Episode four:

In his way to find his Yunho, Jaejoong stopped in his track when he saw a dog with white fur staring at him, tongue hanging out. He frowned at the sight of the Samoyed tilting his head slightly as if the canine was not pleased with his behavior.

Only a specific ball of fur could behave like this toward him.

"Xiaki..." The young boy murmured.

If the fortune companion of Xiah was here, it meant that his master was not far. And Jaejoong should not waste his time to be in this holly land any longer otherwise he would be caught by the man easily. But he could not go without saying anything to Yunho. Moreover, he won't let his Yunho being trapped in this horrid place without him.

The young boy moved from his place as if he didn't see the animal and walked away from the area. Yunho was not in the kitchen area nor in the room where they shared their nights together since his arrival. And there was only one place where Jaejoong could find his husband. The log cabin where they stocked all the wood.

Jaejoong was not wrong. He could see his Yunho trying to calm down by chopping some wood. However, when the pretty boy decided to hasten his steps toward the young man he saw the Head Master Song and two of his fellow followers arrive next to the apprentice monk. And he didn't know why, but the young child walked carefully to them and hid himself behind a stockroom next to those men with the intention of listening to their conversation, eager to know what kind of rubbishes that old man was going to feed up the fragile mind of his Yunho.

"My child, why are you so angry. That poor piece of wood has done you no harm?" The old monk asked, approaching the young man in a quiet pace with a smile painting on his face.

Yunho stopped what he was doing and turned to face the ruler of this temple. He bowed to the three men and remained silent. The young man didn't know how to tell the Head Master what he was feeling at this moment.

Anger and fear.

Since the coming of Jaeha in his life, the young man felt tormented but secured at the same time. The other counterpart had soothed his wounds as well as opened others. Was it bad or good?

Yunho didn't know. However, he felt the need as if it was vital for him to have his young wife next to him. As if every part of him was echoing with every part of her.

"You can always tell me what you have in mind." The old man said quietly, sensing that the poor boy was trapped in torment.

But Yunho didn't say anything.

"You being in this state... Is it because of that little boy?" The ruler of Beopsuja temple asked curiously.

From his hide place, Jaejoong narrowed his eyes and huffed a bit at being called little boy. It was not his fault if he looked so young at his age. His beloved father always said that he inherited his youthfulness from his late mother. So what if he didn't age much from his 10 years old for a boy of 14? He had a long way to become an adult. But, he knew that he was more clever than them.

The young boy felt a muzzle nudging against his left side. He pouted and stepped down at the level of the Samoyed before wrapping his arms around the canine.

"Jaejoong is his name, I'm not wrong."

Hearing the older man's voice stirred him off of his drooping state. Jaejoong side-glanced at those men's direction and listened carefully to all their words.

"N-no..." Yunho was debating if he should tell the old monk about Jaeha and him. That they were married since the day he had found the poor soul in the Songnisan forest. But he could not say anything with the two men watching him carefully with disdain.

"He seems suspicious." The young apprentice furrowed his eyes at the old monk's words, and the latter felt obligate to justify his thoughts, "...I don't know if that boy is a good influence for you. He seems so wild while you are his opposite. You are an obedient child. Only those who are good can be rewarded by God. Never forget that my child."

Yunho could only nod.

"I only want your best." The Head Master Song put his right palm on the young apprentice's shoulder.

"I know."

"Good." The old monk smiled at the young apprentice, insured that he always had a hold on this young man's life. "Tell me, Yunho. Did you practice what I told you?" He added, changing the topic of their conversation.

"I did."

"Could you show me?"

The young apprentice nodded again. He stepped away from the three men and positioned himself. Closing his eyes and legs a bit ajar with his arms folded at both sides of his upper body, Yunho took a deep breath and concentrated on his vital breath. He focused on the path his Ki would take to get to his center.

"No..." Jaejoong murmured in fear when he felt his Yunho's vital breath circulating in the man's body in the opposite direction of what it should take.

The order of his learning process wasn't the usual way. The harmonization of his strength and his surroundings was chaotic. And if he continued, Yunho was going to harm himself. And those wounds weren't visible as they were dangerous for his inner soul.

"What to do..." The pretty boy looked at the Samoyed in his arms. "Help me!"

The canine stepped back and tilted his head lightly to his left side. The animal looked at the human boy as if he was questioning him at this moment.

"Please! Bite me!" Jaejoong showed his left arm to the white fur animal.

Xiahki squeaked at what his young master wanted him to do, stepping back a bit being reluctant to injure his beloved boy.

"Please! Xiah will never blame you. Bite me!"

The Samoyed tilted his head from the left to the right as if he was saying no to the pretty boy.

"God... No... Yunho..." Jaejoong whispered as he could feel Yunho's Ki traveling his body in disorder. There were three gates in the process of gaining their full strength. And the apprentice was trying to cross the third gate instead of the first gate at the first step of his learning process. "Xiahki..." The pretty boy whispered in fear.

