Intersecting light and shadows fell across the carpet at the doorway. Li Xuanzhen gave a desolate smile. “Qiniang, will you never forgive me in this lifetime?”

Yaoying didn’t look at him and said, “You hated my mother, harmed both her and my brother, harmed me… Later you saved my brother, saved me… Between us lies the hatred of parents and elders. After everything that’s happened, there’s nothing left to say between us.”

Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes briefly. “Then why did you stop Li Zhongqian when he wanted to kill me? Do you truly feel only hatred toward me?”

Yaoying replied flatly, “Because you’re still the Crown Prince of Wei. If he killed you, Li De would hunt him down.”

The light in Li Xuanzhen’s eyes gradually dimmed, his expression becoming desolate.

“I can wait for your forgiveness, even if it takes a lifetime.”

Yaoying’s face remained expressionless.

“Elder Brother…” she said softly.

Hearing this title, Li Xuanzhen’s whole body trembled.

“I gave Elder Brother a chance. I thought Elder Brother was just temporarily blinded by hatred… You repeatedly drove my brother to desperate situations. I had no choice but to learn to scheme with Wei Ming and learn to deal with the Eastern Palace’s provocations. You led troops together with my brother – you, as Crown Prince, had sufficient funds and reinforcements whenever needed. When my brother tried to request reinforcements, it was incredibly difficult. Everyone knew my brother would face difficulties from you in the future. He led troops to attack the most fortified cities, yet the fruits of victory were divided among others. His subordinates rarely received promotions, so he could only recruit from various walks of life…”

“Brother had a very hard life. Because he could never escape Li De’s grasp, he could only persevere.”

Yaoying looked at Li Xuanzhen: “Whether you hate us or have let go of that hatred, I don’t want any further entanglement with you.”

Moisture welled up in Li Xuanzhen’s eyes.

“You gave me a chance… then give me one more chance! I can return to being Changsheng, I will make up for all my wrongs, just give me a chance!”

Yaoying shook her head: “The greatest amends you can make is to stop disturbing the lives of my brother and me.”

Li Xuanzhen fell silent for a while, an unshakeable gloom flickering in his eyes.

“Qiniang, I cannot do that.”

Yaoying’s brows furrowed tightly.

Li Xuanzhen gave a self-mocking smile. “You see, this is the kind of person I am.”

“Before Mother died, I only wanted to survive the chaos with her. Later when Wei County was breached by enemy forces, we mother and son suffered greatly…”

Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes in pain.

What happened to his mother remained buried deep in his heart. For the sake of his mother’s reputation, he had never revealed this to anyone, nor would he ever.

“Afterwards… Mother died before my eyes, all to preserve my position as Crown Prince. What could I do?”

He had been bound to the execution platform, forced to live the rest of his life for his mother’s dying wish. Otherwise, he didn’t know what he should do.

For his mother, he secretly accumulated power, waiting to assassinate Li De and target Li Zhongqian.

For that unfillable void in his heart, he protected Zhu Lüyun.

For his subordinates’ trust, to pacify the chaos, and to reduce the number of women who would suffer like his mother, he led troops to battle.

Now, he wanted to return to himself and make up for his past wrongs. He once had the chance to live like an ordinary person – she had shown him hope, he had chased that ray of light in the darkness.

Like Kuafu chasing the sun, either achieve the wish or die trying – there was no other choice.

He had already died alongside his mother that day.

“Qiniang, I met you, experienced so much with you, you’re still alive, I’m still alive…”

He smiled bitterly, his gaze dark and manic.

“I accept it, this is Li Xuanzhen’s fate.”

He sighed deeply, both bitter and sweet.

“When I first met you, I thought we could get along well. I never expected you to be my enemy. I felt resentful and humiliated. I hated you and hated myself even more for being soft-hearted toward you. I allowed Wei Ming to eliminate you, then found myself regretting it…”

“Qiniang, I don’t want to regret it anymore. Since heaven wants to toy with me like this, I might as well indulge myself! I’m shameless, I know you look down on me, hate me. I have no other choice – as long as I still draw breath, I won’t give up.”

Li Xuanzhen let out a quiet sigh, the murderous intent in his eyes growing deeper. He suddenly sat up straight, grabbed a dagger, and thrust it into her hands.

