Chapter 35: Guidance

When Ye Tian returned from the riverside, the two girls were already asleep, nestled against the tree trunk. He glanced at the fire rack; his roasted meat was still there. Just then, Alansa’s sleepy mumbling drifted to his ears, “I didn’t steal any food…”

Ye Tian chuckled, stepped forward, and pinched the girl's cheek. “Wake up, the sun’s already up!” Alansa startled awake, blinking her eyes. “Good morning, Geer.” Then she stretched languidly. “Wait, didn’t we just have lunch?”

“So you do know!” Ye Tian said, exasperated. “Are you really that tired?”
“Very, very tired,” Alansa pouted in protest.
“A lion doesn’t become king of beasts overnight—it takes time.” Ye Tian smiled, ruffling her hair. “Come on, time to get moving.”

“Oh!” Alansa reluctantly got up, stretching again and starting to pack.
“Hey, Taya, wake up, we’re leaving.” Ye Tian shook the other girl gently. The hood of her cloak slipped off, revealing a pair of pointed ears.

Ye Tian stared at the two pale, delicate ears, and almost involuntarily reached out to pinch one gently—soft, like a freshly steamed bun. Taya jolted awake, instantly alert.

“Oh, you’re up. Time to hit the road,” Ye Tian said.

“You—you—what did you do?” Taya stammered.
“Nothing, just waking you up,” Ye Tian replied with a smile.
“Did you pinch my ears?” Taya pressed, anxious.
“Yes, just once,” Ye Tian explained. “They were so cute, I couldn’t help myself.”

“You!” Taya’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “You!” She repeated herself but was unable to say more, then kicked Ye Tian and hurried ahead, grabbing her backpack.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Tian was baffled, scratching his head. He packed up and followed.
“Taya, are you okay?” Alansa noticed her friend’s strange behavior and asked quickly.
“I’m fine,” Taya replied softly, shaking her head and pulling her cloak tighter.

“Geer, did you do something bad to Taya?” Alansa turned angrily to Ye Tian.
“No, and by the way, I think your load is too light. When we reach the next town, I’ll have someone make you a new set.” Ye Tian spoke leisurely.

“No—it’s very heavy already!” Alansa’s face turned pale at the thought. Any heavier would be unbearable! She shook her head frantically.
“Oh, is that so?” Ye Tian’s smile hinted at something.
“Very, very heavy!” Alansa said, then hurried to walk alongside Taya, distancing herself from the mischievous demon.

“You little rascals, I can’t handle you anymore,” Ye Tian laughed to himself, adjusted his backpack, and continued on.

That evening, Ye Tian took pains to prepare a heated bed for the girls, a method common in the northern lands, applied here with remarkable skill.

“Can we really sleep like this?” Alansa was baffled by Ye Tian’s actions at first. He dug a pit in the ground, built a fire within, and after everything was done, buried it, leaving smoldering embers beneath.

“You won’t roast us like pork, will you?”

“Just try it and you’ll see,” Ye Tian replied, smiling. If they were in a cave, it would be simpler—just move the fire. But in the forest, the soil was damp; even thick blankets couldn’t keep the cold away. Ye Tian had to dry the ground out, making it warm and cozy, and much less likely to make them ill.

After laying out the blankets, Alansa lay down, puzzled. “It’s so comfortable!” Previously, sleeping on blankets always felt cold underneath, but now, after Ye Tian’s work, there was a gentle warmth rising from below—wonderfully pleasant!

“Tian, it’s amazing!” Taya marveled, touching the blanket. The warmth flowed up from the earth without end.

“As long as you like it,” Ye Tian smiled. “Rest early. We have to travel tomorrow morning.”

Alansa whispered a few words into Taya’s ear; the latter looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Tian asked.

“Alansa wants to bathe,” Taya replied, blushing.

“Then go ahead—the pond is to the west,” Ye Tian pointed.

“But…” Taya hesitated.

