Three Hearts, One

Zhang Mo remained unconscious for the entire night.

Ning Rongrong stayed by his side without sleeping a wink. She sat on the floor beside the sofa, her head resting against its arm, her eyes fixed on his face.

Just before dawn, his brow twitched.

She straightened at once.

"Zhang Mo?"

Zhang Mo opened his eyes. Seeing her red, swollen eyes, he froze for a moment.

"You cried again?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head, but her eyes reddened all over again.

Zhang Mo tried to sit up, but pain in his chest made him suck in a breath.

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

Zhang Mo lay back and stared at the ceiling.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked:

"Where are 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, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers.

"He left last night," she said softly. "He said if you died, he'd take responsibility. Since you didn't, he figured that was that."

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

"He won't leave."

Ning Rongrong looked up at him.

Zhang Mo said, "He can't stop worrying about you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion rose from downstairs.

Ning Rongrong ran to the window and looked down.

Ancient Banyan had returned to the alley.

He stood where he had the night before, with Chen Xin beside him. They faced each other, talking about something she couldn't make out.

Yang Wudi came out of the building with the Soul Breaking Spear in hand and stood beside them, apparently butting in.

Ning Rongrong froze.

Then she turned and ran out.

"Slow down!" Zhang Mo called after her.

She raced downstairs without looking back.

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

When Ancient Banyan saw her, his eyes softened for a moment.

"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 it over all night," he said. "Your Grandpa Sword told me what that kid did."

Ning Rongrong froze.

Ancient Banyan said, "He saved you twice. He nearly ruined his hand taking three strikes from your Grandpa Sword. He broke several ribs blocking my punch. And last night, he took a sword strike for you."

He paused.

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

Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened.

Ancient Banyan looked at her, his expression complicated.

"Rongrong, if you like him, Grandpa Bone won't stand in your way anymore."

Tears spilled from Ning Rongrong's eyes.

Ancient Banyan reached out and wiped them away.

"But there's one thing." He turned to look at the window upstairs. "If he ever dares to mistreat you, I'll still come after him."

Ning Rongrong laughed through her tears.

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

Yang Wudi rolled his eyes.

"All right, all right," he said. "The whole family's reunited, is that it? Should I make myself scarce?"

Ancient Banyan turned to look at him.

"You're the head of the Breaking Clan?"

Yang Wudi nodded.

Ancient Banyan said, "Have you repaired that spear of yours?"

Yang Wudi paused and glanced down at the spear in his hand.

"It's fixed. Why?"

Ancient Banyan held out his hand. "Let me have a look."

Yang Wudi hesitated, then handed it over.

Ancient Banyan took the spear and examined it carefully. Two cracks ran along the shaft, patched with silvery metal.

"Not bad," he said. "But these cracks are in the wrong places. They'll interfere with how you apply force."

Yang Wudi frowned. "You know about spears?"

Ancient Banyan glanced at him.

"I've lived for nearly two hundred years. What haven't I seen?"

Yang Wudi fell silent.

Ancient Banyan handed the spear back.

"If you have time, I can reforge it for you."

Yang Wudi froze.

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

"Sure," he said. "Then I'll be grateful for your help."

Chen Xin spoke from the side:

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

"With you," Ancient Banyan said.

Chen Xin paused.

"The hotel you're staying at has two beds, doesn't it?"

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

"Fine."

Watching from the side, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt warmth bloom in her heart.

She turned and ran upstairs.

When she rushed into the room, Zhang Mo was trying to prop himself up.

She hurried over and supported him.

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

Zhang Mo looked at her without a word.

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

Zhang Mo nodded.

Ning Rongrong looked at him and suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo."

"Mm?"

"I'm happy."

Zhang Mo paused.

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 against his shoulder.

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

Zhang Mo lay back.

She sat beside him, holding his hand.

Voices drifted up from the three men downstairs.

Yang Wudi's booming voice: "Old man, how exactly do 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 you mix the Breaking Clan's spear techniques with my Bone Dragon, you'll ruin them."

Yang Wudi fell silent.

After a while, he spoke again:

"Then can you take a look at my spear techniques?"

Ancient Banyan said nothing.

Chen Xin said, "If he agreed, he'll do it."

Yang Wudi laughed.

Hearing that, Ning Rongrong's lips curled into a smile too.

She turned to look at Zhang Mo.

His eyes were closed, his breathing even. He seemed to be asleep.

She leaned closer to look.

His eyelashes twitched.

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 like crescents.

"Zhang Mo."

"Mm?"

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

Zhang Mo nodded.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, warm and bright.

Downstairs, the three men's voices continued.

