As the sun began to set, the two had collapsed in exhaustion after successfully setting up camp for the coming night. Before the failing of the light, Xieren had been assigned to 'fire pit duty' while Liang He went deeper into the woods for food.

  "Is that necessary, Liang He?"

  The thief simply glanced back to Xieren upon hearing these words. Xieren continued, "We already have so much food. Any more would be too much."

  "If we preserve it," Liang He began, "We won't be at any risk of running out if we reach a completely desolate spot." With his foot, he tapped one of the bags with a gentle touch. "I only kill the smallest creatures, you know. So you aren't overburdened. But if you really think we have too much..."

  "I think we're alright for the time being." This response was not what Liang He had expected. He had assumed Xieren would cave, so the continued push of his opinion had caught Liang He off-guard. Collecting himself, he cleared his throat. "Right, then. Don't say I didn't warn you if things take a turn." Xieren rolled his eyes, dropping his head onto his fist. It was clear in abundance that Liang He wanted to say more, but for whatever reason, he was holding back.

  When they first came across this spot, the two of them had stripped down, Liang He to his undershirt and Xieren was now exposing his bare chest. The pair had been soaked to the bone and Xieren was eager to start the fire, but they had to wait until night so as not to waste resources. Poking around in the pit with a particularly long stick, Xieren trailed off in thought. Liang He was cleaning up the rabbit carcasses on the other side of the clearing. They had been traveling together for a very short period of time, only one day, and yet Liang He was treating Xieren like they had known each other forever. I suppose that's the price of having a name and legacy known by all.

  Despite the strange familiarity Liang He had developed towards Xieren, the prince still knew almost nothing about the man. There were so many unanswered questions that continued to block out Xieren's view. It was an almost strangling sensation. Who was this man truly? What was that strange presence he had? What was he planning to do once he obtained the Tear of Moonlight? Liang He had saved him multiple times, but that didn't mean Xieren was completely safe. When Liang He got what he wanted, would he consider ending Xieren? Xieren didn't know. He knew nothing but the rumors.

  "The sun is failing."

  "Hm?" Xieren looked up and saw Liang He crouched on the other side of the fire pit, that neutral expression right where it always sat. "We'll have to start the fire soon. Think you can do it with your wrist the way it is?" Without realizing it, Xieren rubbed the bandage. "I can. Don't worry."

  Liang He's head slanted, his brow perked, but he said nothing.

  As darkness crept over the forest, the sounds of day were swiftly replaced by the sounds of night. But still, as had been the norm since traveling together, the growls and roars of approaching yao and other predators was nonexistent. With minor trouble, Xieren lit the fire. The pain in his wrist had made him pause, and upon seeing this, Liang He had offered to help, reaching out to grasp Xieren's shaking hand, but the prince relented, pulling away. "I can do this myself. Don't worry." He felt a heat flowing throughout his body, but ignored this in favor of striking the rocks against one another. After a few, strenuous moments, the fire was finally lit, and a warm, fierce glow illuminated the forest around them. Liang He softly scoffed, his head resting in his hand and his finger tapping his jaw. "You really did it. Impressive, gege." That word jabbed at Xieren's head and he felt a headache rising. Just go with it. Just go with it. "So, are we on good ground for the night?"

  "I would say so. But keep in mind how close we still are to the water." Barely having to strain his ears, Xieren could still hear the rushing water behind them.

  "We aren't the only creatures here that like water. Others may come through for a drink, so I'll keep watch during the night."

  "We should take turns in that case. You can go first if you want, but you can't stay up the whole night." Liang He wore a comfy smile. "I can if I must. I've done it plenty, but if you insist, I can wake you halfway through and we'll switch." Xieren agreed, and the night began with Liang He keeping watch. Despite the feeling of safety Xieren had from knowing Liang He was watching over the camp, he was having trouble sleeping. The confusion and stress from the situation was immense, but it didn't fully sink in until now. They had walked so far, moved such a vast distance from his safe ci shrine. Xieren wouldn't be able to make it back on his own if he had to. Was this journey really worth it?

  I can't turn back now...

