Yun Bei Fen continued to practice using his flying sword under Mei Chao Bing's guidance until he was able to stand on it without having to worry to fall off. So far, he had only done it at most a few feet above the ground but this was already a big step in the right direction. With a bit more practice, he would definitely be able to soar in the sky if he wanted to.
With this, the first day of their stay at the Jian Chu Sect was soon over. The group went to sleep, not bothering to set up a patrol of their own since they were on the same side as the people of the Jian Chu Sect after all.
Mei Chao Bing couldn't help but worry though. While it was true that they were on the same side, nobody knew what would happen. Since he thought that his Master was involved, he didn't dare to let his guard down. Even in the camp of one of the other righteous sects, he wouldn't just trust blindly in others.
He stepped out for a moment, taking out the spatial box that he had used to carry Da Hei around and let the midnight wolf out.
The spiritual beast looked at him with some grievance. While Mei Chao Bing had let him out at night for the most part when he went on patrol, that definitely couldn't be compared to being completely free like before.
Mei Chao Bing smiled wryly. "You think I like the way things are right now? Believe me, it'll be better after we finish our mission here in the border region."
Da Hei still didn't seem to be convinced and just looked at him despondently.
Mei Chao Bing sighed and raised his head to the sky. "Most likely, it'll only be a few more weeks. Try to keep yourself together until then. Anyway, we shouldn't be in danger here since we are among our own people after all. Still, be on the lookout tonight, alright? One can never be too careful."
The midnight wolf's gaze seemed to become even more cutting but Mei Chao Bing just patted his head and then went back inside, lying down next to Yun Bei Fen.
Song Mu glanced at the two of them and then at the door but didn't say anything and just turned to the other side. Anyway, it was good if Mei Chao Bing did something additional to protect them. While it wasn't necessarily needed, it couldn't hurt either. And with his past, it was normal that he might feel something like this would be for the best. He wouldn't make a big thing out of it.
As it turned out, Da Hei's presence wasn't really needed. In the early morning hours when the sky already brightened again, the midnight wolf sneaked out of the shadows and into the house, putting his paw on Mei Chao Bing's arm to wake him up.
Mei Chao Bing turned onto his side, giving him a slightly annoyed look. That manner of waking him up had definitely been payback for the way he had asked him to guard yesterday night. Well, he wouldn't be petty about it. "Did anything happen?" He only dared to whisper the words so as to not wake the others up.
Da Hei shook his head and Mei Chao Bing put him back into the spatial box before turning back around and cuddling Yun Bei Fen. For the next few hours, he didn't fall asleep again. There was just this nagging feeling that there should at least be one person paying attention to what was happening around them. Even if nothing happened, he would feel better if he was awake and alert just in case it would.
When the others finally stirred awake, he pretended to also just wake up and then put his whole focus on Yun Bei Fen.
His little bunny was probably the cutest when just waking up. He turned around in his arms, silently mumbling to himself while grabbing onto his robe, obviously not wanting to wake up at all.
Yun Bei Fen was the kind of person that was diligent in their training and would definitely do just as his Master and his senior martial brothers told him but he was also somebody that had barely reached twenty years of age and not seen much of the world. Things like waking up early every morning to go and travel weren't things he had ever experienced. Back in the Teng Yong Sect, he probably had been able to follow whatever schedule he wanted.
Finally, his little bunny stretched his feet, his toes brushing Mei Chao Bing's legs, and then he pulled up his shoulders, finally blinking his eyes. When the first thing he saw upon opening them was Mei Chao Bing, his expression lit up and he snuggled right back into his embrace.
Mei Chao Bing looked at him, a happy smile on his own face as well. He brushed through his hair, and lightly called him, making the other people of the group feel that they definitely couldn't disturb the atmosphere.
Mei Chao Bing sat up and pulled Yun Bei Fen into a sitting position as well, running his fingers through his hair. "How about I brush your hair for you?"
Yun Bei Fen was still sleepy so he rubbed his eyes and just nodded, not quite sure what was actually going on.
Mei Chao Bing chuckled and took out a comb, starting to carefully go through every single strand, making sure that he was as gentle as possible. Finally, Yun Bei Fen's hair had been brushed and he helped him bind it up, looking at his finished creation with a smile. This was the first time he had done this. It actually felt really nice. He could get used to this.
Tan Xin couldn't help but look at the two of them and tilted her head. "I feel like something is different about junior martial brother Yun today."
Liu Bao Ru looked over and gave a scoff. "It's his hair. It's not the kind of messy bun he usually wears. Looks like senior martial brother Mei is better at that than him."
Hearing Mei Chao Bing's name, Yun Bei Fen finally opened his eyes and blinked, turning back to Mei Chao Bing to figure out what was going on.
Mei Chao Bing just ruffled his hair, actually causing the perfectly fine bun to become a bit of a mess again.
Yi Ju laughed. "He looks like himself again!"
Yun Bei Fen just looked around confused, still not sure what was going on.
Mei Chao Bing got up, put on his own robe, and handed Yun Bei Fen's his. "Here. You should get dressed. I'll do my hair and then we can eat before we go and continue practicing."
Yun Bei Fen nodded, and then just did as he had been told, finally getting up and following Mei Chao Bing outside, not thinking about what had happened before any longer.