The tropical rainforest in Hainan was completely different from what Alex had imagined.
The moment he stepped into the forest, humid air enveloped him, carrying the fresh scents of earth and vegetation.
The branches and leaves of towering ancient trees intertwined above, forming an impenetrable green canopy, allowing only a few golden rays of sunlight to occasionally filter through, casting dappled shadows on the fallen leaves below.
"Stay close to me, don't get lost," Li Jingyi turned back and smiled at Alex, her ponytail swaying gently with her movement.
She held a wooden stick, picked up from who knows where, and occasionally pushed aside vines blocking their path. "This is a small path, not many people know about it."
Alex nodded, following behind her.
The soil beneath his feet was soft and damp; every step felt like treading on a sponge.
The surrounding vegetation was suffocatingly dense, with various nameless plants growing wildly. Some vines were as thick as arms, winding around tree trunks like some kind of sleeping giant snake.
"Watch your step—" Li Jingyi suddenly turned around, reaching out to steady Alex, who had almost tripped over a tree root.
Her palm was warm and soft, yet surprisingly strong, pulling Alex upright in an instant.
"Thanks," Alex stood steady, feeling his ears slightly warm with embarrassment.
Li Jingyi didn't seem to notice his discomfort. She pointed to a peculiar plant epiphyte on a tree trunk ahead. "Look, that's a praying mantis mimicking an orchid. They disguise themselves as flowers to wait for prey."
Her eyes sparkled, like a child who had discovered a treasure.
Alex followed her gaze and indeed found a pinkish-white "flower" on the tree trunk. Only upon closer inspection could he discern it was a disguised insect.
"You're very familiar with this place," Alex said.
"It's sort of an occupational hazard," Li Jingyi gently pushed aside a clump of ferns with her stick, revealing a hidden path behind them. "Psychotherapy isn't just about talking in a clinic.
The natural environment has a wonderful healing effect on a person's psyche, especially for—"
She suddenly paused, looking back at Alex. "Especially for people under a lot of stress."
Alex knew she originally wanted to say "for people like you who've returned from the battlefield," but she thoughtfully changed her words.
He appreciated this subtle consideration, just like the smiling face she drew on the beach yesterday that would be washed away by the tide.
The two continued deeper into the rainforest.
As their elevation increased, the vegetation gradually changed, and the air was filled with a sweet scent Alex couldn't quite place.
Li Jingyi told him it was the fragrance of a certain wild orchid, most potent only in the early morning and at dusk.
"We're here!" Li Jingyi suddenly quickened her pace, pushing aside the last palm frond.
The sight before Alex made him catch his breath—a hidden small waterfall cascaded down a rock face, plunging into a crystal-clear pool below.
The waterfall wasn't tall, but the sound of the water was crisp and pleasant, like a symphony carefully composed by nature.
Smooth rocks, covered in emerald-green moss, were scattered around the pool, shimmering with a jade-like luster in the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Li Jingyi smiled triumphantly, already having taken off her sneakers and stepping barefoot onto the rocks by the pool. "I bet fewer than ten people in all of Hainan know about this place."
Alex couldn't help but smile along.
It was indeed beautiful, so beautiful it felt unreal.
Li Jingyi squatted by the pool, cupped some water in her hands, and splashed it on her face, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Perfect!"
Alex mimicked her, squatting down. The moment his fingertips touched the water's surface, a coolness spread from his fingertips straight to his heart.
He cupped water and splashed it on his face; the fatigue of the past few days seemed to be washed away by the clear water.
"Do you know?" Li Jingyi sat on a flat rock, immersing her feet in the water. "The sound of water has a special healing effect. Different frequencies of flowing water can stimulate the brain to produce alpha waves, helping people relax."
Alex watched her swaying feet create ripples on the water's surface, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he had purely enjoyed a moment like this.
Whether in the 3k era or the 40k era, it had been a long time since he had been able to calm down and relax like this.
"I guess you're thinking about something very heavy," Li Jingyi's voice pulled him back to reality.
She had turned her head at some point, her gaze clear and focused. "Your brow is furrowed again, just like yesterday at the beach."
Alex subconsciously touched his forehead and indeed felt a deep crease.
He tried to smooth his brow but found his muscles had formed a habitual tension.
"Don't always frown. You need to learn to relax. If you keep frowning, people will age very quickly," Li Jingyi advised Alex, then looked at the waterfall before them. "Life is so beautiful, why always dwell on bothersome things?"
Alex was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the splashing waterfall.
"I've seen too much death," his voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the water. "More than you can imagine. Every person who died was because of my decision. But I had to let them die—only then could more people survive."
Li Jingyi didn't respond immediately. She listened quietly, her toes creating shallow ripples on the water's surface.
"These memories are like a brand!" Alex's voice grew deeper, yet he maintained his restraint. "Constantly reminding me that every decision hinges on countless lives! I wish I could kill all my enemies—this is the mission I must complete.
But I also can't indulge in slaughter, otherwise... more innocent people will die."
A leaf spun and drifted down, twirled on the water's surface, and slowly sank into the deep pool.
Alex gazed at the disappearing leaf, a hint of a sigh in his voice. "That's why I need your therapy, to help me stay clear-headed and not get lost in the killing.
Although I can't explain the specific reasons to you... when I'm with you, I can find a moment of peace."
Li Jingyi gazed at the trajectory of the sinking leaf. The ripples on the water gradually subsided, but deeper thoughts rippled in her eyes.
Her fingertips gently skimmed the water's surface, raising a few glistening drops.
"Do you know?" Her voice was like a breeze sweeping across the pool. "This pool looks crystal clear, but it's actually five or six meters deep."
She pointed to the faint shadows visible beneath the water's surface. "Looking from the surface, you can never guess what's hidden beneath—it could be centuries-old sunken wood, schools of fish, or perhaps... just unfathomable emptiness."
A mountain breeze swept by, carrying mist that brushed against both their faces.
Li Jingyi turned around, the sunlight filtering through the strands of hair by her ear, casting fragmented light and shadow on her cheek.
She looked directly into Alex's eyes, her gaze neither evasive nor aggressive.
"Memories are like this pool of water." She raised her hand, a patch of sunlight dancing in her palm. "The ripples on the surface might be trivial matters, like a dragonfly touching the water, or the aftermath of a storm—but they don't necessarily reflect the undercurrents deep within."
Her hand pointed to Alex's feet. "See, even your reflection is distorted in the water."
Several water striders glided across the water between them, drawing intersecting silver lines.
Li Jingyi suddenly leaned forward, a movement that made Alex unconsciously hold his breath.
"But none of that matters!" She reached out and caught a beam of sunlight piercing through the tree canopy, golden flecks of light swirling between her fingers. "What matters is that at this moment, you are standing in the light."
Her palm gently pressed against her chest.
"You can feel your heartbeat, breathing air scented with pine..." Li Jingyi's voice grew softer. "And not at the bottom of a dark pool, looking at an unreachable light above."
The pool water suddenly rippled unusually. A fish leaped out of the water, its scales flashing a fleeting shimmer in the sunlight, then plunged back into the deep with a "plop."
This sudden leap brought a warmth to the silence between them.
Alex felt something loosen in his chest.
Li Jingyi's words contained no affected comfort, yet they inexplicably brought him a sense of relief.
Perhaps she was right; instead of dwelling on unchangeable memories, it was better to focus on the beauty that could still be felt in the present.
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