The entire night passed peacefully and everyone slept comfortably. Even Long Zhanye who normally wakes up early before anyone else is a little reluctant to leave the bed, lying in until it is almost time for lunch. Though the main reason he eventually stirs is due to hunger. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he is immediately met with the sight of Huo Zaiyuan already sitting in meditation on the two-seater sofa.
That kid is still meditating?
With over ten days of near-constant interaction, Long Zhanye is more or less clear on how Huo Zaiyuan ticks. He knows that the youth is not one to sleep soundly in bed, rather, when Long Zhanye wakes, he always sees Huo Zaiyuan meditating through the night and still remains in great spirits for the whole day. Thus, he speculates that meditating not only helps the youth cultivate but also allows him to recuperate fully, achieving the same results as a good night's sleep.
Onlytoday, he's been meditating for a longer period than usual.
Nonetheless, Long Zhanye doesn't want to alarm him, for Huo Zaiyuan did warm him before that meditation equals cultivating, and if disturbed by an outside force, it could cause his spiritual energy to unstablise. Consequently, it will be extremely damaging to the person meditating.
Due to helping Li Qing talk to his mother one last time yesterday, Huo Zaiyuan exhausted his energy to the lowest point imaginable. Perhaps that's the reason for him not getting up yet.
The longer he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Therefore, after gazing intently at the youth's pale and delicate face, Long Zhanye decides to leave the room, closing the door softly behind him.
As soon as the door shuts behind Long Zhanye, Huo Zaiyuan's figure flicks. A golden light emits from his body, enveloping the cross-legged person. Gradually, his form begins to disappear, until he vanishes entirely.
Just as Long Zhanye exits the bedroom, he meets Qin Jun, who has an arm wrapped around Li Qing's waist, supporting the slimmer man to walk out of the room opposite. From the snatches of conversation he heard between the two childhood friends, he has already guessed the relationship between Qin Jun and Li Qing. Hence, seeing the two of them acting so intimate isn't a surprise. In addition, living in the military district for most his life has allowed him to witness countless male-male couples, so it's not a strange sight.
"Older brother Long, good morning." Catching Long Zhanye's stare, Li Qing blushes and embarrassedly pushes Qin Jun away.
Being pushed away by one's lover will, of course, displease anyone. With a small frown, Qin Jun once again pulls Li Qing into his bosom and took things a step further by planting a quick kiss on his red lips.
"Qin Jun! You - "
"Hehealready this feisty so soon after waking up. Truly, it's great being young ah." Long Zhanye chuckles.
The soldier's words cause Li Qing to go even redder. In a bid to change the subject, he glances at the closed door behind Long Zhanye and asks in a small voice. "Older brother Long, where's little Yuan? How come I don't see him?"
"Unit seems he used too much energy yesterday and is still meditating. It would be risky for him if we interrupt his meditation. He'll come out whenever he's ready." Recalling that these two will be travelling together with them in the future, Long Zhanye decides to explain Huo Zaiyuan's current circumstances.
"Ah, is that so"
"The little Yuan now is no more the same little Yuan we were familiar with before. Eldest brother Long has been travelling and interacting with him all this while and is currently more familiar with the new him compared to us. Since eldest brother Long says so, then we had better not disturb little Yuan."
"All right." Li Qing looks at the closed door once more, a trace of worry refusing to disappear from his eyes.
Except what the three people didn't expect is when Li Qing enters the room quietly to check on Huo Zaiyuan, he realises there is no trace of his best friend anywhere. This all but shocked him to death, however, seeing Long Zhanye's calm expression, the other two eventually stop panicking.
Oblivious to the commotion his disappearance caused, Huo Zaiyuan who is currently in his space is focusing entirely on circulating spiritual energy throughout his body, preparing to break through the second level and into the third.