The young woman walked with grace and determination, her long hair swishing in the air as she walked through the university's paths. All Chan Lee could do was follow the woman, Ning Bi.

She was one of the people in Zhao's group of friends—oftentimes, well a bit recently rather, she'd been giving her cold stares. It was enough to send shudders through her spine.

Now that she could hear her heartbeat slow down, she stared at the girl's back. Could she possibly know about Zhao's secret?

They'd really get themselves into trouble if Ning Bi realizes that not only did Hua Zhao hide something from her, that there were also spirits. It still gave Chan Lee a headache.

Not only were the cultivators, spirits and—

The sound of cackling rang into her ears.

"Chan Lee?" Ning Bi's voice was flat but it managed to pull her attention away. "What are you freezing there for? Do you really have no interest in hearing what they'll talk about?"

"I-It feels kind of wrong eavesdropping doesn't it?" She managed a self-depreciating chuckle.

Ning Bi had begun walking away again, "It matters to me not if you follow or don't follow."

She groaned inwardly and followed after the girl. "What are you so interested in knowing by listening in on a private conversation?"

"Who are you?" Ning Bi stopped to give her another unnerving stare.

"We've been classmates for the past year now..."

Ning Bi merely raised a brow. "I did not notice, but I'm specifically asking what's so special about you that Zhao would leave us at a drop of a hat?"

She felt her face heat up. "I'm nothing special." It had only been Xue's aura or something that had caught Zhao's attention…

"You're obnoxiously trying to be humble. I'll learn of the reason another way if I must." Ning Bi walked off. Yet again.

What was wrong with the girl? She was more friendly with her friends—and even more so with Zhao. Why was she being given a cold shoulder? "Do you like Hua Zhao?"

Ning Bi stumbled for a moment, before turning to her. "What makes you say that?"

Chan Lee blinked. Really?

. . .

If there was anything that Hua Zhao was grateful for at the moment, it would be that Chan Lee had left. Eyeing the two individuals who were still unnervingly silent was difficult. Who knew that he had to deal with something like this, again?

Still, it really wasn't his place to deal with.

He wasn't even supposed to be here—it was the business of two spiritual beings. Something that often upturned mountains and brought earth-shattering tremors and thunderclouds to appear.

But, at least for Chan Lee's sake, he had to ensure that this 'Xue' stayed unharmed.

Seriously, all the things that he was doing for her.

"Ahem?" He looked at the two of them. One had fiery orange hair while the other had snowy white one, it was an oddly comparative scheme. Fire and Ice. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we don't have much time." He glanced behind him, five storeys above the ground. They were on the rooftop for seclusion and also for precaution.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He could tell that Xue couldn't probably hurt a fly, but the other one before him was unpredictable. Even with his faint qi-sensing skills of late, it was easy to get a high reading from the spirit in front of him.

"I really have nothing much to say—at least with the presence of a human." This Kit spoke up with a disgusted look. "But how are you?" His voice was no less harsh, but the look in his eyes was a bit more softer.

"U-Uh… shouldn't it be, who are you, first?" Xue gave a sheepish smile. "I don't exactly recall who you are."

A tsk left the lips of the spirit, "My, my—" He shook his head. "I suppose you are surprised with my current form as of today, unlike you who was simply sent to the moon and immediately gained a human form. Somebody had done their hard work for countless centuries to earn their nine-tails."

Zhao's composure broke for a moment. "Nine tails?"

"Yes, you belligerent being." The spirit gave him a cold smile. "I hope now you could treat me with more reverence suiting a creature like myself."

Hua Zhao bowed his head for a moment and bit back a curse. If this person was truly a nine-tailed beast, then this 'Xue's own acclaim of being the Moon—he paused and looked up with a smile. "It would certainly be an entertaining challenge to be able to fight you. I believe you have heard of me before."

"Amateur, there were thousands upon thousands cultivators with talents like yours in times of the past." The fox creature looked a bit spiteful. "I have no interest in petty—"

Xue finally looked up with widened eyes. "Huli?"

"Huli Jing." Kit corrected, somewhat begrudgingly. "I have nine-tails now, stupid Tuzi."

Xue immediately bounced towards the fox, closing the distance. "Where's Hou? Ta? How are they?" He asked eagerly. "It's so great to see you, again!"

"It's quite apparent that you were more eager to hear about the other two." Kit rolled his eyes. "I should have known."

"Awww, don't get jealous! I missed you too."

. . .

Ning Bi went up the flight of stairs without much of a fuss. Chan Lee on the other hand, she was trying to not pass out. "H-Hey, slow down. I can't keep up with you."

How was she so energetic?

Ning Bi simply gave her a look and then continued climbing up the stairs. "Then stay there."

"Geez." Chan Lee muttered and catched her breath for a moment. Somehow, she was wondering if Ning Bi also happened to be someone like Zhao, a martial artist or some cultivator. But if that had been the case, she wouldn't have been questioning Zhao's spending time with her earlier.

After what seemed like a lifetime, she made her way to the open door of the rooftop, Ning Bi nowhere in sight. So they really weren't going to eavesdrop but confront them? Chan Lee wasn't sure what to expect when she stepped on the rooftop.

It felt almost nostalgic.

Instead of the dark skies and falling stars, she met the skies of blue filled with fluffy white clouds. It was a lovely sight.

"Oh, look who couldn't resist herself and came to get me herself." Kit greeted her at once, leaning against the balcony along with Xue. "You missed a lot."

Xue's attention shifted away from Kit to her. "Miss Chan Lee." He had a little frown on his face before it vanished too quickly that perhaps she had imagined it. "I suppose you have already met my dear friend, Huli. We go a long way back. I'm glad that the two of you already get along~"

She managed a smile. "So you two were really friends, I'm glad."

"I wasn't lying at all." Kit rolled his eyes. "How distrustful."

"Ning Bi, I thought I said that the conversation was supposed to be males-only. You even dragged Chan Lee along." Zhao rubbed his face tiredly. He was situated a bit farther than the two, as if he was completely out of the conversation.

Out of the three males, he seemed to be the one who looked actually stressed. A bit frazzled even… but there were no signs of a fight or anything.

She inwardly sighed in relief.

And a thought crossed through her head. Now that Xue had found his friend… would he be going away with him? It made sense that he would, it was better for him to stay with someone who could help him or at least knew the situation better.

That made perfect sense, right?

"Miss Chan Lee?" A hand waved over her face and she grabbed his wrist. Xue's wrist, it felt small and blithe like a baby's soft skin or a porcelain doll's elegant craftsmanship.

"Hmm?" She hadn't touched him in a long time… well in five days. Not that she was thinking of feeling him up or anything—but she had carried him down from her aparment's rooftop and felt his figure lean against her body. She had brushed and pulled up his hair, watched his face light up as she let him use her phone. The way he smiled appreciatively as he asked her about the modern world they were now living in. The sound of his soft murmurings and snores when she woke up during the mornings. The way he welcomed her when she returned from outside and it felt like home.

"—You're spacing out." Xue's voice brought her out of her reverie. "Are you alright?"

She felt her face heat up, something warm pricking her eyes. Her throat felt stuffy and she turned away. "Just got tired from climbing up the stairs. I...I think I'm late to class. I'll see—bye." She made her way back down the stairs without another word.

Chan Lee wiped her nose and continued her descent from the rooftop. She was stupid, so stupid. Why was she getting emotional? It hadn't even been a week since their meeting.

So what was this crushing feeling in her chest?