Tao Ti sobbed, her ears catching a whisper, "Maybe you'll meet again."
"I can meet Grandpa again?"
"Shh! This is a secret."
The Horse-Faced Man extended his slender index finger to Tao Ti's lips and shook his head.
Tao Ti knew she shouldn't ask any further.
She had heard the War God mention that the secrets of heaven should not be revealed, and now the Horse-Faced Man likely meant the same.
Tao Ti hung her head, feeling both lost and sad.
Her small hand suddenly got taken, she tilted her head, and looked up at the tall Horse-Faced Man. Through the holes of the mask, she could meet a pair of kind and gentle eyes.
"Come, I'll take you to see the Flower of the Other Shore."
The Horse-Faced Man led Tao Ti back, walked up the arched bridge, and stood on top. He gently waved his sleeve, and the red and yellow mists enveloping the bridge dispersed, revealing the full view of the shores on either side of the bridge.