《I Slipped into Another World and Became this Demonic Guy's Pet》


 Betrayal

    Slam! Sploosh!


    Falling from a cliff a body slammed into the icy rushing waters below. The body, a woman, squeezed her eyes shut against the icy shock. A feeling of bitterness surrounded her heart as she watched red tendrils of her life''s essence float around her. For a brief moment, she considered consigning herself to fate, to let the river''s current carry her as it willed and to do with her as it willed.


    The thought left as quickly as it had come. Limbs working urgently, she forced her head above water to take in a gasping breath of air. Her lungs ached as it filled with the stuff. Though her swimming ability was pretty good, her right shoulder that had been shot ached and refused to work properly. It took everything she had to keep her head afloat!


    That damnable, two-faced jackal! She thought as she struggled. If I survive this, I''ll revenge on him so hard he''ll rue the fact that he didn''t make sure of my death!


    She, Nastasia Mischaevna Vasiliev ¨C a jack of all trades ¨C moved from one venture to next once boredom struck. A fatal flaw that prevented her from mastering any one thing. It had been because of this flaw that she suddenly found an interest in hunting down ancient relics. Studying everything that she could get her hands on, she quite easily immersed herself in the needed knowledge. Moving from one excavation site to next, she naturally met many in the field and from among those many... was a wretched snake.


    That man, Klaus Wolf, had approached her like a harmless house pet seeking praise and attention. Whenever he made even the slightest discovery he would come, wagging his metaphorical tail, to show it off and garner her admiration. He always made it a point to force his way into her excavation team, appointing himself as her personal assistant, catering to her every whim. Though his over the top actions rose alarm bells in her mind -especially considering the sensitivity of her work- apparently her cautions against him hadn''t been cautious enough.


    He had followed after her an entire year without giving away any hint toward his true intentions... there had also been times when she had considered herself to be overreacting. Therefore, as she struggled against the rough currents for the shore, she was caught between self-loathing and patching her damaged heart in excuses. Unfortunately, she had never been one to clutch to crutches and thus self-blame won out. It fueled her desire to strive forward and smack that bastard ten times harder!


    As her persistence won out and she crawled up the sandy shore by pure will alone, her heart ached over all that had been lost. The months of research, the efforts of excavating one site after another, and the discoveries made after finally grasping on to what she had been so painstakingly searching for... had been viciously ripped so cruelly from her hands.


    She made fists in the wet dirt as she grits her teeth.


    That tablet -among other items- proved her thoughts toward an unknown civilization that been made upon her first discovery. The scrolls she had found during a spelunking venture in Russia pulled her away from that and into her current fancy. Deciphering the text had been an exciting puzzle. To continue finding the pieces she had invested much of her saved funds, as well as worked hard at convincing others to invest.


    All the hard work she put in had been swept away in but a single moment.


    "Oh ho, Klaus Wolf... when I pull myself from this mess I''m coming for you! I should still have some favors left in the underworld, just wait!"

 Leads To...

    With difficulty, Nastasia pushed herself to a tottering stand and unsteadily followed along the river. She remembered reading once that a person can''t go wrong following a river when trying to find civilization. When she had fallen from the cliff she had been at the border between Russia and China, chased quite a way from the excavation site. It was hard to say which side of the border she had fallen, but she prayed that if it was the Chinese they''d understand her plight and not detain her. The thought of running into a Chinese border patrol, after it had come, left Nastasia uneasy. Especially since the words she knew were but a mere handful.


    Her regrets at not choosing to learn Chinese during the year she obsessed over languages, soared. Within the confines of her mind, thinking of this and that and berating herself over this and that, she almost walked past a well-beaten path. Halting abruptly, she walked backward a few steps to peer down its depths and began to consider her options. She moved to cross her arms in deep thought as she usually did when mulling over things.


    Sting!


    Wincing at the painful reminder, her gaze shifted right, toward her dangling arm. Blood spidered down the length and dripped from her fingertips. A trail of blood marked her path in even splotching drips. The notice made her light-headed and almost brought with it a feeling of the ground rising up to meet her face.


    No!


    She rejected it. Nastassia forced her body to remain upright and refused to give into the feeling of fainting. She took a deep breath and once she was collected enough; she turned down the well-beaten path. She felt that there would be a better chance at finding a person, town, or someone''s home going down this way. The path looked so well traveled it surely saw enough traffic that it was bound to lead to somewhere bustling... or so she hoped, anyway.


    With the sun beating at her back, her injury pulsing painfully, and her feet aching with every hard-fought step it felt an eternity of walking before Nastassia came across people. Her heart was jumping for joy and there was almost a spring in her step as she hurried forward. It was for this reason that she did not notice the oddities about the town ahead. The buildings were decidedly Asian and had the feeling of an ancient city. The people milling about were dressed up kinda like a wuxia film...


    A film... is this a large set for a movie? Nastassia couldn''t help but wonder.


    As she walked through the threshold, many eyes found purchase upon her body, piling upon her many types of odd looks. Again, because of her excitement at having finally found another living person, she rushed towards them without really paying attention to her surroundings. She didn''t notice the fear and suspicion displayed so clearly on their faces.


    Lifting her uninjured arm, she waved down the nearest one, hoping that -even if he couldn''t speak English- she''d be able to communicate with him efficiently. "Do you speak English? Can you understand me?" She asked. "Do you have a cellphone... or a smartphone I could borrow?"


    In many of the languages she learned -for items like these- the English words, or a form of it, was used. She hoped that such words were used by the Chinese as well. Though, even if that were the case, it would be difficult to prove that she wasn''t a suspicious person being limited to such words.


    The man backed up as if she were a leper. His eyes widened in fear and his mouth shouted out words in another language, words she didn''t know. They were words in Chinese, which she stupidly put off learning. Again she felt her heart aching in regret. She was definitely going to take the time to learn Chinese once she made it out of this mess.


    After his shouting, the rest of the passerby on the street -as if suddenly coming back to themselves- followed his example and moved well away from her. The women shuddered, the children began crying and the men looked ready to start getting rough. Left bewildered by such strong reactions, Nastassia spoke as slowly and calmly as possible as she looked about in hopes of one of them being able to understand her.


    The moment she took a step forward she found herself sucking in a painful breath as someone from the crowd launched a rock at her right shoulder. The pain that had numbed during her long walk began to flare again. It was nearly unbearable. Beads of sweat formed upon her brow and trailed downward as her face twisted against the pain.


    "ÃÔ·°É,¶ñħ!(Get lost, you demon!)"


    More shouts rose from the crowd after that and many things ¨C rocks mostly- came hurtling towards her. Her body was more robust than most and had been tempered by the martial arts her grandfather forced her to learn for protection, yet it didn''t seem to amount to much under the restraints of her heavily injured body. It took everything she had to sidestep the thrown objects, with more than one successfully hitting the mark.


    Just as she was going to make a full turnabout and head out of the village, perhaps find her way back over the Russian/ China border, a heavy clanking came to interrupt the thought. Pressing through the riled up crowd was a group of heavily armored soldiers wielding long and jaggedly pointed spears. There was a middle-aged, pot-bellied townsperson leading the way, a finger thrust toward her direction as he cried out.


    "ËýÔÚÄDZß! ºìħÔÚÄıß! (She''s over there! The Red Demon is over there!)"


    The soldiers poured in as the crowd opened up to allow them through. Nastassia felt her breath catch in her throat in fear as they filed in around her, spears pointed out, ready to pierce. She held her left hand up placatingly, the right refused to budge and dangled at her side uselessly.


    "M-Might any of you know English?" She asked politely and even added in a gentle smile.


    Only to be rewarded with a spear jabbed toward her face by the head soldier and roughly spat out words. She didn''t need to know what was said to understand that he was wanting her to comply and turn herself in. She looked at the townspeople dressed in ancient-looking clothes and then toward the soldiers decked head to toe in armor, carrying both spear and sword.


    There was only one decision she could reach while facing this situation.


    Run!

 Becoming a Pet

    She needed to get away from this town. Going with them wouldn''t result in anything good. She felt like rather than getting help and a way home, they''d just do away with her and be done with it. The eyes of the soldiers were frost bitingly cold and screamed out a murderous promise she had no desire to test.


    Spinning around, she tried to flee the way she had come, only to be blocked by a viciously thrusted spear. It was by sheer force of will, and perhaps a bit of luck, that she was able to sidestep it and head off successfully in another direction. Unfortunately, the only way she could run did not lead out of the town.


    As Nastasia ran, overcome with the familiarity of pressing on even though her body didn''t want to, she was grateful for her time in Track and Field. If it hadn''t been for her brother appearing as if he enjoyed himself crazily while doing it, she probably never would have signed up for it in high school. After having kept with it until she graduated, her body didn''t feel right unless she ran at least a few time a week. She was quite fit.


    However, even with all that, her body was immensely tired and her wound pulsated pain every time her foot crushed the ground in her desperate run; draining her vitality even more. She wanted to find a place to pause and catch her breath. Yet, with the clanking of the soldiers at her back drawing closer, she didn''t dare. As she ran, she would put herself through tight squeezes that were hard to follow her through in order to gain distance. She considered even knocking over food carts, merchant stalls, or even creating disturbances with the horses she found tied up here or there.


    She didn''t dare!


    The thought of having to compensate for the damages if she were to get caught left her head spinning and her heart beating madly out of fright. After this current venture of hers, with the amount of money she threw into it, she barely had a dime to her name. Where would she find the money to pay after getting caught? Well, at least when the townspeople got a glimpse of her, they shouted and ran making it a bit difficult for the soldiers to get by. When she looked back once she caught sight of a soldier roughly shoving a pedestrian to the ground that had gotten in the way.


    Though she ran valiantly, and though she ran desperately, she might be destined for Chinese prisons. Her body was becoming sluggish the more prolonged her mad dash to escape became. She honestly felt, even if she forced it, her body would give out long before she found a way out of this crazy town that looked a throwback to some ancient time drama.


    It may not have been the smartest move, but she panicked when faced with soldiers suddenly appearing ahead of her. There was a very large structure nearby -perhaps a home- with its gates left open. As she ran through she was met with an overgrown courtyard. The trees were left to grow wild, branches hanging every which way, the grass went to her knees, and the flowers and bushes were placed with no rhyme or reason.


    Further in, set up by a well-kept pond, was a sight that froze Nastasia into a standstill.


    Draped across a couch, as though having no worldly cares, was a white-robed man, eating dark grapes. His facial features were sharp and the skin that peeked from his gaping robe was toned, causing her to suspect the clothing to be hiding some decent abs. Her fingers twitched at the thought of wanting to touch. His long tapered fingers picked a grape up from the tray and took a bite. His tongue peeked from thin lips to lap at the juice that trailed down the corner of his mouth.


    Her breath hitched, and her heartbeat quickened, as her eyes followed his tongue.


    This man was decadent sin, itself! Simply demonic! How dare this guy drape himself about, tempting innocent girls into sin!


    Clank, clank, clank!


    Her body jumped in shock and her eyes widened in fear. That man was dangerous! He stole her soul and made her forget she was being chased to death. However, even if he were a demonic creature, he was better than the murderous soldiers.


    Striding forward, she begged him earnestly. "I don''t know if you can understand what I''m saying, but please let me hide here. Don''t tell them I came this way." With a nod in his direction, she moved to find a good place to hide.


    Before she even took a step his hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her on to his lap. Startled she looked up at him, ready to fight her way out if need be. Yet such thoughts choked up before they could even be realized. She had never seen such a pretty eye before. Her fingers reached up to touch it in wonder. This enchanting man sported one eye that was a dark inky ebony and one that was a clear, clean, and beautiful ruby.


    "Beautiful..." she breathed.


    The man caught her hand right before her fingertips made contact. His brow wrinkled as if he were trying to grasp at something. His gaze shifted from her face to somewhere off to the side. His head tilted and his lips drew to a deep frown and then pinched in annoyance.


    Huh? Did she do something to offend this demonic beauty? She couldn''t recall it, but it left her worried. After all, she had just been attacked by the locals and chased by spear carting soldiers. If this beauty decided to turn on her, there wasn''t much she could do. Her body was already beyond the limit it could handle.


    The Demonic Beauty gave a sharp curt nod before he again came to focus on her. That eye was really beautiful, but she had no time to fully admire it. Although that was true she was once again thwarted in her attempt to pull away. Instead, she was made to lay with him against the couch, draped just as lazily as she had first seen him.


    One arm snaked around her waist to hold her in place while another reached over to grab a grape. He then placed it at her lips. Startled, Nastasia''s eyes flew up to his, only to receive a sultry half grin and an insisting gaze.


    Hey, hey... just what is this guy wanting to do!? She felt her face heat up over the intimate actions. She really wanted to ask, but there was no way they''d understand one another even if she tried.


    Definitely, once she was through with all of this, she was going to take up learning Chinese. Never had she felt so helpless in her life!


    Clank, clank, clank.


    The soldiers came piling in, though they held a more subdued air compared to the outright murderous intent when they had been chasing her. The same soldier that had demanded -or at least she believed so- her surrender stepped forward. He glanced at her with a vicious gaze before turning to look at the demonic beauty that held her captive. He knelt on one knee and cupped his fists, speaking a few words. The soldiers at his back followed suit and silently mimicked the head soldier.


    The enchantingly beautiful man paid the soldier no mind, treating his existence as air. Instead, he continued to coax her into eating the grape he held at her lips.


    Suddenly enlightened, Nastasia felt that perhaps this demonic guy was trying to help her out of this mess. Slanting a glance at the kneeling soldiers and their air of apprehension, it was easy to see that this sinful beauty was of a higher status when compared to them.


    Having quickly made her decision Nastasia dutifully ate the grape from his fingers, licking the tips in the processes. This demonic beauty gave off the feeling of decadent sin that held no cares to worldly things, dragging everything underneath his own pace. So why not copy the atmosphere and lend to it. To play her role aptly she''d pay greater attention to both the body and face in order to better chose her next course of action.


    As she bit down her eyes widened in shock. She didn''t really like gapes, but these dark grapes of his tasted heavenly. They were the perfect balance of sweet flavor with a hint of sour. She really wished that she had the ability to ask for more.


    His eyes held satisfaction as his lips upturned dotingly. He used his thumb to wipe her lips before passing her another. After she took it with same lascivious movements as before, he forced her lay against his chest.


    The expression on his face shifted to a bitingly cold sneer as he finally acknowledged the soldiers kneeling at his feet. His ruby eye held a queer light and his voice lacked all emotion. His overall dominating presence brought a cold chill to their hearts.


    "ÕâλÍõ×ÓÏëÖªµÀ°×½«¾ü´øÎһؼҵĽôÆÈÐÔÊÇʲô?(This prince wonders what urgency has brought General Bai to walk my home unannounced?)"


    While facing the ground the general sneered with disdain whilst his eyes held contempt. Even so, his voice remained respectful. "¶Ô²»ÆðµîÏÂ, (My apologies, your Highness,)" General Bai began, "ÎÒÃǵ£ÐÄÄãµÄÉú»îÔÚºìÉ«¶ñħµÄÊÖÖÐ,ËùÒÔ- (we feared for your life at the hands of the Red Demon, and so-)"


    The demonic beauty snorted with amusement, effectively cutting off the general''s poor excuse. "±ØÒª,(Unnecessary,)" the beauty responded lazily. His lips then pulled off a seductive grin as he pinched Nastasia''s chin to have her look up at him. "¶ñħÊÇÕâ¸öÍõ×ӵijèÎï,¶ÔÂð,Ç×°®µÄ?(The demon is this prince''s pet, isn''t that right, my dear?)"


    Right away Nastasia understood, by the way that his gaze implored her, he was questioning her something. Since she was pretty sure this demonic beauty was aware of their differences in language, the question could only be the sort with a yes or no answer. She stared at him a moment to try and see if his face held any hint to the type of answer she should give.


    Thinking she understood, hoping that this answer would be the correct one, she nodded her head in acceptance.

 Wounds and Warmth

    Having been flashed such an enchanting smile, the prince found himself at a loss for words. He, Li Yu Rong, from the time he was pulled from his mother''s dead womb, had never been graced with such a pure and wonderful expression.


    He wanted to say something, but remembering she wouldn''t understand, moved to pat her head again. Before his hand even reached its destination, the light in her eyes cut out and she crumbled as though her strings were cut.


    Swiftly catching her pitching body, Li Yu Rong recalled the blood he had seen dripping down her arm when she had first walked within his sight. Looking down, his heart clenched at the large dark, deep red splotch of blood that had seeped into his white robe from where she laid against him. He couldn''t help but wonder how she had come to be so gravely wounded. Neither General Bai nor the soldiers that had appeared with him had weapons wet with blood.


    Hefting the strange young woman''s weight as he stood from the couch, he swiftly headed toward his own chambers. Her breathing was slight and choppy. The vitality of her body rapidly dropping as her flesh became feverish. Her brow scrunched in pain as sweat collected there and dripped down.


    If left alone, her soul would slip away to the Spirit Realm.


    As Li Yu Rong rushed along, he called out. "Hui Se Ying!"


    Materializing, as if from the shadows themselves, was a dark as pitch robed figure. The person kept perfect stride of the prince. "Your command, master?" Hui Se Ying murmured.


    "Go to the Eastern Gate and tell Lu Se Ying to return to me as swiftly as possible." Li Yu Rong commanded and then tossed over a golden jade pass. "Take this and present it to the gate guard for a quicker entry."


    "As you command, master!" Hui Se Ying cupped his fist and then vanished into the shadows.


    At the same time, the prince crossed the threshold of his chambers and placed the odd woman in his bed, uncaring for the purple sheets that became stained red with blood. A dagger bloomed from his sleeve and he used it to cut the strange thin cloth from the young woman''s upper body.


    Having been relegated to this out of the way courtyard within this out of the way town in Jin Ang  Country at the age of five, the amount of human contact Li Yu Rong had was slim at best. His sensibilities came from the spirits, beasts, and demons kept by his side and therefore he held no sense of the proper distance between men and women for his era.


    The cloth was removed, and he even shamelessly fingered the strange lacy material that had a hard underside covering her ample bosom from view in a moment''s curiosity. Howbeit, considering the severity of the situation, he decided to leave it for further examination later and brought his focus to the peculiar wound on her right shoulder.


    An even circular hole about half a c¨´n in length was gouged deep into her shoulder. The skin around the hole was puckered and swollen. Most concerning was that blood flowed from it like water. He wasn''t as knowledgeable as Lu Se Ying when it came to medical arts, however, he was proficient enough in first-aid to at least help matters while waiting.


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    Taking the cloth that had been cut from her body, he bunched it up and used it as a means to staunch the blood flowing from the wound. The light blue material became a garish red as the blood absorbed into it over time.


    Unfortunately, this was the most he could do with what he had, at the moment.


    As he placed a bit of pressure, her brow scrunched up and her body jolted from the pain. Her skin was slick with sweat and was becoming clammy to the touch. Even though she was suffering under his pressing her wound,  he could not let up.


    Li Yu Rong murmured words of comfort although she was unconscious and could not hear them. He whispered them over and over again although he knew that were she to hear them she would not be able to understand them. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her red tresses that were incredibly soft to the touch.


    By no means did he hold tender feelings for the fairer sex and by no means was he a saint that threw himself out there to shelter the weak. He was aloof from things that did not concern him and primarily stuck to his own affairs.


    When he had first laid eyes upon her, he had been struck by the vast contrasts in appearance to any human he ever had the chance to come across.  He found himself drawn in by deep curiosity over their difference in language. It had been unknown to him that there were any other languages outside of what he spoke daily.


    He had long known that she was being pursued even before An Ying made his report as he dragged the girl into his lap. At first, it was merely to play with this human that was so at odds from all that he had known. Helping her shake the shackles of her pursuers would have been for the sake of staving off his boredom and broadening his knowledge with the mysteries she contained.


    That whole plan scattered with the wind, however.


    When she looked into his red eye ¨C the scare of his from being born from a dead womb ¨C  she did not cower or scream or faint out of fright.


    His mind had been thrown from her look of awe and wonder. His heart shuddered and flooded with a strange rush of warmth as she breathed out words with the gentlest of voices. Li Yu Rong did not know what had been said, but the inflection of her voice coupled with the look in her eyes ¨C eyes that were the color of a clear cloudless sky ¨C he felt that the meaning could only be something wonderful.


    When her fingers moved out to touch hesitantly, gently, as though reaching out for something precious... Li Yu Rong felt his soul come undone. It gave birth to an unknown emotion that surged and hummed beneath his skin.


    He had never felt anything quite like this before.


    This was the first time, in his recollection, that he wanted to keep a person no matter the cost.

 Wounds and Warmth

    Having been flashed such an enchanting smile, the prince found himself at a loss for words. He, Li Yu Rong, from the time he was pulled from his mother''s dead womb, had never been graced with such a pure and wonderful expression.


    He wanted to say something, but remembering she wouldn''t understand, moved to pat her head again. Before his hand even reached its destination, the light in her eyes cut out and she crumbled as though her strings were cut.


    Swiftly catching her pitching body, Li Yu Rong recalled the blood he had seen dripping down her arm when she had first walked within his sight. Looking down, his heart clenched at the large dark, deep red splotch of blood that had seeped into his white robe from where she laid against him. He couldn''t help but wonder how she had come to be so gravely wounded. Neither General Bai nor the soldiers that had appeared with him had weapons wet with blood.


    Hefting the strange young woman''s weight as he stood from the couch, he swiftly headed toward his own chambers. Her breathing was slight and choppy. The vitality of her body rapidly dropping as her flesh became feverish. Her brow scrunched in pain as sweat collected there and dripped down.


    If left alone, her soul would slip away to the Spirit Realm.


    As Li Yu Rong rushed along, he called out. "Hui Se Ying!"


    Materializing, as if from the shadows themselves, was a dark as pitch robed figure. The person kept perfect stride of the prince. "Your command, master?" Hui Se Ying murmured.


    "Go to the Eastern Gate and tell Lu Se Ying to return to me as swiftly as possible." Li Yu Rong commanded and then tossed over a golden jade pass. "Take this and present it to the gate guard for a quicker entry."


    "As you command, master!" Hui Se Ying cupped his fist and then vanished into the shadows.


    At the same time, the prince crossed the threshold of his chambers and placed the odd woman in his bed, uncaring for the purple sheets that became stained red with blood. A dagger bloomed from his sleeve and he used it to cut the strange thin cloth from the young woman''s upper body.


    Having been relegated to this out of the way courtyard within this out of the way town in Jin Ang  Country at the age of five, the amount of human contact Li Yu Rong had was slim at best. His sensibilities came from the spirits, beasts, and demons kept by his side and therefore he held no sense of the proper distance between men and women for his era.


    The cloth was removed, and he even shamelessly fingered the strange lacy material that had a hard underside covering her ample bosom from view in a moment''s curiosity. Howbeit, considering the severity of the situation, he decided to leave it for further examination later and brought his focus to the peculiar wound on her right shoulder.


    An even circular hole about half a c¨´n in length was gouged deep into her shoulder. The skin around the hole was puckered and swollen. Most concerning was that blood flowed from it like water. He wasn''t as knowledgeable as Lu Se Ying when it came to medical arts, however, he was proficient enough in first-aid to at least help matters while waiting.


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    Taking the cloth that had been cut from her body, he bunched it up and used it as a means to staunch the blood flowing from the wound. The light blue material became a garish red as the blood absorbed into it over time.


    Unfortunately, this was the most he could do with what he had, at the moment.


    As he placed a bit of pressure, her brow scrunched up and her body jolted from the pain. Her skin was slick with sweat and was becoming clammy to the touch. Even though she was suffering under his pressing her wound,  he could not let up.


    Li Yu Rong murmured words of comfort although she was unconscious and could not hear them. He whispered them over and over again although he knew that were she to hear them she would not be able to understand them. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her red tresses that were incredibly soft to the touch.


    By no means did he hold tender feelings for the fairer sex and by no means was he a saint that threw himself out there to shelter the weak. He was aloof from things that did not concern him and primarily stuck to his own affairs.


    When he had first laid eyes upon her, he had been struck by the vast contrasts in appearance to any human he ever had the chance to come across.  He found himself drawn in by deep curiosity over their difference in language. It had been unknown to him that there were any other languages outside of what he spoke daily.


    He had long known that she was being pursued even before An Ying made his report as he dragged the girl into his lap. At first, it was merely to play with this human that was so at odds from all that he had known. Helping her shake the shackles of her pursuers would have been for the sake of staving off his boredom and broadening his knowledge with the mysteries she contained.


    That whole plan scattered with the wind, however.


    When she looked into his red eye ¨C the scare of his from being born from a dead womb ¨C  she did not cower or scream or faint out of fright.


    His mind had been thrown from her look of awe and wonder. His heart shuddered and flooded with a strange rush of warmth as she breathed out words with the gentlest of voices. Li Yu Rong did not know what had been said, but the inflection of her voice coupled with the look in her eyes ¨C eyes that were the color of a clear cloudless sky ¨C he felt that the meaning could only be something wonderful.


    When her fingers moved out to touch hesitantly, gently, as though reaching out for something precious... Li Yu Rong felt his soul come undone. It gave birth to an unknown emotion that surged and hummed beneath his skin.


    He had never felt anything quite like this before.


    This was the first time, in his recollection, that he wanted to keep a person no matter the cost.

 No Matter What, Dont Let Her Leave!

    The door did not open and close. The window coverings did not stir. Yet, a figure appeared at the side of the prince, donned in robes darker than the darkest shadow, holding a medical box. The figure, sporting emerald flecked eyes, began to work silently as he understood without being asked what his master needed.


    Indicating for his master to remove the light blue cloth held firmly over the wound, Lu Se Ying examined the damaged area with a deep frown. He gingerly touched the puckered flesh as he tried to determine what made the wound in the first place.


    He hesitated a moment before he used his spirit energy to get a better understanding of the injured area. Master did not like them to do so in the presence of outsiders, however, this young woman was not conscious to witness as a green type of energy flowed from his hand to her wound. By doing this, he was able to get a deeper read of her pulse, a deeper understanding of how much blood was lost, and a deeper look at the structure of the wound.


    Brow scrunching in thought, Lu Se Ying murmured. "It appears that a piece of mixed metals had been lodged into her shoulder." It was his first time seeing such a wound and such a material. If he had to hazard a guess at the origin, he could say with certainty that both the object and culprit were not of this town. In order to embed something into the skin in such a way, the person would need to be a high-level expert, which was someone this town currently lacked.


    Another concerning notice was that the young lady had traces of the Shang Youhun river upon and within her body. It wasn''t a small amount either. From the clues on her person, it was easy for him to conclude that after being confronted with the one who injured her, she had unluckily fallen into the river.


    It was a place the locals avoided at all costs, for fear of spiritual poisoning.


    Pulling out a pill, he forced it down the young woman''s throat, by messaging her neck, to replenish her blood from such heavy loss. Lu Se Ying then kneeled and bowed low before his master. He reported his findings and then said, with heavy regret, "I''ve unfortunately brought only the bare minimum with me. The rest was left for the treatment of the fallen Gate Guards. So I don''t have anesthetics or anything to treat Spirit Poisoning."


    The prince took in the words but said nothing.


    Gliding across the floor from where he stood, Li Yu Rong sat at the edge of his bed. He lifted the young woman into his arms to rest her between his legs and then along his chest. He propped her in such a way that her shoulder was completely visible to Lu Se Ying, for him to operate. Pinning her legs with his own, he wrapped one arm around her upper body to prevent any wild movements due to pain. His other hand had been shoved in her mouth to prevent her from biting off her tongue in the throes of agony.


    Satisfied with all that he had done, he nodded for Lu Se Ying to begin.


    Pulling a knife from the medical box and disinfecting it beneath a flame, Lu Se Ying brought out a small flask of alcohol. Pouring it over the wound, he caped it and placed the flask away, after which he then poised the disinfected knife to cut.


    As soon as the first incision was made, her body jolted and her muffled cries filled the room. Li Yu Rong held her in place, allowing for little movement. He rubbed his cheek against her head for comfort and murmured sweet words as he had done while pressing her wound.


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    "Shhh... it will be all right. The pain will soon pass." He would then say, like a great vow, "after this you won''t have to suffer again. I''ll see to it." He made such promises in varying words.


    Teeth sunk into his flesh, hard, but his words didn''t even pause or tremor. Tears began to flow from her eyes, sliding down his hand causing his heart to ache. He continued to rub his cheek against her soft hair, brushing his lips against her temple, as he spoke to soothe her pain. "Don''t cry, pet, it''ll be over soon."


    Lu Se Ying focused on his task, not even batting an eye at his master''s completely uncharacteristic actions. Treating them as if they were an everyday occurrence to be ignored. Whether his ruthless master had soft parts to his rock hard heart was not a matter for his concern. He was merely to be there when needed and turn scarce when his presence became unnecessary.


    Digging the metal piece out with the tip of the knife, he placed it and wrapped it in a silk cloth to have the alchemists take a peek at later. Retrieving the Spirit Spider Silk Thread from his medical box and threading it through a needle, he went to the task of expertly stitching the wound.


    The use of this special thread for sliced skin only a cun in length would have even the most divine doctor''s crying out at the injustice. Such a good thing that could promote the flesh to reconnect at a supernatural rate was wasted on a wound where a normal thread would have suited just as well. However such extravagance was an everyday occurrence for his master that clutched the Spirit Realm in his palm.


    While Lu Se Ying placed a couple different salves on to the wound -one for scarring and one to prevent infection- Hui Se Ying materialized at the center of the room. He knelt on one knee while cupping his fist.


    "Master," he murmured, "the demon Paoxiao is causing a ruckus again. He''s brought along some lower spirit beasts to storm the eastern gate."


    Li Yu Rong frowned but said nothing. He watched as the odd girl''s shoulder was wrapped neatly. Once his subordinate gave a nod to signal he was done, the prince reluctantly eased himself out from underneath the girl. Laying her as comfortably as he could, he pulled the blankets over her prone form and then wiped away the tears of pain that still fell from her tightly closed eyes.


    "Give her something for the pain." He turned to leave but then paused. "No matter what, don''t let her leave the estate." It would be a difficult task to accomplish as she could not understand their language, however, his people were good at carrying out his will. He felt assured that she would still be here, in his chambers, when he returned.


    "As you command, master."


    Considering yesterday''s unfortunate event there should be only one gate guard available to press back Paoxiao''s advance. Li Yu Rong''s aura shifted and dropped sharply in degree, becoming a frigid existence that could overwhelm the fires of hell.


    Such a good Paoxiao to come and interrupt his important matters. Dragging him away from the warmth of the body in his embrace. Feeling that he had been too easy on the rambunctious demon their last confrontation, he felt perhaps now was the time to impress upon him a stronger lesson.

 Doors and Mirrors

    The room was nearly silent aside from the occasional painful groan and low mutterings of the girl tossing and turning on the bed. As her road shifted layer by layer from a restless sleep to wakefulness, the extreme pain radiating from her shoulder was an unbearable discomfort. It felt as if someone had taken a blunt object and stabbed it in her shoulder with all their might; hitting it with a truck for good measure.


    Her breath hissed out between clenched teeth as her eyes slowly slid open due to her regretfully waking. In sleep, though it hadn''t been all that peaceful from the constant nightmares, at least she had been ignorant to the heavy amount of pain that was currently wracking her body.


    With a sudden jolt, she shot up to a sitting position, only to have an intense aching sting stab at her right shoulder. She fell back with a light "poof" into the bed. Her breath was ragged as she tried to contend with the unpleasant shock waves that radiated throughout her entire body.


    Eyes searched about, taking in what could be seen of the unfamiliar room, as lips pulled into a thoughtful frown. The fingers of her left hand gingerly brushed over her bandaged shoulder. Nastasia felt grateful that her wound had been taken care of, but at the same time, it caused a great worry to brew in her heart.


    Having just met, being unable to communicate, she and that demonic beauty could barely be considered acquaintances. It was a rare occurrence for a person to do something for a stranger free of charge. That demon didn''t seem to be the altruistic type, however, she couldn''t begin to guess at what he would want from her.


    "No, bad Asya...." she chastised herself in a whisper, using her pet name. It wasn''t good to suspect a person after receiving their good intentions to help. They had only just met one another, what designs could he have other than acting out of compassion?


    On the other hand, her mind whispered, there are people that''d sell their own grandmother for profit let alone a stranger. Considering this and the fact that she had just been betrayed by her assistant, Nastasia decided to play it safe. The first sign of trouble and she''d skedaddle while the going was good.


    As she thought back to earlier events and recalled how that devilish man held her and how he patted her head, her heart squeezed slightly. Bit by bit, the guard she had just worked up began to unknowingly lessen. Her mind started wandering over his sharp-angled features and the delicate upturn of his lips as he gave a sultry grin. Though, if she had to pick a feature, it was his beautiful and clear ruby eye that made her heart sigh. At first, she thought it was a contact lens, but after viewing his face up close from the side, she could tell he wasn''t wearing any.


    It made her curious as to how that red eye came about. Perhaps it was a strain of albinism in his DNA that concentrated in a single part of his body? Or maybe it was a mutated gene that resulted in poor pigmentation of the eye? Nastasia soon became immersed in her thoughts, going over the various possibilities, while thinking up ways of getting that demonic beauty to satisfy her curiosity over it.


    Gasping as she realized she had fallen into her old illness, she forced her mind back to the matters at hand. It was an unfortunate ill of hers to fall prey to curiosity... and to sate her curiosities, she had the bad habit of going to abnormal lengths.


    For instance; had she allowed herself to really fall into her insatiable desire to know, she would bury herself in research to the degree that she would eat, drink, and sleep the knowledge. Once she knew enough to reach her desired end, she would put it to use. Her grandfather had always praised this bad habit of hers, yet at the same time would warn her about it too.


    "Curiosity is a good thing, Asya, it keeps you focused, however too much can lead you down a path of ruin. Make sure you keep a proper balance between overdoing it and folly."


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    Whenever he told her this, he would follow up the advice with:


    "Whatever you decide to do, make sure you''re proficient on all sides of it. A person who knows all sides of what they''re doing is much more desirable than the person who can only look in one direction and then flounders pathetically when asked to turn their gaze another way."


    Thus, from her grandfather''s constant advice in this way, is how the jack of all trades and master of none "her" was born into this world. If her grandfather spoke it, she would take it seriously and commit it to heart. After her father had died fighting in a war when she was still very young, her grandfather had stepped in to show her a father''s love.


    She really needed to leave and find her way home before she made those waiting for her worried to death. Though it had only been about a day, she was concerned that word of her disappearance would make it back home. Her heart hurt terribly at the thought of her family thinking her dead.


    The pain of her shoulder receded into a dull ache that was easily manageable after laying down and distracting her mind. Testing it a bit by slowly rising to a sitting position on the bed, she found that while it hurt, it wasn''t debilitating.


    Being good to go, she slid from the bed to venture out and find where that demonic guy had gone off to. Even though they couldn''t understand each other''s words, perhaps she could find a way to communicate enough to get her point across. Those soldiers seemed to fear him and he was able to get rid of them so easily. Nastasia felt that with his help, getting home would go a lot smoother.


    Hopping off the bed, after getting out from the covers, skin that should not have felt a cool breeze felt it. Wrinkling her brow she looked down at her naked upper flesh that she had failed to notice before as she felt her cheeks heat. Well, to treat the wound, one would need to get rid of the shirt that obstructed the ability to heal it. Since it was necessary, this offense could be overlooked. As she began to consider an embarrassing if, her mind quickly squashed it. She refused to think about whether or not that demon possibly saw her naked body. It would make it difficult to face him once she found him.


