The next few days, Fu Yun returned to the clearing where Yue Ji lived just as early, staying an hour or two before hurriedly returning to the village so nobody would realize what was going on, sometimes managing to hunt at least a rabbit or some other small animal while making his way through the woods.

Of course, keeping this kind of secret was easier said than done. These days, Fu Yun was more and more absentminded. He tried to go about his days as usual by not only sticking to the usual times he was out but also by doing the same things he normally did. Thus, the villagers would see him clean the space in front of his hut and prepare the prey if he managed to catch one. He’d go to the town with the other men to exchange some of their game for other provisions they’d need throughout the rest of the winter as well. Sometimes, he would even sit with everyone in the evening, eating and drinking together as if everything was normal.

But no matter what task he started, his mind would wander off in the middle of it. One moment, he might be skinning prey but the next, he’d stare off into space and only come back to himself when somebody approached or if he heard something in the distance. In the evening, while gathering with the others, he’d be quieter than usual, clearly more thinking to himself than talking to the rest.

No matter how much Fu Yun tried to pretend that everything was alright, the other villagers noticed that something was wrong with him. Soon, they started to whisper about what might be going on with him since they couldn’t get a straight answer out of him when they asked.

“What’s the matter with him? He looks like he lost his soul.”

“It’s been like this for a few weeks. Might just be the winter getting to him. It’s not like he has a family to share the burden so it’s not that strange either.”

“But it’s never been like this, has it? We’ve all grown up together and this isn’t his first winter alone either. Also, it’s not like he doesn’t know that a lot of families would take him in if needed. Does he have a reason to be like this?”

No matter how much they questioned his behavior, they naturally had no way to know the real answer. Without Fu Yun acknowledging anything, this could only amount to idle talk. It made him worry though and certainly did not help with keeping his bearing.

The village and the forest were still in the tight grasp of winter, the trees and underbrush buried under a thick layer of snow while ice cones hung from the eaves of the huts. The snow also kept on falling, adding to the beauty of the landscape around while making life all the more difficult for the people.

Fu Yun stared out of his window that afternoon, his brows tightly furrowed. He had talked a lot with Yue Ji these days and he already knew that the spirit wouldn’t be harmed by the weather. No matter whether it was his true body or the one he had cultivated, they were resilient against the forces of nature, more so than a human body or a plant could ever be. He didn’t need to worry about him. But he did have to worry about their future.

He couldn’t keep the pretense that everything was normal up for much longer. He had heard the others talk. Soon enough, somebody might follow him out of a misguided attempt to help him either suggesting it beforehand or just silently doing so. If they saw Yue Ji … he was afraid it wouldn’t end well.

For a day or two, he had entertained the idea of slowly introducing him to the others. If not everyone, then at least the people he was closest to. But later, he realized that this would never work. He didn’t know how it was elsewhere but in the villages in these parts of the land, secrets like this couldn’t be contained. If he told one person, everyone would soon be aware. And among those people, there would at least be one or two who could not accept a spirit like Yue Ji. Thus, this relationship of theirs could not be exposed.

Fu Yun brushed over the windowsill, his gaze thoughtful. He had grown up here just like Yue Ji had grown up in the forest. He liked the others but he had been in love with the spirit since the moment he saw him. By now, he didn’t believe that he had simply been put under a spell either. No, this was fate leading them together, something that was just meant to be.

He couldn’t give that up out of nostalgia for his youth. Yes, he had never suffered here and these people were like a family to him but … this concerned the happiness he could have for the rest of his life. As long as he left, he could be with Yue Ji without trouble.

He had thought about it: They could leave the world of mortals behind and just live in the spirit realm that Yue Ji had told him about. He could build a hut for them that was convenient to live in both for a spirit and a human. After all, the spirit realm also had four seasons and all kinds of weather.

If they needed something, he could go back to the mortal world under Yue Ji’s guidance and get it from a village on the other side of the forest. The people he knew wouldn’t go there so he wouldn’t have to answer any questions. He’d just be somebody living a little further away who came by every now and then. It shouldn’t raise any questions.

Of course, he was reluctant to completely give up on the life he had always known. Still, it seemed like the right choice. At the very least, he could not imagine how else his life could go from now on. He did not want to be without Yue Ji. He could not be. So really, this was not too tough a choice to make.

Fu Yun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Winter would continue for at least a few more weeks. He could use the time to prepare. For one, this still needed to be talked over with Yue Ji. Two, he should slowly tell the others in the village so they wouldn’t be too surprised. This might help to keep them from following him and inadvertently discovering something they shouldn’t. Of course, if he wanted to build a hut for himself and Yue Ji, he also needed to gather everything he’d need for that. It certainly wouldn’t be easy.

He turned away from the window, thinking of the odd dream he had had the night after he met Yue Ji. It had remained the only one of its kind and by now, it wasn’t as vivid any longer as it had been the day immediately afterward. There were just too many real memories of his time with Yue Ji that had taken the place of that make-believe fantasy. He still remembered how Yue Ji had teased him in the dream about whether he even knew how to build a hut as a scholar.

Fu Yun shook his head at the thought. He wasn’t a scholar and he had always been quite practical. Building a hut for the one he loved with his own hands did not seem out of the possible. Surely, he could do it.

He smiled to himself and started to look through the things in his hut. He had never been one to hold onto useless objects so there wasn’t much. If he wanted to live with another person, it might even be too little to be comfortable. Still, bringing it over to the clearing without anyone noticing would be tough. He definitely had to make up an excuse and do it openly.

