Three Hearts as One

Zhang Mo remained unconscious for the entire night.

Ning Rongrong stayed by his side, not sleeping a wink. She sat on the floor beside the sofa, her head resting against the armrest, her eyes fixed on his face.

As dawn approached, his brows twitched.

She straightened up immediately.

"Zhang Mo?"

Zhang Mo opened his eyes, saw her swollen, red-rimmed eyes, and paused for a moment.

"Crying again?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head, but her eyes turned red once more.

Zhang Mo tried to sit up, but the pain in his chest made him gasp.

"Don't move!" Ning Rongrong pressed him down. "Yang Wudi said you have to lie down for half a month."

Zhang Mo lay back and stared at the ceiling.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked:

"Where are your Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone?"

Ning Rongrong said, "Grandpa Sword is downstairs. Grandpa Bone... I don't know."

Zhang Mo turned his head to look at her.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.

"He left last night," she whispered. "He said if you died, he would take responsibility. If you didn't, then forget it."

Zhang Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"He wouldn't leave."

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

Zhang Mo said, "He can't rest easy regarding you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion erupted downstairs.

Ning Rongrong ran to the window and looked down.

In the alley, Ancient Banyan had returned.

He stood in the same spot as last night, with Chen Xin standing beside him. The two were face to face, though it was unclear what they were discussing.

Yang Wudi walked out of the building, carrying the Soul Breaking Spear, and stood next to them, seemingly interjecting.

Ning Rongrong was stunned.

She turned and ran outside.

Zhang Mo called out from behind, "Slow down."

She ran downstairs without looking back.

In the alley, the three men stood in a circle.

Ancient Banyan saw her, and his gaze softened for an instant.

"Rongrong."

Ning Rongrong ran over, looking from one to the other.

"Grandpa Bone, you..."

Ancient Banyan reached out and patted the top of her head.

"I thought about it all night," he said. "Your Grandpa Sword told me about that kid."

Ning Rongrong froze.

Ancient Banyan said, "He saved you twice. To take your Grandpa Sword's three strikes, his hand was nearly crippled. To block that punch of mine, he broke several ribs. Last night, he took a sword strike for you again."

He paused.

"I, Ancient Banyan, have never owed anyone a favor in my life. This kid has made me owe him three lives."

Ning Rongrong's eyes turned red.

Ancient Banyan looked at her, his expression complex.

"Rongrong, if you like him, Grandpa Bone won't stop you anymore."

Ning Rongrong's tears fell.

Ancient Banyan reached out to wipe them away.

"But there is one condition." He turned his head to look at the window upstairs. "If he dares to bully you, I will still come for him."

Ning Rongrong laughed through her tears.

Chen Xin stood to the side, watching the scene, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Yang Wudi rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright," he said, "you're all reunited, huh? Should I excuse myself?"

Ancient Banyan turned to look at him.

"The patriarch of the Breaking Clan?"

Yang Wudi nodded.

Ancient Banyan said, "Your broken spear, is it fixed?"

Yang Wudi froze, then looked down at the spear in his hand.

"It's fixed, what about it?"

Ancient Banyan reached out, "Let me see."

Yang Wudi hesitated, then handed the spear over.

Ancient Banyan took it and examined it carefully. The spear shaft had two cracks, repaired with silver metal.

"Nicely done," he said, "but the position of these two cracks is wrong. It affects the force."

Yang Wudi frowned, "You know spears?"

Ancient Banyan glanced at him.

"I've lived for almost two hundred years, what haven't I seen?"

Yang Wudi fell silent.

Ancient Banyan returned the spear to him.

"If you have time, I'll help you reforge it."

Yang Wudi was stunned.

He looked at Ancient Banyan, then at Chen Xin, and suddenly smiled.

"Okay," he said, "Thank you very much then."

Chen Xin spoke from the side:

"Old Bone, where are you planning to stay?"

Ancient Banyan said, "With you."

Chen Xin froze for a moment.

Ancient Banyan said, "That hotel you're staying at, doesn't it have two beds?"

Chen Xin was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Okay."

Ning Rongrong watched from the side, and suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.

She turned and ran upstairs.

She ran into the room, and Zhang Mo was propping himself up to sit.

She ran over and supported him.

"Grandpa Bone is back," she said, her eyes shining, "He won't hit you anymore."

