The couple successfully snuck back to the clearing the next day, taking the remaining sets of clothes, as well as all furs and blankets, from Fu Yun’s house with them. They had nowhere to put them yet and Fu Yun belatedly realized that he now didn’t have a cart to transport his furniture with because he left the one he had originally wanted to borrow from the woodcutter behind and only used the one the three spirit beasts brought along.
He felt a bit vexed at this lapse in attention at first but finally, he figured that it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. He had been lucky that Yue Ji thought ahead and got them help and having to plan anew how to transport his furniture to the clearing was a small price to pay for that. In the worst case, he might not do so at all and would just try and make some furniture from scratch.
Actually, when that idea finally came up a few days later, he felt delighted. He knew that in the future, he’d live far away from other humans with Yue Ji. Thus, he couldn’t rely on them to help him any longer if there was something he couldn’t do. It would be best for him to learn how to do more things now so he wouldn’t be helpless at that time.
Yue Ji quietly watched him cheer up. Seeing as his mood had been slightly lower after he realized his mistake, he had felt worried that Fu Yun might have rushed into things too fast. After all, his whole life was changing. Could he really deal with it? When the setbacks accumulated or he realized that he was not used to being apart from others for so long, then what would happen?
He had worried about that for a few days while Fu Yun was wondering how to solve the problem he had created. Finally, one found an alternative and cheered up, so the other followed suit, feeling like he had also been thinking too much. Yes, no matter what happened, they could always find a way to go forward together.
With this matter solved, they simply continued to work together silently. Each day, they would gather materials from the forest, and with Fu Yun’s physical strength and Yue Ji’s magical abilities, they built their hut bit by bit. It took several weeks until the weather had warmed considerably and the forest around them had come back to life before the hut turned into something more than just a bare-bones structure.
The two of them hadn’t slept there in the first few days, instead opting to sneak back to the village to take more of Fu Yun’s things. At this point though, everything that could be moved easily had been moved. For the rest, they’d need a cart again or move one piece a day while risking being spotted. Thus, they had stopped going to the village and were now sleeping inside the hut that slowly took shape.
Every evening, they’d lie awake, looking at the walls that had been filled out more and more, keeping the wind and rain out. They’d talk about this day’s work and would then discuss where to go the next day to find more branches to work with.
The good thing about living with a spirit was that you would never really run out of materials to use as long as they were made of wood. Even if they only found some slightly thicker twigs, Yue Ji could still turn them into a branch long enough so it could be used for their goals.
To be honest, Fu Yun was slightly worried though. He hadn’t noticed at first but after seeing Yue Ji use his magic more often, he started to feel that something wasn’t right. If there was much to do, Yue Ji would look rather pale. Clearly, using these powers was also draining.
He didn’t dare rely on the convenience of it any longer and instead pushed to just look around for longer, sometimes gathering materials for several days in a row until they had enough before they’d continue. It made the whole process take longer but he couldn’t care less. Building this hut was so that he could be with Yue Ji. If he caused hurt to his lover to do so, where was the sense in that?
And anyway, this was a project they were doing together. Every minute of it —whether it was spent gathering branches, filling in the remainders of the walls, or planning their next steps — was a beautiful memory they shared. Why wouldn’t he want to make it last longer?
By the time summer came, the hut was finally finished. The walls were a bit uneven and instead of doors, there were only two holes on two sides of the hut covered with a piece of fabric. Still, it had the right shape and a roof that didn’t leak during the rain. It could truly be called a place to live in.
Fu Yun had tried creating some furniture at the side but he wasn’t very skilled at it. So far, there was only a small footstool that stood rather crooked and a table that wasn’t any straighter. Still, Yue Ji had insisted on putting both in the hut, feeling proud of his lover’s first creations.
Fu Yun finally went and borrowed a cart and a horse from one of the people in his own village, bringing the furniture from his house to the clearing before returning everything. Then, he bid farewell, leaving the old house of his family to one of the young couples in the village that had just been thinking about moving out into their own place.
The last ties in the human world had been cut and the couple of human and spirit started their life in the spirit realm.
It was not easy at first. There was much left to do to create the life of their dreams but neither of them felt it to be a chore. They simply took one step after the other, slowly getting more familiar with each other and Fu Yun learning about Yue Ji’s world.
The years passed by almost imperceptibly and the originally small hut turned into a house with three rooms and a small garden in front of the entrance. A slightly crooked fence protected the plants inside and the furniture inside the house also seemed a little uneven. Some things simply continued to carry the same charm they had had originally.
Yue Ji had never taken an issue with it and seeing his lover happy, Fu Yun couldn’t be too harsh on himself either. Either way, what did a slightly crooked shelf impact? You could just put a stone slab beneath one side and even it out. These things didn’t need to be perfect or rather, they already were as long as they brought them happiness.