    Setting off she once again drew to a pause as... where was the exit? Walls, walls, and more walls! There were neither doors nor windows! Her eyes flew to the ceiling as she began to wonder if they had tossed her into some underground room to keep her from escaping before selling her into the skin trade. Her heart squeezed painfully as she began to panic from that horrifying idea.


    No, wait, this room was pretty big and dark. Perhaps she overlooked the door?


    Calming down, Nastasia reached for the candle on the table by the bedside. It was the only light available in the room. Taking it in hand, she walked straight along the wall the head of the bed rested against. The intention had been to walk along it until she found a door. However, as she drew close to the corner where she would need to turn, she became distracted by the full-length mirror laid between it.


    Nastasia gingerly reached out to touch the face looking back at her in horror before retracting to touch her own flesh. The "her" in the mirror mimicked the action. Beautiful, poreless flesh rested on a face that couldn''t be older than fifteen. It was like looking back in time.


    "Well shoot," she muttered, "if I go back looking like this they''ll believe I''m my own illegitimate child before they''ll believe it''s me."


    For the forty-year-old her to look like the fifteen-year-old her, was the river she fell into some sort of fountain of youth? As her shoulder started to hurt something fierce, she could not help but curse that river as she lamented miserably.


    "If you could do this, why couldn''t you heal my shoulder?"

 Bitter Medicine and A Walk Down Memory Lane

    As Nastasia continued looking in the mirror, trying to decide if she was really seeing her younger-self staring back at her, a figure materialized behind her. She saw a man adorned similarly to the one who threw the head soldier over his shoulder within the mirror. They looked the same, even in the face and hair, except this one had green flecked eyes that glowed in the low candlelight.


    He was watching her with a tray in hand a moment before moving toward the table beside the bed to set the tray down. Atop it was a porcelain bowl and beside it was a spoon.


    After he sat it down, Nastasia asked even though she figured he wouldn''t understand. "Where is that guy with the devilish looks?" Filling the silence made her feel a bit better.


    His brow furrowed at her words and it was no surprise for Nastasia to see the complete lack of comprehension in his eyes. The man said a few words to her. His tone was measured and deliberate as if he were testing something. Thus, she responded to him in the same way he responded to her words.


    The man''s eyes widened by a very slight margin, but it was enough to notice. He then seemed to come to a conclusion after a bit of thought. He walked toward her and carefully lifted her into his arms. The action threw her off, so she didn''t react right away.


    That changed when his forward step jostled her from her stunned state. Alarmed, her gaze flew to his face. "What do you think you''re doing!? Put me down!" She demanded. Nastasia then tried to get herself down only to find that she couldn''t move.


    How was this possible? It wasn''t like this guy had put any strength into the arms that held her. In fact, she barely felt the pressure of his arms at all. This notice filled her chest with a fair amount of anxiety. However, Nastasia was not one to succumb to fear and so firmly swallowed down her rising panic.


    Since there was nothing she could do about it, she calmly waited to see what he would do with her. From the time she struggled to the time she stilled, he never drew to a pause, therefore after this thought came she was already being carefully placed back into bed.


    Her heart calmed marginally.


    The man took the bowl from the tray and placed it in her hands. When she took it and then looked up at him, he gestured with a hand to his mouth to let her know he wanted her to drink it.


    Nastasia arched a brow as she looked from the nauseating concoction to the man''s imploring face. The greenish-brown mixture, a bit bumpy here and there, was so grotesque in smell and appearance that it brought bile to her throat. The thought of that going in her mouth and to her stomach... had her shuddering in disgust.


    The eyes that shot toward him Nastasia made as expressive as she could to get her point across without words. ''You want me to drink this? Not on your life!'' Those blue eyes of hers narrowed and a bit of mistrust wound its way in. ''Something this disgusting has to be poison. Do you think I''ll fall for your trap just because I can''t understand you?''


    She wasn''t sure how much of her meaning he grasped, but the man reached over the tray for the spoon. He dipped it into the bowl and brought it to his lips, swallowing the spoonful without a change in expression. How could he eat that nasty stuff so nonchalant-like?


    Honestly, she really didn''t suspect it of poison. Who would kill a person they took efforts to heal? None-the-less, she wasn''t going to put something that smelled that putrid into her body. She wasn''t a picky eater and understood that some medicines were extremely bitter. However, this bowl looked like a witches brew and stank worse than a landfill. What if it had insects, or liver, or who knows what horrific and lurid ingredients inside? She paled at the thought.


    The man''s face darkened impatiently as he reached for the bowl in her hands. From look in his eyes and from how he was able to render her powerless earlier, a shiver ran down her spine. Swiftly and in one fluid motion, Nastasia drank horrid concoction in one long swallow.


    There was no way she''d suffer the humiliation of being force-fed.


    Having gotten to the last drop her body was overcome with a bone-deep tiredness. The man took the bowl from her hands before she dropped it and help her head down to the pillow.


    It was instantaneous. Her mind shut off and she was in a deep, restful, slumber.


    Lu Se Ying placed the bowl back on to the tray. With a wave of his hand, they disappeared from sight. With another wave of his hand, the room shifted back into its original state. When he had left to prepare this pain relieving and spirit poison detoxifying medicine he feared that she would wake and leave the room while he was gone. Thus, he put an illusion upon the room to make leaving difficult.


    Before Lu Se Ying faded from view he cast one last probing look toward the odd young woman upon the bed. There was something strange, otherworldly, about the spirit energy forced into her body. It felt like spirit poisoning, yet there was something underlying it that lead him to consider otherwise.


    The feeling fled as he tried to grasp it, so Lu Se Ying could only set it aside as himself overthinking it.


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    ______________________


    Within Jingshen Yansei Continent there were five countries and in each of these countries, there was a location that housed four gates into the Spirit Realm. These locations, each ruled by a different spiritual element, was guarded by an elemental spirit master. This wasn''t something that one could, ordinarily, by giving it their all work toward. It was something inherited from father to son. Once placed into the Palace of the Four Gates, the said person was removed from the mortal world and became a denizen of the spiritual world.


    Because of this, the Gate Guardian -or Elemental Spirit Master- could not enter into the mortal world unless by way of special circumstance. For instance, to hunt down an escaped Spirit Realm resident, to find a wife, and to answer an imperial summons are a few such reasons.


    However, Li Yu Rong was not bound -at least entirely- by these rules. His position wasn''t from an inheritance. His father had not been the previous Gate Guardian. Jin Ang Country''s Elemental Spirit Master had vanished without a trace, leaving behind no heir to shoulder his place. For half a century Jin Ang Country had been raided and ravaged by demons, beasts, and wandering ghosts that had escaped from the four gates left unprotected. So, desperate and weary, the Emperor decided to try a suggested option regardless of any backlash that might occur.


    Li Yu Rong had merely been tossed here due to his one red eye, however, the power that eye afforded him was enough to bind him as the master.


    The man that sired him, the Emperor, fancied his beautifully innocent mother. He snatched her up for himself and housed her among his many beauties, never knowing that he had taken in a demon. Then again, how could he have known? Only the Gate Guardian could tell a Spirit Realm resident from a normal human once they hid under a human guise. His mother was strong, the spirit energy within her unfathomable, and so was able to hide her origins deeply. Honestly, even an Elemental Spirit Master would have a time of it finding out her true self.


    However, his mother was a terribly innocent sort. She didn''t know how to scheme and couldn''t understand why one would want to hurt another when there were so many wonderful things to occupy one''s self with. She was entirely unsuited to the inner court. Thus, when she was pregnant with him, she fell prey to an insidious plot. She died with him still in the womb.


    Within the room she had been lain to wait while the servants prepared her and other things for her funeral, Li Yu Rong had been born. As he took his first breath of air, a shrill cry erupted from his lungs.


    The servants had been scared witless from the sudden sound. When their eyes came upon the one who made it, they could only stare dumb-faced at the crying, wriggling infant. Finally, a male servant that had scrapped together some courage, went forward to pick up the baby boy.


    The infant immediately stopped crying upon being held and wrinkled his nose cutely. Even the male servant was moved by the lovely baby''s cuteness. However, that changed once the baby opened his eyes to look up at the servant.


    Upon seeing that one red eye looking up at him, the servant let out a shrill scream to rival the infant''s first cry as he dropped the baby boy and backed up a few steps. One of the spirit creatures that had been mourning beside his mother''s body jumped forward to catch the infant before he fell to the hard floor.


    To the humans who did not have an eye that could discern supernatural creatures, it appeared as if the baby halted mid-descent and then floated over to his mother''s corpse. The reality was, however, that the spiritual creature brought the baby boy over to meet his mother and then to send her off. It knew, with how these humans were, the baby would likely never get the chance to do so.


    Rumors flew after that incident. It was widely believed that Li Yu Rong was possessed by death and held a disastrous omen for the country. He had been abandoned to the Cold Palace and left forgotten until the age of five. The only reason he could survive those long, grueling years was due to the care of the escaped Spirit Realm creatures. Even his name came from them; or at least, it came from what his mother told them she wished to name her child.


    Somehow the emperor got wind of Li Yu Rong''s ability to see what could not be seen by normal eyes and so decided to forcibly make him guardian to the Palace of the Four Gates.


    Li Yu Rong''s Lips curled bitterly as he thought back to these events. Most of which had been told to him by the spirit creatures who had been at his mother''s side. He did not know why his mind wandered over them. Perhaps it was merely an unfortunate result of the strange girl''s reaction upon seeing his red eye.


    Either way, his mood plummeted even further. The spirit creatures he passed on his way to the eastern gate gave him a wide breadth for fear of attracting his ire. Even with the distance they kept, they could feel the cold aura radiating from his person enough to freeze through flesh to the bone.


    "Poor Paoxiao," they couldn''t help but pity, "he really picked a terrible time to challenge the Gate Guardian."

 Paoxiao, He Never Saw It Coming...

    "Ahahahahahahahah!''


    Paoxiao felt great! His well thought out plan of retreating to gain an advantage was working brilliantly. After his wild actions the day before, pretending to run because he was too injured, the Gate Guardian''s people hadn''t been too quick about replacing the guards for this side of the gate.


    He only had one opponent to face. This was the closest he had ever been to getting beyond that gate. It was so close that he could almost taste the air of the mortal realm.


    Flanked on either side by large spirit wolves, whose backs came to his waist, he placed his hands upon his hips brimming with confidence. Though theses wolves had only just developed a higher consciousness after death, the spirit energy they''ve managed to amass is quite remarkable. With their strengths added to his, Paoxiao felt he had a shot at winning.


    So, that in mind, with a voice teeming in arrogance Paoxiao said. "Ahahah, you''re completely out-numbered! Do you still dare to face me? Dare to bar my way?"


    The guard, dressed in neat black robes and armor, paid the jeering words no mind. Rather, one could say, that he treated them as a pesky fly''s buzzing. He dutifully remained standing guard and didn''t even glance in his direction.


    Ah, Li Yu Rong''s people were all like this; stiff and unapproachable. No matter what he did, he could never get a rise out of them. The only way was just to hop to it and start throwing fists around.


    So, he did just that.


    Flying forward, he tossed a punch toward the guard''s face. The guard, without blinking, caught his on-coming fist and moved into a shoulder throw. Paoxiao grinned as he followed along with the move, not making any efforts to break it.


    This was all part of the plan!


    The wolves that had been flanking him before his move pounced into action. As the guard was in mid-throw the spirit creatures sank their teeth into leg flesh, forcing out their own unique spirit energy into the wound. It all happened so quick that there was the nothing the guard could do to remedy the situation. He felt the strength drain from his limbs, causing him to drop Paoxiao.


    Righting himself in one fluid movement Paoxiao shot the fallen guard a triumphant grin. "You ignored the wolves because they''re newly born spirit creatures, right?" He laughed gleefully. "However this pair of brothers are that rarely seen thing called a genius! Even though they''re newly born, they created a move all their own that siphons out spirit energy to replace it with a kind of corrupted energy. It''s an energy that paralyzes the body."


    Paoxiao could hardly believe that he was seconds away from walking through the gate and into the mortal world. His steps were slow and measured as he felt a mounting anticipation for his long time desire to finally be met.


    The moment his foot went to step beyond the gate, Paoxiao was roughly flung backward to slam into a nearby tree. He sat on his rump a whole thirty seconds in a disbelieving daze before jumping to his feet and flinging an accusing finger toward the paralyzed guard.


    "What is this!?" He cried, his tone sounding wronged and bullied. "Since when was there such a strong spirit barrier barring the eastern gate!?"


    "I put it there after your latest escapade," came a low drawling voice from his back.


    From that cold and familiar tone, Paxiao''s spine stiffened. He straightened his body and fixed his skewed robes of bright scarlet before turning to face Li Yu Rong like he wasn''t affected by the Gate Guardian''s sudden presence. When his eyes rose up to meet those frosty dual colored orbs it took the strength of all his self-control not shrink backward.


    Normally he would focus upon Li Yu Rong''s clear, gentler by comparison, ebony eye as it would help him to feel that this terrifying and domineering man wasn''t so fierce. Howbeit, today, there was something rather truculent in the way that gaze narrowed in on him. Paoxiao couldn''t find his usual comfort.


    This, nonetheless, hardly prevented the demon from opening his mouth foolishly. He wouldn''t be Paoxiao, the demon that rages ahead without forethought if he really paused to take the time to calmly consider the present situation.


    Paoxiao pasted his hands to his hips, golden eyes twinkling as he laughed boisterously. His words were shamelessly arrogant; a front to cover his growing nerves. "Ahahah, this is really great! So you''ve finally gathered up your pitiful courage to come and face the Gre-"


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    The demon''s tongue was cut short of his lofty prattling when a palm smashed into his face, driving his skull into the dirt below his feet. Paoxiao was made to see stars as he felt a nauseating dizziness rattle about his head. He was on the verge of recovering when he heard this earth-shattering sentence...


    "The demon Paoxiao, by thy name I bind thine soul!"


    A light burst forth from within searing words around his neck, archaic in form, to look much like a tattooed collar. It burned as if he were being marked by a hot poker. Every muscle in his body seized and refused to bend to his will as he tried to escape.


    "H-H-Hey, now," he trembled and protested, "t-this isn''t how it''s supposed to go!"


    "Until thine master is satisfied, thy will is thine master''s will and thy life is thine master''s life. This contract has been foraged."


    Li Yu Rong usually used the Slave Binding Contract as a last resort, though it was what he was meant to do with all spirit creatures that tried to cross the gate. Said offenders were then forced to serve a term -that could span several years- as a slave to either a great house or a high-level martial practitioner. The practice had never sat well with Li Yu Rong, yet he was bound by the laws within the Place of the Four Gates.


    While he was bound, however, it was not a tight grip. He was not the true inheritor. Having some leeway, he did not avail the contract upon those that avoided committing what he considered unforgivable.


    The killing of the Spirit Guards to escape.


    The Spirit Guards were departed mortal souls that acquired spirit energy upon entering the Spirit Realm. They forewent the wheel of reincarnation to serve as guards to this side of the gate. This sacrifice, however, came with a great price.


    If killed, they could not reincarnate.


    Their souls dispersed into the dense spirit energy of the Spirit Realm, becoming fodder to further the growth of others. Such a horrid end to the kind and gentle ones that chose this sacrifice to protect their families still living on the other side of the gate stiffled his heart. It was something Li Yu Rong could not forgive and thus he bestowed upon those that heartlessly killed the endless suffering of the Slave Binding Contract.


    This was a widely known fact throughout the Spirit Realm. Those that lived in the regions under Li Yu Rong''s jurisdiction all respected this fact and forewent killing to go beyond the gate.


    Paoxiao was one of those that oversaw this respect and could not understand why he had been bounded under this hateful contract. He wanted to ask, but was too afraid to voice his grievances. Just as he receded into deep thought over how to escape, two vicious growls cut through the air. Paoxiao felt excitement over the two, wonderful, wolves charging at the Gate Guardian. He struggled and tried to wriggle his immobile body outside Li Yu Rong''s range of control, hoping that it would gain him back his mobility.


    That hope had been mercilessly crushed. Honestly, it was foolish to place hope upon wolves whose instinct was to submit to the strong. Li Yu Rong merely needed to growl out the word "submit," placing only a fraction of his power behind it to change them from snarling beasts to attention seeking puppies.


    The wolf brothers, one a gleaming silver and the other as dark a midnight, crawled on their bellies toward that demonic red-eye man that contained a staggering strength that left their fur standing on end. Even though they were newly born to a higher consciousness, it didn''t take a high level of thought for them realize their best option for survival was to lay down and bare their bellies in submission.


    Seeing the wolf brothers'' whole-hearted display caused Li Yu Rong''s lips to twitch upward. He reached out and scratched their bellies to accept their display of deference to his strength. Ordinarily, he would have ignored it and allowed them to retreat back into the forest, but the lovely soft and gleaming coats of theirs had him changing his mind.


    They''d also make a lovely gift for his pet.


    Recalling that strange girl and the way that she looked at his eye, the way that she felt in his arms, lightened his darkened countenance even further. Seeing that Li Yu Rong seemed to have softened his stance for whatever reason, Paoxiao took a risk.


    "So, um, this human I''m to serve... would be...?" Might as well feign obedience for now.


    Li Yu Rong shot the demon a mysterious grin but didn''t answer, causing poor Paoxiao so much worry his stomach started to hurt.

 Breaking this Barrier Begins with an Introduction

    The wind blew through the trees, birds chirped their songs, and the weather wasn''t too hot nor was it too cold. Currently, Nastasia was resting under a tree deep in thought while strange fairy-like creatures played around her.


    After waking, once again in that room, there was a servant with pale blue robes for her to dress into. She refused the help and -with great difficulty- managed to dress alone. Once the servant left, Nastasia immediately went to check the reflection of herself in that mirror, only to still have a young face looking back at her. She really wished that she could grab someone and ask, "how old do I look to you?" Yet, who could she ask? As of yet none of the people living here could understand a single word she spoke.


    Throwing the matter of her becoming younger to the side, as she looked at her reflection, she noticed a strange marking curled around her left ring finger trailing down to her wrist. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a bunch of symbols drawn closely together. It looked like she was wearing a ring and a bracelet connected by a chain.


    Nastasia rubbed at the mark to see if it could be wiped away, to no avail. It wouldn''t come off, so there was no helping it. As she let her arms drop to her side, she felt a small frustration building in her chest. She bit her lip and then took a deep breath to force it down.


    There were too many things that she didn''t understand. To top it all off she couldn''t even communicate with the people around here to help her come to any kind of conclusion about her situation. The sheer amount of helplessness weighing down her heart left her limbs numb and her mind dizzy. This was the first time in her life she had ever experienced this type of enervating feeling.


    Honestly, Nastasia was beginning to fear the sort of situation she may have gotten herself into. Dropping twenty-five years, this town and the people in it that looked like the insides of period drama, and the strange creatures she had been coming across in her walk of the estate were the stuff of fantasy novels.


    Things like this just didn''t happen in reality.


    One of the little fairy-like creatures playing at her side wandered over to tug at the wide sleeves of her robe for attention. Looking down, Nastasia saw the little dark fleshed and wide blue-eyed creature holding out a small purple flower in a hand that sported four fingers. Its ears were pointed, its hair was a dark silk waterfall down to its feet, and its back sported delicate silvery-blue wings.


    Nastasia accepted the flower with a grateful smile and watched as the little creature took off to its circle of friends. They all crowded around it and patted its back, seemingly congratulating it for being able to give her the flower. They sent her smiles when they noticed her looking at them, giving little waves with their little four-fingered hands.


    Her heart warmed at their caring actions. Nastasia couldn''t help but wonder if they noticed her being down and tried to offer comfort in this way as they could not communicate with words?


    Many of the creatures wandering this garden had tried to speak with her, curious over the new being they had not seen before. After demonstrating that she and they spoke different languages, they took to communicating with her by silent smiles, gently inclined heads, and waving hands. It made her -who was suffering under the inability to speak and be understood- feel a mite less suffocated and trapped.


    Looking down at the flower in her hand her mood lightened considerably.


    So what if they couldn''t speak the same words? So what if she''s fallen into a fantasy novel plotline? Nastasia -though at the moment she was stuck here- didn''t have to be rooted like a hare facing its predator. If she couldn''t understand then she merely needed to learn the language. Once she gathered enough information, she could make a decision then.


    Hopefully, she would be able to silently convince that demonic beauty to allow her to remain here until that could happen. With how the townspeople reacted to her appearance, Nastasia really wanted to avoid walking among them if it could be helped. There was no guarantee that she would be able to meet another who''d be willing to aid her from being chased.


    Suddenly it had grown quite, she noticed that all the little fairy-like creatures that had been playing around her, made themselves scarce. Confused, she looked around to find that the demonic beauty was heading her way accompanied by two large wolves and another man. ''Ah,'' she realized, ''they must have been scared off.''


    Once they were but a few steps away, the wolves quickly bounded over, laid at either side of her, and placed their heads in her lap before she could rise to greet them. Hesitant on how to react to their suddenness, Nastasia finally decided to give into her urge to pet them. She had always wanted a dog, but her mother was allergic and so she hadn''t been able to realize that desire. Once she got older she was always busy and would not have had the time to raise a pet.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Those fur coats were the softest things she had ever felt in her life! Delighted she rubbed her cheek on the silver one''s downy head while her hand continued to pet the black one. She looked up when the man walking with the demonic beauty fell to his knees before her, cupping a fist.


    She looked up curiously at this youth that sported golden eyes and head of orange streaked black hair. She had noticed, while they were walking toward her, that he was a head shorter than the demonic beauty. Though height didn''t tell of age, Nastasia felt that the other man was younger than the beauty behind him. She tilted her head, curious as to why he was kneeling before her like this.


    "Zhuzi, w¨¯ b¨£o zh¨¨ng ji¨¦ ch¨¦ng w¨¨i n¨ªn f¨² w¨´! (Master, I promise to serve you faithfully!)" He cried out in a respectful tone with his head inclined.


    Shooting a look toward the demonic beauty, he inched closer to Nastasia, leaning forward to whisper conspiratorially. "Zhuzi, bi¨¦ b¨¨i n¨¤ ji¨¡ huo y¨² n¨°ng le. T¨¡ k¨§ n¨¦ng b¨´ k¨¤n t¨¡, ch¨² le t¨¡ de y¨£n j¨©ng, d¨¤n t¨¡ sh¨¬ y¨ª g¨¨ zh¨¥n zh¨¨ng de ¨¨ m¨®. R¨² gu¨¯ n¨« b¨´ xi¨£o x¨©n n¨« hu¨¬- (Master, don''t be fooled by that guy. He may not look it, except for his eye, but he''s a real demon. If you don''t watch out you''ll-)"


    "N¨« k¨§ y¨« y¨°ng n¨« de k¨¯u q¨¬ l¨¢i d¨« hu¨« w¨¯, t¨¡ t¨©ng b¨´ d¨¯ng n¨« z¨¤i shu¨­ sh¨¦n me. (You can save your breath in slandering me, she can''t understand anything that you''re saying.)" The demonic beauty cut in.


    The young man shot her a look as if trying to dig out some sort of answer. After a moment, he said. "N¨« zh¨¥n de b¨´ m¨ªng b¨¢i w¨¯ ma? (Can you really not understand me?)"


    Seeing the inquiring look on his face, Nastasia could pretty much guess at what he was asking. Rather than shake her head, she answered. "I don''t understand anything you''re saying to me." This way,  the young man would be able to better grasp that the words they spoke were vastly different.


    Drawing into a contemplative silence, the young man kept shooting looks at her as he seemed to be struggling with something. He also seemed incredibly disappointed. The demonic beauty barked a few words at him, to which the young man stood and left reluctantly. The two wolves also stood and followed after him.


    Nastasia was sad to see them go, their fur was really soft and warm. It was very comforting to have them laying around her.


    Snapping out of her melancholy for their leaving, Nastasia rose to a stand after the demonic beauty gestured for her to do so. He walked forward and straightened the robes she failed to put on properly, re-tying the sash around her waist after having done so. His abrupt actions left her stunned and before she could regain herself to shoo his hands away, he was already finished and smirking in satisfaction.


    Rather than getting angry, Nastasia dropped the matter as she remembered the decision she had come to earlier. Pointing toward herself, she said. "Nastasia Mischaevna Vasiliev." She repeated it a few times.


    The demonic beauty seemed to understand what she was getting at and attempted to repeat her name. However, every time his tongue tried to climb over the sounds, they were squashed beyond recognition. Her name became a hodgepodge of gibberish falling from his mouth.


    Russian names were difficult to pronounce. Even though to her, her name wasn''t anything to get tongue-tied over, very few of her friends could pronounce it all properly. Albeit that they could be considered less than acquaintances, she decided to allow him to call her pet name that was reserved for close friends and family.


    Once again she pointed toward herself. "Asya." This pet name, as she did with her full name, was repeated a few times.


    "Asya." The demonic beauty gently breathed back.


    Excited at the progress, Nastasia gestured for him to reciprocate. This would be the start of her journey into breaching this barrier of languages between them.


    Reaching out to tuck an errant strand of red hair behind her ear, the beauty carefully murmured. "Li Yu Rong." His fingers lingered across her cheek as he let his hand fall back to his side.


    She felt the flesh graced by his touch itch and tingle pleasantly as her fingers trembled. Attempting to hem the unknown feeling down, she swallowed hard and tried to speak his name in an unaffected voice.


    "Li Yu Rong."


    Ah, her voice, it shook.

 Teaching the Pet a Few New Tricks

    Nastasia followed Li Yu Rong after he spoke a single word while his hand made a "come with me" gesture. The word he spoke "gen," she decided, probably had a meaning close to "follow me." She repeated the word over in her mind, trying to commit it to memory.


    After their introduction, she had pointed to a few things around them to distract herself from the feelings his touch brought upon her. Nastasia would say the name of an object and then indicate for him to do the same. After doing this for a few moments he became quiet and thoughtful and just as she was figuring out how to inquire after his silence Li Yu Rong brought her to follow him.


    Her eyes affixed to his dark-blue robe covered back, mind wandering to how he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and how his fingers grazed her cheek. Gasping, she quickly staunched the thought, the tips of her ears and cheeks dusting red. She pulled her gaze away from him.


    If she looked at him she couldn''t help but think of that moment and go weak in the knees.


    Instead, she paid her attention to the way made to where they were going. They walked across the garden, passed the pond she had initially met Li Yu Rong, and to a building that was located in a part of the estate that was the most overgrown she had yet to see. The building had a roof of black tiles, red pillars, and white walls.


    He led her into a room that contained multiple rows of bookshelves, and to the right of those shelves overflowing with books, was a very low sat table. In front and behind the table were a few cushions. The table was littered with paperwork and books. At the left-hand edge were a few brushes, a porcelain container, and an oddly shaped slab of clay that dipped inward. Inside that oddly shaped clay was a dark stick of some sort.


    Li Yu Rong gestured toward one of the cushions, saying a single "zuo." Nastasia took the word to mean sit. She, as with the last word he spoke, repeated the word several times in order to commit it to memory.


    After sitting down, he took a seat beside her, his posture straight and serious as he reached for the oddly shaped clay thing. Taking the porcelain container, he dripped some water into it before taking the stick to rub it against the odd clay thing. From the water, up until halfway, and then back toward the water.  This repeated itself several times until the water was a thick inky black. He set the stick down.


    Pointing toward the oddly shaped clay, he said. "Y¨¤n." Thus she took it to mean that the oddly shaped thing was called a yan. Another thing committed to memory.


    His gaze was observing her carefully. He pointed toward the inky water. "M¨° ."


    He picked up a brush and said clearly, slowly. "M¨°bi."


    Pulling forth a sheet of paper, he said in the same measured tone. "Xuanzhi."


    Dipping the brush into the ink he drew a single character. "Li." Drew another, "Yu." Then drew another, "Rong." She watched him carefully, taking in each stroke, hoping to learn. Li Yu Rong, seeing her rapt attention upon the paper handed over the brush, his eyes telling her to give it a try.


    Nastasia looked at his name, tried to recall the order in which he wrote the lines, and nervously began to write. When she finished, the characters looked like the nonsensical doodles of a toddler.


    Her shoulders dropped in disappointment.


    The corner of Li Yu Rong''s mouth upturned gently as he patted her head, offering praise for her attempt. This, when she had done so terribly, made her feel embarrassed. She dropped her gaze to the paper. Nastasia dipped the brush again to make another attempt, yet her hand switched into writing the familiar letters of her own name.


    "A-S-Y-A." She sounded out each letter as he had done. She handed over the brush for him to copy it...


    ¡­ only to be stunned at the perfectly even and beautifully written letters staring back at her. Well, she comforted herself, asking him to do this was like getting a master artist to draw stick figures while hers was like asking a person that could only draw stick figures to make a masterpiece.


    After finishing her name his gaze was on her expectantly. At first, she couldn''t understand what he was wanting but soon realized that it was praise he was fishing for. Nastasia couldn''t help but find his eyes, that glowed with a childish anticipation, rather... cute.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Thinking back to how he always pats her head, she leaned forward to do the same. However, because he was a head taller than her, she needed to rise to her knees to reach comfortably. Placing a hand on his shoulder to balance, her hand patted the top of his head.


    Nastasia wasn''t quite sure what happened, so she remained in a daze while trying to understand it.


    Somehow, as she was patting his head, her body pitched forward and landed into his embrace. Li Yu Rong hadn''t made any moves except for steadying her shoulders when she fell against him. For this reason, his perpetrating any foul play never crossed her mind.


    Her brow scrunched and when she made a move to return to her spot with a muttered apology, she was spun around and sat in his lap. An arm snaked around her waist to keep her there.


    Her mind malfunctioned and her face changed three shades of red.


    Even though she was already this old her intimate experiences with the opposite sex could be counted on a fist. She was home-schooled because her mother feared outside influences (well, the area they lived in wasn''t exactly good, so she didn''t blame her) and her grandfather supported this move wholeheartedly. Her mind only held books and her schemes of the moment so, even though she went to a normal college, she rarely gave anyone the time of day; let alone men. Her time had been reserved for her family and her projects.


    This mindset had followed her all the way to her current age.


    Where would she have had the time for romance? Not that there was ever a man who attempted it, she thought dispiritedly. While this thought crossed her mind she had, unknowingly, discounted the line of men who attempted to attract her notice and failed. However, what they failed to realize was that in pursuit of this easily-distracted-yet-solely-focused-on-one-thing-at-a-time woman, they needed to give her more than subtle hints to get the point across.


    "Zuan," he murmured a low tone at her ear. "Zhi." He spoke again after a moment.


    His warm breath tickled her ear as he spoke, and coupled with the tone, had her spine stiffening.


    What was he saying? What did he think he was doing? What should she do? Her mind jumped around these thoughts, but her body remained unmoving, her breath coming out in a crawl as her heart nearly pounded its way out of her chest.


    The brush was placed before her and she stared at it for what felt an eternity before mechanically grasping it in hand.


    Okay, let''s forget this is happening. Her brain couldn''t deal with it and decided to push it aside. She wrote the words he wanted and then handed the brush back. This torture continued on until nightfall. Even the meal that had been brought in for her by the dark-haired young man with orange streaks, the reprieve she thought she had won, had been eaten while in his lap.


    At nightfall, a servant had appeared and Li Yu Rong finally retracted his arm, letting her go. He indicated for her to follow the servant and she left without looking back, her face beet red.


    She was lead to a room nearby to the one she had woken in after having her injuries treated. The servant wordlessly gave her a tour of the room, showing the bed, the wardrobe filled with clothes, and other places that were meant for storage.


    Once the servant left she collapsed upon the mattress and pillows in a daze. Even though it had been some time since she had entered this bedroom, she could still feel his warmth at her back and the ghosting pressure of his arm around her waist. The feeling had her heart squeezing strangely.


    Nastasia tried to brush it aside and fall asleep, but her thoughts constantly flowed to him teaching her words and writing in that room. She could barely recall the things she had learned although she tried to think about them more than his warmth.


    It wasn''t until her mind was too exhausted to continue that Nastasia finally found sleep.

 Speaking Out Some Concerns

    Li Yu Rong watched Asya follow the servant all the way until she disappeared from sight. He stared a bit lost in thought before bringing his gaze down to the hand that had held her around the waist. He flexed his fingers slightly as if trying to keep within them her gentle warmth and softness.


    Sigh...


    Since he had spent the entire afternoon to late evening teaching Asya to understand his words, there was neglected work to be done. However, before he touched upon the loathsome drudgery, he had a much more important matter to attend.


    Carefully storing away Asya''s writing practice, Li Yu Rong laid out a clean sheet of rice paper. He dipped the ink brush into the inkstone well to saturate the brush in ink. The bristles made of fine arctic fox fur gracefully glided across the page. A lengthy letter was soon written after a series of gentle sweeps and re-dunking into the inkwell.


    Li Yu Rong waved a hand to help dry the ink before folding and sealing the missive. Infusing it with a bit of a spirit energy, he placed an array to ward away prying eyes.


    "See to it that this gets there safely and without fail."


    A rush of wind and then the sealed letter vanished without a trace.


    Another sheet of rice paper was laid before him, yet rather than gliding the brush in more graceful sweeps, he laid the brush down in the holder. His brow twitched with a hint of annoyance.


    "Paoxiao, if you have something to say, come in and say it. If not, take your pacing elsewhere, it''s distracting."


    The sound of agitated and tromping steps paused. In the time it took to steep a cup of tea a hesitant figure entered the study to take a seat upon a cushion in front of the desk. Hands resting on his knees, Paoxiao opened his mouth to say something yet nothing managed to come out in the end.


    Li Yu Rong made no moves to rush him and waited for the demon to speak, yet as he kept floundering the prince began to feel his patients slip.  Eventually, Paoxiao finally found the courage to ask. "What are you planning to do with that human girl?"


    Brows knit at the suddenness of the strange and unexpected question, Li Yu Rong said with a bit of an edge. "This concerns you, because...?"


    Rather than answering Paoxiao went on to say, "I saw that thing on her arm. You forcibly placed a contract on her, why?" He had almost dropped the tray of food he was holding as he caught a glimpse of the markings on her left hand when she had reached out to receive it.


    Fists clenched beneath the table, within his sleeves. Li Yu Rong''s crimson eye flashed with a guilty anger. "She agreed to it!" He protested.


    "How?" Paoxiao shot back. "It''s clear to see that she doesn''t understand anything! You fooled her into it, and if you''re planning to do anything to her I''ll-"


    "What tiger''s blood did you drink to argue with me like this? To threaten me?" He murmured softly, eyes narrowed to slits, a sure sign of his anger shifting toward something murderous.


    At that, Paoxiao deflated. A hand moved up to touch the slave binding contract at his neck before falling away.  He took a breath and shifted his sight toward the bookshelves at his left to then say, slightly embarrassed, "she has a smile like my sister." Then, in a stronger voice he said with narrowed eyes, "a person who can smile like that isn''t bad. Your ruthlessness against humans is widely known, I won''t let you do anything to hurt her."


    The prince scoffed lightly. He wasn''t unnecessarily ruthless without just cause. Those that plotted against him and those that thought to use him, how could he let them go easily?


    Calming down, Li Yu Rong picked the brush back up and filling it with ink wrote out another missive. He handed the completed and sealed letter over to Paoxiao. "Take this and deliver it to Commander Jiang. Be quick and don''t allow for yourself to be seen."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Normally this would be left to one of his servants with the name Ying, but this rambunctious demon seemed to have too much time and energy on hand. With the contract in place, it would be fine for him to run this errand in the Mortal Realm.


    Paoxiao excepted the missive wordlessly and left, feeling stifled at heart. He wanted to argue more but understood that making Li Yu Rong -who was stronger than him- angry wouldn''t be beneficial in any way.


    Therefore, he resolved to himself silently to watch over that strange girl and try to foil any vicious plots. He couldn''t really see what the contract was but knew that the markings were different from a Slave Binding Contract. This fact made him feel slightly better.


