Ma Yuan and Yang Qing didn't exchange any other words from the moment Ma Yuan sat down. They sat there, eating and drinking in silence. Close to half an hour passed by like that, with not a peep out of the two. They seemed to meld into the silence of the place. Even their eating seemed muffled.

The only person or creature out of place was Ellie. She had finished all her fish at some point and flew over to try and score some from Ma Yuan using the most pitiful look she could muster. She didn't try to pull the move on Yang Qing as she knew the person all too well. All she'd get for her efforts was a good painful flick to the head.

Her analysis and efforts paid off because Ma Yuan gave her three of his fish and kept three for himself. Yang Qing played a bystander in all these as his entire being was focused on eating. The taste was just as he expected, if not more. The meat was packed with flavor from the herbs and spices he used, while its texture was so tender that it broke down by itself the moment he took a simple bite.

There was also a mellow refreshing coolness to the meat which, Yang Qing attributed to the Yin nature of the meat.

He had planned to save some for next time, but with every bite, that plan seemed like an impossible task to him. The pairing of the redears, bluegills, and the spring water rice wine was just too good to stop midway. In thirty minutes, he had eaten through all his share. The only thing that remained unfinished was the wine, which even if he devoted himself to drinking nonstop for a week, he would still not be able to finish.

Even though the gourd he used to store the spring water rice wine in, looked normal sized, about a few inches tall and wide, its internal size was completely different. If he wanted to, he could store all the water within his 1-acre pond and still leave some room in it. He had a few barrels worth of spring water rice wine stored in it. His casual drinking on the flight over barely made a dent in it.....

When they had all finished their meals, another awkward silence ensued. The awkwardness was mostly on Ma Yuan's part. He had been grumbling about dying half an hour ago and Yang Qing even told him he could do it after his meal. With the meal finished, he felt a bit embarrassed about what to do next. The statement he made earlier felt like a noose to him now.

He was still tormented by the demons that pushed him into attempting to take his life over a month ago, but now he felt if he still went through with it, it would be a slap in the face, to Yang Qing.

The brief moment of silence when they were eating also gave him a rare opportunity to have a clear mind, free of the torment and nightmare he had been enduring for the past few years. Even though he was still as hopeless as before, some part of him still wanted to keep going. At some point during his torment-filled years, without even realizing it, he got swallowed whole by his grief and regrets to the point it made him forget himself along with the promise he made. The brief clarity he got during the meal helped him remember the promise he made seven years ago.

...

"Fellow daoist...." just as Ma Yuan was about to give his thanks and find the right words to break the awkwardness he felt, Yang Qing interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Just call me Yang Qing." Yang Qing said as he smiled.

"Thank you, brother Yang Qing, once more for saving my life and for sharing your meal with me.

That brief respite helped me more than you know. It pulled me out of a fog. It's been a while since I haven't felt like I'm drowning. Thank you truly and about before...," said Ma Yuan as he scratched the back of his head with a smile of embarrassment showing on his face.

"Ma Yuan, how about you join me in my travels?" Yang Qing suddenly asked as he downed the remaining wine in his urn.

Ma Yuan was caught off guard by the suggestion that he didn't know how to respond.

"Excuse me?" he asked, still baffled by Yang Qing's sudden suggestion.

"From your eyes, I can tell, you don't have as much intent to take your life now as you did before. There's nothing much you're doing here, why not join me on my travels? It's just for two days and the change of scenery could do you some good.

After the two days are up, we can go our separate ways. Think of it as me easing my conscience. I would feel uneasy if I left you by yourself considering the situation I found you in. Having you with me for a few days will at the very least help assuage my worries when we go our separate ways, after." Yang Qing patiently explained as he cast a solemn gaze at Ma Yuan.

"We don't need to talk about anything, we can just do what we did before and enjoy the silence but if you feel the need to unburden yourself, I'm willing to lend an ear but it's also okay if you don't. You can treat this as a spontaneous trip around the continent," Yang Qing added when he saw Ma Yuan show a hesitant look.

His statement seemed to have had an effect, as Ma Yuan's expression seemed to ease a bit though not by much. After a few minutes of wrestling with the suggestion, Ma Yuan finally came to a decision.

"I'll come only if you promise to share more of that wine we had," Ma Yuan said, trying to make a joke to ease his awkwardness.

"There's more than enough to spare, brother Ma Yuan," Yang Qing said as he smiled.

Yang Qing internally had a sigh of relief from being spared the chance to enact his worst-case scenario. He had every intention of bringing Ma Yuan with him either willingly or through force. With the effort he put into saving him, despite Ma Yuan's current look, Yang Qing wouldn't be at ease leaving him by himself. He also had a rather good impression of him.