"Who are you all?"
The voice rang out amidst this sacred forest and toxic water, very light but enough to startle the three people, causing them to turn back; they saw a young male about twenty years old, with messy black hair, a vertical scar running down his right eye, wearing a white shirt, characterized by something wrapped in white bandages carried across his hip on his back.
Seeing the opponent, the three immediately went into a defensive posture, drawing guns from their backs; if a complication arose, they would eliminate the opponent immediately.
The middle-aged male leading glanced at the young male before him; suddenly he realized who the person before him was. He glanced at the other two; they understood immediately but did not loosen their vigilance at all. He stepped forward one pace, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"We have no ill intentions here." "We only want to find a person."
The middle-aged man paused a bit, choosing his words very carefully.
"Lam Thanh Moc."
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Thuong Sinh had no expression on his face.
The middle-aged man did not turn his head, but spoke in a low voice to the two behind him: "Stow the guns."
The two behind him hesitated a bit, then slowly loosened their grip on the gun stocks and lowered them.
Thuong Sinh stood opposite without moving. He looked at the middle-aged man for a moment, then his gaze swept over the two behind, finally returning.
"Why are you looking for her?" he said, his voice even, neither high nor low.
The middle-aged man maintained his posture with both hands raised, neither advancing nor retreating.
"Someone wants to bring her back."
Thuong Sinh slightly narrowed his eyes.
"What is your relationship?"
The middle-aged man did not rush to answer; he lowered his hands a bit, showing he had no intention of attacking him, then spoke: "It is not a personal relationship." "It is family," the middle-aged man said briefly. "Her family side."
Thuong Sinh's gaze suddenly changed, not looking at the opponent as prey like usual, only asking further, his voice very even, not loud, not small.
"Who?"
"Her father."
The two behind his back tightened slightly, but said nothing.
Thuong Sinh was silent for several seconds. There was no expression, nor any obvious surprise, only his gaze darkened a bit. A moment later he looked directly at the leader.
"Follow me."
He turned around to lead the way; the three people did not expect the opponent to lead them to meet Lam Thanh Moc so easily. Thuong Sinh knew this was her private matter, so he did not want to interfere too much; if anyone forced her to leave him, he would not leave them whole.
The three followed him, keeping just enough distance; no one said another word. The forest path narrowed gradually; light pierced through the sparse canopy, falling in mottled patches. The air was quiet enough to hear one's own footsteps.
Thuong Sinh walked ahead, back straight, his steps very steady. He did not turn back once, but in his mind it was already clear—these people were not lying, at least regarding her father; when he verified whether the man's words were true, he sensed the man's heartbeat was not at all panicked. Rather, it was one who knew he was telling the truth, yet still carried wariness.
Thuong Sinh did not need to turn back to know how the middle-aged man was keeping his breathing stable, how the two behind occasionally shifted their centers of gravity. They had no intention of ambushing. At least not now.
Walking a stretch further, the forest thinned. The sound of small flowing water rang out from ahead. Thuong Sinh stopped. The three behind also stopped immediately, almost simultaneously. He raised a hand, signaling for silence, then said softly:
"Wait here."
The middle-aged man was slightly dazed.
"Not going further?"
"No need," Thuong Sinh answered. "I will call her out."
He continued walking, separating from their vision, then used his movement technique, moving at a dizzying speed toward the wooden house; Lam Thanh Moc was currently holding Thuong An, sitting on the swing at the tree corner he had made for her previously.
"Thanh Moc."
His voice was not loud, but very clear. Lam Thanh Moc paused. She turned her head, seeing Thuong Sinh standing under the canopy, his expression normal as usual, but his gaze was a bit deeper.
"What is it?" she asked. Thuong An in her arms squirmed, raising his head to look at him, then obediently leaned against her chest again.
Thuong Sinh stepped closer a few paces, stopping at a sufficient distance.
"Someone has come to find you."
Lam Thanh Moc was briefly stunned; from then until now she had always gone with him, at most others looked for Thuong Sinh, not necessarily looking for her.
"Who?"
"They say your father is looking for you."
Lam Thanh Moc was about to stand up when she paused a bit, looking somewhat unnatural, then looked at Thuong An in her lap.
"Let's go." "Mm."
He went to her, picking her up along with Thuong An in her arms, moving like a ghost lunging straight into the forest from earlier. The forest wind whipped past their ears. Lam Thanh Moc instinctively tightened her grip on Thuong An, her body tensing slightly, but she said nothing. She was accustomed to this speed.
In just ten seconds, Thuong Sinh had stopped; he set her down with a very gentle movement. Thuong An in her lap had fallen asleep at some unknown time.
The three people standing not far away suddenly saw a dark shadow moving at dizzying speed lunging close to their position then stopping. The middle-aged man, upon seeing Lam Thanh Moc, had his gaze change immediately. He took one step forward, then stopped, as if guarding against her being afraid of him.
"Thanh Moc," he called, his voice a bit hoarse.
Suddenly he saw a child being held by her; he was extremely surprised, looking at her then shifting his eyes to look at Thuong Sinh. Lam Thanh Moc looked at him for a moment.
"I do not remember knowing you," she said.
The middle-aged man stiffened, then breathed in a bit.
"I am your uncle." "Today I have come here to take you back with us."
"Uncle? In my memory, I have never met you once; how do you know me well enough to recognize me?"
He chuckled, his gaze softening a bit before continuing.