Upstairs, one lay down and the other sat beside him, their hands clasped.

Everything was just right.

Chen Xin's move to a nearby hotel came to light the next morning.

Ning Rongrong went downstairs to buy breakfast. Just as she reached the mouth of the alley, she saw Grandpa Sword standing by the roadside, holding a square object, his brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly.

"Grandpa Sword?"

Chen Xin looked up at her, seeming a little lost.

"Rongrong, how do I use this thing?"

Ning Rongrong went over for a look—a phone.

A brand-new smartphone, its screen still lit, displaying the dial pad.

"Y-you bought a phone?"

Chen Xin nodded.

"Your Grandpa Bone said people in this world use these to keep in touch." He turned the phone over and over in his hands. "But I can't figure it out."

Ning Rongrong tried not to laugh as she took it and looked.

The screen showed the words "Emergency Call."

She nearly burst out laughing.

"Grandpa Sword, you pressed the wrong thing. That's for emergency calls. You can't just call it for no reason."

Chen Xin paused.

Ning Rongrong showed him how to unlock it, dial a number, and save a contact.

Chen Xin watched closely, as if studying some profound sword technique.

"Got it?" Ning Rongrong asked.

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

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

He furrowed his brow again.

"What is this thing called... WeChat? How do I use it?"

Ning Rongrong: "..."

Half an hour later, she returned downstairs with Grandpa Sword, still carrying the breakfast that had gone cold.

Yang Wudi came downstairs. When he saw Chen Xin, he froze for a moment.

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

Chen Xin said, "Waiting for someone."

"Who?"

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

Yang Wudi stared for three seconds, then burst out laughing.

"A router? I just installed one yesterday! You two live in the same room. Why buy two routers?"

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

"He bought it. I didn't."

Yang Wudi laughed even harder.

Standing nearby, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt that life was getting more and more lively.

When Ancient Banyan returned, he was carrying a huge cardboard box.

Chen Xin looked at him and frowned.

"What is that?"

Ancient Banyan set the box on the floor and opened it, revealing a square black box.

"A television."

Chen Xin froze.

Ancient Banyan said, "I watched one last night. Everyone in this world watches these. There are little people moving around inside."

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

"You bought it?"

Ancient Banyan nodded.

Chen Xin fell silent again for a few seconds, then said:

"We have those where we're from, too. They're called Image Recording Stones."

Ancient Banyan glanced at him.

"This is clearer than an Image Recording Stone."

Yang Wudi came over and looked at the television, his eyes lighting up.

"I know this thing! There was one in that kid Zhang Mo's room yesterday. You can watch people boxing on it!"

Listening from the side, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt that the three of them, who were nearly five hundred years old altogether, looked like three old men fresh off the farm.

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

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

When he saw them carrying a huge box up, he froze.

"This is..."

"A television," Ancient Banyan said.

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

Yang Wudi shrugged.

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

Ancient Banyan set the box down and began figuring out how to install it.

Chen Xin watched from the side, occasionally putting in his two cents.

"That wire goes in that port."

"I know."

"No, the other one."

"Do you know what you're doing, or do I?"

Standing beside them, Ning Rongrong watched two Titled Douluo nearly start arguing over a wire and suddenly felt like she was in some kind of fever dream.

Yang Wudi watched the commotion with great interest.

"Come on, fight!"

Ancient Banyan glared at him.

Yang Wudi shut up, though he couldn't hide the grin on his face.

In the end, Zhang Mo spoke up.

"The HDMI cable goes in that port."

Ancient Banyan followed the direction of his finger, found the port, and plugged in the cable.

The television lit up.

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

Ancient Banyan stared at the screen, eyes wide.

Chen Xin stared, too.

Yang Wudi crowded in as well.

Watching the three of them huddled in front of the television, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt like laughing.

But she held it in.

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

She walked over and sat beside him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Zhang Mo shook his head.

Ning Rongrong glared at him, but she was smiling, too.

After a while, Ancient Banyan suddenly said:

"How did those little people 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 it was recorded. They're not really inside."

Ancient Banyan frowned. "Recorded? Then how are they moving?"

Yang Wudi thought for a moment, then said:

"I don't know."

Ancient Banyan turned to look at Zhang Mo.

"They're filmed with a camera," Zhang Mo said. "The footage is saved and then played back."

Ancient Banyan was silent for a long time.

Then he said:

"This world's gadgets are pretty interesting."

Chen Xin nodded beside him.

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

The screen changed to a martial arts drama. Two people were fighting in a bamboo grove, blades flashing as they traded blows.

Yang Wudi's eyes lit up.

"That sword technique! Old man, look at that sword technique!"

