Like a Ray in My Night

39 A Thousand Questions

Yun Bei Fen and Mei Chao Bing trained until late in the evening. They lay down at the side of the clearing afterward, once again huddled closely together for the night. They didn't leave there for the next few days either and instead continued to train until Mei Chao Bing was sure that Yun Bei Fen was able to sense the spiritual energy in his surroundings from the moment he woke up without impairing his other senses. Only then did he suggest to continue on their way toward the border region.
He didn't feel that he had done enough to make sure that Yun Bei Fen would be alright but it was already much better than a few days ago. At the very least, his little bunny would be able to notice a smaller threat before it arrived. For now, that had to be enough. He'd just let him slowly gain more experience while they traveled.
Thus Yun Bei Fen once again happily tagged along with Mei Chao Bing. After a few more days of being a couple, he was much less nervous and eagerly clung to Mei Chao Bing's sleeve, tugging at it whenever he saw something interesting.
Mei Chao Bing never would have thought just how many interesting things there were in a forest. Sometimes they happened upon an especially beautiful flower, another time Yun Bei Fen would spot a small animal somewhere in the underbrush, and then again he would hear the sounds of a demonic beast not far away from them and felt the need to inform him. Mei Chao Bing had thought that all of these things were rather normal but then he remembered that his little bunny had never left the Teng Yong Sect. No wonder he was excited now that he experienced all of these things.
Mei Chao Bing patiently explained every last one of them. Yes, he knew that beautiful yellow flower. It was called a sunshine clover, not very high in spiritual energy but a good base for low-grade elixirs. That was why those who studied medicine and pill refinement liked to collect them. Yes, if Yun Bei Fen wanted a sunshine clover, then naturally, they could pick one. Yes, he did have the necessary tools to pick it up and keep it fresh.
Oh, that demonic beast? It wasn't that easy to say from just its roar but it might be a level three ragged mountain wolf. Yes, they could be tamed and held at your side but no, he would advise against doing so. Spiritual beasts had much better tempers than demonic beasts and were more trustworthy. As long as your own level wasn't very high, keeping a demonic beast was just asking for trouble. Even if your level was high, you still had to keep an eye on your back to make sure that the demonic beast wouldn't attack you when you were down on your luck.
After answering the seemingly thousandth question in detail, Mei Chao Bing couldn't help but think that he had discovered the reason why Elder Baili had never taken his little disciple out on a mission. He most likely felt that it was bothersome to explain all these things. Ah, it was Elder Baili's loss. Yun Bei Fen was so cute when he looked around curiously.
Mei Chao Bing reached to the side in a happy mood and ruffled his little bunny's hair. "If you want to have your own spiritual beast, then we can go and find you one while we're on our way. It shouldn't take too much time." Well, even if it did, he didn't feel that he was going overboard. He had reached a high level and was basically an Elder in disguise. Why shouldn't he take advantage of that? The Sect Master wouldn't mind for sure.
Yun Bei Fen's eyes sparkled. "Really? We can do that?"
Mei Chao Bing's hand slipped to the back of his head and his fingers curled into the long black hair, caressing the skin below. "Of course, we can. Why shouldn't we?"
Yun Bei Fen's lips pursed into a happy smile and he snuggled up closer against Mei Chao Bing's side. "Wouldn't it be too much trouble for you?"
Mei Chao Bing leaned over and kissed his little bunny's cheek. "It's never trouble if it's something I'm doing for you. So do you want to?"
Yun Bei Fen still hesitated for a moment but then he nodded. "I guess having a spiritual beast would also be a good thing, wouldn't it? You know my third senior martial brother has an owl that often helps him out."
Mei Chao Bing raised his brows. He had never heard that Elder Baili's third disciple had a spiritual beast and he certainly hadn't heard of anyone in the Teng Yong Sect having an owl as their spiritual beast. Those should be pretty rare. Even though this was news to him, that didn't have to say anything. After all, he hadn't been close with Yun Bei Fen's senior martial brothers or any of the disciples of the Teng Yong Sect for that matter. The situation could already be completely different from what he knew.
In the end, it didn't matter anyway. The only thing that was important to him was that Yun Bei Fen was as safe as he could be. Getting a spiritual beast was a chance in that regard. "Mn, you're right about that. If you have the spiritual beast and take care of it well, then it might save your life one day in return."
Yun Bei Fen nodded. If that was the case, then it was definitely for the best to get a spiritual beast. That way senior martial brother Mei wouldn't need to worry about him as much anymore. Thus he happily tiptoed and gave Mei Chao Bing a kiss. "Then where do we go now?" He blinked his large doe eyes, rendering Mei Chao Bing mute for a moment.
"Oh ..." He looked around and finally shook his head to get rid of that image. "It would be best to find a young one. I'm afraid there aren't any close by. So ..." His lips perked up in a smile and he leaned down for another kiss. "How about I teach you how to fly now?"