    Paoxiao had been unable to protect his sister years and years ago when the previous Gate Guardian came to their village and snatched her up for the Mortal Realm. So, when he saw that girl who smiled like his elder sister he felt a deep need to look out for her.


    If he could protect that girl with a similar smile he felt he could make up for failing to prevent his sister''s abduction. He felt that by protecting her, he could have a chance at finding his sister in the Mortal Realm.


    ---------------------------------


    A door gently pulled open and then pulled shut. Li Yu Rong softly made his way toward the bed where the red-haired girl lay happily sleeping. The gentle rise and fall of her chest and light sounds of her breath put him at ease. The tenseness of his shoulders relaxed as he sat beside her at the edge of the bed.


    His fingers brushed the red strands of hair from her face and then trailed lightly down the smooth skin of her cheek, to her chin, and then down her neck before stopping. Her presence felt like a balm to his tattered soul.


    It was inexplicable how a single person could move another so completely, even within just a single moment of meeting. The way she had looked at his eye, the way she reached out to touch it in wonder, the way she said his name, and the way she trembled in his embrace all moved him to breathlessness.


    Never before had Li Yu Rong desired to possess a person so completely. Never before had he felt a need to keep a person even if it meant underhanded trickery.


    Shifting to lay down beside her, he carefully pulled her into his arms. She moved slightly and mumbled a bit, but settled down with her head against his chest. The sleeve of her left hand bunched up revealing the entirety of the mark he placed.


    Humans were meant to stay in the Mortal Realm and Spirit Creatures were meant to stay in the Spirit Realm. The Palace of the Four Gates was between the two. If he had not made this contract with her, he would not have been able to keep her here. The palace would have rejected her after a bit of time.


    Thinking back to the intel he received from An Ying as he was returning from the eastern gate, his expression darkened.


    He would receive a decree to enter the imperial palace soon. Minister Li sure didn''t bide his time to whisper into the emperor''s -his brother''s- ear having already sent out the details of Asya''s presence within his Palace of the Four Gates.


    Tracing a finger down the symbols on her soft flesh, he added an array for protection before closing his eyes for sleep. When the decree came, he knew without a doubt, his brother would force his hand to bring her along. Unlike the father that had ignored him and tried to have as little to do with him as possible, the brother he later discovered having seemed to enjoy acting out like a spoiled child for his attention.


    All he could do was to place his pieces carefully to minimalize, if not outright stop, the coming storm.

 Sinister Plots and Waking to a Shocking View

    The sound of footsteps bounced off of stone walls to echo about the hidden underground room. As the person climbed the stairs deeper in, the low and vicious growls of beasts rose in volume. The rattling cages, the clanking of chains, and the soul-wrenching screams could freeze a man''s heart solid.


    The person walking down the winding stairs, however, remained unaffected and continued on as if he were wrapped up in a jaunty tune. Every shrill howl caused his lips to twitch upward and his dark eyes to brighten. There was a touch of insanity in that jovial gaze.


    As this person rounded the corner and walked through the open gated entryway he was met with a hellish masterpiece. Upon an operating table with its belly split wide open was a cat-like spirit beast the size of two grown men. Adjacent the table was another displaying the freshly pulled organs from the corpse. Blood painted the ground like art fit for poetry.


    A giddy feeling rose up at the sight, but he tempered down the rising violence in him to be nothing more than a heart''s unfulfilled desire. The corner of his lips rose up as his gaze turned toward the bald old man hunched over at the side, writing furiously.


    "You seem to be having fun, Tongchu."


    "Not fun." Tongchu denied without once pausing his movements or glancing over.


    "Oh?" The dark man inquiringly hummed.


    The old man huffed a frustrated growl. "The experiment wasn''t viable. Though Subject 285 was successfully impregnated by a great white tiger, Subject 285 wasn''t able to carry to term. The energies of both the Mortal Realm and Spirit Realm within the fetus spiraled out of control killing it and poisoning Subject 285 to death. I pulled the organs and fetus for further study, but..." He put down his tome and brush and grasped a fist full of bloody organs, turning them over in his hands for the other man to observe.


    "At a steady but fast rate, the poison is blackening the organs and then turning them into a pasty mush that evaporates into energy. I''ve already tried collecting the energy before it could disperse into the atmosphere, however soon found it to be pointless. The energy was spirit energy without a trace of anything from the Mortal Realm."


    The dark man scoffed lightly and in a sing-song voice, said. "I don''t believe it''s impo-ssible to merge the blood of beings from the Mortal and Spirit Realms into one container." He then began to pace the room, his countenance darkening drastically. He growled.  "If that bastard could be born into this world and live then surely another bastard could be born and live."


    "We''d have better results if there were fresh demon blood at hand." Tongchu gripped.


    Nodding, the dark man stopped his pacing and cast a glance toward an alcove carved out between two doors; one led to the caged spirit beasts and the other led to the caged beasts of the Mortal Realm. The alcove was not very deep and was barred by metal bars of iron. Arrays colored the walls; some were to act as barriers while some were meant to keep things fresh. The thing to be kept preserved was the corpse of a woman. Her lilac hair a waterfall down her frame, her crimson eyes gazed a sightless stare and her flesh pale and pasty from death.


    "En," the dark man hummed in agreement. "Luckily another demon cropped up recently... very soon, I''ll have her in my grasp."


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    -------------------


    It was warm and comfortable. Nastasia was greatly reluctant to open her eyes and wake though her consciousness was beginning to rouse and knew it to be time to do so. She snuggled into the solid and comfortable mass beside her, taking an arm and leg to wrap around it. Unable to recall a time when her body pillow had felt so wonderful she tried to force sleep to keep the moment going.


    Howbeit that Nastasia wanted this to go on forever, her rousing mind began to notice a few abnormalities. For instance: The pillow seemed to carry its own warmth, shifted occasionally, and seem to be petting her hair.


    That last fact really sobered up her sleep addled brain and she stiffened. ''That''s right, this isn''t my room.'' She thought in alarm. ''I''m lost somewhere strange and staying with a demonic beauty, from where could my body pillow appear?''


    Nastasia slowly slid her lids open, blearily taking in an amazing sight. From the devastatingly beautiful face down to the nicely toned flesh peeking from skewed robes, her eyes shamelessly ogled. The view was far greater than the handsome models her younger sister fancied and plaster all over her bedroom walls.


    Still, under the sluggish throes of sleep, it took a moment for her to register what she was seeing. The moment it did, her soul jumped from her flesh. She untangled from him as if he were a deadly and poisonous creature, throwing her body backward.


    Thump!


    "Ow, that hurts..." she rubbed her smarting hip and then tossed a glare to the bewitching demon laughing, deeply amused, upon the bed.


    Honestly! What did this guy want to accomplish? He teased her on their first meeting and was constantly trying to come into some sort of contact with her. Now, he shamelessly decides he must climb into bed with her. Was he trying to give her poor, innocent, virgin heart a heart-attack?


    Nastasia really wished she could ask after his intentions, however, they still -at the moment- could not communicate. Not knowing what to do, she fisted her hands while her cheeks dusted red.


    "z¨£o sh¨¤ng h¨£o, w¨¯ m¨§i l¨¬ de ch¨¯ng''¨¦r. (Good morning, my beautiful pet.)" Nastasia shot her gaze toward him at the sound of his voice only to be stunned at the sight that met her. Li Yu Rong had his head propped up with a hand, his body splayed along the bed seductively, while a teasing half grin spread across his face. This man was a shameless flirt!


    She really wished she knew the words to convey to him, "please stop looking at me like that, my heart can''t take it!" Never had she been treated this way by a man, therefore she could only sit on the floor taking an eternity on deciding how to react. The fact that anything she said would be lost on his ears made the decision all the more difficult.


    Nastasia really didn''t want to let him off without a scolding.


    Li Yu Rong seemed to have taken pity on her as he retracted his bewitching pheromones, and put away his seductive countenance, to stand from the bed and straighten out his skewed robes. Before he walked out from the room, he patted her head in an attempt to soothe her ruffled feathers.


    After he left Nastasia breathed a sigh of relief. Standing from the floor she moved to get ready for the day, all the more determined to learn the words of this world.

 Paoxiaos Astonishing Ability

    It''s been several days since the betrayal that led Nastasia to this point in time. Several days since she had been chased and several since she had fallen prey to a bewitching beauty. The wound on her right shoulder had healed itself completely after two days, yet any considerations toward the mystifying speed of her recovery had been tossed aside.


    Who could she ask after it?


    Thus the swiftly healed wound had been taken as it was and that was the end of it. Rather, Nastasia focused her all upon trying to learn the words of this world. Not only was being unable to speak a truly frustrating thing, it was also a very lonely one. Although Nastasia was a bit of an introvert, focusing almost solely on her fancy of the moment, it wasn''t to the extent that she could do without speaking to another for so long.


    The servants and creatures that lived here would smile and wave at her. Sometimes the creatures would leave her flowers and then run off. However, she could not get them to stay with her for longer than that. They did not understand that she wanted them to speak to her even if she didn''t know their language. Unlike with Li Yu Rong, they could not grasp her point when she gestured at an object and spoke a single word.


    Speaking of Li Yu Rong; at first, he had frequently shown up in that room with the library and desk to help her learn to speak and write, howbeit it lately she hardly saw a wisp of his shadow.


    No.


    That wasn''t quite right.


    That devastating beauty of a man always managed to show up in her bed. No matter how she glared and cursed him -the later likely having no effect as he couldn''t understand the words- he would continue on as if nothing happened. Nastasia had once felt that she was a light sleeper, able to wake up at the slightest noise, however, that guy always managed to slip in with her no matter how she slept.


    After a few times of it happening she decided to give up on it. He never tried to take advantage of her and would merely sleep. The moment he tried "THAT" on her, forget words she''d stab him... or kick his little friend so hard that he wouldn''t be able to get back up again.


    Well, for the most part, she had gotten used to him being there and over the last couple of days didn''t feel as shy about it as she had in the beginning.


    With a heartfelt sigh, Nastasia hunkered down to lean against a tree near the pond to watch those fairy-like creatures tease the fish with food. Eventually one of the fish spat water at them, causing a few to plop into the pond from wet wings. Though it was an amusing sight, she couldn''t bring herself to laugh.


    There were too many things weighing heavily on her mind.


    The leaves and grass crunched and then a warmth was sat beside her. She turned her gaze from the pond to see the man with orange streaked hair and golden eyes. She was a little surprised that he sat so close to her.


    After the day he knelt before her and jabbered off some words he has always been following her around. He never got close, maintaining a distance of around twenty-thirty feet. Just enough to see him, but not to interact. It was only yesterday that she had managed to drag his name out of him.


    He was called Paoxiao.


    The odd thing was that he refused to get her name in return. He almost seemed worried that she had tried to say it. Although this idea could have been a misinterpretation of his expression as she could not see how telling him her name could be cause for worry. It was merely a name, after all.


    Having her attention, Paoxio held out his hand, concentrating his gaze on the center of his palm. After a moment something began to form. From a long greenish-brown stick grew the stalk, the receptacle, the pistol, the stamen and then beautiful pale pink petals.


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    Nastasia stared in wonder as she watched this plumb blossom come to life in the palm of his hand. As he held it out to her she smiled brilliantly and took it, touching the soft petals that felt real. As she looked at it she found that it was not different to the real thing.


    Delighted by her response Paoxiao again concentrated on his palm and one by one a kaleidoscope of butterflies emerged from his hand, filling the space around them with fluttering colors. Soon they burst into sparkling lights, like mini fireworks, fading into the air.


    After the last burst of light faded, Nastasia brought her sparkling gaze to Paoxiao''s hand in contemplation. After a moment, having come to a decision, she grabbed his arm and forced him to follow her toward the study. As she pulled him she used the single word "gen (follow)," that she had learned from Li Yu Rong.


    Nastasia made him sit beside her as she pulled a sheet of paper and grabbed the brush and ink. After having played with these items over these past days she had gotten used to them well enough that she could now draw decent images. She took a moment to ponder how to draw the blueprint she wanted well enough without needing a single word to explain the different parts. To her, it seemed an eternity as she worked this out. For Paoxiao, however, she merely stared at the paper a moment before taking the bush to it, carefully placing strokes this way and that.


    At first, he thought that she was planning to show him the writing she had been working hard at, but then realized it was an image she was forming on the page. They sat this way for half an hour. For Paoxiao it was the time taken to brew and drink tea.


    Once she was finished, she handed the blueprint to Paoxiao with an expectant gaze. At first he didn''t understand what she wanted with this. Howbeit, after looking at the image in his hand and studying it a moment, he realized she wanted him to create this for her. It was such a detailed picture of all the pieces and how they worked.


    One he understood it enough that he could see the image in his mind and work out its details, Paoxiao placed down the paper and attempted to form the object. It was a difficult thing to do as he was not very familiar, but once he likened it to a dizi the task became a mite easier for him complete.


    Though the material wasn''t the same it was, without a doubt, the flute she had meticulously drawn. Reaching out, Nastasia gingerly touched the surface, as a rush of homesickness burst from her chest. Her grandfather loved music. The first instrument he had given and taught her had been a flute. Following that had been the piano, a few stringed instruments, the saxophone and then a few others that hadn''t really taken her fancy.


    With a watery smile, she picked the flute up and began to play. The song she chose was Moonlight Sonata, one of her grandfather''s favorites to hear from her.


    Paoxiao closed his eyes, enraptured by the beautiful music he had never before heard, so he hadn''t taken notice right away. When the last note rang out and he opened his eyes, still under the music''s enchantment, he had seriously panicked when the sight of her tear stained face registered a whole second later.


    He reached out a hand, drew back, reach out, and then repeated this several times with such a look of horror that Nastasia''s tears turned to amused laughter.


    After her good laugh, she wiped away her tears and patted Paoxiao on the shoulder. "I''m alright, now." She told him and then held out the flute. "Thank you for this, Paoxiao."


    Paxiao felt his heart warm and then clench sadly at the same time with her smile. The smile that he felt contained a shadow of his sister. He returned her smile while burying the sadness in his heart.


    After this encounter, he was more determined than ever to watch out for and protect her.

 Infiltration

    The moon hung in the sky a sliver of light, illuminating the surroundings just enough for trained eyes to see decently. Three darkly dressed figures walked the silent night, sticking to the cover of the shadows. As they came upon the rear wall of the compound hidden in the mountains the one, wearing an ivory mask covering the upper portion of the face, drew to a sudden pause.


    Li Yu Rong slanted An Ying a glance with the eye visible from his mask. It gleamed an ominous crimson as it caught the light of the moon. "An Ying, go with Lu Se Ying. Only act if Lu Se Ying is about to fall."


    An Ying had been a malevolent ghost; a bloodthirsty killer. He had been betrayed by a dear friend, left to die among the corpses of his loved ones. The anguish and hatred felt in that moment followed him as his soul crossed into the Spirit Realm. It gave him a strength and determination to remain. Having absorbed spirit energy he was able to turn away from the Wheel of Reincarnation to carry out the revenge deeply seeded within the essence of his current self.


    When Li Yu Rong had first taken over the Palace of Four Gates at the age of five, he had been tasked with the mission of collecting and returning all the residents of the Spirit Realm to whence they came. An Ying -though nameless at the time- had been the first denizen he had come across.


    One of the spirits of the palace led him to a small village a short distance from Mencheng; the town that contained the gates. When he stepped into the village square he was met with a scene of bloody carnage. Standing in the middle of the villagers'' corpses was An Ying staring off into the distance, his eyes vacant as though his mind had left him.


    Being only Five at the time, Li Yu Rong was terrified. Though he had been sent to the cold palace nearly from the moment he was born, and he''d seen many cruelties, he was protected well by the spirit creatures loyal to his mother. He had never before been acquainted with such a horrific scene.


    So, even though the spirit at his side insisted for him to go forth and complete his duties by creating a seal and exorcising the malevolent ghost, Li Yu Rong had felt more like running away from the terrifying thing. In the end, he did neither. As he looked at the ghost he felt his fear abate and his speedily racing heart calm.


    With careful steps, he had drawn closer. When the ghost had brought his attention toward him and his aura shifted into a feeling of rising violence, the little him had said. "Why kill them if you''re going to cry about it in the end?"


    All violence had fallen away from the ghost as he fell into a stunned and contemplative silence. From the eyes toward the chin, there was a trail of tears. Once the ghost figured out there were such an emotion and the cause for it, he said. "Their faces are wrong."


    Hearing the reply Li Yu Rong knew that there was still a part of who the ghost used to be, existing somewhere within him. Having learned many seals and arrays from the spirit creatures that cared for him from infancy and those from the Palace of Four Gates, an idea came to him. Someone with such a sad and lonely figure, he didn''t want to destroy. Instead, he would seal it to himself.


    "Follow me." The young him had said. "Follow me and I''ll take on all your hatred and resentment and when you find the one you want to kill I''ll help you kill him." The ghost remained silent and did not answer. Though he did not answer, he could feel the ghost''s favorable reception to the thought. The little Li Yu Rong then asked. "What is your name?"


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    "I can''t recall," the ghost said after a time.


    "Then you''ll be An Ying."


    "Master?"


    Li Yu Rong snapped from his thoughts when Lu Se Ying called him questioningly. He shook his head to show that he was alright and gestured for them to continue on. They scaled the wall in a single movement and then soon after went their separate ways. As they parted the prince hoped that An Ying wouldn''t have to lift a hand.


    It was hard to say if any would be left alive once he did.


    A good portion of the reason for their infiltration was to take captive the people guarding and running this compound. To not alert the enemy only the three of them would sneak in while Commander Jiang would sit outside the area of detection until the signal was given. Once the people and evidence were secured, it would be left with the commander to question and investigate.


    While Li Yu Rong was to deal with the three experts guarding the top, Lu Se Ying and An Ying were to make their way to the underground room and secure the researchers. This compound was a hidden research facility. These places came into existence well before he had been placed into the Palace of the Four Gates.


    Back when his predecessor had mysteriously vanished and the denizens of the Spirit Realm ran rampant, it had been suggested to create group tasked with the studying them. They knew nothing of spirit energy except that it could poison those of the Mortal Realm. They had no intimation towards dealing with these creatures whose energy and ways worked so differently from their own.


    Hiring out a few top-level experts having reached the profound upper level of their martial arts, they managed to catch a few of the lower level beasts that could not conceal themselves. Having performed multiple kinds of experiments they managed to develop a higher understanding of spirit energy and how it evolved within the creatures that contained it. It wasn''t quite unlike the natural qi or energy a mortal contained in their dantian that allowed for them to practice their martial arts.


    However, they later discovered that the two energies opposed one another and could not coexist. While they may fair well against the lower creatures they could not fight those on an upper-level and vice-versa. After a while of exchanging blows, the two higher level energies would fight over the other for dominance eventually causing both to explode.


    Knowing this, there weren''t many who were willing to take the risk and thus villages and towns outside the major cities were left in torment.


    The next research had been upon contracts and seals. Back when the master to the Palace of Four Gates had still been around, spirit beasts had been contracted and neither party faced any adverse effects. However, before the research could show any results everything had been halted and cast away.


    Li Yu Rong had been placed into the palace. The collected spirit beasts were placed back into the Spirit Realm and the Emperor that sired the current Gate Guardian forbade any further research for fear of those chaotic times returning.


    Coming upon the first expert, kicked back unawares in his chair drinking tea, a dangerous smirk fell from Li Yu Rong''s lips.

 Infiltration Part 2

    Coming upon the first expert, kicked back unawares in his chair drinking tea, a dangerous smirk fell from Li Yu Rong''s lips. He stole up as silent and unnoticed as the shadow that follows when one walks. It was as if he were so part of the ''every day'' that he was ignored from conscious thought.


    He moved, reaching out to grab the experts chin, forcing his face look at his own. At first, the expert tried to struggle out of the hold, his mouth opening to speak, however, after looking into the one gleaming crimson eye he simply fell back into his seat.


    "Your name?" Li Yu Rong murmured.


    The expert''s eyes stared out in a daze as his voice drawled out his words in a dragging tone, sounding as if possessed. "Long Yechen."


    A subtle energy began to rise in the air. It collected at Li Yu Rong''s pointer finger, gleaming a pale scarlet. He drew out a seal above the man''s heart in elegant and swift movements. "Long Yechen, by thine soul I bind thee to this seal."


    This seal would encourage this Long Yechen to give his complete cooperation. This expert would not move from this spot. If the commander questioned him, then he would spill all he knew without the slightest provocation. His mind wouldn''t spare a thought toward loyalties, toward suicide to encroach what was known into darkness, and nor would it consider trying to escape.


    Satisfied that the seal was well in place, Li Yu Rong left the man. The expert, as he left him, was exactly as before; carelessly sitting in his chair and drinking tea as if he did not see the masked man from beginning to end.


    The next martial arts expert was a bit more alert than the first, or rather, it should be said that he was not slacking off with a cup of tea. Li Yu Rong came upon the next one just finishing up his rounds patrolling the area he was to guard against intrusion.


    Waiting for the moment when his guard would be at its weakest. Thus when he relaxed after finding nothing wrong, Li Yu Rong slipped up beside him. He grabbed the man''s chin and forced his gaze to peer into the lone crimson eye visible from the ivory mask. The expert struggled at first, but soon it fell away to a sort of dazed compliance as if he were possessed.


    As he opened his mouth to ask after a name, Li Yu Rong felt a sense of imminent danger racing toward his side. Using some light footwork, he side-stepped the strike, his eye drifting to the left. The strike grazed past upper arm flesh with a glint of silver as it smashed through the heart of the man he bewitched. Damn, he''d been nicked, not reacting quick enough.


    With a sickening squelch, the sword was retracted.


    The man fell to his knees as blood poured from his mouth and with a few heaving breaths, he died. Due to being bewitched, he died without ever realizing it.


    When Li Yu Rong turned his gaze from the corpse to the third and final expert, the man stepped back as he drew in a sharp breath. "Demon," he breathed in fear when his gaze fell upon that brightly gleaming crimson eye.


    "Your name?" Li Yu Rong demanded.


    The expert did not utter a word, sword poised to strike. He was too cautious with the demon in front of him to be bewitched.


    ''Ah,'' Li Yu Rong thought, ''to subdue without killing is going to be difficult.'' The expert before him was highly skilled; to go easy and not get injured himself was also going to be a chore.


    However, perhaps it was due to fear of the demon he was facing, but the third expert immediately struck outward with his sword. Though Li Yu Rong''s bicep twinged and spurted forth blood from the neat slice, he had no troubles dodging the sword jabbing toward his body.


    Even though it would have been the choice of most to go after his injured arm, this expert just continued to stab wildly. Did this man not know what lied below their feet, or was he just that scary as a demon?


    Well, at least the rising fear in the other made it easier to bring the struggle to an end.


    Dodging a couple more jabs, Li Yu Rong slid up sideways on the last forward thrust of the blade. Taking hold of the expert''s wrist he dealt a palm strike on the side of his elbow causing it to bend oddly and the sword to drop. He then swiped his feet from underneath him, following the man to the ground, as he muffled his screams with his other hand.


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    "Your name?"


    "Da Chao." The expert finally answered, his expression dazed and his voice as if possessed.


    Li Yu Rong quickly drew out a seal above his heart. "Da Chao by thine soul I bind thee to this seal."


    Standing to his feet, he dusted his dark robes and walked off toward the inner part of the compound.


    ----------------------


    Lu Se Ying shot a glance at the ever silent An Ying and then shifted his gaze back to the front as they walked down the stone steps leading into the underground research facility. Though he was worried about the partner at his side being able to keep cool, it was mostly a shallow worry.


    It was rare that An Ying was unable to control himself after directly being warned by their master.


    The researchers were said to be ones with either little or no martial arts training by the intel Commander Jiang''s men had gathered over the past few days. He assured that he would have the fight over before An Yin could even consider running amok. He nodded to himself, ''yup, nothing to worry about.''


    As they got deeper in they began to hear more clearly the broken howls of the spirit beasts, the rattling chains as they struggled for freedom, and below that the muted conversation between the researchers. "An Ying," Lu Se Ying murmured, "stay at the entrance and remember master''s words. After I have them all tied up help me to watch them as I check on the spirit beasts."


    An Ying nodded without a word.


    Lu Se Ying rounded the corner and strode through the entrance. All activity ceased. There were a total of four humans in the room that stopped and turned their confused gazes upon him. This was good. None of them were experts, and only one of them appeared to have a slight martial talent. This was even better than what had been expressed.


    Though the ability was far weaker when away from the Palace of Four Gates or from the Spirit Realm, the spirit energy he held was enough to deal with these four people without needing to expend effort. Taking advantage of their confused state, with a wave of his hand, he bound them to the floor in spirit chains.


    Though they struggled and shouted out in protest, none had the strength to break free.


    "An Ying," he threw over his shoulder while walking toward the only other room, "watch them until master comes to bind their souls."


    He did not waste time to confirm as An Ying was always quick to follow so long as he felt it was what their master would want him to do. Pushing through the door that had been left ajar, he felt himself go still at the amount of spirit beast locked behind the cages.


    There were at least twenty adults and even more young of varying ages. It was hard to take count by sight due to many of them hiding the moment he walked through the door. "Don''t worry," he murmured to calm them, "I''m with the Gate Guardian... we''ve come to bring you home."


    He continued further in, moving toward the first cage, lifting his hand. He sent out a pale green energy before retracting it as he fell to his knees, hacking violently. Looking up at the spirit beasts, his gaze pained, he thought through his gut heaving coughs. ''What the hell did they do!?'' Eventually he vomited up everything in his stomach all over the floor.


    Standing on wobbling legs, he left the room with great difficulty. Dropping to hands and knees, he heaved as he tried to catch his breath under An Ying''s confused gaze. He stayed like that for what seemed hours as he tried to wrap his mind around the data he collected before becoming overcome by such intense waves of pain.


    Reaching into his robe, he placed the pill he received into his mouth and swallowed. Concentrating, he began to cleanse himself of the poisoned energy pulsating through his veins.


    Tap, tap, tap...


    Incapacitated as he was Lu Se Ying didn''t notice the approaching presence until he could hear the footsteps coming to the entrance. Trying to gather himself he threw a look toward An Ying, to gauge his reaction...

 Afliction

    Incapacitated as he was Lu Se Ying didn''t notice the approaching presence until he could hear the footsteps coming toward the entrance. Trying to gather himself he threw a look toward An Ying, to gauge his reaction, only to find that An Ying was already making his way to the back room.


    Seeing how he seemed unconcerned, Lu Se Ying let that worry go.


    "Wait!" He called out to An Ying who was charging forward with a rapidly rising, dangerous aura. "It was my fault! I wasn''t careful when I used my spirit energy. I''ll be okay after meditating a bit."


    Pausing, An Ying turned and gave Lu Se Ying a long and measured look. His eyes were deep, looking for even the slightest trace of deception. After a moment he nodded and did not continue further.


    Just as he wanted to sigh in relief, Lu Se Ying had to swallow it as he heard his master''s voice say. "What happened?"


    Adjusting his position, and turning toward his master, he divided his attention between cleansing his body of the polluted energy and giving an answer. "I was careless when I went to check the conditions of the spirit beasts." Under that stern gaze, his courage abandoned him as he turned eyes from his master''s face to his feet.


    Giving a noncommittal noise, Li Yu Rong then asked. "Their conditions are?"


    "Ah," he swallowed hard as he tried to think of how he should say it. There was a long pause before he finally murmured. "Bad. Very bad. Over a long period, bit by bit, the spirit energy had been siphoned from their cores to be replaced with the energy of the Mortal Realm. Their bodies, having no compatibility with this realm''s vital energy, are rotting from within."


    "Can you heal them?"


    Though it was hard to say the words, he said them with a helpless shake of the head. "No... their conditions are too severe. Just by using a bit of my energy to observe them from within I was harshly rejected and even stained with the contamination myself. Fortunately, I pulled back in time." Lu Se Ying then added. "They can''t be touched carelessly by those of either of the realms as the rot created by their experiments is highly toxic. To be honest, I don''t know how the spirit beasts are still alive."


    Li Yu Rong sat for a moment. It was hard to say what was going through his mind as the ivory mask covered most of his face from view, however his one visible crimson eye glowed menacingly. His gaze slanted toward the researchers before walking toward them.


    In quick succession, he bound their souls to the seal he created to help them cooperate without allowing for a single act towards resistance. Afterword he didn''t give them a single glance. Instead, he was focused on the only other room in the underground chamber. His body was tensed as he gave himself over to deep thought.


    "You can''t save any of them?"


    "Well," Lu Se Ying specified after hearing his master''s question, "those in the cage closest to the entrance can''t be saved. With my current condition, I can''t check the others. I''ll need at least the rest of the night to cleanse my veins of the rot."


    "Then you''ll remain with Commander Jiang until you can give me a full report." Li Yu Rong then moved toward the room with the caged spirit beasts.


    As it became apparent that he was going to take a look himself, Lu Se Ying cried out. "Master, you can''t! Your body wouldn''t be able to handle the poison!"


    Hearing that An Ying quickly reached out and grabbed his master''s arm, pulling him back. The act of the pull caused the wound on his arm to split and pull and for fresh blood seep even further into his clothes. Feeling the wet and understanding what it was, An Ying tightened his grip as his expression fell. A murderous violence danced behind his dark eyes.


    Feeling the turbulent change, Li Yu Rong softened his voice as he tried to calm the other down. "An Ying... it''s a light flesh wound. Nothing serious."


    An Ying''s expression eased, but he didn''t let go.


    This time Li Yu Rong spoke with the authority of a master, "let go." After the short command, An Ying''s grip fell away reluctantly. "Don''t follow."


    Continuing onward, Li Yu Rong stepped through the doorway. Taking in the sights of the caged spirit beast with the hazy and low lighting of the two torches; one at the door and one at the back of the room.


    He drew in a sharp breath and his fingers trembled.


    Each and every one of them was covered in slight patches of fur. Their skin had thick bulging sores that were cracked, bleeding and leaking pus. Their legs were chained to the walls, the flesh having grown over the tight shackles. The shapes of their bodies were deformed to such a degree that he couldn''t even begin to tell of their species... nothing remained of what they must have looked like before the experiments.


    Even the young weren''t much better off.


    Ah, it might not have been a good idea. No, it definitely wasn''t a good idea. However, he was spurned on by anger. He was moved into action by the pitiful and pain filled yowls and whimpers. He was thrown into chaos by how, even though they must have been in such excruciating agony, they moved to protect their young and keep them from his view.


    He was filled with a deep and bone-chilling rage.


    Energy collected at his fingertips, a deep and glowing crimson. It flowed from his core with reckless abandon. He scrawled out arrays and seals all over the room. He tied them together in intricate designs and weaved them into the essence of the spirit beasts.


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    Before he was even close to finishing, his body felt the backlash of his reckless actions. It screamed and protested for this stop. The dual energies in his body shifted as one grew weaker, but in his anger, he paid it no mind.


    Li Yu Rong tied the final knot, binding them completely. "With this... your resentment, pain, hatred, and fears are taken from you. May you know a measure of peace before the end." With that, he retracted his energy, composed himself with a deep breath, and then left the room.


    The moment he walked through the door and came into view Lu Se Ying checked over his form with his eyes. Li Yu Rong was a bit pale, but otherwise, his form appeared as sturdy as normal. Lu Se Ying felt a small measure of relief but was still worried.


    While he was dealing with the spirit beasts Commander Jiang had entered the underground chamber after having secured the two living martial arts experts. Seeing the man directing his men to set up for the interrogation, Li Yu Rong walked over.


    "Commander Jiang, once you''ve gotten all the needed information the seal will break. Once that happens, kill them." He didn''t wait for a reply and shifted to leave. "An Ying stay with Lu Se Ying, return once you''ve determined whether they can be saved."


    He waited for no replies and refused to speak any further; he left the room. The only thing he wanted right now was to return to the Palace of Four Gates before he was paralyzed by the vital energy of the Mortal Realm vying for dominance in his body.


    ---------------


    Nastasia was currently sitting on the deck facing east attached to Li Yu Rong''s room. She was artfully playing her mother''s favorite Irish folk song as she reminisced of their memories together. The song was "A Kiss in the Morning Early." Her mother had always been rather fond of love songs.


    Thus she sat, and played, remembering the past while she waited for Li Yu Rong to return. It had been three days since she last saw him and before that, she had only ever seen him after waking in her bed.


    She wasn''t sitting here waiting for him because she was worried or missed him -definitely not!- but rather because she wanted to share with him her progress. Not only were there several one-word phrases she could use to get her point across, she could now put together a few broken sentences.


    Nastasia was quite proud of her momentum in stepping further and further beyond their language barrier since their first meeting nearly two weeks ago. She was quite anticipating the look on his face after displaying how far she had come along in her learning.


    As her thoughts moved in this direction, and her excitement mounted, her fingers bounced along the notes. It gave the song a sort of playful and carefree air.


    Thud!


    Following that sound was a horrific series of hacking coughs.


    Nastasia stood up in alarm and dropped her flute. Turning around and rushing into the room she found Li Yu Rong on his knees, hacking into his hand, blood dripping between his fingers.


    Rushing forward, she dropped to her knees beside him, pulling his face to look at her. "Wrong?" She asked. She hadn''t learned to phrase it as "what''s wrong with you" yet and hoped that he could understand her meaning.


    Though he was confused to see her there, he offered her a smile as blood bubbled up his throat and trailed the corner of his mouth. He swallowed back the bile and blood as not to frighten her and patted her head reassuringly.


    Rather than make her feel better, his actions worried her more.


    Seeing that he wasn''t going to try to answer in any way to make her understand, she brought her hand to his forehead and then to his cheeks. He was burning up with fever and drenched in a thin sheen of sweat. As she touched him, she felt the tremors running through his body. He was anything but okay as his smile tried to mislead her into believing.


    Nastasia grabbed his arm and forced him to follow her to his bed and made him lie in it. He tried to drag her with him, but his body was greatly weakened so it was easy for her to refuse.


    She ran from the room.


    Li Yu Rong felt a bit of disappointment at her fleeing form, but then also felt it was for the better. The energies in his body were dueling for dominance. Though it was his spirit energy that had been depleted to a dangerous level, and it was the vital energy of the Mortal Realm that was poisoning him, he still feared to pass his affliction on to her.


    The Mortal and Spirit Realms were never meant to interact with one another. This was why, though all his searching for the cause, he could not understand why the gate connecting to two worlds appeared in the first place.


    Due to his thoughts and trying to suppress his condition from worsening, he did not notice Asya''s return until she was beside him wiping his face with a cool wet rag. His heart warmed at her gentle touch and the pain eased from his body. Somehow, in a way he could not explain, he felt the battling energies come to a standstill and his condition stabilize.


    After a bit of relishing her gentle care, he managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

 Tender Moments

    As Li Yu Rong woke, the first thing he became aware of was a splitting headache that tore through his brain. The next notice was the heaviness of his limbs as he tried raising a hand to rub at his temples.


    He, Li Yu Rong, was not one to have tender feelings for the weak. If you were weak, you would die; it was that plain and simple. However, even if he did not ally himself as a hero of justice, there were things that one could not -in good conscience- overlook.


    So, even though his body was suffering greatly under the aftereffects of his actions, he did not regret.


    "..."


    Coming into a better awareness of the state of his body after he woke further, recalling that he had left Lu Se Ying, his brows furrowed in confusion. He was, though aching and stiff, well rested. Though there was pain radiating from one part to another, the energies in his body had gone back to their tentative coexistence.


    Li Yu Rong had left quickly after his burst of anger. Not only did he not want to succumb to his condition in front of Commander Jiang and his soldiers with the mild trust between them, he wanted An Ying to see it even less. With his weakened body he would not be able to stop An Ying should the man lose control.