Suddenly, the white fur canine took a defensive position. The animal growled and yelped as if Jaejoong was his enemy, attracting the attention of anyone near their hiding place. The Samoyed opened his muzzle wider and clenched his teeth on the arm of his young master, tiring on it a bit until he could taste a taste of blood from the arm of the pretty boy as well as he heard a painful cry coming from Jaejoong's mouth.

Releasing his grip, the Samoyed nuzzled his muzzle against the crook of the poor boy as if he was comforting the latter.

"Thank... you..." Jaejoong murmured as he lingered his hand on the soft white fur of the animal, feeling relieved that his Yunho was losing his focus on obtaining his Ki in the wrong way. However, the damage was done. As he passed through the supposed first gate in his learning process, the young man had damage a small part of his inner self. And the young boy was feeling sorry for the physical state the other could be at this moment.

Meanwhile, Yunho had lost his concentration abruptly after hearing a scream not far from him. Bending into two, his palms on his knees, the young apprentice was panting painfully and tried to focus on his breathing while closing his eyes. Everything around him was spinning dangerously. His lungs were scorching him. All his body's parts were crying painfully as if something was trying to tear him apart from his inside. And suddenly he felt nauseous, wanting to throw up all his guts. Coughing, Yunho opened his eyes as he felt a warm liquid on the palm of his hand.

Blood. The young man was bleeding internally. How come?

And unbeknown of him, the three men who were looking at him nodded to each other with satisfaction at the miserable state of this young man.

Despite his pitiable state, Yunho swallowed a breath of air and tried to focus on his surroundings by closing his eyes again. Master Sunho had taught him to never lose his consciousness. Being able to know what was surrounding him could save him from any harm. And right now, he could hear an animal growling fiercely not far from him as some of his fellow companions trying to chase the wild animal away from their lands.

Suddenly, the young man heard one of them saying that the boy he had found was injured. Yunho forced himself to open his eyes and ran to where the commotion took place not paying attention to his own state.

"Jaeha!"

Yunho yanked and pushed away his fellow companions who were standing in his way, preventing him to go to his young wife. And he stopped at the sight of his wife sitting on the ground while holding her injured arm, look never locked from the white fur animal which was running away from the holy lands.

"Jaeha?!" Yunho ran to her and fell down next to his wife. He was holding his hands next to her bleeding arm not knowing what to do to ease her pain.

"Yun... Yunho..." Jaejoong stuttered while rising his hand filled with his blood to touch the other man's cheek. He was relieved that his Yunho didn't damage his inner self more than it was already. He would have to ask Xiah to heal Yunho when they're going to cross the path of that man. Hopefully not now.

"I'm here." Yunho took the hand of his wife tenderly. "Oh... God..." The young apprentice tore one of his sleeves and wounded the cloth around the bleeding flesh in order to stop the blood flowing from the injury as fast as he could. "Don't worry. I'm here."

"...hurts..." Jaejoong whined. Xiaki didn't manage to be kind with him. "It hurts..." He should be angry with his animal companion to reap his arm so strongly. But he was the one asking the canine to do this to him.

"Shh... I know. Don't worry. I'm going to treat you." Yunho said with kind voice, trying not to panic himself.

Why? Why wasn't he with her? He should never let her alone.

Yunho tied a knot on Jaejoong's left bicep and scooped his wife in his arms. He looked around him with a narrowed eyes. Those fellow monks didn't budge from their place since the beginning, only standing still and looking at him trying to stop his Jaejoong to bleed more than he did already.

"Get away from my side." The young man grunted at those people who were looking at him as if he was going insane. "Get away!"

"Calm down my child." The Head Master Song said quietly, looking at the two of them suspiciously. "Let our physician treat his injury." He advanced his steps toward the young apprentice who secured the pretty boy in his arms.

At the old monk's intention, Yunho tightened his grip on Jaejoong. If he let the physician of the temple treat his wife, everyone will know that she wasn't a boy. He needed to protect her identity until he could talk heart to heart with the ruler of the Beopsuja temple.

"Yunho!" One of the Head Master Song's followers called him out sternly, not liking his stubbornness.

"I... I..." Yunho walked back a bit, struggling to stay conscious.

"Don't be stubborn. Let the physician treat the boy." Another old monk said while tilting his chin to one of his disciples to take the poor boy away from the stubborn apprentice.

"No!" Yunho said sternly and stepped back from the fellow monk when the latter was trying to take his wife from him.

"My child. That boy needs medical care." The Head Master Song said quietly. "And you seem not so well. Let us take care of him while you need a rest."

The young monk tried again to take the pretty boy from Yunho's arms but the young man was not cooperative.

"I said no!" The young apprentice replied angrily.

"Yunho..." Jaejoong said softly, looking up at the young man with a worried face. Yunho wasn't well and sweating a lot.

"My child. Be reasonable. He needs medical care as you too."

"Don't touch her. I said don't touch her!" He growled at the monk who had put his hands on his young wife while he tightened his hold on Jaejoong who was trying to focus on his surrounding, swallowing every detail and every word from all those people.

