Soul bound Strangers

1. Right place

As the early morning sun began to rise, it's shades glittered through the water droplets. It is summer, but due to the sudden downpour, the lush green cover in the forest looked extra fresh. The cascading black hair from the high ponytail tied with a red ribbon, shed rain drops and its owner is still in deep sleep. The beautiful human isn’t bothered by the rain nor the bray of the donkey. 

Little apple is tied to the tree, otherwise it wouldn’t have hesitated a second to flee from the current owner. Unlike Wei ying who is drained wet despite the thick tree crown, Little apple is safe as it is resting inside the wide tree hollow. 

After a while, Wei ying woke up to tend to his grumbling stomach. His slender fingers searched for the waist pouch lazily, which had the last two apples. After confirming that the pouch still had two apples, Wei ying let out a sigh. At Least he can have an apple today. 

A few swooshes, and Wei ying had gotten down from the tree like a whirlwind. He laughed at the terrified Little apple before cleaning the apple with his wet cloth, and feeding it to the hungry pet. 

He took a bite from his apple and put it back inside the pouch, tucking it to his waist belt. He must freshen up and dry his outer robes before they could resume their never ending journey. 

Wei ying literally had to pull Little apple's rein all the way to the river in the nearby village. 

After freshening up, as Wei ying was lying down on the banks of the river letting Little apple to have its fill of the fresh grass, a group of footsteps was heard. 

There were a bunch of villagers who settled at the banks just like Wei ying. Little apple was not ready to give up on the fresh grass hence Wei ying decided to rest for a while. 

Against the sound of crowd talking among themselves, Wei ying closed his eyes, not wanting to listen to their conversation. But involuntarily his ears perked up as he heard words that are very familiar to him. 

"A handsome cultivator in white robes has come to the village. They say that he is here to eradicate the evil thing in the Gu manor and would be here for a couple of days." 

"Ahh yes, from what I know, he is from a famous sect. Have you heard of the sect of cloud patterned head bands?" 

Wei ying got up and offered the half of his apple to Little apple as a bribe to take him farther from this place. 

'Did they say the village?' Wei ying travelled back to the forest, opposite to the village. He just wanted to get away from anything and anyone related to the said sect. 

However his only means of earning money for his next meal became a distant dream, since he will be busy crossing the forest the coming day. 

Wei ying tightened his waist belt as his stomach had been asking for food since morning. He closed his eyes hoping to forget the feeling of hunger. 

When Wei ying just fell asleep from tiredness, from fever to be exact, a fruit vendor came opposite to them, and Little apple took an U turn to the village following the vendor.