Baishui sighed, turned around, and looked at the five people who had dismounted and were at each other's throats. He looked at Jiāo frantically. "Whatever you did, undo it now. If you can't continue this adventure peacefully, maybe you should stay." He turned his horse and rode back to the five men.
"What are you two trying to achieve by doing this?" he demanded, standing between Yul and Abrafo. "Stop immediately."
Jiāo glanced at Baishui, then took a crystal bead from her belt. She stared at it for a moment, her brow furrowed, then crushed the crystal bead in her hand.
"You think I'm afraid of you only because you've been chosen to lead us?" Abrafo yelled at Yul, his hand on his sword hilt, when he suddenly realized what he was doing. He looked at the agitated group, completely puzzled. He took two steps back towards Yul and Michio. "What's going on?"
Hajime looked at the men beside him. "I don't know, but why do I feel like we just had a fight?"
Michio looked at the four of them, his expression serious. "I don't know, but you four were choking each other. Especially you," he said, pointing at Abrafo. "You intended to draw your sword and fight Yul."
"Why would I do that?" Abrafo scoffed, disbelieving the gibberish coming out of Michio's mouth.
"You were just now," Michio insisted. "I don't know what happened to the four of you. You four turned something so small into a heated disagreement."
The four of them, still disoriented, didn't believe Michio and turned to Baishui for confirmation. "Did we really quarrel?" Hajime asked him.
"Yes, but now everything seems to be back to normal," Baishui confirmed, his gaze lingering on Jiāo for a moment.
"Could we have come across something like what happened to Yul and Abrafo in Bell Forest?" U-ri mused aloud.
"It's possible," Yul conceded, his voice serious. "Now that things are back to normal, we must be extra careful about our surroundings."
The men jumped back on their horses and continued riding east.
Twenty days later, the group finally arrived at the last village before entering Magior City. There were only a few houses in the village. As they entered, the villagers all stared at them, their expressions wary.
Michio helped U-ri off his horse, and U-ri walked up to an old villager. "Is there an inn nearby?" he asked.
The old man shook his head. "No, but you can go to the last house. The village chief will help you find a place to stay overnight." He pointed to the right.
U-ri smiled and thanked the old man. He walked back to the group. "There's no inn for us to rest. The old man suggested we go to the village chief to find a place to stay for the night."
"We're going to meet the village chief," Yul decided. "If we don't have a place to sleep tonight, we can rest by that stream."
"How about going to rest by the stream instead of resting at other people's houses?" Jiāo suggested, her tone light.
Abrafo looked at Jiāo, a wry smile on his face. "If possible, we would rather rest in the house." He quickly followed the others to the right.
Jiāo looked at Baishui, whose face had turned pale. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm okay for now," Baishui said, his voice weak, "but somehow, I feel very weak."
"You need water," Jiāo stated.
"I thought the old man turned me into a mortal. I shouldn't need water to survive," Baishui mumbled, confused.
"Your name is Baishui, so naturally you need water," Jiāo said, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Your power may have been taken away, but it won't change who you are." She lowered her voice to a playful whisper. "Water Dragon Clan, Ninth Prince of the South Sea." She giggled, left Baishui behind, and followed the others.
When they reached the last house, they found an old man sweeping the area around the front door. The house was fenced with a bamboo fence.
"Everyone waits here," U-ri announced. "I'll go talk to that person over there." U-ri slowly walked towards the man. "Excuse me, dear sir."
The man looked up at U-ri with a warm smile. "Oh, you must have come looking for a place to stay for the night?" he asked, his smile widening as he turned his gaze to the group standing a good distance from U-ri.
"Yes, we are," U-ri confirmed.
The old man smiled. "I am Saja, the village chief of Magior Village."
"This is Magior City?" U-ri asked, surprised.
"No," Saja said, shaking his head. "We're just descendants of those who survived the war hundreds of years ago." He smiled. "Oh, where's my courtesy... Come in." He leaned his broom against the fence and started toward the house.
U-ri waved to the men. "Come on, we've got a place for the night!" he called out.
