Wulin stood on a mountaintop and watched down below. Youxian and Xing Guang get on a horse. Changling got on one too and they rode off to where they would be sleeping for the night. 

Sighing, he turned around and looked at the sun. It was going down, which meant night would fall and he didn’t know what would happen to him? He betrayed Changling in his eyes.

He made his way through the mountains, hoping that he would reach the next town before nightfall.

He had been travelling for an hour when suddenly he heard something in the bushes behind him. Wulin looked behind him as he stood dead in his tracks.

Taking in a deep breath, he realised he was in danger, then smirked, ‘Who does he think I am?’

Licking his lips, he said, “Come out, I’ll rather end this now.”

It was silent for a moment, then five men came out from hiding with swords on their backs, fully clothed in black. Wulin tsked! ‘If I guess right, he sent my men after me,’ he thought.

As they unsheathe their swords, he said, “Did he tell you I know how to fight?”

Just then, they started attacking, and it became a brutal fight. 

Wulin picked up a rock and started smashing their heads in while he avoided their swords. He grabbed one of the swords as he sent a brick to the man’s head, turning the tables on them.

When there were two men left standing, they made a run for it, but he got to them, leaving a bloody battle in the mountains.

Looking at the blood on the sword, he could feel the blood thirst in his heart. How long had it been since he last fought like this? 

Looking up at the sky, he sighed, “Living with Youxian made me cool down from this lifestyle.”

Dropping the sword, he picked up his things and made his way down the mountain. ‘He’ll send more after me. I better disappear quickly.’

*

Youxian looked at the inn they stopped at, then looked at Changling, who climbed off the horse. The horse he was riding was the gift Youxian gave him for his wedding. He watched Changling comb his fingers through the horse’s mane as he said, “We’ll stay here for the night. It’ll be dangerous to travel back to the capital.”

Youxian sighed, then handed Xing Guang over to Changling, then climbed off.

“Why are you not saying anything?” Changling asked.

Xing Guang fell down and kissed the ground as she rubbed her face in the ground saying, “Land, sweet land.”

Youxian chuckled with a shake of his head, “Get up, you’ll get dirty.”

She shook her head, “No! Leave me here. First the ferry, then the horse, you’ll kill me, daddy.”

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile,” Changling said.

Youxian looked at him and saw that he was gazing at him. The intense look in his eyes made him blush. “Don’t look at me like that.”

He held his hand out to Youxian, who hesitantly took it. He kissed his hand, saying, “I’ve waited long for you to return to me and you haven’t smiled once since seeing me. I was worried.”

“Worried?” Youxian repeated.

Changling nodded his head but before he could answer him a guard came over saying, “Your majesty, the room is ready.”

He looked at Youxian, saying, “Let’s go in.”

Youxian nodded his head, then picked up Xing Guang, who was limp.

“Want me to take her?” He asked.

Youxian shook his head, “It’s fine, she’s not heavy.”

*

They entered the room, and Youxian looked around. “Where is she sleeping?” 

“I had them send over a maid-in-waiting. She’ll be in another room down the hallway,” he said.

Youxian looked at him, livid. “You expect my child to stay far from me? Do you even know what she’s like when she can’t find me?”

Changling stared at him for a moment but didn’t want to speak in front of their daughter. He looked at Xing Guang, who was rubbing Youxian’s cheek, and said, “We’ll have dinner, then go to sleep. You’re staying with me and down worrying about her. They’ll call us if she needs you.”

*

After dinner, Youxian was in a bath lying with his eyes closed. Changling walked in and took off his clothes. He climbed into the bath with him.

Youxian sat up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m dirty. I’m going to take a bath,” he said.

“Can’t you wait till I get out?” He asked.

Changling shook his head, “No, it’ll be a waste. Don’t you know that the kingdom is low on resources? Even in the palace, I had to reduce so much that the princesses and princes are not happy.”

Youxian stared at him as he sank into the water. “Looks like you enjoy being emperor. Was it worth it?”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

Youxian moved over to him. He straddled Changling and asked, “You know. Everything that you’ve been through, was it worth it?”

Changling was confused. He found Youxian’s actions strange but answered, “I don’t keep count of what happened to me and how I got here, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Youxian chuckled. He sank down on Changling’s wood, saying as he stared into his eyes, “I guess that’s why you don’t care about what you did to me.”

“Youxi…” he started, but Youxian shoved him back saying, “Shut up! Your excuses are useless to me. Just fuck me like you planned to so I can go to sleep.”