    Therefore, he left without a word, acting as if he were no worse for the wear.


    The Palace of the Four Gates was filled with spirit energy. Returning to replenish the amounts he tossed about in a fit of anger, his only choice had been to handle stabilizing the fluctuations on his own.


    This was something that could not be managed in a single day, so... Li Yu Rong could not understand how his body had recovered its balance so quickly. A single night and he was merely suffering the aftereffects of disturbing the harmony between the dual energies contained within his body.


    Thoughts shifting to the night before, he tried to recall the prior events leading to this moment. By the time he finally entered the territory encompassed by the Palace of Four Gates his mind was growing delirious under the strain of keeping the vital energy in his body from rampaging. Li Yu Rong recalled that as he got to his room, his knees gave out as he began choking on the bile and blood that suddenly trapped itself in his throat.


    There had been warmth and her worried gaze.


    Forcing himself to sit, Li Yu Rong looked about his room lit brightly by the early morning sun. The muscles tensed in anticipation relaxed upon finding her curled up on the floor near his bed. The wolves he gifted were beside her, one acting as a pillow and the other as warmth.


    A feeling of dissatisfaction rose in his chest the longer his eyes trailed over the trio and the satisfied smile that pulled her lips.


    Though his limbs were stiff and his body ached something fierce, Li Yu Rong stood from the bed. Taking Aysa into his arms carefully, he shot the two wolves a look that clearly said, "scram!" Seeing that clear demand the two quickly fled.


    Li Yu Rong settled them together, comfortably, in his bed. Laying on his side his eyes trailed over the curves of her nose, her lips, her chin, taking in the gentle rise and fall of her chest, and then finally landing on her left hand that lay lightly curled between them.


    Reaching out, his fingers brushed across the mark he left on her from the second to the last finger of her hand down to her wrist. The mark that bound her to him. The mark he would one day get her knowingly acknowledge.


    As he thought back to the night before, he realized she had been waiting for him in his room, as for how else could she have appeared so quickly at his side after his sudden return. Affection filled his chest at the realization and thoughts that she may have been missing him rose up.


    This uncontrollable urge to hug her to his chest appeared.


    If he didn''t fear to wake her, he would have quenched it. Instead, he tried to satisfy the urge by drawing his fingers down her cheek, taking in her softness and warmth. Those fingers of his, although they itched to touch more, froze as they descended down her chin.


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    Her eyes snapped open as her brows drew down in confusion. Li Yu Rong propped his head in his hand as he watched Asya and waited for her to slowly realize where she was, waited for her nose to scrunch in anger and for her to spout out those incomprehensible words of hers. Her blue eyes would glow passionately and in those moments he couldn''t help but find her to be absolutely endearing.


    This time, however, as she jumped up and opened her mouth to shout the words died in her throat. Instead, she looked over his body with her eyes and said with a voice drenched in concern, "Okay now, you are?"


    His fingers trembled and itched, Li Yu Rong wanted to drag her into his arms again but bit down the desire. Ah, he thought with a deep shuttering breath, her broken words and terrible accent was absolutely adorable!


    Unable to refrain himself completely, he patted her head and then ran his fingers through her soft red hair. Suddenly remembering her words, he nodded to her question.


    She seemed to think something over and her clear blue eyes then held a small measure of mistrust. Scooting closer to him, she pressed her forehead against his and held it a moment. Li Yu Rong felt his breath hitch as hers fanned across his face.


    He held perfectly still. His heart seemed to have jumped to his throat, and he tried to swallow it back down without much luck.


    Aysa then moved her cheek to his cheek. Her heat invaded his body, her hair tailed and tickled his neck pleasantly, and her breath warmed his ear. As she drew back and said a few words, he heard none of them as his mind was solely focused on hemming back the rising want her sudden closeness brought about.


    Seeing her concern as she reached out to touch his cheek undid everything he tried to hold back. Taking the hand that had reached for him and the one that held steady her body as she leaned forward, he flipped Asya on her back, straddled her waist and held her arms above her head.


    Leaning forward, his breath now fanning her face, he brushed his lips lightly against hers. Jolted by the contact he brushed them again with a bit of pressure and just as he was going to encourage her to open her mouth for him...


    "Master?"


    At some point in time, Hui Se Ying appeared in the room. Pulling back from the warmth of her body, Li Yu Rong slanted his subordinate a vicious glare for the interruption. "What?" He bit out harshly.


    "A Eunuch from the palace has come bearing an imperial summons."


    Feeling the stiffening form of the girl beneath him, Li Yu Rong began to calm his anger. Perhaps it was better that he had been interrupted. While he held her dear, he was not yet dear to her. He knew that for her, at the moment, he was the one giving her shelter while she recovered enough to stand on her own. He did not know what brought her to this town, but he was quite certain that once she was able to stand on her own, she would try to go back.


    Before this time could come about Li Yu Rong was determined to change her mind about that.


    Shifting himself from her waist and sliding from the bed, he fixed his robes and left the room with Hui Se Ying trailing behind him.


    He would give her time to calm down and then come back later to ask forgiveness for his lapse in control. "Take the Eunuch to the easternmost courtyard to wait." Even though he realized that the interruption had been for the best, it didn''t mean he wasn''t going to make someone suffer for it.


    "But master, isn''t that-"


    "Isn''t it what?"


    Hearing that tone that dared him to continue, Hui Se Ying bit back his words. "Nothing, it will be as you command, master." Never mind, as long as it wasn''t him suffering his master''s wrath, who cared about others.

 Seeking Advice

    Nastasia lay stunned on the bed, staring up at the canopy in a daze as her brain short-circuited in having any form of a clear and full thought. Mostly her mind''s voice was screaming in her head as her heart pounded a mile a minute.


    A kiss!


    Granted it was chaste, only a bit of lips touching one another, it was still the first one she had ever received from a man outside of her family members.


    She didn''t know whether to get angry over the fact that it happened or be disappointed that her first kiss had been too short. At that thought, she began to wonder what it would have been like had he continued.


    No, her mind chastised, you''re forty years old... having such thoughts at such an age is unbecoming.


    "I''m forty years old." She whispered in horror. Soon she buried her face in her hands, cheeks reddening in shame. "I''m forty and I just kissed a man half my age... does that make me a pervert?"


    No! It wasn''t her fault, he was the one who suddenly... ah! She rolled around the bed, a strangled noise trapping itself in her throat. No, it was her fault. Sort of. It was a bit of his fault too.


    Had he not acted like her siblings, pretending to be fine when he was clearly suffering from some type of sickness, she wouldn''t have treated him like a child. She would not have gone back in time, equating him to her cute little brothers and sisters, checking his temperature as she had.


    Her hands have always been really cold. It was hard for her to tell temperatures as everything felt especially hot to her icy palms and fingers. She always checked them with her forehead and then cheek when a thermometer wasn''t available. Although since coming to this strange place her hands hadn''t really suffered, so there was no reason to do it, she acted as she had due to his evasive attitude.


    It had been a subconscious act triggered by those similarities. It was an innocent thing, so he didn''t have to...AH! She rolled around the bed some more as she screamed internally. She recalled the electric-like feeling as their lips brushed and even began to imagine -with her bit of knowledge of the things between men and women- what the kiss would have been like should it have gone further.


    Was it because she had remained pure for so long that her mind couldn''t help but fantasize? As her breath quickened and her heart started to pound its way out of her chest, she shut the thoughts off, refusing to think about it any further.


    ''Wait,'' the devil on her shoulder whispered enticingly, ''after coming to this place your body is about fifteen. It''s probably fine to think about "that" with him.''


    She entertained the idea for all of a few seconds before denying everything. "Nope, forget it! Nothing happened!" Nastasia rolled to her side, firmly shutting her eyes. It was still early and she was extremely tired from taking care of Li Yu Rong throughout the night.


    So this had to be a hallucination from lack of sleep.


    Yup, nothing happened.


    -----------------------


    Currently, Li Yu Rong was sitting behind the desk of his study, looking over a few reports; most of them being details on the contracted Spirit Realm residents. This wasn''t something that necessarily needed to be done at the moment, however, he needed something to busy himself with while he waited for enough time to pass.


    The easternmost part of the courtyard was home to a pair of orphaned foxes. A twin pair of brother and sister troublemakers. Though their transformations were flawed, their ability to make a person forget that and go along with their tricks was near to perfection. They understood their cute cherubic faces and used them well to their advantage.


    Thinking about the trouble they''d soon be causing eased the frustration from his heart.


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    "Master."


    Li Yu Rong looked from the document he was reading to find Hui Se Ying kneeling before the desk, here to report the completion of his task. As he looked at his subordinate and recalled the events earlier, he sighed heavily.


    "How do you get a girl to like you?" He suddenly asked. This was something Li Yu Rong had never, in his entire life, ever attempted. He had no experience in winning a girl''s heart and thus could only humble himself to ask someone who knew well his way around the subject.


    Hui Se Ying was stunned at first and then held his hands up defensively with a pained look. "Master, my methods are only for married women dissatisfied with their husbands. It won''t work for what you''re wanting."


    When Li Yu Rong had found Hui Se Ying -the third of his subordinates named Ying- the man was a wandering ghost sneaking into the windows of married women. He had been a child at the time and did not understand what it was that he had been attempting to do with his sneaking about. It was how he was able to easily buy into Hui Se Ying''s tale of looking for an important thing lost that he couldn''t recall.


    It wasn''t until he was much older when Li Yu Rong had found that his subordinate was an incorrigible lover of women that couldn''t go too long without having one. It was quite a shock to find that his normally very stoic Hui Se Ying had such a troubling side to himself.


    That wasn''t the worst of it.


    One evening, a few years back, when he had taken Hui Se Ying along to go drinking he had drunkenly and quite happily confided in him the circumstances surrounding his death. Li Yu Rong would never be able to understand how he had been able to brag about the man who stabbed him to death because of the multiple green hats he''d given him. Nor could he begin to guess at what the man had done for him to sleep with his wife and four concubines.


    Hui Se Ying had passed out, dead drunk, before he could get to that part of the story. Afterward, neither of them brought the incident up again.


    Li Yu Rong didn''t believe it. "There must be something you could tell me."


    Shaking his head the other man quite proudly stated. "Nope, the first woman I ever had was married. It was a bit bumpy going, but from her to her sister to the aunt of her sister''s concubine mother I managed to develop some pretty decent skills. I''d share them with you, but you''re not going after a married woman for a nice romp beneath the sheets." He shrugged helplessly.


    Having no words to say after being told this, Li Yu Rong rubbed at his temples, frustrated. "Never mind, forget I asked." It was stupid to ask this married-woman-killer for advice.


    "Oh, but," Hui Se Ying continued even so, "the thing they complained about most was their husbands not paying attention to them as much as they used to. Why don''t you try being really attentive, doing little things for her here and there? Can''t hurt, right?"


    Thinking about it a bit, Li Yu Rong "hmm''d" his agreement to the advice. Although he would still be quite busy dealing with the current issues at hand, he could still make time to dote on her here and there.


    Although he didn''t relish the thought of bringing Asya to the Imperial Palace it could present a good opportunity for him to make her feel cared for. Standing from his seat, Li Yu Rong headed for the door.


    "It''s been long enough, let''s go meet with the eunuch."


    Hui Se Ying tried to keep his amusement to himself as he followed his master to the easternmost courtyard. Though his master had grown quite a bit and developed rather coldly, he still had his cute sides. Hui Se Ying was actually quite looking forward to watching his master''s courtship of the strange red-haired girl his master picked up.


    He had to make sure to share this with Lu Se Ying later.

 Imperial Summons

    As Li Yu Rong came upon the easternmost courtyard, his lips hooked up. The eunuch was in complete disarray. The hairs from his bun had fallen out of place, his robes were skewed, his lips were coated in a strange color, and his face was filled with both exhaustion and anger.


    "Liang Xing, Liang Hua, that''s enough. Come here." He called.


    Li Yu Rong had barely finished speaking before the young pair of twins raced forward to clutch at his dark blue robes, "Master Rong, Master Rong!" They cried out happily as the tails behind them waged in excitement.


    "Enough, enough." He said sternly while trying to hide the smile blossoming on his mouth at their antics. Then he handed over the sweet red bean buns he had grabbed from the kitchen before making his way here. "Take these and play elsewhere."


    They took the buns with cupped fits and thanks as they scampered off to play. Turning back to give his attention to the eunuch, who had hastily fixed his appearance, he said lazily. "Ah, Eunuch Cheng, had I known it was the emperor''s favored I wouldn''t have kept you waiting so long."


    Hui Se Ying that followed at his master''s back held in a snort of amusement. No, rather, had his master known it was Eunuch Cheng... the wait would have been twice as long. This Eunuch who had been his master''s brother emperor''s childhood playmate was a difficult character to deal with due to his arrogance that encompassed the skies.


    Eunuch Cheng scoffed in disdain over the remark. "Even in the homes of commoners, I would have received a better reception. I don''t know how you could let such things run rampant-"


    "Eunuch Cheng," Li Yu Rong interrupted, his voice tight as his expression sank. "You know what kind of place this is and nothing here is hidden. Foxes are tricksters by nature and have a soft spot for fools. It was your own bad luck to entertain their harmless antics."


    Harmless!? The Eunuch thought as he nearly spat blood. Those little monsters gave him tea with a hand-full of dirt mixed in to accompany snacks that had worms backed in. They gave him a cloth to wipe his mouth that transformed into a toad as soon as it brushed his lips. The slimy creature slipped down his robe all the way into his inner garments. Just remembering the cold wet feeling against his flesh caused him to shudder involuntarily.


    How could such horrific deeds be harmless!?


    Before he could even open his mouth to argue this fact, Li Yu Rong moved the talk to the matter at hand. "I doubt that Eunuch Cheng had come all this way to play with the cute foxes of my Palace of the Four Gates?"


    Forced to let the matter drop Eunuch Cheng vowed to have his revenge at a later date. How could he let even the slightest humiliation pass? Thus, for now, he could only reach into his robes to pull out the imperial decree. Unrolling it, he read the contents.


    "As decreed by his highness, Emperor Liu Hui Huang -may he live a thousand years- Li Yu Rong and his pet must attend the coming banquet to celebrate the Heir Apparent''s birth. You may bring a single servant along to serve. Please accept the decree." Eunuch Cheng rolled it back up and held it aloft.


    Li Yu Rong''s eyes narrowed at both the word "pet" being spat with distaste and then at the mention of a single servant along with the emphasis of "you." Men and women would be separated at first to mingle before being allowed to join together for a meal. Did their thinking of Asya being a demon exempt her from the basic curtsies of having a female attendant?


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    Still, he nodded for Hui Se Ying to accept the decree, to which he cupped his fist, inclined his head, and accepted wordlessly.


    Eunuch Cheng then added after the decree was taken from him. "The emperor has heard quite a bit about the red demon you''ve taken in as a pet and is quite looking forward to meeting it. Do be sure to leave for the capital soon, as the banquette will be held a fortnight from now at wu-shi."


    Turning on his heel to leave as if Eunuch Cheng did not speak a word, Li Yu Rong said to the subordinate beside him. "Escort Eunuch Cheng out, no need to be courteous."


    Since Hui Se Ying had never liked this guy, -for he usually tried to bully and insult his master- he thus interpreted the words to mean as he wished. So, with little effort, he threw the eunuch over his shoulder and quite literally tossed him out the gates dusting off his hands with a feeling of accomplishment. With a jaunty kick to his step, Hui Se Ying happily went on to return to his master''s side.


    After leaving, Li Yu Rong''s thought''s churned over the preparations that needed to be made. Ordinarily, he prepared little and often arrived well after the appointed time so that he could quickly turn around and return. This time, however, he had a little present prepared that should serve as a warning to the mastermind behind this whole affair. At the very least, it could prevent them from acting again long enough to obtain greater information toward their intent.


    Having just commandeered the hidden facilities in the mountains he had very little intelligence to make any conjectures toward their aims. However, just from the fact that they were experimenting on spirit beasts did not bode toward anything auspicious.


    From having seen the horrific state of the creatures being kept there, it brought an uneasy feeling to eat away at his chest. For whatever purpose they needed Aysa, the idea that she could end up like the spirit beasts left him feeling stifled.


    Turning away such unpleasant thoughts that he could never allow to come to pass, he drew to a pause as he neared the pond, halfway to his room. Li Yu Rong found himself eyeing the female water sprites that were happily chatting among themselves as they flitted about the water''s surface. He had heard it said that sprites were able to make clothing that took one''s breath away.


    Recalling Hui Se Ying''s advice and remembering it being said somewhere that women love beautiful things, he decided to have some clothes commissioned for Asya to wear along the trip to the capital and then along to the palace.


    "Hui Se Ying." He called once he felt the man''s presence return to his side.


    "Master?"


    "Once you''ve finished preparing the carriage for our departure this evening and sent word to Lu Se Ying, have the sprites prepare some clothing suitable for a long journey and for entering the place that a girl would enjoy. See if they can make some lovely accessories as well." He added after a moment.


    "As you wish, master." Hui Se Ying vanished in a flash to complete the tasks given to him. Albeit, with the matter of the letter to Lu Se Ying, he made sure to taunt the other man with the last line reading:


    "By the way, I told master how to chase women."

 Learning How to Dress

    Letters had been drafted and sent. Those who were to take charge in the absence of the Gate Guardian had been set. Arrays had been placed to ward away intruders from every nook and cranny that could possibly be found to crawl through. Hui Se Ying had already seen to his duties and the sprites had finished the things that had been requested of them.


    Evening was closely approaching; the time set for departure. Yet, Li Yu Rong was hesitating outside Asya''s chambers trying hard not to squash the package in his hands in a fit of nerves. It was all fine and dandy a moment ago until he mentioned his intent to inform Asya of their leaving to Hui Se Ying.


    "Ah, master, since you ate that girl''s tofu only this morning she might be a little skittish around you. So, be careful in how you approach her."


    Soon after saying so, Hui Se Ying vanished to take charge of the carriage and to be sure the needed things were properly placed. Li Yu Rong wanted to call him back to expand on that comment but bit back the words.


    At first, he did not give them much of his worry, but as his feet carried him closer and closer trepidation began to set into his bones. This was his first time dealing with a someone of the opposite gender for longer than a glance. It was his first time being drenched in these deep, yet nameless emotions.


    He had already realized that his actions at that time might not have been well received and had been prepared to accept her anger. Just as he always did when he chose to steal into her bed. He never felt hesitant or insecure as he did after hearing Hui Se Ying''s warning. He couldn''t understand it as nothing had changed between then and now.


    As nothing has changed, Li Yu Rong took that and turned it into courage. So, with a deep breath, he walked into Asya''s room as though his fretting earlier had never been.


    As he walked in, the first thing he noticed was Paoxiao learning against the wall beside the door. His eyes were closed, but his tensed body gave away that he wasn''t fully resting. Remembering that, in the days he had been dealing with his investigations and the research compound, Paoxiao had been caring for and watching Asya left Li Yu Rong with mixed feelings.


    Nevertheless, he muttered. "There''s been a summons to the imperial palace. You''re coming along, so make whatever preparations you need before evening sets in."


    Opening his mouth Paoxiao started to say something but swallowed the words. Instead, he nodded his head and left the room.


    Once he was sure that the demon was gone, Li Yu Rong walked passed the dividing screen toward the bed. The corner of his lip lifted as he smiled gently. Though she appeared to be deep in slumber, he could tell that she was faking it.


    His fingers reached out and lightly played with her hair.


    ''Ah,'' he thought ruefully, ''she''s quite bothered by it.''


    Although Asya had surprised him by speaking in broken sentences this morning, he wasn''t quite sure the words she knew and the ones that were unknown. Even so, he leaned over to murmur. "Sorry."


    Hearing the apology, though she tried to remain unaffected, her body twitched. Nastasia turned, foregoing pretenses of sleep, and slanted him a searching look. After a moment, she nodded to accept and sat up in her bed as if she had not been pretending earlier.


    She had already decided not to dwell on it and to act as if it had never happened, thus she turned upon him a smile, her eyes inquiring if he had a reason for seeing her.


    Seeing that look, and comprehending it, he handed over the package in his hand. "For you." Li Yu Rong spoke the words slowly, carefully pronouncing each word that she might be able to grasp what is being said and understand it.


    Taking the offered package, Nastasia felt around it, and after figuring out how to open the well-sealed item she saw what was inside.


    Nastasia brought a hand over the material that was cool and soft to the touch yet shimmered beautifully when the light touched it just right. She couldn''t begin to name the material it was made from. There were short pieces with long sleeves, long skirts, and sashes all in varying colors of blue and pink. The style of dress was new to her as within this place she had only ever been given simple robes that split from her hips down and trousers. Everything was always colored a deep dark to medium blue.


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    Underneath the clothing were different types of accessories, some of which she could not guess what to do with. Some were made from silver and jade, some were jade alone, while some were silver inlaid with colored crystals.


    Setting everything down she turned grateful eyes upon Li Yu Rong, saying with deep sincerity, "thank you." It was one of the few words she had known before coming to this place. She had learned it when young from a show that was like Dora the Explorer, but with a cute little Chinese girl. The name of the children''s show escaped her mind at the moment, so she set it aside.


    Picking up an outfit, Li Yu Rong handed it to her, saying, "wear it," before turning to walk out behind the screen.


    Not knowing the word he carefully pronounced to her, but with the clothes he handed over and the fact that he left, she took it as he meant for her to try it on. ''Well,'' she thought as she looked at the things in her hands, ''how to go about doing this?''


    After a moment, Nastasia felt that she figured out how to wear it as after a bit of examining, it didn''t look too difficult. Pulling the skirt on to her waist she wore the long-sleeved short cropped top and tied it in place with the sash. Although she didn''t like that her stomach was showing, and that her chest was a bit bared, if this was the style here and also a gift, what complaints could she raise?


    Walking out while trying to be careful not to trip over the incredibly long skirt she spread her arms out with a "tada!" expression to show off the outfit. Only to scrunch her brows in confusion over his deeply amused face. Though he tried to hide it, she could tell that he was holding back laughter.


    Crossing the room in a few steps, Li Yu Rong swallowed his amusement and pulled the sash from her, hooking it over his arm. Although his eyes trailed over the strange material on her chest he had seen earlier, he kept his focus. Pulling the skirt up higher and over her chest, he put the sash in place over the cropped robe and skirt, securing it in place.


    After straightening everything out, Li Yu Rong looked at his handy work with a satisfied smile. His smile became all the more pronounced as he took note of her red dusted cheeks and ears.


    Going toward the bed he picked up a jade accessory and a silver pin with blue dangling crystals.  Placing the jade to dangle from her sash, he pulled half her hair up into a simple knot held in place with the silver pin. Moving back a step to look at her, he couldn''t help drawing his fingers down her cheek as his chest filled with emotion.


    "Beautiful." He whispered.


    Swallowing hard, Nastasia looked away, not knowing how to respond to this.


    They stood silent a good long moment before Li Yu Rong cleared his throat and started to say, "we''ll be leaving for the capital-" but stopped himself. Instead, he placed all the items on the bed back into the package and re-wrapped it. He looked around and, having found the flute she loved to play, handed it over to her before taking her free hand.


    Nastasia was confused as he led her away from her room toward the front of the estate. However, after seeing the horse-drawn carriage and Paoxiao waiting impatiently, she understood that they were going somewhere.


    Where were they going and why were they going there? This question, Nastasia really wished she had the vocabulary to ask it and then to understand the answer. Being that she didn''t, she could only allow herself to be led toward the carriage and hope that it wasn''t anything bad.


    ''Ah, but,'' she realized as she was brought forward and had her things handed over to Paoxiao, ''I trust him, so I guess it will be okay for now.''

 The Journey to the Capital

    Nastasia was currently sitting at a table drinking a cup of tea still in a bit of disbelief. It had been one day since they set out on this journey, yet not once had she been able to feel it. When she had been guided into this carriage she had leap back out a number of times just to confirm the diminutive size of the outside to the great depth of the inside.


    An entire room had been made to fit in the width and height of the carriage''s cabin.


    It had been a difficult thing to accept. Especially since she had the words to neither be able to voice her inquiries nor well receive the answers. This kind of thing, however, was impossible to exist as far as the sensibilities of universal knowledge went. Ah, but a good many things she had seen in the past two weeks had already gone well beyond what is thought to be possible.


    Every time a thing like this cropped up -while it brought about awe- it made her insides churn. With each out of this world thing she experienced, Nastasia felt more and more that she had slipped into another world. It brought about an icy fear that once she was able to understand her situation and be able to get help from those around her, going home would become an impossible dream.


    ''Well, but,'' she thought positively, ''if this is another world that I was able to come to, there should be a way to go back.''


    Although it might be slow to find, she was determined to find it should this prove to be the case. Her fighting spirit awakened and thus after finishing her tea and snacks she immediately set the task of continuing her study of words to break the barrier that barred her from communication.


    Li Yu Rong seemed all too happy to teach her after she showed her intent with both words and gestures that took him a moment to grasp. Although he insisted upon her being either in his lap or glued to his side while he taught, she was no longer bothered by the inmate contact as she had become accustomed to his need of close proximity.


    If he wasn''t patting her head, then he was touching her hair or petting her cheeks. As he never made any moves beyond these Nastasia treated them as his over-the-top ways of communicating as very little words could be used between them. His earlier move of kissing her had been set aside a hallucination due to lack of sleep on her part. So these moves that ordinarily would have been seen as flirting became an entirely different thing in her eyes.


    The days of the journey passed leisurely. If Nastasia was not studying words with Li Yu Rong then she was either playing Irish -and sometimes Russian- folk songs which left her feeling melancholy after recalling her family or scribbling out detailed designs. After getting a few to be how she liked, she would take them to Paoxiao who had been making the entire trip at the front of the carriage with the driver.


    To what felt was the side of the room was a window that could be slid open to the driver''s seat. It kind of gave off the feeling an ancient time''s equivalent limousine.


    Nastasia would hand over the drawings to see if Paoxiao would be able to create any of the designs on the pages. Unfortunately, most things had been a no-go so far, as drawings could only speak so much without words to aid in their understanding. Though it was disappointing, it didn''t dampen her spirits. After one not working she would try another and then another. Throughout the time spent on this venture she had only managed to get one of her designs across and though it was only one, she was happy all the same.


    Now she sat, a few days later with her tea and snacks, fiddling with a square object in hand. It had taken quite the effort to get this toy designed. Though she had learned the words for the colors at the beginning of this journey, the idea of how it worked was difficult to get across. Because of this, and her stubborn want to see it through, she had learned many new words.


    Li Yu Rong sat beside her, watching her turn the square object in interest. "What is this?" He asked.


    Having finally learned this question, she was quite giddy at being able to answer. She smiled happily and said while holding out the object for him to see, "Rubik Cube." Then, after telling the name, she began to demonstrate how it worked. "Colors," she said with her limited words as she pointed to the colors on the wooden block comprised of smaller squares, "turn, match." She then, after a bit of fiddling, managed to match up a line of red colors.


    Plucking the block from her hands, Li Yu Rong examined the object from all angles, giving a few testing turns here and there. After a few minutes of this, he paused and just looked at the Rubik Cube as though trying to see through it. Nastasia was about to ask for it back when he started to turn the thing rapidly this way and that causing her to gape in disbelief.


    In a matter of five to ten minutes, she was staring at a completely solved cube resting in her hand after he tossed it over. Even for her, who was quite good at solving puzzles, had -at her fastest time- taken at least half a day to solve it.


    Liking the amazed expression on her face Li Yu Rong patted her head before softly touching her cheek with a slight smile playing about his lips. Taking his hand away he stood up and walked over to a desk that suddenly and mysteriously appeared in the room two days ago, taking out a few sealed missives to unseal and read.


    Nastasia paid no mind to his leaving as her attention was still riveted to the solved Rubik Cube resting in her hand. Ah, she went through all the effort to get across how this thing was made so that there was something else to amuse herself with and now it had all been wasted. After having witnessed Li Yu Rong''s miraculous feat, she couldn''t bring herself to mix the cube back up to solve it again.


    Putting the disappointment aside with a sigh, she set the cube down as she retrieved the rice paper, brush, and inkstone given to her so that she would be able to practice her words.


    Although she was wholeheartedly trying to practice, it difficult to stay focused, as her body was going stir crazy. For the past few days, they had been traveling to who knows where -she had been told but understood little yet to be able to grasp it- stopping only long enough for her to relieve herself. The towns and village were quickly passed through if they could not be outright avoided.


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    She only managed to get a peek through the window and did not see much. The curtains, though it didn''t appear as if it should be such, were very difficult to move aside to get more than a two-finger width view of the outside. It was incredibly boring. Even with having her flute to play and both Paoxiao and Li Yu Rong as companions. Playing music for hours on end was tiring, so she usually stopped before too long.


    Conversations went nowhere when one party could barely form a sentence. So when she sought Li Yu Rong for company outside of teaching her words, it generally ended with his treating her as a kept pet. As they could not converse properly he would, more often than not, have her lay beside him while petting her hair as he read a book. It made her feel like a lazy cat.


    Seeking Paoxiao for company wasn''t any better. Being that he was sitting beside the driver she had to stand beside the window, which was rather tiring. Even with the designs, she would show him, they would quite often lapse into long moments of silence for she could not speak well and thus they lacked usual meaningless words to fill the air between them.


    Putting the brush down with a yawn, and taking note of the darkened sky, Nastasia decided to turn in for the night. Cleaning up her items that littered the table she crossed the length to the bed and laid down for sleep. The bed sank in as Li Yu Rong came to lay beside her.


    She fell asleep to his gentle touch as he played with her hair. All the more, with her last bits of awareness before fully succumbing, Nastasia felt as if she were kept house pet.


    ----------------------


    All though it was too dark for normal human eyes to see, even with the help of the moonlight, Hui Se Ying had no problems navigating his way across the road. Seeing that Paoxiao was nodding off beside him, and knowing that soon his master and the young lady would also be setting in for sleep, he kept his eyes peeled for a good place to park for the night.


    Hui Se Ying''s lips split into a wide grin.


    At his back rushed up a heavy murderous intent, a knife coming around to dangerously press against his neck flesh. "Take the reins." The man that had suddenly appeared barked to Paoxiao. Stunned, Paoxiao complied and hurriedly took the reins under the fierce pressure of the other man''s anger.


    That done, the man spun Hui Se Ying around with his arm held firmly behind his back, pressing his face roughly into the wooden seat as the knife once again rested over his throat in the blink of an eye. Ordinarily, one would either be indignant at the treatment and fight back or be fearful and beg. Hui Se Ying, however, was laughing joyously.


    "Well, hello, darling!" He said, deeply amused. "I didn''t expect you to catch up this quickly." After all, they had left days before this worry wart would be able to do so. He thought they wouldn''t be seeing each other until just before reaching the capital.


    Digging a knee into his back, Lu Se Ying cried out. "Bastard, no joking around! What the hell did you teach him." The knife sat a little firmer, causing his throat to feel a little uncomfortable.


    "Hahaha, you''re such a mother hen, but don''t worry, it wasn''t anything bad."


    Lu Se Ying snorted in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe of a man who thought it a brilliant idea to bring a six-year-old with him to a brothel."


    "Hey," Hui Se Ying cried out, "I had been holding back for almost a year... a year! I didn''t take him there specifically, we happened to be passing by. Ah, the ladies there were quite soft and supple like you wouldn''t believe. You should really consider-ouch!" The knife bit into his flash. "Hey, gentle, okay!"


    "Where should I be gentle with a ruffian like you? Now out with it!" He demanded as he once again pressed his knee roughly into Hui Se Ying''s back.


    "It''s not like anything happened before you got there, everyone was too scared to go near him." He defended and then bit his tongue over his last remark. "Ah, well, I mean... I didn''t tell him anything wrong. I was just trying to rile your goat. Got it? Only said to dote on her and such."


    The knife fell away from his throat and he swiped a finger at the few drops of blood that had been left before the wound closed all the way. Righting his position, and scooting over, Hui Se Ying continued the conversation; neither of them paying Paoxiao that sat rigidly beside them any mind.


    "Look, master''s horror at finding out the side of myself that burned to love married women was amusing. I also admit that I would do things here and there to mess with him... he was so cute and innocent in his younger years, but I did watch master grow up. Being that he''s serious about this girl and she ain''t bad, of course, I''ll be serious when he comes to confide in me."


    "Master confided in you?"


    "Mhmm."


    Lu Se Ying finally sat down, crossing his arms over his chest, deep in thought. "It''s true that she doesn''t seem to be a bad person and she isn''t afraid of being around master and doesn''t seem to fear to look into his eye."


    "Right," Hui Sei Ying agreed, "even we -who have been with master since he was a child- can''t easily look him in the eye." Li Yu Rong''s red eye, even when he wasn''t upset, held something sinister in its depths. One could not look at it without feeling their soul freeze with terror.


    "So," Hui Se Ying began after a bit of silence, "want to help me get her to realize her burning passions for master?"


    "Don''t," Lu Se Ying responded with a harsh glare, "let nature take its course. It''s not good to force feelings."


    Hui Se Ying hummed with a nod all the while cooking up many schemes in his head to help the young girl along. After all, he would rather his master be happy and have his good thing sooner rather than later.

 Paoxiao is Rather... Beautiful

    After a few more days of travel, they came to a cliff that overlooked the capital city a day before the appointed time. Nastasia was amazed at the sheer size of the ancient-looking buildings and large palace that spread for miles at the back of the city.


    While she was enraptured by the breathtaking bird''s-eye view, she also begrudged its existence. As, it was just one more truth to slap her in the face, screaming out, that this was not her familiar world.


    Dragging herself away from the view, Nastasia sat in the chair that had been taken out for her by the driver. Picking up the flute that had been left leaning against the side of it, she began to play random notes that she felt sounded well together. This was to pass the time while waiting for Paoxiao to emerge from the carriage after Li Yu Rong handed him a package and shoved him inside, telling him to "wear it."


    She couldn''t begin to guess at what it could possibly be that would take nearly an hour to dress in, but she patiently waited. Although she could wait patiently the devilish beauty, that was draped across his own chair, could not stomach another minute to pass by. He tossed a pointed glare at Hui Se Ying who, in response, knocked on the carriage door a few times and waited.


    --------------------


    After being given the package and shoved into the carriage a woman had soon after been shoved in along with him. The woman was dressed in a robe that was designed to bare her shoulders and the tops of her ample bosom, her hair was tied into two looping knots held in place by several silver pins.


    Looking at the woman who was in a daze and then down at the package in his hand, Paoxiao was quite confused as to what Li Yu Rong was wanting of him.


    It went on like this for a whole minute before the woman snapped out of it. Though her eyes were dull, as if unconscious, she gave a sultry smile and said.  "Go on sweetheart, get dressed and I''ll take care of the rest."


    Having no other choice but to comply, Paoxiao went behind the screen to change his clothes. Hopefully, after doing so things would begin to make sense.


    ---------------------


    After the fourth knock, the door swung open and the provocatively dressed woman stepped down from the carriage. Tossing out a coy smile, she said to Hui Se Ying. "I''ve finished the work and she looks absolutely stunning. I''m sure you''ll be satisfied with the result."


    Nodding, Hui Se Ying snapped his fingers and the woman crumbled into a dead faint. Catching her before she hit the ground, he hefted her over his shoulder and began to walk toward the path leading down the cliff side.


    "Make sure you put her back where you got her from, don''t randomly toss her to some corner." Lu Se Ying called after him, to which he responded with a careless wave over the shoulder. After heaving out a sigh he quickly riveted his gaze back to the carriage door, anticipating a good show.


    A good while after Hui Se Ying left a sullen Paoxiao finally emerged from the room.