“Don’t you hate me? Won’t killing me be the only way you can forgive me? Fine, kill me then.”

He gripped Yaoying’s hand tightly, pressing the dagger against his chest.

The sharp dagger quickly cut a wound, blood beading up.

Yaoying startled, trying to pull her hand away.

Li Xuanzhen held on firmly, staring at her intensely, his expression manic. As if feeling no pain at all, he continued pushing the dagger deeper, his chest becoming bloody and mangled.

“Qiniang, this is who I am!”

He cried hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot.

Yaoying felt chilled to the bone.

The next moment, Li Xuanzhen released her hand and raised his arm to embrace her, pulling her close to himself, his face full of deep malice drawing nearer.

Yaoying was caught off guard, staring at him blankly.

Those narrow phoenix eyes churned with gloomy, intense desire.

Yaoying’s eyes widened, frozen for a long while.

“You’ve gone mad!”

She suddenly came to her senses, shoving Li Xuanzhen away and standing up abruptly. An uncomfortable feeling welled up in her chest, her whole body breaking out in goosebumps, the places he had touched burning like fire.

Li Xuanzhen fell back onto the couch, his face twitching in pain, fresh blood seeping through the bandages, his expression wooden as his phoenix eyes stared straight at her.

“I’m not mad.”

He said.

“Li Yaoying, I want you.”

Like a thunderclap exploding beside her ear, waves of nausea surged through Yaoying as she turned to leave.

He was her elder brother – she had thought his remorse came from genuine regret and their past acquaintance. She never imagined he would harbor such thoughts toward her. It was absurd!

Li Xuanzhen watched Yaoying’s resolute departing figure, smiling bitterly.

“Yaoying, you’re not Li De and Xie Manyuan’s daughter.”

Yaoying’s mind was buzzing chaotically, but hearing this, she suddenly calmed down and stopped in her tracks.

Li Xuanzhen struggled to sit up despite his painful wound: “I had people investigate and confirm multiple times. Back then, Xie Manyuan wasn’t pregnant. Because of my mother’s death, she falsely claimed pregnancy. The Xie family helped her conceal it. Li De was often away from home and didn’t suspect… You were an abandoned infant that Xie Wuliang brought back from the battlefield. Master Pei’s letter can prove your identity.”

Yaoying stood with her back to him, silent for a long time.

“I’m not lying to you. I’m not your elder brother.”

Neither was Li Zhongqian.

That’s why when Li Xuanzhen first found Yaoying, he didn’t dare tell her the truth, because he still had to return to Liangzhou to manage affairs and couldn’t stay long.

Now he had to tell her the truth – she had secretly come to the royal court, surely because of Regent Sudangu.

“So what?”

A flat question broke the silence. Yaoying turned back to look at Li Xuanzhen, her expression unchanged.

“You’re not my elder brother, so everything between us can be written off?”

Li Xuanzhen was stunned.

Yaoying’s lips curved. “Even if I was a child Uncle picked up, Mother cared for me, Brother raised me, we relied on each other. Whether or not I share blood with Brother won’t change that. What happened between you and me won’t just be erased like this. Nothing will change.”

She turned to leave.

Li Xuanzhen came to his senses and called after her: “What if you still have family alive?”

Yaoying’s figure stopped.

“Yaoying, I know who your birth father is, know that you still have blood relatives alive… You may not care about your origins, but what about Li Zhongqian? How will he feel when he learns you’re not his real sister?”

Yaoying laughed, looking back: “You want to use my background to threaten me?”

Li Xuanzhen smiled bitterly and shook his head: “No, I just want to remind you that Li Zhongqian won’t want to know about your background… Trust me, I don’t want to hurt you.”

He looked into her eyes.

“I just want to start over with you.”

Yaoying gazed at him: “Who is my birth father?”

Li Xuanzhen spoke a name.

Yaoying’s hand clenched inside her sleeve as she turned to leave.

The guard standing outside saw her troubled expression and quickly asked: “Miss Seven, what’s wrong?”

Yaoying took a long time to recover, her face pale. After walking far away, she suddenly stopped.

“Send the Crown Prince to the silk shop, and arrange for people to escort him back to Gaochang. Keep this from Young Master, don’t let Young Master and the Crown Prince meet.”

The guard didn’t understand but complied.

