Having slept most of the ride to the outskirt city, Huang awoke to a dark sky and chilly breeze. Oddly enough, though, he felt much better than he had previously. He slowly lifted his head and looked around to get his bearings. The slightly too-big hood he had over his head cut his vision a little, but he knew that it was to keep his identity a secret.

The horses slowed to a walk as they entered the more populated part of town, their panting breath lifting up into the cold air as little clouds of mist. The horses didn't seem like the only ones who were tired, either.

Glancing up at Lee Shaan, Huang noticed that the man looked absolutely exhausted. More-so than what a simple day of riding should result in.

Wait a moment...

Focusing on the man's warm hand against his hip, Huang realized that there was another reason for Lee Shaan's exhaustion.

You've been feeding me spiritual energy this entire time?

Seemingly having caught his question, Lee Shaan looked down at him, dark marks easily visible beneath his calm eyes.

"I cannot have you defenseless when we go rescue your curse," he said, making Huang nod silently, but then hesitate.

"What good is giving me spiritual energy if it remains locked inside of me?"

Answering his question with a simple action, Lee Shaan removed his hand from within Huang's robe and lifted to it press against the slight opening over his chest. After a few whispered words, Huang felt all of his spiritual energy rush out from within the broken seal and suffuse throughout his body, drawing a staggering sigh of relief from his lips.

He'd never had his energy sealed before Lee Shaan had done it, and he hoped that it never happened again. Feeling so weak was extremely disheartening. In fact...

Looking back up from where the man's hand was lowering from his chest, Huang began opening his mouth, intent on requesting that he release Qi's, too, but before he could speak there was a rough finger placed against his lips.

"We will not speak of that yet. You are more than capable of protecting him now, are you not?" Lee Shaan asked, his tone clearly already knowing the answer.

Huang pursed his lips and nodded. He was feeling the best he had in a long while... but still.

"I will consider releasing his abilities once we get closer to the curse," Lee Shaan said as he steered their horses toward a small inn a little ways off the main road.

The moment Huang was allowed to dismount he hurried over to help Qi down. He wasn't surprised when the man practically fell into his arms, completely out of energy from the long trip. It didn't help that his spiritual powers of healing were sealed, or that he'd just recently gone on a long journey simply to try and find him, either.

While Lee Shaan went inside and quickly paid for their room, Huang carefully helped Qi inside. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Huang contemplated whether it would be appropriate if he carried Qi up them. It wouldn't be the easiest thing to do, but now that he had his abilities back, it wouldn't be too hard, either.

It was just that... it would be a bit awkward since they were nearly the same size.

Before he could make up his mind Lee Shaan appeared beside him and easily lifted Qi into his arms. He ascended the stairs with ease, clearly not minding the extra weight from another fully grown man.

Huang simply watched them until they disappeared, then slowly began his own trek up the steps. He was only about halfway up them, clearly a bit more tired than he'd thought, when a warm hand wrapped around his wrist and tugged him the rest of the way up to the second floor.

"I can do it," he grumbled, far too late for the words to really matter as he was pulled into a small room.

He looked around immediately, but when he noticed that Qi wasn't there, he quickly returned his attention to Lee Shaan. The man simply gave him a quiet chuckle as he removed his outer robe and set it on the back of the one old wooden chair in their room before pointing to the right.

Huang looked in that direction immediately, sighing with relief when he noticed a closed door off to the side. He began making his way toward it, but was stopped by a hand grasping his wrist right before he could reach the door handle.

Scowling, he turned around, ready to tell the man to release him. Except, when he began to open his mouth to speak, Lee Shaan pressed a finger to his lips again, effectively silencing him.

"He is asleep already. Let's leave him be, shall we?"

Huang didn't see a reason why he couldn't simply go rest with him, but he didn't want to argue when Lee Shaan had clearly made up his mind to leave Qi by himself. So, he gave a quiet sigh and turned his head, forcing the man to remove his finger from his lips before walking over to the far corner and getting himself situated against the wall on the floor.

