bathed herself, for she knew that the sooner she was done, the sooner she would be able to enjoy her first meal in several days. She wondered for how long she stayed unconscious and what her host wanted from her. Whatever it was, she was grateful for their help but she needed to leave immediately for she did not want to endanger anyone, especially people who showered her with such kindness and generosity.

After she was done, she impatiently waited in her room until she heard a knock. Even before she heard the knock, she could smell the sweet aroma of food. She gladly opened the door and stepped back when she saw the young gentleman deliver the food.

Lam Fung stepped into the room and set the tray down. He noticed that the once dirty faced maiden was replaced by a fairly attractive young lady, but how could he judge? He had only encounter three women in his lifetime, including his teacher’s wife and junior sister. He walked over to the tub and easily carried it out, unintentionally impressing Yeung Yi, who stared at his back in wonder. All her life, she had never seen a man carry a tub full of water by himself; the job always required two big, fit men. She did not allow herself to persevere on this thought for long because her hunger pangs were unbearable. She couldn’t handle it anymore and started eating her food even before the young man stepped out of the room. Lam Fung looked back and saw her eating her meal rapidly. He chuckled to himself at the sight before his eyes, for he had never seen anyone eat like that before.

Yeung Yi coughed since she almost choked on a piece of fish bone.

Seeing that she was fine, Lam Fung continued walking out and said, “There’s no need to eat so fast. There’s more food in the kitchen if you want.” Glancing back at her, he continued, “You should eat more. You’re a bit too skinny.”

Yeung Yi immediately set down her bowl and chopsticks and stood up, “Young Master, please wait.” She hurried towards him and bowed slightly before expressing her concerns, “I thank your family for saving my life, but I do not wish to endanger your family. After I finish this meal, I will take off.”

Puzzled by this conversation, Lam Fung stated, “Endangered? What are you talking about? Why do you speak so strangely?”

“Surely you know of the Yip and Chan families and the order they placed throughout Endless Stream?”

“I’ve never heard of Endless Stream, and I don’t know or care for any family except the Li family. And if Teacher wants you here then you will stay here.” As such was the belief of a young man who felt indebted to his Teacher for raising him like a son. Such loyalty only exists in a teacher-disciple relationship, but who would guess that Lam Fung’s loyalty would eventually be tested?

“You’ve never heard of Endless Stream? Then…where am I?”

“You’re on Fond Illusion Island.”

Yeung Yi allowed his words to sink in. “Thank you, Young Master.” She returned to her table to continue her meal with many questions flooding her mind. Despite that, she soon smiled. What could a seventeen year old maiden with no secure future smile about? Even though her mind should be occupied with all the worries of a homeless person, it wasn’t. Rather, she concentrated on the name of the island – Fond Illusion Island. How could such a poetic name give so much hope for a stranded maiden?

After leaving the room, Lam Fung laughed a bit louder, “Young Master? What a strange young lady.” Never in his life had anyone addressed him so formally; he found it highly uncomfortable. Despite that, he found himself eventually returning to her room. This was quite uncharacteristic of him as he only socialized with the Li family; he had always gave his teacher’s visitors space and left them alone. However, in this case, he walked back to her room and he did not know why. Once again, he knocked on her door.

This time, she smiled when she saw him. “Young Master.”

“Please don’t call me that. My name is Lam Fung.” And just like that, he left her.

“And my name is Yeung Yi.” She set one foot out the door to tell him, but she doubt that he heard her as he left so swiftly.

She was wrong. He heard her, and her smile remained and her voice still echoed in his head. Suddenly, he realized it was her voice that drew him back, for he rather enjoyed the sweet sound of her voice.

It was evening before Mr. Li sought Yeung Yi privately. When he saw her cleansed face, he saw that she held a striking resemblance to someone he knew. He settled down and observed her as she waited for him to initiate the conversation. She shifted uncomfortably while he stared at her neck, and she immediately brought her hand to her neck to cover it.

Trying to distract his attention, she finally said, “Thank you for hosting me today.”

“You can thank me by telling me the truth. Where did you get that necklace?”

She wrapped her fingers protectively around the necklace, thinking back on the countless times people attempted to steal the necklace from her. “It is not for sale.”

“I don’t want to buy it. I don’t want it. I just want to know how it fell into your hands.” He said it matter of factly. “Just the truth and you can leave.”

“My mom gave this to me before she died.”

“What was your mother’s name?”

“Li Gong.”

Mr. Li’s hands shook when he heard the name. No wonder he could not find her whereabouts all these years, she had died. He was suddenly very soft spoken when he asked, “Where’s your father?”

“He’s dead. He died before I was born.”

“What’s your name?”

“Yeung Yi.”

“Do you have any place to go?”

“It does not matter. The sky and land are vast. There must be a place for me out there.”

“You have no family members out there.”

“How did you know?”

“Because I am your mother’s only sibling, Li Lian Jie.”

[patricia n]

Part 5

Yeung Yi agreed to stay on the island with the Li family and immediately adapted the new lifestyle. Working as a maid most of her life certainly gave her an advantage as she was able to contribute to the chores. In the mornings, she kept herself busy by helping Mrs. Li sort the medical herbs and in the afternoons, she tended to the garden. Her new life contrasted greatly with her old one. Life here was much simpler and more satisfying. She pitied that the Yip family constantly pursued more riches but could never obtain the satisfaction she experienced. Sighing contently, she realized that she had happily settled into this tranquil life. Probably, what she welcomed most about this new life was eating peacefully with the entire family. No bickering, no plotting, and no backstabbing. She wondered if she would enjoy her new life as much if she was not expose to her previous life?

The evening came quickly. Yeung Yi and Mrs. Li cooked dinner, and the rest of the family returned home just in time from their martial arts training. Everyone gathered around the table and began eating.

Seeing Yeung Yi get another serving of rice, Lam Fung teased her, “Sister Yeung, you’ve already gained so much weight since you came to this island. Even if you’re not afraid of turning into a cow, I would certainly be.”

She played along with his joke and asked, “And why is that?”

“Because once you become a cow, we will not have enough food to feed you!” However, he noticed that after she gained some weight, her face had certainly become more attractive. He could not deny that he liked looking at her. If he only knew that even if he encountered one hundred women in his lifetime, she would still be one of the most beautiful.

Yeung Yi quickly retorted, “If we have enough food to feed you then we can definitely feed a cow.”

The adults watched them with much amusement but Li Qian was quietly fuming. She observed the two and tried as she might, she could not find anything to say to interject. As with most girls, Li Qian did not enjoy sharing her love interest’s attention, especially to someone who she considered a rival. Everyone else around the table was occupied with one thought or another, so none noticed that Li Qian was less talkative than usual. The Li couple had been planning a surprise for Yeung Yi and decided to share it with her that night; they also wanted everyone around the table to help her on one matter.

Mr. Li cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention. Seeing that his wife gave him her consent to proceed, he asked Yeung Yi, “Yi, you have lived with us for about two months already. As you know by now, your aunt is a gifted doctor and I dare say that my martial arts is solid. If you are interested in learning either skill then we will welcome the chance to train you.”

Yeung Yi happily asked, “I can really learn either skill?” Seeing them nod, she thought aloud, “Both skills are so useful. How can I possibly pick one over the other?”

Mrs. Li wisely stated, “Yi, because you are seventeen, it would be a bit more difficult for you to pick up both skills. Therefore, we feel that it is best for you to concentrate on one skill.”

Taking the opportunity to interject, Li Qian advised. “Sister Yi, you should learn medicine.” Everyone turned to her and Li Qian explained, “You see, Father already has two disciples to pass along his skills where as mother has no one. Furthermore, Yi has been helping Mother sort the herbs these past two months; she must have picked up a skill or two so far. So why not pursue medicine?” The explanation was so rational. Who would ever suspect that her ulterior motive was to separate Yeung Yi and Lam Fung as much as possible?

Mrs. Li turned to Yeung Yi and asked, “Is this what you want for yourself?”

Yi excitedly grabbed her hands and nodded. Even if she preferred to learn martial arts, how could she have the heart to reject her aunt? Everything Li Qian said was logical and her aunt looked so hopeful to finally have a disciple. “Auntie, I can clear up the table by myself tonight.”