    Seeing the heavily amused looks being thrown his way, he snapped. "If you''re going to laugh than do it. Get it all out and stop looking at me like that!"


    Nastasia nearly dropped the flute she had -until this moment of heart-stopping shock- been playing. Setting it down she quickly hurried over and stopped right before Paoxiao, reaching out to touch his face. Although his expression was twisted with distaste, as if he had bitten into a lemon, he still painted a stunning picture.


    When she had first met him, Nastasia had felt that Paoxiao -with his delicate features- had been a rather handsome youth. Now, with his face painted to perfection, a portion of his hair coiled up on his head with a simple pin; he made for a delicate and tender image. It was the kind of beauty that made one want to fall all over themselves just to obtain it. The muted colors of the blue and gray uniform she had seen on the few maids she had managed to witness at the estate did nothing to dampen the very image of beauty he made.


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    Though she had seen it more than once in her lifetime, this was her first time seeing a man who transformed in the appearance of a woman so well that it was difficult to tell that he had originally been a man. Even breasts had been made to look rather realistic in the way it sat over his chest.


    Unable to help herself, she reached out to squeeze them to see just how real they were.


    Eek!


    Paoxiao had squeaked at the contact and slapped her hand away, his reddening face visible even underneath all the make-up that coated it. Her lips twitched upward. Even his reaction to being assaulted was on point. This over the top reaction, it made her want to tease him.


    "Beautiful woman, you make." She told him as well as she could, her lips widening into a teasing smirk.


    With that comment and her actions, Paoxiao was finding it hard to breathe. "I can''t do this anymore!" Turning on a heel, he marched straight back into the carriage, calling out behind him. "For whatever reason you felt the need to do this to me, I''ll reluctantly oblige, but I refuse to come out until I absolutely have to!" With that said he really did manage to hide in a dark corner of the room until the moment he was forced to come out.


    Nastasia was watching his retreating back until it disappeared, chuckling quietly to herself. Thus, she did not notice Li Yu Rong beside her until he grabbed her hand, wiping it gently with a silk cloth. Once he was done, he patted her head and dragged his fingers through her hair before turning to his subordinate.


    Recognizing him as the one who had forced her to swallow down that revolting concoction, Nastasia couldn''t help the bit of resentment that stabbed her chest from the remembrance. Holding back a glare -as she knew it had been a necessary evil- she walked back to her chair as she reminded herself to get his name at a later date.


    Handing over a letter to Lu Se Ying, Li Yu Rong murmured. "Once you meet up with Commander Jiang, hand these instructions over to him. If he doesn''t have a reply to send, immediately head over to watch Minster Li''s movements. If he meets with anyone, report it to me along with the details of the meeting."


    "Understood, master." With that, Lu Se Ying vanished as if into the very air itself.


    Though his mind was running amok with many different thoughts, Li Yu Rong took Asya by the hand and lead her back into the carriage. Though night had only just fallen, he coaxed her into settling in for bed early.


    Tomorrow morning they would have to head to the palace. Dealing with the individual plots and schemes and outright savagery that was most likely to ensue within the palace would require a well-rested mind not to fall into any pits. Though he worried over her limited vocabulary getting her into trouble, his heart was not entirely unsettled.


    Li Yu Rong had taken great pains to ensure that the day of the banquette would pass by without any major and troubling events. As he thought about these things, however, small concerns began to tumble about. He finally managed to fall asleep only after he jotted them down for Paoxiao to go over in the morning.

 The Imperial Palace

    The bird''s-eye view from earlier really did nothing to prepare Nastasia for the sheer mass of buildings grandly laid out before her. As they came up the many steps leading into a large storied pavilion, her eyes couldn''t help but wander over the intricate design. The glittering yellow rooftops beneath the noon sun and the crimson pillars that held the roofs aloft brought to mind one of the odd tidbits she heard of Chinese architecture.


    "Though our roofs may fall our walls will remain standing."


    Were the walls really built as a separate entity from the rest of the structure? This thought had never occurred to her until now as Li Yu Rong''s home -while it did have an ancient Chinese feel to it- was also a bit modern in design. This notice of such a stark difference had not occurred to her until they had been slowly making their way from the entrance of the capital all the way to the palace gates.


    Towards the end of her college years, she had developed an interest in architecture. As she had always been quick at picking up skills -and that she already had a decent drawing ability- she learned the art in what felt a blink of an eye. Borrowing a connection through a friend Nastasia had interned at a company where she had been nothing but an errand girl.


    Although she had fought tirelessly to gain some recognition, none of them would let her touch a blueprint, bring her to any of the construction sites, and nor would they give her any pointers when asked. She was just to bring the coffee and bring the lunch as well as taking up any odd job no one else wanted to touch.


    It was at her breaking point with the work that she met Antonio Seseralli, a shy but cute low-end architect. He was the son of a mob boss that wanted to stretch his wings into a field not governed by the underworld. After their meeting and heart to heart, the two had come to an agreement. If Nastasia could help him get his name out there to be well-known then he would help her whenever she needed it; no questions asked.


    Ah, her mind wandered. The point was that Nastasia had an eye for architecture. While Li Yu Rong''s home mimicked the styles present in the buildings she had seen along the way to palace, the materials used and the execution to craft them, were different.


    It really brought about a desire to explore and examine every square inch.


    Nastasia''s mind was pulled from her deep thoughts as her body was yanked forward. Looking up she found Li Yu Rong''s narrowed eyes glaring back at her and passed him, up quite a few steps, was a worried looking female Paoxiao. Clear sky blue eyes turned down in guilt as she recalled the effort Li Yu Rong had put into making her understand the current situation along with the things she should and should not do.


    She was to follow Paoxiao closely and not wander off by herself. Paoxiao would give her clues on how to respond to things, but for the most part, she was to remain silent and let her "female" servant do the talking for her. It made her feel like she was playing the part of an aloof highborn lady that couldn''t be bothered with the things she felt beneath her.


    Lightly patting the hand that had captured her left, she murmured a low and very apologetic, "sorry." Li Yu Rong did not let go of her hand, nor did she try to take it back, as he led her to where Paoxiao stood waiting for them.


    When it came time to part, Li Yu Rong patted her head and lightly trailed his fingertips down her cheek before tossing Paoxiao a stern glare. "Watch her carefully." He then turned to follow a eunuch to the upper floor where the men would mingle till it was time to give well-wishes and presents to the heir apparent before partaking of an extravagant meal.


    The reason for the men to mingle on the second floor while the women were upon the first was that the back opened up to a beautifully designed garden. The Emperor and his top advisers enjoyed watching as the lovely flowers, brilliantly adorned, played about. To prevent Nastasia from being leered at, Paoxiao had been given strict instructions not to let the red-haired girl leave the covered areas.


    As she and Paoxiao were led by another eunuch to where the women were amicably chatting among themselves, she grabbed the man''s ¨C who was now dressed as a woman- fluttering sleeve. Afraid that they would be separated within the crowd of beautifully painted women.


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    Once they got to the threshold of the entrance, the eunuch introduced them. Following Paoxiao''s discreet instruction, she cupped her fist and bent her knees slightly before entering the room. Some paused in their conversations to shoot her varying looks of either disdain or fear while most just out-right ignored her existence. Once the ceremony had been done and she was allowed to leave with a wave of a hand from a richly dressed woman, who sat in an exquisitely carved chair with eunuchs fanning her on either side- Nastasia fled to a dark corner.


    The eyes that those around her watched her with left Nastasia feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was either deep fear or deep hatred. She couldn''t understand such a strong reaction to her presence in those around her as this had been the very first time she had seen any of the faces that disdained her.


    Paoxiao was annoyed by the stares. He had been warned that this would likely be the case as, though Nastasia was human, she had an appearance that was more inline with a demon. For Paoxiao, he could use his spirit energy to change the parts of himself that did not match the features a human should have. The same could not be accomplished for Nastasia unless, of course, she wanted to permanently alter the things that made her different.


    Opening his mouth to comfort her, for if even a great demon like himself was driven to extreme irritation, she must also be feeling pretty down about it. The words and actions he moved to convey died before they could even be made.


    Revulsion and absolute horror clogged his throat and shivered his spine as he took notice of a eunuch near their corner eyeing his frame up and down suggestively. The eunuch licked his lips and then nodded toward a hall that led to who knows where.


    ''The hell!'' Paoxiao cursed in horror, his entire body stiffening as an urge for violence rose up in his heart. ''Did that eunuch just-!? Oh, my go-!?'' The thought cut off as he clenched his fists to prevent himself from decking the guy through the floorboards.


    A thought rose up unbidden, ''can a eunuch even touch a girl? Better yet, how does he even have the desire to lead a servant girl to a dark corner for a secret rendezvous to get under her robes when he''s got nothing below to do it with?''


    ''Ah,'' Paoxiao took in a deep breath and sent the eunuch a hellish glare, ''you put those eyes elsewhere before I march over there, rip them out, and shove them down your throat.''


    His fierce, but silent, battle with the eunuch was interrupted as he felt the sleeve that had been tightly grasped fall slack. Looking back to the red-haired girl that should have been standing silently beside him, he found her racing off toward the garden.


    The place that Li Yu Rong specifically warned him not to let her venture. All thoughts of killing off the eunuch and his building frustration fell away as panic now filled his chest. He quickly followed after her.


    She quite easily weaved her way through the crowds of conversing women, to finally reach a ring of young girls who were looking down their noses at a timid and bashful flower. Her limpid eyes were on the verge of tears and it was more than apparent she was being bullied by the girls that surrounded her.


    Seeing this, Nastasia could not stand back and do nothing. Bullying was not a joking matter. It wasn''t something that one should turn a blind eye to. Though it was always treated as children will be children, feelings were trampled and often lives destroyed. Her grandfather always taught her to stand up for those that could not stand up for themselves.


    Thus, she marched forward, quite intent on helping the young girl that couldn''t have been more than twelve years old. Even if her position wasn''t the best, even if she could hardly utter a coherent sentence, there were ways to defeat a person without speaking a single word.


    Reaching forward she pulled the girl behind her back, in perfect view of the floor above, and at that moment Paoxiao felt his heart lodge itself in his throat.


    ''Ah," he thought quite helplessly, ''Li Yu Rong is going to kill me.''

 To Face Slap Without Speaking

    Seeing the girl, delicate in features with large limpid eyes, sitting over by the pond as though the others chatting around her did not exist made for a very irritating picture. She, Wu Mei Lin, felt her eyes become sore the longer she looked.


    That girl, Jiang Ya Lin, was merely orphaned trash that should have had the fate to die during the great war more than a decade ago. If it weren''t for Commander Jiang Yu Xue picking her up from the battlefield, she would have been left for the carrion birds to pick apart.


    Not only did she not die when she should have, Jiang Ya Lin seemed to be determined to pollute her, Wu Mei Lin''s, eyes as well as foul up her air. Flaunting herself off and stealing the affections of her beloved Gong Meng Yao-ge, whom she has adored since before she could walk. This good Jiang Ya Lin also took advantage of her illness to steal her title of best guqin player during the competition the empress held every year at the palace.


    Such a cunning and sly bewitching fox she was that Wu Mei Lin could not abide her leisurely and carefree appearance, as though she were above the world. As she moved to cause her trouble, the girls that were chirping about her vying for her favor quieted down and followed after her curiously.


    "Why, if it isn''t Jiang Ya Lin." The girl exclaimed with a condescending laugh. "I''m surprised you have the face to show up here, but then considering that you''re merely something someone carelessly picked up, what face could you have."


    "Wu Mei Lin," the girl acknowledged, giving no reaction to the biting words thrown at her. This greatly upset Wu Mei Lin, however, the jeering girls behind her greatly lifted her mood as she took delight in their disparaging comments to grasp her favor.


    She was a young miss of the Wu family from the first wife and her father was a trusted adviser who held the Emperor''s ear, there wasn''t a person around who did not try to curry her favor. So, as they whispered to themselves their insults quite audibly, Wu Mei Lin grinned widely as she leaned in with a predatory vigor.


    "Ah, Jiang Ya Lin, I head that while I was ill you managed to win this year''s competition for the musical arts. I also heard that the song composed was a spur of the moment composition inspired by the Empress'' suggested theme." Wu Mei Lin paused as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I wonder if you wouldn''t mind displaying such an awe-inspiring talent for me to see as I had been sick and missed the chance to witness it."


    Sensing the girl''s ill-intent, Jiang Ya Lin quickly excused herself by saying. "I hadn''t thought that I would be asked to play, so I did not bring my guqin along."


    Waving her hand, Wu Mei Lin gestured for her servant standing at the side to come over. "Luo Shi, go and quickly fetch my guqin... if the young lady Jiang doesn''t have a guqin to play than I shall allow you to use mine."


    Jiang Ya Lin went silent as she tried to think of a way to refuse this grace. Her prolonged silence, unfortunately, went on a little too long as the maid hurriedly rushed forward with the guqin in hand. As soon as she had the instrument before her and felt the strings, she realized it had been tampered with. There was no way that Wu Mei Lin could play any decent sounds on this guqin. It was quite obvious she had the maid tamper with it before bringing guqin over. How much hatred did Wu Mei Lin bare that she could destroy her own instrument?


    "What''s wrong," a girl ornately dressed in green and pink robes sneered, "why haven''t you started to play? Or is it that you feel playing with Lady Wu''s guqin beneath you now that you''ve won the Empress'' favor."


    Expression falling, Jiang Ya Lin realized that she was trapped. There was no way for her to refuse to play without seeming like she was trying to insult Wu Mei Lin. If only she were a bit more articulate with her words. Unfortunately, she was one that rarely went out and thus did not often trade words with others let alone any of the verbal sparrings between women.


    She desperately did not wish to bring shame to the Jiang family that had kindly taken in the war orphaned her. However, in this situation, she could not think of a way to move without losing face. The only matter was: which would lose the least amount of face for her kind family and adoptive father?


    Before she could come to a decision, Jiang Ya Lin was yanked behind a girl with dazzling long red hair. She was adorned in dazzling robes of light blue and pink, the material something she had not seen in all her years of life. From her outfit alone, not to speak of her strange features, it could be seen that she was not normal. The girl, probably a couple years older than her, stood with her spine straight as she looked down on the group of girls bearing the arrogance of a highborn young lady.


    Stunned at the sudden appearance of the red-haired girl, they took an involuntary step backward. Recognizing the girl before her as the one she over-heard her father speak of brought out a bit of stubbornness to stem back her fear. Wu Mei Lin refused to be cowed by a mere pet.


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    Looking down her nose, Wu Mei Lin said. "Where do you, a mere pet, think that you can intervene in my, Wu Mei Lin''s, matters." She stressed her last name, expecting the girl to fall over herself in trying to rectify her error.


    Instead, the corner of her lip raised upward as if she were looking at a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. The look infuriated Wu Mei Lin to no end!


    "Who are you speak down to my family''s young miss," Paoxiao interjected. His deep male voice had gone frightfully high, sounding like a chattering chipmunk. The sound was an absolute agony to his ears. "Even with her status as a pet, you have not right, for she belongs to the Elemental Spirit Master who is also brother to his Majesty the Emperor."


    ''Ah,'' Paoxiao cringed, ''speaking with this voice is an absolute travesty.'' He only hoped that he had worded everything properly. There were many differences between here and the Spirit Realm. The information that one could find on the Mortal Realm was sparse as rarely was anyone able to travel back and forth. He had heard it whispered about that Li Yu Rong was related to a Mortal Realm emperor and that here in this realm he was mostly referred to in such a way.


    Hearing the mention of that terrifying man and remembering her few glimpses of that devil wearing human skin, Wu Mei Lin felt her skin crawl. She had once accidentally looked into his gleaming crimson eye nearly losing her sanity to fear within its boundless depths.


    Grabbing his wide sleeve, Nastasia prevented Paoxiao from continuing on. Though she could not grasp all of what was being said, she could understand the situation well enough just by looking and using deductive reasoning.


    Leaning in close, she murmured, pointing to the guqin. "Fix it, can you?" After helping her learn along the way to the capital, it had become almost second nature to correct her sentences after she spoke them. The current situation was not appropriate for it, thus he bit his tongue, merely nodding his head in answer.


    When one came at you viciously, it was best if you could take their methods and throw them back in their face just as viciously. Since it seemed as if these girls wanted to humiliate the one behind her by having the girl play a ruined instrument, then she would play and give them what they wanted. However, rather than a mockery of talent Nastasia would mete out a performance worthy of the heavens.


    Turning toward the young girl, she asked quietly. "You good playing ear?"


    Hearing the broken words, Jiang Ya Lin furrowed her brows. It took a moment, but she soon understood what had been asked of her. She nodded, slowly, a bit hesitantly.


    "Good," Nastasia said. "Play." She commanded. Then to Paoxiao, she held out her hand. "Flute." He did not bring it along, but he remembered the design well enough, so as he stuck his hand into his wide sleeves he formed the flute before bringing it out for Nastasia to take.


    As she was feeling like a hero swooping in to save the beauty, Nastasia began to play an Irish song called "My Gallant Hero." She had only begun, playing the first few notes, before the young girl on guqin began to follow along as if she often played the score. The sound was a bit hesitant and cautious at first, but as nothing happened, and the sound rang out properly she began to strum the strings with confidence.


    At first, her feet were merely taping to the music, but the longer she played and the more the music filled her soul, that she found herself outright dancing along without a care. Due to the skirt being long and covering her feet from view, it was difficult to see the footwork being performed. However, the way that her sleeves and sash about her arms swayed, and the way that her hair and skirts swished to and fro, painted a graceful and breathtaking image.


    It was hard to look away, especially for those watching the good show on the second floor of the pavilion.


    When the song came to its end, till the last note it had been in a style that had never before graced their ears, yet it touched their hearts in a way that they could not explain. Going red in the face from holding back her anger, unable to say anything in the face of this performance that she could not criticize, she spun on her heel and marched away. The young ladies that were fawning for her favor followed after her trying to one-up the other in speaking words of comfort.


    Paoxiao, the minute he could get her away from the women who strode forward to offer praise despite thinking her a demon, as quick as he could, escorted Nastasia to inconspicuous corner that did not stand out.


    ''Please let Li Yu Rong not have seen that debacle.'' Paoxiao offered up a silent prayer in his heart, hoping that his slip in duty had not been seen.

 Shattering Things in Anger

    While the women chatted below, admiring the garden with some establishing connections and others showing off their wealth, the men were performing the same song and dance above. The only differences would be that their conversations revolved heavily around the state of political affairs and their eyes admired the fluttering flowers rather than the garden itself.


    Seated at the edge of the upper floor of the pavilion, with a perfect view of the garden below, was the Emperor and his closest advisers. Although his eyes were following the actions being carried out on the first floor, he was still able to pay attention to the conversations around him; speaking a word every now and again.


    "The north is rather strange lately. They''ve gone silent this past year, not making a single peep. And now, although there have been no major quarrels between our five countries since the last great war more than a decade ago, they''ve been strengthening the numbers at their borders."


    "Hn." The emperor, Liu Hui Huang, turned his gaze toward the adviser who had spoken. "The spies we''ve placed... any word from them?"


    "We''ve sent many messages via pigeon, but so far we''ve received nothing in return."


    The emperor then switched his gaze to the man leaning against a red pillar adorned with a dragon relief at both the top and bottom. His single crimson-eyed gaze was staring off into the garden, unfocused as he was deep in his own thoughts. Ah, he was such an unsettling fellow. It was difficult to believe that they had the same blood of their father flowing in their veins.


    "A''Ling," he called out, "your thoughts on the matter?"


    Li Yu Rong felt his spine twinge in disgust over the affectionate term made from the name that he had been carelessly given when his father came to the realization he had none. Although he had the name said to be one his mother wanted to bestow on him, he did not feel inclined to enlighten the man that sired him. It was "Ru Ling," he had not been permitted to carry the surname of the royal family, thus furthering his want of nothing from them. Therefore he did not feel the need to acknowledge this off-handed appellation that man had given.


    "As the master of the Palace of the Four Gates I have no views," he answered tactfully and then added: "Rather than here with me, shouldn''t this be a conversation you have at a later date with your heir apparent."


    Laughing, the emperor said, "just curious. Well then, do have an opinion on sending in contracted demons to do the spying? Surely they wouldn''t be as easily found or as easily killed as their human counterpart, no?"


    Li Yu Rong''s eyes narrowed and said pointedly. "Those contracts that are held under your own hands, of course, I have no opinion. Do remember, however, the rules you''re bound to by the Palace of the Four Gates when you took the contracted from there."


    Those that took upon themselves the contracted must treat the individual fairly and could not throw their lives away carelessly and nor could they be traded off another. To be assured that they were not being treated like caged livestock the contractor had to agree before taking upon the contracted to an annual inspection. These inspections were carried out by the spirits of the Palace of the Four Gates.


    A splash of red, from the corner of his eye, lit up the garden of monotonous color. Rather than continuing the conversation from before, Liu Hui Huang turned his gaze to happenings below. Beneath his view of the garden acted out a play of the hero saving the beauty. He felt his lips twitch upward as he watched the red-haired delicate-featured girl pull Commander Jiang''s adopted daughter behind her. Not counting the fact that she was an unfamiliar face -as he knew all the beauties of Jin Ang country- her features and coloring were more in line with a demon''s.


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    It was easy to guess at her identity.


    "Your pet is quite the hero, isn''t she." He remarked as he waited for a reaction. Depending on how his dear elder brother reacted, he would take it as a chance to move the conversation toward the tidbit he had heard from Minister Li.


    The air of the surrounding area plummeted in degree, becoming almost as chilly as the coldest night of winter. Li Yu Rong clenched a fist beneath his sleeve as he watched Paoxiao run out -dressed in his female attire- a whole moment later. If Paoxiao did not have a good enough explanation for how this came about, then... Li Yu Rong laughed with a dark and ominous note.


    The sound caused those close enough to hear it, to shudder violently. The advisers and those close by had been doing their best to pretend that he did not exist. However, with such a horrific devil with such a bloodthirsty red-eyed gaze so nearby, how could they ever bring themselves to fully relax.


    Just as Emperor Liu Hui Huang opened his mouth, having finally thought how to entrap his brother, the sweet sound of a flute fluttered pass his ear. Pausing, he focused more fully onto the scene unfolding below them. The melody was a style of music that he -being so lavishly covered by the wonders of this world- had never heard.


    The sound, it carried him away as he immersed himself in the pleasure of it. Soon after, his eyes were delighted by the lithe movements of the girl below as she began to dance, creating an enchanting sight. Her hair fluttered about, her skirts moved and lifted slightly here and there giving a wonderful view of her delicate ankles. Though she were a demon, many breathes hitched and throats went dry for her eyes the sparkled wildly with an innocent passion.


    "Hehe," one of the advisers leered as he carelessly remarked, "it''s no wonder the Elemental Spirit Master made her a pet though she''s a demon. To have such a girl writhing beneath you is probably quite the pleasure. I can say, I wouldn''t mind taking her for a spin myself."


    The teacup in his hand, as he moved to take a drink, shattered suddenly. The shards embedded themselves in the adviser''s flesh, some even going as far as to slice across his cheek, drawing blood. The man was so stunned that he could hardly breathe, let alone to dare move to take care of his injuries.


    The palatable rage coming from Li Yu Rong as he leaned, unmoving, against the pillar could choke a person to death. Those seated around him were finding it difficult to breathe as they cursed the lack of intelligence in their fellow cohort. Another, seated nearby the fool, laughed. It was a strained sound that was painful to hear.


    "Fool," he joked weakly, "getting so excited and shattering your own glass." Though they had an inkling toward the truth of the matter, none of them wanted to admit that Li Yu Rong could shatter a glass without moving from so far away.


    Narrowing his eyes in displeasure, Liu Hui Huang couldn''t help to find them all as fools. Their comments, one after another, were digging into his brother and dragging out his murderous ire. There was no helping it and so he stood from his seat. "It''s about time we all moved to the dining hall for the rest of the festivities and the meal."


    With the mood souring so, sounding the man out right now would be a complete miss. It was better to hurry this along so that Minister Li could jump in, before everyone in the hall, and put forth A''Ling''s wrongdoings. This way, he would be able to rightly, legitimately, and justly act to acquire that demon woman for himself.

 Words in a Familiar Tongue

    Paoxiao heaved a breath in relief the moment he managed to find a barely occupied corner to reside. A different one from before, without the creepy eunuch. After his breath, he turned toward the red-haired girl with a stern glare. Though he wasn''t really angry, he felt that he should at least act it, to discourage her from doing this again.


    "You can''t go over there," he said with a sharp finger to the garden. "Li Yu Rong said no."


    Nastasia nodded seriously and then laughed, her eyes crinkling up with a mischievous light. "You sounding man." she told him teasingly.


    Realizing that he had not been speaking in the high pitched tone he had used earlier, he felt thrown. Paoxiao, in his haste to make her understand, had forgotten that he was supposed to be acting as a girl. Trying to play it off he, while stubbornly keeping to his male voice, said. "It''s not like there''s anyone to hear it anyho-"


    Freezing mid-sentence, Paoxiao followed Nastasia''s line of sight with his own gaze. Upon his turn, he found the young girl that had been saved standing beside them. She had her hands properly crossed over the other as she sat there waiting gracefully for them to finish before interjecting.


    Seeing that they did not speak anymore and were staring at her, one questioning and one in shock, she quickly bowed her head with a deep inclination. "I really appreciate your help back there. Not only did you help me, but you also helped to save face for the Jiang family."


    Hearing "Jiang family," Paoxiao felt a sense of familiarity, however, set it aside at Nastasia''s perplexed frown. Knowing that she did not understand what the other girl had said, he leaned in and murmured loud enough for her to hear. "She''s thanking you."


    Enlightened, Nastasia waved her hand in dismissal. "I''m the one who couldn''t walk the other way and ignore what was happening, so don''t worry about it," is what she wanted to say, but it became, due to her small vocabulary: "Can''t walk away, must help, don''t worry." Ah, she really wanted to cry over her terrible and broken sentence. It must sound like a toddler just learning to speak.


    To dispel the Jiang family girl''s confusion Paoxiao, back to his act as a female servant, said. "My lady comes from a faraway land that doesn''t share our language. Her words just then were merely to say that she did as she wanted, so you don''t need to bother about it."


    Jiang Ya Lin shook her head in disagreement. "Because you helped me I must do something in return. Should you ever have need of anything come to Commander Jiang''s estate, I''ll do my best to help you with-"


    "Ah!"Paoxiao exclaimed, pointing at the girl in shock.


    He finally realized how the "Jiang family" sounded familiar to his ears after she said "Commander Jiang." This little girl was the dirty little girl that had saved him while he wandered aimlessly looking for Commander Jiang''s estate to deliver the missive he had been tasked with. That damned Li Yu Rong, although he had never before set foot in the Mortal Realm, sent him off without a map or a direction in which to go to find a place he obviously wouldn''t be able to find.


    He would never have placed the little girl in front of him as the one, face covered in dirt, that had shown him the way to Commander Jiang''s estate. Now she was the perfect picture of a young lady, prim and proper, and nothing at all like the talkative tomboy that was a face full of smiles as she led the way for him.


    "Little girl?" He asked tentatively with his voice unconcealed by his poor attempt at female mimicry.


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    Jiang Ya Lin, from the time he had yelped out his exclamation, had been looking at him curiously. From her observations of him, the sound of his voice, and the way he called her there was something familiar about this man dressed like a woman.


    Something clicked and she exclaimed back. "Xiao-ge!?"


    Though she had been immensely curious as to why her savior had a man dressing as a female for a servant, she held back her tongue not wanting to pry. Now that she knew that this man disguised as a woman was the arrogant but silly Paoxiao, that had visited her family home looking for her father, she felt it hard to keep silent. On each occasion that he had visited he had gotten lost and on each of those occasions, she had helped him to find his way. There had been many interesting conversations between them.


    "Xiao-ge, why are you-!?"


    "Shh!" He hushed with a finger in front of his lips. Then, talking in a girlish voice, he spoke in muted tones to avoid being overheard. "Only women can enter here, don''t give my cover away. In order to protect my master I had to do this."


    "I see, so you came here. I had been worried that you might get lost trying to find our estate again as I wouldn''t be around to help you find it, but it seems I worried for nothing." She laughed lightly, almost seeming to chide herself for her self-perceived foolishness.


    At first, Nastasia was watching closely the interaction between the two. Picking out the words she knew, trying to guess at the meanings of the ones she did not, while hoping to grasp at least a part of the conversation. It was quite apparent that the two were acquainted before this meeting, however getting the full picture of that meeting was quite difficult with her current level of knowledge.


    As she occupied herself with this, Nastasia began to feel a prickling sensation on her back. It was the feeling one received when one was being watched. In the beginning, she had tried to ignore it; this was a party after all, so it would not at all be odd to be observed here or there.


    It was the rising sense of dread that fell down and iced her spine that had the red-haired girl turning around, hoping to catch the culprit. Upon her turnabout, her gaze caught and held a sinister inky darkness that seemed a bottomless vortex. The longer Nastasia looked the more fear began to climb up her throat.


    Attached to that gaze was a man whose dark hair had been braided and thrown over his shoulder, dressed in black robes with a red trim. Once her eyes had caught his own, his bloodless and thin lips twitched into a savage grin. Long legs began to carry his body toward her almost immediately after.


    Panicked, Nastasia turned her head, trying to act as if she were apart of the conversation between Paoxiao and the young girl she helped from a tough situation. While her back was turned to him, Nastasia felt the man brush passed her, a frigid air following in his wake.


    "I wonder if you''ve understood your situation yet, my dear?"


    English!?


    The words spoken by that man were in the "English" she had been so desperate to hear since she stumbled into this unfortunate predicament. Whipping around, her eyes darted about, trying to find him. Paoxiao''s scolding words escaped her mind as she moved from the closed-off corner he had brought her to keep her out of sight.


    Catching a glimpse of the man''s -or what appeared to be the man''s- figure, Nastasia took off toward the garden without a word once again.

 To the Dining Hall

    Narrowing his eyes in displeasure, Liu Hui Huang couldn''t help to find them all as fools. Their comments, one after another, were digging into his brother and dragging out his murderous ire. There was no helping it and so he stood from his seat. "It''s about time we all moved to the dining hall for the rest of the festivities and the meal."


    Waving over a eunuch, the emperor murmured some instructions. Nodding his head, the eunuch left to carry out the given task. A few minutes later another eunuch appeared at the front of the room, announcing for the noblemen to kindly follow him to the dining hall in order to continue the rest of the festivities.


    As the last of the men filed out to trail after the eunuch, the emperor and his advisers moved to be the last ones to leave. Glancing at the side, Liu Hui Huang saw his brother with a furrowed brow looking out to the garden below. As he turned that same brother suddenly strode forward to leap over the terrace.


    Scandalized, Adviser Wu -Wu Mei Lin''s father- exclaimed as he snorted in disdain. "Such an uncouth fellow, jumping about like a lowlife."


    "Leave it." The emperor hissed, and then added as he continued on toward the dining hall. "Adviser Wu, when you return, you would do well to teach your daughter how to think before she acts against another. Her fall was quite disgraceful, even if young, for the child of one of my people."


    Stunned, and although he felt wronged, he dared not utter a single word in his defense. Instead, he cupped his fists and bowed his head. "This subject will see it done." His heart grieved over bringing the emperor''s irritation down on his own head as he thought over appropriate punishments to teach his daughter properly.


    Liu Hui Huang snorted as he turned and continued on. The fool would have done well to hold his tongue. Had Adviser Wu not spoken so out of turn about the actions of his brother, then he would have ignored the childish actions of Wu Mei Lin who was still quite young. After all, he favored her as a consort for his dear son, his heir apparent.


    ------------------


    Having seen the splash of red once more rushing through the lush green garden, Li Yu Rong felt his eye twitch. ''Just what is Paoxiao doing,'' he thought with annoyance surging to the fore, ''the point of him going along as a female attendant was to prevent this!''


    Landing upon the deck below with a light "tut," Li Yu Rong caught stride of the red-haired girl in a matter of seconds. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her toward himself and lifting her into his arms.


    Being that it was so sudden Nastasia immediately began to struggle upon finding herself caught up in a firm embrace. The heart that nearly beat out of her chest at the sudden fright calmed when the familiar warmth and light sandalwood scent registered. Looking up, she found herself catching a single crimson-eyed gaze. That gaze was narrowed in on her yet he managed to walk forward without difficulty.


    "I wonder if you''re the type the attracts troubles," he told her without care of whether she could understand him or not. "When we first met you were being pursued by General Bai, you''ve become the want in some plot, and now you''re running off without your guard when you can barely speak a sentence to save yourself."


    As they walked, those nearby gave a wide breadth to Li Yu Rong hardly daring to breathe as he walked by for fear of his attention coming to them. Their gazes were pointedly drawn to their feet or off to another side as they feared meeting his single crimson-eyed gaze. However, for him, they might as well have been the every day seen decorations for the complete lack of care he held for their presence.


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    Instead, his attention was wholly focused upon the girl in his arms, sparing only a bit to navigate their way to the dining hall. Recalling the way that men had looked at her, the way his brother looked at her, and things that had been said caused his irritations to surge anew.


    Tapping his forehead against hers, he said. "Ah, you''re not allowed to do this again. Don''t let anyone else ever see you that way again." Then he spoke out a dark promise as his fingers itched to caress her cheeks beneath her confused gaze. "If it happens again, don''t blame me for locking you up where only I will ever be able to see you."


    The promise was empty as Li Yu Rong would likely never have the heart to completely restrict her freedom. Never-the-less, speaking out such words helped to relieve some of the frustrations in his heart. This may be true, but as he passed by the place Paoxiao stood, he shot the demon a glare sharp enough to kill.


    Paoxiao ducked his head to avoid facing that glare and began to follow behind the pair at a more sedate pace. As he trailed behind, his mind worked over ways to avoid Li Yu Rong until his anger abated. Next time, he would definitely not allow anything to distract him from the things he should be doing.


    As they walked through the doors of the dining hall, Nastasia tried to get Li Yu Rong to put her down. Although most of the people present turned their gazes toward the table in front of them, she still felt embarrassed to be held this way before so many. This want was thwarted by him tightening his arms around her and she didn''t dare to struggle further in front of all these people. Unable to do anything, she sent him a glare.


    Li Yu Rong laughed lightly he as he came upon the small table set aside for him at the emperor''s lower left. As he took his seat, he settled the little red-haired girl between his legs, one arm snaking around her waist to keep her in place. The nobles of the court and his brother made a face at his actions, but otherwise made no moves to reprimand him. The nobles were afraid to speak out against him while he was present, for they feared his retaliation. The emperor let it go as a show of kindness for he felt that soon red-haired demon girl would be his.


    "Down," she muttered as she did not yet know how to tell him to let her go.


    His other hand patted her head and played with her hair as he refused her. "No." The best way to make sure that nothing further happened and to show where she belonged was to keep her right where he had her. "Be good and be still."


    Ah, Nastasia felt even more that she needed to quickly familiarize herself with the language of this world so that this demonic beauty of a man would stop treating her like a child. As she thought about it she lapsed into silence. Though it would be difficult, she also needed to convey to Li Yu Rong that she met a man who could speak English.


    If she could find him, then perhaps that man would be able to tell her something or help her to find her way home. From his words, it could be assumed that he knew something of her situation. Nastasia closed her eyes that she might commit to memory every detail of the man''s features so that she would be able to draw his portrait later.


    Food had been brought in and served, but before anyone could give it a taste an out of breath General Bai came storming in.


    Li Yu Rong smirked, a good show was about to begin.

 A Good Play for Entertainment

    Food had been brought in and served, but before anyone could give it a taste an out of breath General Bai came storming in. Upon seeing who it was, Nastasia frowned and stiffened slightly. Even though it had been quite a number of days since she came to this place, she still vividly remembered this man that had fiercely given chase all throughout the town she first stumbled into.


