Like a Ray in My Night (Part 4)

794 Not the Time for That

Luo Lin pulled back and nodded lightly. He couldn't judge the timing as accurately as his fiance but it indeed felt as if a lot of time had passed. Turning to Zhi Guan, he smiled faintly. "Then we'll leave first. I'm sure we'll see each other at the start of the battle, first senior martial brother."

Zhi Guan inclined his head but didn't speak once again. He just looked at Luo Lin, his eyes following as the two of them got up and weaved their way through the crowd of disciples to tell the Elders they'd start their own patrol. Only when they had left the hall did he retract his gaze.

Staring at the wall, he thought of all those years that had passed from the moment Luo Lin entered the Teng Yong Sect as his third junior martial brother to when he and Shen Lei became acquainted and then to the time the three of them encountered each other in the border region again after Luo Lin went to search for Shen Lei's body.

So much had happened in these years. If they had still been mortal, it would have been a lifetime. Enough years to grow old together and watch the next two or three generations turn from children into adults.

Being on the path to immortality, the concept of time became vague and the decades could pass you by without being noticed. It was only at moments like this, when life and death were uncertain, that you would look back and realize just how long you had spent on this earth and for how long those you held dear had accompanied you.

Only at such times would you share the woes of mortals and start to worry about how the future might look like. Would those same people still be with you when the sunlight hit the ground tomorrow morning? Would they still stand beside you a year from now? Would you be there to witness the big events in their lives?

Zhi Guan lowered his gaze when the latter question occurred to him. He had never asked about Luo Lin's background but just from spending time together and seeing his behavior, it was safe to say that he had never had a stable family situation and that he might long for one. Now, there was Shen Lei and that potential goal was close enough to be within reach. They had even talked about marriage from what he knew.

Unfortunately, just at such a time, the future was so uncertain. Either of them could fail to survive this very day. It could simply be him who wouldn't be able to appear at the happy occasion but it was just as much possible that either Shen Lei or Luo Lin wouldn't make it and the happy occasion would never come. Nothing was set in stone yet. That thought ... for once, it made him incredibly uncomfortable.

But no matter what Zhi Guan thought, he could only wait for that future to unfold, hoping for the best as he did. While he waited, the young couple had long since left the hall and was busy trying out the new idea they had come up with.

Shen Lei held Luo Lin with one arm, raising his other to look at the faint cut he had made. "Still there."

Luo Lin sighed, his hot breath spraying onto his lover's face. "I suppose that would have been too good to be true." If he could truly heal Shen Lei while inside the dreamscape, it would have taken care of so many possible issues. He really wouldn't have to worry any longer. Even a lethal injury didn't actually have to end in death. Now, things were looking a little different.

Shen Lei took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Right now really wasn't the moment to get distracted but ... well, he had been with Luo Lin for so long and still desired him just as much as he had the first time he saw him. Kissing like this — even if it was only to test part of Luo Lin's newfound ability — definitely wouldn't leave him cold. No, on the contrary, he felt hot all over, and if the situation had been any different ... well.

Luo Lin blinked his eyes and looked up at him, also feeling a little bothered. Anyway, the disappointment regarding his ability had been almost expected. It simply was too good to be true so when it didn't work, he only felt down for a moment before other things occupied his mind. Like this small side-effect, for example. Being so used to Shen Lei's touch, it was really too easy to get carried away.

"We ... should probably leave the dreamscape and start to patrol normally." Because if they stayed in here, he really wasn't sure if either or both of them would be able to control themselves. Especially in this situation, with an uncertain future ahead of them, this small bit of normalcy, this fleeting bit of passion, was more than tempting.

Shen Lei nodded and then hummed slowly. They really should. They would be idiots not to. Right now wasn't the time for anything else. They had to focus on their task. When everything was over, that was when they could think about being passionate.

He exhaled and hugged Luo Lin tightly before nodding again. "Let's go, yes." Anyway, this was for their future. He closed his eyes and took a step back, only holding his hand. When he opened his eyes again, the dreamscape had disappeared and they were in an empty corridor.

They looked at each other and then conscientiously looked away. Any look or gesture would just whittle away at their resolve and it really wasn't the moment for that. After all, the demonic faction could arrive any moment now.

In fact, unbeknown to them, the next group was indeed not far away.