“In that case, I will see you tomorrow morning. Good night.”

After she finished cleaning the kitchen, Yeung Yi immediately returned to her room. Before she blew the lights out to go to sleep, someone knocked on her door. To her surprise, Lam Fung stood outside the door, “May I come in?”

“Please come in.” She closed the door after he entered.

He sat down and told her, “I wanted to speak to you alone. Are you unhappy with your decision?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I also prefer to be alone when I am unhappy.”

“And you assume I am just like you?”

“That’s not why I am here.”

“If you assume I am like you then you should also assume that I want to please those whom I am indebted to.”

“So you admit that you’d rather learn martial arts.”

Yeung Yi sat down and faced him. “It does not really matter what I want. To be honest with you, I would be happy learning either skill; although, I ultimately prefer to learn martial arts.”

“Then I will teach you.”

Yeung Yi stared at him. Most men she encountered in her life always wanted something from the women they helped; she pondered what Lam Fung motives could be. Lam Fung’s actions in the past two months earned her trust, but she could not fully let go of the prejudices she held against all men, excluding her Uncle Li. However, she did not know why she was so honest with Lam Fung. “Why are you helping me?”

Lam Fung earnestly replied, “You cook for the Li family every day. And you have made Teacher’s wife very happy by agreeing to be her disciple. It’s the least I can do for you. Plus, I like listening to your voice.”

It was the first time someone complimented her voice.

“And it won’t be much of a burden to you?”

“It’ll probably be more difficult for you. I’ve never trained anyone before, so I don’t know how demanding I’ll be.”

Yeung Yi smiled, “If you become overbearing, I’ll let you know by cooking the dishes you hate.”

[patricia n]

Part 6

Four years passed by very quickly, and life on Fond Illusion Island remained static. However, the feelings three people experienced were ever changing. The times spent together during such an important part of their youth shaped them and inevitably affected their relationship. Unbeknown to them, what lied on the surface of their relationship was simply an illusion.

One afternoon, a coincidence occurred or was it a test? Li Qian injured her left arm while sparring against Lam Fung, and both had to stop training so that she could be treated by Mrs. Li. Yeung Yi also injured herself while gardening, but her right arm was injured. Mrs. Li took out the anesthetics and gently massaged it onto Yeung Yi’s arm first as her injury was greater.

Li Qian signaled for Lam Fung to do the same to her, but he refused, “Junior Sister, it isn’t proper. Besides, your mother is a doctor; you should trust her more than me.”

Later that evening, Lam Fung went to Yeung Yi’s room and brought with him more anesthetics.

“Brother Lam, I don’t think I can train tonight with my injury.”

“We’ll talk about that soon. Give me your right arm.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re right handed.”

“Brother Lam, it isn’t proper.”

“If I don’t speak and you don’t speak then who will reveal it? Once more, give me your right arm.” Yeung Yi obediently placed her right arm on the table and carefully rolled up her sleeve.

Lam Fung pathetically attempted to massage the anesthetics onto her arm, “Did it hurt when you fell?”

Yeung Yi laughed to herself, “A bit but Auntie helped relieve the pain.”

“What are you laughing at?”

“At you. My left hand is better at massaging the oil than your right hand.”

Lam Fung raised his eyebrows mischievously, “In that case, we’ll see how well your left hand can handle a sword tonight.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“I don’t kid about training.”

The next evening, the family gathered around the table to enjoy dinner together. Looking at the various plates on the table, Li Qian asked aloud, “Are you trying to starve Senior Brother? These are all dishes he hates!”

Yeung Yi answered, “I forgot about that. These are dishes I’ve been craving the past few days.” Looking at Lam Fung, Yi smiled weakly with a devious twinkle in her eyes, “Sorry, Brother Lam.”

Later on that evening, Lam Fung and Yeung Yi met at their usual practice spot. Yeung Yi haughtily asked Fung, “Brother Lam, did you enjoy dinner tonight?” That was the first time she cooked only dishes he hated.

“Sister Yeung, I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing this for you. You need to master these techniques because you never know when you will need your left hand to defeat an opponent.”

“Brother Lam, I only want to learn enough to protect myself. I don’t think I need to know as much as you.”

“Although this island is safe, you cannot be certain about the world out there.”

“I don’t plan to leave the island.”

“You don’t? Why?”

“Because the world out there is ugly and full of evil.”

“I want to go.”

“You do not understand how heavenly life is here compared to the world out there.”

“Sister Yeung, I grew up on this island since I was an infant, and I have known nothing else but this island. I want to see what the world is like out there. I want to meet the martial arts experts to see how I fare compared to them. I’ve trained hard the past four years because Teacher once promised me that he would allow me to leave the island the day I defeat him.” He turned around to look at her. “I defeated him two weeks ago.”

Yeung Yi was suddenly saddened by this news. She should be ecstatic that he had completed his training, but she couldn’t. She never knew that he was planning to leave. “Then you should go.”

He hesitated briefly before he said, “Yi, I want you to come with me.” He grabbed onto her shoulders gently as he revealed, “I couldn’t go two weeks ago because I realized that I couldn’t bear to part from you.”

“But Li Qian?”

“She is like a sister to me. I take care of her because she needs me to. But you’re the person who I look forward to seeing everyday and whose face I miss every night. You’re the person who I most enjoy talking to and who I also feel most comfortable around. Furthermore, my ears love listening to your voice. Honestly, I can’t imagine how my life would be without you.”

Hadn’t she waited for him to say those words to her? He was the second man in her life who she fully trusted, yet he was the first to give her so much happiness and comfort. However, she was left speechless by his sudden declaration.

Fortunately, her silence did not deter him. He grabbed a small package from his garment and handed it to her. As she unwrapped it, he explained, “Teacher’s wife has a hairpiece that Teacher gave to her years before they got married, and to this day, she still cherishes that hairpiece above all her other accessories. So I can only hope that you will cherish this gift to that degree.”

Yeung Yi saw a small and simple hairpiece made of wood, “Did you make this?”

He nodded.

The next day, the dinner consisted of Lam Fung’s favorite dishes.

[patricia n]

Part 7

The boatman remained silent the entire time while the maiden recounted the story behind the hairpin. By then, he correctly guessed the maiden was no other than Yeung Yi, herself, but he could not understand why a story with such a promising ending would result in Yi looking so forlorn and returning to Fond Illusion Island by herself.

Reading his thoughts, Yi finally tore her eyes away from the hairpin and looked out into the ocean before revealing, “I was twenty one years old at the time and he was twenty four. We were young and both believed that nothing could ruin our perfect relationship…nothing at all.”

“Miss,” the boatman feebly attempted to comfort Yeung Yi when he realized that she was silently crying. Even after being married for twenty years, he still did not know how to comfort women during their vulnerable moments. He offered her his handkerchief and waited in discomfort. Should he continue to row the boat? Or should he let it stand still? Seeing that the sun was beginning to set, he wanted to make it to the island before it was completely dark.

After she finished crying, she explained, “Sorry. I rarely cry in front of others, but knowing that I will soon return to the island makes it much more difficult for me to suppress my emotions.”

“Miss, you do not have to return to the island if it pains you so much.” He continued to row the boat at a consistent pace. It dawned on him that he was being much more nosy than usual. Besides for his family, he cared not about other people’s problems. But this maiden was different. The more she talked, the less he missed the tranquil silence.

The maiden unexpectedly chuckled to herself and muttered, “Here I am about to reveal the entire story and I just presumed that you would be interested in my past. I am sorry.”

The boatman was curious. He wanted to know why she was here by herself with a hairpin. “What happened to Lam Fung?”

[patricia n]

Part 8

Yeung Yi’s martial arts improved much more rapidly, especially after she learned that Lam Fung was particularly anxious about leaving the island and was only staying behind for her. One night while they were sparring, Lam Fung could not stand being a gentleman for another moment. During one of their usual routines, Lam Fung purposefully tripped Yi, causing her to fall, but he caught her in time.

Yi tried to shift out of his embrace and then realized that he would not let go of her, “Brother Lam, why are you doing this?”

