Li Kengqiang carried two fragrant fish skewers through the dim forest, finally slowing to a stop at the mountain peak.
Beneath the star-studded night sky, a figure in white sat at the edge of the cliff, gazing at several figures gathered around a bonfire in the clearing below, lost in thought.
"I brought you one." Li Kengqiang sat down beside him and handed him a skewer. "You caught these for them yourself, so you should at least have a taste, right? An Qingyu's grilling skills are pretty good."
Tang Yusheng glanced at him, smiled helplessly, and accepted the skewer.
"Why did you leave so soon? Aren't you going to talk with them some more?"
"If you want to talk, go talk to them yourself. Why do you always make me keep them company? I'm not their babysitter." Li Kengqiang took a bite of the skewer and spoke lazily.
Tang Yusheng opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a long while, he merely sighed.
The two sat at the cliff's edge, silently eating their skewers as the air fell quiet.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Kengqiang gazed down the mountain and suddenly spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Tang Yusheng froze slightly. "What?"
"You've seen how those kids performed." Li Kengqiang smiled bitterly. "If we'd been more like them back then... those tragedies wouldn't have happened."
"Uncle Li, you're overthinking it." Tang Yusheng shook his head repeatedly. "If you hadn't fought to the death, I never could have been born. If Uncle Li hadn't worked so hard to raise me while leading the Special Squad, I never could have grown to that point...
"Lin Qiye and the others did do very well, but history is history. Without you, there would be no Tang Yusheng."
Li Kengqiang said