These words sounded clear, resounding across the interest as they drew people's attention. They stared at the young man and uncle and then the young girl standing in front of them.

"Who knew that the Fu Clan would fall so low? Bullying a little girl?" One of them sneered, unmistakable disdain on his face.

"The girl's quite gutsy, daring to put Fu Qian in his place." Another praised.

Words of mockery sounded from the various cultivators in the restaurant. Most people who could afford to eat from the restaurant either had a good backing or were mercenaries that feared nothing.

"Do you know of the Fu Clan?" He asked, clenching his teeth. He decided to ignore the people surrounding him and only focused on her, ready to strike at any moment.

She shook her head and returned a question to him, "Do you know the Lei Clan?" He warily nodded.

"I know about them too." She smiled, showing her pearly teeth. He did not know what she meant by that but did not dare take any chances.

"Rascal!" He scolded, "I thought some elder bullied you! Are you really complaining about a girl younger than you? Do you expect me to fight your peers for you?!"

Righteous anger filled his face as he wrenched Fu Qian's ear, causing his already ugly face to twist in pain. His gaze then coldly swept over Xue Yueliang before heading out to leave, not saying another word.

Watching them depart, she could not help but laugh, wondering what Fu Qian had expected to happen. Within this city, they could not attack her, and as she was both young and a girl, public sentiment would always be on her side, regardless of whether she was in the right or not. Of course, if they were stronger than everyone present, they could ignore that, but they weren't.

Did they expect such a weak display to fill me with fear? Pathetic. She silently cursed, walking back to her companions.

"Should we get going?" Lei Jian asked. They had already eaten their fill, and Li Hua was already half asleep, so they might as well rest for the rest of the evening.

"Yeah." Xue Yueliang called the waiter over and paid her bill, giving him a mid-grade spirit stone as a tip, for which he profusely thanked her. The duo hesitantly looked at Li Hua and wondered what to do with her. They did not feel they were close enough to carry her around, did not wish to get rid of the alcohol, nor could they leave her here.

"I'll book her to an inn," Xue Yueliang sighed. It was inappropriate for Lei Jian to do this, and she did not want to hear her grumbling as soon as she became sober. She smoothly picked her up in a princess carry, carrying her out of the store. This sight looked comical as Li Hua was taller than her, making the scene look unnatural, and Lei Jian stood there, sticking out like a sore thumb. What was surprising to Xue Yueliang was that although Li Hua was muscular and appeared to be heavy, she was much lighter than she anticipated.

"Liang'er, your hair is so pretty..." Li Hua foolishly giggled in her half-asleep state. "My hair's better, though." She gleefully laughed, causing black lines to form on Xue Yueliang's forehead. "Just sleep." She answered coldly, then remembered Jiu Ling.

Is she awake now? She wondered. Was she still okay after all this time? Or has she perhaps gone mad? A curious smile appeared on her face, and although it seemed harmless, it caused a chill to pass through Lei Jian.

As Xue Yueliang walked down the street, she noticed many gazes focussing on her, which bothered her as she did not like the feeling of being watched. Thankfully, the inn was only about a li away, making it so that she quickly reached inside.

"We would like three rooms, please." Lei Jian asked as soon as he entered.

He noticed how annoyed Xue Yueliang was by this whole ordeal and wanted this to be over quickly for her.

"Three rooms?" The man at the register was stunned by their sudden entry, but before he could reply, his gaze landed on the two women beside him. He thought that the two of them were beautiful, but since he was not carrying the sleeping woman, it meant he did not reach that stage with them yet.

Let me help you, little brother. He thought, thinking that he was doing him some great favour.

"We only have one room left, Young Noble," He began apologetically. "The beast tide has finally retreated, and many have come to visit the Misty Mountains. We don't have many rooms left."

"Oh," Lei Jian said disappointedly, about to leave the inn.

What are you doing, little brother?! I created this opportunity for you, don't lose it. He screamed inwardly, but nothing showed on his face.

"Let's just stay here," Xue Yueliang sighed.

She did not wish to continue parading Li Hua around the city and did not care much about sharing a room.

It looks like she's the big sister of the duo. He sneakily smiled, proud of her decision.

"Just remember to bring us three cultivation mats." She said dryly, picked up their room's key and headed forward to their assigned room.

"Of course!" He. cheerfully said, looking at the Lei Jian, who was tagging behind, waiting for the generous tip that awaited him. To his dismay, Lei Jian - who had not noticed his expression - only paid the room's fares, not adding even a breadcrumb for him.

Perhaps he'll give me my tip later, he comforted himself.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The room they entered was spacious, with a giant bed taking over half the space. Xue Yueliang gently placed Li Hua on her bed, covering her with the drapes, and at the same moment, maids came in with their cultivation mats. Xue Yueliang quietly placed her mat in one corner of the room and began cultivating, not bothering with the strange atmosphere created by Li Hua's snoring.

Not even a few breaths later. she was interrupted by a voice calling onto her, "Yueliang..." Lei Jian called out, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Yueliang," he repeated again, his gaze not focused on her but eerily felt like he was staring into her soul.

"Yes?" She patiently asked.

He walked forward and sat across from her, gently placing his hand on her cheek. She looked into his face and noticed his flushed face and the strong smell of alcohol that he reeked out. He was drunk. He was just better at hiding it.

His hand softly caressed her face, and she could clearly feel the calluses that formed on his hands due to his increased sword training. "Yueliang, I'm sorry you got hurt."

"It was not your fault." She comforted.

"Yueliang, I'll make sure you never get hurt again."

"I don't need your protection."

