"Feel the earth beneath your fingers.  Sense the granular soil skin, the hard flint bones, the compact yet soft chalk hidden beneath.  Consider all this, then imagine it merging.  Take the traits required for the foundation of what we are creating; it needs to be compact, hard, sturdy yet breathable.  We don't wish to harm the life with in the soil, though we need to take away a section of their habitat, so take the time to inch away the soil as you bring together the flint, stones and chalk..."

Chang Min murmured all of these words into Cole's ear as his hands lay spread over the ground, his eyes seeming unfocused yet his body was taut with concentration.  Sweat beaded upon his forehead as he took the instructions to heart and attempted to follow through with what Chang Min had told him.  Slowly, he felt the change beneath his fingers, felt the damp soil shift away to be replaced by a cold, hard surface that was about a handspan thick and thrice that deep.

He gasped and staggered to his feet.  The foundation he'd created was only around half a metre long, yet he felt as if he'd drained all of his strength on this one section.  He glanced back at the several metre length that Chang Min had already created before renewed admiration filled his eyes.  Chang Min's ability should have intimidated him, but he only felt pride in the fact that his lover was this amazing.  No, not his lover, his husband.

"Ah, I thought it would be all like, whoosh!  Out comes a wall!" muttered a young soldier nearby and was cuffed in response by his older comrade.

That person glanced over and said apologetically; "Ignore him.  He's newly recruited.  Captain sent him over as he has the uncanny knack of sensing undead close by."

Chang Min simply smiled, almost reflecting that of his old Master as he looked at the youth.  If he was not wrong, then this boy had a spirit root that had manifested in this unique way.  Spirit roots were unpredictable compared to other roots after all.  "It's of no importance," Chang Min replied after a moment.  "I could indeed just 'whoosh' and summon forth a wall.  However, there are a few consequences of such actions.  Summon soil, a pile of dirt will appear, summon rock and a rock formation will form.  Neither will have the desired appearance of a strong wall.  And if I move the earth from below the ground to the sky in the shape of a wall, then I will disturb the balance of the earth, the most immediate consequence of such will be tremors, which might in turn compromise the stability of the existing walls and structures not to mention the existing complexity of the ground beneath your feet."

"Oh," the boy blushed realising that his simple thoughts were a little on the naive side. 

The other soldier just laughed and told him a simple story of his old grandfather who thought building a wall should also be a simple matter.  So he tried to build a wall without foundations in the garden but the pressure of the soil it was supposed to hold back caused it to eventually collapse.  The youth laughed along with him, stopping a few seconds later to point out a group of undead mice hurrying towards them from the nearby field.  The soldiers paled, aiming their weapons only to find, in the next heartbeat, that many of the mice had sank into a pit filled with sharp stalactites, ending their existences.  The rest were dealt with by crossbow bolts and fire, for the most part, under some more guidance of the boy. 

The youth was praised by his fellow soldiers, his pride rising until a shadow swept before him, wielding a blade.  A green-grey body cut in two slid off of the metal of the sword as if in slow motion, the undead mouse that had sped towards its targets using the power of the wind, no more.  "Don't let down your guard in the future," Chang Min instructed the boy, quickly humbling him.  Chang Min did not offer him sympathy, instead rushing over to Cole to check if his man was alright. 

"I'm fine," Cole reassured him, pointing out the flint stones that had been reshaped by him as he'd thrown them at a couple of the rodents.  Both were killed by him.  However, he'd emptied his reserves in doing so.  Chang Min placed his hands upon Cole's chest, assured by the warmth of his body, even as he gently poured a little of his spiritual energy into him.  Cole almost groaned in comfort.

Chang Min nodded in satisfaction, noting that despite nearly draining his entire body, there was no permanent damage to his meridians or innersea. Leaning forward, he moved his head upwards in order to place a kiss on Cole's lips.

"I see, since we've been apart, you've forgotten all about me..."

The kiss ended with a start, Chang Min's head darting to the side, his eyes wide in shock. He blinked a few times, just to ensure that the man standing not more than a yin (30 ish metres) away from them was not a figment of his imagination.