Yaoying looked dazed as she returned to her room, dismissed the guards, and said: “I’m not feeling well and need to rest. Whatever matters there are, report them after I wake up.”

The guards withdrew.

…

An hour later, several guards burst into Li Xuanzhen’s room, forcibly helping him up and leading him out.

Just as Li Xuanzhen was about to struggle, the guards held his arms and lowered their heads, pulling down their face coverings.

“Your Highness, it’s me.”

His tone was respectful.

Li Xuanzhen froze, his phoenix eyes widening.

The man quickly replaced his face covering: “Whatever Your Highness wants, we can accomplish it for you.”

Half an hour later, a curtained carriage drove out of the courtyard. The guards, knowing Yaoying wanted to send Li Xuanzhen away, checked the carriage and waved it through.

In the afternoon, Li Zhongqian hurriedly returned to the courtyard and went to see his sister. After knocking on her door for a long while with no response, he frowned, pushed open the door, and lifted the brocade blanket on the couch.

Underneath were only piled clothes.

Li Zhongqian’s expression changed dramatically: “Where is she?”

Everyone was shocked. They quickly summoned the guards from each post, only then discovering several people missing. Yaoying was nowhere to be found.

Li Zhongqian exploded in rage: “Mingyuenu never left! How could she disappear?”

As the guards searched everywhere, they remembered only Li Xuanzhen’s carriage had left today. Cold sweat broke out on their faces.

Just then, a sharp whistle cut through the air as an arrow flew into the courtyard, embedding itself in the earthen wall, its fletching vibrating.

Li Zhongqian grimly pulled out the arrow and retrieved the message attached. After reading it, his body trembled, his gaze fierce.

“They’ve taken Mingyuenu. They warn us not to leak any information, or they’ll silence everyone.”

The guards’ faces changed dramatically.

…

At the Royal Temple.

Tanmoluojia sat before his desk in snow-white kasaya robes.

The Imperial Guard Commander reported to him about the market district’s unrest, guaranteeing a thorough investigation. The celebrations would continue, and such violence would not occur again in the marketplace.

He listened quietly.

“Your Majesty!”

Yuanjue rushed into the meditation room, breathless.

Bisuo gestured for the Commander to withdraw.

Once the man had left, Yuanjue hurriedly said: “The Princess has gone!”

The meditation room suddenly fell silent.

“The Duke of Wei suddenly became furious and left with the Princess and his guards. I couldn’t stop them no matter what.”

Bisuo stared in shock.

Tanmoluojia’s fingers lightly brushed his prayer beads, saying nothing.

…

Outside the Holy City.

When Yaoying awoke, she found herself in a dark carriage, her hands and feet bound with rope, a soft cloth stuffed in her mouth. The carriage’s jolting made her dizzy and nauseous.

She remembered dozing on the couch in her room – who had taken her?

A low voice came from beside her: “You’re awake?”

Yaoying came to her senses, meeting a pair of phoenix eyes criss-crossed with red bloodshot lines.

She tried to sit up but couldn’t move. She attempted to bite through the ropes on her hands, but they were leather and wouldn’t give.

Li Xuanzhen lay beside her, suppressing groans of pain as he whispered: “Don’t break your teeth. You can’t bite through it.”

Yaoying gritted her teeth: “What are you trying to do?”

Li Xuanzhen smiled bitterly: “I didn’t do anything…”

“Who kidnapped me?”

Anyone who could take her from under the guards’ noses had to be Han Chinese.

“It was Li De.”

Yaoying’s mind raced. “Impossible.”

Li De had many ambitions – he wanted to reclaim the Western Regions, win people’s hearts, stabilize the court, and consolidate his position. The restoration of the Western Regions would be an achievement worthy of historical records. However, the Western Region’s noble families didn’t trust the Wei Dynasty. If he angered these families, he would completely lose their support. He wouldn’t dare easily upset the current balance. His decree to enfeoff Yaoying was meant to appease her and show goodwill to the noble families. Right now, Li De wouldn’t possibly send people to capture her.

Li Xuanzhen coughed several times, saying weakly: “It wasn’t Li De’s order – these are his death squad members. I recognize their leader. They were ordered to bring me back to Chang’an. I’ve fallen into their hands before and escaped several times. They mixed in with the diplomatic mission to come to the royal court. When they saw me risk my life to save you, they guessed you were the reason I came to the royal court, so they decided to take you back with me to complete their mission.”

