Yue Ji didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness. He nodded in greeting at the three men that had helped him before walking over the rest of the way and stopping next to Fu Yun. He reached up and rubbed his arm, a smile still on his lips. “Did you get everything you needed?”

Fu Yun nodded at once but then couldn’t help but glance at the other three men again. “These three were called by you?”

Yue Ji hummed and turned to look at them again. “I thought of how much there was likely to transport and figured it would be too much for one person to carry even with a cart. Since I can’t appear in front of humans with how I look, I sent Petal to ask one of the nearby spirit tribes for help. You know, while we plant spirits usually live solitary, it’s different for other kinds.”

“Oh.” Fu Yun gave a hum, not too surprised. Yue Ji hadn’t told him much about the different types of spirits other than plant spirits and fairies. After all, they were unlikely to meet many and even Yue Ji himself had hardly met a handful throughout his life from what he had told him. But even though that was the case, he still felt that it wasn’t odd that some spirits would live in bigger communities. After all, there were some things speaking for that even when it came to people who weren’t human. At the very least, that was how he thought.

Having explained roughly, Yue Ji turned back to the three men. “Thank you for coming. I really didn’t know what else to do.”

The man who had originally spoken up when they came to help Fu Yun shook his head. “It’s alright. Anyway, it’s not easy out here. We should all help each other.” He glanced at Fu Yun, his gaze unreadable. Humans … he didn’t necessarily have a good impression of them but this one seemed quite alright at first glance. Unfortunately, that hardly meant anything.

Turning back to Yue Ji, he looked at him for a long time without saying anything. He didn’t like getting involved in other people’s lives but … this plant spirit was clearly all alone out here with no one to rely on. It was a bit pitiful. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything but being with a human … it rarely ends well.”

Yue Ji nodded. “I know. I’ve already experienced that more than once. But it is what it is. When the heart has opened, it’s not that easy to close it.”

The man gave a hum in response. That, unfortunately, was also true. “Since you know, then I won’t say more. Where should we bring this?” He motioned at the cart with the wood as if the previous topic had never been brought up.

Yue Ji smiled and motioned further down the path. “The clearing where I live is in that direction. I could take it from here though. You probably don’t want to be apart from your people for too long.”

The man shook his head. “No, it’s alright. Actually, we’re not quite part of the tribe.” He didn’t explain more and simply motioned ahead, starting to push the cart again.

Yue Ji didn’t try to pry either. These people were doing them a favor so he naturally wouldn’t bother them. Instead, he just quietly walked next to the cart, glancing at Fu Yun every now and then while otherwise being preoccupied with his own thoughts.

The group moved slowly, not even reaching the speed of how Fu Yu and Yue Ji had walked to the village in the morning despite four people now pulling the cart. But then, this was to be expected with the weight of the wood.

By the time they finally reached the clearing, it was already late at night. Fu Yun didn’t even dare to think about how late it would have been if he really tried to move everything by himself. Most likely, he and Yue Ji wouldn’t have made it back here even until the next morning.

This really hadn’t been great planning on his part. But then, even if he thought about it now, he didn’t know what he could have done differently. After all, Yue Ji’s existence, their relationship, and this place in the forest were all supposed to be secrets. They couldn’t be exposed to anyone he knew or even the strangers on the other side of the forest. The only ones safe to ask for help might indeed be other spirits.

He glanced at the three men who had graciously accepted when Yue Ji asked them to come over. They had looked at him a little oddly and from that first man’s words, their opinion on this relationship probably wasn’t high. Still, they wouldn’t do anything to harm him or try to separate them past giving some gentle advice. It really seemed like they had been the best offer.

The man who had taken the lead before glanced over the clearing before turning back to Yue Ji and Fu Yun. “Will you be able to deal with the rest yourself?”

Fu Yun originally wanted to nod but then hesitated. Well, he had never built a hut before and he had also found out just how heavy those beams were today … Could he really do it by himself?

Yue Ji didn’t seem to have the same worries though. He nodded straightforwardly, a smile gracing his lips. “Yes, I guess after unloading all of this, we’ll manage. Anyway, there is time, I can help here where other humans won’t see, and I still have some abilities!”

The man nodded. “True. In that case, we’ll just help you with unloading this quickly and then leave for home again. If you do need something in the future …” He glanced from Yue Ji to Fu Yun and back again and then shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you know where to find us. You’re also welcome if the humans from around here cause you issues.”

Yue Ji nodded but he didn’t intend to take him up on his offer. Just as he had told Fu Yun, he had lived his whole life here. There were too many beautiful memories to give up on this spot. He’d continue to live here for the rest of his life and finally return to the soil when his time came. He had never doubted that.

The other three spirits didn’t insist on it either and simply moved together with Yue Ji and Fu Yun to unload the beams at the side, making sure that everything was close to where it would be needed later on so things would be a little easier. By the time they finally finished, the sky was already turning gray. Soon enough, the sun would come up.

The three spirit beasts looked up and one of the younger men clicked his tongue. “We should head home.”

Their leader gave a hum and turned back to the couple. “Since we’re done, that’s what we’ll do. Don’t forget what I said. I truly meant it.”

