The Faith and Salt

After sending out this message, David felt a lot more relaxed.

Also, a very strange, sweet smell came from Xiao Yan's skin; it was very hard to describe. This scent pulled David in.

Although he still had bad feelings from yesterday.

"Hong Xiuquan?"

David nodded.

Xiao Yan seemed to be thinking for a while, and then pointed one finger at that monster drawing on the wall.

It was exactly the beast David met when he first reached Guangzhou.

Then he pointed at his own eyes. Finally, his finger moved back, pointing directly at that world map.

David guessed his meaning: "Did you see this with your own eyes?"

So, he nodded his head.

Xiao Yan then pulled a flat hand across his own neck. This sharp move could mean many different things.

Maybe he was asking, "Did you kill this beast?"

Or maybe he meant, "Did this monster kill your friends?"

David shook his head. He only wanted to show he did not know. Of course, Xiao Yan might understand this totally differently.

After fully realizing their communication gap was growing wider and wider, they were likely just talking completely past each other right now.

He looked at his leftover black charcoal from last night and walked right next to Xiao Yan.

Finding an empty spot near the floor, he drew a simple boat and some water waves.

He added a basic stick figure standing inside, pointing a finger at his own chest.

Next, he knocked on that monster drawing. He smashed his two fists together to show a heavy fight.

Finally, one fist fell. He crossed his wrists together to show he had been arrested.

David did not know if Xiao Yan understood any of this. After finishing his act, he actually felt a bit bored.

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It all seemed quite meaningless.

Xiao Yan clearly did not get the answer he wanted.

He frowned slightly and looked back at those charcoal marks.

Next, he pointed one finger at that black map, then at his own chest. He stared straight into David's eyes, seeming to ask, "Am I here?"

David nodded. He then quickly looked away, trying hard not to look in that man's direction at all.

Xiao Yan pointed at that map again and opened both hands.

What did that mean?

Xiao Yan then pointed directly at David.

Oh? I think I understand.

David pointed a dirty finger at those British islands, then back at himself.

Right then, Xiao Yan stepped much closer. Their arms almost touched. That sweet body scent hit David's nose once again.

Xiao Yan's cheeks looked very red. Up close, they actually looked a bit weird, almost like they wore makeup.

However, his quiet eyes always looked like they cared about absolutely nothing in this world.

One black, one red. What a pair of eyes.

His body was also perfect. But again, that's strange.

David had never seen anyone like that. He could not find a single ugly spot anywhere.

This beautiful face looked just like a skin mask. He looked extremely good, but he also looked completely fake.

Xiao Yan looked deeply confused right now. He stared hard at Europe and Africa with a heavy frown.

David read this silent confusion, or at least he fully believed he did. Xiao Yan had traveled to many places. He knew exactly what his own world looked like.

But he had never imagined this earth was so much bigger than everything he already knew.

Yes, this world was so huge, yet it somehow allowed two totally different men to cross vast oceans just to meet here.

David wished so badly he could speak perfect Chinese right now. Then he could easily explain everything happening outside.

Paris, London, and Berlin...

Everything was changing so fast. David wanted to show Xiao Yan the power of technology, the cannon, and the gunship.

He also wanted Xiao Yan to explain himself, to explain all the madness unfolding in this empire.

The East and the West seemed like two completely isolated worlds, which baffled David.

Perhaps it is only now that the West has begun to take seriously the legends and myths trickling out of China.

Xiao Yan slowly looked over that giant map again.

Its black charcoal details were actually much richer now than last night.

Huge whales swam in open oceans. Busy industrial ports lined up along coastlines.

Tall churches stood in major cities. Iron railways and heavy trains cut straight across deep land.

A heavily oversized clock tower even stood tall on those British islands.

David had absolutely no idea if these simple drawings meant anything to Xiao Yan.

He had wondered the same thing while drawing them last night.

Perhaps to local Chinese eyes, these strange shapes looked no different from wild beasts.

They probably thought Europe was just full of square-shaped monsters with smoking chimneys growing straight out of their heads.

Xiao Yan handed David a few small pieces of silver. It felt like a simple payment or a silent thank you.

He then took a quick sip of his tea, said a few short words to the inn owner, and just turned to leave.

He held a little girl's hand and led her away.

David had only just realized this young child actually belonged with Xiao Yan.

A deep sense of loss suddenly grabbed his heart. He stood perfectly still, tightly holding those cold silver pieces. He just blankly watched Xiao Yan's back.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

“Wait!”