    The man behind her lightly playing with her hair caused her nerves to calm. Though she wasn''t entirely clear on what was going on or exactly why they had come here or even who all these people were, she could hazard a guess.


    Being that the man, who looked somewhat like a slightly older Li Yu Rong, sat at the head he had to be the host of this gathering. If he was the head then he would be the owner of this palace, marking him the king of this land.


    Rather, since this place had an ancient Chinese backdrop, it would make him the Emporer. Those at his right were probably members of his family and the people below were the noble men and women of the court. Judging by how the riches adorning each person decreased the further back one looked it was easy to tell that they had been seated by rank.


    Then, could it be interpreted that Li Yu Rong -who sat above the nobles of the court, but below the emperor- only had the emperor to answer to? Nastasia found herself relaxing even further, though that soldier cast her a sinister look soon after entering the room, as she was reassured by the presence of the one who held her. She had been with Li Yu Rong for nearly a month and though there had not been many words between them, she had grown to trust him quite a bit.


    It made her feel that even though she didn''t quite know what was going on, nothing bad would happen.


    Emperor Liu Hui Huang looked up from his plate with a frown on his face. General Bai entered the room, his stride confident, as he made his way to kneel before the emperor as he cupped his fist. The emperor left him kneeling for a whole minute or more before he opened his mouth to speak.


    "What has brought you barging in here so out of breath, general?"


    "It was due to this one''s negligence, but the townspeople of Mencheng are rioting in the streets."


    "Rioting?" Liu Hui Huang sat up straighter in his seat, forcing out a look of concern. "Whatever would they be rioting for and how does this relate to you?"


    Tightening his hand over his fist, General Bai answered with a voice full of regret. "Minister Li and I did not wish to bother your highness with, what we felt at the time, was something we could easily handle ourselves. We left out certain details when we reported that your highness'' brother made a demon his pet."


    "Oh? What things would those be and what does it have to do with the rioting."


    General Bai discreetly cast his gaze in Li Yu Rong''s direction only to feel like vomiting blood when he noticed the other man completely ignoring their well thought out play. Instead, Li Yu Rong was entirely focused upon the girl in his arms, feeding her from his plate. He watched closely as she tasted the morsels, taking note which ones she seemed to like most, before giving over everything she liked most and then took the rest for himself.


    So much dog food was being shoved down his throat in the one glance that General Bai felt physically ill. It took a bit of effort to swallow back his rage in order to continue on with this play. He took comfort in knowing that he would be the one with the last laugh.


    "The demon claimed as a pet was actually an escaped demon that reeked havoc throughout the streets. We took great pains in trying to capture it before it could deal more damage, but it ran back to the Palace of the Four Gates. It was there that his Highness Prince Ru Ling took the demon under his protection, claiming it to be his pet. However, the demon has no Slave Binding Contract around its neck."


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    There were stunned murmurs and gasps from the nobles below as they began to discuss this astonishing news in muted whispers. Ordinarily, they would have been silenced, but them being worked into a frenzy had been their desired result. Under the condemning eyes of so many, how could that little worm squirm his way out of giving the demon over to prevent the riots from continuing?


    As if shocked by hearing such a tale, Liu Hui Huang widened his eyes and spoke with disbelief. "A''ling, what do you have to say in defense of yourself?"


    Li Yu Rong did not answer right away. Instead, he finished spoon feeding the girl who sat rigidly in his lap, cheeks beet-red over his embarrassing actions. Once she had taken the last bite he wiped her mouth with a cloth and patted her head before turning his attention to the emperor''s question.


    "I honestly don''t know what General Bai is meaning by his words," Li Yu Rong said as he drew Asya into his embrace. "With such a delicate and obedient girl, how could she cause the chaos he speaks of?"


    "The demon wouldn''t need to do much to cause chaos," General Bai said defensively, "considering what happened three decades ago, its presence alone is enough to cause irreversible distress. Coupled with it being an uncontracted demon, the crimes are already great."


    "Oh?" Li Yu Rong gave a lazy smirk as he played with Asya''s left hand. "I wonder if General Bai is unaware of the different contracts that can be made between the residents of the Spirit and Mortal Realms?" Not waiting for the answer, he said as he drew a finger down her palm. "The Slave Binding Contract is just the most common in use. Between her and I is a contract between master and pet."


    General Bai snorted. "Convenient to say, but what proof do you have to say that such a contract existed at that time?" After the words were said, they could not be taken back. The emperor could only shoot the fool a discreet look that promised all sorts of pain should this ignorant sentence cost him the demon girl.


    Holding up Asya''s arm, Li Yu Rong pulled the sleeve down as far as he could bear, only halfway reviling the contract scrawled out there. Pointing toward a specific spot, he said. "Being that General Bai has none of the contracted within his residence, it''s not surprising for you to be unaware. However, the date the contract had been forged is always added in to be assured that the Spirit Realm resident is held only for the term of its punishment."


    As he pulled her sleeve all the way up and over her hand to bring it out of view, he then looked toward the general and then the emperor. "Being that it clearly states that she has been contracted as my pet a month before the incident, I wonder how you can stand there and claim that I allowed an uncontracted demon to run loose."


    "Even so," General Bai hastened to amend, "it doesn''t change the fact that-"


    Before General Bai could finish his words, Commander Jiang stormed into the dining hall, flanked by two fully armored soldiers. He marched right passed General Bai to kneel before the emperor, the two at his side following almost immediately after.


    Pulling the girl against him, who had been trying to follow what was going on with little success, Li Yu Rong began to play once again with the hand he hid away. Commander Jiang had come at a wonderful time. He couldn''t help but wonder how Liu Hui Huang would try to back out of this corner to still try and take this girl from his arms.

 The Real Play Along With Assassination Attempts

    Emperor Liu Hui Huang swallowed the rage that suddenly filled his chest. In calm, even, tones he demanded as he slammed his cup -that he had intended to take a drink of- upon the table. "What are you barging into the dining hall to do, Commander Jiang!"


    Commander Jiang cut a dignified figure and was every bit the picture of respect toward his sovereign. Unlike General Bai who lifted his eyes and looked about, who spoke in a sneering and taunting manner; Commander Jiang, though carrying a commanding air, kept himself humble before the emperor by locking his eyes to the floor, his voice monotonous as he gave his answer.


    "I do beg your highness, the emperor, to consider this matter carefully and allow yourself to not be deceived artful lies."


    "What do you mean by this?"


    There was a sinking feeling overcoming Liu Hui Huang as this line came into his ears. The careful planning between him and those closest to him felt as if it were going to be undone. However, it wasn''t as if he could expel this man from the room after such things had been said. Doing so would have himself seem biased and foolish, or worse yet, having a dark agenda.


    Not moving an inch from his kneeling position, Commander Jiang responded in the monotonous tone he used for reports. "It is my error to have come later than this deceiver that you, my great emperor, had to have your ears besmeared by this swine. I''m afraid-"


    "Deceiver, swine!? Just who are these referring to-"


    "Silence!"


    Liu Hui Huang sliced into General Bai''s squawking outrage with his sharp command. Ragging over the comments of others like a lowlife would only lower the general''s face in front the present crowd, making it that much more difficult to prove his credibility in their eyes. Seeing the general''s poor performance now and when with his brother, Liu Hui Huang began to regret trusting Minister Li on using this man.


    Taking a breath, he told the commander, "continue."


    "Yes, your majesty. I''m afraid that the cause of the riots he spoke of was merely a front to pass the blame off to the innocent in order to hide their own dark ambitions."


    The emperor felt like hyperventilating as he felt a sweet coppery taste rush up his throat. Swallowing it down, he spoke as steady as he was able. "Oh? Those ambitions would be?"


    "Your throne."


    A silence stole over the dining hall. A deafening sort of silence that even breath feared to touch. To make such claims before the emperor, if Commander Jiang could not show proof to back his words, then he would suffer severe punishments. However, should he be able to prove it, then General Bai and those related to the scheme and their entire families would be executed for the crime of treason.


    General Bai felt ice travel down his spine and settle into his bones. He had been stunned mute along with everyone else for a good minute before he began to rage. "Don''t you dare slander people with such things! That is a hat I refuse to wear! Without proof, how dare you speak such slanderous lies!" Spittle began to fly from his mouth as he screamed for his anger was so great!


    "It would have reached your esteemed ears eventually," Commander Jiang continued as if the general were not ragging, "that one of the Spirit Realm reeked havoc across Mencheng. Therefore, to hide their crime, Minister Li and his men concocted this believable lie. However, they had not been aware that I and my men had found their facilities hidden in the mountains outside of Mencheng."


    Upon hearing this piece of news General Bai felt his soul fly out his chest. His body that had been prepared to trade blows with the kneeling commander became boneless and fell upon his rear. It was over, if that place had been found, there was nothing that could be done to salvage the situation.


    Unlike the general, Liu Hui Huang tried to grasp on to a bit of hope by asking, "and the proof for this, where is it?"


    The crowd felt a bit stunned at the emperor for asking after proof when his general had lost his steam at the mere mention of this facility. Ah, but then again, more than words really should be given before condemning a man and his entire familial line to death. At this thought, the crowd -at least some- felt that their emperor was truly a benevolent leader, while others understood a bit of the play going on behind these well-acted words.


    "As we have your majesty''s permission... the two of you, bring forth the evidence." Commander Jiang commanded both of the soldiers at his side. The two stood from their kneeling, cupped a fist, and bowed their head low before turning and heading out of the dining hall.


    A few minutes later they returned, a chain over the shoulder, hauling in a large cage. A howling and snarling spirit beast were held within. Collective gasps and screams from the crowd filled the hall as everyone stood from their seats, scattering to be as far from the beast as the room would allow.


    Nastasia felt a bit of trepidation from the creature slamming around the cage with all its strength. Large teeth hung over snarling lips, yellowish eyes wildly looked about, as its body -the height of 3 meters and a length of 2- covered in dense silvery black fur thrashed around. It looked like the creature could easily smash through the cage that contained it.


    To the people of the Mortal Realm, it looked like a gigantic raging beast as they could not sense the enormous amount of spirit energy surrounding it. Had they been able to, rather than merely giving the cage a wide breadth, they would have outright sought to flee the room. This creature was comparable to the top marital practitioners of the Mortal Realm.


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    Sensing her unease, Li Yu Rong murmured loud enough for her to hear. "It''s okay," he told her soothingly, "that spirit beast won''t dare do anything beyond what it is." Though she would only understand a bit of the sentence he still spoke it and it was not merely said to comfort. This spirit beast was lending itself to the play, for its own bit of revenge.


    "Your Majesty, this is one of one hundred and fifty spirit beasts found within their facility. The details of the experiments are within these documents." One of the soldiers strode forward and handed over a stack of papers to one of the emperor''s attendants to pass them over. "As you can see from what is written, they had been attempting to grow spirit beasts that can be born and live within the Mortal Realm without the need for the protections offered by the contracts that bind them to a person of the Mortal Realm.


    "Their purpose had been to grow an army of spirit beasts to overrun the capital that they might snatch the seat of power from your eminent hands, your majesty. Those involved in the plot have also been written down, including their points of contribution. We also have the researchers conducting the experiments in our custody if you wish to interrogate them at a later date."


    General Bai was finding it hard to breathe. There was no way out, this crime was going to be pinned on his head. A tool that was no longer useful could only be thrown aside. Now that it had come to this, in what way would those above him in this plot extend their hand to save his hide? Driven to a corner, yet not willing to give in completely, his mind ambled along to find some way he could turn his failure into a success.


    Although his vital energy was not considered top tier when compared with many of the younger geniuses out there, his strengths were nothing scoff over. Although he wouldn''t be able to fight his way out to save his life, he could rectify the situation for his superiors. If he could accomplish this, perhaps a lighter sentence could be given to his family members. No matter what he did, his own life could no longer be spared.


    Slipping his hand beneath his sleeve to pull a dagger from a sheath strapped around his wrist, General Bai all of a sudden, threw the blade toward the demon girl with all of his vital energy behind it. It was done so quickly and so suddenly that one should have been unable to defend against it. The demon girl should have died with the blade between her throat so that his master might still be able to collect the blood from the demon.


    Unfortunately, Li Yu Rong was not ordinary. He had sensed the other man''s intent a bit before the action had been cast. With a sharp wave of his arm, sleeve fluttering at the swift counter, the blade met a wall of energy to be sent flying back to its owner.


    As the blade sailed into the general''s throat, sending up an arch of blood, a female attendant flew forward to send a leaping kick into his chest. The bones cracked and shattered under the strength of the hit, the pieces shredding into the lungs. A gasping breath had barely been made before General Bai hit the ground a corpse. Paoxiao angrily stomped on his chest once more for good measure, causing a horrifying crunch to resound before spitting on the general''s body and walking back to his place at Li Yu Rong''s side.


    A crimson eye flashed as Li Yu Rong tried to swallow back the rage trembling his body. The fact that someone would even dare attempt to kill her while she was in his arms was something so wholly infuriating that he could not swallow it back no matter his efforts. A murderous air began to rise about his person as the atmosphere dropped in degree, freezing the room as if summer suddenly turned to winter.


    Li Yu Rong no longer cared. The outcome would be the same whether he was present or not. There was nothing that could be done to salvage the situation. There was nothing Liu Hui Huang could do to turn this in his favor. Not with so many eyes paying attention to this particular case.


    Slipping his hand over Asya''s eyes, he forced them to close and then lifted her into his arms as he stood to his feet. "Be still and don''t move." His crimson eye was flashing in his rage, making his appearance much more sinister than his usual look. It was even more difficult for those nearby him to stand his presence.


    "My Pet has fainted from shock. So, though the festivities have yet to end, we shall be taking our leave."


    With that lurid expression facing his way, Liu Hui Huang felt a lump form in his throat. He could only muster the strength to nod his acceptance under that crushing aura. It was a frustrating thing to be suppressed to that degree, but Liu Hui Huang could only hold it in his heart and curse his brother silently.


    Without another word and without looking back, Li Yu Rong left the room. As he left, everyone felt as if a weight had been lifted from their chests. The dining hall had become much brighter and much easier to breathe in.


    A collective sigh had been released. Now they hoped for the play to finish so that the meal cooling on their plates could be devoured before growing completely cold.

 The Aftermath

    After watching them walk from view, the Emperor let out a heavy breath. All that hard work, all that careful planning, was shot by the wayside. It was extremely vexing.


    Generally, A''Ling would make a show of fighting back, but in the end, would relinquish his things. Liu Hui Huang had thought that this would end like all of those other times. It was a slap in the face to find it not turning out like his expectations. Not only did A''Ling fight back, but fought back so fiercely, leaving no room to make a turnaround.


    General Bai was dead. The plan had fallen apart. All that could be done was to give in and accept the loss. He no longer cared how the loose ends were tied and so said. "Take Minister Li and his family into custody. Bring the case and all the evidence to the yamen stationed at Mencheng to be investigated and then tried. Tell the magistrate to sentence Minister Li accordingly."


    An extreme exhaustion swept through his body. Standing from his seat, he said. "I will be retiring early, however, the rest of you continue to enjoy the festivities. The heir apparent shall take over and stand in on my behalf." With that, he quickly retreated.


    The minute he was within his rooms, he swept the objects from his desk in a fit of temper. ''Damn him!'' He thought viciously as he then kicked the desk over. ''He already had father''s attention, father''s consideration, and father''s thoughts so what was one measly demon! He rules over the gates, he could grab another if he so desired to!''


    Why fight back so fiercely!?


    All throughout growing up, their father never paid him any mind. He was always locked in his study when he wasn''t required for things concerning the country, looking over missives from the secret guard that watched over A''Ling. There was a whole room dedicated to housing the reports of the son he truly cared for.


    A''Ling had their father, has the position of Elemental Spirit Master, has a youth that never fades where even he began to question if his brother would die should he stab him. He was the younger, yet he looked like the elder brother of the two. Their father had even planned to gift him the throne. If Liu Hui Huang had not taken matters into his own hands, this power he managed to obtain would also be in his brother''s hands.


    ''A''Ling,'' he chuckled lightly as he clenched his fists angrily, ''you have everything... so what gives you the right to fight back for things with me?''


    ---------------------------


    Although they were well beyond the dining hall and were currently on their way to the carriage parked outside the palace, Paoxiao was still angry. He felt that his kick to the chest was hardly enough to vent this anger burning his veins.


    For someone to dare try and kill the one he decided to protect, such a thing was absolutely intolerable. Honestly, he wanted to march back into the dining hall to slap that General Bai''s corpse a couple more times. Better yet, if it were possible, he wanted to revive the man just so he could have the pleasure of killing him a couple more times.


    As he was immersed in these violent thoughts, he subconsciously followed closely behind Li Yu Rong who still held Nastasia in his arms. As the pair entered the carriage, the door slammed shut behind them, and thus Paoxiao had the unfortunate fate of slamming into it.


    Catching himself that he did not fall back on his rear, Paoxiao rubbed at his smarting nose. Hui Se Ying made no efforts to hold back his amusement after witnessing the demon''s bad luck.


    Hui Se Ying had been charged with the boring duty of guarding the carriage, so he was extremely bored. So, upon seeing Paoxiao, he patted the seat beside him. "Hurry up here and quickly tell me everything I missed."


    Inside the carriage, Li Yu Rong sat in a chair, bringing Asya with him. Still upset over her attempted assassination, he wanted to keep her close. Unfortunately, the girl did not feel the same.


    Struggling from his arms, Nastasia quickly gathered up papers and a brush. Though an attempt had been made on her life she felt numb to it. Perhaps, due to it not being the first time someone attempted to kill her, she was hardly phased by the second.


    While witnessing a person killed right in front of her had made her feel a bit squeamish, she had served two years as a trauma nurse for the military to be there for her brother during wartime. As she was no stranger to death she was able to bounce back from the shock rather quickly.


    Now, as Li Yu Rong peered over her shoulder, Nastasia gave her full concentration over to the image of that man in her memory. The brush dipped in ink glided across the page as she diligently tried to recreate his appearance on the paper in front of her.


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    A few failed attempts later the man''s complete portrait was in front of her, right down to the darkness emanating from his pitch black eyes. Picking up the paper, she handed it over to Li Yu Rong. His dual colored eyes glanced over the page without an ounce of recognition flashing in their depths. It was only an inquiry toward her intent with the drawing and curiosity over who the drawing had been drawn after.


    "Man, saw him there." Nastasia pointed in the direction she believed the palace to lie in. "Man talks me." To help illustrate her point she said a few words in English before repeating, "man talks me."


    After first Li Yu Rong had thought that Asya was trying to say that this man had spoken with her. After listening to her repeat this sentence a few times and then speak her own language, he realized that not to be quite what she meant. An uneasiness crept into him as it dawned upon him that perhaps this man had spoken with her in her mother tongue.


    He wanted to crinkle the portrait in his hands and have her to forget ever having met such a man. Refraining from the want, he forced himself to nod. "En," he agreed, "I''ll help you find him." To himself, however, he added. ''I''ll slowly help you find him, but in the meantime, I''ll help you to lose such thoughts in your head.''


    After all, he wanted to keep this girl by his side so how could he help her easily find her way out of his arms.


    -------------------------------


    Upon his back, head comfortingly laid upon a woman''s soft thighs, a man that felt as if he swam in darkness hummed a happy tune to himself. In his hand, he played with a few strands of red hair that had been pulled from the girl who had been called the "Red Demon." After a moment, he chuckled to himself.


    "As soon as I heard ''Red Demon,'' I should have known that it might not actually be a demon."


    Reaching out, he caressed the pale as death cheek of the woman, whose legs he used as a pillow. Her crimson eyes kept a sightless stare off into the distance. The way her lilac hair framed her delicate face gave off an innocent feminine air. It allowed for one to forget that she was merely a well-preserved corpse.


    "Ah, it''s been awhile since I''ve heard that term. What would you say, my dear? More than a hundred years?" He nodded to himself. "Yes, it''s probably been about that long."


    His fingers slid down to her chin where he grasped her in a bruising hold. "Xianmei," he hissed viciously, "you''ve gone and done something unnecessary, haven''t you? You couldn''t just stay a corpse now, could you? You just had to try and save your bastard offspring!" He raged.


    He let her go and began laughing, once again; joyous. "Sorry, my dear, I almost broke your jaw." He patted her face lightly before slipping back into his happy humming while he played with the red strands of hair in his hands.


    Although she wasn''t a demon, it didn''t mean that everything he had attempted for her capture was a complete loss. This girl that came from the threshold of another world might just hold the key to unlocking the secrets he was trying to unravel.


    As Tongchu entered the secret underground chamber, he heard the other man''s happy humming. Assuming him to be jovial over his success, Tongchu said as he set down his newly acquired supplies. "You got the demon, then, did you?"


    "Hardly."


    "Then what are you cheerfully humming for? If I don''t have fresh demon blood, the experiments can no longer go forward." Tongchu huffed, annoyed.


    "We might not need demon blood hereafter." The man said, vague in his retort.


    After unloading all of the supplies in his arms, Tongchu made his way over to the alcove of the demon woman where his master liked to rest. Upon seeing his master resting upon the woman''s thighs, he drew to a pause. Not because his master was laying upon a corpse, but that his master had shed his disguise for his true image.


    The braid he wore that was usually a deep charcoal was now a vibrant red and his black as pitch eyes were shed for the color of the skies. It was a testament to the truly good mood his master had found himself in. For a good eighty percent of the time, his master loathed this appearance.


    The man''s hand reached out toward his subordinate. "Take these hairs and test the energy in them. If viable, we might have another route we can take in our experiments."


    Tongchu quickly snatched them up and swiftly went to work. There was nothing that he loved more than something new to fiddle with.

 Hui Se Yings First Plot

    It''s been two months since she fell into this world. It''s been one month since returning to Li Yu Rong''s home after facing that debacle at the palace. During this time one thing after another began to pile up in front of her, screaming that this was not her world.


    Perhaps she had been a bit in denial, but until she left Li Yu Rong''s large home and saw that huge ancient city with its large Palace at its back, she was a bit skeptical about the thought of another world. For most, perhaps the mythical creatures would have been the clue in, but for Nastasia it was the many ancient-looking locations that finally convinced her. That Li Yu Rong and Paoxiao could kill without the other''s raising protest or for a group like the police to come knocking also helped in this regard.


    Growing up with tales of Irish folklore, mythology, and a mother that wholeheartedly swore to the existence of faeries, it was easy to accept the strange creatures that ran about as fact. Nastasia -the childish part of her- always felt that, "the Good Neighbors," or "the Little Darlings," as her mother would call them could very well exist but had yet to be found.


    There were also the Russian mythical creatures that her father and grandfather would speak tale of whenever her mother fell into one of her storytelling moods; to make sure their Russian lore was also heard.


    So, having all the facts before her, she could no longer turn her eyes from this truth. Getting home was probably going to be a rather difficult effort. None-the-less, Nastasia was determined. Remembering that man who spoke English, she had painted several copies of his likeness, storing them away carefully. This past month, all her free time was dedicated to picking up on the language spoken here; the Chinese she still kicked herself for not learning.


    Forcing herself to speak even though her sentences were dreadful while having others to correct the errors in her speech along with pointing to things and drawings to learn more words that could not be easily explained. Nastasia was able to finally make good progress. Although she was still rough and still had to be corrected, she could both carry on a conversation as well as understand most of what was being said around her.


    Satisfied with her level of understanding, when Nastasia woke that morning she was prepared to speak with Li Yu Rong to trade information about how she got to this town and where to go from here.


    Too excited to finally have a better understanding of the world around her, she left in search of Li Yu Rong without changing from her bedclothes. Were this a normal place she would have received odd stares from the few she would pass occasionally, however those of the Spirit Realm were quite liberal in how they dressed.


    So they took her choice as her choice and thought nothing of it.


    Hmm... Nastasia, though still quite excited, felt herself cool down about it after her reckless running about produced no signs of Li Yu Rong. All the places she usually found him had been checked with no signs of his presence. Drawing to a paused, she considered all the places she knew about in this large house of his, but after coming up empty she decided that he must have left.


    Though it was rare for him to leave, he did so occasionally.


    Just as she was about to give in for the moment one of his subordinates suddenly appeared at her side. "What are you running about for?"


    "Hui Se Ying!" The abrupt sound and appearance gave her a start that she yelped his name upon recognizing his face. As this was someone that was usually around Li Yu Rong, she asked. "Did Li Yu Rong leave? I can''t trick him."


    "I can''t find him." He corrected her on reflex. She had the right idea but pronounced the zh¨£o as zh¨¡o. A peculiar light, going unnoticed, entered his eyes as he answered her without giving away anything unusual. "Hmm... well it''s a place you haven''t gone yet, so I''ll lead the way partially. At a certain point, I''m not allowed to enter."


    Hui Se Ying lead her along a path she had not seen before that lead all the way to the back of the estate. It was a place even more overgrown than the gardens at the front of the estate. As they walked deeper in it became rather silent, as if they were the only two upon the path. Being that since quite a bit back she had not seen another creature or servant, the thought was probably true.


    Pointing at the path, Hui Se Ying said. "This is as far as I go. Keep on this path and don''t wander. You''ll come across him soon." That done, he quickly fled with a large grin splitting his face. He couldn''t help but wonder if his master would be happy or angry with his meddling.


    Nodding, she turned down the pointed way, the dark atmosphere causing her to be a bit cautious. The further she went, the warmer the temperature became. Soon, there was a bit of steam rising that could be seen through the gaps in the overgrown plants that blocked off the path ahead.


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    As she pressed through the foliage she almost slipped and fell into the spring laid out before her. After righting herself, Nastasia looked up only to find a sight that paralyzed her. Throat running dry as she tried to swallow, her brain ceased to function as her mouth could only form an unintelligible squeak.


    Li Yu Rong stood in the middle of the hot spring and although his lower half was hidden in the unclear water, his well-defined chest was quite open to her eyes. At first, he seemed stunned to see her, but quickly his eyes began to laugh at her as a teasing and seductive grin spread across his lips.


    "I wonder what my pet has come here to do, dressed like this?" He always called her "chong''er," and as of yet, she hadn''t found anyone who could tell her what the term meant. After he spoke, he began to move toward her. Every step revealed more and more to her eyes.


    Face changing between three shades of red, Nastasia began to panic. It''s not like this was the first time she had seen a naked man; she was from a more modern world after all. However, the atmosphere around him caused a strange feeling to rise in her chest as her heart beat a painfully speedy melody the closer he got and the more he revealed.


    Unable to handle any more she tried to retreat back the way she came. If she had known he was bathing here she never would have come to interrupt it! That Hui Se Ying, once she found him she was going to-


    Her foot slipped, sending her to ungracefully tumble into the hot spring.


    Rushing forward, Li Yu Rong caught her before she fell into the water head first. Bringing her up against his naked flesh, he brought wet fingertips down her check that was speckled with water droplets. "Are you trying to tempt me, pet?" He asked as he brought his forehead against hers.


    She didn''t know the word "g¨­uy¨«n(tempt/seduce)," but none-the-less she quickly shook her head as her mind worked quickly to find an escape route. The robe she was wearing was quite thin and now that it was wet, it was practically nonexistent. It was almost like they were pasted together flesh against flesh.


    "I-I-I..." she wanted to say that she had only come looking for him that they might be able to discuss things now that she understood the language well enough, but the words stuttered and fizzled out as she tried to say them. It didn''t help that as she tried to speak, Li Yu Rong drew his fingers down her cheek, down her chin and then down her neck intimately.


    "When someone is making you uncomfortable, do it back to them ten times worse so they''ll stop." The words her elder sister had once said crossed her mind and though she knew it was terrible advice to give, her flailing thoughts clutched onto it. If she weren''t so panicked, she would recall that these words were also told to the eight-year-old her. In this heated situation between men and women, such actions would be like adding oil to fire.


    Taking her hands to trail down his abs, she pressed in slightly, hoping the action would unsettle him enough to let her go. Instead, his other hand caught hers up in a grip, as he brushed his lips against her cheek to whisper in her ear. "Are you inviting me to have my way with you, my pet?"


    As he pulled back and caught her expression that was like a hunted rabbit, he chuckled lightly. Drawing his fingers down her cheek one last time he let her go. Pointing to the shore, he said. "Take my robe and return. You had something you wanted to speak about, right? Wait, I''ll be there soon."


    Nodding, she snatched up the robe as soon as she climbed out of the hot spring and fled the area as fast as her legs would carry her. Her cheeks were flushed and as he held her close, he could feel her heart pounding. She was a mixture of both innocent sweetness and womanly seduction that it was quite the effort to let her go.


    Finishing up his bath, he soon followed after her.


    Hui Se Ying who had been watching in a distant, undetectable, corner felt extremely disappointed. Men and women, when shoved together in such a steamy situation should have thrown moral cares aside and had at it.


    He pondered a moment and decided that perhaps he should focus his first few plots at prodding her attraction for his master to grow before attempting such a direct situation again. Then, after her thoughts only had his master, he''d try again. Once she pounced on him from an attraction that could not be suppressed, and the deed was done, she would then fully belong to his master.


    It was a brilliant plan and with him behind it, nothing could go wrong.

 Trading Information Part 1

    After changing into dry clothing, Nastasia was waiting for Li Yu Rong, deep in thought. As it had been some time since she walked in on his bath, her heart had calmed considerably and the blush left her cheeks. Now that she was calm and thought back to earlier, she felt a bit depressed.


    Before she had been at a disadvantage because of her inability to speak to and understand the people around her. Now that she was no longer restricted by this, she was still played around with so badly. That she froze like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to react properly, was extremely embarrassing. Especially since she was older.


    Although that demonic beauty Li Yu Rong was a natural playboy and liked to tease her as he did in the bath, he was very good to her. Despite not knowing anything about her and the fact that, at their first meeting, they couldn''t even speak the same language, he went out of his way many times for her.


    Though he was very touchy and liked to pull her to him whenever he got the chance, she knew it was his way to communicate with her. It was kind of like sign language for the deaf. He liked to keep her close as if he were protecting an infant. When she did well he would pat her head and offer a brilliant smile. Whenever she was feeling down or frightened, he would pat her head and touch her cheek to make her feel better.


    It was like he was saying: "Don''t worry, even though we don''t really know each other, I''m looking out for you and won''t let anything bad happen." It was strange, but she always felt herself fall at ease almost immediately because of it.


    At first, she had been bothered and made uncomfortable by his actions. Though she was accustomed to always being in close contact with family, Li Yu Rong was a stranger. Over time she began to feel herself grow to depend on these little actions of his. They had only known each other for two months, but due to her inability to care for herself or communicate properly with others in this world and his constant presence by her side, it seemed like the time between them was much longer.


    The bed sank in slightly beside her. "What are you thinking so deeply about?"


    Turning to look at Li Yu Rong, Nastasia thought over his words a bit. The way he phrased the sentence was a bit difficult for her, but she was pretty sure she understood the gist of it. "How to say what I need to."


    ''Good,'' she thought to herself. She had managed not to become awkward in his presence, stuttering and blushing mad like an innocent school girl. Though with her experience, she probably wasn''t that far off, she was older and shouldn''t let herself succumb to such things.


    Nodding Li Yu Rong then asked. "What is it you''re wanting to talk about?"


    He had noticed, these past couple days, that she had wanted to speak to him about something. However, before she could get it out, the confidence on her face shattered and she would stop and go back to practicing her words.


    "You know how I being chased by the soldiers when we met." This conversation, since coming back from the palace, Nastasia had been working on what she would say. Paoxiao, through pictures and gestures and pointing to hard-fought explanations, had helped her learn the needed words. Though they weren''t exactly the words she wished to say, they were close enough to get her point across.


    Li Yu Rong inclined his head once, giving her his undivided attention


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    "I got hurt by someone I thought a friend and fell from a mountain into the river. I brought here somehow from the river. I''m from a different realm." Nastasia wasn''t entirely sure if "realm" was the proper word to use. It was the word Paoxiao taught her after much effort trying to explain to him what she was looking for. "The man I saw at the palace spoke the same as me. He know how I go back home."


    Though she was still rough in speech it was understandable. Ordinarily, he would have corrected her sentences but did not want to interrupt her story. He thought back to the day he met her and the strange wound on her shoulder that healed faster than Lu Se Ying''s predicted time. Coupled with the color of her hair and eyes despite being human, he wasn''t surprised to hear that she came from another realm.


    There was a Spirit Realm and a Mortal Realm, why couldn''t there exist another unknown realm that held humans of different colors?


    Asking for help was a difficult thing, especially when the one you wanted to ask for it from had already done more than necessary for your sake. Not only that, but she had already asked after this the day she drew out that man''s portrait. It had been a month ago and she was worried that he had forgotten about it as it was never mentioned again. She didn''t want to sound pushy.


    It was because of these that Nastasia opened and closed her mouth several times, before finally getting out. "Help me find this man he know how I get home, maybe. Please help me get home." She cringed.


    To say this part she practiced quite a bit, but due to the difficulty in asking for aid when she felt that asking for more was quite shameless stumbled her tongue. The sentence was rougher than she would have liked, as she knew she could say it better. Nastasia felt it made her sound like a small child.


    Although he was prepared for this the words were still a knife to his heart. When he met her it was at first fascination with her differences from other humans and then moving his soul with the way she looked at his eye, that he wanted her.


    It may have been those things then, but after being around her these past two months, he had come to seriously care for her. She had become an inexorable piece of his heart, even if he tried his hardest to remove that piece, it wouldn''t budge.


    None-the-less, Asya had asked for his help. She desperately seeking her home. He would not deny her. However, that didn''t mean he would watch her go without doing anything to stop it. He would search, but he would not be fast about it. There might even be times that he would resort to sabotage, to gain more time for himself.


    Li Yu Rong was confident, however, that he would be able to get her to change her mind before the day such a way home was found for her. That''s why he said, with smiling eyes and a slightly upturned lip, "Hn, I''ve said I''ll look for him and I will. If he was at the palace, perhaps one of the servants would recognize his face and know his name. I''ve already sent someone to discreetly ask around."


    Although there were a few words she did not know, she could grasp the main points of what had been said. Nastasia, beaming a heartfelt smile at him, said. "Thank you."


    Now that this was out of the way and his help was assured, it was time to gather information about this world. She needed a better understanding of it if she was going to be here for a while.

 Trading Information Part 2

    Now that this was out of the way and his help was assured, it was time to gather information about this world. She needed a better understanding of it if she was going to be here for a while. So, with that thought in mind, Nastasia asked. "What is this place called?"


    Not being sure what place she was wondering about, Li Yu Rong gave a few different names. "This realm is the Mortal Realm, the town is called Menchang, and this..." he gestured around them, "is the Palace of the Four Gates." After that was said, he asked her. "Is there anything else you want to know?"


    Of course, there was! Nastasia had so many things she wanted to know, but the problem lied in having the right words to ask them. Fortunately, she had prepared a pencil -which she had Paoxiao create- and paper to draw out the things she couldn''t ask in words.


    Sliding off the bed, she went over to the table and sat on a cushion. Taking the pencil in hand, she began to sketch out the many creatures she had seen roaming about here and there. Once she was done she walked back over to the bed taking a seat as she handed over the drawing.


    "What are these?"


    Seeing the life-like drawing in his hand, the first thing Li Yu Rong felt awe for her skill. The next was a bit of confusion. Some of the Spirit Realm denizens she had drawn should have been unseen by her human eyes. While some could be made visible if they so chose, a good many of the ones she had drawn did not have this ability.


    Biting back his question until after he answered her own, he said. "These are the denizens of the Spirit Realm." He then pointed to each of the ones that were similar looking, but with slight differences, saying. "This is a water sprite, this an earth sprite, and this a fire sprite... they''re playful, but won''t do you any harm so it''s okay to be around them."