He was still just as tall as he recalled with a long, structured face, strong jaw and prominent cheekbones. His face was still as clean shaven with thick, sword like brows and a permanent look of amusement etched upon his features. The scent of herbs and spices drifted from his silk long tunic and the scent of beasts from the leather belt and twin sheaths at his waist.

"Bai Yan... is that really you?" Chang Min questioned.

"Xiao Min!" The man chuckled boldly, his whole body shaking with the movement. "Did I not tell you that we have fate together?! I was merely passing through and here you are!"

Chang Min sensed Cole tense beneath his palms and although he knew that his husband had nothing to worry about, he couldn't help but swell with warmth. He gently patted Cole's chest with reassurance. Bai Yan was always like this; speaking with ambiguity and acting like an incorrigible flirt. Fortunately, he had never fallen for Bai Yan's words or he likely would have rolled between the sheets with him for one night to be abandoned for pastures new the next. Although Bai Yan flirted so openly, he never was one to pursue a relationship nor force another, but he would never turn neither man nor woman away should they offer themselves to him.

"What fate would that be, Senior," Chang Min denied jovially. "The fate of wandering the endless landscapes... with Master and everyone? Or the fate of both falling victim to one of Lei Jiahao's pranks?"

"You're no fun," Bai Yan pouted, crossing his arms about his chest. His eyes fell upon Cole, scanning over the man intently.  His lips curved into a wide suggestive grin as he approached the two men, causing Cole to shudder involuntary.  "I see that you've found yourself something interesting in this short time we've been apart.  Very handsome.  Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Chang Min couldn't help but release a sigh, but he took Cole's hand in his own and introduced him to his old friend.  "Cole, this is Bai Yan, one of my seniors... Bai Yan this is Cole." His smile softened as he admitted; "Cole is my Dao Companion."

Bai Yan's eyes widened as his jaw dropped and he took a second look at the one who'd stolen his cute junior's heart.  He'd reached the second stage of cultivation, this was promising, but he still worried that Chang Min would slow his own progress for this affection.

Ordinarily, Dao Companions would be chosen not only due to feelings, but also due to some level of match; for example, it would not be easy for one with excellent talent to soar if he had to drag along with himself a trash in mortal form.  Likewise, even if talent was similar, dual cultivating with someone with discordant roots to one's own would stagnate the development of both.

Then there was Chang Min's Master, Ren Zexian.  With the admiration and reverence within Chang Min's eyes as he'd beheld his Master in the past, Bai Yan always imagined that if there had been more time, Master and Student would have eventually crossed that line... he couldn't help but voice this in a roundabout way; "What of Ren Zexian?"

Last summer, a powerful force had disturbed the heavens, drawing the attention of those who were acute enough to sense it.  The flavour of such also had held a strong familiarity.  They had assumed that this stemmed from their old friend and mentor, Ren Zexian and he, Bai Yan, had journeyed over land and seas seeking upon this single trajectory.  Only, although occasionally, he had run into pockets of surviving mortals, had even helped them where he could, he'd not found any signs of his old friend at all.  Seeing his ever loyal apprentice, he'd held hope, however had he been in error?

The conversation was interrupted by a band of zombies of varying strengths, but they were no match for the swords of Chang Min and Bai Yan.  In less than a minute, there were just fallen bodies and the shocked expressions of several soldiers.

Chang Min flicked the fluids from his sword cleanly before sheathing it.  "Master is well.  He is at our home..."

Bai Yan leaned forward with a frown upon his forehead and murmured; "Trio Cultivation?"  He was flicked against the forehead, the force of which pushed him back a few paces.  Ah, it seemed Xiao Min was a bit stronger than before.

"What are you thinking?" Chang Min chided him.  "Me and the Master?  That's just weird!  Master has his own beloved as well and they are very happy, just as Cole and I."  He wrapped his arms about his husband affectionately and was embraced in turn.

"I see, I see..." Bai Yan nodded his head despondently.  "So you both forgot and abandoned me...!"  Cole glanced down at Chang Min a look of confusion on his face, but the other could only shrug and shake his head in response.