“What do you think?”

“Don’t act like this. It’s strange.”

He smiled lightly and teased her, “Strange? You think this is strange? I think it’s strange that we’ve declared our love for each other a while back but you never once allowed me to hug you.”

She looked away so that he couldn’t see her suppress her smile as she rebuked, “I never said that I love you.”

“You accepted my hairpin.”

“Because it was pretty.” She tried shifting again, fully aware that he was much stronger than her and a better fighter than her. She pleaded, “Brother Lam, my back is beginning to hurt. Please let me go.”

“No,” he lessened his smile. He was confident that she cared for him, but he wasn’t sure if she loved him. “I’ll let you go if you tell me the truth. How do you feel about me?”

“Let me go and I’ll tell you.”

“No, you have to tell me first.”

“Brother Lam, please?” She would rather wait until he released her first. She knew he would never deny her of any reasonable request and waited patiently until he reluctantly released her.

He helped her up and cursed himself. To think that he had so many dreams of their future together when he did not know where he stood in her heart. But she surprised him. After she regained her composure, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly on his cheek.

“Silly, do you need me to tell you how I feel? Haven’t you noticed that I am improving as quickly as I can just so that I can leave the island with you?”

“Yi, does this mean that you love me?” He held onto her hands abruptly and asked uncertainly.

She smiled and responded, “If not you then who else?”

He joyously lifted her off the ground and spun her around until she felt dizzy and begged him to release her. Still laughing, she felt off balanced after he put her back down, but this time, she allowed herself to fall against him and welcomed his embrace.

After being content in that position for some time, Lam Fung wondered, “Yi, do you think our children will be like us?”

Yeung Yi immediately lifted her head and pouted, “Brother Lam, you’re strange. Don’t you think these things are embarrassing to talk about?”

“Why?” Then it dawned on him. “You’re the one who’s silly. Yi, I promise that I will marry you. After I explore the world out there, we will return to this island to get married.”

Her eyes lit up. She could not imagine her future with anyone else except with him. “Really? But what if you never want to leave the martial arts world?” Her face fell as she considered that possibility.

Lam Fung immediately kneeled down and raised his right arm as he swore, “I, Lam Fung, promise to the heaven that in five years from now, I will wed Yeung Yi. If I break this promise, then I will be struck by lightning every day for the rest of my life and I will lose my right arm and all my martial arts skills.” He stood up and embraced Yi again as he whispered, “Yi, no matter what happens after we leave the island, I promise that we will get married here this day, five years from now.”

“Brother Lam, you promise?”

“Yi, if I don’t marry you then who else?” He grinned.

Suddenly, he somersaulted towards the bush and gasped. “Junior Sister?”

Li Qian stood up from the bush with a tear stained face, “Senior Brother, how can you do this to me? Is it because of her?” She pointed her finger at Yeung Yi.

Yeung Yi lowered her head, for she knew that Li Qian was also in love with Lam Fung. She would never have pursued the relationship, yet Lam Fung had made it clear to her that he only thought of Li Qian as a sister. So what was the point of trying to force Lam Fung to consider Li Qian? And she was also a woman with needs. If Fung chose her and made it clear that he only loved her, who would it benefit if she rejected him? She pitied Li Qian’s situation, but she did not wish to sacrifice her relationship with Fung. She loved him too much and she only wanted to be selfish just this once. Hence she could only apologize, “Sister Li…”

“Disgusting!” Li Qian charged at Yi with her sword.

Yi quickly dodged and avoided all of her strokes. “Did he teach you martial arts?” It angered Qian to see how much better Yi’s skills were and thus, her attacks became more aggressive.

Seeing that Yi would not unsheathe her sword, Fung stepped in and pushed Qian’s sword out of her hand.

Clank. Her sword fell. Qian looked at Yi with much hatred, “I wish my dad never saved you. I curse the day he brought you home. Listen to me Yeung Yi, if I can’t have Fung, neither can you!” She picked up her sword and ran away.

[patricia n]

Part 9

A couple of weeks passed and Li Qian behaved as though nothing happened. No one ever suspected that she already began scheming and was ready to execute her plan.

One morning, Yi walked into Fung’s room and dropped his breakfast after seeing him in bed with Li Qian. The shattered dishes woke up the two and also brought the Li couple into Fung’s room. Yeung finally recovered from her shock and brushed past the Li couple as she ran out of Fung’s room.

Fung also overcame his shock and when he saw Yi depart from his room, his heart sank. He quickly put his clothes on and also bolted out of his room; unfortunately, his teacher blocked his way. Li Lian Jie was evidently upset. Which father could possibly stay calm after witnessing his unmarried daughter lying naked in bed with a man? “Lam Fung, what did you do?”

Fung was torn between explaining the situation to his teacher and chasing after Yi. “Teacher, please let me find Yi first and everything will be cleared up.”

“You better take responsibility for what happened.” Mr. Li was unrelenting; he would not allow Fung to pass unless Fung agreed.

“Teacher, I don’t know what happened!” Fung looked at Qian with disappointment and anger before he faced his teacher, “Why don’t you ask Junior Sister? In the meantime, I need to find Sister Yeung.”

Not wishing to waste more time, Fung maneuvered his way past Mr. Li and went out to look for Yi. He found her sitting along the shore staring out into the vast empty ocean, and he slowly approached her.

“Yi.”

She would not turn around.

How could he explain what happened to her when he himself did not know the full story? He forced her to turn around and saw her sobbing.

She looked at him and waited for him to speak, to reveal the truth, to deny everything. She believed that he was innocent, for she knew that he only had her in his heart. Hence, she was willing to hear his side of the story.

Fung was earnest, but as confused about the situation as he was, he knew he only had this opportunity to tell Yeung Yi everything before she misunderstood the situation even more.

“Yi, I don’t know what happened. Last night Junior Sister came over to my room in tears.” He told her as much as he could without making her feel terribly uncomfortable.

Li Qian showed up at Fung’s room the previous night, for she did not understand why Fung could not return her affection. Hadn’t they been happy together before Yeung Yi came to the island? Couldn’t Fung recall all those moments when Qian and he protected each other when they got in trouble with Mr. and Mrs. Li? What exactly changed after Yi entered their lives? Fung tried to explain to Qian that he only thought of her as a sister and it wasn’t until he met Yi that he learned how inappropriate his interaction with Qian was and how his behavior could be misconstrued as something more than sibling affection. After several hours of crying, Qian calmed down and promised that she would retreat from the triangle as long as Fung agreed to remain friends with her and on the condition that he drank with her. So she left his room and came back with a calabash of wine. Fung did not remember drinking much; at most, he drank one cup of wine before he passed out. So he was just as shocked as Yeung Yi was when he woke up that morning, naked and in the same bed as Li Qian.

Yi listened to his story in complete silence. She had already fully forgiven him but she did not know what to expect. She could only ask him, “What do you plan to do next?”

Fung sat down as he felt the burden of the situation on him, “I don’t know. Teacher wants me to take responsibility, but I can’t. I don’t love Qian, and I am not sure of what we did last night.”

Yi silently nodded. “I believe you, Brother Lam.”

Fung mustered up a smile. “Thank you.”

They walked back home hand in hand. After they past the maze, they encountered the Li family, and all were extremely upset. Mr. Li attacked Fung while demanding him to take responsibility for ruining his daughter’s reputation. Qian sat in the background crying with her mom by her side trying to comfort her.

Out of respect for his teacher, Fung restrained from counterattacking; however, he knew that the only way to get his teacher to listen was to calm him. So after several more strokes from his teacher, Fung found the chance to immobilize him.

His ordinarily patient teacher was more enraged and spat out, “You bastard. I raised you and in return you raped my daughter while she was drunk?”

Fung and Yi were momentarily dumb-struck by Mr. Li’s outburst. They both turned in Qian’s direction and saw her avoiding their gaze. Fung calmly stated, “Nothing happened between us.”

Mrs. Li finally stood up and said, “Fung, do not patronize us. We are not blind. How else can you explain what we saw this morning?”

Yi walked over and stood next to Fung to show her support.

