Chapter Thirty-Two: The Fragile Boca

"Who could it be?" Han Tianyue followed the voice, winding his way through the small grove until he reached the edge of the cliff on the western side of the back mountain. There, he saw Boca sitting quietly at the precipice. With his mask removed, Boca's features appeared especially striking in the sunlight.

"It's him!" Han Tianyue had no desire to probe into the other man's thoughts and turned to leave.

But just then, Boca's anguished shout reached his ears. "Why?"

"What's wrong with him?" Curiosity kept Han Tianyue rooted to the spot.

He watched as Boca rose to his feet, hurled the mask in his hand into the ravine below, and let tears stream down his cheeks. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Your mistake was falling in love with me!" A familiar voice sounded from the trees. Han Tianyue turned toward the grove and saw a figure between the shadows—it was Mao Xuanzi.

Boca let out a mocking, bitter laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Why did you come back here!" Boca's laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a cold snort.

"To put an end to this," Mao Xuanzi replied, his tone icy as he walked up to Boca.

"An end, yes, that's what we need." Boca threw his arms around Mao Xuanzi, tears falling once again.

Mao Xuanzi pushed Boca away. "From this day forward, we shall never meet again!"

With those final words, Mao Xuanzi turned and walked away.

Boca stood unmoving, his beautiful face streaked with blood-red veins.

"So that's the relationship between Mao Xuanzi and Boca!" Han Tianyue, who had grown up with Mao Xuanzi, had never paid attention to where his friend's affections lay. If the Crown Prince Mao learned of this, how heartbroken he would be.

"It looks like they've had a falling out. Perhaps that's for the best." Though Han Tianyue had never been fond of Mao Xuanzi, the Crown Prince's ever-present shadow, Mao Xuanzi was the prince's own brother. If Mao Xuanzi was happy, so was the Crown Prince, and if the Crown Prince was happy, Han Tianyue would be too.

So Boca simply stood there, unmoving, silent.

"Could he be thinking of doing something foolish?" Watching Boca alternate between mad laughter and weeping, Han Tianyue couldn't discount the possibility of rashness. He crouched in the grove, quietly watching events unfold.

The sun gradually lost its brilliance, leaving only a last glow of twilight suspended in the sky.

Boca slowly walked toward the edge of the cliff. At last, with a cold smile, he let himself fall backward into the chasm.

As expected, Han Tianyue rushed forward and grabbed Boca's arms just in time.

Boca glanced back at Han Tianyue, his tone cold. "You'll regret this."

With that, Boca fainted.

Han Tianyue had no choice but to drag Boca back up, muttering to himself, "If you died like this, you'd regret it even more as a ghost, I'm sure!"

Boca was unconscious, and darkness had fallen. There was no way to leave the back mountain now. Carrying someone with whom he shared not the slightest bond, Han Tianyue wandered about, searching for a cave to spend the night.

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