Journey Time

I practiced the whole process a few more times in the days that followed. When I felt comfortable enough with the procedure, I started working on the pills with the new recipe that Bai Ye wrote down for me. By the time that the trip to Jade Temple finally came, I had made enough of them to last for a month.

Now the only thing I had to worry about on this trip was … how to hide the reason for these pills from the rest of the group.

I never intended to keep what was between us a secret forever, and I knew Bai Ye didn't either. We wanted a future together, but now wasn't the time, and Mount Hua wasn't the place for it. No matter how deeply we felt for each other, Mount Hua had its rules, and people had their beliefs and judgments. As much as I had learned to not dwell on others' opinions of me, a future at Mount Hua buried in chastisements and ridicules didn't sound inviting. Not when a peaceful life elsewhere was an option.