Little Purple

Hu Zi saw that jolt. His reaction obviously showed that he was worried about what will happen tomorrow. "Don't worry, I am a wind master already, the wind is friendly to me."

Jin Lan was still worried. His face went darker and darker.

He seemed to carefully watch his steps too, making her wonder if he worried that he would step on something. Hu Zi tried to convince him. "If you are worried that we will meet a dangerous animal on our way, worry not. My wind radar could cover a wide range, I will know right away if there was danger ahead."

"But you slept like a log even when I sank my teeth on your neck." He rolled his eyes, he really wanted to say it out loud. "I don't think I can sleep tonight."

She said that she was powerful enough, but there must be a reason why she didn't use her wind to glide through this forest. She did tell him that making the wind move was harder than using radar for her. So maybe she was saving her energy so she could fly, later on, he thought.

Jin Lan sighed once again, feeling helpless of their situation. Really, he just wanted to make her happy, but to think this was what it takes to make her smile. He then looked up to the highest cliff on this Bamboo Fortress.

That cliff was their final destination.

This place had many ups and downs, steep cliffs and hilled valleys were everywhere. Even now, they are about to walk on a very narrow road beside the cliff. Hanging on the rock so he could steady himself, he looked at the end of the cliff that was far below and gulped.

"We will arrive at that cliff in the evening." Hu Zi was walking in front of him, leading as he sensed her ways with the radar. "Then, we will fly in the morning."

After the cliff, they finally arrived at a normal terrain where the ground was more or less flat and easy to walk through. But suddenly...

"Lan look!" Hu Zi pointed at a direction on their right. "It's a tiger."

His eyes widened as he looked at the direction Hu Zi pointed in, it was indeed a tiger, a really big one.

Lan might need to consider being afraid of the girl, who could point something like that out with a smile, beside him before running away from that tiger that slowly closed the distance between. "Let's run." He grabbed Hu Zi's wrist, but she did not move a slightest.

"That tiger is beautiful."

"Yeah, but it is coming at us."

"Yeah, but I am not afraid of something smaller than that brown bear."

Hu Zi released her wind, the trees started to fell because of her. The tiger seemed to know who was stronger and immediately run away. "See..." Hu Zi stuck out her tongue.

"You are destroying the forest." He flicked her arm.

The cursed prince might be small, but his flick was strong, he was seriously angry at her. As she could feel that he was being cold to her again, she made an apologetic look. "Sorry..."


He gently caressed her arm that was flicked earlier. "Careful on using your power." He did not make any expression, but Hu Zi grinned. His cold then attitude was very entertaining to her.

Hu Zi wanted to sky glide, but they will only do it tomorrow, for tonight, they camped.

"Use this so the insects won't bite you when you sleep." He gave her some kind of ointment. To Hu Zi, It had no color nor smell. "Only the dangerous animals can smell the bad smell. That smell will make them stay away from us."

Hu Zi looked at the ointment and asked, "who made this?"

"I did," he answered simply. She looked at him intently, burning her eyes in his until he felt uncomfortable and broke a cold sweat. "What is it?"

"Nothing." She looked to the side. "Good night, Lan," she said as she laid down on her side of the mat.

Jin Lan couldn't count how many times he helplessly sighed today. He laid down but didn't fall asleep, he needed to stay up in case something would happen when Hu Zi was still sleeping.

Hu Zi hadn't closed her eyes either, she shifted her position and looked up to the sky.

It was very beautiful. The twinkling stars were as beautiful as she imagined them to be. She still remembered how Shou talked about them on the night before Hu Ye went to war years ago.

She closed her eyes soon after.

"Shou..."

Jin Lan looked to the side, she was still calling his name even now. He wondered whether after this she would stop calling after him. Even though it was irritating for him, he couldn't help but felt pity toward her. He knew how it felt to lose someone important.

He lightly touched her forehead which was full of cold sweats. She was sweating and knitting her brows because she was having nightmares again. She was in pain. After he tried to calm her down, she finally loosened her knitted brows.

"Zi," he called, "it saddens me when you are in pain."