60: Fox Den
At first, his body refused to move. The day Disung fought the real Fox, he saw true. Behind the mask was his father. He had not died. He had not crossed realms. He remained breathing in this world.
Every heartbreak Disung felt from his father’s absence washed over him. The sleepless nights in his teenage years resurfaced, as did their reason; he hated that his father died. He sacrificed so much to provide a comfortable life for his mother. Yet, now the man was alive, it raised the question of why he never returned. Similarly, his mother shared this anger.
In a rage, Chunhua threw every rock and stick on her path towards her husband. “You dare show your ugly mutt face here again?! I will skin you alive! You good-for-nothing egg! I will spit on you like the filth you are!”
An uncomfortable laugh left Hanxiong as he dodged the flying objects. “Ha. My dear! My honey! How long it has been since I saw your beautiful face.”
“Don’t bother with sweet words! Compliments will only make me want to rip out your tongue! You balding, pompous wart!”
“Chunhua…”
Disung watched his mother and father, a hand space apart, stare into each other’s eyes. Slowly, the anger seeped from his mother and she slumped. Hanxiong took the cue to embrace her, locking himself around her. She sobbed into his chest and weakly beat against it.
“I am truly sorry, my honey. I promise to explain.”
Disung glared, annoyed his mother lost her fight so quickly. Fortunately, he held enough fury for both of them. “You better.”
Trying to decipher his emotions, and barely acknowledging Mingzhu’s disappearance, Disung went inside first. The cabin’s temperature matched outside, even though a blanket hung in the doorway to try retain heat. When the days turned colder, he would visit again to install the ‘Winter door’; a temporary wind blocker made from maidenhair trees, tied together. As a teenager, he made it to ensure his mother didn’t freeze to death while he left for the army. At the very bottom, he carved an idiom to commemorate his father. Just like the man, it was also as wrong as he told it. Instead of ‘get the moon from the bottom of the sea’, it read ‘aim for the moon even if you are a fish’. The heartfelt action of adding the words seemed bittersweet, especially today.
By the time his mother and father joined him, snacks he brought from the palace rested on the small table. An awkward silence filled the space. Disung didn’t know what to say or how to handle the fury he keenly felt. He abandoned us, he brooded. He abandoned us for years.
Hanxiong cleared his throat. “I am at loss for words. Do you have any questions?”
Why did you never come? Why did you leave us? Are you the murdering Fox? Why can’t I remember anything clearly? Where have you been? Why did you abandon us? All these popped into Disung’s head in an instant.
“From when I was born to now, start to finish, explain everything.”
After a slight hesitation, his father complied. The truth slowly unveiled itself over tea, Hanxiong bothering to explain the mountain clan origins and Masked Masters. Disung already knew of this, both from his mother’s stories and Joaolong’s fascination. However, he quietly listened, comparing his knowledge to the words told; it all rang true.
“Did you ever find Peizhi?” Chunhu asked desperately, interrupting the flow of the story.
Hanxiong smiled. “She lives in the mountain clan village still. One day, I will bring you with me to see her.”
Thank the gods, Disung thought but refused to show any relief about his sister’s survival. This proved difficult, as a bunch of memories of the chubby child with oak hair and long eyelashes came rushing back. She must be close to sixteen now. Does she still hate shoes? Does she eat rice with a monster-like enthusiasm? Does she love waterfalls? Did she grow up kind? Is she okay? The questions rose in time with the beat of his aching heart.
“How did she get out?” Chunhua asked.
“She didn’t. The fight in the village… she got caught in it. Other than a scar to her face, she is fine. We lived together until two years ago because she wanted to invest more with the Masked Masters. She hoped her efforts would find you both once again.”
As his mother tried to fan her face and fight back a new wave of tears, Disung felt himself break, like a shattered vase. This was too much. He couldn’t handle it. His father lived. His sister lived. Yet, why did he harbour so much rage inside instead of joy? Whenever he met his father’s eyes, he wanted to fight.
“Why did you never look for us?”
Hanxiong had the decency to look ashamed. “I tried. At first, it was hard because of the village restoration. There were orphans, so many families fallen and Peizhi to protect… Time slipped through my hands… I assumed from the route I put you on, you escaped to Linlong. I searched across the entire kingdom for years without a glimmer of hope. At the end of my wits end, I met Mingzhu again in the mountains.”
“You stayed with her instead of searched,” Chunhua snarled with aggressive tones rising in her voice.
“I had to.”
“You know what she did!”
“And you should know what she went through,” Hanxiong whispered yet Chunhua suddenly closed her lips, as if reprimanded by a threatening screech. Something in his voice seemed both wise and authoritative, making those around compelled to listen. Disung remembered being scolded in a similar way as a child.
“Why does it matter?!" Disung ground out through clenched teeth, latching onto the last of his patience and calm. "This isn’t about her. I saw the Fox kill you. How was a child like her involved in that?!”
Although his memories seemed scattered and jumbled, he remembered the Fox kicking his father to the ground. The gleam of the blade. The cry from his mother. The Fox mask splattered with blood. Even now, it appeared crystal clear in his mind.
A sad chuckle rumbled out of Hanxiong, as if he was darkly amused by something. “Hou Shing and his tokens. How ironic that my close call to death was by my own mask.”
What is that supposed to mean? Disung ran his nails through his hair, trying to find clarity and control through the refreshing pain. “Speak clearly! You said you would explain everything so stop toying with me.”
“Hou Shing destroyed the mountain clan over ten years ago. He wore my mask, along with many others, to kill the Masked Masters. That is why your mother and you ran away. It might be the reason you are confused by the real Fox.”
Disung released his breath. “I still don’t understand how Mingzhu is involved.”
A pregnant silence filled the room. Disung’s parents exchanged looks, their expressions clearly showing discomfort. What on earth happened all those years ago?
Finally, Hanxiong spoke. “Hou Shing was Mingzhu’s father.”