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RENSHEN'S POV

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"Ignoring me?" I asked with my palm on Han. He hadn't responded when I called for him and now I couldn't feel his presence at all within his body. "If you don't come out now, I'll pour a thousand termites on you before I have someone cut you down for firewood. Though I'm not sure how much can come out from your skinny body."

Silence.

"This is your last cha-"

His phantom body appeared before me...kneeling.

Before speaking, Han kowtowed and smacked his head on the ground. If he were in a human body, that would have left a concussion and a terrible wound.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I...I got frightened when they came and cowered instead of helping them. I know you're disappointed in me, Master. You can throw me in a termite hole, make it the deepest."

All this while, he didn't look up. He just kept his head on the hard ground while apologizing.

What was this? I hadn't even told him I was mad at him. "Han? What are you talking about? Get up."

"N...no. I deserve this and much more for my cowardice, Master. If only I was half as courageous as Clay, they might not have been hurt."

Of course, he'd show his stubbornness just when I wanted to get some rest after all I had been through.

"Very well then." I walked past him, deciding to let him kneel for as long as he wanted. I was in no mood to soothe a spoiled little immature spirit.

Had I not told him to get up?

"Master!" He suddenly grabbed my leg and hugged it. "Tell me I'm a coward. Tell me you hate me."

I knew what he wanted to hear and it was the complete opposite of what he was uttering. If he was looking for someone to comfort him, then I was definitely not that person today.

"You 'are' a coward Han. Happy? Now let go."

"No Master, please don't hate me. I'll do better next time. I'll protect what you care for even if it means giving up my-"

"Okay, okay. Could you now let go of my leg? I want to rest."

"Then, then tell me you don't hate-"

"Enough!" I heard myself yell, but then realized that I had startled Han who was just being his usual childish self.

'Argh! This is damn annoying. Should I kick him out or move out myself?'

Probably the latter because Han was yet to transform.

I didn't think I had any more patience to deal with his behavior. I had never been good with children to begin with. And Han was just a child in a teenage appearance. He was probably more childish than the twins who were the youngest of my disciples.

"I didn't blame you for anything Han. So could you please stop with all the drama? I promise I'll help you find a way to transform quickly so that you can learn useful skills to help you protect the sect. Is that okay? Can I go to sleep now?"

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Nodding frantically, Han smiled. "You're the best, Master. I'll work hard to deserve your love."

What was he on about? I just wanted to sleep. And maybe a bath too. Thankfully, there was a pool in the backyard; all I needed to do was warm the water and soak up my body for hours. That would help me fight off the fatigue that had filled my muscles.

Using qi wasn't as easy as I had thought or as these cultivators made it look. It did leave the body thoroughly exhausted. And since I wasn't advancing in levels like the others, my mortal body needed rest when it could.

With the assurance of Xian aiding in keeping the sect safe, I allowed myself to enjoy the warm bath, using the black fireballs floating above the surface of the water to keep it warm throughout.

But just as my heavy eyelids were closing, I sensed the sudden intrusion of Xian around the pool. It stepped into my line of sight amidst the steam that had now fogged the area.

"What do you think you're doing?" I questioned glaring in its direction.

"I have never touched...hot water," Xian admitted walking into the pool uninvited. As soon as its body came in contact with the water, a gush of steam shot into the air, startling Xian to a gasp. "It feels," it paused to play with the water, swinging its hands but with an indifferent expression still on, "different. I feel like my skin is about to melt yet I want to stay regardless. Is this how you feel as well?"

"No. Because I do not have a cold body."

"What does your body feel like?"

The question made me frown looking away. Why was no one in this damned sect not giving me a break?

The sun had already set, making me believe that nobody would disturb me. Yet here I was with another being I had brought with me out of the 'goodness' of my heart.

"Get out."

"What is your name?" it asked, ignoring my command.

"That is Master to you. A dog doesn't need to know the name of its owner."

"I demand to be respected like any other living being. I may be different from you, but I still wish to live a normal life."

"Look, Xian. Not that I don't respect you, actually I don't, but the point is, I need to be alone. Could you now-"

It vanished, only to appear right in front of me. How it had caught me off guard? Well, that could be explained by its lack of a soul and its superb teleporting ability while erasing its breath. Just like it had back in the cave.

"Is it because of my appearance? Should I change the color of my skin to match yours? Or is it because you prefer my feminine form?" Before I could answer, it had changed both color and gender, but the little details were still lacking.

Annoyed, I pushed it to the side but it grabbed my hand and twisted to my back before turning my body and smacking my face on the ground close to the edge of the pool. I had almost forgotten about its strength. 'Should I just crash the pendant? That will be easier and less time-consuming than engaging it in a fight.'

"I have no intentions of changing myself to please you," it said, its voice both manly and feminine.

"I never asked you-" My roots came to snake around his whole body, making certain that I had it under my control, "-to change yourself. I don't care about the color or your gender. If you're not useful to me, I'll either destroy or throw you away."

Opening a portal behind it, I turned around massaging my wrist. "Don't mistake my laziness for weakness, Xian. I have the pendant, which is your heart. Even if you can withstand the pain of my curse, you cannot survive without the pendant. Now off you go."

"Wai-"

I sent it through the portal, covering it with a protective barrier while transporting it in the ruins.

To keep it fully away from me, I put up a bigger barrier that encompassed my whole room. Neither Xian nor Han would pass through it. They were both equally irritating.

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3RD POV

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Xu'er felt the barrier appear outside the room Liuyue had pointed at Ren's.

She peeked from her window, curious why he needed it at this time of the night. While she stared at his room, she caught the shadow walking past his window inside which was bare of clothes. She knew she should look away, but her curiosity got the better of her, pushing her to blow out the light in her room with a breath of her qi to avoid being spotted.

After her background was sorted, she rushed back to her window to continue peeking but was disappointed to find that Ren had already put out the lights in his room as well, and there was nothing to peep at.

"Hello?" Liuyue whispered before Xu'er could spot her standing behind the slightly open window. "Are you spying on Master?"

"Liuyue! No, no! You misunderstand."

"But, I saw you looking at his room. Do you like him?" she asked, thrilled while shoving her presence before Xu'er, who was flushing red from the embarrassment of being caught.

Pulling the window fully open, Liuyue hopped inside and sat on it to leave her legs dangling in the air. "Since you've been good to us, I'll tell you a little secret."

A flicker of interest flashed in Xu'er's eyes as she anticipated the secret, strongly hoping that it had to do with Ren's void ability.

"What secret?"

Liuyue leaned down to Xu'er's ear to whisper, "Master isn't interested in anyone. Not now, and not in the future. You should look for someone else to like. Wu Tao is quite handsome. Why don't you pick him?"

Xu'er tried to hide her disappointment as she took a step back and saluted formally.

"You misunderstand, Liuyue. I'd like to go to sleep now if you don't mind."

Liuyue giggled jumping to the floor. With a snap of her finger, the lanterns lit up in a warm golden fire that illuminated every inch and corner of the room, leaving Xu'er baffled. "If Master was to like anyone, then that person would have to be quite special and astounding in their cultivation."