To maybe both of their surprise, Fu Yun never overly missed his village and the people he had grown up with. There had been a bit of wistfulness at first when he realized that he had built his home with his own two hands but could show nobody but his own lover who had worked alongside him.
Still, with the life at his lover’s side unfolding in front of him, he never worried about those things too much. He’d think of them every now and then but they were more like something he looked back on as fond memories, not something he wished to have in the future.
He was surprised himself but then, he had felt from the first moment that his meeting Yue Ji had been fate and that was something he would not go against. He was content with his current life and he would not want to change it for anything.
In this way, many, many years went by. Fu Yun’s hair turned gray first and finally as white as Yue Ji’s. He tended to joke about it but he could not help but see the concern in the eyes of the spirit whose appearance seemed to have not changed at all since that morning they met in the forest for the first time.
Fu Yun himself felt some heartache. He knew he didn’t have forever. He might be living in the spirit realm with Yue Ji but it wasn’t like time stopped here. He was only human so he would still age and one day, he’d be gone. Now, that time was already fast approaching and when the day finally arrived, Yue Ji would be left behind.
Holding his lover’s hand, Fu Yun could only look at him quietly. There was nothing to say that could take away the pain Yue Ji would feel. They had known that this would happen from the very beginning but he hadn’t thought too much about it. After all, back then, he had still been a young man in his early twenties, with many years to spare. Who would think of the time he had to leave this world?
Watching his lover’s downcast expression, Fu Yun stubbornly held on for as long as he could, dragging his body that was slowly withering to almost a hundred years. For a human, it really was a long time. For a spirit, it was nothing much. But he still remembered how Yue Ji had once told him all those years ago that his own lifespan was also coming to an end. Because of this, he had always told himself to hold on for just one more year so that even if Yue Ji had to stay behind, he wouldn’t need to be alone for so long and could soon follow him.
In the end, he didn’t know how much time Yue Ji would still have left after he went ahead. He only knew that his own time was approaching. He had been healthy for a long time, only having more difficulty moving around in the last few years. Now, his mind could finally not support the body any longer. Lying down, he could only look at Yue Ji’s distraught expression with a comforting gaze. “We both knew this day would come.”
Yue Ji nodded but it couldn’t change how he felt. He had known. He had indeed known, a lot better than Fu Yun had, at least. But no matter how clear he had been that this time would arrive, he was still not prepared. He never was. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”
Fu Yun smiled faintly. “Neither do I but it can’t be helped. At most, there should be a few days left.”
Yue Ji nodded again. He laid down next to Fu Yun, carefully putting his head on his shoulder, wanting to be closer but also afraid to hurt him. “We’ve been together for a long time. It’s not something I can complain about. I was afraid it would happen much sooner.”
Fu Yun hummed faintly. His voice had changed a little with the years while Yue Ji’s still sounded exactly the same. “I don’t know much about these things but when I was young, I’ve heard them say in the temples that people will be reborn one day. If you still love long after all, maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“Maybe.” Yue Ji said so but he smiled wryly while he did, lowering his head so Fu Yun wouldn’t see. He knew very well that it would not happen. That possibility … it had been exhausted already. Now, he truly needed to part from him which made his heart ache all the more.
Fu Yun couldn’t see his face but he could feel his sadness. He reached up and rubbed that head full of white hair. “It’s alright. Whatever happens, we’ve had this time. It’s also a good thing. I’m just sorry I can’t accompany you any longer. In the future, you make sure you live well on your own. Don’t wash your face in tears every day. I’d be sad as well if I knew.”
Yue Ji nodded but he had no words to requite. Even if he could have thought of some, he probably could not have found his voice to utter them.
Fu Yun knew how he felt and that his words alone could hardly comfort him. Unfortunately, there was nothing else he could do. Thus, speaking until here, he didn’t try to advise him further. He simply turned his head and kissed Yue Ji’s temple. “I love you.”
Yue Ji looked up and finally craned his neck, kissing Fu Yun’s cheek. “I love you too.”
They didn’t know how much time was really left so Fu Yun had insisted to say anything he felt was needed to be said before he left. As it turned out, he had done well to prepare early as that very night, he quietly passed on in his sleep.
Yue Ji was still lying at his side and the tears that he had been holding back for his lover’s sake finally fell when he noticed that his chest was no longer rising and falling.
For a few minutes, he simply continued to lie close to him, crying to himself. Only then did he sit up and wiped away the tears on his cheeks, leaning down to kiss Fu Yun’s forehead. “Farewell. I’m afraid this time, we really won’t see each other again.”
