The next day soon came and both Yang Guang and Bao Feng Yu were excited about their meeting today. Yang Guang got up early and rushed to the portal that he had taken yesterday, already going to the mortal world in the morning.

It wasn’t that he had misremembered the time but he just couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see that man again. It was probably idiotic since they didn’t even know each other that well but he just wanted to see him again. And if he was already there when he came by, then maybe he would be able to see him a little sooner. At the very least, that was what he hoped for.

Meanwhile, Bao Feng Yu stayed in his palace for a longer time, wondering what he should do. He definitely wasn’t thinking of going back on his word but he was wondering if he could go there just like that. Maybe it would be better to prepare something? But he didn’t know what was customary in the mortal realm and he also didn’t want to do anything wrong.

Furthermore, he wasn’t sure yet what exactly his intentions were. If he brought the wrong thing, then he would give that young man the wrong impression and that didn’t seem right. Yesterday, he had already had the feeling that maybe it hadn’t been good that he hadn’t known beforehand what he wanted.

Just getting to know him was nice enough for now and he honestly didn’t know if this would lead anywhere else. But in any case, it was something that he should decide before the other person felt like he was leading him on. He didn’t want to do that to him.

He thought and thought but it really wasn’t easy to decide. Finally, Bao Feng Yu could only come up with a compromise for himself. He wouldn’t see it as starting a relationship yet. Right now, it was just too early to tell. But, on the other hand, he would take it as meeting a good friend. That might also be too early to tell but he just felt that this person deserved that level of respect.

As for not knowing the customs of the mortal realm, there was an easy way to get around that: He just had to pretend to be from another place where things were done a bit differently. In any case, he didn’t need to tell him that he was a god. He could just pretend to be a foreigner. Most likely, he wouldn’t realize the difference. And he could still tell him the full truth after they knew each other better.

Thinking of that, Bao Feng Yu went to prepare his gift, and finally, the time to meet was getting closer. He took a deep breath and then slowly made his way over to the portal. He didn’t want to be there too late just to make sure that the other person wouldn’t accidentally catch him descending from the immortal realms.

If that happened, he really would have something to explain. And he didn’t think that the other man would take that well. After all, to a human, it should be a shock to know that they had to do with somebody of the spirit tribe. He didn’t want that to happen before they had had the chance to get to know each other better. Thinking of that possibility, he sighed. He really hoped that nothing would go wrong when he went there.

Finally, Bao Feng Yu reached the portal. Looking at the translucent layer inside the gate from where he could faintly see the meadow down below, his heart actually thumped. He wasn’t quite sure what the feeling was that he had when he thought of that person or when he had seen him for the first time yesterday.

Maybe it was some kind of fate, maybe it was some kind of precognition that there could be something more between them. He had heard that that kind of thing could happen. He wasn’t sure if it was the case with them but he didn’t want to pretend that it was impossible. Even though that person was a mortal that didn’t mean anything. Whether they were a spirit or a human, fate was fate and he would not dare to defy it.

Taking another deep breath, Bao Feng Yu stepped through the portal and then rode down to the ground on the winds. When his feet touched the ground, he immediately scanned his surroundings and then actually found the other man sitting beneath a tree.

Bao Feng Yu froze, afraid that maybe he had seen but after watching his reaction for a moment, he realized that there wasn’t one. The person in question wasn’t even awake. He continued to look at him, not quite sure what to do, and then slowly went over. Looking closely, he could see that Yang Guang’s clothes were slightly crinkled as if he had already been sitting there for quite some time.

Realizing this, Bao Feng Yu’s lips curled up in a smile. Could it be that this person had been worried about the meeting since yesterday? And that was why he hadn’t been able to sleep well last night and after coming here early, he had fallen asleep? It sure seemed that way. Thinking of that, he didn’t bother to wake him up and just silently sat down next to him, not wanting to disturb him. In any case, there were still many days ahead of them. Why rush anything?

Bao Feng Yu was exactly right: Yang Guang might have tried to calm down yesterday but he hadn’t been that successful in his endeavor. While he managed to push the thought off for a bit, he still hadn’t slept well. He had just been too excited.

Whether that person was indeed trying to woo him or had other intentions, it didn’t matter. He was just happy that there was somebody interested in striking up some kind of relationship with him despite his limitations. That hadn’t even happened in the spirit realm.

It had made him feel like this had to be something special. And he had been looking forward to seeing how it could turn out in the end. Now, he actually missed out on quite some time that could have been spent with Bao Feng Yu.

It was still warm in the mortal and the spirit realm alike. A soft breeze was caressing their skin, making it even more comfortable to sit on the meadow in the shade of a tree and nap away. After a while, Yang Guang’s head tilted to the side and he almost would have fallen to the side if not for Bao Feng Yu reaching out.

The god of storms looked at him and then inched a little closer, lending him his shoulder to rest his head on. After that, he just looked up at the sky where the portal was, feeling like this day was quite interesting. Unexpected, but interesting. And he had to say that he didn’t dislike it.

