Like a Ray in My Night

35 Just ... Mei Chao Bing

"Senior martial brother Mei ..." Yun Bei Fen furrowed his brows but he could only helplessly look up at the branches swaying above him in the air. He didn't know what exactly had happened to him and he couldn't look either because he wasn't even able to lift his head.
He took a hurried breath and tried to wriggle his arms. Something had coiled around them and when he moved, it tightened even further. Yun Bei Fen fearfully widened his eyes. "Senior martial brother!"
At the side, Mei Chao Bing's lips twitched. Yun Bei Fen wasn't even trying to fight that plant spirit. Just what was he doing there? Had Elder Baili not taught him what to do in such a situation? No, wait, had he taught him how to fight at all?!
Yun Bei Fen continued to wriggle around on the ground in the hope of somehow getting out of the clutches of whatever had caught him. Unfortunately, his effort had the opposite effect. His body was wrapped up tighter and tighter.
Yun Bei Fen anxiously whimpered. "Senior martial brother Mei!"
Mei Chao Bing furrowed his brows and finally got up. Alright, he was weak-willed. He just couldn't watch this any longer! He took out his sword, rushed over and cut the plant spirit with a single strike. The vines dropped to the ground next to Yun Bei Fen but the little bunny didn't even think of getting up. He just continued to stare at the sky with a fearful expression.
Mei Chao Bing cursed under his breath, held his sword with one hand and scooped his little bunny up with the other. "Fen'er, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. Don't worry. Everything is over. I already killed it for you. Are you alright? How do you feel?"
"Senior martial brother Mei!" Yun Bei Fen hugged him and buried his head in the crook of his neck, sniffling pitifully.
"Aiya ..." Mei Chao Bing gently patted his back. "There's no need to cry. I'm here with you. I'll protect you."
"Senior martial brother Mei ... Just ... Just what was that?"
Mei Chao Bing sighed. "A plant spirit. It's not too dangerous. Actually, everyone that entered the Qi Refinement stage should be able to ward it off."
Yun Bei Fen lifted his head and looked at him in a daze. "Qi Refinement? But ... but I ..." He was already in the Foundation Establishment stage. How come he hadn't been able to do anything?"
Mei Chao Bing smiled wryly and cupped his little bunny's cheeks. "That's what I meant before. You were in seclusion for too long. You didn't have much time to test your powers."
Yun Bei Fen lowered his head in shame. That was true. He had cultivated a lot so that he could reach the next stage but he had never taken part in any missions and with how his senior martial brothers were, he hadn't learned the normal way to fight either. He squirmed on the spot and finally glanced up again. "Are you angry now?"
"Ah?" Mei Chao Bing shook his head in amazement. "How did you even come up with that idea? I'm distressed! That's what I am. What if you had been alone while you're attacked? You might not even come back to me." He intimately rubbed Yun Bei Fen's cheek and sighed. "Alright, there's nothing we can do about you not learning in the past. But you've already built your foundation now. It's time for you to learn how to defend yourself at least. That way I also will feel better when we reach the border region. I ... I wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to you. You're my most important person, Fen'er."
Yun Bei Fen hugged him tighter and rubbed his cheek against Mei Chao Bing's chest. "You're also my most important person, senior martial brother Mei."
Mei Chao Bing chuckled and leaned down, kissing Yun Bei Fen's temple. "Call me by my name then."
"Eh?" Yun Bei Fen's cheeks finally changed color and he couldn't help but look up again. "I ... I think I misheard just now."
"Oh? What did you hear?"
"It ... It sounded like ..." Yun Bei Fen scratched at the ground with his foot and pursed his lips. It sounded as if his senior martial brother had asked him to call him by his name. But that couldn't be, could it? He had always been just senior martial brother Mei. How could he ...
Mei Chao Bing cupped those cute cheeks again and lowered himself until he was at the same height as Yun Bei Fen. He looked into those eyes that suddenly seemed a little dazed. "Let me hear you call me by my name. Just 'Mei Chao Bing'. No senior martial brother. Just ... Just Mei Chao Bing. Just me."
Yun Bei Fen gulped. He wasn't too sure why Mei Chao Bing wanted this but he looked as if this was very important to him. So ... he should do it. It was just ... "Is this really alright? My Master said that since we're from the same sect, I should be calling you senior martial brother because you're above me according to seniority."
"Mn. But we're not in the sect right now, are we? And your Master isn't here either. And I ... would really like to hear you call me just by my name. Fen'er." Mei Chao Bing pinched the little bunny's cheeks with glee.
"That ... isn't it good if I call you senior martial brother Mei?" His Master had been very adamant about this. Could he really just abandon that?
Mei Chao Bing sighed. "You don't have to. It's just that ... I haven't felt like a part of the sect very much lately. And you have thousands of 'senior martial brothers'. But I ... I'd like to be the only one of a kind. You know I'm an incredibly selfish person. So let me hear it just once, alright?"
Yun Bei Fen pursed his lips and peered at Mei Chao Bing's face. This couldn't be that hard, could it? He opened his lips and grabbed the lapel of his senior martial brother's robe. "Mei ..." He blushed and hurriedly looked down at his hands. "Mei Chao Bing."
"Oh." Mei Chao Bing nodded with satisfaction and rubbed Yun Bei Fen's head. "You did very well. Let's try it a few more times just to make sure you won't forget it."
Yun Bei Fen's ears also turned red and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no! Didn't you want to show me how to fight? Let's just do that!" For the first time in his life, Yun Bei Fen actually pushed Mei Chao Bing away.
Mei Chao Bing didn't mind though. Ah, a little bunny was still a little bunny, even if you held it on your arms for a while. If you moved too hastily, it would get scared and scuttle away. Mn, he had to slowly get the little bunny used to it. And then ... He smiled fondly at the thought and reached out to brush Yun Bei Fen's hair. "If that's what Fen'er wants to do, then that's what we'll do." With that, he pulled him back and pointed at the ground.