It was still dark outside, and Wei Ying sighed in relief; he had been wondering whether or not to ask for Hui Gai's help yet again in transporting Dunshi, because of his daylight issues.
The warmth of the blaze at their backs lasted a short while, and then the chill breezes of the night dessert surrounded them. The travellers were flanked by the Da Bizi holding lanterns on sticks both in front and behind, otherwise they had only the light from the stars to guide them.
Hongse was lost in thought, her sisters trailing behind her. Always together, they waited for their leader to acknowledge them, to come and speak with them when she was ready.
Who knew what the universe had in store for you? It was like receiving gifts every day, with no idea of what the gifts were. But it was too soon for Hongse to say that her finding her Soulmate was a good thing or not. For the shortest while, she had felt complete, as if whatever she thought and felt would be reciprocated in her other half...but what if it was just wishful thinking?
She glanced up and it just happened to be that Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were walking ahead of her. She looked at their joined hands and felt a pang of regret and hurt.
Finding your soulmate was supposed to be great, a happy thing, something to be celebrated...but not for her, it seemed. She was only glad that Raina was not sentenced to death, and for that leniency, she owed Wei Ying a debt. If he had not thought to call his demon friend, if no other solution was found, then what Wu Bizi had suggested would surely have come to pass, and Hongse wasn't at all sure if she was ready for that. If she would ever be.
At least this way, if she ever felt the need to go and visit, she could see Raina whenever she wanted to.
In that, Master Wei was very helpful. His friends somehow always managed to find him when they were needed.
There was no sign of the Scarlet Temptress now, even though Hongse could feel her presence around them, hovering in that smoky form she loved.
She saw the light at the end of the horizon at the same time Wei Ying did, and commented upon it.
"Do not worry yourselves." Wu Bizi told them in a jovial voice. "We have plenty of shelter to offer you all. And it's not far now."
Sure enough, there was a shadow shape looming up ahead of them, the same colour as the shifting sands around them.
Much like the termite mound that they had rested in before, this was similar, a structure of cave-like holes that were interconnected. The opening was huge and wide enough for Dunshi to enter, and just in time, for the light was beginning to grow brighter, signalling the beginning of a new day.
Everyone was tired so blankets were laid out and makeshift beds were arranged in the biggest room, a sort of common room for the tribe.
Wei Ying was pulled into a corner by Lan Zhan, who did not feel like sharing right then. He made Wei Ying lie down, almost on top of himself so the hard floor would not hurt his body.
"My love, I wanted to ask you something." Wei Ying yawned.
"Later. Rest now." Lan Zhan told him, holding him close and sighing softly.
"But I'll forget what it was." Wei Ying yawned, bigger than before.
"I will remind you." Lan Zhan pressed his lips to the lotus scented skin, simultaneously soothing himself.
"But you don't know what I want to know!" Wei Ying whined under his breath, eyes already drooping closed.
"I can guess."
A soft snore greeted him when he checked why no more arguments were forthcoming. He smiled happily, knowing that no one else got to see his Wei Ying like this.
The truth was, he knew that Wei Ying wanted to know about his reaction to when Wei Ying had introduced themselves to this new tribe.
Lan Zhan had felt elated that Wei Ying had said he was part of the Lan clan; it meant more to him than he could say. Sure, they were married, and saw each other as belonging to each other, but to actually say those words out loud and mean it...it meant that the man who had untethered himself from any clan in his first life, was willing to tie himself to another in this one.
The level of trust Wei Ying had to have in his family was phenomenal.
He closed his eyes too, leaving Bichen to guard them both.
*******
Wei Ying felt soft kisses on his face and he opened his eyes, giggling at the tickling sensations on his cheeks.
"Good morning, my love." He whispered and Lan Zhan kissed him for real.
"It's afternoon, about four hours until night time." Lan Zhan told him, smiling.
Having Wei Ying in his arms when he went to sleep and seeing him first thing upon waking up was the best feeling ever, and it left Lan Zhan's mood in the sunniest place.
Wei Ying's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Good, now everyone is awake, we can go hunting." Wu Bizi said in a loud voice.
Wei Ying groaned under his breath.
"What about sleeping in for once?" He complained quietly.
Lan Zhan snorted but refrained from saying anything.
"I know what you're thinking, and okay, I might get up closer to midday than not, but that's not the point." Wei Ying grumbled.
He took Lan Zhan's hand and followed everyone outside. Dunshi and Xiao Zei remained safe inside.
And because the tribe left with their spears, Wei Ying thought the hunting was literal, as in stabbing some game and cooking it for dinner, so he was shocked to see the Da Bizi bend at the waist and start sniffing the ground.
They all did this, walking around in circles with their huge noses sniffing and snorting at the ground.
"What are you doing?" He inquired, quite puzzled at their bizarre behaviour.
"We're hunting. You'll see." He was told.