Zhang Mo looked at her, but didn't speak.

She continued, "Grandpa Sword is here too. Yang Wudi is here too. They're all downstairs."

Zhang Mo nodded.

Ning Rongrong looked at him and suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo."

"Mm?"

"I'm happy."

Zhang Mo froze for a moment.

She smiled, and as she smiled, her eyes reddened again.

"They all accept you now."

Zhang Mo reached out and gently patted the top of her head.

"Mm."

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Lie down properly," she said muffledly, "Yang Wudi said you need half a month to recover."

Zhang Mo lay back down.

She sat beside him, holding his hand.

From outside the window came the voices of the three people downstairs.

Yang Wudi's loud voice: "Old man, how exactly did you cultivate your Bone Dragon True Form?"

Ancient Banyan's voice: "Want to learn?"

Yang Wudi: "I do."

Ancient Banyan: "I won't teach you."

Yang Wudi: "..."

Chen Xin's voice: "Old Bone, stop teasing him."

Ancient Banyan: "I'm not teasing him. If the Breaking Clan's spear techniques were mixed with my Bone Dragon, they'd be ruined."

Yang Wudi fell silent.

After a while, he spoke again:

"Then could you help me look over my spear techniques?"

Ancient Banyan did not speak.

Chen Xin said: "If he agrees, he will do it."

Yang Wudi smiled.

Listening to this, Ning Rongrong's lips curled upward as well.

She turned her head to look at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo had his eyes closed, his breathing steady, as if he were asleep.

She leaned in to take a closer look.

His eyelashes flickered.

He was pretending to sleep.

She gently poked his cheek.

"Stop pretending."

Zhang Mo opened his eyes and looked at her.

She smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Zhang Mo."

"Hm?"

"When you're better, let's go thank them together."

Zhang Mo nodded.

Outside the window, the sunlight shone in, warm and cozy.

Downstairs, the voices of the three men continued.

Upstairs, two people—one lying down, one sitting—held hands.

Everything was just right.

The fact that Chen Xin had moved to a nearby hotel was discovered the next morning.

Ning Rongrong went downstairs to buy breakfast. Just as she stepped out of the alleyway, she saw Grandpa Sword standing by the side of the road, holding a square object in his hand, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly.

"Grandpa Sword?"

Chen Xin looked up at her, his expression a bit bewildered.

"Rongrong, how does one use this thing?"

Ning Rongrong leaned in to take a look—it was a mobile phone.

A brand-new smartphone, its screen still lit up, displaying the dialer interface.

"You... you bought a phone?"

Chen Xin nodded.

"Your Grandpa Bone said that people in this world use this to communicate." He turned the phone over and over, examining it. "But I can't figure it out."

Ning Rongrong held back a laugh as she took it to look.

The screen displayed the words "Emergency Call."

She nearly burst out laughing.

"Grandpa Sword, you pressed the wrong thing. This is for emergency calls; you can't just dial it."

Chen Xin froze for a moment.

Ning Rongrong demonstrated how to unlock it, how to dial, and how to save contacts.

Chen Xin watched very intently, as if he were studying some profound sword technique.

"Do you understand?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Chen Xin nodded, took the phone back, and tried pressing a few buttons.

The screen lit up, went dark, and then lit up again.

He frowned again.

"How do you set up this... WeChat thing?"

Ning Rongrong: "..."

Half an hour later, she returned downstairs with Grandpa Sword, still carrying the now-cold breakfast.

Yang Wudi came down from upstairs and was startled when he saw Chen Xin.

"Old man, what are you standing here for?"

Chen Xin said, "Waiting for someone."

"Waiting for who?"

"Old Bone. He said he was going to buy some... router?"

Yang Wudi froze for three seconds, then burst into laughter.

"A router? I just installed that thing yesterday! You two are sharing a room, why would you buy two routers?"

Chen Xin was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"He bought it. Not me."

Yang Wudi laughed even harder.

Ning Rongrong, standing nearby, suddenly felt like life was getting more and more lively.

Ancient Banyan returned, holding a huge cardboard box.

Chen Xin looked at him and frowned.

"What is that?"

Ancient Banyan put the cardboard box on the ground, opened it, revealing a square black box.

"A television."

Chen Xin was stunned.

Ancient Banyan said, "I watched it last night. People in this world all watch this. There are little people moving inside."