"Because you look like your mother, my sister, so when I saw you I recognized you immediately."
Lam Thanh Moc was silent for a moment; she looked straight into his eyes, not showing wariness, only a natural distance, as if meeting a relative she had never met before.
"I will not go back."
He looked at her, then looked at the baby in her arms once more.
"Alright, I understand." "But this child is different."
Suddenly her hands tightened.
"In Iron City, or the forest, for an adult like you, it is possible to live," he continued, his voice still very restrained. "But for the child you are holding, it is not."
Thuong Sinh, standing beside her, narrowed his eyes, looking straight at the middle-aged man before him; the pressure he radiated caused the surrounding air to suddenly turn ice cold. The pressure focused on the three people; immediately they felt as if a layer of invisible air was pressing straight down on their chests.
The two following behind immediately had their whole bodies stiffen, cold sweat seeping on the backs of their necks. Their feet unconsciously sank deep into the ground, hearts beating so heavily they thought they might be exposed.
The middle-aged male took a deep breath, forcibly standing firm against the pressure radiating from the youth before him. He did not turn to look at Thuong Sinh, only slowly continued speaking, his voice deepening.
"I do not intend to take the child away." "Nor does anyone have that right."
Lam Thanh Moc slightly frowned. "Then why are you saying these words?"
"To let you know," he answered immediately. "That when he develops a fever in the middle of the night, when his body begins to react to this environment—" "You will not have medicine."
There was no threat at all in his voice, only a fact; children, how their illnesses develop, no one can know; no matter how good the environment here is, it is not certain that illness or something won't occur with the baby.
Thuong Sinh took one step forward. The pressure increased dizzily in an instant. A dry branch beneath the three people's feet cracked slightly. Lam Thanh Moc raised her hand, lightly touching his arm. Thuong Sinh looked at her, then retracted it.
The man watched that scene, his gaze wavering a bit, then slowly continued: "You two, no matter how truly strong you are, are you certain the child will not have an accident?"
Thuong Sinh at this moment stared at him but said nothing; he knew if that truly happened, he also wouldn't know what to do next; he was not a doctor, not a god who could cure illness with a wave of his hand.
Perhaps because Thuong An was lucky, until now the boy had no signs of fever or other illnesses; if it happened then, he wouldn't know what to do. Only until now, from the words of the man before him, did he realize it was not a matter of 'if', but a matter of 'when'.
Thuong Sinh tightened his fingers. Lam Thanh Moc standing by his side blushed upon hearing the words "husband and wife" uttered from the man's mouth, but she did not correct him. She only bowed her head to look at Thuong An in her lap, her hand unconsciously stroking the baby's back.
The middle-aged man before them, seeing his words had an effect, was suddenly secretly happy in his heart, but his face remained unchanged, not revealing it. He took a deep breath, his voice lowering.
"I am your uncle; I did not come here to threaten." "Nor am I speaking to force you to return with us." "It is just... there are things that cannot be traded with strength."
His gaze stopped on Thuong An.
"At our place, there is medicine, there are people who know how to handle it when children fall ill." "It cannot always be saved." "But at least... one does not have to leave it to fate."
No one spoke. Thuong Sinh stood still, his gaze deepening. Lam Thanh Moc still bowed her head, stroking the baby's back slowly and steadily. A moment later, she spoke, her voice very light: "I will think about it."
The man saw that scene and did not push further; he gave a nod.
"That is enough." "If you change your mind, you can meet me in this Iron City." He stepped forward, taking a slip of paper from his pocket with the address of an inn in Iron City.
Thuong Sinh stepped before Lam Thanh Moc, taking the thin paper.
"We will stay there for three more days, waiting for your decision."
The middle-aged man finished speaking and took a step back, signaling the two behind him. The three turned their backs and left the forest without looking back. Only the sound of the stream remained.
Thuong Sinh stood holding the paper, not moving for a long time. The paper was thin, the edge slightly wrinkled, the address written in firm handwriting. He looked at it once, then folded it, tucking it into his inner coat pocket.
The sound of footsteps had completely faded. Only the sound of the water flowing steadily remained, as if no one had ever come.
Lam Thanh Moc held Thuong An, leaning against the tree trunk. The baby was sleeping very deeply, his breath so light it was almost inaudible.
"What do you think?" she asked, not raising her head.
Thuong Sinh was silent. He looked at the stream for a while, then spoke: "I do not like being cornered." "But..." He paused, lightly tightening his hand. "...he also did not speak incorrectly."
Lam Thanh Moc did not answer. She bowed her head to lightly kiss Thuong An's forehead, very softly, as if afraid to wake him. A moment later, she said: "I am not afraid of going back." "I am only afraid if Thuong An... encounters something that we cannot handle in time."
Thuong Sinh turned to look at her; his purple-black eyes were rippleless like a lake surface, yet his hands lightly tightened. Lam Thanh Moc looked at the sight of Thuong An sleeping in her lap.
"I can endure it." "But the boy cannot."
Thuong Sinh was silent for a long time. Then he reached out his hand, his fingertip touching her hand which was holding Thuong An very lightly.
"If you go, I will go with you."
Lam Thanh Moc looked up at him; in her eyes there were no tears, only a very deep quiet.
"...Mm, thank you."
The forest wind blew past, carrying the smell of water and dry leaves. Thuong An shifted once, then slept on, completely unaware that the path ahead of him had just been placed on the scale.