He scratched his head and sighed. Anyway, he’d talk it over with Yue Ji tomorrow and then get ready. Somehow, this would all end well. He didn’t want to believe anything else.

Having come up with a plan, Fu Yun didn’t tarry to take the first step. The next morning, he rushed to the clearing where Yue Ji lived just as early as usual. Pulling the spirit into his arms, he greeted him with a kiss. “I missed you.”

Yue Ji smiled and reached up, cupping his cheeks. “I missed you as well. How are things in the village?”

Fu Yun gave an unenthusiastic hum. “Not quite the same. I wish I could show you around but … well, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a good idea. Speaking of which … I’ve been thinking.” Seeing as they were already on the topic, he didn’t hesitate to bring up what he had pondered yesterday. “So my idea would be to tell them now that I met somebody and that I want to move to the other side of the forest to be with her. They shouldn’t find it strange.

“Then, when winter is over, I’ll come here. We can build our own place and just live together, not having to worry about others any longer. We’ll be together all the time, not just for a few hours of the day. What do you think?”

Yue Ji nodded. “If it wasn’t winter, I wouldn’t mind starting immediately. But this way, it is also nice. We can slowly prepare.”

Fu Yun hummed. “There will be a lot to organize. But don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything. You just need to wait for me.” He reached up and grabbed Yue Ji’s hand, his eyes sparkling. “You can just think about how you want the hut to look both on the inside and outside. I’ll make it exactly as you want it!”

Yue Ji laughed, not sure if Fu Yun could actually do it. He didn’t say anything though and just nodded. “Then I will think about it well.”

Seeing his happy expression, Fu Yun hugged him tighter, their cheeks sticking together. If he could have, he really didn’t want to ever let go of him. “I can’t wait to live together.”

Just thinking of waking up next to Yue Ji in the morning, there was a smile on his lips. He would still need to hunt and gather food since he couldn’t just live off the energy of the earth like Yue Ji. But after he went out once in the morning or maybe a second time in the late afternoon if things weren’t going well, he could always return home to the one he loved. Then, they’d spend the other hours of the day together until they went to bed in the evening, still beside one another.

That type of future, how could he not look forward to it? In fact, winter had never seemed as long now that he was waiting for spring to come. If possible, he wished that it could be over a few weeks in advance. Maybe he’d have such luck and it would miraculously get warmer soon?

Yue Ji hummed and leaned back, smiling at Fu Yun. “Me neither. But if you think about it, it isn’t all that long until the end of winter. Come.” He tugged at Fu Yun’s hand and led him to a tree that had fallen not far from the clearing.

Sitting down with Fu Yun, he picked up a small branch and drew in the snow that was still untouched. “When building our hut, it’s best not to be too ambitious. We don’t need much. It’s enough as long as we can live there first. Later, we can still add to it.”

Fu Yun nodded and watched as Yue Ji drew some shapes as if he had long thought about it. He smiled to himself and glanced up at the spirit’s face. Seeing the smile still on his lips, he figured that maybe Yue Ji had thought about this as much as he had. Since there was nothing to deal with on his side though, maybe his thoughts had instead circled around the place where they would live in the future. Thus, he had a clear idea of what he wanted.

Yue Ji didn’t notice his gaze. He was completely focused on his drawing. “The trees around the clearing will protect us from the wind and when it gets warmer, we don’t need to worry about the temperatures either. We can just sleep directly on the floor. It’s not that comfortable but it’ll do at first. It’s more important to have a place to cook. After all, you still need to eat.”

Fu Yun turned back to the drawing and nodded. “I can bring everything from my place in the village over so we’ll have a pot at least and some bowls. It’s not much but it’ll do.”

Yue Ji reached over and squeezed his hand. “If you do need help, I can come with you to carry a few things. Just give me a cloak or something to hide my hair. If we go when it is dark, nobody should notice.”

Fu Yun’s brows furrowed. He would love to show Yue Ji how he had lived so far and doing all of this together would be nice as well. He couldn’t help but worry though. “What if somebody accidentally sees you though and realizes you’re a spirit?”

Yue Ji shook his head. “What are you worried about? At that time, won’t the hut be ready to live in? It’s going to be in the spirit realm as you said so even if they try to follow us, there is nothing they can do.”

At this point, Petal poked out her head from below the white fur around Yue Ji’s shoulders. “I can be your lookout!”

She had slept through the second meeting of Yue Ji and Fu Yun but had finally met the hunter the third time he came by. Now that some weeks had gone by, she was more familiar with him and didn’t worry too much about him being with Yue Ji. Instead, she even felt that it was quite nice. After all, he was the one who had given the warm white fur to Yue Ji, making her less afraid of the cold.

Anyway, since she liked him, she was willing to help them out a bit and with her size, being on the lookout to make sure nobody would surprise them seemed like the perfect task so she volunteered herself.

Fu Yun raised his brows. “I guess … that would work?” He looked at Yue Ji, not sure what he thought.

Yue Ji thought for a moment. He didn’t worry about himself but he had watched Petal grow up. Naturally, he didn’t want her to be harmed. But then, with her size, it was unlikely she’d be discovered and she could also fly so her chances of getting away were good.

Finally, he nodded. “Alright, that sounds like a good idea. It’s still some time though. You prepare everything in the village. When it is time to build the hut, I will help you here. As soon as the first part stands, I’ll come to the village to help you carry some more things.”

“Mn, let’s do it that way.” Fu Yun pulled Yue Ji back into his arms and kissed his temple. There was still time but with the plan agreed upon, it felt a little shorter. At the very least, he had something to look forward to and get ready for.