The Stone King's Lover (石王的愛)

Chapter 53

Wen Reian

2005 years after The Long Night

Jingshén

<The Wishing Well>

Reian was blushing bright red as he whispered to Yi-jun...

"L-let go! You're hugging me too long-"

The King was the last in a long line of people who had clung on to Wen Reian, some happy and some crying as they said goodbye for the next few weeks. Reian thought it was all a little silly, as he would be back very soon and was only going as far as South Jiezhî.

Now though, with Yi-jun's arms around him, feeling the steady beat of his heart through their clothes, the boy realised that so many days away might actually be more difficult than he'd thought.

"I'm going to miss you, Wen Rei..." Yi-jun said.

Reian smiled, finally being released from the tight hold only to be caught again by the King's forlorn eyes. Reian felt a hint of guilt tug at his heart, but there wasn't anything he could do. As part of his completion of Jingshén's training, he and the other graduates were to travel alone to some place they'd never been. It was their tradition. And if while on this adventure you found a place you were needed for whatever reason, it wasn't uncommon for disciples to end up not coming back.

Reian looked back at his home as he, Xie De, Sun Xieren, and Jin Yu, who was invited eventually after much begging, stood with their belongings at the edge of the trees.

He saw Master Hao waving, a proud smile on his face. The little ones were clinging to each other, sniffling, and Xie Yi-jun was watching Reian with those dark eyes as always, looking inside him.

Reian didn't doubt that he would return. His life was here, and in a few short weeks he would come back to it. For now however...

"Doesn't it feel like we're far too young to be doing this?" Sun Xieren said.

The boy was only a little younger than Reian and had lived in Jingshén since he was three. With an affinity for light magic, he was somewhat of a prodigy among the disciples, yet this fact seemed to only make him kinder.

Pushing a few strands of his dark hair that was streaked with highlights of gold, the boy stared back at Xie De, who was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, back and forth between the trees and then in circles around poor Jin Yu who was glaring at him.

"On the contrary!" Xie De said loudly, "I myself feel as if I've been breathing for a thousand years and have never once experienced real life-"

Reian smiled, "That's because you equate life with love."

Jin Yu seemed to giggle which made Xie De shoot him an angry glance.

"Not true!"

The boy grumbled a few more times but then seemed to give up. The four of them went on like that for several hours, stopping every now and then to drink water and eat. It wasn't until the sun was nearly setting that they finally saw the telltale signs of their border state; Lêung Shãn, through the trees.

"Brrr..." Xie De shivered.

Reian wrapped his arms around himself, aware of the chill in the air as their path gradually led them onto a pebbled road and towards the Transitory Door that led into South Jiezhî.

After being told several times by the Masters that as visitors they'd need to pass through this door and leave offerings to the old Gods, the four boys had come prepared.