“After walking back from the beach, the situation began to make more sense to me. I did not do anything to offend Junior Sister last night. I only had one drink and fell asleep before I could do anything to her.”

Mr. Li spat out, “What are you implying, Lam Fung?”

Fung looked at his teacher, “Teacher, you’ve raised me since young and you know my character by this point. I would never try to taint your family’s reputation and have never hurt anyone in the family. And why would I hurt Junior Sister when I have always loved her like a sister? And why would I offend her when I am in love with Sister Yeung?”

Mrs. Li asked, “What did you just say?”

Fung reached his hand out to grab Yi’s hand, “I would never do anything to hurt Yi; therefore, I would never offend any woman, especially Junior Sister.”

Qian stood up abruptly and screamed, “You’re lying! Dad, Mom, don’t believe a word he said.” She cried louder and wailed, “Senior Brother, how could you ruin my life like this? Who will want to marry me now?” She ran up to him and slapped him before she fainted.

[patricia n]

Part 10

The thundering sky suddenly poured mercilessly, suiting the mood of the moment. Isn’t life strange? Why is it so difficult for everyone to be satisfied but so easy for all to be miserable?

After regaining consciousness, Li Qian scanned the room and noticed Fung’s absence. She then immediately took note of Yi and became hysterical, “What are you doing in my room? Get out!”

Out of respect for her uncle and his wife, especially considering their kindness and generosity in welcoming her into their family, Yi swallowed her pride and anger as she picked up a bowl of herbs and carried it over to Qian, “Sister Li, you should drink this.”

As Yi handed the bowl over to Qian, Qian abruptly knocked the bowl and watched with malicious satisfaction as the hot medicine splashed onto Yi’s face, “You don’t need to pretend to be nice to me. Senior Brother is not here.”

At the mention of Fung, Li Lian Jie’s mood soured, “Don’t mention that bastard. I cannot believe he treated you like this after all these years.” Even the most reasonable scholars have moments where their logic becomes clouded, and such was this. Li Qian’s birth did much damage to Mrs. Li such that it was impossible for her to conceive another child. Because of this, the Li couple only had one child who they both loved more than life itself. Hence, Mr. Li could not bear the pain of witnessing his daughter suffer nor could he tolerate the thought of someone violating her. Even though he was aware of Fung’s nature, his love for his daughter unfortunately deprived him of rationality.

“Uncle, Fung is not that kind of person.”

“Yi, has he blinded you as well?”

While the two were talking, Qian took out her sword and tried to attack Yi, who quickly dodged her strokes. “Sister Li, you are not my match.”

Qian stopped and bitterly agreed. “You are right. If I cannot kill you then…” She suddenly lifted her sword up to plunge it into her chest when her father stopped her in time.

“Qian, that bastard is not worth it.”

“Father, how can I face anyone from now on?”

“Don’t worry. Although I have raised him like a son, for your sake, I will kill him with my bare hands.”

“Don’t! If you kill him then I will not want to live.”

“Then what do you expect me to do?”

Being a woman, Mrs. Li understood what Qian wanted and explained to her husband, “Husband, she wants to marry Fung.”

Li Lian Jie protested, “But he made it clear that he does not wish to take responsibility.”

Mrs. Li walked over to Yi and placed her hand on Yi’s shoulder, “Because he loves you. Yi, can your uncle and I talk to you privately?”

She nodded.

A few days later, Yeung Yi struggled with her decision to visit Lam Fung in her room. Funny how in the previous weeks, such an act could be done without worrying about the consequences. How things changed so quickly. When she finally arrived in front of his door, she still could not rid herself of the anxiety she had experienced all day. She subconsciously wrapped her hand around her necklace while pondering what the next few days would bring. But she had long before made up her mind. The door opened and Yi saw Fung staring back at her.

“I saw you from my window.” He smiled.

She nodded in return and stepped in. “Brother Lam,” she paused as she took off her necklace and placed it in his hand. “This has been with me all my life, and I want you to have it. As long as you keep this by your side, I will know that you still love me.”

He patted her hand and reassured her, “Yi, no one can replace you in my heart.” Nevertheless, he quickly wore her necklace. “But I promise to always keep this necklace on me if it makes you feel better. I know the past few days have been difficult for you.”

“You don’t need to say more. They weren’t any more comfortable for you than they were for me.”

“That’s why I’ve decided that we need to leave the island soon.”

Yi smiled, but her expression was one filled with doubt. “Fung, I know you better than that. You love my uncle like your own father; you will never find the courage to leave him on bad terms. If you do, you will hate yourself for life.” She held onto his hands as she continued, “You want to leave because of me.”

“Yi, I…”

“Let me finish. I admit that the past few days have been very hard on me, but knowing that you love me is enough. I don’t want us to leave like this because it will ultimately affect our relationship. You’re already skeptical about your decision to leave when my uncle has misunderstood you greatly. You will soon come to regret this decision. If your regret and guilt grow then with time, you will unconsciously blame me.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m not. I’ve been thinking a lot about our relationship these past few days. And truthfully, I love you because you are a good person. And it’s because you’re a good person, you cannot bring yourself to hurt the ones you love. You respect my uncle too much to allow him to believe that you – his only prodigy - would harm his family.” She let go of her hands and frowned. “When I was much younger, my mom had my fortune read. She never really spoke much about it but I could sense it was not what she wished for me. So I never expected to be so lucky as to meet you.” Her face suddenly reddened as she asked, “Brother Lam, will…will you kiss me?”

Seeing that he did not respond, she smiled sheepishly, “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.” She turned around to leave.

“Wait!” Fung finally overcame his shyness and ran over to grab her hand. Without warning, his hands framed her face and he swooped his head down to plant a long and passionate kiss on her lips. Yi was not aware of how much willpower it took him to release his hold of her.

She lowered her head, which Fung mistook as a sign of embarrassment, and then she immediately ran out of his room so that he could not see her tears.

[XiaoYu]

Lovely story. Keep going!

[patricia n]

Part 11

When Yi first arrived on the island, all she had were the set of clothes on her and her necklace. Now that she was departing from the island, she realized how much she had accumulated during her time there. But packing took surprisingly little time, for she only wanted to bring that which carried any sentimental value. She heard a knock on her door, signaling the time.

She opened the door and saw the Li couple standing in front of the door. “Uncle. Teacher. I’m ready.”

The walk to the shore was a awkwardly silent one. When they arrived, Yi saw the boat which she would take to the mainland.

The Li couple was ashamed of the request they demanded from Yi, but they knew they could no longer avoid the subject. Both apologized profusely while Yi stood rooted to the ground, her mind elsewhere.

It pained her to know that she would not see him for a while, maybe forever. Like him, she was also a person with principles. The Li couple loved her and treated her kindly. That day when they both spoke to her privately, they both kneeled and begged her to let go of Fung, and she knew she could no longer be selfish and cling onto the hope of being his wife. Her uncle and teacher confessed that they could not lose their only child and pleaded that Yi gave Qian a chance to be with Fung. Although Yi knew that love could not be forced, she also understood that she owed the Li couple her life. Therefore, she had to leave. She could not stay on the island and not be with Fung. She could not stay on the island and watch the Li couple force Fung to marry another woman. She also could not stay on the island and pretend that life was the way it used to be. She was angry at them because they were being unreasonable. If she was their daughter, they wouldn’t treat her like this. But she wasn’t their daughter and they were only behaving like any other loving parent. So she could not resent them for being human.

She knew it was time to go and reluctantly boarded the boat. To her surprise, she saw Fung running towards the boat, but Li Lian Jie rapidly and urgently pushed the boat out and signaled the boatman to start rowing.

Fung screamed out, “Yi, why are you doing this?”

As much as she wanted to see him, she knew it would be for the best if she avoided him. So she walked into the covered room on the boat.

Li Lian Jie attacked Lam Fung in an effort to keep him on the shore, and Lam Fung did not hesitate to counterattack. After listening to the couple apologize to Yi, he correctly reasoned that Yi left because of them. He was upset that they would allow their manipulative daughter to control his life and Yi’s life. He fought back with all his might and knew that he would soon gain the upper hand. When he finally defeated his teacher, the boat had already traveled a good distance.