Chen Xin was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"You bought it?"

Ancient Banyan nodded.

Chen Xin was silent for a few more seconds, then said:

"We have that too. It's called an Image Recording Stone."

Ancient Banyan glanced at him.

"This is clearer than an Image Recording Stone."

Yang Wudi leaned over, looked at the television, and his eyes lit up.

"I know this thing! Young Zhang Mo had one in his room yesterday, and you could watch fighting in it!"

Ning Rongrong listened from the side and suddenly felt that these three people, with a combined age of nearly five hundred, were now like three old men who had just arrived in the city.

She sighed and walked over, helping Ancient Banyan carry the television upstairs.

Upstairs, Zhang Mo was still lying on the sofa, recovering from his injuries.

He was startled when he saw them carrying a large box upstairs.

"What is this..."

Ancient Banyan said, "A television."

Zhang Mo looked at the television, then at Ancient Banyan, then at Chen Xin, and finally his gaze landed on Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I didn't buy anything."

Ancient Banyan put the box down and began to figure out how to install it.

Chen Xin watched from the side, occasionally chiming in.

"That wire goes into that port."

"I know."

"No, it's that one."

"Do you know more than I do?"

Ning Rongrong stood by, watching two Title Douluo almost argue over a wire, and suddenly felt the scene was a bit surreal.

Yang Wudi watched the commotion from the side, thoroughly entertained.

"Fight! Fight!"

Ancient Banyan glared at him.

Yang Wudi shut his mouth, but the smile on his face couldn't be hidden.

Finally, Zhang Mo spoke.

"HDMI cable, plug it into that port."

Ancient Banyan looked where he pointed, found the port, and plugged in the cable.

The television turned on.

A variety show appeared on the screen, with several people singing and dancing on stage.

Ancient Banyan stared at the screen, his eyes glazed over.

Chen Xin also stared.

Yang Wudi crowded over.

Ning Rongrong looked at the three of them squeezed in front of the television and suddenly felt like laughing.

But she held back.

Zhang Mo lay on the sofa, looking at her, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

She walked over and sat down next to him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Zhang Mo shook his head.

Ning Rongrong glared at him, but she herself smiled.

After a while, Ancient Banyan suddenly said:

"How did this little person get inside?"

Chen Xin was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"I don't know."

Yang Wudi chimed in from the side: "I heard Zhang Mo say this is recorded. Not a real person inside."

Ancient Banyan frowned: "Recorded? Then how did she move?"

Yang Wudi thought for a moment and said:

"I don't know."

Ancient Banyan turned to look at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo said: "The camera filmed it. Filmed it, saved it, then played it back."

Ancient Banyan was silent for a long time.

Then he said:

"The things in this world are quite interesting."

Chen Xin nodded beside him.

Yang Wudi had already sat down in front of the television, engrossed in watching.

The screen switched programs, turning into a martial arts drama. Two people were fighting in a bamboo forest, with flashes of swords and shadows.

Yang Wudi's eyes lit up.

"This swordsmanship! Old man, look at this swordsmanship!"

Chen Xin leaned over to take a look and frowned.

"Showy moves."

Yang Wudi said: "Showy moves are also good to watch!"

Chen Xin didn't speak, but he didn't move away either.

Ancient Banyan stood beside them, watching the two people fighting on the screen, and suddenly said:

"The one using the sword, his third move was too slow."

Chen Xin nodded.

"His fourth move was not connected correctly."

Ancient Banyan said: "If he had changed to a stab, that person would have died."

Yang Wudi turned to look at the two of them.

"Can you two watch properly?"

They both fell silent simultaneously.

But after a moment, Chen Xin said again:

"This sword strike, it should have deviated three points to the left."

Ancient Banyan said: "No, to the right."

Yang Wudi: "..."

Ning Rongrong watched from the side, laughing until she couldn't straighten her back.

Zhang Mo held her hand, the corners of his mouth also curling upward.

When evening arrived, Yang Wudi announced he would cook.

Ning Rongrong stopped him.

"You know how to cook?"

Yang Wudi said, "If I can refine medicine, how could I not know how to cook?"

Ning Rongrong looked at him, half-doubting.

Yang Wudi had already rushed into the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, a loud bang erupted from the kitchen.