In fact, quietly spending time like this made him feel like he was able to become clear about his own intentions. Even though he wasn’t able to get to know this person any closer, he at least knew that he wanted to try for more. Because if they were able to get along like this, then maybe there really was a chance for that.

The leaves above them rustled and the clouds drifted by while the sky slowly darkened by a shade. Bao Feng Yu squinted at the sky and finally felt like he should wake the person next to him up. If he still didn’t, then who knew if this man would be able to return home in time today?

Looking at Yang Guang, Bao Feng Yu wasn’t completely sure how to go about it though. Just lightly shake him? Speak up and hope that his voice would wake him? He didn’t want to be too presumptuous.

Just when he was wondering about that, Yang Guang’s eyelids faintly fluttered and he opened his eyes. Who knew what had disturbed him? Maybe it had gotten a bit darker when a cloud drifted by or maybe the breeze had gotten cooler for just a moment. In any case, he finally woke up, looked at the meadow, and realized that apparently quite a bit of time had passed by.

He jumped to his feet, and looked up to the sky, realizing that he had definitely missed the time when the sun was at its highest point. His expression fell and he felt devastated until he heard a low laugh behind him. Turning around, he saw Bao Feng Yu still sitting on the ground, looking up at him with an amused smile.

“Don’t you worry. At first, I didn’t see you but after a moment, I managed to spot you and just waited for you to wake up.”

Yang Guang still stared at him unbelieving, not sure what to say or how to react. Judging from the way the sky was slowly darkening, it had been several hours since then. If this man hadn’t gotten come late, he had waited quite a lot of time.

Yang Guang lowered his head, feeling like he should apologize but also not knowing how to make it clear. Finally, he just touched his chest and motioned at Bao Feng Yu, looking at him pitifully.

Bao Feng Yu patted the spot next to him. “It’s alright. In any case, I didn’t mind spending some time with you quietly. It is a nice day, a beautiful spot. I felt quite comfortable. If not because it was getting late and I was worried you wouldn’t be able to make it home in time, I wouldn’t even have wanted to wake you up.”

Yang Guang hesitated but then sat down next to him, looking at him uncertainly. He didn’t know what to expect.

Bao Feng Yu smiled when he saw his expression and then reached behind him, pretending to grab something from there while he actually took his present for Yang Guang out of his spatial ring. “To be honest, I’m not from here. At the place where I come from, if you meet with somebody, it is customary to give them a small gift at least. If it is somebody from another place, you would often choose something that represents your own home country. I wasn’t quite sure what exactly to take but this is a delicacy from where I live. I hope that you will like it.”

What Bao Feng Yu had given him was a fruit. It was almost the size of a head, even though it was more formed like a tube as thus not as thick in width. Actually, maybe it would be more accurate to compare it to the size of an underarm. Its shell was a dark red with some knobs. They didn’t hurt if you touched them but they could make it rather difficult to open the fruit up. If you managed to do it though, the fruit inside would be incredibly sweet and juicy, just right for this kind of hot weather.

Yang Guang stared at it, and then looked up at Bao Feng Yu, unable to believe what he saw.

Bao Feng Yu faintly raised his gray brows, not quite sure what to make of this. “What’s the matter? It might look a bit strange but it is actually quite tasty. Do you want me to help you open it?” He already wanted to reach out but Yang Guang shook his head, leaving him at a loss again. He somehow felt like he had done the wrong thing and he didn’t know what to do to make up for it.

Yang Guang continued to look at the fruit, still not understanding just what was going on. Well, to be honest, that wasn’t right. Of course, he understood. It was just that … it was unbelievable so he had trouble convincing himself that it was really how it seemed.

Bao Feng Yu tilted his head and then reached out, gently grabbing him by the wrist. “If you don’t like it, it’s alright. But if I made you unhappy, then I would like to know. You don’t need to hold back.” Having made sure that he had explained himself, he took back his hand and leaned against the tree, looking back up at the sky.

Ah, this hadn’t quite gone how he imagined it to. He had hoped that he would be able to give him the fruit, maybe let him have a taste, and then say goodbye. He had already envisioned that happening while the other man had been asleep. It had seemed quite sweet in his imagination.

Yang Guang finally put down the fruit next to him and inched a little closer, his expression unprecedentedly serious.

Bao Feng Yu turned back to him when he realized that he had something to say and waited for him to sign.

Yang Guang needed a moment and then motioned up at the sky. Realizing that this could mean a number of things like trying to talk about the time or the weather or anything along those lines, he felt a bit frustrated. He really wished that things had been like back with his parents who had actually had a system for communicating with him. Nowadays, there was nobody who could understand him like that. It really was vexing sometimes, especially in cases like this when he really wanted to make clear what he was thinking. He thought for a bit and then motioned at Bao Feng Yu and back up at the sky.

Unfortunately, Bao Feng Yu didn’t do him the favor of understanding it right. In his eyes, the person in front of him was a human. And a human wouldn’t be able to figure out from the fruit that he was of the spirit realm and even a god from the immortals up above. He felt like Yang Guang wasn’t motioning at the sky but maybe at the tree and looked up, wondering if maybe there was something up there. “The tree?”

