Hei stared at Bai, taken aback, his anger evaporating into a stunned silence. He had never heard Bai yell. He had never seen the man lose control. Bai was standing there, breathing heavily and fists clenched tightly at his sides.
The fire in Bai's eyes lasted only a moment before it extinguished.
"I'm done," Bai whispered, as the fight drained out of him. His shoulders slumped as his gaze fell back to the safety of the dirt floor. "I thought... for so long, I thought if I just acted like a sage... if I spoke in enough riddles... the universe would eventually start making sense.
I thought the Dao would recognize and protect a pure heart. But I was wrong."
Bai let out a bitter laugh. "The Dao doesn't care about us. Lord Xiang doesn't care about us. The village hates us. We are a joke."
"Brother Bai..." Hei started, his previous rage completely replaced by a cold dread. He reached a hand out, wanting to pull his friend back from the ledge.