Ning Rongrong rushed in to see Yang Wudi standing before the stove, his face covered in soot, while the contents of the pot billowed with black smoke.

"What happened?"

Yang Wudi was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"This fire... it doesn't listen very well."

Ning Rongrong looked at him and sighed.

She walked over, took the pot off the stove, and opened the window.

"Let me do it."

Yang Wudi stood to the side, looking a bit aggrieved.

"I cook back in the clan, too."

Ning Rongrong glanced at him.

"What kind of fire do you use there?"

Yang Wudi said, "Spirit Power fire."

Ning Rongrong said, "There is no Spirit Power fire here. Only a gas stove."

Yang Wudi fell silent.

Ning Rongrong began to wash the pot and chop vegetables again.

Yang Wudi watched from the side and suddenly said:

"Little girl, when did you learn how to do this?"

Ning Rongrong was taken aback for a moment.

Yang Wudi said, "Cooking."

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and said:

"After coming here."

Yang Wudi looked at her, his expression complex.

"When you were at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you never did it?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

"There were people there to do it."

Yang Wudi was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Here, you have to do it yourself?"

Ning Rongrong nodded.

As she chopped the vegetables, she said:

"Zhang Mo does most of it. I do it occasionally."

Yang Wudi didn't speak.

After a long while, he suddenly said:

"Little girl, you've changed quite a bit."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at him.

Yang Wudi leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

"Before, you were a young miss who didn't have to do anything. Now you can cook, do laundry, and take care of others."

He paused.

"The people here have made you suffer quite a bit, haven't they?"

Ning Rongrong was stunned for a moment.

Then she smiled.

"No," she said, "I'm willing to do it myself."

Yang Wudi looked at her for a long time.

Then he nodded, turned, and walked away.

He stopped at the doorway, and without looking back, said:

"Call me when the food is ready."

Ning Rongrong smiled and agreed.

In the evening, the four of them gathered around a small tea table to eat.

As Yang Wudi ate the dishes Ning Rongrong had prepared, he suddenly remarked:

"Not bad, tastes better than what I make."

Ning Rongrong glared at him.

"You call what you do cooking?"

Yang Wudi chuckled twice.

Ancient Banyan sat to the side, eating very slowly, as if savoring something.

Chen Xin watched him and suddenly asked:

"Old Bone, is it good?"

Ancient Banyan nodded.

Chen Xin said, "Better than the sect's?"

Ancient Banyan thought for a moment and said:

"About the same."

Chen Xin froze for a second, then smiled.

Ning Rongrong watched from the side, suddenly feeling a sting in her nose.

She lowered her head and continued to eat.

Zhang Mo, sitting beside her, gently nudged her hand.

She looked up at him.

He didn't speak, just looked at her.

She smiled and went back to eating.

Outside the window, the moon had risen.

Inside the room, the warm yellow light shone upon the four of them.

The Television was still on, playing some unknown program.

Yang Wudi watched it while he ate, not even blinking.

Ancient Banyan glanced at the Television occasionally, and occasionally at Ning Rongrong.

Chen Xin held his bowl, eating slowly, and spoke a few words to Ancient Banyan from time to time.

Ning Rongrong leaned against Zhang Mo, eating her meal and watching them.

She suddenly remembered when she had first arrived.

Back then, there was only Zhang Mo.

Now there was Yang Wudi, Grandpa Sword, and Grandpa Bone.

Five people were crowded into the tiny room.

She looked at Zhang Mo and whispered:

"Zhang Mo."

"Hmm?"

"Is it crowded?"

Zhang Mo looked around the room, then back at her.

"It's alright."

Ning Rongrong smiled.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and continued to eat.

Yang Wudi suddenly spoke up:

"Little girl, make this dish again tomorrow."

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

He pointed at the plate of Braised Pork Belly on the table, his eyes bright.

Ning Rongrong smiled.

"Okay."

Ancient Banyan said from the side:

"I want to eat that."

He pointed to another dish.

Ning Rongrong nodded.

Chen Xin didn't speak, but he took the last piece of meat from his bowl.

Yang Wudi glared at him.

Chen Xin ignored him completely.

Ning Rongrong looked at them and suddenly felt that this life wasn't so difficult after all.

The moonlight from outside shone in.

Laughter from inside the room carried out.

This small room held five people.

It held two worlds.