His teacher felt guilty for separating the two but he didn’t know how else to save his daughter. Surely, she would make another attempt at suicide if she couldn’t marry Fung. Li Lian Jie walked up to Fung and whispered, “I am sorry.”

Fung immediately turned around and kneeled, “No. Teacher, I am the one who is sorry.” He then got up and finished, “Take care of yourself, Teacher-wife, and Junior Sister.” There was so much more he wanted to say, but he knew that it was futile at this point. Hence, without clarifying the mess that Qian created, Fung somersaulted out into the ocean and swam after the boat.

The waves were calm, and Fung believed that he would be able to catch up to the boat. Unfortunately, the current grew stronger and the waves quickly became rockier. He felt himself drained of energy. Gasping for air, he attempted to scream, “Yi!” in hopes that she could hear him and turn the boat round. He wanted to see her again and let her know that he would not regret leaving behind his teacher with such an awful misunderstanding. He got weaker and even willpower could not help him swim faster and farther. Eventually, he passed out.

[patricia n]

Part 12

Yi looked worriedly at the figure lying soundlessly on the bed. It had already been a week, and Fung remained unconscious and hypothermic. Despite her advance medical knowledge, she could not help him recover. Daily, she soaked him in a warm bath and fed him the most precious herbs she collected in the morning. And in the evening, she would sleep next to him to transfer her body heat to him.

“Brother Lam, you are silly, you know that?” She couldn’t stop her tears. Seven days, and he had not shown any sign of improvement. “I’ve already told you, knowing that you love me is enough for me. Why did you have to swim after me and risk your life?” She placed another hot towel on his forehead.

Seeing him shiver, she closed the windows so that the evening breeze would not affect him. She returned to the bedside and slowly undressed him, a routine which she hadn’t fully grown comfortable with. She carefully placed the layers of blanket on top of him, after which she began to undress herself. Lying naked next to him, she shyly wrapped her arms around him and prayed that he would soon wake up from his coma. She was too exhausted and soon fell asleep.

The candlelight flickered and dimly lit the room. Who knew how many hours after Yi fell asleep before Fung opened his eyes. He looked around the room, unable to recognize anything. He attempted to move but was too weak to struggle. Something was weighing him down. He suddenly looked at the figure next to him and recognized her. Seeing her rest next to him, he faintly smiled.

As he became more alert, he realized that they were both naked. Being raised a proper gentleman, he knew it was unacceptable for an unmarried man and woman to share the same bed, needless to say sleep naked in the same bed. However, he felt a wonderful warmth flowing through his body, and he could not bring himself to move away from her. He stared at her for a while until he acquired some strength to gently caress her cheek.

Yi slowly stirred in her slumber. She felt a movement and quickly opened her eyes to see Fung observing her.

“Brother Lam! You’re awake.” She exclaimed joyfully. Suddenly, she unwrapped her arms from his body and moved farther away from him. She was too ashamed to say more, for she did not expect him to recover while they were both naked.

“Yi.” Before he blacked out, he was scared that he would never be able to see her again. He was overwhelmed with the situation, especially after observing her lying next to him so lovingly. No longer able to control himself, Fung allowed his passion and manly needs to consume him. What man could possibly resist such a tempting situation?

And hearing how softly he uttered her name and feeling deliriously happy by his recovery, Yi no longer cared for the conventions of their time. She allowed him to embrace her and kiss her tenderly. And slowly and blissfully, the night drifted away as the pair celebrated their reunion.

In the morning, Yi tried to quietly get out of bed to dress herself, but Fung would not let her go. He turned her around and looked at her in the eyes, “Now, you are mine so you must promise to never leave me again.”

She nodded her head shyly in agreement.

“Yi, I don’t have much now, but I promise to build a name for myself in the martial arts world so that you will be proud to call me your husband.”

“Brother Lam, you know I do not care for riches or glory.”

“I know.” Changing the subject, he wondered, “Where are we?”

“We are on the mainland.” Yi explained how she encountered an old couple while carrying him on her back, “They assumed that we were married, and seeing how ill you were, the couple was kind enough to offer us a place for you to recover. They did not ask many questions so I felt comfortable staying here.” Without warning, she shifted her body as she sternly lectured him, “Brother Lam, you are crazy. Did you think that you were strong enough to swim through that current? You almost got yourself killed! Luckily, the boatman heard your faint cries or else…” Not being able to finish her sentence, she hit his chest, “I was so worried about you.”

Fung coughed and clutched his hand against his chest. He had not fully healed, hence he was unable to tolerate Yi’s slap. He grinned, “But I’m here…with you.”

Seeing that he was fine, Yi smirked, “Serves you right for thinking that you’re invincible.” She quickly got out of his embrace, “Close your eyes.” Even though they had already slept together, Yi still held onto the modesty of a maiden.

Fung obeyed her without resistance, for he needed to rest some more. Seeing that his eyes were shut, Yi quickly got dressed and left the room.

Fung and Yi continued to stay at the couple’s home until Fung felt all of his strength had returned. After a month, the two bid farewell to the kind couple and started on their journey to explore the martial arts world.

[patricia n]

Part 13

In less than half a year, Lam Fung established himself in the martial arts world. After a competitive duel with a famed fighter, he would search for a stronger martial arts expert for his next duel. His opponents were always surprised when they encountered him, for they did not expect such a young man to be arrogant enough to challenge them. And they were even more shock when the same young man defeated them. The duels became harder to win as the fighters were more solid. However, his name quickly rippled throughout the martial arts world.

One day, as Yi and Fung enjoyed their lunch, they couldn’t help but listen to the conversation at the table next to them.

The shrill voices of two women pierced Yi and Fung’s ears as they spoke about Fung.

“Mistress, I heard that this mysterious young martial arts expert has three heads and six hands. And if he willed himself, he could disappear in one instant and reappear in the next.”

“Nonsense. Nobody is born like that. I heard that he is very good-looking and suave that’s why he is dubbed as the Handsome Swordsman Lam.”

Yi looked at Fung and giggled when she saw him blush at their comment, “Looks like you are famous now.” She then looked at him quizzically, “Looking forward and backward, there’s nothing spectacular about you. I don’t understand how you earned the reputation as the Handsome Swordsman Lam. I think I agree more with the maid.”

“You need to talk less and eat more.” He placed the biggest piece of chicken into her bowl and ordered, “Eat.”

Their tranquil lunch was quickly disrupted by the on-going conversation at the next table.

A man’s booming voice resonated, “Yip Suen, how dare you talk like that about another man while I am sitting right here.”

“Hmph. Chan Kin Fung, remember whose family has the most power in this town. And don’t forget, you never really treated me as your wife either!”

Yeung Yi perked her ears in recognition of the names. Without realizing it, Lam Fung and Yeung Yi had traveled through Endless Stream. The town had changed significantly since Yeung Yi left it, hence she was unable to recognize it. Nevertheless, even if she wanted to, she could never forget the faces that made life difficult for her.

Seeing her face grow pale, Fung asked, “Yi, are you fine?”

She squeezed his hand in reassurance, “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong.”

Chan Kin Fung suddenly took notice of Yi and smiled perversely, “Ah, if it isn’t Miss Yeung. And I must say, you have grown so breath-taking with time!”

Seeing her husband express such blatant interest in another woman, Yip Suen felt enraged, especially a woman who used to be her maid.

Yip Suen also quickly rushed to Yi’s table and obnoxiously commented, “I thought I told you to never show your face in this town again.” Sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea, she continued, “Or have you forgotten what fear tastes like?” She immediately proceeded to splash the cup of tea into Yi’s face, but Fung quickly picked up a piece of chicken and used it to knock off the cup of tea from Suen’s hand.

Suen finally looked in Fung’s direction and fumed, “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care.” He continued to eat and ignored her existence. He placed another piece of chicken into Yi’s bowl and tenderly said, “You need to eat some more. We have a long trip ahead of us.”

