Mei Chao Bing went back to the other tent, finding the other disciples resting while Yun Bei Fen was indeed still practicing to form an energy shield with his spiritual energy. He smiled and then just stood to the side, quietly watching him for a while so as to not interrupt him.
With Yun Bei Fen being the youngest among the group and also the one with the lowest cultivation level, he usually didn't have to go on patrol and he also didn't need to fly since Mei Chao Bing took care of that himself. Thus, he usually had much more energy left to spend when they were on their breaks than any of the others. Using the time to practice wasn't a problem to him and even now, he didn't seem like he needed to rest at all. If he could, he probably would go on practicing for several more hours.
Mei Chao Bing only waited until he collapsed the next energy shield and then went over, pulling him into his arms. "I'm already back. How's the progress?"
Yun Bei Fen looked up, breaking out into a cute smile. "You're back!" He wrapped his arms around Mei Chao Bing's neck and then tiptoed, pecking his lips. "How are things with Elder Fa?"
Mei Chao Bing nodded, lightly brushing through Yun Bei Fen's hair and then tugging at his sleeves that had gotten into disarray while he practiced. "Quite well. We talked a bit more and decided on how to go forward. What about you? You haven't answered my question. Don't tell me it didn't go well?"
Yun Bei Fen smiled and then stepped out of his arms, raising his hands to demonstrate. "Look at this!" He formed an energy shield that actually looked quite a bit better than the ones just yesterday.
Mei Chao Bing nodded slowly, taking a close look at it. The shield was the densest in the middle and then frayed out a little towards the edges. But considering that Yun Bei Fen was only just learning how to use the skill, it wasn't a problem. The best thing was that the shield was overall quite even by now. There weren't any gaps in there and only very few spots that were significantly weaker than others. Compared to how much progress he had made on holding his flying sword upright, this was definitely much better.
"That does look very good. Just make sure that you fortify the edges just a little more. While the middle is the most important, if the edge of the shield is broken, it might fracture more easily so it is important to not neglect that part of the shield either."
Yun Bei Fen nodded and then gave it a try before lowering his hands and rushing back to Mei Chao Bing's side. "So, are you finished now? You don't need to leave again?"
Mei Chao Bing smiled and pulled him back into his arms, kissing his temple. "Right, I will stay here now."
Yun Bei Fen beamed at him, making Mei Chao Bing feel just how sweet he was. Thinking of that, he remembered the candy that Elder Fa had just given him. He chuckled and pulled it out, stuffing it into Yun Bei Fen's hands. "When Elder Fa heard that I had brought my cute fiance along, she gave this to me for you. She also said that she was very curious about you and would like to meet you. So if I had to go back to talk with her, I would just take you along."
Yun Bei Fen's face lit up, actually not so much because of the candy and more because of the promise that he could tag along the next time. He still looked at the candy though and tried one of the pieces, his expression pleasantly surprised. "This isn't bad. Is the Zhen Yan Sect famous for their good food?"
Mei Chao Bing raised his brows and then shook his head. "No, not that I would know of. Why do you ask?"
Yun Bei Fen put the other pieces away and continued to eat the one he had already tried with a thoughtful expression. "I remember that when I was smaller and still needed to eat regularly, the food wasn't always very good. It was only every now and then that I could eat good food. Otherwise, it always tasted bland or maybe a bit weird."
Mei Chao Bing wasn't really sure what to make of that. He remembered that when he had been young, he had always gone to eat with the other disciples. It was one of the few times he actually had the chance to relax a bit outside of his Master's strict training. He didn't quite know how the food had been and just remembered that he had enjoyed these times very much.
For Yun Bei Fen, that might be different though, considering that he hadn't been taken in together with several other disciples but had been the only one to join Elder Baili at that time. Who knew how procuring food for him had actually gone? "Well, if you like it, then when we return from this mission and are back at the Teng Yong Sect, we can ask your Master if we can go out and travel a bit. I'll get you lots of tasty food then."
Yun Bei Fen beamed at that. Actually, he didn't care too much about tasty food but the thought of going out with his senior martial brother Mei and being able to share such moments with him was definitely enough to make him happy.
Also, it would be nice to finally be able to travel a bit as well. He had often seen his senior martial brothers do it in the past and had always wondered how that would be like. But being the youngest and the least skilled among them, he had never been able to try. Ah, it would be nice if they could actually all go together once in the future!