“These death squad members have been trained since childhood. They only see the mission, not the bigger picture.”

Yaoying anxiously asked: “Did they do something to my brother?”

Li Xuanzhen looked at her.

Even knowing her true background, she still cared so much for Li Zhongqian.

“No, they wouldn’t dare cause too much commotion. The royal court hasn’t realized you were kidnapped. Li Zhongqian is fine.”

Yaoying sighed in relief, her mind racing as she considered ways to escape.

With her missing, did Tanmoluojia know? If he knew, was he worried?

He was ill, and now he had to worry about her…

While Yaoying pondered escape plans and worried about Tanmoluojia and Li Zhongqian, she tried rubbing her head, discovering her hairpins had been removed. She kicked her legs – the dagger hidden in her boots was gone too.

“Don’t move, don’t hurt yourself…” Li Xuanzhen gently tried to calm her. “Li Zhongqian must be pursuing us. I’ll find a way to delay them so you can escape.”

Yaoying remained silent.

Li Xuanzhen smiled slightly. “You don’t trust me?”

He sighed, gazing at the carriage ceiling.

“Qiniang, I do want to possess you, and I would use any means necessary. But I know once Li De gets involved, you’ll be in danger… I can’t let him discover my feelings for you.”

Yaoying made no response.

After some time, the carriage suddenly stopped. Li Xuanzhen gestured for Yaoying to bite down on the cloth and pretend to sleep.

Someone lifted the curtain and glanced inside, saying: “Your Highness, we’ve arranged several other carriages to lead Li Zhongqian away. Don’t worry – once we leave the royal court, we won’t need to hide anymore.”

Li Xuanzhen’s heart sank.

If Li Zhongqian had been led away, then even if he delayed these death squad members, Yaoying couldn’t escape. And with his severe injuries, he couldn’t even lift a sword.

“How did you infiltrate the Holy City? Who was your inside contact?”

The death squad member laughed: “No need for Your Highness to worry about that. Money makes the world go round. A year ago, His Majesty ordered us to bring Your Highness back to Chang’an. We’ve followed you for a year, but Your Highness refused to return. Now that we have the Princess, Your Highness better not run again, or we won’t be so polite to her.”

Li Xuanzhen sneered: “The Princess is now the Western Army’s leader. How will you explain to His Majesty if you harm her?”

The man grinned viciously: “We don’t care who she is! As long as we can bring Your Highness back, whatever happens next isn’t our concern!”

As he spoke, he raised his knife toward Yaoying.

Li Xuanzhen’s face darkened: “Don’t touch her!”

The death squad member smiled, lowering his knife and dropping the curtain: “Then Your Highness should behave. Don’t force us to take action.”

…

Yellow sand swept across the great road as horsemen flew like a black cloud, their hoofbeats like thunder.

Li Zhongqian and his guards galloped dozens of li until finally discovered traces of carriages. They caught up and surrounded one another.

The driver trembled and rolled off the carriage.

“Mingyuenu!”

Li Zhongqian yanked open the curtain, scanning the interior. A woman with a veiled face cowered inside, looking at him in terror.

His heart dropped, his face ashen.

“This one’s fake too.”

The group immediately turned their horses, racing off in another direction.

…

In another direction.

The carriage sped on.

Yaoying spent a long time finally biting through the ropes on her hands, quickly untying her feet, then loosely replacing the ropes on her wrists and legs to avoid the death squad’s notice.

She was desperately worried.

Li Xuanzhen’s face grew increasingly pale as he vomited blood several times, his body shaking.

Yaoying’s eyes flickered as she called out to the death squad: “The Crown Prince is badly wounded – won’t you stop to change his bandages? How will you report back to Chang’an if something happens to him?”

The death squad members were uncertain, lifting the curtain to look inside.

Li Xuanzhen understood Yaoying’s plan and cooperated by trembling all over.

The death squad had been following Li Xuanzhen and had witnessed him taking a blade for Yaoying while already wounded. After some hesitation, fearing something might happen to him, they stopped the carriage to change his bandages.

After hurriedly rebandaging him, they continued on their way.

Yaoying’s face showed disappointment – she had hoped to delay them longer.

The sky grew dark as wild winds howled.

