If Yun Bei Fen put his mind to something, he was usually able to achieve it. While his comprehension ability might be low compared to others, he was willing to put in enough time to make up for that. And while he had some trouble focusing every now and then — especially with Mei Chao Bing standing next to him — he still made sure to put in enough effort.
Thus, he finally succeeded in making a bigger energy shield without lowering the quality by the end of the day. He beamed at Mei Chao Bing when he did so, and Mei Chao Bing finally gave his nod of approval after he had him demonstrate it a few more times.
"You did really well. Then tomorrow morning, I'll show you the next skill."
"Great!" Yun Bei Fen hugged him, and then closed his eyes, suddenly feeling pretty tired. He had only taken a few breaks when Mei Chao Bing reminded him that he should eat a little to replenish his energy and had otherwise gone completely without rest.
Mei Chao Bing could imagine what was going on. With a sigh, he picked his little bunny up, brought him inside, and tucked him into bed. He sat down next to him and cultivated for some time while Yun Bei Fen had already fallen asleep.
The other disciples made a conscious effort to stay quiet when they came inside after finishing their own training outside.
Later, Song Mu waved at Mei Chao Bing to have a talk with him.
Mei Chao Bing glanced at Yun Bei Fen but then got up, pulled his blanket a little higher up, and then went to talk to Song Mu. He stood in the doorway though so he could still glance at his little bunny and make sure that he was alright. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing much. But I went to ask Elder Cai if there were any news yet. Just so we will know if something is up. So far, it seems that they haven't found anything."
Mei Chao Bing nodded. While this might not sound newsworthy, it was still better if they knew about it. "I guess they will move out again?"
Song Mu nodded. "From what I've heard, they will. I think that we shouldn't stay here for longer than a few days. What you said yesterday has me a little nervous. If we stay here, maybe something bad will happen.
"Even if there's a falling out between our sects, the Elders will be able to handle it. But us? We are only seven people. I'm afraid that if they find something that points in the direction of us having something to do with this, we will have quite a bit of trouble returning. If it was just the two of us, and maybe Liu Bao Ru and Yuan Lei, I wouldn't say anything. But with Yun Bei Fen, Yi Ju, and Tan Xin, things are different. We can't put the three of them at risk."
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "How many days do you want to give it?"
"I'd say five at most. Today is already the second so three more. If we can leave earlier, that would be for the best. But … we would need to have an excuse for that. And I'm afraid we won't come up with one."
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "You might be right with that. I'll think about it."
"Thank you. Then …" Song Mu also glanced inside. "I guess I shouldn't disturb the two of you any longer. Is he making progress?"
Mei Chao Bing nodded. "It's going as well as expected. He'll need more time to get familiar with them but … he has at least a decent grasp on the skills I taught him."
Song Mu didn't dare to ask any further. He just nodded and let Mei Chao Bing return. Inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder though: Why hadn't Elder Baili taught Yun Bei Fen? As his Master, that was his task after all. This shouldn't fall on Mei Chao Bing.
Well, that was not his issue so he wouldn't say anything about it and just leave them to it. Anyway, neither Mei Chao Bing nor Yun Bei Fen seemed to mind it so it was alright. And he believed that with two of them in the core formation stage for several years, and another two soon to catch up, they would not have a problem keeping another three people safe that were of a lower level. With that thought, Song Mu returned to the house as well. Soon enough, the disciples turned in for the night.
Mei Chao Bing once again let Da Hei out and had him guard the hut while he stayed at Yun Bei Fen's side, not leaving the bed at all.
The next morning, everybody got up, and even Yun Bei Fen was awake quite early, positively jumping out of the bed, and rushing to put on his outer robe. He looked at Mei Chao Bing with sparkling eyes, clearly excited for being able to learn a new skill.
Mei Chao Bing laughed and first took out the provisions, handing Yun Bei Fen some food. "Let's eat first. That'll give you enough energy to practice a lot later on."
Yun Bei Fen nodded and started to eat. Mei Chao Bing watched him for a moment and then got a comb, starting to do Yun Bei Fen's hair again. Most likely, it would be messed up again in no time but he didn't mind. Anyway, it was nice enough to spend some time on it.
Yi Ju couldn't help but look at the two of them inside. "Ah, it must be nice having a fiance like senior martial brother Mei. Junior martial brother Yun probably wouldn't need to do anything."
Yuan Lei glanced at her and shook his head. "Would you really want somebody as your fiance that you will have trouble catching up with? He can't even follow Mei Chao Bing somewhere if things get dangerous. He'll always have to rely on him.
"If it was me, I'd probably feel like a burden." He lowered his voice far enough to make sure that Yun Bei Fen wouldn't be able to hear. He didn't want to upset him. If Yun Bei Fen didn't mind, it was alright with him. It was just … if it concerned himself, this would really be his thought.
Yi Ju couldn't help but give pause when she heard that. Right, that was a problem. She sighed when she thought about it for a moment longer and finally nodded. "Well, I guess I'm in the same situation as him. My level isn't much higher than junior martial brother Yun's."
"You do know more skills than him though. And you have at least a little bit of practical experience. For Yun Bei Fen, this is all new. It puts him in a really vulnerable position."
Yu Jin nodded but she wasn't too worried about him. "Anyway, it looks like he'll be catching up with me soon. You should also teach me a few cultivation techniques or something. Being able to read traces is great but if I can't defend myself well enough, I'll get in trouble as well."
Yuan Lei laughed. "I wouldn't mind. My level isn't as high as Mei Chao Bing's though. You'll definitely be able to learn much more if you ask your Master when we're back."
"I'll do that. But … I might need the skills right now. If you have some time, I don't mind if you just teach me a little bit. It can't be that wrong if it works for you, can it?"
Yuan Lei nodded and the two of them ate up, going outside to also start working on their skills.