  With a weary, broken sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of all of the worries, anxiety and fear. Just go to sleep already. The more he thought this, the harder it became. Xieren was sleeping on the cold, hard ground, a bag Liang He had given him as a pillow. If he had realized that first moment they met that this journey would span days, he would have focused on grabbing more than just his sword and food. He would have brought his pillow and blanket. But again, I can't turn back... But I still want to complain. As he lied there with his thoughts running about in this way and that, he failed to realize how much he was squirming. When a large, warm cloth landed on him, he felt his heart jump to his throat, and he immediately sat up reaching for his sword.

  "Relax, gege." Liang He's large, quite intimidating hand had reached out and paused inches from Xieren's face. Xieren had to do everything he could to swallow his fear. Liang He appeared as uninterested as usual, but there was a soft gleam in his eyes despite facing away from the fire. "You appeared to be cold, so take this to keep warm, alright?" Rising to a stand, he turned and strode over to the fire once again. Their clothes had been hung over the pit by Liang He. Xieren didn't see when he had made such a device to hang them, and this made him feel all the more astounded. Such a man would make a great wife, he thought almost humorously. Glancing down, he looked at the shirt that covered him. It was the shirt that Liang He was usually wearing. It must have dried for him to toss it on Xieren like this. Exhaling, he took the shirt in his hands and went to fold it up to return it, but it felt so nice and warm. It did an amazing job of heating his body. But it's not particularly cold out tonight... Liang He was probably colder than he was. He had been wearing a soaked shirt and pants the whole time. Nodding to himself, Xieren climbed to his bare feet and walked up to the thief who was, at this point, sharpening his sword. When Xieren approached, Liang He glanced up.

  "Take this. You need it more than I."

  "Huh? I've weathered worse," he sneered vaguely. "You're a prince. Take it." Xieren felt that he shouldn't try arguing, but he continued. "You take it. It's yours. My clothes are probably dry by now."

  "They aren't."

  "What?" Xieren found that hard to believe.

  "They aren't," he repeated. "I waited to put yours up until mine finished, gege. My clothes are bigger than yours."

  Xieren's brows knitted and he felt his face flush, but he ignored it all, especially the mocking tone in Liang He's voice. "Fine." With an agitated sigh, still holding the shirt, he spun back and dropped down to the ground he had been resting on. How can this guy be so stubborn in everything he did?

  At least I'm covered, I guess.

  Without even a spark of realization, Xieren had fallen asleep. When the moon sat at the total pinnacle of the heaven's, a strong hand gripped his shoulder and shook him until he came to.

  "Gege? It's your turn." With a groan, Xieren pushed himself up, his eyes still dreary and weak. The light of the fire still claimed their camp, and beside that lied piles of dry logs and branches. "I collected some wood while you slept. If the light begins to die—"

  "Throw them in. Got it." The abrupt interruption surprised Liang He, but he smiled regardless. With a final pat on the back, he said, "If anything happens, let me know."

  Still drowsy, Xieren felt a rise of agitation and ignored Liang He's words. "Right, right. Just get to sleep or whatever." Liang He said nothing for a moment, before nodding and crawling to the opposite side of their camp. Now alone, Xieren sighed. As he ran his hand through his hair, he noticed the clothes by his feet. Sometime while he was sleeping, or perhaps the very moment he woke Xieren, Liang He had set the prince's clothes there for him.

  He really would be a good wife...

  Once he was dressed, Xieren sat by the fire, his jian resting in his hand. He couldn't mess up something this simple. But would doing something like this really prove to himself anything? His chin dropped to his fist as he exhaled, and his form slouched. What exactly am I trying to do? He knew what, but the more he thought about it the less sense it made to him. Be prince again? What would come of that? People wouldn't be less afraid of him. His family likely wouldn't accept him still, they would just pretend to. All the while, underneath, they would whisper about him. About how scary he was. Xieren shook his head. I'm wasting my time...

  He tried not to think about it anymore.

  Sitting in silence, the popping and crackling of the fire being the only thing keeping his mind occupied, Xieren felt himself growing weary; bored. There seemed to be no threats in these woods. Of course there weren't. As long as Liang He was near, it didn't seem like anything would come close to them.