To avoid patrols, the death squad chose paths rarely traveled. Surrounded by wasteland, they couldn’t continue in the night, and the carriage finally stopped.

The temperature plummeted at night, the cold wind biting through bone, making the carriage curtains flutter noisily.

Li Xuanzhen struggled to sit up, lifted the curtain, and glanced outside. “When the time comes, grab a horse and run. Don’t look back, head south. They’re cunning – instead of going east, they’re heading north.”

He turned back to look at Yaoying.

She was tense, fully focused on observing the activity outside.

Since discovering her capture, though anxious, she hadn’t panicked. During her time stranded in the Western Regions, she must have grown accustomed to such situations.

His heart filled with complex emotions.

They waited patiently until midnight. With no stars or moon, the wilderness was pitch black. Li Xuanzhen struggled out of the carriage, saying he needed to relieve himself and didn’t want to soil the carriage. The death squad members laughed, helping him walk away.

In the darkness, Li Xuanzhen’s vision blurred, his limbs trembling. After waiting a full half-cup of tea’s time, he bit his tongue hard, suddenly twisted around, drew the dagger from the waist of the death squad member who had come to hurry him, and stabbed at the man’s throat.

At the carriage, hearing the commotion, Yaoying quickly climbed down, took a deep breath, and ran wildly, mounting a horse. She pulled the reins and charged into the vast night.

The death squad wouldn’t kill Li Xuanzhen – his life wasn’t in danger. She had to escape quickly. Even if she failed and was caught, she could still buy some time or leave some traces.

Yaoying’s heart pounded like a drum as she gripped the reins, galloping through the night.

Soon, dense hoofbeats and the death squad’s shouts and curses came from behind.

Yaoying gritted her teeth and spurred her horse faster.

The death squad drew closer and closer, near enough that she could see the cold gleam of their long swords. Their shouts rang in her ears as one reached out to grab her arm.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

An iron arrow pierced the night, shot from the darkness with internal force, its momentum overwhelming, directly piercing the death squad member’s arm.

The man screamed in pain and fell from his horse.

Iron arrows shot out in rapid succession, whistling one after another like a rainbow piercing the sun. Screams rose as several death squad members fell to the ground.

Yaoying was breathing like a bellows as she raised her head.

Shadows flickered in the darkness ahead.

A rider emerged from the blackness – a man in blue robes with a white cloak over his shoulders, his figure straight and tall. He held a longbow, wore a quiver at his waist, and calmly drew and released arrows that flew like lightning, fierce and dominating yet somehow merciful.

More death squad members fell from their horses.

Dark clouds roiled overhead in the thick night. The cold gleam of iron arrows reflected on the man’s face, illuminating jade-colored eyes beneath his face covering.

Yaoying’s mouth opened, her eyes suddenly burning hot.

In all heaven and earth, only the sound of his hoofbeats galloping toward her remained.

Battle cries thundered behind as the black horse instantly reached him. The man held his bow in one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, skillfully lifting her into his embrace. She reached out, tightly hugging his neck, feeling herself settle securely on the horse’s back.

Yaoying’s whole body trembled.

Tanmoluojia spread his white cloak, wrapping her inside it, lowering his gaze to look at her.

Yaoying’s eyes brimmed with tears as she said shakily: “You’ve gone mad.”

The same three words she’d said to Li Xuanzhen, but with completely different emotions.

As the horse galloped wildly, Tanmoluojia said nothing, his hand pressed against her neck, holding her tightly to his chest.

Yaoying heard his heartbeat, still slow and composed.

Monk, you’ve truly gone mad.

Yaoying smiled, tears glittering. Shock, bitterness, sweetness, joy, heartache, worry… myriad emotions surged and boiled, but her heart gradually settled.

…

Not far away, hoofbeats like thunder approached as more dark figures drew near. The leading man’s phoenix eyes were filled with fury as he rode forward, raising his sword – then froze when he saw Tanmoluojia and Yaoying embracing on horseback.

“Young Master! We’ve found Miss Seven!”

The guards called out loudly.

Li Zhongqian’s face darkened as he glared at Tanmoluojia before spurring his horse forward to join the fight.

Never mind – this Sudangu was clever. He knew they wouldn’t leave the Holy City without reason, that something must have happened. He had come searching with them, tracking the death squad’s traces. Thanks to his familiarity with the terrain during this journey, they had managed to catch up. He deserved credit for both his efforts and achievements… He will settle accounts with him tomorrow!

