Yinyue Pond was farther than Huo Linghun had been made to believe. They had been traveling by foot for a very long time now, and as the days passed he noticed that Xiao Xin was slowing down. Today he looked very tired and a little flushed. When Huo Linghun felt his forehead it was hot. Perhaps this long journey had been a bit too much for him.

"You're sick," he said. "We should stop here until you get better."

Luckily there was town in sight, set in a sea of tall grass. When Xiao Xin realized they were going to the town he asked, "Can't we stay outside?"

"I know you prefer to stay outside, my Xiao Xin," Huo Linghun replied. "But it will be better for you if we stay inside."

Xiao Xin didn't have the energy to protest.

Once they got a room at an inn Huo Linghun tucked Xiao Xin into bed. "You rest and get better. I'll be right here if you need anything," he told him. Then he had a look around the room and noticed that not only was the town surrounded by tall grass, there were even pots of the same tall grass in their room. He looked out the window and saw it growing along the edges of the buildings, in baskets on the windows, in gardens lining the streets. What was so special about this grass?

He looked closer at the potted grass in their room and his eyes widened in realization. This wasn't grass- it was flowers. A whole town surrounded by, and filled with, unopened flowers. In his horror he had backed up into the bed and Xiao Xin asked, "Is something wrong?"

"They're flowers," Huo Linghun whispered. "It's spring..."

"Hmm?" Xiao Xin hummed in confusion. He didn't understand what Huo Linghun was on about.

Huo Linghun turned to him and said, "Once the flowers bloom, we'll be doomed."

Xiao Xin sat up in bed. "Is there something wrong with the flowers?"

Huo Linghun quickly guided him to lie back down. "Don't worry about it. You need to get better," he said.

"Oh! Bees!" Xiao Xin exclaimed.

"Where!?" Huo Linghun shouted, jumping and looking around nervously.

"You're afraid that bees will come when the flowers bloom," Xiao Xin said.

"Ah well... you just get better," Huo Linghun replied a bit sheepishly. "Maybe the flowers won't bloom for a while yet."

But he wouldn't get so lucky. The flowers opened up overnight and brought bees swarming through the town, just as he'd feared. Huo Linghun spent their stay hiding under the blanket, only braving the outside to take care of Xiao Xin. Xiao Xin spent their stay comforting Huo Linghun, and when he got better he still couldn't keep up, for Huo Linghun dashed out of the town at full speed.