It wasn't the most comfortable way to sleep, but he'd done it a few times before. He noticed that Lee Shaan was still standing where he'd left him, though, watching him with something in his eyes that he couldn't quite read, but who was he to care? The man hadn't seemed interested in harming him recently, and he'd even unsealed his abilities. There was nothing to worry about.

So, after getting a bit more comfortable leaning against the wall, Huang allowed his eyes to close as he relaxed his body. He wasn't going to try sleeping yet, though. No, he had some barriers to reset around himself now that he had his energy back. Of course, such things took quiet meditation with little disturbances, and for some reason, something was bothering him enough that he couldn't quite focus.

Opening his eyes back up after a few minutes, Huang blinked a few times and leaned back, nearly bumping his head against the wall when he realized that Lee Shaan had taken a seat directly in front of him at some point. The man was sitting with one leg up, bent at the knee, while the other was settled on its side on the floor. One hand was right behind that leg, easily allowing the man to lean against it and aid in his balance, while the other was nonchalantly resting overtop his bent knee.

He looked quite relaxed.

"Do you need something from me?" Huang asked, confused as to why the man had come so close without saying something.

Lee Shaan tilted his head slightly, clearly considering his words more thoroughly than Huang thought necessary. It was a pretty simple question.

Is it so hard to answer?

His thought was picked up again, because Lee Shaan grinned right after he'd thought it, then straightened a bit.

"I don't believe need is the correct word, but I'd like something," he finally said, making Huang frown in confusion.

The man could easily take whatever he wanted. Even with his abilities returned, he didn't have any barriers up yet, nor was he in a position where he could fight him with any kind of logical hope of winning.

"What would you like, then?" he asked, getting slightly annoyed by their back and forth banter. He had things to do before they got back to Zen.

His tone was clearly considered to be funny, because Lee Shaan had to stifle his laughter before he could manage a response.

"I would like my concubine."

Your what...?

Brow furrowed, Huang stuttered for a moment before responding.

"I-I am not sure how I can help you with that? You should have brought her if you felt you might require her services," he said, wanting to roll his eyes but not daring to.

Lee Shaan's grin only widened at his words as the man leaned the slightest bit closer.

"Who do you speak of?" he questioned, making Huang even more confused.

He has lost his mind.

He did roll his eyes then, before settling back against the wall and closing them so that he could finally focus on reconstructing his barriers.

"Huang..."

Ignoring the man, he doubled down on his focus, trying his hardest not to be distracted. He heard Lee Shaan move a little, but didn't bother paying it any mind.

"Yuen Huang, may I touch you?"

Blinking open one eye, Huang narrowed it on the man who had scooted even closer to him.

"You always do anyways? Why ask now?" he grumbled before shutting his eye again, hoping that the man would just do whatever he needed to quickly, then leave him be.

There was silence for several moments before he felt Lee Shaan's large hand slip between the front folds of his robe.

He's going to give me more energy?

It was an odd thought since he'd already given him quite a lot earlier, but he wasn't against more. Except, when the man's warm fingers began to feel along his skin instead of simply press against it to transfer energy, Huang paused his thoughts.

He waited for a few moments, knowing that the man was just doing something simple, like always, but when his hand began roaming southward, Huang felt his heart skip in his chest. When Lee Shaan's other hand suddenly settled against his shoulder and easily tugged the fabric there aside, he couldn't keep his eyes closed any longer.

Huang blinked them open at the same time he opened his mouth, intent on questioning the man before him, but the words died on his tongue as his breath got caught in his throat.

Why is he looking at me like that?

He fidgeted when Lee Shaan's hand finally stopped at the bend of his hip where it joined his right leg, his thumb dangerously close to an inappropriate place. That wasn't his biggest concern, though, somehow. That would be the man who was now close enough for him to feel his warm breath ghosting over his own lips as they locked eyes with each other.

