With Yue Ji staying quiet about his worries and yet reassuring Fu Yun that nothing was wrong and he had just been lost in thought for a moment, the two of them continued to the village.

When they weren’t far away, Fu Yun stopped in his tracks and turned back to Yue Ji. “Let me go ahead first to see if the others are still awake. I’ll take Petal along and have her fly to you when we’ve made sure that everything is clear. After that, she can bring you over. We can’t look around much but I can show you my hut.”

Yue Ji nodded and stayed where he was, quietly watching as Fu Yun hid Petal under the fur around his shoulders and left with her. Standing between the trees and not yet being able to see the village, he could only sigh to himself. Well, even if the time was short, it was better than nothing. He would cherish every single memory like the one they’d be making tonight and hold them in his heart. Thus was the only thing a spirit could do when falling for a human.

Fu Yun walked the rest of the way until he reached the last row of trees. He tried to seem as normal as possible as he stepped out from between the trees in case anybody was still up and outside. He looked around but couldn’t see anyone yet. Heaving a sigh of relief, he walked further, even checking the houses next to his. By now though, it was already so late that nobody was outside any longer and some of them had even gone to bed already.

Fu Yun smiled to himself, feeling that he was truly lucky. He gently took Petal out from under the fur and motioned to the forest. “Go and get Yue Ji.”

Petal nodded with a serious expression and flew off as fast as she could, a little afraid now that they were in the village. She had indeed come here before to take a look but she had stayed between the leaves of one of the trees on the edge of the forest, making sure that she was well hidden. Now that she was out in the open, she felt a lot less courageous.

Fu Yun watched her fly off in a hurry and shook his head. Then, he went to open the door of his hut and lit a lamp. He was afraid that one of the others would notice and come over to check but when he listened intently, everything stayed quiet. Heaving another sigh of relief, he put the lamp down on the table and went back to the door, waiting for Yue Ji.

The spirit appeared at the edge of the forest a moment later. He hid behind one of the trees just like on that first morning they had met and looked around vigilantly, making sure once again that nobody was there to spot him. When he didn’t see anyone either, his gaze turned to Fu Yun and he smiled, hurriedly rushing over.

Fu Yun pulled him into his arms and ushered him into the hut, closing the door behind them and heaving a sigh of relief. “It’s good to build our own place away from others. I really want to show you more of the village but this is a little too much excitement.”

Yue Ji smiled and reached up to cover the arms around his waist with his hands. “Don’t worry too much. Even if I am just a plant spirit, I’ve also lived for a long time. I know some ways to keep myself safe.”

Compared to the people of the spirit beast tribes who were rather fierce, a plant spirit really couldn’t be called well-suited to fighting. At most, they knew a bit of magic to influence the plants around them. In the forest, this would give him more than enough time to hide away. After all, he only needed to get out of sight, find some underbrush, and then he could turn back to his original form.

The humans that were worried about a spirit usually didn’t know much about them. They definitely couldn’t tell the tribes apart and thus likely didn’t know he was a plant spirit who could turn into a plant. Thus, they wouldn’t pay attention to any of the plants around them and just continue to look for the human-like figure they had seen before.

Fu Yun believed whatever Yue Ji told him when it came to the matters of the spirit realm and its inhabitants. So if he said that he knew how to keep himself safe, he wouldn’t doubt it for a single moment. He simply nodded and then hugged him tightly before looking up. “Well, we’re here now. This is the place where I grew up. The hut was built by my great-grandfather a long time ago. Later, my grandfather and then my father also lived here. Now, they’re all gone but I have stayed until now.”

Yue Ji looked around the place before raising his gaze to Fu Yun’s face. “Is it difficult to leave a place behind that has been with your family for so long?”

Fu Yun hummed. “I guess so. But what made them stay were the people more so than the place. At least that is what I think.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss Yue Ji’s shoulder. “Come, I’ll show you more.” He took his hand and pulled him over to the chest where he had originally kept the white fur that was now lying around Yue Ji’s shoulders. “Most of the things in this hut were built by hand.

“This chest, for example, was made by my grandfather. He did as much as he could himself. So, these carvings were also done by him.” He reached out and put a hand on the lid, smiling faintly. “I only heard the story from my father when I was young but supposedly, he made the chest for my grandmother and the carvings held special meaning to her or to the two of them as a couple.”

Yue Ji knelt down next to him, looking at the chest closely. It was apparent at a glance that it was older already but the carvings were clear enough. He reached out as well, trailing one of the lines with his fingertips. “It’s beautiful.”

“Mn.” Fu Yun nodded and looked at the chest for a moment longer before turning to Yue Ji. “I never actually met my grandfather. He passed away a few years before I was born. But my father always told me stories about the two of them so I feel like I also knew him a bit. What’s most obvious is probably his feelings for his wife. He did a lot for her, some beautiful but also some really dumb things.”

Yue Ji laughed lightly. Some people weren’t afraid to make a fool of themselves for love. He had seen that happen himself. It was … very endearing to watch. He turned to the side and reached up, his fingers brushing through Fu Yun’s hair. “It sounds like he loved her very much and it also sounds like this trait of cherishing one’s lover runs in the family.”

Fu Yun smiled brightly. “Do you think so?” To be honest, he always worried that he couldn’t show Yue Ji just how much he cared for him. After all, so far, they hadn’t been able to spend much time together, and with him always leaving fast, he sometimes worried that it might seem like he wasn’t all that enthusiastic. Of course, that was nonsense. Yue Ji was the only one he had ever loved. Just that alone should show how deep his feelings were. He simply didn’t know how to make it clear to him.

Yue Ji cupped his cheeks and leaned closer, his lips gently touching Fu Yun’s. “Of course I do. Isn’t it obvious?”