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in little girls.” With that, Ye Tian laid out his own blanket and went to sleep.

“You!” Taya stomped her foot angrily.

“Taya…” Alansa tugged at her sleeve.

“Let’s go bathe. If he dares peek, I’ll gouge his eyes out!” Taya said fiercely. Calling her a child—she was plenty grown!

Ye Tian yawned, smiling, his thoughts gradually sinking into dreams.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the night. “Oh no!” Ye Tian threw off his blanket and sprang up. “Alansa! Taya!” He dashed toward the riverbank like a shadow, calling their names.

He stopped abruptly. In front of him, the two girls were frolicking—Alansa’s hands kneading Taya’s chest, while Taya retaliated, pinching Alansa’s small bosom. The scream must have come from their play.

“Uh… Carry on, I didn’t see anything!” Ye Tian quickly turned away. “I saw nothing.” Behind him, the girls’ faces turned as red as chili peppers.

“Geer!” Taya called through gritted teeth.

“Uh… Time to sleep. Good night!” Ye Tian fled in a flash, leaving the girls both embarrassed and furious.

“They’re quite grown—calling them children was a mistake,” Ye Tian thought, amused.

The night passed uneventfully. Ye Tian slept soundly, but the girls weren’t so lucky; after such an incident, sleep was elusive.

At dawn, Alansa kicked Ye Tian awake.

“What’s wrong? Hungry?” Ye Tian rubbed his eyes, perplexed.

“Yes, I want to eat you!” Alansa growled.

“Sorry, my meat’s not tasty.” Ye Tian got up to pack, but Alansa plopped onto him, pinning him down.

“What is it?” Ye Tian asked, smiling.

“You know what!” Alansa glared at him. “Say it—how are you going to apologize?”

“Apologize? For what?” Ye Tian looked puzzled.

“You saw everything last night! Aren’t you going to apologize?” Alansa blushed.

“Saw what? I went to bed early, slept like a log, felt amazing!” Ye Tian grinned. “And you’re heavy—get up, I need to make breakfast.”

“You!” Alansa was speechless. She realized there was nothing she could do with this shameless guy, and certainly couldn’t ask him to strip so she could look in return. “Ugh, what am I thinking!” She shook her head, banishing the chaotic thoughts.

“If you don’t want breakfast, I’ll just keep sleeping.” Ye Tian began to crawl back under his blanket.

“No, I want to eat, I want to eat!” Alansa saw Ye Tian trying to play dead again and quickly dragged him out. “Go make breakfast, I’m starving!”

During breakfast, Taya kept stealing glances at Ye Tian. He remained calm, as if nothing had happened the previous night, which relieved her somewhat, though she felt a trace of disappointment.

After eating, they continued their journey. Ye Tian had taken a wrong turn earlier, and with Taya and Alansa still in training, their pace was slow. In half a month, they had not covered even three hundred miles. Ye Tian was anxious but had to suppress it, treating the journey as a sort of vacation, even though the scenery was hardly noteworthy.

Over those two weeks, Alansa had made great progress. Whereas before she’d need to rest after a few miles, now she could keep going till noon. Taya, too, was gradually mastering the breathing techniques Ye Tian had taught her. Seeing their progress, Ye Tian decided it was time for more instruction.

“Alansa,” he said after dinner that night, as she tried to burrow into her blanket, “from today on, you’ll receive an hour of my guidance before you rest.”

“Why?” Alansa protested. “Isn’t training what I’m doing already?”

“It’s not the same,” Ye Tian shook his head, his tone serious. “That’s just a warm-up. I told you before—trust me, if you follow my lead, you’ll become a true warrior.”

“Really?” At the promise of becoming strong, Alansa’s spirits soared.

“I guarantee it!” Ye Tian smiled brightly. “As the saying goes, 'Only those who endure hardship rise above others.' If you want to be strong, you must suffer, must endure. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” Alansa nodded vigorously.

“Then, let’s begin your training!” Ye Tian said, his smile gentle and encouraging.