    Then he pointed toward two similar looking creatures. They were much larger than the sprites but weren''t much bigger than a toddler. Their eyes were shaped like almonds, their hands were three-fingered, and their heads were bald. Though it couldn''t be seen in the sketch, their wrinkled skin was a muddy green.


    "These are Deceit Whispering Elves." Li Yu Rong than looked at her carefully. "How did you see them?" He had started to ask, "how did you come across them," but the wording was more difficult and it was important that she understood what he was asking. Therefore he changed his wording.


    Deceit Whispering Elves whisper lies to tear apart relationships of all sorts between others. Their favorite had been to invade dreams with their whispering, planting ideas of the other''s betrayal. They would then hide themselves to watch the ensuing battle between both parties as they foolishly fall into the lies they were told.


    Though this pair of elves were the failures of their clan and kicked out that he allowed them to stay here, they still held to the desire of not allowing themselves to be seen by humans. How was it then, that she had seen them well enough to draw their exact likeness?


    Nastasia thought over his question a moment and then answered. "I watching the water sprites play, they splashed water on them and they jumped out from the long grass. Their shocked faces cute." She laughed lightly. "After helping them dry off they followed me, smile and wave when they see me, and they give me flowers."


    A little surprised to hear the last part, as Deceit Whispering Elves were not ones for such kindnesses. Even though the ones in his yard were failures for not liking to deceive, they still kept to themselves and only interacted with others if there wasn''t much of a choice to do otherwise. It was unheard of to hear such things of them.


    That explained, he pointed toward a cat with large pointed ears and two tails. Though the spirit energy they held wasn''t anything to scoff at, they did not have the ability to make themselves seen. "How did you see the two-tailed cat?"


    "It sleeps by me when I play the flute."


    Brow furrowing at this answer Li Yu Rong began to ponder the possibilities for such a phenomenon to occur. "Do you have such creatures in your Realm." Perhaps the people from her realm had an ability to see those of the Spirit Realm?


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    Not knowing how to explain that they did, but as fairy tales that only small children believe in, she simply shook her head. "No"


    Then could it be an effect of the contract he made between them? However, most of what was placed in the contract were for her protection and shouldn''t have allowed for one to see what one ordinarily could not see. After a moment more he decided to have Lu Se Ying look into it.


    If Asya had the ability to see already within her, then perhaps the energy of her realm was similar to the energy of the Spirit Realm. If that turned out to be true, then he wouldn''t have to keep her confined to specific areas of the Palace of the Four Gates. If this were to prove true then he might also be able to take her along to the Spirit Realm during the annual meeting between the five Gate Keepers without fearing her being poisoned by the spirit energy.


    It was a meeting that happened every year and lasted an entire week, not counting the time it took to travel to the appointed meeting place. To be away for so long after what happened recently didn''t sit well with Li Yu Rong. Especially since Asya had only started to learn about this realm.


    "Li Yu Rong?"


    Hearing her voice call out in question snapped him from his thoughts. "Hmm?" He turned eyes from the sketch in his hands to her face. He set the drawing down off to the side.


    "I said, you tell me about the town?" Nastasia repeated herself. "I go walk around the town, I don''t know about."


    Though it was heavily fragmented, he understood what she was asking and what she wanting to do. Li Yu Rong reached out and grab a strand of Asya''s hair. "Because of your hair and your eyes, you can''t go into town. Soon, I''ll work out a way for it, but not right now."


    Downcasting her sky blue eyes as she looked at her red hair being fiddled with between his fingers, she thought of a solution herself. It was too much to go into the details right now so she would wait until after seeing if Paoxiao was capable of doing it for her. If it could be done, then she would show it to Li Yu Rong as that would be far easier than explaining for her.


    Thus, as she nodded her head, she then asked as she held up her arm. "What is this?"


    Reaching out to run his fingers down the mark, he said with a smile. "It''s for your protection." She didn''t know the word "b¨£oh¨´," and so wrinkled her nose in confusion. Seeing this, Li Yu Rong then said. "It won''t hurt you. I''ll tell you more about it later."


    He certainly could not say it now. Though she depended on him to hold up her sky, her feelings for him were more towards friendship than ones between lovers. If he tried to explain what the mark meant now, Asya would probably be angry at being tricked into the contract.


    "The books in the library, you''re free to read them to learn more about the two realms. If you have any questions, you can ask me about them." Patting her head as he stood from the bed, Li Yu Rong said. "I have something I urgently need to do, I''ll be back tonight."


    One of the things he had to do was to make preparation for his journey into the Spirit Realm and the other was to find Lu Se Ying. He wanted him to check the energies in Asya''s body. If her energy was similar to the Spirit Realm and if she would be able to travel there without getting poisoned.


    Nastasia saw Li Yu Rong off, feeling a bit disappointed. She had been hoping to get a bit more information about the mark. It had been bothering her ever since one of the creatures she had met recently looked at the mark in shock, but would say nothing about it.


    Well, there was nothing she could do about it now, and he did promise to tell her later. Since nothing could be done, she began to think about her plan for being able to go into town. Nastasia had a reason for wanting to visit.


    So, in high hopes, she left in search of Paoxiao.

 Paoxiaos Worry and Nastasias Plan

    Paoxiao was sitting in the branches of a tree nearby to Nastasia''s room. His shoulders were slumped and his lips were drawn down into a drooping frown. He let out a heavy, suffering sigh; he was depressed.


    It had been two months since he had finally gotten beyond the gate. Even though it wasn''t in a way he would have liked, Li Yu Rong did not entirely restrict his movements. He had been allowed to walk around the town so long as he hid his appearance and held to certain rules: to avoid confrontation,  to not use his abilities, and to not act outside of human norms.


    Visiting the town several times, on both business and leisure, he had taken the time to ask around hoping to find information pertaining to his sister. When he mentioned that he was looking for a demon it was difficult to find a person who was willing to speak. Those that were willing, after he had explained her appearance, had shaken their heads murmuring, "haven''t seen, haven''t seen," before hurriedly walking away.


    While Paoxiao had been extremely disappointed with his progress so far, he also found it acceptable. Humans did not live long. His sister had been taken a bit more than fifty years ago. Although the gate had been without a guardian at that time, he was young and weak that he had been forbidden by the elders to follow in pursuit.


    When he finally won the elders'' approval with his great strength, the gate suddenly gained a new guardian. Paoxiao, after seeing the young Li Yu Rong that should have still been in his mother''s embrace, could not bring himself to be heavy-handed against the child. While he continued his weak attempts at trying to go through the gate, Li Yu Rong suddenly became such a strong opponent.


    No matter what attempts Paoxiao made to get beyond the gate, that one crimson-eyed guy managed to thwart him at every turn. It was frustrating.


    Yet, now that he had finally managed one of his deepest desires -all though not in the way he intended- he was still as helpless as before. Where should he begin, what should he do? Now that one problem had been solved, this even larger problem cropped up.


    Paoxiao did not fear that his sister had already passed. How could one as bright and strong as his dear older sister allow herself to die, even if she was forced into this unknown realm? She was alive and waiting for him to come and find her. He may have failed her when that horrifying man had come to steal her away, but he was stronger now.


    He could save her now. When found her, he would never let anyone harm her ever again!


    "Paoxiao?"


    Looking down at the girl that reminded him so much of his sister, Paoxiao attempted a smile despite his overwhelming sense of sadness. "Hn?" He managed to get out.


    Seeing that broken smile directed at her pierced Nastasia''s heart. "What''s wrong?" She asked; good-natured concern tinged the question.


    At first, Paoxiao had intended to shake his head and say that it was nothing. However, as he looked at her face drawn up into a worried frown and eyes sparkling with sincerity, he hopped from his branch high up in the tree. He sat down at its base, leaning against the trunk, as he decided to confide in her.


    There was something very comforting about being in her presence. It was like the energy in his body calmed and felt at peace. If he could idle his days away like this, it might not be so bad.


    "I was just thinking about my sister."


    Frowning even further, Nastasia asked as her eyes narrowed in a sort of not understanding, confusion. "Li Yu Rong not you see her?" She did not believe that Li Yu Rong would keep a family apart, but Paoxiao was always around this Palace of the Four Gates -as she recently learned this estate was called- and rarely left. It could be possible that, due to his duties, he was not permitted to leave often for personal things.


    "Will Li Yu Rong not let you see her." Paoxiao corrected, and then shook his head. "That''s not it. I''m looking for her, she was taken from me when I was little, but I haven''t been able to find her yet. So I''m just a bit sad." He told her honestly.


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    Eyes brightening, Nastasia declared. "I will help you find her." She had been wanting to do something for Paoxiao as he was always helping her with one thing or another, but she could never think of what could possibly be a good repayment.


    Reaching into the sash around her robe she pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I have plan," she said, "I also need to find him." Unfolding the paper, she showed him the likeness of the man she drew after meeting him at the palace. "He speaks the same as me. He know how I can go home, maybe."


    Paoxiao would have corrected her words, but the face staring back at him froze his veins solid. He was finding it difficult to breathe. Carefully, he asked. "Where did you see him?"


    As she was thinking of how to explain her plan to Paoxiao properly, she did not notice the abnormality rising in him. "At the palace."


    At the palace! She had run into him at the palace while he was there. His fingers trembled as he resisted the urge to rip up the image in her hands. Such hatred burned in him as he tried to suppress it, along with a chilling fear. He could never forget this face. It was burned into his retina, this horrifying man that had one day come and ripped his sister from him.


    Why had that man come into contact with Nastasia? What was his aim? The thought that she could become like his sister was a very unwelcome one. Therefore, he asked. "What do you mean that you have a plan?" Then at her confused expression, he simplified his words. "What is your plan?"


    Her smile was one that said she was quite proud of herself. This plan of hers was one she had gotten from the many books she''s read. In all the stories centered around a past-like backdrop, be it fantasy or otherwise, when one wanted to gather information one would go to an inn or a restaurant.


    Nastasia, however, figured that such establishments were probably pretty commonplace here. So, she wanted to create a unique shop that would attract a large crowd, brimming with curiosity. For the attendants of the shop, she would try to find those good at collecting and recording information. Or perhaps one who was a sweet-talker and one to listen and record secretly on the side.


    As she didn''t know quite yet what she wanted to do without first seeing the types of establishments around the town, she instead said. "I don''t know. I go to town then I know." She told him. Reaching into her sash she again pulled out a paper. On it was the designs she had worked hard at to disguise her appearance.


    Before Li Yu Rong had brought it up, she already understood that her features were vastly different from the people around her. Considering the reactions of the people, they had never seen a person like her and that frightened them. Frightened people do stupid things, so it was better to hide what made her different for now.


    Thus Nastasia had already spent a few days on making a design for a wig and contacts that would be easy for Paoxiao to understand. The contacts might not be doable, but the wig should work out just fine. If it came down to it, she could wear one of those hat-veil things she had seen on a couple of the women at the palace.


    Handing over the designs, Nastasia asked. "Can you make these?"


    Looking over the designs he frowned a bit over the strange circular thing. "I don''t know if I can do this one," Paoxiao said as he pointed toward the contacts, "but I''ll give it a try. I''m sorry if it doesn''t work."


    Shaking her head with a smile, Nastasia waved off his apology. "It okay. If it don''t work, I have more plan. Li Yu Rong will still say okay to go."


    Though she knew that it might not work, Nastasia still watched Paoxiao in anticipation of the result. He looked over the design carefully, taking it in and trying to understand it to the best of his ability. Once he was sure that he had a proper idea, Paoxiao held out his hand and first tried to recreate the drawing of the circular thing placed out before him.


    Ah, the first attempt failed.

 The Perfect Disguise

    Though Nastasia drew out many blueprint designs and tried many ways to explain with her limited words, she could not get across the concept of "contacts." This was understandable. In this past-like world the idea of something going over your eye like this, as well as how to make such a thing, would be quite a difficult concept to grasp.


    No matter, the disguise would work just as well with the wig and the veil thing she had seen before.


    Taking her long red hair, she coiled it on top of her head. Holding it in place, she pulled the cap of the wig over the top of her head, tucking in the errant strands of hair that shifted and fell with its placement. Once done and satisfied she twirled around, and as she did so, the long fake black hair twisted about.


    "How do I look?"


    "Perfect," Paoxiao said with a slight smile, "with a veil to cover your face, you''ll be good to go."


    Though she did not understand the first word, "d¨¤o ji¨¡," from his expression and the last part of his sentence, it had to mean something good. Happy, Nastasia thanked Paoxiao for his help before excusing herself to go looking for Li Yu Rong.


    She wanted to show off her disguise and get his opinion. If he felt that it was good enough then perhaps she would be able to go into town today before evening set in.


    Paoxiao watched her run off with a mixed expression. Though a corner of his lip drew up in a semi-smile over her eagerness to find Li Yu Rong in order to visit the town, his golden eyes flickered in uncertainty. Even though Nastasia had run into that man at the palace, it had been a month since that day. There was no telling where was now.


    However, everyone in the palace knew that she was with Li Yu Rong. It wouldn''t be hard for that man to know it too. There was a very real possibility for that man to be lying in wait, ready and willing to snatch Nastasia up at the slightest show of inattention.


    Although he wanted to be the one to protect her and although he was a prideful demon, Paoxiao wouldn''t gamble with something so important. While he wasn''t entirely sure of Li Yu Rong''s intentions toward Nastasia, so far that single crimson-eyed half-demon made no moves to harm her.


    Due to this, the moment he could get Li Yu Rong alone, he would be sure to inform him about his relations to the man Nastasia was looking for. Though Paoxiao didn''t want to admit it, Li Yu Rong was stronger. If they could find that man first, perhaps they could torture him for both the location of his sister and answers to the location of Nastasia''s realm and what connections the man may have to it.


    Satisfied with this thought, Paoxiao began to follow behind at a slow pace. Once she finished her business, he would swoop in and have a good chat with Li Yu Rong.


    ----------------------------


    Spotting Li Yu Rong walking out from his study accompanied by a dark cloaked person she had never seen before, Nastasia bit back her intent to call out to him. Slowing her pace, she decided to wait quietly, feeling that it would be quite rude to interrupt whatever they were speaking of so seriously.


    As Nastasia walked forward, looking for a good spot to wait, her foot caught something. Rather than getting caught, it more felt like her foot was pulled out from underneath her. With a startled yelp, the ground began to rush up toward her face.


    Unable to catch herself, preparing to kiss the dirt, she squeezed her eyes shut as her body tensed for pain.


    Her body''s forward descent was halted, her lips didn''t meet with the ground, and her body was pain-free. Opening her eyes, Nastasia was startled to find Li Yu Rong looking down at her as he held her securely against his chest. His gaze then slid a glare toward the trees to their left before coming back to rest on her with a hint of mischievousness.


    The feeling of his warmth around her as she was pressed against his chest, brought Nastasia back to earlier that day when she walked in on Li Yu Rong''s bath. Forcing back the innocent schoolgirl reaction that wanted to burst out, Nastasia hoped that she wasn''t a blushing mess at the moment.


    Being the older one, she had resolved to not allow herself to be bothered by the natural flirtatious antics contained in this demonic man. So even though he looked down at her with glittering eyes as he held her to him with an aura of wanting to remain close, she would not bat an eye.


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    Instead, Nastasia tried to act unaffected by their closeness as she apologized for her sudden onset of clumsiness. A rare occurrence, to be assured. "Sorry, you talking. Foot got caught and I fell."


    "Hn," he acknowledged as he ran his hands through her dark hair with a contemplative frown. "Did you dye it?"


    "r¨£n f¨¤," wasn''t yet in her vocabulary, but understanding he was speaking about the change to her hair, she shook her head. "Not real hair, can come off." She told him.


    Li Yu Rong grabbed her hair from the back, carefully removing it from her head. As he did so, her natural red hair spilled down and about her shoulders. Appreciating the wild look of her messy hair for a moment, he motioned for the black-clothed figure he had been speaking to earlier. Even the man''s head and face were covered by a black cloth that only his yellow vertical slit eyes were visible.


    "Xiao Feng." Li Yu Rong called as he held out a hand after releasing Asya from his grasp.  The black-clothed man took out a dark mask that covered the upper half of the face, handing it out. Taking it, he said. "Xiao Feng, Lu Se Ying has the agreed upon medical supplies. Take them and hurry back to your clan."


    Nodding, he cupped his fist and bowed low to express his gratitude before vanishing.


    Li Yu Rong had this mask commissioned before he was summoned to palace with the unrealistic hope that it would be completed before they would have to enter the gates. Unfortunately, Draconian Metals were notoriously difficult to forge.


    After striking a deal with the Dragon Kin -dragon''s that had ascended enough to develop a human shape- for a large sum of silver pieces, he had gotten them to hand over a portion of their precious material. However, after bringing over the completed piece, the son of the clan head came to strike another deal.


    Apparently, due to an epidemic and a great need for medical supplies, Xiao Feng asked to switch the deal. Rather than the silver pieces, they would take same worth in the supplies needed to cure the fallen of the epidemic. It was an easy thing to handle, thus Li Yu Rong readily agreed.


    Looking over the black half-mask in his hand, the dark surface gleaming with a multitude of colors in the light, he felt satisfied. Draconian Metal easily took to and held enchantments exceedingly well. The arrays, hidden in the shifting colors, were exactly as he hoped them to be.


    Brushing back her hair behind her ears, Li Yu Rong placed the mask over her face. The eyes that peeked through suddenly shifted from the color of the sky to dark soulful pools. Coiling the hair upon her head, he took the wig from her hands and helped her to once again place it about her head.


    Drawing his finger across the bottom half of her cheek not covered by the mask, the corner of his lip kicked up over the new look of the woman in front of him. Though he preferred her original features, wearing the mask with those dark unfathomable eyes looking out, gave the appearance of a mysterious beauty.


    It was rather troubling.


    None-the-less, the reason Asya would stand out from the crowd would not be from her demon-like looks. Ah, it worried him to no end to have to let her out to roam around Mencheng. "You can go, but Paoxiao and An Ying must accompany you and you must not take off the mask."


    Though it was troubling at least with An Ying accompanying her, he could relax a bit. Should anyone come along to try and harm her, An Yin would have no qualms about silencing the bastard''s life.


    Excited over the agreement, especially after having been cooped up with her studies of this world''s language, she happily hugged Li Yu Rong; as she would her family members in similar moments of excitement. After giving thanks for the mask, she hurriedly left to get ready the things she wanted to take along.


    As Li Yu Rong watched her leave, he couldn''t help but wonder over what other things he could do for her, that would get her to hug him like that again.

 Master Gave His Permission

    Concealed within a tree as he waited for his masterful plan to play out was Hui Se Ying. It was a brilliant strategy to display his master''s ability to not allow her to suffer a single injury. After suffering such a scare, being held in strong and secure arms would set any woman''s heart aflutter.


    "I thought we discussed this and you weren''t going to play any tricks," said Lu Se Yin as he appeared beside him. At that moment, the trap he had carefully placed with his spirit energy triggered, catching the girl''s feet to send her stumbling to the dirt below.


    "Don''t remember." He replied as he watched their master cover the large distance between him and the girl in a matter of seconds. Dragging the girl against him securely a single red-eyed gaze narrowed in his direction in warning after checking that she suffered no injuries.


    Even so, as Hui Se Ying watched Nastasia''s body relax in his master''s hold and rely on his strength, he felt quite successful and proud of himself.


    "Look, master just glared at you." Lu Se Ying pointed out. "Now that he knows what you''re doing, it would be best for you stop before you get into trouble."


    Shaking his head, Hui Se Ying disagreed. "On the contrary, master is just warning me not to go overboard. You see," he began, somewhat gloating, "I told master I had a plan to help her fall for him faster and he agreed to it. Well, so long as I don''t go too far."


    Stunned, Lu Se Ying looked at the man beside him in disbelief. "You told master you''re going to do this?"


    "Of course, it''s better than him finding out and getting angry over it. Besides," he told Lu Se Ying seriously, "that girl is wanting to go home, to her realm. We might not have much time to make her change her mind."


    With a suffering sigh, Lu Se Ying said before disappearing to ready the medical supplies for the Dragon Kin. "If master has agreed to it, there''s nothing I can say, just don''t do anything too over the top."


    "Yeah, sure." He responded offhandedly as he was too distracted by his wonderful planing. A couple more of these little moments and then it would be time to move on to phase two of his great and awesome plan. Hui Se Yin could hardly wait, he was giddy in anticipation of helping his master to win the girl he liked.


    --------------------


    Paoxiao was feeling a bit tense as they walked around the town of Mencheng. Before he could get the chance to speak with Li Yu Rong he had been dragged along with Nastasia to explore the town. His bones were on edge as he kept a strong vigil to their surroundings. It was like he was edgily waiting for someone to pop out from some dark corner or something to snatch her up and disappear like dissipated smoke.


    On the other hand, Nastasia was extremely ecstatic. Having been stuck for so long in one spot was an extreme torture for one so use to moving about. Now that she was free to roam the town, she was eager to do some exploring.


    The first experience she had through these streets on the way to Li Yu Rong''s home was a desperate run for her life. Re-walking these steps, the streets gave off an entirely different vibe, a liveliness not often seen in her own world.


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    There were hawkers calling out to the passerby for their wares. The stands that were laid out held various items, most were food stands, but a good many held jewelry and other knick-knacks to amuse one''s self with.


    Various stores, as well, had people standing outside their establishments calling out various wares and new deals to attract the wandering passerby through their doors. Nastasia had been tempted more than once to explore the insides of the stores that called to her. Each time she would leave the shopkeepers disappointed when she left soon after getting her fill of the sights around her. Each time Paoxiao would follow after her silent, like a dutiful guard protecting his lady.


    She was accustomed to his presence following behind her. Also, due to her single-minded focus on taking in the activity and objects around them to learn, she did not notice the uneasy strangeness that surrounded him.


    Which was just fine for Paoxiao.


    Even though he was antsy over the unknown, watching Nastasia bounce around happily as she tried to take in and understand everything around her was a balm to these insecure feelings. Over these two months, the two had grown quite close. It felt as if he had gained a cute little sister that needed his steady hands to help her walk.


    He helped her to learn to speak, helped her to understand this realm. When she was mourning the loss of her realm and all that she held familiar, he did his best to comfort her and used his ability to provide whatever she desired. While things did not hold a candle to one''s longing for loved-ones that could not be seen, he at least hoped that his actions eased her loneliness a bit.


    Paoxiao understood her desire to go home. For over fifty years he had been doing everything he could to get past the gate into this realm so that he could save his sister. So that he could bring her home. Paoxiao understood Nastasia''s desire but was also saddened by it.


    More than just a residual emotion from his desperate want to see his elder sister again, to make up for his weakness, he came to genuinely care for Nastasia. Though there was no blood between them, he felt like an older brother that dotingly held his younger sister in his palm as a precious treasure.


    If she went home, would he be able to see her again? Is her realm like his; mysteriously becoming attached to this one with a gate that could be accessed back and forth as one liked? If she went home, would that be the end of it? Would they never see each other again?


    The thought squeezed his heart painfully...


    "Xiao-ge?"


    The first time that little voice called out to him, he did not hear it. Paoxiao''s thoughts were centered around the girl jumping about from one thing to the next like an excited child as his senses focused on watching for the slightest hint of danger. It was at the next few calls of this nickname that he finally heard it and turned to search for the source.


    "Little Ya Lin?"

 Learning About Money

    "Little Ya Lin?"


    Standing in front of him well-dressed, though she was usually attired like the son of an average commoner family to play with the local children, was the adopted daughter of the Jiang family. She held the impressions of a gentle and virtuous young lady of a noble family. The same as she had at the time he had seen her in the palace.


    It made him curious as to where she was coming from or to where she was going.


    "Xiao-ge, did you get lost again? I can show you the way if you need me to?"


    Paoxiao shook his head at her offer. "I''m only here to accompany my master as she looks around Mencheng." Although, in all honesty, he was completely lost and probably couldn''t find his way back it didn''t mean that Nastasia would also be unable to. From how she was dressed, it looked like little Ya Lin had somewhere important to be and he didn''t want to distract her from it.


    At the mention of his master, Jiang Ya Lin felt her mood brighten. Recalling the red-haired girl that had helped her during the banquette, the urge she had this past month rose up and she looked around eagerly for the girl.


    Not finding her, she turned to Paoxiao confused until she found his gaze steadily watching a dark-haired girl, face hidden beneath a dark mask. The girl was studying a jade trinket at a stall that was selling various items made from poor quality jade, for steep prices.


    Frowning, Jiang Ya Lin said. "I thought your master was-"


    "She is." Paoxiao quickly cut her off, not wanting Nastasia''s identity being announced in the streets where it was difficult to tell who was listening to what.


    Jiang Ya Lin did not question. From her father she had heard that demons had the ability to mask their appearance. Human''s, unable to sense the energy of the Spirit Realm, could not discover them even if they stood side by side. Animals looked like animals and people looked like people. Unless they chose to show themselves, one would never know.


    Due to accidentally overhearing, she knew that Paoxiao was also a demon. She often wondered what his true form looked like. One day, she would work up the courage to ask him to show it to her.


    For now, she merely wanted to hang around him as much as she could before she no longer had the freedom to do so. With a bright smile, Jiang Ya Lin said. "I know all the best places around Mencheng, I could give you a tour if you want?"


    Paoxiao opened his mouth to answer back but closed it as Nastasia had finished looking at the stall''s jade wares. Walking toward her as she walked toward him, he nodded in Jiang Ya Lin''s direction. "That''s the little girl you saved." He told her and then said. "In gratitude for that, she wants to take you around MenCheng to show you its best places."


    Looking over at the girl with a  smile, Nastasia shook her head. "I did what I should do. You no have to hand over thanks for that."


    "You don''t have you give thanks for that." Paoxiao corrected automatically.


    "Right." She said with a nod. "You don''t have to give thanks. Ah," she exclaimed as she suddenly thought of something. "You know if shop building sale?"


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    "You''re wanting to buy a shop?" At Nastasia''s nod, Jiang Ya Lin said. "I know a couple, but how much money do you have to spend?" It would be pointless to show them around to every single one if they didn''t have the funds to secure the purchase of the property''s deed.


    "Money?" Both Paoxiao and Nastasia said, at the same time, with eyes narrowed in confusion. For Paoxiao: the Spirit Realm did not have a currency system and all things were gained by either brute strength or bartering with other items. It was no surprise that the word was unfamiliar to him. For Nastasia: the word was not something she had the chance to learn yet as being cooped up at the Palace of the Four Gates afforded for no situations to inspire learning it.


    Jiang Ya Lin was stunned to hear this. Tentatively, she said. "If... If you wish to buy a shop, you have to have money to make the purchase. Like this," she pulled out a few silver pieces from her pouch that had been secured between her sash and robe.


    Ah, now that he thought about it, Paoxiao remembered Li Yu Rong giving him a few of those silver pieces a couple times when he would leave on errands. It was supposed to be used to get things in town, should he have the need for it. Since he was not supposed to be making a ruckus, Paoxiao thought the material was given to barter for other things so that he would not fight for them. He did not know that these oval-shaped silver pieces were required in order to procure things being sold.


    Understanding, now, what the other girl meant by "money," Nastasia pulled the pouch Li Yu Rong had given, before her departure, from the sash tied around her waist. Handing it over to the girl in front of her, Nastasia asked. "Is this enough?"


    The pouch was quite heavy and was very fat. Looking inside made Jiang Ya Lin feel faint. "Y-Y-Yeah... more than enough...." Inside the pouch was a solid mass of gold coins. In fact, this amount was probably enough to buy out half the shops in this town. She didn''t know how it was possible to feel comfortable walking around with this much money on hand. Then again, these two didn''t even seem to realize what "money" meant. So in their ignorance, of course, they felt nothing.


    She, on the other hand, felt like she was holding a bomb with a very short fuse that once exploded would summon a horde of bandits. Fearful of this thought, she handed the money over to Paoxiao who, under such an event, would probably have a better chance of defending the money from being stolen.


    "You should be the one holding on to this." She said matter of fact. "How is a proper lady suppose to defend something like this from bloodthirsty bandits?"


    "R-Right." Taking the pouch, Paoxiao stashed it away, becoming even more vigilant under the warning.


    "All right, let''s go." After the money had been properly and securely stowed away, Jiang Ya Lin led the two down the main street to the largest market thoroughfare. Since they had so much to spend, she decided to show them the best places first.

 Fiasco at the Food Stand

    There were a few properties that had recently been seized and were -very soon- to be placed on the market by the town magistrate. The only reason Jiang Ya Lin knew of its existence is that she overheard her father talking to some of his subordinates, who related the news to him.


    Apparently, due to Minister Li''s actions, his properties had been seized and he had been imprisoned for treason. His actual sentencing, she was unaware of, but all of his assets had been turned over to the town of Mencheng. Although some of the proceeds would, of course, make it to the emperor''s pockets, most of the taken wealth would be used for the betterment of the town.


    And, while most would question whether or not that was actually true, the magistrate of Mencheng was not a corrupt fellow. Or, rather, it could be said that due to Li Yu Rong''s presence, the magistrate was made to shy away from corruption.


    Just as Jiang Ya Lin was about to lead them around a corner two very distinct gurgling sounds spoke out; a clear sign of hunger. She turned to find both Paoxiao and Nastasia looking away, embarrassed by their protesting stomach.


    Biting back a laugh, Jiang Ya Lin asked. "Do you want to get something to eat first? There''s a stand nearby that sells really good Ci Faan."


    Paoxiao glanced at Nastasia to get her opinion. When she nodded, he looked back saying. "Okay."


    Going the opposite direction from where she had been taking them before, Jiang Ya Lin took them on a short walk to a nearby stand. The stand was situated at the corner of the street where it hooked a right, leading into a narrowing pathway.


    The stand was being run by two children while an older man sat at the back, watching their every action closely. Nastasia couldn''t help but wonder if the man was their father and the brothers were learning the trade of the family, or if they were apprenticed to the old man. Either way, she felt it astonishing that such young children, looking no older than eight and ten, were already working.


    A man and woman, probably husband and wife, just finished purchasing a few pieces of a breaded thing. This Ci Faan, as Jiang Ya Lin had called it. After the couple left, Jiang Ya Lin hopped over and began conversing with the old man that sat at the side.


    Wanting to try breaded Ci Faan thing, Nastasia turned to Paoxiao. "Money." She said, using the word she just learned. Paoxiao reached into his robe and pulled a few gold coins out of the coin purse, dropping them into her outstretched hand.


    Walking forward, she smiled at the young boys. "I want Ci Faan."


    "How many portions." The youngest of the boys asked.


    "6 portions."


    The eldest of the two wrapped up three long bread stick things in oiled paper. Once three of these were made, he handed them over. He took a second as he counted the amount due using an abacus before finally saying. "That''ll be 60 copper coins."


    Not understanding the word "t¨®ng b¨£n (copper coin)," Nastasia was a bit confused. After a moment of thinking, she decided the amount said was the amount to be paid. Luckily she thought it was said to be six coins. The shock would have been much worse, otherwise, as she handed over those six gold coins.


    The older boy stared at the glittering coins, stunned. After a few seconds, what felt a good many minutes, the boy''s brain that had ground to a halt began working again. "Master," he called, panicked. "Master, what do I do?"


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    Stopping his chat with the young miss Jiang that was a frequent customer of his, he saw his pale-faced and horrified apprentice. Looking from that face to the outstretched hand full of glittering gold coins, he too felt stunned. Moving from his relaxed position, he was about to berate the boy, but the young miss Jiang was faster.


    After seeing the two apprentices of Old Man Cheng finally being allowed to prepare and serve the food and the handle the money, she couldn''t help herself and started talking to him about it. She had forgotten that the two didn''t understand money and left them to buy the food on their own.


    Quickly taking the money from the boy''s hand, she gave it back to Nastasia. "That''s way too much, way too much." She cried. "Look, 1000 copper coins is equal to 1 silver coin and 1000 silver coins are worth 1 gold coin. You gave the poor boy 6 gold coins!"


    "The average family in this town lives off of a couple hundred silvers a year, gold coins aren''t often seen. Not even counting that, the merchant stands do not keep large amounts of money on hand for fear of thieves. From where will they get the necessary amount to make change for you?"


    Taking a breath after her onslaught of rushed words in her haste, and realized that it might have been hard to grasp, so Jiang Ya Lin then asked. "Do you understand?"


    Having used too many words she did not know, Nastasia only managed to grasp the possible point of the tirade. Thinking it over, she realized that it was her fault for not asking how money worked here. The currency was different from the paper money and plated coins she used in her world. Haphazardly tossing about money and hoping to learn how it worked in that way, honestly, wasn''t the best of choices.


    Due to that and the fact that she found the chubby faces of the children impossibly cute, she gave each one a gold coin. "Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile, "you can keep." Then, taking note of the older man at the back, she felt that he should also be given a coin. It was his shop that she caused trouble at, after all.


    Jiang Ya Lin watched all this take place, stunned. Then, remembering what Paoxiao had said during the banquette a month ago, she bowed an apologetic bow to Old Man Cheng as she said. "My friend is from a faraway country that doesn''t speak our words, so she doesn''t understand how things work here."


    Old Man Cheng waved off her concerns. "Everything worked out in the end, so don''t keep it in your thoughts."


    "Thank you Old Man Cheng!" With that, Jiang Ya Lin hurriedly brought Paoxiao and Nastassia away.


    As Old Man Cheng watched them leave, he suddenly frowned. Where was there a country that didn''t speak the same as everywhere else? Though he was really curious, and though he wanted to ask more about it, the thought was quickly placed from his mind. It wasn''t his business in any case.


    Happy with the easily got gold coin, he pocketed it in a flash. To his apprentices, he said. "Stop dallying in a daze! Put those coins away! We''ll close up shop early today and head over to the bank."


    Keeping this amount of money on hand wouldn''t be a good idea, especially since it wasn''t a quiet transaction. Though he knew a bit of martial arts, he was old and hardly kept up with his practices. His apprentices were but children. The risk was too great, best to deposit the money as soon as they could.

 This Shop is the One

    After dragging the pair a ways from the food stand, Jiang Ya Lin turned to Nastasia. "Are you sure that was okay to do?" That was quite a bit of money. Being that they were food stand merchants, they would probably never see another gold coin. While it was a generous sentiment, she couldn''t help but worry.


    Old Man Cheng was a decent martial artist that had taken part in the great war that had orphaned her. Even before that, he had several merits beneath his name before he finally settled in the town of Mencheng to become a food stall merchant. These things happened years ago. Even to the people that caused a ruckus around his shop, he didn''t raise a fist. Thus, she didn''t know whether or not Old Man Cheng would be able to handle it should misfortune arise before they were able to tuck away the gold.


    Although she asked this question, the money had already been given and could not be taken back.


    Nastasia, on the other hand, did not understand the amount of money she had just given away. She had yet to learn to count up to the thousandth place. The only thing she had understood from Jiang Ya Lin''s explanation was that six gold coins had been too much.


    So, when this question of being sure of actions came about, she too misunderstood about which actions were being spoken of. It had been her thought that the girl was worrying over giving away money that didn''t belong to her.


    Realizing that she hadn''t thought about that at the time, Nastasia began to feel guilty about giving away money that wasn''t truly hers. Then again, at the time when Li Yu Rong had given over the coin purse, she had already resolved to pay him back the minute her shop started bringing in a decent revenue.


    Therefore, after a second of thought, she waved off the concerned question. "It be okay."


    Hearing that, Jiang Ya Lin nodded as she felt her heart settle. ''That''s true,'' she thought as she recalled the bank being located quite nearby, ''Old Man Cheng would probably close up shop earlier and head straight for the bank.''