The death squad hadn’t expected to be caught so quickly. They decisively turned their horses, returning to the campfire. Some diverted Li Zhongqian while others grabbed Li Xuanzhen and fled.

A sharp thud.

The dagger plunged straight into the flesh.

As pain shot through him, the death squad member looked down at Li Xuanzhen in disbelief.

“Your Highness, Li Zhongqian is here. You killed me – aren’t you afraid he’ll kill you? We’re in this together now!”

Li Xuanzhen’s gaze was cold as he raised the dagger, stabbing it into the death squad member’s chest again and again without mercy.

The man screamed as they both fell from the horse.

Li Xuanzhen rolled several times on the ground. Seeing the death squad member stand up clutching his wounds, he lunged forward, grabbing the man’s legs. The death squad member stumbled and fell. Li Xuanzhen climbed on top of him and cut his throat with the dagger.

The death squad member stared at him, dying with eyes wide open.

Li Xuanzhen dropped the dagger.

“Anyone who wants to harm her… none can be left alive…”

These people had secret ways of communicating, and could pass messages without detection – none could be left alive.

Li De must never know his feelings.

Li Xuanzhen collapsed on the ground, closing his eyes.

…

Li Zhongqian and his guards dealt with the remaining death squad members, then he turned his horse around.

“Mingyuenu!”

He shouted from far away.

“Are you alright?”

Yaoying came to her senses, peering out from Tanmoluojia’s embrace. “Brother, I’m fine. What about you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

Li Zhongqian shook his head, looking uncomfortably at Tanmoluojia’s arms holding Yaoying.

The guards brought over the unconscious Li Xuanzhen. “Young Master, how should we handle him?”

Li Zhongqian raised his sword.

Yaoying thought for a moment and said: “Brother, he wasn’t with them.”

Li Zhongqian snorted coldly but lowered his sword. “Take him back. Watch him yourselves. They have contacts in the Gaochang delegation – remember, don’t trust any unfamiliar faces.”

Everyone acknowledged the order.

Li Zhongqian had the guards bring a horse for Yaoying.

Yaoying emerged from Tanmoluojia’s embrace as he silently removed his white cloak to cover her, watching her mount the other horse.

She gripped the reins and softly told Li Zhongqian: “Brother, General Su is wounded. I’m worried about him. I’ll go with him first, then tell you everything that happened today when we return.”

Li Zhongqian was quite unhappy, but seeing Yaoying’s anxious expression, her eyes red with worry, he couldn’t bear to make things difficult for her. He gave a light snort and said: “Very well.”

He felt somewhat guilty – his men had driven away the royal court’s guards, allowing the death squad to take advantage of the situation.

Yaoying parted from him, riding to catch up with Tanmoluojia who rode alone to one side.

The long wind howled as she pulled the white cloak tighter, drawing near him. She wanted to speak but her eyes reddened before she could open her mouth.

With a thud, Tanmoluojia suddenly fell from his horse. The steed walked a few steps forward before noticing, turning its head to circle him.

“Luojia!”

Yaoying yanked the reins, dismounted, and rushed to his side, turning him over.

His face covering had fallen, jade eyes gazing up at her.

“Are you leaving?” he asked softly, his consciousness hazy.

Yaoying felt as if she’d been stabbed in the heart, grief overwhelming her.

Weren’t you angry, ignoring me for days, forcing me to leave?

Didn’t you say I could leave if I wanted to?

You consider everything so thoroughly, afraid of implicating me, not wanting to treat me carelessly. You know all love is as fleeting as morning dew. You understand everything so clearly – why do you persist in pursuing me?

Tears streamed down Yaoying’s face, but her lips curved slightly upward. She cupped Tanmoluojia’s face in both hands, lowering her head until their foreheads touched.

“I’m here, monk.”

Tanmoluojia stared at her face so close to his, their breaths mingling.

He said dazedly: “I am the royal court’s Buddha’s son… my illness cannot be cured.”

Yaoying smiled through her tears: “It doesn’t matter, we’ll treat it slowly. I told you, I don’t care that you’re a monk. You don’t need to renounce your vows.”

No matter how long it takes, no matter what the outcome.

There’s always hope if we try.