The five of them bid farewell and soon, it was only Fu Yun and Yue Ji left in the clearing and among the beams that would soon become their home. They kept quiet for a while, both exhausted from the trip they had taken today and also not sure where to even start talking about the future. Suddenly, everything seemed so real, much more than it had before today.

This was probably thanks to the fact that they were finally not just thinking about how everything would be but were now taking specific steps and could see their plans come to life in front of their eyes.

A few minutes passed before Fu Yun finally shook his head with a light laugh and pulled Yue Ji into his arms. “Well, the first step has been taken. Soon, everything will be ready.”

Yue Ji nodded and hugged him back, his eyes on the beams around them. It would take time to turn this into a hut that was livable but the temperature was going up and he wasn’t in a hurry anyway. As long as they could be together, it was enough.

He glanced up at the sky before pulling back slightly and reaching up to cup Fu Yun’s cheeks. “The night is almost over and you haven’t slept at all. Will you be alright?” Spirits like him did not necessarily need to sleep every night as long as they used some time to meditate and regain their strength that way. But he knew that humans were different. Skipping sleep could be dangerous for them.

Fu Yun shook his head. He wasn’t worried about this. “It’s just one night. That doesn’t matter much. Anyway, we can sleep a bit now and then just go to sleep earlier in the evening.”

“We?” Yue Ji looked at him in confusion. There was nothing built yet so he had thought Fu Yun would return to his village every night until they had made some progress.

Fu Yun nodded though. “Of course. I waited the whole winter to be with you. Now, even if the hut isn’t done yet and hasn’t even been really started, it’s at least slightly warmer already. I think I can take a few hours of sleep even out here.” He had waited until the snow melted so even though it was still somewhat cool, he wouldn’t call the temperatures cold any longer. Part of that might be that he was used to being outside but still, he felt like this shouldn’t be a problem.

Yue Ji would naturally believe him if he said so. Anyway, he had watched similar situations in the past.

The two finally laid down together, indeed catching a few hours of sleep. Afterward, they got up immediately, excitedly to finally start on the big project of building their hut and starting their life together.

Fu Yun had still been worried about whether they’d be able to do this with just the two of them but when he started to lift the first beam, the tree next to him creaked, its branches elongating and wrapping around the other end.

Fu Yun stared in a daze before turning to Yue Ji. Clearly, this was his lover’s doing. Yue Ji had mentioned before that he had some magical abilities but he hadn’t seen him use them before save for once in the middle of the winter when he made a branch bloom for him. At that time, he had thought how cute it was and how fitting for a plant spirit like him. Now, he felt that he had seriously underestimated how big the difference between spirits and humans really was.

For a moment, Fu Yun really didn’t know what to say. Finally, he just raised his brows. “Well, seems like I didn’t need to worry as much …” He shook his head at himself before getting back to work.

At the side, Yue Ji laughed. To be honest, his physical body wasn’t that strong. Maybe this was because he was transformed from a rosebush or maybe all plant spirits were like this but anyway, he didn’t dare to try and carry these big beams. It was better to help Fu Yun out with his magic instead.

With one human and one spirit working hand in hand, they slowly but surely made progress. Of course, it couldn’t be compared to the work of a professional carpenter but with the woodcutter’s preparation, at least the beams wouldn’t be crooked. They had also chosen the most simple structure so by the time this day came to an end, all the beams had been erected.

Fu Yun heaved a deep sigh of relief when he looked up at the naked wood structure in front of them. It had the shape of a hut even if it wasn’t yet possible to live in. Still, the part that he had thought would be the most difficult had surprisingly been accomplished in just a day. While the remainder of the work which would truly turn this into a building one could call a home would take a lot more time, he wasn’t as worried about doing a decent job at it.

Turning to Yue Ji, he grasped the spirit’s hand and smiled brightly. “Look at that! Suddenly, it seems like the time that we can live here together isn’t that far off, does it?”

Yue Ji nodded. The house didn’t have walls or a roof yet but that was alright. They still had time. The important part was that the first part had been accomplished. And judging from Fu Yun’s face, it had gone a lot faster than he had expected. “Then tonight, will you stay here as well?”

Fu Yun thought for a moment. The temperatures naturally dropped slightly at night but he wasn’t too worried. It would still be suitable to camp outside. Also, he felt especially accomplished right now and definitely wouldn’t have minded sleeping under the wooden structure they had just set up and admiring it for a while longer.

In the end, he shook his head though. “We haven’t slept much last night so we should make up for it tonight. At the same time, there are still a lot of things left in the village.

“How about going back for the night and smuggling some of them out in the morning again? We can start by taking some blankets and furs so it’ll be warmer.” Even if the last two days had been warm enough, he didn’t dare to trust the weather too much. The winter had only just ended, after all.

Yue Ji didn’t even need to think. He nodded and then motioned ahead. “Let’s not lose time then.” Anyway, it had already gotten dark so they could directly go and enter the village when they reached it. Also, it was true that Fu Yun could use some time to make up for sleep.

The two of them agreed and soon left with Petal resting on Fu Yun’s head again, spending another night in the village.