"Her..." The old monk said in a low voice, while those who were witnessing the scene gasped at Yunho's outburst. "So that boy is a girl." The Head Master nodded. And seeing the attachment this foolish young man had toward her made him fear for the future. She could be a hindrance for what Silla Kingdom had in store for this orphan boy. "And what is she for you?"

"My wife." Yunho didn't hesitated to spell it out to all of those men, looking fiercely to all of them and being in his guards. A wrong move from them toward his wife, he will not hold back anymore.

The Head Master of Beopsuja temple heaved a sigh knowing what he had to do from now on before it could be too late.

"Call Sunho. He is responsible of all this situation." The old monk said to one of his disciples. "Young man, we need to talk about your future in this temple."

The Head Master Song turned his back on the young apprentice and walked to the main building of the Beopsuja temple with his followers on his heels.

Yunho looked down at his young wife who was not feeling well. She was paler than she was from her natural complexion and the plush of her lips had dried a bit. And it broke his heart seeing her in this state.

"Yunho..." Jaejoong stuttered, holding his hand toward the other's face.

"Do not worry. Stay still. I won't go anywhere." He pressed his lips on his wife's forehead and tightened his hold on the pretty boy before following the cortege of those eminent monks under the stare of his fellow companions.

On their way to the main building of the Beopsuja temple, Jaejoong had taken out a porcelain phial from his jeogori. He glided two brown pills from the recipient and put one in his mouth and tried to feed t his Yunho the second pill as the young man was looking at him with a frown. But nonetheless, the man let his wife fed him the pill without asking anything.

In the meanwhile in the quarter at the south side of the temple, a man with white hair was still arming his ark and arrows toward the owner of this place who didn't move from his sitting position, even under the glare of that demonic man.

"Where is my Hamingu tori?"

Kyuhyun was swallowing his saliva hard at the stern voice of the white-haired man who had pointed his weapon to his master. The young monk didn't know what to do at this moment so he turned to his fellow friend. However, Changmin was standing still in his place not moving to help their master.

Little bastard!

"Where is my Hamingu tori?" The dangerous man asked again, bending his bow more and ready to release the two spears between his fingers.

"Please... Don't..." Kyuhyun ran to stand between the weapon and his master. "Xiah-ssi... Can I call you that?" The young monk added hoping that the man will be clement with him. But the man in front of him was remaining silent and arming his ark more. "I... I'm sorry... Don't kill us. And what is it Hamingu tori?" He dared to ask. If he was going to die, he would know something new in his 18 years of life.

"Foolish lad." Xiah said quietly while dropping his weapon slowly. He pulled through the bow over his head and put his arrows on their scabbard which he wore on his back.

And Kyuhyun took a deep breath when he felt safe from the man while his master and Changmin were laughing softly at his courageous behavior.

"You really do not know what I can do to you." The white-haired man added with an amused smile painting on his lips.

"On the contrary. I know what you could do to me. But I can't let you harm my only family." Monk Kyuhyun said with courage as he was thinking that this demonic man could be angelic with a smile on his face.

Xiah shook his head lightly. "You're going to be a loyal soldier one day."

"I hate war."

"Really foolish."

"But people like this one is a need in this world." Monk Sunho said, proud of this little boy who had grown up into a fine man.

"You're right. But those naïve lads could only defended themselves with difficulty against those power-angry men." Xiah replied walking to stand close to the poor monk who still feared for his life. "Hamingu tori is your Heoming beodeu in the language of the land of Yamato."

"Oh..." Monk Kyuhyun nodded. "And-"

Kyuhyun could not utter any words as Xiah had pressed his palm on his mouth while tilting his head slightly on his left as if he was trying to sense something in the air surrounding them. Soon, the man hid himself in a shift move behind a paper divider while Changmin pressed his finger on his lips asking his friend not to say a word.

Not long after, a knock was heard from the main doors of the room.

"Master Sunho. The Head Master asked for your presence." The voice of one of Monk Sunho's disciples said from the other side of the doors.

Master Sunho nodded.

And Changmin was the one who walked toward the doors and opened it to see the young monk Hyukjae bowing to him. "What is the reason of the convocation?" He asked his fellow friend quietly.

"It is about Yunho and the foundling boy." Hyukjae said.

"Tell them that master Sunho will not be long."

Monk Hyukjae bowed again before walking away from the room of his master. Changmin closed the two doors quietly and turned to look at his master with a questioning stare, while Xiah showed himself from his hiding place.

"What's going on?" The man was in his guards.

"You don't have to worry." The old monk said quietly. "Nothing will happen to your Hamingu tori."

"You know what will be your fate if you fail." Xiah replied in the same tone not showing how worry he was toward the young boy. The man had followed every trace left by Jaejoong and here he was. The foundling boy that the other monk had mentioned could only be his child. And he was going to do anything to make sure that nothing will happen to the boy. His promise to the child mother at her last time on Earth.

"I know. And I assure you. Nothing will happen to your boy." Master Sunho bowed to the demonic man and stood from his seat. "However, please do no