It has been 703 days since Zhang Qiling entered the Bronze Gate.
The colossal gate had not vanished after receiving its satisfactory offering. On the contrary, it stood there silently, a constant reminder of the fear and pain of that day.
However, the energy shield that had suddenly formed around it prevented anyone from getting close, like a boundary marker dropped from the heavens, proclaiming an unshakeable might.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty initially guarded the gate every day, surrounded by piles of medical supplies and provisions, looking like vendors profiteering from a disaster. They were out of place amidst the throngs of construction workers rebuilding the houses.
But a day passed, then two... a month, three months...
Zhang Qiling truly did not come out.
His parting words, "Don't wait," now echoed like a profoundly ordinary, eternal farewell. Wu Tianzhen exhausted all his mental energy trying to recall Zhang Qiling's expression that day, but his face always seemed obscured by wind and snow, indistinct, like quicksand about to scatter.
...But he refused to believe it.
He couldn't articulate what exactly he refused to believe, but he simply didn't believe. He didn't believe Zhang Qiling's words, he didn't believe in fate, he didn't believe in the immense terror of the Bronze Gate.
Though Wu Tianzhen appeared easily manipulated, as if anyone could step on him, facing the world's most terrifying anomaly, a stubbornness and madness surged from the depths of his heart, nearly tearing him apart.
...If he had the strength, he might have chosen to blow up this damned gate, this damned shield.
But he didn't.
Moreover, this was the home of countless people, unable to withstand any destruction.
Besides waiting, he had absolutely no way to alter this suffocating situation.
Humans are the most adaptable creatures. Soon, the surrounding streets returned to their bustling liveliness. Those people, as if ignoring the massive Bronze Gate, quickly resumed their ordinary lives, occasionally casting strange glances at the disheveled pair.
They had already waited for a considerable time, their spirits and bodies could no longer endure.
Fatty, being alone, didn't care about anything.
Only Wu Tianzhen, his family came to persuade him, his friends came to pull him away. All his worldly ties seemed to have suddenly come alive in that moment, trying to awaken his soul from before the gate.
Eventually, even Fatty began to urge him.
Fatty looked at his brother's pale face, his messy stubble, and the dark circles under his eyes. He noticed that Wu Tianzhen had lost a significant amount of weight in just three months. His sigh was tinged with hoarseness:
"...Let's go, Tianzhen."
"Let's rest and come back later. Don't push yourself so hard."
Wu Tianzhen slowly looked at him, his head turning with a stiffness like an old, rusted machine. He mumbled something, but said nothing.
Yet, he didn't leave.
They continued to wait before the Bronze Gate for another 14 days, until Wu Tianzhen finally collapsed.
In the hospital, everything was bleached white. The faded sheets and blankets felt warm against his body, but for some reason, they always brought to mind the heavy snowfall of that day.
Upon waking, Wu Tianzhen lay in bed. As he turned his head, he saw Zhang Haike, looking somber and gaunt, beside him.
Zhang Haike always went to the Bronze Gate, but the clan leader's sudden disappearance had also placed considerable pressure on him within the clan. He had to dedicate a large amount of time to that oppressive community to defend Zhang Qiling's position.
If given the choice, perhaps he would have preferred to stand before the Bronze Gate until he fainted, just like Wu Tianzhen.
"Fatty is in the next room. Xie Yuchen and I just checked on him. Song Shuning is at the Bronze Gate now," Zhang Haike said, casually picking up an apple from a small table nearby and eating it.
Wu Tianzhen noticed that the apple was large and thin-skinned, clearly of excellent quality. He guessed it must have been bought by the wealthy Xiao Hua.
He stared intently as Zhang Haike ate his offering, without the slightest inclination to offer him one. This reaffirmed his dislike for any of the Zhang family members.
But he also knew that Zhang Haike was not the type to extend kindness based on association. He was most likely here to discuss something.
So, over the next hour, he listened to Zhang Haike recount a long, disgusting story, like an old woman's foot-binding cloth.
This foot-binding cloth-like story slowly transformed into a silent, tightening silken ribbon, wrapping around his neck. Wu Tianzhen stared at the ceiling, feeling as if he were about to be strangled.
The raging wind in his ears suddenly became clear. He felt as if he had been thrown back into the icy wilderness. And Zhang Qiling, facing him, glanced back, his profile pale and bloodless.
(If I go in, the Bronze Gate will close.)
...How could a person's entire life be controlled, treated as an offering, constantly eyed with malice, and never receive kindness?
Wu Tianzhen's eye sockets turned a terrifying red, appearing as if a layer of red paint had been splashed into the two hollows. The whistling wind seemed to emanate from his eyes, blowing the red paint down his cheeks in a horrifying flow.
Yet, Zhang Haike glimpsed that Wu Tianzhen was not shedding tears.
Some emotions, perhaps, could not be expressed by tears. Those shattered droplets seemed to have been entirely evaporated by Wu Tianzhen's burning inner turmoil, leaving his eye sockets feeling raw and painful.
Wu Tianzhen suddenly realized that if Zhang Qiling did not return safely, the sound of wind and snow in his ears would never cease.
—
After being discharged from the hospital, Wu Tianzhen no longer guarded the Bronze Gate day after day.
It was as if, amidst the antiseptic smell and the dripping IV fluids, his meridians had been cleared. His wide-open eyes held a burning, dazzling light, so bright it seemed like a final burst of energy before death.
"Fatty," he said, his voice very calm, "Let's go on a journey."
"Where did Xiao Ge go before he met us? I want to see it all with my own eyes."