QingYu: A Wuxia Tale (Going Through Reediting)

The Aftermath of Revenge

(Dayu's POV)

I close my eyes after turning my back on Captain Wang. But I continued to walk back to Governor Feng's side.

It's over now. Finally, my mother had been avenged. She can rest peacefully now.

And my life will finally restart.

I don't know what I will do though. I made plans but that include being with Captain Wang. But now, I have to move into the future without him.

What should I do? How do I go on? Where will I start rebuilding my life?

That's when I realize the aftermath of revenge.

Emptiness.

I feel so empty inside. I am asking myself, what will be my purpose for living now? I have nothing.

I have Mei but he had to be with Captain Jiang. Mei has his own life to live. I can't drag him with me to a life that I am not even sure where it will take me.

In the end, I can't even take Mei with me.

What should I do now?

"Dayu?"

I turn to see Mei. His hand on my shoulder. Then I heard a loud cry of grief. Tears pooled in my eyes.

Captain Wang is crying for his dead father. I caused him pain. I did that to him.

To the man I love.

"Mei," I said as I sway on my feet. Mei held my elbow and arm to steady me. "What should I do? He is hurting but I did it. I killed his father. What should I do now?"

I hugged my cousin. Just wrapping my arms on Mei. Asking for strength. For support. For someone to tell me that that everything will be alright despite the fact that I killed alot of people to get my revenge.

I need someone to assure me that I can live without Captain Wang. Without our plans to travel all over the land. Without our dream of building a home with man made lakes and cherry blossom trees.

I want that life. But I can't have it now. I don't deserve it.

I cry in Mei's arms.

(Mei's POV)

Hearing Captain Wang's grieving cry and watching Dayu broke down is about to break my heart in many pieces.

They are both important people to me and yet today, they are both crying brokenly.

I hugged Dayu tighter as he cry in my arms. This is what I am afraid of. That Dayu will break down like this after his revenge. That it will be too much for him.

But he made his choices. And knowing my cousin, he will take the consequences of those choices.

I just have to be there for him. If I never let him be alone, will it be enough to heal him?

"Dayu," I helf him tighter as he cried harder. I think it's crashing down on him now. It's finally done. His revenge is over and he lost so much after having it.

Our Uncle.

His lover.

Dayu is empty. He is now feeling the lost all over again.

And he is not taking it well.

(Jiang's POV)

Wei and I accompanied Qing as he run inside the General's building and up to the second floor.

We helped him pull his father up the window and take him down from there. I cut the rope aroung General Wang's neck to make it easier.

He is still warm. General Wang. Qing laid his father carefully on the floor and kneeled on his side.

"Baba..." tears fell from his eyes as he put his hand on General Wang's chest. "Baba, what will I tell Mother and my sisters?" He asked his dead father.

Indeed. What will he say to his family? That his father killed himself because Qing's lover threatened him?

General Wang had many flaws but he was a good father to Qing and his sisters. I personally witnessed it. How General Wang encouraged Qing to follow his dreams and support his son on Qing's every endeavor.

But now. Qing is sobbing over his dead father because Dayu should have his revenge.

"BABA!" Qing lift his father and hugged him tight. "Baba!" He cried as he sat there with the dead general.

Wei and I turned away from our friend's grief. This is the first time we are seeing Qing like this.

Like a wounded animal crying in pain.

(Qing's POV)

My Baba still felt warm as I hugged him and cry. Here, in this same place where Dayu held and cried for Mr.Shu when the camp commander died.

Dayu and his revenge. So exacting.

Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth.

He grieved his uncle here and now I am grieving for my father on the same floor. On the same room.

Dayu....Dayu...

He thinks it's over. That after my father died, he finally had his revenge and he can leave to live his life in peace.

Well, I will not let him. He owed me his promise that he will leave with me. That we will leave this place together.

He cannot leave me in this pain and go on like it's nothing. He cannot move along on his own after causing me this kind of pain.

He is mine. Now that his revenge is done, Dayu can now fulfill his promise to be with me. He has to. He had to.

Or else...every pain I am feeling right now will mean nothing.

I carefully laid my father back on the floor. I turn to my friends, "Can you cover and carry him outside for me? I still have to do something."

"Qing," Jiang put a hand on my shoulder. "Shouldn't you be with your father..."

"My father will not go anywhere now." I said bitterly as a soldier put a white cloth on top of my father. "And he understand that I still have things to do before we leave this camp," I turned around to leave as two more soldiers helped the first one to wrap cloth on my father.

Thoughts jumbled in my mind. Where will I bury my Baba. I cannot take him to Beijing, that will take me days. I have to find a place to bury him or burn him so I can take his ashes home.

Next, how will I tell about my father's death to my mother and sisters. My mother, they may have differences but she is fond of my father. And my sisters...my youngest sister is only 13 summers old. She still clings to our father when Baba leaves our house in Beijing to come here in HanZong. How will my sisters take the desth of our father? How much hurt will they be in?

And Dayu...

We are even now, right? His revenge is done now. We can finally run away, without thinking of anyone that can stop us.

Right?

I strode quickly through the halls of the building to go down and go back out to the camp ground.

Just to see Dayu hugging my second in command.