Saja led the group towards the back of the house. By the stream, three small bamboo houses stood nestled within the gentle flow of the water.
"This is where we usually let our guests stay during their visit to our village," Saja said, gesturing to his right. "There's a table over there; use whatever you want. I'll have my girls bring you food. If you decide to cook for yourself, you can cook by the fire pit next to that table, but as your hosts tonight, we'll serve you dinner." He smiled at the men. "I'll get the kids to prepare dinner. There are three huts, so you can decide who sleeps with whom."
U-ri smiled and thanked Saja. Turning to his companions, U-ri began to assign rooms. "Okay, Abrafo and Michio, we can take our first hut. Yul and Hajime can take the second one and lastly." He looked at Baishui and Jiāo. "You two can share the last hut."
"Why does Hajime have to stay in the same hut as Yul?" Baishui asked, his voice laced with irritation.
Abrafo looked at Baishui, a challenge in his eyes. "Why not?"
"My lord, I agree with this sleeping arrangement," Jiāo interjected, seemingly supporting U-ri.
"I just want to know why," Baishui insisted.
Yul looked at Baishui, his expression cold. "Where Hajime sleeps have nothing to do with you."
"Because I am his friend, therefore, it does matter," Baishui retorted, a hint of defiance in his voice.
Hajime looked at the men who had once again started arguing. His feet were sore, he was very tired, feeling pain in his groin, and his thighs burned. "Abrafo and Michio can sleep with Yul," Hajime declared, grabbing his bag. "U-ri, I'll sleep in the same hut as you." He walked towards the first hut. "Stop arguing, everyone is already very tired!"
"That works too," U-ri agreed, surprised by Hajime's decision.
"I'll take care of the horses first," Michio offered. He handed his bag to Abrafo. "I guess that is our hut." He made his way to the second hut but turned around to see that Yul wasn't following him. "Yo! Yul! Let it go since the sleeping situation is resolved!"
Yul took one final, lingering stare at Baishui and slowly walked towards Abrafo.
Jiāo grabbed onto Baishui's sleeve. "Ninth Prince, please... it doesn't matter where Hajime sleeps."
"That person just annoys me to death," Baishui grumbled, watching Yul.
Jiāo looked at Baishui, her curiosity piqued. "Are you angry with Hajime because you have a crush on him, or is there something else?"
"Hajime is my friend," Baishui insisted, avoiding the question. "I'm trying to understand why Yul has such a big control over Hajime."
Michio smiled and walked up to Baishui and Jiāo, putting both hands on his waist. "Yul doesn't have control over Hajime, but he is protecting Hajime," he explained. "For him, the only safe place for Hajime is under his watch."
"Holy monk, but why?" Jiāo asked, intrigued.
"Because our mission involves Hajime," Michio replied. "Without Hajime, we wouldn't be able to complete our mission according to the prophecy."
"What task are you referring to?" Baishui pressed.
"I can't give you an answer," Michio said simply. "You might as well ask Yul or Hajime."
Baishui frowned. "You see how he looks at me as if he wants to tear me apart. The twenty days we spent together didn't improve our relationship. Why do you think he would be willing to confirm any information with me?"
"Holy Monk, I know you set off with them, but my lord is not a bad person," Jiāo interjected, defending Baishui.
"Yul isn't a bad guy either," Michio clarified. "He just doesn't want to fail the missions that are given to him, so he tends to be a little aggressive when he feels his missions might be in jeopardy, that's all."
"Although you didn't tell us the specific reason why the five of you need to enter Magior, I can accept your explanation," Jiāo said, nodding.
"I believe that sooner or later you will be trusted, and they will tell you in detail," Michio assured her.
"To be honest, I don't care much about your mission," Baishui admitted, "but what I care about is the danger you put Hajime through."
"This is what Hajime agreed to," Michio stated plainly.
"Why did he agree?" Baishui asked, demanding to know.
Michio smiled, a hint of something deeper in his eyes. "He promised to embark on this unknown journey with us to find his true love."