Chen Xin leaned over for a glance and frowned.

"Flashy moves."

"Flashy or not, it still looks good!" Yang Wudi said.

Chen Xin said nothing, but he didn't leave, either.

Ancient Banyan stood nearby, watching the two people fight on the screen. Suddenly, he said:

"The swordsman was too slow on his third move."

Chen Xin nodded.

"He followed up incorrectly on the fourth."

"Had he switched to a thrust, that man would be dead," Ancient Banyan said.

Yang Wudi turned to look at them.

"Can you two just watch?"

They both fell silent.

But a while later, Chen Xin said again:

"That sword should have angled three degrees to the left."

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

Yang Wudi: "..."

Watching from the side, Ning Rongrong laughed until she could barely stand.

Zhang Mo held her hand, the corners of his mouth lifting, too.

In the evening, Yang Wudi said he wanted to cook.

Ning Rongrong stopped him.

"You know how to cook?"

"If I can make pills, why wouldn't I know how to cook?"

Ning Rongrong looked at him, doubtful.

Yang Wudi had already charged into the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, a loud bang came from inside.

Ning Rongrong rushed in and saw Yang Wudi standing by the stove, his face covered in soot, while the contents of the pan sent up black smoke.

"What happened?"

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

"This fire isn't very obedient."

Ning Rongrong looked at him and sighed.

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

"I'll do it."

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

"I cooked for my clan, too."

Ning Rongrong glanced at him.

"What kind of fire did you use there?"

"Soul Power fire."

"There's no Soul Power fire here. Just a gas stove."

Yang Wudi fell silent.

Ning Rongrong began washing the pan and cutting the vegetables again.

Watching from the side, Yang Wudi suddenly said:

"Little girl, when did you learn to do that?"

Ning Rongrong paused.

"Cook."

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment, then said:

"After I came here."

Yang Wudi looked at her, his expression complicated.

"You never cooked when you were in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

"Someone else did it there."

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 the cooking. I do it once in a while."

Yang Wudi said nothing.

After a long while, he suddenly said:

"Little girl, you've changed a lot."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at him.

Yang Wudi leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

"You used to be a young lady who didn't have to lift a finger. Now you can cook, do laundry, and take care of people."

He paused.

"Have the people here made you suffer a lot?"

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment.

Then she smiled.

"No," she said. "I did it because I wanted to."

Yang Wudi looked at her for a long time.

Then he nodded and turned to leave.

He stopped at the doorway and said without looking back,

"Call me when dinner's ready."

Ning Rongrong smiled and answered.

That evening, the four of them gathered around the little coffee table to eat.

As Yang Wudi ate the food Ning Rongrong had made, he suddenly said,

"Not bad. Better than what I make."

Ning Rongrong shot him a glare.

"You call what you make cooking?"

Yang Wudi chuckled.

Ancient Banyan sat nearby, eating slowly, as if savoring something.

Chen Xin looked at him and suddenly asked,

"Old Bone, is it good?"

Ancient Banyan nodded.

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

Ancient Banyan thought for a moment, then said,

"About the same."

Chen Xin froze for a moment, then laughed.

Watching them, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt a little sting in her nose.

She lowered her head and continued eating.

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

She looked up at him.

He said nothing, only gazed at her.

She smiled and continued eating.

Outside the window, the moon rose.

Inside, warm yellow lamplight fell over the four of them.

The TV was still on, showing some program none of them knew.

Yang Wudi watched as he ate, barely blinking.

Ancient Banyan glanced at the TV now and then, and occasionally at Ning Rongrong.

Chen Xin held his bowl and ate slowly, occasionally exchanging a few words with Ancient Banyan.

Ning Rongrong leaned against Zhang Mo as she ate, watching them.

She suddenly remembered when she'd first arrived.

Back then, Zhang Mo had been the only one there.

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

Five people crowded into the little house.

She looked at Zhang Mo and said softly,

"Zhang Mo."

"Hmm?"

"Is it crowded?"

Zhang Mo looked around the room, then at her.

"It's fine."

Ning Rongrong smiled.

She leaned against his shoulder and continued eating.

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 on the table, his eyes bright.

Ning Rongrong smiled.

"Okay."

Ancient Banyan spoke up beside them,

"I want that one."

He pointed at another dish.

Ning Rongrong nodded.

Chen Xin said nothing, but took the last piece of meat from his bowl.

Yang Wudi glared at him.

Chen Xin ignored him completely.

Looking at them, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt that perhaps life wasn't so hard after all.

Moonlight streamed in through the window.

Laughter drifted out of the house.

This little house held five people.

It held two worlds.