119 Night in the Forest I (1/2)
Meng Fuyao flipped over and laid down by the pile of fire. Zhan Beiye waited until she was fast asleep before taking off his robe and carefully draping it over her.
Lord Yuan Bao carefully kept his four strands of hair that were wasted and held them in his palms. Sad and lonely, he sat on a stone and stared at the crescent moon. Moments later, he let out a long sigh, frustrated at the lack of proper communication.
”Squeak-”
The night darkened, and all the animals gradually fell asleep.
Ji Yu and ten elite warriors of Black Wind Horses slept in a semi-circle facing the thick forest, protecting Zhan Beiye and Meng Fuyao who laid in the center of the formation. Meng Fuyao slept on a bluestone, behind which was a pond, followed by a mountain that was almost impossible to climb over. Zhan Beiye specially picked this campsite, which was the safest as it could fend off enemies coming from three different directions.
After a day of intense trekking, everyone was overwhelmed with fatigue and fell into a deep slumber.
The crescent moon, which resembled a hook, projected a greenish-blue luster on the center of the pond. Ripples vaguely emerged, spreading out in waves.
The waves gradually became more violent, disrupting the pale reflection of the moon. Almost immediately, some objects - with shapes yet to be seen - slowly emerged from the pond.
Under the pale moonlight, in the pond where a cliff was near, an eerie shadow gradually rose.
From afar, the shadow seemed to have a body and a head, with four distinct limbs. Though the shadow silently rose, it kept squirming.
The moonlight projected the shadow on the cliff. That ”thing” suddenly split apart bit by bit, and two particularly flexible ”arms” continuously extended and contracted in a strange rhythm.
On the stone, Lord Yuan Bao flipped over, opened his eyes, sniffed his surroundings and suddenly sat up in a scurry.
He took a glance behind his back and what he saw made him jump in shock, leaping right into Meng Fuyao's arms.
Meng Fuyao was having a good night's sleep. In her dreams, she was happily slapping Zhangsun Wuji away, but Lord Yuan Bao's actions woke her up from the dream. She instinctively sensed her surroundings. There was no sign of danger; there was only silence around her. She felt relieved and semi-consciously pushed Lord Yuan Bao away. ”Sleep properly! Don't fall all over me like that, we are of different genders!” she scolded.
Lord Yuan Bao was angered by her words, loudly squeaking as he jumped up and down, waking everyone up. On the opposite side, Zhan Beiye opened his eyes and reached for his sword that was used as a pillow. He jumped to his feet, and after surveying the surroundings, he frowned and said, ”Rat, what's the commotion about?”
Lord Yuan Bao pointed at the cliff profusely. When everyone looked over, they only saw a serene pond and a normal cliff.
”You had a nightmare, hadn't you?” asked Meng Fuyao as she glanced sideways at Lord Yuan Bao. ”If you want to sleep with me, just say it directly. Why put up such a show?”
Lord Yuan Bao was bitterly angry, once again pointing at the sky and profusely squeaking as he vowed for his innocence. Even though Meng Fuyao and Zhan Beiye teased the guinea pig, they knew that he was not just an ordinary guinea pig, and definitely would not put up such a midnight show just to sleep with Meng Fuyao.
Ji Yu and the other knights patrolled around the nearby forest, while Zhan Beiye and Meng Fuyao inspected their surroundings. Everyone sat back at their positions only after confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Meng Fuyao grabbed the dejected Lord Yuan Bao and lay him on her stomach. ”Why, you had a nightmare just by sleeping on the stone? I will kindly sacrifice myself and act as a human sofa for you then,” She pressed Lord Yuan Bao down and said, ”Sleep and make no more noise. We still have a long way to go.”
Zhan Beiye added some firewood, making the campfire burn even brighter. He took a meticulous look at the terrain, before lying down behind Meng Fuyao.
People who were tired fell asleep very quickly. Not long after, the forest quietened down once again. This time round, Lord Yuan Bao was covered by Zhan Beiye's robe and pressed down by Meng Fuyao so he could not move. He refused to sleep as well, lifting his ears to listen to the surroundings with a bright sparkle in his eyes.
Under the moonlight, in the pond, the same uncanny shadow appeared again. Projected on the dark cliff, the shadow slightly wriggled around and some hair-like structures that were much thicker than hair slowly extended on the cliff.
That shadow steadily neared.
Lord Yuan Bao suddenly opened his mouth and bit Meng Fuyao's belt. With a swing of his head, a screech sounded, and the belt was broken off.
Meng Fuyao jumped straight up and shouted, ”Rat, what are you doing!”
Everyone was woken up once again. Meng Fuyao hurriedly tied her belt while surveying the surroundings. When she found out that there still wasn't anything abnormal, she scolded, ”Isn't it just because I didn't let you spell words earlier on? Is it even necessary to take your revenge in such a way?”
Lord Yuan Bao, tearful and grief-stricken, pounced on a stone and scowled at the cliff.
Zhan Beiye sat up and said, ”Why is the rat making such a commotion? Now I feel uneasy. How about this, Fuyao you continue to rest, and I will guard for the rest of the night.”
Meng Fuyao yawned and said, ”Let me do it since the rat is already intent on not letting me sleep,”
Ji Yu walked up and spoke. ”Prince, my brothers who were on night duty, didn't find anything. However, it's best to be careful in this forest. You and Miss Meng should continue to sleep. I will bring the brothers to guard the night.”
Zhan Beiye hesitated, but he knew that if he stayed up, Meng Fuyao would not sleep as well. Given that both of them were already worn out from days of fighting and trekking, it would be even harder for them to face future dangers if they did not rest well. He gave in and said, ”Then be careful.”
”Yes.”