Book 2 Chapter 44 – A Home Sought

His breath came in ragged gasps as he ran on the ridge high in the mountains. The thin air made every exertion more strenuous, and the snowy ground made the footing treacherous.

Li Wanyu pressed on regardless. As he had for the months he’d been on the run.

He was so tired, but any time he’d stopped for any amount of time his cousins seemed to inevitably find him. He suspected they’d marked him in some way that he was unable to detect, but no matter how thoroughly he checked himself he’d been unable to find anything.

He shouldn’t have hesitated when he’d first broken free, but killing was not something that came naturally to him despite how he’d been taught, and killing family felt doubly wrong despite his mistreatment.

His core still ached, but now it was due to the strain of near constant use instead of the pain of a severed bond.

The wind began to pick up and fresh snow began to fall.

He pulled his tattered and filthy robe tighter to himself. The way his qi was aspected made him somewhat resistant to cold, but he didn’t have the energy to spare to enhance that particular property of it.

He needed to find some sort of shelter or things would start to get even worse for him.

Despite his efforts, Li Wanyu’s strength eventually gave out and he collapsed in the snow.

He needed to get up.

He needed to keep moving.

Yet he was so very tired.

Just a moment’s rest then…

He felt a presence in the snow next to him that hadn’t been there before.

Li Wanyu forced himself to look up, the simple task taking an inordinate amount of willpower.

The eyes that stared back at him were completely inhuman, piercingly blue and faintly glowing. There was a hunger to them that he found unnerving, yet strangely he didn’t feel any malice in the expression. Which didn’t mean much, a powerful being could still kill you even if they lacked any ill will.

The rest of the spirit’s appearance didn’t inspire much confidence in the being’s potentially friendly nature. Sculpted ice and snow formed a vaguely feminine and humanoid shape which was fine enough. However the claws and a jagged maw of sharpened icicles made it quite clear that the spirit in front of him was a predator rather than a friend.

Warm.

Li Wanyu blinked. They could communicate? An ember of hope sputtered to life inside of him.

Give Warmth.

“I would if I could, but I’m afraid this one does not have much to give, friend.” He managed to croak through chattering teeth.

The entity cocked its head to the side, seeming surprised that he responded. It seemed even more confused that he replied in the manner he had.

Friend?

The two of them stared at each other. The spirit seemed to come to some sort of decision as it nodded to itself.

He blinked and the next thing Li Wanyu knew he was being carried in the frozen limbs of the strange spirit. They were terrifyingly fast it seems. He thought he’d passed out before and that was why he hadn’t noticed their approach, but apparently he was wrong. He idly noted that they didn’t seem to leave any tracks in the snow and that contact with the being was actively leeching the heat and minimal amounts of qi from his body.

Before he could try to call out or attempt to struggle free they arrived at a frozen cave and he was gently placed on a pile of stiff animal pelts. The lack of wind was already giving him enough of a break from the cold that he could begin to warm himself up. He rubbed at his frigid limbs and began breathing into his cupped palms trying to speed up the process.

After a few moments of watching the spirit then stared into his eyes once more.

Friend. Make Warmth. Give Warmth.

So he was being held captive by them, then. Less than ideal, but he could hopefully work with that if the spirit was as strong as he suspected.

He doubted his cousins were in much of a better state than he was after all.

First he wanted to try and bargain with them. “For how long?”

They cocked their head in confusion once more.

Forever?

The fact it was framed as a question instead of a demand made the spark of hope within him flare brighter.

He shook his head, but tried giving them as kind a smile as he could muster.

“I can’t stay forever, but how about two cycles of the moon instead?” He’d been told it was best to use natural phenomena to denote the passage of time when dealing with spirits strong enough to communicate.

So Little? Friend?

They seemed saddened that he didn’t want to stay longer. Which was almost cute if he didn’t suspect that they could kill him with ease.

He tried to explain his reasoning. “I’m being chased, and I don’t want to put you in harm’s way from those pursuing me.”

Which was frankly true, despite wanting some rest he felt uncomfortable at the idea of endangering the surprisingly friendly spirit.

The spirit seemed to scoff.

Strong. Protect Friend/Warmth.

Li Wanyu smiled. “Be that as it may, I wouldn’t want to endanger you. The longer I stay here the more likely someone stronger than you will come and try to kill me.”

The idea of something stronger than them seemed to confuse the spirit. Meaning they were likely the strongest on this mountain at least. However they did seem to be taking the matter seriously.

Three Moons?

Back to bargaining then. “That still seems a bit too long, but I’ll try to stay as long as I can without putting you in danger.”

Seeming to sense that that was as good as they were likely to get, the spirit nodded though they still seemed dejected.

Li Wanyu idly wondered if they’d been bound before since they seemed surprisingly quick to accept him as a friend.

“Do you have a name?” It wasn’t a foolproof way to check since wild spirits often had names as well, but it would probably be a good indicator.

The answer confused him even more.

Alone And Hungry For Warmth

That was more likely to be a wild name, but loneliness was core to their being? No wonder they latched onto him the second he called them friend. The scenarios required to birth such a spirit were quite grim as far as he knew. Usually the death of someone yearning for companionship in a qi saturated environment.

Li Wanyu suspected that if he thoroughly searched this cave he’d find a human corpse somewhere within, causing him to shiver slightly and not from the cold still deep in his bones.

He also realized that such a concept presented an opportunity for him. One that he felt a bit guilty for capitalizing on, but it should be beneficial to them both if it worked out.

“There is a way for us to stay together forever, or close enough to it.”

The spirit stared eagerly, piercing blue eyes pleading for him to free them from eternal loneliness.

“Would you let me bind us together?”

They agreed with no hesitation.

It would likely be painful for him. Man Yue may have been heavily Yin aspected, but at their core they were technically an earth spirit. This one would likely be Yin aspected water and the two elements did not mix well.

As the weaker party he’d be taking the brunt of that particular clash, but he didn’t see any other way out of surviving the trials and tribulations in his future.

He said goodbye to the fragile dream in his heart of ever binding his old friend again, and hoped whoever had them treated them with care, though he knew the chances of that were slim.

Li Wanyu bound the spirit of cold and loneliness. Giving them the home that they’d always sought, but could never find in their frigid mountain peak.