Around them, the tall grass swayed in the wind as the night stars above them witnessed the kisses shared between the star-crossed lovers.

As much as they hoped that this moment wouldn't end, the tremor in the girl's voice tugged them back to reality.

"He's calling for me."

Her eyes wavered slightly as she swayed on her feet. She gripped Zhijian's arm tightly for support and he could feel the tremble in her hand.

"I'm hearing his voice in my head," Xiaoyu told him weakly. "We've got to get as far away from here as possible."

She was right. She may have temporarily broken free from Leader Jiang's influence, but she was barely holding on to her self-control. Because of the Puppet Curse, there was no telling when she might lose herself again and lapse right back into the state of oblivion.

Zhijian wrapped his arms around her. "Let's go."

Returning to where they came from, they grabbed one of the horses that the Jiang clansmen had left behind. Zhijian lifted Xiaoyu onto the saddle and settled behind her. Nudging the horse forward, the pair rode off into the night.

They didn't know where they should go, but anywhere was better than staying on their enemy's grounds.

Down the mountain they went. They travelled for a few hours, taking a few breaks in between to rest before setting off once again. In the early hours of the morning, they encountered a small group of travellers, who kindly directed them to the nearest town, the Phoenix City, which was just a couple miles away.

By the time they made it to their destination and located a small inn in the heart of the town, the pair was exhausted. They dismounted the horse and handed the reins to one of the inn workers before making their way to the front desk.

Zhijian was aware that they looked like a mess, especially with their dishevelled hair and dirty clothes. With Xiaoyu leaning heavily against him and looking all pale, they definitely attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

The owner of the inn, a man in his forties with a rag tossed over his shoulder, greeted them warmly with a toothy smile.

"One room, sir?"

"Yes please."

After making payment, the inn owner handed him a key. As Zhijian helped Xiaoyu up the stairs to the second floor, he could hear a few nosy murmurs from the other customers behind their backs.

"What a young couple. Did they elope?"

"I think so. Oh, such pure love. You can hardly see such a thing nowadays."

Ignoring their gossip, Zhijian led Xiaoyu into their room. He sat her down on the only bed available and kneeled before her to take off her shoes.

She was startled by his kind consideration. "I-I can do it."

"Let me do it," he insisted, before clearing his throat. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room because I don't want you out of my sight. You can take the bed while I'll take the floor."

"No."

Surprised, he looked up at her, noticing a shade of pink that tinted her pale cheeks.

"D-don't get me wrong," she corrected herself quickly. "I'm just saying that I feel a lot better when you're right by my side."

A playful smile tugged the corners of his mouth. "And here you got me thinking that you have other plans in mind for us tonight."

Her cheeks flared up in embarrassment at his teasing. With a light chuckle, Zhijian rose to his feet and headed for the wardrobe, pulling out a few clean, white robes for them to change into. "I think we both need a bath."

She sniffed at herself and nodded in agreement. There was only a large wooden tub of warm water to soak themselves in, with an oriental wooden screen door that gave the person some privacy. He let Xiaoyu clean herself first while he waited outside the room.

Perhaps she was nervous, because she didn't take too long to finish her bath. When it was his turn to take a bath, he changed the water.

Xiaoyu strayed towards the door to give him privacy. "I'll wait outside."

He frowned, knowing that it wasn't wise for her to stay out of his sight. "No, just stay in the room. Rest on the bed or something. I won't take long."

Xiaoyu's cheeks reddened in response, but she nodded dazedly and stumbled towards the bed. Lying down, she threw the quilt over her head so that she wouldn't be able to look in his direction while he bathed.

Chuckling at her bashfulness, he headed behind the screen door and peeled off his dirty clothes. He finally took a look at the blood-dried cuts that scattered across his chest and arms, before lowering his body into the warm waters to wash them clean. Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the bathtub and was pulling on his robes when he heard movement coming from the other end of the room.

"Are you almost finished?" He heard Xiaoyu step closer to the screen divider. "Can I...take a look at your wounds?"

"It's fine. There's nothing for you to fret over."

"But still, let me see them," she paused briefly, before adding on. "I can only rest if my mind is at peace."

He chewed the insides of his cheeks, knowing that she wouldn't react well to what she was about to see. 

"Alright, I'll come out." 

He stepped out with his upper robe still hanging open, so her eyes immediately went to look at the condition of his wounds. She closed the distance between them, running her thumb gently across one of the cuts on his right shoulder.

A flash of guilt flickered in her worried eyes. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really."

She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, unconvinced by his words. "Lies."

"It's not a big deal," Zhijian shrugged. "I've gotten injuries that look far worse than these."

She bit her bottom lip unhappily. "They'll leave scars behind. Let me heal them for you."

When she attempted to reach for the wounds on his shoulder, he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"You'll tire yourself out again."

She gave him a pleading look. "I can manage this much. Please, Zhijian. This is the least I can do for you."

The way she implored him was making it difficult for him to say no to her. Giving her a long, reluctant look, he silently slipped the charmed bracelet off her wrist to unseal her powers, before pulling off his upper robe to reveal the rest of his injuries.

Even though she was embarrassed at his state of undress, her healer instincts kicked in. She began working on him, making sure that every wound of his was healed perfectly. The warmth from her fingers left little tingles on his skin, teasing him, and he was finding his breath growing laboured with desire as he watched her.

When she was finished, he slipped back on his robe and she turned to leave. But before she could take a step, he pulled her back towards him without any warning.

"What–"

With one hand cupping her cheek, his lips covered her soft, warm ones. Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up. Her arms were around his neck, her hands buried in his hair. She returned his kiss and snuggled closer to him, relishing in his warmth.

In his arms, she weighed as light as a feather.

He brought her to the bed, placing her down and hovering on top of her. After a few more kisses, he allowed her to catch her breath, but at the same time, he feared that he might lose his self-control if he didn't pull away anytime soon.

Their relationship was new to them and they both agreed to take things slowly.

When he moved away, Xiaoyu gripped his clothes, her eyes wide with fear.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going to get some food for us. I'm pretty sure you're starving, aren't you?" He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead reassuringly. "You should get some rest."

"Come back quickly," she begged as he pulled the covers over her body. "I hate it when I'm alone."

Zhijian knew that she was frightened but to see her relying on him, it thrilled him to know that he had a special place in her heart now.

"I will," he promised. "I always will."