He did not reply to her, only staring at her. He was not talking to her but talking at her. His warm hands trailed down her cheek, landing on her neck and finally reaching her collarbone. She felt a tingling sensation from his touch and was overwhelmed by the fiery gaze in his eyes. She sighed as she moved his hand away from her, and the feelings she had bottled up in her heart threatened to escape. Childhood love was not as easy to escape from as she had thought.

"You really do not need me." He said, tears streaming down his face. The last time she had seen him cry like this was when Lei Chi had proposed to her. At that time, he begged his brother to leave her alone, promising to not pursue her and even kneeling to him. He knew that Lei Chi was never really interested in her, and he only wanted to use her to torment him. In the end, it was all for nought because her father had sided with her.

"I couldn't even be by your side even when you were in a desperate situation, a situation that was caused by me. I'm useless to the one person I care for, so what am I cultivating for?" He whispered, his voice showing he was clearly not in a good mental space. The instabilities in his mood affected his qi, showing clear marks of him losing control, and it felt like he had lost his path.

This led to Xue Yueliang finally understanding where the problem lay. Unlike her, he was truly alone in this world, as both of his parents died when he was young, leaving only him in this world and at the mercy of the people who wished to take over his father's legacy.

His father was the previous patriarch of the Lei Clan, and after his and his wife's death, he was never even treated the way a proper heir of the Lei Clan deserved to be treated. He was suppressed at every end as his relatives feared he would take the power they had gone accustomed to, and only after he cut ties with the clan did they dare to try and kill him.

He did not have a master or a place to call home, and his own relatives had chased him away, aiming for his life. In this world, the only person he had was her. She was his determination to live and grow stronger. If he could not even protect her, then what was the point of his life? What happened in the dungeon did not only shake his confidence; it also destroyed his conviction.

How perfect. She smiled chillingly, looking colder than the moon that stood proudly in the sky.

"To obtain what you want." She said, finally answering his question. Though using him did not sit well with her, there was more at stake than her misguided morals.

"We all cultivate to get what we went. Whether it be power, immortality, beauty, or many lovers, you cultivate to get what you want."

"What if all I want is you?" He asked, the passion in his eyes evident, almost melting the walls that she had formed around her but she steeled herself.

"Then be powerful enough to obtain my heart."

He carefully examined her face, the perfect arch of her nose, and his gaze finally focussed on her flower petal lips. He leaned forward, gently bringing her face closer to his and his lips perfectly sealed hers. He kissed her, almost fervently, but still somehow afraid she would disappear. The rioting emotions in his eyes calmed down, and quiet serenity returned to his eyes, suppressing the heart devil he was about to form. Seeing he had calmed down, she caused him to collapse and placed his head on her lap. She did not understand why people drank, as it only left them defenceless and at other people's mercy.

"Master, can you seal his memories from this evening?" She asked.

She only wanted to calm the emotions that formed in his heart and had no interest in giving him any hope. Besides, if she could unseal these memories at an opportune time, it would be a great boon to her.

"Don't you think he is pitiable?"

"If he is what you say he is, this little bit is nothing compared to the misery awaiting him. I'm only planting an escape route for myself."

Someone who has a fate greater than hers was bound to suffer more than her in life, and she was much aware of the despair she had faced.

She softly patted his long hair, whispering, "Do not blame me when the time comes."

"It's done." Her master said, startling her from her thoughts.

"Master, did you know before Lei Chi had managed to catch me, I was thinking of asking you whether you wanted to take Lei Jian as a disciple. Although I wouldn't say I am a genius, I'm not so dumb that I hadn't seen through your ploys. When I died in your mystical realm, there was a different reason why you did not save me other than testing my fate. You were interested in Lei Jian and reasoned that he would come to retrieve my corpse, which would be a perfect time for you to meet him. I had never said anything about it, but after you saved me, I realised you had hedged all your bets on me, and it was already too late to separate our fates."

She sighed at the end of her words. It was much too late for her to back down now. "Master, who are your enemies?" She had noticed her master reacting to the temples Li Hua had mentioned but did not know which one it was. At least that meant his enemies were not secluded from the world as that would make it inconvenient for her to avenge him.

"Which temple do you think?" He asked, trying to maintain his usual teasing tone, but some of his anger still slipped through.

It was not hard for him to notice Xue Yueliang's minor change in her attitude, nor did he expect to perfectly hide his intentions from her. There was a reason he favoured after all. However, the mention of his enemies superseded any other thoughts he could have about this matter, and a zealous rage filled his heart.

Xue Yueliang thought and answered, "The Immortal Mother's Temple?"

She knew nothing about the Immortal Mother's Temple and decided to pin the blame on them; even if she was wrong, it was not like she would lose anything.

"Why do you say so?" "You seem too open-minded for someone born in this world, and that would only make sense if you were accustomed to seeing things that weren't within the norm."

"I know you're bluffing," he rolled his eyes in annoyance, but his voice had relaxed. "You just don't know anything about them."

She had already let him access her memories from her previous life and knew that Buddhists existed in her world too. "You're right, though." He sighed, "It's thanks to those old crones from the Immortal Mother's Temple that I had ended up in this state."

"Master, I promise to avenge you as soon as I get powerful enough." Xue Yueliang promised as it was about time she declared her position clearly. "But before then, how can you regain your strength."

If Yao Ming continued in this state, it would not be long before his soul dissipated, dying truly.

"Haa..." He sighed, louder than usual, startling Xue Yueliang as the hand playing with Lei Jian's hair stiffened. "I'm a dead man. There's no need to worry about me."

A bad feeling filled her heart as she urgently asked, "What do you mean by that?"