Mei Hua and Jin where far away by the time Wu TengFei had realized he was alone. Mei Hua hadn’t wanted to leave like that, but Jin had grabbed her and made a run for it. When they’d finally stopped, she’d beat him some more before feeling satisfied.

It’s not like hitting him did any damage as he was (depressingly) strong, so she wasn’t bothered by her violent actions. If anything, it was a way to relieve her frustrations with his sometimes erratic behavior. And recently, though she barely admitted it even to herself, it gave her an excuse to touch him.

“Listen, you shouldn’t meet strange men like that alone.” Jin said after she’d stopped taking swipes at him.

“Wu TengFei isn’t even fifteen yet. He barley counts as a man.”

“Barely still means he is one. You should be more cautious. If he hadn’t been a good sort, things could have gone terribly wrong. You must be more careful.”

Mei Hua gave him an exasperated look. He talked like someone would just up and grab her at any moment! She was not that helpless!

“Anyway, he’ll need a guide.” She didn’t want to argue with him over something stupid, she’d only just gotten back to talking to him normally after all.

“Why?”

“To help him get to the other side, of course!”

“I’ve already guaranteed him safe passage, if he can’t get to the other side on his own he’s hopeless.”

She frowned, “Aren’t you curious at all about the outside?”

“You mean outside the mountain?” At her nod, he scoffed haughtily. “What’s so great about it? I’ve got everything I need in this place.”

“Really? What about your sister?”

His face blanched and she sighed inwardly, feeling a bit sad. It wasn’t like she was trying to be mean, but he avoided the topic of his sister to ridiculous degrees. It wasn’t normal. Even with all his progress, this was the one area she couldn’t get through to him.

“That… that doesn’t count.”

“We could ask Wu TengFei to search for her you know.”

“How could he find her when I don’t even know her name?”

Mei Hua’s lips were set firmly in a line at this. Well, she hadn’t been expecting much,but she wished he’d try more. For a guy who had such a serious sister complex, it was strange how he convinced himself that she couldn’t be found.

Jin was very unique looking. Wu TengFei got a good look at his face. Wouldn’t it be pretty simple to have the young man make some inquiries for them? Just Jin’s eyes alone ought to be enough to go by, as they were striking. Any woman with eyes even remotely similar would be noted by strangers.

Jin had started to walk faster at the mention of his sister, causing Mei Hua to lag behind him. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry I brought it up. But I’d still like to guide him. It’s a good chance to see what he’s selling, to ask what’s available, and to hear news about the outside.”

“Tch.”

“What did he ever do to get on your bad side?”

“He was too friendly with you.”

“…and?”

“I… don’t like… when you’re friendly with other men.”

Her brows drew together in confusion.

“Like I said before, he doesn’t count. And even if he did, what’s it to you? Jin, you can’t tell me what people to see and what people not to see. You’re not my father or mother, you’ve got no right.”

Jin suddenly stopped, causing her to bump into him.

Without moving, he asked, “MeiMei, do you want a family?”

“Hm?”

He turned slightly, just enough so that she could see the outline of his face. His strange blue-gold eyes giving her an intense, searching look.

“Do. You. Want. A. Family?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

This time he’d turned around completely.

“Just answer the question.”

“I… I…” She struggled, suddenly realizing there was something seriously off about this whole conversation. “I guess so?”

“You guess? So you want to be alone forever?”

“That— are you trying to offend me?! When did I say that? Of course I don’t want to be alone forever!”

“So it’s important to you then?”

She hesitated. Though she’d long since stopped grieving for her dead family, the hole it’d left in her had never been filled. When she’d lived with humans again, seeing the laughing grannies and little children, her heart had ached. Would she ever find that kind of happiness again?

When she thought of this, her countenance fell slightly.

“It’s important.” She replied in a low voice. “Of course it is.”

“Would you leave the mountain to find a family?”

“No!” Was he trying to make her feel guilty about leaving for two years? “I said I wouldn’t leave and I meant it!”

“Then would you like to make a family here?”

“Here?”

“En.” He nodded slightly, he was towering over her now.

“W-w-w-well—-” She found herself stuttering like an idiot. Wasn’t he too close? She could practically smell his earthy scent. An irresistible attraction welled up within her and she mentally tried to shake herself away from it. If this kept up, she wouldn’t be able to string two sentences together! “E-even if I did! Who would live with me here? Even if the Traveler’s Cave is nice, it’s still a cave. Who would want to live in a cave with me when they could live in cities and towns? They’d have to leave everything behind to be with me. Everything. Who would be willing? Who’d love me enough to do that?”

“You don’t know anyone?”

“…no…”

He bent down until his eyes were level with hers.

“Are you sure?”

Her whole body stiffened, her eyes went wide, and she pointed at him.

“Y-y-y-y-you…” She was actually trying to say ‘You can’t be serious?!’, but her brain broke and all she could do was sputter uselessly.

“That’s right, me.” He grabbed her pointed finger and lowered it, his slightly down turned eyes narrowed as he gave a flirtatious half-smile. Two masculine hands wrapped around her shoulders. “I already live on the mountains and in a cave, so I lose nothing. And even though I can’t leave, having you here, makes me glad that I can’t. So if you want a family, why look anywhere else? I’m right here. I’ll stay with you forever, so you never need to chose between your promise and being happy.”

His face got closer to her own, she could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke. Her legs started to feel weak and her mind went blank. Weeks of working hard to get herself somewhat normal again around Jin were instantly evaporated.

“Mei, my heart and soul, my beautiful flower on the mountain,” One hand let go of her shoulder and gently stroked her face. “I will give you a family. If you desire children, I will give you many. If you desire none, I will be your lover until all the world is ash. Anything you desire of me, if it’s within the power of this mountain, I can give it to you. All you need do is ask. Ask me Mei.”

Before she could even think of what to say to his declaration, he’d already started kissing her. It was no innocent peck on the lips either. At first she didn’t respond, but as his tongue slid into her mouth, she felt something like an electric current run down her spine.

Her legs finally buckled underneath her and she felt herself sliding downward. Jin caught her, alarmed at first, and then seeing her beet red face, he chuckled. He started kissing her again.

If Mei Hua had been raised like a proper young lady, she would have pulled back, perhaps even slapped Jin in the face for his audacity. Alas, she was not a proper young lady. She was a tamed mountain monkey who, when pushed, would easily revert back to her wild state. And Jin was pushing her in a way she didn’t want to deny.

When he touched her, it felt so achingly sweet. Weeks of repressed heat and desire spilled out all at once and all she could think was how much she wanted him. Nothing else in the world mattered, but his touch and the feeling of his body against her’s.

Jin felt her arms wrap around him tightly, heard her passionate moan, and his heart danced with delight. He stopped holding back, succumbing to his own primitive appetites, pouring himself into her. Where he touched, there was no pain, because he would never hurt her. When he lay with her, no matter how many times, he would make sure that all she remembered was the pleasure of being with him. That way, she’d never leave. Because she’d never want to.