Chan Kin Fung situated himself between Yi and Suen. Eying Yi’s hand, he attempted touch it but Lam Fung easily kicked his chair back, causing him to fall. Chan Kin Fung quickly got up and brushed himself and attacked Lam Fung to no avail. Losing face, Chan Kin Fung warned, “You watch out. I will not let this go” and he departed.

Yip Suen stared at Yi intently and said, “Yeung Yi, you will regret returning here.” And pointing her finger at Fung, she said, “And you! You will learn that no one disrespects Yip Suen.” She soon followed her husband.

After they left, Fung looked at Yi.

Wide-eyed, she asked “What?”

He smiled, “No wonder you said that the world is evil and ugly. It’s amazing you could stand working for a person like that.”

The two finished their lunch and were about to leave the restaurant before they were surrounded by forty men armed with swords and sabers. Chan Kin Fung and Yip Suen emerged from the men. The husband snickered, “Let’s see if you’ll dare to upset us in the future. Attack.”

Fung pushed Yi aside, “I can handle this.” In no time, he easily defeated all forty men.

Seeing this, Chan Kin Fung panicked and decided to blackmail Fung by using Yi as bait. He pulled out a sword and placed it on Yi’s neck as he yelled, “You son of a turtle, if you want her to live then drop your sword and listen to me.”

Yi smirked, “Chan Kin Fung, you’ve underestimated the both of us.” Without further warning, Yi disengaged herself from the sword and kicked Chan Kin Fung onto the floor. She walked over to Yip Suen and calmly stated, “Because you were once my employer and your family once sheltered me, I will forget that you treated me poorly and unfairly in the past. But if you ever threaten me again, I cannot promise that I will let you or your husband off easily.”

Suddenly, a young and diminutive man applauded out loud and approached them, “Handsome Swordsman Lam is truly impressive.”

Chan Kin Fung and Yip Suen were astonished, “Lam Fung?”

The young stranger continued, “I am Chow Ming. I heard so many things about you and finally have the pleasure of meeting you. And this lady must be your love interest.”

Yeung Yi blushed upon hearing a third party comment on their relationship.

Not wishing to delay his trip to fight his next opponent, Lam Fung wanted to leave Endless Stream soon. “It’s a pleasure meeting you as well. If fate wills it, we will meet again. Yi, let’s go.”

“Eh, don’t leave yet.” However the pair continued to ignore Chow Ming. “Ah, why am I so stupid? Why couldn’t I think of something more intelligent to say to Lam Fung and Yeung Yi?”

A crippled ugly man walked by Chow Ming and asked, “Do you know where they are?”

The young man asked haughtily, “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I’m their friend. If you take me to them, I will introduce you to them.”

The young man smiled happily and agreed.

[patricia n]

Part 14

Lam Fung and Yeung Yi determinedly walked out of Endless Stream; however, they both detected the presence of two other people trailing them. Stealing a quick glance at each other, they resumed their path and pretended as though they were unaware of what was occurring.

Suddenly, the young man who they encountered from the restaurant screamed out, “Handsome Swordsman Lam Fung, please wait. I brought along your friend.”

Before the diminutive young man by the name of Chow Ming finished his sentence, the crippled man somersaulted over Fung and Yi and landed before them, with his saber pointing towards them.

The young man, obviously inexperienced to the martial arts world widened his eyes and asked, “I thought you told me you’re their friend? What are you doing?”

The ugly crippled man ignored Chow Ming and took another step towards the pair, “Lam Fung, get out of the way and you will not be harmed.”

Fung immediately pulled Yi behind him, “What do you want with her?”

“Her life.” Without another warning, the ugly crippled man advanced towards Yi and tried to attack her. Fortunately, Fung pushed her away in time and fought against the man. Forty strokes, and yet a winner could not be determined.

Excitement ran through Fung when he realized that he was fighting against a great martial artist. But who was this man? How come he could not recognize him at all?

The ugly crippled man increased his strokes and became more aggressive, “I don’t want to hurt you, young man. Give me her life, and you will be free.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who are you?”

Realization soon dawned on Chow Ming and he yelled out, “Ah,…Now I know. He is none other than Mortal Saber Stroke Wong Yat Wah.”

‘Wong Yat Wah, didn’t he retire from the martial arts world ten years ago? What is he doing back? Why does he want Yi dead?’ Fung thought to himself.

Wong Yat Wah laughed loudly. “That’s right. I am he. Lam Fung, now that you know who I am, you should realize that you are not my match. I’ve no reason to harm you, but if you continue to interfere with my task, I can’t promise you that you will still be alive.”

True to his words, Wong Yat Wah used his full strength. With one stroke of his saber, be broke Lam Fung’s sword and palmed Lam Fung back, injuring him heavily. Wong Yat Wah turned to Yi and began to attack her. Yi defended herself initially, but soon grew tired as Wong Yat Wah overcame her with his strength. She fell back as his last saber stroke broke her sword and the force pushed her to the ground. Throwing up blood, she looked up to see Wong Yat Wah about to push his saber down on her when all of a sudden the sound of the flute could be heard echoing all around.

Wong Yat Wah looked up in fear.

A voice echoed, “Mortal Saber Stroke Wong Yat Wah, it has been a while hasn’t it?”

Wong Yat Wah looked around, “Deadly Flute Tune Cheng Siu Chow, what do you want?”

“Leave the girl alone or else.”

“Hmmph! Don’t think I’m afraid of you!”

The sound of the flute could be heard again, but its intensity increased and became deadlier. It was harsh to the ears and everyone collapsed as he tried to cover his ears.

Looking at Yi, Wong Yat Wah decided to kill her another time and left as fast as he could. After he left, another figure appeared carrying a flute.

The owner of the flute was a handsome young man. Chow Ming eyed him carefully, “You are not Cheng Siu Chow. You are too young to be him.”

“You’re right.”

“But how did you learn how to use the flute as a weapon?”

The gentleman charmingly smiled, “I am his son, Cheng Ka-Wing.”

Chow Ming eyed him with much admiration and approval, “Like father like son. You are just as heroic as your father.”

“I was lucky. If Wong Yat Wah did not believe I was my father, I doubt that he would flee, for my skills are not as solid as my father’s.”

“I am Chow Ming. Glad to meet another hero.”

Yi suddenly collapsed as she could no longer withstand the pain.

Lam Fung tried to run over to her, but he was too heavily injured to move.

Rather, Ka-Wing ran over to her to help her and was immediately smitten by her beauty.

[patricia n]

Part 15

Chow Ming and Cheng Ka-Wing both carried Lam Fung and Yeung Yi back to Endless Stream for them to recover. Unfortunately, they were met with many unexpected happenings during their stay, and Ka-Wing soon discovered the hatred which the Yip and Chan families harbored towards Fung and Yi. Nevertheless, Fung and Yi’s critical condition made it difficult for them to travel to another town and Ming and Ka-Wing both agreed to stay in Endless Stream until Fung and Yi recovered enough strength before they moved again. Fortunately, Ka-Wing martial arts was sufficient to guard the pair, and after learning about his origin, the Yip and Chan families were more careful to avoid offending him.

During the their stay in Endless Stream, Ka-Wing could be observed to take special care of Yi, a woman he only grew more fond of daily.

Chow Ming witnessed his interaction with Yi and sighed.

“Brother Chow, what is it?”

Chow Ming slightly pushed Ka-Wing aside and declared, “You’ve taken care of her long enough. Now it’s time for you to concentrate on Brother Lam; he’s also injured. I can take care of Miss Yeung.”

“There’s no difference if I take care of him or you take care of him.” Ka-Wing retrieved the bowl of medicine which Chow Ming took from him.

“Yes there is.”

“And why is that?”

Chow Ming again attempted to take the bowl back. “It’s obvious that you are attracted to Miss Yeung, but she is already Brother Lam’s love interest. And she loves him too or else they wouldn’t be traveling around together.”

Ka-Wing blushed for he did not realize that his interest in Miss Yeung was so evident.

Circling Ka-Wing, Ming wondered, “You don’t even know Miss Yeung. Why do you like her?”

“Stop being nosy like a woman. Go take care of Brother Lam.”

Chow Ming stomped his foot and left the room, “Don’t you dare take advantage of her or else I will tell Brother Lam everything.”

