XingYing was asleep when they arrived back at the temple. Hsien Lian slowly stepped up to the man, XingYing slowly sitting up. Fang Hai sighed, grabbing one of the two chairs to sit down. XingYing looked around, yawning. "What happened?" XingYing asked. Chen Guo huffed, leaning on the wall. "We're going to Quzhou City. That's where Tao Wu should be going next."
XingYing smirked, crossing his arms. "So I was right?" XingYing teased, smiling widely. Chen Guo shook his head. "It's way more serious than that." Chen Guo muttered harshly. XingYing frowned softly. "What happened?" XingYing asked, worried. "I got the horses. Found them wandering."
"Tao Wu working with the ghosts, he's leading the most vulnerable and weakest on with different lies. They all want to become gods, and Tao Wu is promising they can be-" Hsien Lian explains, but XingYing finishes for him. "But they can't." He mumbled. Hsien Lian nodded softly.
"We need to hurry and get to Quzhou City before Tao Wu does, so we have enough time to kill the ghost and set up." Fang Hai said, sliding his dao in scabbard hooked onto his back. XingYing slowly stood and nodded. "Are you guys going to fight Tao Wu? He is the most powerful god in history. Hsien Lian-"
"God can't die. We'll be fine." Hsien Lian answered stiffly, stepping out of the temple. XingYing didn't budge. "Still, you guys can't get hurt, but your auras can. It is way too dangerous for you guys to go anywhere near him in a fighting manner." XingYing didn't seem like he was advising them. Instead, he was commanding the gods to not go. The wind stopped, different creatures that hid near the shrine hid, everyone seemed scared of the young boy from Jinhua. But not Hsien Lian.
He could never be afraid.
Hsien Lian turned around, his hair flicking as he did so to look back at XingYing. He gave the other a stern look. "If we don't, then no one will." XingYing stared back at Hsien Lian with worry filled in his eyes. It was harsh, but not enough to scare. Never enough. XingYing sighed, lowering his head and nodding. "Ok. But if you go, then I will go with you."
Hsien Lian was ready to deny it, ready to shake his head. To lock XingYing in that temple for his own good, but a light hand on his shoulder said otherwise. "Let him. We need to go." Fang Hai voiced, before letting go of Hsien Lian's shoulder. He sighed, nodding his head. "Ok, fine. You can go. But I'm going to protect you. Put a shield on you." Hsien Lian muttered. XingYing softly smiled.
"No need. You already did."
Hsien Lian tilted his head slightly in confusion. He did? Hsien Lian never remembered that. "I did?" Hsien Lian asked. XingYing lightly chuckled, smiling.
Chen Guo sighed, his hands glowed a dark orange. His eyes were shut, his head tilted to the ground. He was doing something, but Hsien Lian couldn't decipher yet. His hands slowly raised to each side of him, his palms facing the sky. He lifted his head up as well, inhaling deeply. His hands were still as he bekonned something towards him from the woods.
And soon enough, two horses waddled their way out from nowhere.
Chen Guo lowered his hands, the glow dimming until there was nothing left. He opened his eyes, looking at the two horses before shrugging. "Good enough." He muttered. The two horses were very different from the ones XingYing and Hsien Lian had. The new ones were bright. Both were black horses. The interesting part was one had deep blue eyes. THe other was a bright orange.
"There. Now we can all ride separately." Chen Guo muttered, getting on the orange eyed one. Hsien Lian thought all the horses were pretty, but he liked his white one. Fang Hai hummed, sliding in his shoe to hook his leg on the other side, getting onto the horse. XingYing did the same, Hsein Lian following after him.
"I'll lead." Chen Guo voiced, slowly leaning forward to allow the horse to do the same. "You know this place more than anyone." XingYing complimented. Fang Hai scoffs. "He's the God of the East. Of course he'll know what East China looks like." Fang Hai mutters. XingYing stays alongside Hsien Lian as Fang Hai goes to the front. "So, what did you do while we were gone?" Hsien Lian asked, turning his head towards XingYing, who smiled.
"A lot. I found the horses, obviously. But I also did a little studying on gods. I thought it might be helpful since you guys are going to battle one." XingYing answered, his hair bouncing off his back everytime the black horse stepped. Hsien Lian hummed, nodding his head. "It's incredible how much humans know about gods. You know more than me."
XingYing softly shrugged. "I have spent a very long time waiting for something to happen. While I waited, I studied. Learned as much as I could." XingYing explained. Hsien Lian looked back at the boy, now intrigued. "Waited? What did you wait for?" The boy didn't look startled by that question, nor did he seem bothered. He was hiding lots of things, things that Hsien Lian didn't care about. Yet he still wanted to know what he waited for.
XingYing smirked, shaking his head. "Nothing." XingYing answered shortly, before looking away. He looked towards the woods, humming softly. He didn't know the tune, didn't know anything about it. Yet it was nice. A soft wind blew before the four men, trees waving from different sides. Leaves slowly fell in between each beat of XingYing's song, floating down to the ground before him, leaving the trees bare.
Each leaf dripped like rain, floating on the edges of the bodies, barely missing each one of the soldiers. The breeze curled, floating up Hsien Lian's hair, the prince light as the breeze and leaves. As bright as the clear sky. As bright as the sun above each one of them. His clothes waved like flags, waving back at the trees before him. XingYing's song stopped as soon as it started, the world slowing back to it's speed.
The world is going back to normal.