Yang Guang wildly shook his head. He truly felt vexed now. Thinking for a moment, he suddenly started to realize that actually, if his guess was true, then there was an easy way to let Bao Feng Yu know that he was clear about it.

He got up, making Bao Feng Yu get up as well and reach out. “Don’t go! Just tell me slowly. I’ll get it right.” He didn’t know why but he suddenly got anxious when he thought that Yang Guang might leave.

Yang Guang just smiled though and pushed off his hands, shaking his head. He motioned at his lips, at himself, and then toward Bao Feng Yu. Finally, he motioned up at the sky again.

Seeing as he had taken a few steps, Bao Feng Yu realized that he couldn’t mean the tree. “The sky? Because it is getting dark?” This was what he had brought up before so he hoped that maybe it had something to do with that.

Yang Guang shook his head though, actually smiling behind his hand. It really was too amusing that he had figured it out but Bao Feng Yu wasn’t able to realize. When he just showed him, the shock would probably be greater than his had been when he had just been handed the fruit. Still, it was the easiest way and he didn’t want to play any games.

He motioned at himself again and then dropped the spell that was hiding his appearance. The brown hair turned a brilliant gold that seemed to glimmer in the evening sun, the dark blue eyes turned the color of the summer sky with white sprinkles inside, and that simple white robe turned into a gorgeous one from the spirit realm with a matching golden belt while a frontlet decorated his forehead, the blue gem embedded inside complimenting his eyes.

Bao Feng Yu stared at him, his mouth actually opening a little while he couldn’t get out a single word. This person … the one he had thought was human, he was … he was like him. A spirit, a god. In fact, who this person was … he felt like he had a good guess. He instinctively took a step closer, looking him up and down while his heart was thumping wildly. Finally, he took a shaky breath. “Yang Guang?”

Yang Guang nodded his head, a smile lighting up his features that were even more stunning now that he showed his true self. This person actually knew him! He wouldn’t have expected it but it made him happy.

Last night while he had been lying awake, he had been thinking about how to tell him his name but he hadn’t found a good way. He could point at the sun, hoping that maybe he would get it but it wasn’t a given. Maybe he could also write it down but he hadn’t been too sure if the people in the human realm wrote the same way they did so he had been afraid to expose himself so he wouldn’t have dared to really do it if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. But now, that wasn’t a concern any longer. This person knew his name, he didn’t have to introduce himself. They would be able to just speak like this.

Seeing Yang Guang genuinely happy that he knew actually made Bao Feng Yu give a relieved laugh. “Oh, you really scared me just now. I thought I had done something wrong but you just figured things out.” He looked at the fruit on the ground and picked it up, weighing it in his hands. “I guess this doesn’t count as a fitting present then. I will find you something else and bring it over to your palace tomorrow if you don’t mind. Well, if things are like this, I should probably introduce myself differently as well.” He inclined his head, a smile still playing around his lips. “My name is indeed Bao Feng Yu. But I also happen to be the storm god.”

Yang Guang smiled and then reached out, taking the fruit from him. He wouldn’t have trouble getting one of those himself but this was his first gift from a friend. It didn’t matter what it was, just who it had been given by and that hadn’t changed. He put it into his spatial realm and then motioned at himself and up at the sky just how he had thought of doing it before.

Bao Feng Yu nodded. “Yang Guang, the sun god, I know. To be honest, if I had known, things wouldn’t have needed to be like that yesterday. The reason I came down here was because the Jade Emperor was worried about you being here all alone. He asked me to come and find you but … well, while I found you, I didn’t realize it was actually you.”

Yang Guang didn’t know why but when he heard him say that, his cheeks flushed red. He reached up, covering half his face, not sure what to make of this. Bao Feng Yu had been searching for him? To be honest, he shouldn’t be that’s surprised at that.

The Jade Emperor had clearly not been completely in favor of him going down here. Hadn’t that been obvious just from the way he looked at him when he originally asked him? Naturally, because he wouldn’t have his magical abilities and also didn’t have a voice, the Jade Emperor would have been afraid that something might happen to him. It was actually a sweet sentiment. Not one that he felt was necessary but still sweet.

Also, he couldn’t help but think that it was rather romantic that despite not being able to recognize him for who he was, Bao Feng Yu had still taken an interest in him. When that thought crossed his mind, Yang Guang hurriedly shook himself, feeling that he was really getting ahead of himself again.

Bao Feng Yu hadn’t said that he was courting him. And even though his own thoughts would always go back to that idea, that didn’t make it true. No, he should really get his thoughts under control.

Bao Feng Yu laughed when he saw him like this. “I would love to know your thoughts right now. In any case, do you want to stay here or go back up? In any case, it is indeed getting late and if we are being seen like this, then I’m afraid we will scare the mortals.”

Yang Guang nodded and Bao Feng Yu reached out, taking his hand. Together, they pushed off the ground and were carried up by the winds and the last rays of sunlight, disappearing through the portal. When they reached the street, they were still holding each other’s hands, and even though Bao Feng Yu didn’t say anything and Yang Guang didn’t move or even look at him, they both decided at the same moment that they wouldn’t just let go.

« ToC »