Fu Yun looked at him awkwardly, not sure what to say. “I hope so?” He really didn’t have anything better to say. No matter how he looked at their relationship, he always felt himself to be lacking.

Yue Ji didn’t seem to think the same. He looked around the place while his hands stayed on Fu Yun’s cheeks and hummed faintly. “I don’t need grand gestures to feel someone’s love.” He turned back to Fu Yun and his gaze softened further. “It is in the way you look at me and how you speak, the way you worry about something happening to me if we were to be caught, and how you are willing to give up this place just to be with me.

“These things, they might seem quiet and unassuming at first glance but if you think about it, they are much more powerful than anything you could say. I don’t need more than that to judge what is in your heart.” He lowered one hand to Fu Yun’s chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his fingers.

He indeed had no doubts. From the very beginning, he had never doubted this man’s feelings. After all, he was one to wear them on his sleeves. Thinking of that, he looked at him and then leaned in again. This time, his lips didn’t just touch for a moment but instead lingered on the hunter’s, just as silently showing his own feelings for him.

Fu Yun felt his heartbeat speed up and pulled Yue Ji into his embrace, one arm circling his waist while the other moved upward until his fingers touched his neck and then gently supported him as they kissed more deeply.

Petal who had been flying around the hut, looking at everything curiously, hurriedly slapped her hands over her eyes and rushed back to the door. “Eek! Don’t do these things in front of me! I’ll go and be on the lookout for you!” Then, she found a crack in the wood and squeezed herself through it, not wanting to watch any longer.

Fu Yun pulled back and glanced at his door exasperatedly. “Isn’t she older than me?”

Yue Ji laughed and tugged at Fu Yun’s shirt to make him turn around again. “Do you want to think about her or me now?”

Fu Yun smiled and turned back, pulling Yue Ji to his feet. He felt awkward thinking of how they had only known each other for one winter and likely wouldn’t be able to ever get married. But he still pulled him over to the edge of the bed, sitting down before carefully balancing Yue Ji’s slender figure on his legs. “I am only thinking about you. Since I met you, there hasn’t been anything else on my mind.”

Yue Ji hummed while his arms circled Fu Yun’s shoulders, his fingers curling into his hair.

He didn’t give another response and Fu Yun himself couldn’t be bothered either. His hands roamed over Yue Ji’s back, almost trembling in excitement. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing but … it would be a while before the hut was finished and everything put up inside. He didn’t want to wait that long. Of course, if Yue Ji asked him to, he would but he really, really wanted to be with him now.

Yue Ji’s fingers moved to the front and undid the clasp holding the fur around Fu Yun’s shoulders in place.

It fell down onto the bed behind him, making him jolt faintly. If this was not a sign that Yue Ji didn’t want him to wait either, then he also didn’t know.

He held him tightly, deepening the kiss while moving to take off the white fur for him. When it came undone, he carefully put it aside, not wanting to damage it in the heat of the moment.

Yue Ji smiled at his careful actions but immediately pulled him back. He didn’t have the same worries as Fu Yun did. He had lived for so long, he had naturally experienced this as well. Marriage or not, he didn’t care about such things. What was important was only the love you felt and he had never doubted his feelings for this man for a single moment.

He gently pulled him down onto the bed, actively helping him take off the rest of his clothes while undressing himself. He wasn’t shy when wrapping his arms around Fu Yun’s shoulders again, just wanting to be close to him.

Fu Yun’s ears turned red in response. He hadn’t expected Yue Ji to be so straightforward. For a moment, he wondered if spirits just were like that but since Yue Ji had grown up alone, this shouldn’t have been influenced. Well, in the end, it didn’t matter why. The important part was that Yue Ji clearly liked him and was looking forward to being with him.

He pushed any miscellaneous thoughts away and just focused on what was in front. His hands and lips brushed over Yue Ji’s skin, gently exploring before he took things further. He didn’t know how to do this well so he mostly followed Yue Ji’s lead whether it was his words or actions. Finally, he quietly held him, his lips still curved into a soft smile.

“Say, do spirits get married?” He intertwined his fingers with Yue Ji’s, the thoughts coming to him naturally.

Yue Ji turned to face him and then moved closer until his head rested on Fu Yun’s chest. “I suppose they do although I’ve never seen it happen myself.”

“Mn. Then … is it like a human wedding? I mean, you do know about human weddings, right?”

Yue Ji laughed lightly. “I do.”

Fu Yun nodded, unsure how to continue. They had known each other for three months only and had decided to live together. Now, they had even embraced. Getting married seemed like a step that should follow somewhere in between these things. “That … well, I mean, do you want to marry me?”

Yue Ji raised his head and met Fu Yun’s gaze. “If you want to, then I will do that. Although I suppose it’ll have to be a ceremony that is very barebones.”

“I … I guess so.” Fu Yun’s expression turned embarrassed. Right. Since he couldn’t show Yue Ji to the others, they couldn’t marry with much fanfare. “Will you … will you feel like I’m not treating you right?”

Yue Ji shook his head and wrapped his arm around Fu Yun’s waist. “Don’t think too much. I don’t care about these things. I only want to be with you until the day either of us goes. That is all I wish for. As for everything else … it is a nice addition and I won’t say no but … it is not the most important. Our feelings are.”

“Oh, I guess you’re not wrong.” Fu Yun nodded and then leaned down to kiss the top of Yue Ji’s head. “Well, I do promise I’ll stay with you until I die. There is definitely no way you’ll get rid of me before then.”

Yue Ji hummed but didn’t respond any longer. He simply closed his eyes and soon fell asleep in his lover’s arms.