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The sky was aglow with thousands of silvery lights contrasting against the dark of the night. Qi Fengge has seen the stars before, so why did he feel like he was truly seeing them for the first time?
He felt Hulugu lay down next to him, so close that their shoulders were touching and yet he still could not take his eyes off the sky.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Hulugu asked as he looked at him with a smile.
Qi Fengge could only nod, at a loss for what to say and so he wrapped an arm around himself.
“A Feng are you cold? Would you like me to make the fire stronger?” Hulugu frowned, having misread Qi Fengge’s action and assuming he was trying to keep warm.
Qi Fengge blinked at Hulugu in surprise but quickly blushed slightly at the nickname he was recently given. He quickly shook his head, how could he be cold with the fire going and with Hulugu lying so close to his side?
Hulugu smiled and turned his attention back up to the sky. “Stars are such fascinating things. For so many decades they have served so many purposes and there are so many stories about them. But what I find comforting the most is that no matter where you go, they are always there at night to keep you company.”
Qi Fengge turned his head away from the sky and looked at Hulugu in awe. “You know a lot about the stars.”
Hulugu looked a bit embarrassed at that comment and he sheepishly ran a hand through his loose hair. “When I was small, there were people who used to tell me about all kinds of things to do with nature or about different places, saying it was good to know about the world. Back then, I only had martial arts on the brain and so wasn’t too willing to listen. Yet it’s funny how it somehow still stayed in my head.” Hulugu closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
Qi fengge felt a pang in his heart at the fond way Hulugu spoke about people back in his home, they sounded like good people. Qi Fengge thinks about the people who surround him here at Mount Xuandu and realises there isn’t anyone who he could consider to be looking out for him like that. The people here have one goal and one goal only, and that is to become the best of the best in terms of martial arts. Qi Fengge was taught other skills like reading, writing and basic arithmetic, but no one would spend time with him just to tell him stories of the world. Realising that, Qi Fengge couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.
Qi Fengge smiled sadly. “They sound like good people. They must care about you to tell you such things. Apart from martial arts, no one has ever told me anything.”
Hulugu looked at him in surprise and frowned slightly. Thinking for a moment, he suddenly turned to look at Qi Fengge. “Would you like me to tell you? Ah I don’t think I know as much as them… but! I can tell you about Tujue and some of my travels and I can also tell the stories they told me!”
Qi Fengge blinked in surprise, before hesitantly asking, “You wouldn’t mind?”
Hulugu’s whole face lit up and Qi Fengge felt his own face grow very warm at the sight. At that moment he was grateful that it was quite dark and if anything, he could blame the heat from the fire for his red cheeks.
After collecting his thoughts, Hulugu began to speak, “In Tujue majority are from mainly the same place, some choose to remain there their whole lives and then a few choose to leave to pursue their own life goals, just like I did. The people in the sect I’m from are close with each other and a lot like a family, often meddling in each other’s affairs, but they mean well. When I left Tujue and started travelling, there were so many things I slowly started learning about the world. I met so many new people, both good and bad and I’ve visited so many new places…”
Qi Fengge turned his head to the side to look at Hulugu who was excitedly talking about a mix of his travels and what his life back in Tujue was like. Qi Fengge’s eyes shined brightly as Hulugu described the feasts they would hold for special events, the music which could be heard all throughout the camp, the dancing people would do or how some tested their strengths in a friendly wrestling match. Qi Fengge eagerly hang onto each word with a bated breath, excited to hear what story would come next.
Yet, all these stories made Qi Fengge feel a sense of longing for the first time; It made him reconsider his life so far. He and Hulugu were practically the same age and yet compared to himself, Hulugu has truly lived. Qi Fengge’s life consists of constant training and the constant studying of cultivation manuals. There were occasional festivals in Xuandu town, but due to his studies he was rarely able to go; The path he thought he wanted to walk for the rest of his life suddenly felt suffocating. He craves to experience what Hulugu has, all those adventures and the world beyond Mt Xuandu. Qi Fengge wonders if it would be too late for him to do that, to put one foot in front of the other and leave because the thought of living and dying on Mt Xuandu now makes him want to cry.
Suddenly Hulugu stops speaking and turns to look at him with a frown, causing Qi Fengge to wonder if he has done something to annoy him. He was about to speak, but Hulugu beat him to it.
“Say… A Feng. Come with me. There are so many places beyond Mt Xuandu I can take you to see. We can travel the world and work on our martial arts together, I could show you Tujue too if you would like. You’re just being suffocated here A Feng.” Hulugu finishes sadly and Qi Fengge’s eyes widen in shock. No one in his whole life has ever asked him something like this before.
Qi Fengge lets the words sink in and suddenly his heart is beating with excitement at the thought. Yet, all too soon the reality of who he is comes crashing down on him. What would happen if he did truly leave?
Qi Fengge shakes his head and has a look of pain on his face as he answers Hulugu, “I...I don’t know…”
Hulugu smiles sadly. “At least promise me you will think about it?”
Qi Fengge nods his head. Even though he doesn’t know the answer to Hulugu’s question, he knows one thing, in this night, as he lies under the stars with Hulugu, he has learned more about the world outside than he could ever imagine. It was such a vast place filled with so many different people and he craved to hear more. So, Qi Fengge turned to face Hulugu, grabbed his hand in his own and with sparkling eyes begged for him to continue sharing more stories.
They would certainly be in trouble if they didn’t manage to sneak back to their dorms in the morning unnoticed. After all, breaking curfew came with punishment. Yet, Qi Fengge realised that for once he did not care about meticulously following the rules and would just live in the moment.