After Ming left, Ka-Wing sat in the seat next to Yi’s bed and wondered aloud, “We need to leave this town soon. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it is for you and Brother Lam.” He then turned to face Yi and swept away a lock of her hair then immediately brought his hand back, ‘Ka-Wing, Brother Chow is right. Miss Yeung already belongs to someone else.’

During the following three weeks, Fung began to show signs of recovery, and in this time, his relationship with Ming and Ka-Wing strengthened. Initially, he was suspicious of their incentive for befriending him and helping him; however, after seeing how diligently they worked to treat him and Yi, he ceased to doubt their sincerity. He quickly learned that this was Ming’s first time out in the martial arts world, thus, he was easily tricked by Wong Yat Wah. And much to his disappointment, he discovered that the martial arts world had true experts who he had never encountered. All of the fighters which he had defeated thus far were nothing compared to the martial arts greats such as Wong Yat Wah and Cheng Siu Chow, who he learned about through Ming and Ka-Wing. It made him ponder how much more superior the leader of the martial arts world Tong Man Lung was. It was a wonder that he even established a name for himself so quickly in the martial arts world.

While tending to Yi’s care one day, Fung was very quiet.

Seeing him lost in his thoughts, Yi laid her hand on top of his. “Brother Lam, what are you thinking?”

He smiled warmly at her, “Nothing. I was just wondering when we would both fully recover.”

“You don’t need to lie to me. Don’t think that I haven’t noticed what’s been going on these past few days. You’re worried that you would never reach the level of the martial arts greats.”

He remained silent. It was the truth.

“Is it that important to you to be the best?” Her eyes were filled with so many questions which he missed because of his stubbornness.

He nodded.

“Why?” She thought about her life on the island and how content she was. How it differed drastically from the martial arts world. Although she was happy with Lam Fung, she did not feel quite safe in the martial arts world. Knowing martial arts did not give her a sense of security and she wished more than anything to return to a peaceful life. During the past three weeks while she was recovering, she had thought more and more about how difficult the martial arts world was and how she only wished to live a simple life with Lam Fung, where there would be no crazy martial artist trying to kill her without a reason, where she wouldn’t have to travel from town to town in pursuit of competing against another martial artist. But she had promised him five years, and she was willing to wait. She had thought that he only wanted to see how he fared compared to other fighters; she did not realize that being the best was so important to him.

He didn’t know why as well. It was never his intention to be the best, but the more he fought with others, the more he realized that he had the potential to be the best with enough practice. And now that he knew what he could achieve, he had decided to pursue the goal of being the best. After all, he was simply a young and ambitious man. He could only ask her, “Do you regret following me?”

She looked at him with much love and shook her head, “Brother Lam, I am happiest with you.”

The door creaked open and both looked to find Ka-Wing standing awkwardly with the tray of bowls in his hands. “Sorry to disturb you, but I just want you to know that we will be leaving this town soon. I know someone who is willing to house us three towns from here.”

Fung took the tray from him, “Thanks Brother Cheng.”

Ka-Wing stole a look at Yi, which both Fung and Yi missed, and then he retreated from the room. While walking back to his room, Ming chased after him, “Brother Cheng!”

He stopped and looked at Ming, “What is it?”

Stopping to catch his breath, Ming responded, “Are you alright?”

Seeing his concerned and innocent face, Ka-Wing turned around and continued walking, “Brother Chow, sometimes I wonder if you’re really a man.”

“What?”

“You act too much like a woman.”

Ming quickly turned red and stomped his foot.

Seeing his error, Ka-Wing quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Well, you did. I only wanted to make sure that you were fine after your encounter with Fung and Yi. I had good intentions and you insulted me? Hmph!”

Ming turned around and left Ka-Wing.

Shaking his head, Ka-Wing muttered, “Well, he does act like a girl sometimes.”

[patricia n]

Part 16

The journey leaving Endless Stream proved to be better than anyone had anticipated. The four enjoyed the nice spring breeze while wandering through the neighboring towns, completely unaware of what their future held for them. After enjoying the sunset, Fung, Yi, Ka-Wing, and Ming contently packed their belongings and began their trip to visit Ka-Wing’s friend. They all welcomed the evening wind, which casually brushed against them and made their long journey much more bearable. Happily occupied in their discussion about each other’s childhood, the four failed to notice a shadow lurking behind them until the tip of a saber broke the group apart. The four looked around in an attempt to disclose the intruder and soon realized that they were followed by a martial arts master. Glancing worriedly at one another, they all reunited in the center and waited for the intruder to attack, only this time, they were prepared to counterattack.

After a while, Fung jumped up to the nearest tree and attacked the shadow hidden there; unfortunately, Fung had not fully recovered and was quickly injured. Nevertheless, Fung could not understand why the intruder held back from killing him.

The four looked at each other again after more time passed by. Nodding to the other three Ka-Wing began to play his flute, hoping that his ability could affect this intruder.

The horrendous sound of the flute echoed and vibrated ferociously, shaking the leaves and branches. Birds were falling off the tree and landing dead on the ground, yet there was no sign of the intruder. Suddenly, a loud laughter was heard, “Young man, your skills are far inferior to your father’s!”

The four looked in confusion as they could not find the source of the voice.

“If you wish to live then abandon the girl!”

Fung looked around; he recognized the voice. “No. Wong Yat Wah, if you are heroic then show yourself.”

“Ha! Lam Fung, how naïve you are. Do you think I care about what others think? Leave the girl with me and I promise you will survive.”

Fung smiled. “Wong Yat Wah, you could have easily killed me many times already, but each time we fight, you seem to be holding back. I don’t think you dare to kill me.”

The face of the ugly crippled man suddenly revealed himself to the rest of the group, “Lam Fung, don’t think I would not dare. My goal is to kill Yeung Yi. If it means having to kill the rest of you then I will do it.”

Ka-Wing suddenly positioned himself between the rest of the group and Wong Yat Wah. Pointing his flute towards Yat Wah, Ka-Wing asked, “Mr. Wong, please respect my father and leave Miss Yeung alone.”

Wong Yat Wah’s face twitched, causing him to look uglier than anyone thought was possible. “Don’t you dare threaten me young man. If I kill you, your father will never know.” He pulled his ominous saber out, the moonlight reflecting well against the blade, a blade which had killed countless lives. He carefully took a step forward.

None of the four ever noticed how deafening his steps were before. Strangely enough, none of his steps left a footprint. This was a true sign of a martial arts expert.

Unexpectedly, four projectiles were shot in Wong Yat Wah’s direction, who used his saber to defend himself from the projectiles. Looking at Chow Ming, Yat Wah commented, “Central Poison Chow Sing Chi would be ashamed to know that his prodigy is so weakly skilled.”

Ten more projectiles shot out, but Wong Yat Wah deflected them easily. Soon, numerous more came towards him and he was still unharmed. Chow Ming screamed, “Run!”

The four ran, and Wong Yat Wah easily caught up to them.

Fung turned around and commanded, “I will distract him. Both of you promise to take care of Yi.”

Yi looked at Fung, “No. I will not leave without you!”

“This is no time for arguing. Yi, listen to me, please.” Turning to his friends, he pleaded, “Take her away.”

Ka-Wing easily carried Yi away as she was still too weak to resist; however, she kept on turning back to look at Fung and cried, “Brother Lam! I promised you that I would never leave your side again. Why? Why are you forcing me to leave you?” She knew he was not Wong Yat Wah’s match and she feared the worst, “Why?!!!” After she calmed down, she begged Ka-Wing and Ming, “Please, let me go back. He can’t defeat Wong Yat Wah, especially not in his condition.”

Ka-Wing and Ming continued to run. Ming turned to her and explained, “Sister Yeung, all of us are concerned about Brother Lam. But if we return, we would be more of a burden to him.”

“Please, let me go back. Wong Yat Wah wants my life, not Brother Lam’s. If I return, then there is a chance for Brother Lam to live.”

Wong Yat Wah’s voice could be heard as he caught up to them, “Yeung Yi, if you let me kill you now then your two friends will have a chance to live. If not then they will suffer the same fate as Lam Fung.”