  Really, what am I doing? Though he thought this, he barely had any idea what he was thinking. He had never stayed up so late before, and he felt his mind jumbling up to greater lengths than it ever had. He would be out before he knew it. In fact, he was already drifting off to sleep, still upright next to the fire. Don't sleep... You already slept. From the moment the sun set to the time the moon reached full height. But still, this wasn't enough to motivate him to remain conscious. Within that mere instant, he was already out. His head was slowly falling forward, but he remained upright still. In and out, he was fading away. Not so awake to know what was going on, but not so out that he couldn't hear.

  Out of the blue, he could hear footsteps. He almost assumed they were Liang He, but he quickly came to the realization that these sounded nothing like Liang He's steps. With this in mind, he wondered what they were. Maybe it was just a small animal. As he thought of this, he envisioned a fox strolling into the camp. He thought this amusing at first, but then he recalled all of the meat they have. A fox would raid their camp clean!

  "Ah!" Sitting up, still drowsy, but now conscious, he turned around in impressive haste, looking here and there for the fox. When he saw nothing, he realized it must have all been in his head. He had been dreaming.

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  Just a...dream? Thank goodness... With a sigh, his form relaxed once more. Before he could fully rest, he heard the noise again. It almost sounded like rapid scampering. Now that he was awake, he could identify where this was coming from; back where Xieren had been sleeping. It was heading back to the river.

  Should I follow it? After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. No. I need to stay put. I have to watch the food and fire. As this thought went through his mind, a surge of confidence and pride surfacing at his decision, he realized something.

  "My...my sword?" Gulping down his urge to shout, he peered at every side of him. Not behind him, beside or under. It had vanished! How?

  "Where... It has to be here!" He searched around the fire, careful in his movements so as not to wake Liang He. Alas, his search was in vain. The jian was gone. It was as if it had been sucked away from this realm, never to be seen again.

  Turning in the direction of the scampering, Xieren immediately chased after, his dagger still on his hip. As he ran on, the raging of the river grew louder and more intimidating. Flashes of struggling through its force replayed in his mind, but it dissuaded him not from pursuing the thief. Steal from a prince will you? You don't know just the kind of prince I am! Drawing his dagger and swallowing his disgust at the title he shamelessly invoked, he heard the feet once again. In there, are you? Skidding to a stop, he could hear the rustling and snapping of branches in the bush at his right. "You won't hide from me!"

  In one fell swoop, he slashed through the branches. There was a soft, high-pitched squeal, but in that next instant, it stopped. As if vanishing from the world, it faded away.

  Xieren wondered if he killed whatever it was, when he suddenly heard a whistle from the other side of the river. Turning, his heart came to a stop. It was too dark to see clearly, but the light of the moon shined brilliantly against the scabbard of his jian. From what he could see, it appeared that a child was holding it up, showing their pride in having stolen such a beautiful item. A painful anger welled up within Xieren.

  "You... You won't get away with this!" Taking a running start, he ran at the river. The child seemed to hesitate, unsure whether they should retreat, but in the end, they waited.

  As Xieren reached the water, he stopped, body twisted and thrust out with all his strength, the dagger becoming a rapid projectile. In fear, the child went to run, but it was too late.

  "Ghaa!!" The dagger struck at their feet, tripping them, their small form landing in the gravel with a thud, and the sword flying into the bushes.

  Without hesitation, Xieren immediately darted away from the water's edge. Running back, he pushed himself as far as he could go before lunging in. He reached three-quarters of the way across before crashing into the water, his clothes soaked once more.

  Seeing such a display of madness, the child tried to scramble to their feet, mumbling and panting all the while.

  As the child got up and ran for the bushes, Xieren had swam to land, albeit four meters from his destination, but it was much closer than he had initially anticipated. Driven by anger, he pursued the child further, and with his longer legs, he caught up almost immediately. With a leap, he tackled the child in an instant!

  "Who do you think you are!?" Suppressing the child by their head and back, he grit his teeth, his eyes busy scanning the bushes for his sword.

  "Pl-please," a small voice pleaded, "We meant nothing by it!"

  "W..." Xieren was caught off guard. "We?" Now that he was paying attention, he noticed some peculiar things about this child. Not to mention, what would a child be doing this far in Nanshan?

  A small, troublesome laugh broke Xieren out of his thoughts and, before he knew it, the child he had pinned down had vanished into thin air.