Why am I starting to pant?

"Because, perhaps, you like this kind of attention?" Lee Shaan answered as he squeezed Huang's hip at the same time he finished leaning forward, connecting their mouths and making Huang's eyes go painfully wide.

He was unable to react in any way for several moments, but thankfully, Lee Shaan didn't try to press that advantage and was actually very careful and unobtrusive with the kiss. It gave him enough time to process things in his panicking mind so that he could eventually jerk his head to the side and break the contact.

His breathing had become quite erratic as he tried to catch it while still keeping an eye on the man who was still far too close for his hammering heart. Knowing that his mouth would be useless to try and use for a while, Huang took advantage of the man's ability to read his mind.

I am no concubine.

He felt Lee Shaan's hand at his waist tighten its grip the slightest bit before it relaxed and withdrew upward, then out of his robe. The one that had settled on his shoulder was more reluctant, but it, too, eventually retreated as its owner sat back down.

Thankfully, he was given ample time to catch his breath, as well as sort his thoughts while Lee Shaan waited silently in front of him. He had not expected the man to do such things so suddenly, and especially not to him! He'd been ready to protect Qi from him the moment the prince had been caught with the tethering curse, but to his surprise, Lee Shaan had been more than cordial with them both.

When had things changed so drastically that he was now the man's target of affection?

"I'm not sure when I began looking at you in a different manner. It took a lot to convince myself after I finally realized that there might be something there, because in all honesty, the hatred I held for you and what you have done to so many people was incredibly hard to overcome," Lee Shaan said, guessing what Huang was trying to figure out.

Lee Shaan reached over as Huang finally finished catching his breath, the feeling of the man's warm fingers against his left cheek making his heart trip a little more.

"But when the false emperor of Han sent his men to track you down and nearly caught you in my bathing pool? I wanted to kill every single one of them right then and there for just simply glancing at your bare back," Lee Shaan said, the tone of his words hiding nothing.

Huang glanced down for a moment, his long hair falling over Lee Shaan's hand that remained resting against the side of his face. When he looked back up, he licked his lips.

"I am no concubine. I am a curse master that, when I am finally able to fully heal myself, will be a match even for you."

Instead of responding right away, Lee Shaan let his hand sift backwards into Huang's hair, then retreated with a few lengths of it between his fingertips. He brought those strands up to press against his lips for a kiss.

"I apologize for my poor choice of words. I am not interested in a concubine, and I have none, anyways," he said, surprising Huang a little bit.

"None?"

It was strange that the ruler of an entire tribe, and especially one as big as Lee Shaan's, had no concubines.

"I am not interested in trysts."

Huang fidgeted for a moment before reaching to his side and tugging up the left side of his disheveled robe. After settling it back on his shoulder, he cleared his throat and straightened his back.

"I have more than enough things to deal with right now that will need all of my attention. I am not interested in having a lover," he said honestly, making sure to not stutter or hesitate.

Truth be told, he'd gotten used to living with the other man. Sure, he'd been the one to hurt him so terribly that he'd needed help in most aspects of his day to day life for a while, but he would have done the exact same thing if he'd had the upper hand during their fight. Hell, he would have killed Lee Shaan without a second thought.

There was no bad blood between them for that reason.

It was just...

Feeling his face begin to warm, Huang scoffed out a breath and got himself comfortable against the wall again, then nodded his head toward the small bed on the other side of the room.

"Go rest, I have barriers to reform before we set out tomorrow."

Lee Shaan looked like he wanted to argue, but when Huang closed his eyes and began to relax his body again, he felt the man finally release the lengths of hair he'd taken. Another moment later and he heard him stand, then walk away. He doubted that this was the end of their discussion about any sort of relationship between the two of them, because he knew that Lee Shaan was quite stubborn after living with him for some time, but at least he was giving him room to breathe.

They had far more important things to deal with right then. Personal matters would just have to wait.