Travel for the rest of the day had been slow and grueling. They had fended off two more attacks from the Slave Master, and the last one had nearly succeeded. With his patience thinning, Lu Yong had simply plucked Wu Chen from his horse and placed him on his own horse with his back up against Lu Yong's chest.

Being surrounded by his Guardian's arms had effectively prevented any further attempts by the Slave Master to grab him. However, riding double and leading a riderless horse was not an ideal way to traverse the boulder-strewn foothills of the Serpent Mountain Range.

Frustrated with their lack of progress and knowing Wu Chen's qi had been severely depleted by the frequent attacks, Lu Yong finally called a halt in a relatively open field just shy of the mountainous incline.

Here, the boulders gave way to a flattened area covered in low brush and scattered stones. The elder decided that he would rather take the risk of being out in the open than give their attackers any cover to hide behind. At the very least, it would make it more difficult for sneak attacks to succeed.

He kept Wu Chen close as he set up the protection array. He knew that this wouldn't stop the spatial ability of the Slave Master, but it would certainly stop the men who worked for him.

He had something else in mind for that persistent bastard.

Wu Chen made no effort at conversation. He was exhausted. It had been a long time since he had needed to use so much qi in such a short period of time. His body felt as though it was being weighed down by boulders, and his colorless face held eyes that had grown dry and dull. Despite his condition, he faithfully followed Lu Yong's every order. He knew that his Guardian had his best interests at heart, and he did not want to be a burden in an already tenuous situation.

As the shadows of nightfall began to lengthen, Lu Yong finished up the array, settled the horses, and finally sat on a grassy patch pulling Wu Chen down to join him with his back against his chest. He made no effort to light a fire. They were exposed enough as it was, and it would affect his night vision.

'I know you're tired, Ah Chen, but you need to replenish your qi.' Lu Yong rumbled softly into his ward's sensitive ear.

Wu Chen nodded sleepily and assumed the lotus position. He ran through a few circulations of his diminished qi and then slowly began drawing in the qi from his surroundings to bolster his own stores. It was not easy, as the barren land where they were currently camped did not have a high qi density. It would take time to restore what he had lost, and he was already having a difficult time staying awake.

As Wu Chen struggled, Lu Yong replayed the various attacks by the Slave Master in his mind. He knew that the Master was a water element, which explained his amazing grasp of illusion. It also meant that there was no way his spatial abilities were natural. He had to be using some type of object that was giving him this ability. Not surprising, considering the fact that he ran an illegal black market auction house. The man was certain to have access to all sorts of powerful and rare equipment.

He closed his eyes and recalled each appearance the Slave Master made. After centuries of seclusion, Lu Yong had become quite adept at remembering fine details. He had trained his mind until he could memorize books in a single reading or focus on details of scenes from his past.

It was how he had been able to retain the memory of Wu Chen's fox eyes even after 300 years of separation.

As the memories of the attacks replayed, one thing stood out to him. Each time the man appeared, his left hand had been illuminated by a slight glow. Lu Yong focused his memories and finally realized that the Slave Master was wearing a ring on his left hand. Odds were very good that the glow was being released from that ring.

Destroy his access to the ring, destroy his ability to create a spatial rift.

Wu Chen closed the circulation of his qi but maintained the pull from the thin qi pool around him. At this rate, it would take all night before the surrounding pool could replenish what he'd lost. He was just too tired to continue battling his need for sleep.

As Wu Chen's bleary eyes opened, Lu Yong kissed his head gently, 'Well done, Ah Chen. Get some rest.' He hummed, 'I'll keep watch tonight.'

With a sleepy nod, Wu Chen leaned back against his lover, and within moments, his deep, even breaths let Lu Yong know that his exhaustion had finally overtaken him. Lu Yong wrapped his cloak around them both and stayed vigilant throughout the long, uneventful night.

As the sun climbed into midmorning, Wu Chen's eyelashes began to flutter, and his eyes slowly opened.

'Sleep well?' Lu Yong asked with a small smile as he pulled his cloak back.

Feeling guilty for leaving Lu Yong on watch all night, Wu Chen's face grew warm, and his head dropped low, 'Thank you for your care, Ah Yong. I am sorry my weakness put us both in danger.'

Lu Yong chuckled and stood up to stretch, then pulled Wu Chen up into a tight embrace, 'I am certain I can come up with a way for you to make it up to me, young ward.' He whispered with a slight nip at Wu Chen's ear.

Suddenly flustered, Wu Chen pulled away from his grinning Guardian.

'Shameless.' He muttered as he took out some of the dried antelope they had prepared. He stomped off and sat down to eat with his back to Lu Yong.

Lu Yong's laughter echoed through the campsite as he walked the short distance to the horses.

Wu Chen glanced around the area, seeing no signs of their pursuers. How were they going to reach the cave that held Shandian at this rate? There was no way they could maintain the needed level of vigilance and qi usage forever. If they didn't find a solution soon, they would eventually make a mistake, and Shandian would then become the least of their worries.

His stomach at least satiated, he took a pull from his waterskin to wash down the dry, tasteless jerky and joined Lu Yong by the horses.

'We can't keep this up, Ah Yong.' Wu Chen muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked warily around the area, 'We need to come up with a way to end this ridiculous pursuit.'

Lu Yong stopped adjusting the saddle on his horse and glanced at his handsome ward, 'The Slave Master has a ring that's letting him create those spatial cracks. His left hand had a soft glow each time he reached for you, and he wears no other rings on his hands. Just the one on his left.'

Wu Chen nodded as his face reddened. He couldn't even look Lu Yong in the eye right now. It was simply humiliating to be hunted like this and for such a depraved reason. He really wished he was at a higher level so that he could go toe to toe against the bastard and carve him into small pieces. He had to become stronger. He couldn't take such humiliation any longer.

Lu Yong easily read every thought as it crossed Wu Chen's mind, and he quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, 'I know you're angry, and you have the right to be. I will make him pay for every insult, Ah Chen. Every last one. I promise you.'

'I have to get stronger, Ah Yong. I have to.' Wu Chen gritted out through clenched teeth. His entire body shook with the knowledge that, for now, he was too weak to defend himself against the more powerful Slave Master.

'You will, Ah Chen. I will help you.' Lu Yong assured him as he stroked his soft hair.

Wu Chen sighed and tried to still his mind, 'I know. I trust you, Ah Yong.' He said quietly against his Guardian's broad chest.

Lu Yong reached down and tilted Wu Chen's head up with a finger under his chin, 'The bastard dies today.'

A spark of hope lit Wu Chen's face, 'You have a plan?'

Lu Yong chuckled and kissed Wu Chen's forehead, 'I do, and you will help me. Does that make you feel better?'

'En.' Wu Chen nodded, and his countenance became grim as he flashed his anger filled fox eyes on his Guardian, 'I want him dead, Ah Yong. I will not be humiliated like this.'

Lu Yong noted the cold look on Wu Chen's face and couldn't help feeling a bit sad. His lover had been through so much in such a short period of time, and he hadn't been there to shield him from any of it. In his Guardian's absence, Wu Chen had been robbed of his lighthearted innocence, and that was something he could never get back.

With a heavy heart, Lu Yong pulled Wu Chen into a gentle hug and stroked his hair, 'I will avenge you, Ah Chen. The Slave Master will die today.'

'En!' Wu Chen agreed with icy conviction.