  "..." Xieren gulped. The true purpose of this game suddenly dawned on him, his breath pausing. "The camp!"

  Digging through the bushes he retrieved his sword. The scabbard had a few scratches, but he couldn't focus on that right now. Picking up his dagger, he was now left with the task of swimming his way back across the river with a lack of that driving anger and any aid from Liang He.

  The camp may be completely empty when I get back! Hurry, 'prince', hurry!

  Jumping in, he was dragged down the river as he struggled to make his way to the opposing riverside. He could feel his sword hitting rocks and tangling on weeds as he struggled to move forward. How did I do this?

  "Gege!"

  The familiar voice sent a pang through Xieren's chest. Was he about to be saved? Again? He felt humiliated, but his life was at stake, he couldn't focus on that!

  "Liang He!"

  The strong youth, without hesitating, jumped in.

  He didn't bring his rope!?

  Once the two met up in the center of the river, Liang He helped lead Xieren back to the river banks. They had been pulled quite a distance away from their camp, but neither cared about that. They were on land, and that was all that mattered.

  "Gege. Are you sane?"

  "I... I might be questioning that myself." He let out an uncomfortable chuckle. Thinking back on his actions, they truly seemed like something only a crazy person would do. He was amazed and terrified!

  "I am so sorry, Liang He. I...lost myself just now." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, the soaked scabbard shining brilliantly in the moon, and the wear and tear of the night glistening like badges of honor.

  "That's fine," Liang He said, arms crossed. "Anyway, while you were having a swim, I found something. I'd like your opinion on it."

  Returning to their camp, Xieren was treated to an interesting sight, one he had never before witnessed. In the center of their campsite sat two children, bound to one another with the rope Liang He had used earlier when they crossed the river, and when he had hung up their soaked clothes.

  That rope sure is useful.

  "Liang He, what—"

  "They were trying to steal from us," he said listless as he approached them. The two twinged as he neared, their chubby faces sweating and beet-red. With a sly, proud smile, Liang He turned back to Xieren. "No one takes from me. Not without paying a price of my choosing."

  Xieren was feeling unsure, but chose not to voice this complication. "These three, are they yao?"

  "Three?" Liang He rose a brow, but before Xieren could answer, he interrupted. "Xiao gui, correct? These nuisances were after our things." Peering back at Xieren, Liang He added, "Did you handle the other one?"

  Xieren's gaze fell. "It got away..." After a moment of contemplation, the grip on his sword strengthening, he went on. "Maybe we should just let them go."

  "After what happened?" Liang He's voice had a hint of surprise in it. Xieren nodded. "They were just doing what they do... Even if it does make them a nuisance." As Xieren approached them, they gave the same reaction to him that they gave to Liang He. Kneeling down, he tugged at the rope. It was sturdy, incredibly so. How did he make this so tight?

  "You two," Xieren said, his voice solid and commanding. The two xiao gui winced back, terrified. "When you meet with your friend, you tell him what happened here! Understood?"

  "W-we understand!"

  "Y-yes, Your Highness! Every word!"

  Your Highness? Xieren was taken aback hearing a yao call him such a thing. He decided that this was a discussion for later. "Tell me. Did you two take anything?"

  The little creatures glanced between one another, their lips sealed tight. Assuming they wouldn't answer, Xieren began running through different ways on how he could get them to talk when, out of the blue, Liang He's dao stuck in the dirt between them. All three of them cringed in shock. Liang He reached down, grabbed one of the xiao gui by their top and lifted them both. "What did you little scumbags take?" Ripping the sword from the earth, he flipped it, the tip facing the creature in his hand.

  Whimpering and whining, the creatures were blubbering as they tried to find their words.

  "Liang He, stop this!" Without hesitance, Xieren yanked away the thief's blade. Liang He was shocked, in disbelief. "What are you doing, Your Highness?"

  "Pick and choose, Liang He." Xieren knit his brows, the dao still clutched in his hand. "Liang He, there's no point in killing them."

  "I wasn't going to kill them. Have you ever heard the word threaten before?"