Hearing those words, Yeung Yi froze. Her heart tightened and she became pale. “What did you just say?” She did not want to believe those words, and she hoped that she misheard.

However, Ka-Wing continued to run, “Miss Yeung, do not listen to him.”

“No, let me down. I have to find Brother Lam! Please. I don’t want to affect you or Brother Chow. Please, put me down and the both of you run.”

“No, Brother Chow and I promised to take care of you and we will not disappoint Brother Lam.”

“He will understand, for neither do I wish to pull you and Brother Chow into this mess.”

Ka-Wing and Ming tried to convince her otherwise. They continued to run until they came near the edge of a cliff.

Wong Yat Wah suddenly somersaulted towards them and landed. Nevertheless, what surprised Yi the most was the figure which landed next to him, Li Qian.

[patricia n]

Part 17

“Sister Li? What are you doing here?” asked a puzzled Yi who soon overcame the shock of seeing Qian stand next to Wong Yat Wah.

Rather than answering her question, Qian smirked at Yi and soon linked her arms lovingly around Yat Wah’s burly arm as she delicately asked, “Brother Wong, why are you still standing here? Didn’t you promise to kill her for me?” And without warning, she undid her arms and abruptly turned away from him as she accused, “Unless all those promises which you’ve made to me are worth nothing to you.”

The ever so solemn Yat Wah became alarmed and his ugly face oddly bared some semblance to someone who looked worried as he limped his way over to Qian. Still holding onto his saber, he used both hands to massage her arms while attempting to sooth her, “Of course not. All of those promises I made in bed I will keep.”

Hearing their conversation, Yi lost all hope for Fung. Initially, she believed that Qian loved Fung too much to ever allowed anyone to kill him; however, hearing that she had even gave up her virginity for vengeance made Yi wonder how much and what Qian was capable of. Would her once strong love for Fung prevent her from seeking revenge on him too? Or did she only desire to harm Yi?

“What a despicable woman! Using her body to get a man to kill someone else,” declared Chow Ming.

Qian snapped her head and looked at him. “Young man, insult me all you want for you will not survive to see tomorrow. Brother Wong, kill all of them for me!”

Yi abruptly stood up and reasoned, “Mr. Wong, Sister Li clearly doesn’t love you. She only has Brother Lam in her heart. Don’t let her use you like this.”

Chow Ming quickly ran over to Yi and grabbed a hold of her arm to support her. Staring at Yat Wah, she mocked, “Look at yourself. Do you think any normal looking girl can love a brute like you? She’s only using you!”

Seeing Yat Wah waver, Qian tenderly touched his cheek with her hand and convinced him, “Brother Wong, if I didn’t love you then I wouldn’t have given myself to you so freely. Don’t listen to them and more importantly, do not allow them to separate us, huh?”

He nodded and replied, “I’m not a fool.” His statement had a double meaning and Qian soon learned what he implied. “I will not allow them to separate us for certain. You are the only woman to have ever pleasured me even though I know you don’t love me. But I’m not a fool, my Qian. If listening to you means more sex then I will kill them regardless of your ulterior motive.”

Qian took a couple of steps back and looked at the ground, embarrassed that he made such a comment in front of everyone. Even though she was blinded by vengeance, she was afterall raised in a proper family and knew what was shameful to be revealed about a woman. Those steps which she took back made her missed what could have been the happiest moment in her life.

For as she faced the ground, Yat Wah used all of his force to attack Yi. Cheng Ka-Wing intercepted the strokes in time with his flute, but Yat Wah’s skills were too strong and broke his flute. The impact from the broken flute was so forceful, that it threw Ka-Wing back and knocked him into Yi and Ming and pushed all three off the steep cliff.

The three sustained injuries from the fall; fortunately, luck was on their side, and all fell into a stream which was invisible from above. However, they all momentarily lost contact as the stream pushed them away from each other and each swam out at different times and places, gasping desperately for air.

Ka-Wing, the healthiest and strongest of the three screamed for Yi and Ming to no avail. He wandered for some hours and accidentally tripped on a body. Looking down, he recognized the back belonged to Ming. “Brother Ming, wake up! We need to find Sister Yeung.” Ka-Wing kicked the body lightly and when he received no response, he kicked the body a bit harder until he saw the body stir.

“Aye. Stop. I’ll get up.” Ming turned around and slowly stood up and came face to face with a wide eyed Ka-Wing. “What?” Ming demanded.

Ka-Wing pointed his index finger from her face to her body and back up to her face. He quickly used the same hand to cover his eyes and turned around, “Sorry.”

“Bizarre!” Ming wondered why Ka-Wing behaved so strangely and looked down and noticed that her hair fell from her bun and the wet clothes hung tightly to her chest and revealed all. “Ahhh!!!!!!!” She quickly turned around and faced the opposite direction.

“Sorry, Miss. I didn’t see anything.” He sounded so much more formal and reserved all of a sudden.

“Miss???,” she mocked him. “Why are you so distant? I’m still your friend Chow…ahh…my real name is Chow Lai Kei, but so what? I’m still your friend, right? Speaking of which, where is Sister Yeung?”

“I don’t know. How about I go here and you go there?” He pointed for her to see without turning his head around.

“No, what if we get separated again? It’s better for us to stick together.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Look at the way you’re dressed. It’s inappropriate.”

Lai Kei smiled to herself as she thought how this behavior was so consistent with his endearing personality. “It’s only inappropriate if you look, and it’ll dry off. Now let’s go, we need to search for her. Let’s not waste anymore time and search in this direction.”

The two searched around the stream and found Yi hidden behind a rock.

Ka-Wing quickly took off his outer garment and wrapped it around her as he saw her shivering.

Seeing his attentiveness towards Yi, Lai Kei pouted and trailed behind Ka-Wing as he hurriedly carried her to a more comfortable spot to rest. He turned around once and ordered, “Sister Chow, hurry up.”

When Yi finally awoke, she smiled when she saw her two friends, “I’m glad to see that you two are alive.” Turning to Lai Kei, Yi giggled as she saw all of Lai Kei’s loose hair, “I’ve known for a while that you are a girl.”

Ka-Wing hushed her and said, “You still have not fully recovered from your previous injury and the fall from the cliff only worsened your condition. You need to rest more while Lai Kei and I find some herbs to make more medicine for you.”

Seeing Ka-Wing’s concern for Yi, Lai Kei stood up and left abruptly for she could not tolerate witnessing that scene anymore.

Yi silently sighed to herself. After traveling with them for so long, she already knew what was happening between all of them. Although she could pretend to be oblivious to Ka-Wing’s affection, she could not ignore Lai Kei’s feelings for Ka-Wing.

Confused by Ming’s sudden departure, Ka-Wing could only reason out loud, “She’s probably upset because we have not found a way to leave this valley. It looks like we’re trapped here for a long time.”

[patricia n]

Part 18

The boatman stared at the shore with disappointment. He had so many questions to ask the maiden but he knew that it was time for him to go home. Once he dropped her off, he needed to leave immediately to make it back safely to home, especially since he promised his loving and lonely wife that he would return that evening. For all the years that they had been married, he had never once abandoned her and left her to sleep by herself. But how interesting the maiden’s past was to him. He itched to know how she ever escaped the valley and what happened to her friends.

As he docked the boat, he wanted to get as much information as he could from her before he set for the mainland again. But he did not realize the burning question in his mind until he blurted out, “So is that why you and Fung separated for all these years?”

Yeung Yi gave him a mysterious look before she carefully answered, “Sometimes, it is better to be ignorant. Elder, consider your debts paid fully. I will no longer burden you with my story, for I too prefer a happy ending.”

“Happy or not, I would like to know the truth.” The boatman requested sincerely.

Yi grabbed her belonging and stepped off the boat, “The truth is I wished I have never met him.”

The boatman knew he had to leave. As much as he wanted to stay to listen to her continue the story, he had to leave, for his love for his wife was much greater than his curiosity. As he sailed away, all he could think about was how it really was better for him to be ignorant than to find out the truth. At least he could have been happy for her, but now, as he rowed back, he was filled with so much pity for his favorite passenger.