  Xieren ignored him. Dropping the sword, he grabbed the two xiao gui with both hands. It took a moment for Liang He's iron grip to release, but when it did, Xieren returned them to the ground. Kneeling, he spoke to them in a soft voice, "Maybe we haven't been handling this right." Pulling out his dagger, he slashed through the rope—after four attempts—and released the pair. "I am sincerely sorry if we scared you. We shouldn't have done that. Do you forgive us?"

  The two remained petrified, standing as if a single move would cost them. Xieren couldn't help but wonder what exactly Liang He did to scare them so badly. Suddenly, a thought came to Xieren. Glancing about the campsite, he spotted their rations. "Wait a moment!" Crawling over to the bag, Liang He standing behind with an intense, narrowed gaze, Xieren returned with the bag itself. "Here, we have plenty of food, so take what you want!" Reaching in, he took out multiple stacks of cured pig and rabbit. After this, he added a small handful of nuts and berries. His hands pressed together, Xieren said, "Here. Please take it. This is our apology to you."

  The pair stared over the offerings with wide eyes, their slightly pointed ears seeming to wiggle in glee. Clearly, they tried to hide their smiles, but this lasted mere seconds. With large, childish grins, the two crouched to gather up the food before them.

  "Thank you, Your Highness!"

  "We are grateful! Very grateful!"

  "We must meet again, Your Highness!"

  Instead of simply vanishing into thin air, the two, with armfuls of food, ran off into the darkness, the pitter patter of their feet echoing until they were deep into the trees.

  "Well, looks like you did it, gege." The tone of Liang He's voice was flat and empty, like he was saying it for the sole purpose of saying it.

  "What were you thinking, Liang He? You can't threaten yao like that. It would just make things worse!"

  "I disagree." Arms still folded, he stared Xieren squarely in the face as the shorter man rose to a stand. "If they're scared, why would they want to come back? Weak creatures like that can be scared away. If you treat them like children, they'll just keep coming back."

  "To help." Xieren's voice was low, a near mutter as he turned away, disgusted with his companion's tactics. We won't get along if he's going to act like this. Before Xieren made a full turn, Liang He's hand gripped his forearm. The prince reached for his blade, but Liang He moved too fast and seized the right arm.

  "What are you doing? Release me!"

  "There's that bite again." He almost sounded amused. Once again, their height and build difference was made painfully obvious, but as before, Xieren tried not to allow this to intimidate him. "If you don't—"

  "What? What will you do? Will those xiao gui come to aid you?" The severe sense of mockery in his words turned Xieren's stomach. Xieren wasn't weak. Physically, he was superior to most grown men he came across. One of the many things that had drawn people to him. But his wrist was still injured, and this man, Liang He, had a level of strength he had never encountered. He was no normal man, and Xieren refused to admit that he feared him. He would not go down showing fear!

  "If you wish to kill me," Xieren said, voice calm and strong, "I will fight back, I swear it!"

  Where is this will coming from, he wondered as he stared back at Liang He. How can I say such a thing? Am I serious? Do I really, truly...want to live again?

  There was little reaction from Liang He. Only briefly did Xieren believe he saw something, a vague flash in his dark eyes.

  They remained in this position for some time before Liang He began to take slow, eased movements. He lowered his head, his gaze traveling along Xieren's arm, down to his hand. "Your wrist," he suddenly said, his voice soft and quiet. "We should check it..."

  "Wha..."

  "Just come on." There was a sigh to Liang He's words, but this seeming lack of care didn't deter Xieren from pushing. "Liang He, what is this? What are you doing?!" Ripping his hand away from Liang He, he felt the pain resurface, but swallowed it down. There were more important things to focus on! "You... What are you planning? You intend to kill me, don't you?"

  "..."

  "Answer me!" Xieren crowded Liang He, pushing and pushing. If he would be killed here, he'd may as well go out fighting!

  No matter how much he questioned, how much he pushed, he got no reaction from Liang He. The man simply averted his gaze, his features neutral and frozen like one of the finest of sculptures. Xieren realized he would not be getting any response and, trying to decide whether to give up, came to the distressing decision to stop.

  It's hopeless, he thought, dropping to the ground. He'll tell me nothing. I'll learn nothing. I shouldn't have jumped into this so unprepared... Before his thoughts could continue, a deep voice from behind him spoke up.

  "I have done...terrible things, Your Highness."