    Quite settled after considering this, Jiang Ya Lin was much happier as she led them into the Open Market Square. This large open space had many stalls set up, selling wonders from all over the world. Large pavilions, too, were scattered about with at least thirty meters between them and the next pavilion. People were scattered about either happily going through the exotic wares or enjoying meals from either food stalls or restaurants.


    The Open Market Square was quite famous that people from all over would come to Mencheng just to visit and discover it''s one-of-a-kind things. Things that could only be here due to the Palace of the Four Gates.


    At the heart was a large three-storied pavilion. Upon seeing it, Jiang Ya Lin felt a bit of excitement. She had always wanted to see what it looked like on the inside, but as it was an establishment owned by Minister Li, it was exclusive only to the very rich.


    Wu Mei Lin, the girl that lived to bully her, would always brag about the beautiful insides of the pavilion and the sweets served that melted on the tongue. Although the rich inside had likely been gutted after being seized and there would be no way for her to try those sweets for herself, it was still something to say that she had been inside.


    Upon walking up, there were two guards standing outside the building. When they sighted Jiang Ya Lin, the two that had been about to sternly and roughly -if need be- turn them away did an about-face as they sputtered. "Yo-Young Miss Jiang, what are you doing here?"


    "Shouldn''t you be meeting Young Mast-"


    "No matter how grandmother pushes it, father said it isn''t necessary!" Jiang Ya Lin wasn''t one to yell, but these unwanted and dreadful words elicited such a panicked response from her mouth. Her gaze slid to Paoxiao that stood beside Nastasia. Seeing that they were being respectfully indifferent to her sudden outburst had her exhaling in relief.


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    These two men, though she didn''t know their names, were soldiers under her father''s command that frequently hung around the Jiang estate for all sorts of military-related business. They were quite intimate with the servants that worked there and thus it was not surprising that such talk had reached their ears. Still, while she could not prevent such talk from being spread around, she''d appreciate it if they''d keep the news to themselves and not blurt it out without regards to who was around to hear it.


    Clearing her throat, Jiang Ya Lin said, nodding toward Nastasia. "This young miss may be interested in purchasing this shop. Is it all right if we take a look inside?"


    The soldier''s face scrunched up slightly and then grinned a bit conspiratorially. "Technically, we''re supposed to prevent everyone from trying to enter. It wasn''t meant to be known that this place was available for sale until next week. However, since you are Commander Jiang''s daughter, we can use that as an excuse to let you enter."


    The soldier beside the one that had spoken drew his finger down the doors in some sort of symbol before knocking three times. The air around them rippled and shifted before the door eased open. "The seal has been removed, you may enter."


    The excitement Jiang Ya Lin had upon entering the three-storied pavilion hit a brick wall and shattered. What was the point of so meticulously sealing the doors? There was nothing to steal, nothing at all. Even the gold dust from removing the gold trimmings had been carefully collected away!


    Though disappointed, she didn''t let the emotion carry her away for too long. Turning to Nastasia and Paoxiao she pointed to the stairs that led up to second and third floors. Each had an open view of the bottom floor. "Even though everything has been removed, the building is still rather nice and it''s really spacious. Ah, but if it doesn''t suit you, there are a few others I could show you."


    Nastasia didn''t respond right away as she walked around and looked over the space. Many plans ran through her head. This place, it reminded her a bit of this specialty store her sister loved to pieces. The store sold exotic clothes and jewelry from around the world. It was two stories and had a similar open floor plan.


    Borrowing the idea for it might not be too bad of a thought. The bottom floor, she could fill it with reasonable wonders from her world; nothing too outlandish as to offend the sensibilities of the past-like mindedness of this world. The top floor could be used as a food court for those to take a break in after looking around or even for one to wait in while one''s companion took a look around.


    Since there are several small rooms some of them could be made into changing rooms, allowing for clothes to be tried on before purchasing. In fact, to ensure a good turnout of people walking through the doors, she would not turn away window shoppers. It was quite common in her modern world for people, who could not afford to buy clothes at a particular store, to then try on said clothes without buying them.


    The point of this store wasn''t to make money but to attract a large crowd in order to gather a lot of information. Although the point wasn''t to turn a profit, Nastasia would at least make sure to get a decent return to pay back Li Yu Rong for his generous investment and all the help he had given her over the past couple months.


    Quite satisfied with the shop and her plans for it, she then finally said to Jiang Ya Lin. "How to buy?"

 A Little Trouble in Dark Corners

    At first, Jiang Ya Lin was going to explain the process before leading them to the magistrate but changed her mind. It would be better if she handled the process for them. Although she was a young miss of a noble family and not yet a madam with a household in her hands to care for, she was quite familiar with how these things worked.


    Being that she was an orphan and not a true daughter of Commander Jiang, she felt the need to work twice as hard and be twice as diligent. Thus, Jiang Ya Lin studied everything she could get her hands on to be an outstanding young lady, hoping to make her father proud and not regret picking her up.


    As they got to the gates to the Magistrate''s Estate, they were met with a problem.


    Honestly, Jiang Ya Lin felt they were being difficult on purpose. She didn''t understand how, though noblemen wear them quite frequently, it suddenly became forbidden to wear a mask inside the Magistrate''s estate.


    Remembering Li Yu Rong''s several warnings, Nastasia shook her head. "Can''t take off."


    Feeling a bit helpless, Jiang Ya Lin then asked. "What do you want to do?"


    Thinking a moment, Nastasia replied. "I stay here," she pointed to the wall by the gate, "Paoxiao do it. He has the money."


    Although Paoxiao did not want to leave her there, he agreed to it. With An Ying guarding her within the shadows, and Nastasia being within sight of guards guarding the gate, he felt that nothing should happen to her in the bit of time he would be gone.


    Paoxiao and Jiang Ya Lin followed a guard into the estate. As soon as they went beyond her sight, Nastasia moved to the side of the wall, to lean against it. As she watched the people milling about, she fell into deep thought.


    It would be nice if this all worked out. In the books she read, gathering information always seemed to come with ease in the cases of those who owned a shop and had workers diligent in collecting information. Therefore, she held on to the hope that by doing this, she would be able to find that guy who spoke English.


    Perhaps, even, she would be able to repay Paoxiao a bit for all of his helping her by helping him to find his sister.


    As Nastasia''s thoughts turned, her face was drawn up into a thoughtful frown. Even if the shop she got wasn''t the one they looked at in the center of the market, so long as she set things up right, even one at the edge of town would draw in the crowds. Although the location was generally everything when it came to a shop''s livelihood, people would also go out of their way just to see the unordinary.


    Whilst in her thoughts a young boy came stumbling towards her, tears streaming from his eyes. Seeing him fall to his knees, she snapped from inward thought and hurriedly helped the boy to his feet. The boy was filthy, because of that, his tears left dirt tracks down his cheeks making him look all the more pitiful.


    Grabbing her robes, the boy''s soft and sweet voice painfully pleaded. "Pleases help me, my grandfather is sick. I don''t know what to do."


    Though she didn''t know exactly what "h¨¤i b¨¬ng (to fall sick)" meant, she understood that something bad had happened to the boy''s grandfather. Thinking of her own beloved grandfather -whom she missed dearly- Nastasia did not hesitate in going to help the young boy.


    "Where is he?" She asked.


    The boy''s sad expression lit up. Taking her hand, he eagerly led her to an alley not too far from the left side of the Magistrate''s estate. After they walked in a bit, from the dark corners of the narrow path up against the walls, came several shifty looking characters to surround them on all sides.


    Pulling the little boy to her side, Nastasia took in the armed ruffians, looking for an opening. Although her grandfather had trained her in martial arts, her skills weren''t enough to see her past ten armed men whose arms were as thick as tree trunks. Especially while trying to protect a little boy.


    The first thing to be done would be to open a path for the child to escape, and then she would try her best to do something about herself. As she prepared to make such an attempt, she couldn''t help but wonder if this was the trouble the little boy''s grandfather had gotten into. Also, if it were, why would he come to her rather than the police -or the equivalent for this world?


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    The answer was soon had as the head of these ruffians spoke in a deep snarling voice. "Good work Little Si," then he slid a look to the man beside him, "Luo Yang help the kid along to the Spirit Realm so that he may keep his grandfather company on the way to the Wheel of Reincarnation."


    "What!?" Little Si cried out in horror. "You said that if I brought this girl to you, you''d give me money for grandfather''s medicine!"


    "Funny," the man chuckled, "I don''t quite recall that."


    As the man, named Luo Yang, reached out to grab the boy with one hand while the other prepared to slash him with a sword, Nastasia kicked the man''s hand aside while pulling the boy close. The kick, being a solid connect with all her force behind it, cracked his wrist with an audible snap.


    "Good for nothing, wench!" Luo Yang roared. Without bothering to look at his injured hand, he changed the grip on his sword as he swung it at both the girl and boy, vision hot with rage.


    This was supposed to be a simple robbery and maybe a bit of fooling around with the girl; her body looked liked it''d feel good writhing beneath them. Yet, the girl had to go and injure the one among them with the fiercest temper. Though it was a pity, the girl shouldn''t have fought back.


    She was only getting what she deserved. So none of them made any moves to stop him as jeering smirks lit up their faces. Some were hoping for Luo Ying to show some restraint and not outright kill the girl. Even if she was only severely injured, they could still use her body for some fun.


    A figure swiftly appeared, seemingly materializing from nothing, blocking the strike by single-highhandedly grasping the other man''s arm. In a swift, fluid motion that grasped arm was twisted behind the man''s back. The sword in his hand had been snatched up to split his neck flesh intwine.


    Blood rushed from the wound as Luo Yang gurgled out an unintelligible noise, stunned over the sudden actions that took his life before his body dropped as dead weight to the ground.


    The man that so swiftly intervened looked over at Nastasia. His eyes checked for any wounds, even a slight hair out of place, before switching his emotionless gaze back to the group of bandits. Seeing that face looking back at her, she recognized him as the ever quiet, always at the side, An Ying.


    Though this girl wasn''t his master, she was someone his master held dear. Though she was uninjured, these soon to be corpses had intended to harm her; their leering gazes spoke even further of the dirty designs they held. Though she wasn''t his master, his bloodthirsty nature surged forward all the same, as if it were his master suffering the attempted harm.


    "You little bastard, you''ll pay-"


    Before the words could finish, An Yin already took the sword with the man''s comrade''s blood and shoved it through his throat, effectively ending the sentence. The man fell into a crumpled heap. An Ying made no attempts to retrieve the sword.


    The rest grew cautious after that, not daring to waste time on curses. Instead, they moved as one force to try and surround the darkly dressed man, hoping that their greater numbers would prove an advantage. It helped to bolster their confidence, the fact that this man didn''t try to reach out for the sword stuck through their brother''s throat.


    An unarmed man was far easier to deal with.


    Or, it should have been.


    Reality proved otherwise. As the men reached out with their swords, attempting all at once to slice him to ribbons, An Ying''s flesh was not graced with a single blade. Reaching out, he wrested a sword from a sturdy grip, slicing the arm from another before piercing the heart through the gaps in his the ribcage.


    An Ying was like an Asura risen from the depths of hell. He killed with a single-minded efficiency that chilled the blood. After the third and fourth of their brothers fell, the remaining bandits fell into chaos as they were overtaken by fear. He killed with all the feeling of a man snuffing out an insignificant insect.


    People gripped by the hand of fear were prone to foolish mistakes. It was due to this truth that the remaining bandits were killed with all the ease of plucking weeds from a garden.


    After the last of them became a cold corpse on the ground, An Ying reached out toward the little boy...

 He Almost Became A Corpse

    "-or for the time being at least. The scouts that managed to come back gave some rather troubling reports. While it''s no surprise that the Gate Guardians of the other countries do not look upon you favorably as you did not inherit by succession, but it had never been to the point of killing the scouts.


    "It''s common practice to send scouts before the gathering to assess the situation of the other areas before traveling. It''s been this way for centuries, I cannot fathom why they would suddenly find fault with this and kill the scouts. It really-"


    If left this spirit tied to the Palace of the Four Gates, called Xufan, would continue endlessly on just this matter alone. Thus, Li Yu Rong lazily interrupted the spirit''s prattling. "It''s not that they found fault with the practice. They''re trying to divert attention or are deliberately trying to provoke my anger. It might even be a bit of both."


    Some were killed, but some were allowed to make it back alive. This means that some of the scouts stumbled upon something they should not have seen. At the same time, those who were allowed back were heavily injured. This terrible attempt at trying to hide this fact by allowing some to return, injured, was a deliberate ruse.


    Whether or not something untoward was happening behind the scenes, whether or not this had been a purposeful attempt to rile his temper, something foul was brewing between the Gate Guardians of the other countries.


    "Don''t send any more scouts. Write down the names of those that died, I won''t let their sacrifices be in vain. Also, add their families to the list of those to be taken care of. They gave up their chance for reincarnation to continue protecting them, the least I can do -in light of all they''ve done in service for me- is to continue that desire for them."


    Xufan nodded. "It will be as you command, my lord."


    As there seemed to be something sinister at work, Li Yu Rong began to reconsider bringing Asya along for this trip. Though there was still a week to consider things and discover more about this possible danger, he seriously felt that he would rather not take the risk.


    Deep into his thoughts, he missed the rest of Xufan''s report. Noting this after making quite a long speech, Xufan called out to his master several times. On the fourth call, he finally gained his attention. "My lord, the report given by the scouts that survived... did you hear me give it or do I need to repeat it?"


    Opening his mouth to give a reply, Li Yu Rong promptly shut it as a twinge echoed from the back of his head. It was a faint bundle of fear. The feeling was not his own but rather it was felt secondhand. His fingers reached up toward his upper arm where the connecting array rested over his bicep.


    This fear, it belonged to Asya.


    Due to the fact that she was going to be heading out from the Palace of the Four Gates, he added an extra array to the mark he placed about her wrist and ring finger. Having left this place as much as he had recently, there was no way the palace would permit him to randomly take his leave again so soon.


    While he was not bound completely to laws entrenched into the Palace of the Four Gates, he had to abide in them to a point. Though he wanted to go himself, his hands were tied by this fact. Therefore, to be assured of her safety, besides having Paoxiao and An Ying to accompany her, he also placed this array. If she were to feel any great alarm, he would know about it.


    "Lu Se Ying." He called out.


    As he pulled forth a paper and drew out an array, the called for subordinate materialized into the room as if pulled from thin air. As he finished the last connecting lines he handed the paper over. Lu Se Ying accepted it with a questioning tilt of his brow.


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    "Go check on her for me, make sure everything is fine." Li Yu Rong then nodded toward the paper in his subordinate''s hand. "That''ll guide you to the right place."


    He didn''t need to question who his master wanted to check in on. There was only one that could elicit such concern. "I understand master," Lu Se Ying said while cupping a fist, "I will see to it swiftly."


    Before the words were even finished, the other man had slipped from the room, leaving no traces of his presence behind. It was as if he had never entered the room, to begin with.


    Though he was still ill at ease, Li Yu Rong felt better after Lu Se Ying left. Though he did not believe lightly in Paoxiao and An Ying''s abilities, however, were Asya to be injured they would be unable to do anything to help her. If it weren''t for the fact that Lu Se Ying had important duties, that could not have been set aside, he also would have been made to accompany Asya to Mencheng.


    Having taken care of this, Li Yu Rong finally gave his attention over to the frustrated spirit, once again raptly paying attention to the reports being given.


    --------------------------------


    The gruesome scene that Lu Se Ying happened upon was rather appalling. It looked as if someone took a bucket of red dye and tossed it all over the alley''s narrow pathway. The stench of death was thick and suffocating. Still, he did not reveal himself right away. As he had not been present from the start of the scene, he decided to watch a bit to try and grasp the situation at hand.


    After the last man was cut down, An Ying turned that unflinching, unfeeling, gaze to the little boy; the aura of murder still cloaked his flesh like a second skin. Understanding his intent to add the boy to the corpses at his feet, Lu Se Ying moved swiftly to prevent this.


    He was beaten to the punch, however, as Nastasia pulled the boy behind her protectively. "Not bad," she said sternly, "just helping his grandfather."


    Although the method could not, in any way, be considered praiseworthy, it had not been out of a malicious intent. Nastasia could understand his desire to do whatever it took to save someone he cared about. Though she was missing the words to understand how exactly the grandfather needed help, she was able to understand rather clearly that it involved money.


    Even though she spoke these words and very clearly intended to protect the boy, An Ying showed no signs of listening. Instead, he moved to reach around Nastasia to pull the boy out from hiding. Not willing, she grabbed his wrist and looked him in the eyes with a strong determination to not let anything bad happen to the boy, called Little Si, that she tried to keep safely behind her back.


    The minute her hand made contact with his flesh, An Ying surprisingly felt a bit of clarity enter his mind. That moment allowed the murderous feelings that wholly owned his soul, to dissipate. Blinking a bit in his confusion, An Ying let his hand drop to his side.


    Seeing this occurrence played out before his eyes, Lu Se Ying still felt disbelief. The only one that should have been able to so easily stop An Ying''s rampage should have been Li Yu Rong. What made the situation even more bizarre were the strange energy fluctuations the occurred the moment she reached out and touched his hand.


    "See," the girl then said to the trembling boy, "An Ying nice, not hurt you."


    Lu Se Ying, at the words, couldn''t help the corner of his lip lifting into a sardonic grin. Whether she was aware of it or not, he couldn''t say, but that boy narrowly escaped joining the corpses on the floor.

 Realizing How Kissing Can Be Used as a Punishment

    Currently, Nastasia was being stared at by Li Yu Rong as she sat on her bed.


    After Lu Se Ying made his presence known, he sprinkled a weird powder on the bodies that dissolved everything -even the bones- in a matter of seconds. She wanted to ask what it was but bit her tongue upon receiving his look that clearly said not to ask questions.


    Rather than dwell on it she had shifted her attention to the shivering boy, pale-faced before this gory scene. If it weren''t for the fact that she had seen worse during her time serving as a trauma nurse at wartime, she too would probably be just as unsettled. After calming him down, she had gotten his story.


    Apparently, that unruly group of guys had overheard his begging for medicine and a doctor from the medical guild, only to be turned away due to not having the money for it. Promising to give the boy a cut, they conned him into acting as the lure to pull in the fish.


    Only after scolding Little Si and getting him to swear to earn money in legitimate ways did she give him one of the three gold coins still left in her possession. The amount had been decided from Lu Se Ying''s comment, "no matter what the grandfather''s afflicted with, it wouldn''t cost more than a gold coin."


    Once all that had been settled, Lu Se Ying had An Ying bring Nastasia back to the Palace of the Four Gates while he waited for Paoxiao to be finished with their business at the magistrate''s estate. Once An Ying had given his report of the events that took place, he vanished from the room like smoke.


    From that point on, Li Yu Rong had been watching Nastasia with an unreadable expression. After what seemed like forever, he finally said, "why?"


    Not needing it to be explained what he meant by that "why," Nastasia forced her eyes to remain on his, not allowing them to travel to the hands clasped on her lap. It almost felt like she was confronting her grandfather when she did something wrong as a child. However, she wasn''t a kid anymore and while she could have gone about the situation better, she didn''t feel that she had done anything wrong.


    "To help his grandfather. If there something I can do, I want to try."


    Even without being taught all her life to not look the other way when someone is in trouble, just putting herself in the little boy''s shoes was enough to invite her will to act. Her own grandfather was an important figure in her life. After her father had passed when she was eight years old, it was her grandfather that had stepped in and became her father figure. If anything were to happen to him, she wouldn''t be able to bear it.


    That boy, even though it had turned out to be a trap, the concern and care he had for his grandfather were genuine.  It was because of that deep worry that she felt touched enough to follow him. If it had been her at that age and she needed someone to aid her in saving her grandfather... thinking that way, she couldn''t look the other way as if the boy hadn''t cried to her for help.


    Li Yu Rong frowned to hear such a reply. "Ignore it. For a stranger, you''d have-"


    "For a stranger." She stubbornly insisted.


    Upset over her stubbornness and for being interrupted, he bit out. "If An Ying hadn''t been there, do you understand what might have happened to you?"


    She understood, but she wasn''t weak. Her grandfather had made sure that she would be strong enough to face any situation, that her mind would be able to think her way out of any situation. Although she felt her fighting skills were average, that was only comparing them to the rigorous training her grandfather -who had been, at one point, in charge of training officers- had the special forces of the military to undergo.


    While he was more lenient on her, who was learning for self-defense, the training was still rather tough. For the everyday person, unrelated to the military, she would be a tough opponent to face. Her thoughts, for a modern-day world, while they could be said to be overconfident weren''t entirely unfounded.


    Thus tilting her head with confidence, she declared as she flexed her bicep. "I strong, no need to worry."


    However, for a world that followed a more past-like mindset but on a more mystical path, the thought was best tossed aside. Boys, as soon as they could walk, were handed a sword. As soon as they could read -for those that had the know-how anyway-, they were made to read books on war tactics, manuscripts detailing the family martial arts, and manuals on how to channel the vital energy through their body to make the most of their skills. A modern-day person of her world, who gave but a small fraction of their lives to the art and did not have either of the energies to fortify it, simply could not compare in strength.


    For Nastasia that had spent most of her days in this world within the Palace of the Four Gates, her modern way of thinking was still the most prevalent. She simply hadn''t spent enough time outside, nor had she learned enough about the magical aspects, to change this fact.


    From her actions and from her responses to this conversation, Li Yu Rong was quick to understand this.


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    In nearly the blink of an eye, he made a move, sending his hand to slice out at her neck full of murderous intent. Though it was like that, the move was more speed without any real strength behind the blow. Asya blocked it beautifully. Her block responded quickly to his threat and was without any unnecessary movement.


    However, the fact that there was no vital energy or spirit energy behind the move made the way she blocked utterly useless. If he had applied any true force, her arm would have been crushed.


    As she did not realize this, after understanding that he had been testing her strength and feeling that she had done a fine job Nastasia tilted her head. ''See,'' her eyes communicated silently, ''I can take care of myself just fine.''


    Though it pained him to do so he needed to crush that confidence of hers lest she once again is heedlessly throwing herself into another bad situation. Yet, at that time, without anyone to help her out of it.


    Releasing the energy of both the vital and spirit contained within his body, but only slightly, Li Yu Rong moved closer to Asya that sat at the edge of her bed. He could see her face grow uncomfortable under the pressure placed on her body.


    In a movement too swift to follow, Li Yu Rong grasped both her arms and placed them above her head with one hand. His body pinned her to the bed. Though she had tried to execute a move to prevent his intended actions, she was unable to do it fast enough.


    "I don''t know how it is in your realm," he told her, "but here those little moves of yours are of no use. If you can''t break free of this hold, don''t think about playing the hero, throwing yourself into harm''s way."


    Struggling and twisting her body about to no avail, she said in frustration. "When An Ying not there I broke one guy wrist."


    Angry at her stubborn reply, Li Yu Rong bit her neck. Not enough to break the skin, but enough cause a small amount of pain. He would have swatted her bottom over her stubborn desire to not admit her wrongs, but that would require him to shift and let up on her pinned body.


    Releasing the skin he attempted to viciously shatter her pride over her accomplishment. "He thought you were a weak woman and so didn''t guard against you. If An Ying hadn''t intervened, you would be dead or worse! If you can''t break this hold there''s no way you could have defended yourself against them."


    Her neck hurt from being bitten, the places he was pinning her at began to ache from her attempts to struggle free. Angry at him for being this way, she began to throw curses at him left and right in English. "Jerk, heartless bastard, let me-"


    Not knowing the words, but understanding that she was cursing him, he shoved his tongue into Asya''s flapping mouth to silence her words. He was frustrated over her stubborn need not to understand his concerns; thinking that she could just throw herself out into this realm unknown to her and still come out on top because she could do so in her own. This frustration was reflected in the way he attacked her lips, kissing her hard as he explored her mouth to his heart''s content.


    Once he left her breathless and panting, he nibbled her bottom lip a bit before pulling back.


    Smiling seductively at her dazed face, he said. "Curse me again for my concerns and I''ll kiss you again as punishment."


    Hearing his words her brows drew down a bit as she frowned. Hearing that familiar line, both spoken on shows aired on TV and in the books she read, she couldn''t fathom why it always seemed to work on the female lead. Kissing felt good, she had come to realize, so how could it possibly be used as a threat.


    As it dawned on her that she said the last part out loud Nastasia''s cheeks dusted red.


    At first, Li Yu Rong was stunned, but then laughed out loud over the remark. "Oh," he murmured, tone going low, "if it feels so good then how about I kiss you as a reward for behaving?" Brushing his lips across hers lightly, teasing, as he said. "If you stop running about without a care, if you can promise this, I''ll help you feel good again."


    This last part was murmured in her ear as he took the opportunity to nibble on it. Shivering from the contact, Nastasia was made to understand why that line was such a threat. Having it thought of as a good thing, as a reward, was far worse then it being made into a punishment.


    Fearing the mess she''ll turn into if he continued on like this, Nastasia decided to consent to his desire for her to stay out of harm''s way. Honestly, because she had heard that it was the little boy''s grandfather in trouble and placed herself in the boy''s position, she had been a bit muddle-headed in her decision. Li Yu Rong putting it in this way also made it easier for her to understand that.


    Having seen so little of this world, it was unwise to run ahead alone. Especially in a world that did not follow the normal everyday sense that she was used to.


    "Okay," Nastasia said, "I won''t do it anymore again. I promise, so you let me up, now?"

 Hui Se Yings Masterfully Thought Out Plans are...!

    Asya easily acquiescing after putting up such a fight broadened his grin. Li Yu Rong drew a finger down her cheek and then down her lips. Lips that were slightly red from his kiss. "So obedient," he teased and then positioned his mouth above hers as he asked seductively, "my pet, are you so eager for your reward?"


    ''Ah,'' Nastasia groaned internally. ''This natural flirt! This Playboy!'' She just had to speak that part out in Chinese. She managed to curse him purposefully in English well enough but just had to unconsciously drop that terrible thought out loud in a language he could understand.


    She had resolved not to fall prey to his teasing, that she would face it without flinching. Yet, as Li Yu Rong brushed his mouth against hers like he was going to kiss her again now that he had her promise, her heart couldn''t help panicking.


    Nastasia tried to throw away her embarrassment, tried to throw away her shyness, tried to throw away the warmth that surged from her chest to her toes, and finally tried to throw away her anticipation for him to really kiss her. She tried to throw it all away and put up an indifferent front; unwilling to acknowledge all those things that came about whenever he teased her like this.


    To even think about what all of it meant was too scary. She wasn''t from this world; an accidental visitor. She came suddenly so she could also disappear suddenly. She didn''t belong here, she needed to go home. There was her family waiting for her. Although her siblings were married off and had families of their own, her mother and grandfather were under her care.


    Her mother was sickly and her grandfather too old to work, they needed her. She had to go home. The warmth she was beginning to feel for him, the attraction she had felt from the beginning, and this mass of unnamed, unknown emotions that were brought about at this moment... they couldn''t happen.


    But these thoughts, these feelings, were hidden beneath her shyness and inexperience. The reason she at first blushed and bashfully ran away, the reason she then used her age to block herself, the reason she found the excuse of her seniority to force her self to be unaffected by his flirtations, the reasons she was likely to come up with in the future; these, the rapidly changing defense mechanisms quite clearly displaying her greenness in romance, were how she tried to block herself from the changes slowly taking place in her heart.


    However she was trying to guard herself and though she attempted to stop it from forming, the meaning of his existence to her was rapidly sliding from the safe position she tried to pin him to.


    So, though she wanted his kiss and though she wanted his embrace, Nastasia put on a face that said she could live with or without his so-called reward. She shook her head, trying to ignore the way the action made their lips brush against each other as light and delicate as butterfly wings.


    "Not giving up," she said, "only stopping now. I practice and then I soon will get out of this."


    ''Ah, so stubborn.'' Li Yu Rong thought helplessly, but then at the same time, he didn''t mind it. It would be a good thing for her to eventually understand how to defend herself in this world. It only mattered that she understood the "her" of right now could not recklessly jump about. That was the point he wouldn''t compromise in.


    Her determined yet haughty expression as she declared such a stubborn thing, he couldn''t help but find it adorable. Recalling the way her face looked as she spoke of how good his kiss was, warmth flooded his chest. Those eyes that had, for a second, flooded with desire as she mentioned how it felt; the remembrance made him breathless.


    He really wanted to kiss her again.


    While Asya said it wasn''t a punishment, he could still hold on to the excuse. While they were still like this, in this ambiguous atmosphere, under the pretense of his teasing her. He wanted to touch the girl that he likes. To feel her in his arms.


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    Chuckling lightly, warmly, he said, "such a naughty little pet," before fastening his lips to hers. With her gasp of surprise, Li Yu Rong slid his tongue inside, to explore her mouth even more carefully than the time before.


    After hearing her unintended thoughts, there was a determination suddenly rising in him to hear her vocalizing just how good it felt. As he kissed her with a ferocity that left her head swimming, he suddenly drew the tip of his tongue down the roof of her mouth, eliciting a sharp gasp from her throat.


    Hearing that sound, so pleasing to his ears, Li Yu Rong found himself becoming emboldened by it. It was like he had been given permission to go just a step further; only a step. Deepening the kiss, attempting to draw her tongue into his mouth; he wanted her to kiss him back with as much vigor as he gave in kissing her.


    "Master," Hui Se Ying materialized in the room, "the spirits you sent out returned with the report you- Gah!?"


    ''Damn!?'' Hui Se Ying cursed inside as he registered what he was looking at. This wasn''t supposed to happen yet! He hadn''t even gotten to the best of the plans he''d come up with and they were already-!


    The complaints in his heart came to an abrupt halt as he took note of his master''s deadly glare. If looks could kill he would already be in a coffin six feet under. ''Ah, master,'' he really wanted to say, ''you were the one that said if they came to find you no matter what.''


    However, under that stare, Hui Se Ying couldn''t find the courage to say it.


    Being that it was better to pretend to have seen nothing, he said. "Ah, my mistake, master isn''t here at all. Definitely not in the middle of a good thing at all." After having said his piece, he fled the scene, leaving his master to pick up from where he interrupted.


    Ah, Li Yu Rong really felt like cursing. Now that the atmosphere had broken, he had to let her go. Easing off of her body and letting go of her wrists, he sat upright. Looking down at her panting and dazed form, he had to firmly close his eyes a moment to beat back his rising desire.


    He wanted to kiss her again.


    Letting it out with a shaking breath, he stood up from the bed. Seeing that she hadn''t moved despite all that happened, a teasing light entered his eyes. His grin turned provocative. Reaching out to comb his fingers through her hair, he said. "Should we make this a promise? A kiss as a reward or," he leaned in close and said mischievously, "do you want it as a punishment?"


    Nastasia was still a bit dazed from his kiss; sorting out the things it made her feel. These were a first for her, thus the want that had begun to build up in her was rather dizzying. Hearing his question she almost nodded to it, but as the words registered she instantly sobered.


    Realizing she was no longer pinned down, she shot up to a sitting position and put a bit of distance between them. Not too much, however, as she was trying to appear unaffected. Shooting him a glare, she said. "No teasing. I not do it anymore." She was still a little out of breath but managed to hide it well.


    This was bad for the heart. Aside from dealing with the shop -should she manage to accomplish what she wanted- she was going to stick to the study to avoid trouble for a while. She was afraid he really would carry out his threat and kiss her again.


    Although that wasn''t the only reason she was going there, the books were the main point. The ones she had read to better her ability to talk were mainly fairy tales and other types of fiction. The ones relating to history among other technical things were too difficult to read and thus she had passed them up for the ones that were easier.


    To better understand this world, she decided to attempt them again.


    Holding back his amusement, Li Yu Rong dropped his teasing. Patting her head, he told her "I''ll be back later tonight," before leaving the room to find Hui Se Ying.

 A Sense of Dread

    After being led through a spacious courtyard, Jiang Ya Lin and Paoxiao were brought to a richly decorated veranda. The servant that led them was silent, light on his feet, and focused. It was obvious that he trained in martial arts.


    Although she did not train in the arts, having grown up the Jiang home she could easily tell if a person had any martial training by their mannerisms. The servant that led them coupled with the few she had seen in passing convinced Jiang Ya Lin of the rumors she would hear every now and again.


    The Magistrate of this town only kept servants that displayed generous abilities in martial skills. Even better were the ones that had skills in laying arrays. She had also heard it said that this taste in servants came from his fear of Li Yu Rong.


    While it wasn''t farfetched for that to be the case, she hadn''t heard of any tragedies that occurred between the magistrate and the Elemental Master for such a fear to occur. Then again, just the mere act of having such a fearsome and unpredictable individual nearby could have inspired such a want for protection.


    The servant cupped a fist and bowed his head as he said. "Master, I''ve brought the guests."


    The master he spoke to was a pot-bellied middle-aged man, his long hair was gathered and tied neatly into a knot on the top of his head. He was sitting at a table, drinking tea with an air of elegance.  "Hnn, you may go." Setting down the cup and turning it slightly, he turned his gaze toward the visiting pair. He arched a brow questioningly. "To what do I owe to this surprise visit by the young miss Jiang?"


    Her father often referred to the magistrate as a smiling fox, however, when it came to the Elemental Spirit Master of their town, that magistrate was as if he had his claws and fangs pulled. It made her curious as to what their story could be?


    Armed with this knowledge and knowing that she might not be able to match him otherwise, she was straightforward with her words. "The man next to me is one who is representing his master, the Elemental Spirit Master, who guards the gates. They''re interested in that old property of Minister Li''s at the center of the Open Market."


    At the mention of Li Yu Rong, the magistrate, Ning Shufen jolted involuntarily causing the table to shake with a sharp rattle. Swiftly collecting himself, he tried to play off the lapse in control by straightening his posture and clearing his throat.


    "Oh, is that so." He responded lightly.


    He didn''t even need to ask how they knew about information that hadn''t been released yet. Not counting the girl with the identity of Commander Jiang''s beloved daughter -despite her being adopted- nothing could be hidden from that terrible man. He had eyes hidden in every corner of the world.


    Not bothered by the way the magistrate hung back, saying nothing more as if the interest being spoken of here held no more weight than a person causally speaking of the weather. Jiang Ya Lin quite easily jumped ahead, laying everything out.


    "As it is a seized property one must go through the Magistrate''s Office to acquire the deed. The representative is hoping that you''ll be able to name a fair price for him to work with."


    A fair price? Ning Shufen wanted to snort in disdain while sweat began collecting at the back of his neck from his nerves. What would that monstrous man count as fair? Handing over the property free of charge? Ah, but he really couldn''t do that!


    And that guy! The one standing behind the Jiang girl. Why did he have to be so silent, letting the girl handle everything for him while watching the proceedings as if watching an interesting insect? This made him far more nervous than the sharp-tongued ones that monster, Li Yu Rong, normally sent.


    So, because of all that, Ning Shufen was forced to name a price that physically hurt him speak. "fifteen gold coins."


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    Even though it was a shop in this backwater town so far from the capital, considering their one-of-a-kind Open Market, he could have easily gotten thirty gold coins for a property located at its center. Ah... why did this devil have to come and show an interest!?


    Jiang Ya Lin was thrilled, it was such a good price. Turning to Paoxiao, while trying to signal him with her eyes, she said. "What do you think? Will this price work for you?"


    Being asked this, Paoxiao was a bit thrown, though it didn''t show on his face. Although she had explained, a bit, the value of money... he wasn''t quite sure what a good price would be for a building in this town.


    If it were the Spirit Realm you had three choices when it came to properties: You either took what you wanted for yourself, bartered for it, or you picked a good spot and built yourself one. Now, whether or not you were the one to actually handle building it was another matter that could be dealt with in similar ways.


    Although he didn''t know about pricing, from the expression on her face he decided it had to be a good one. Grinning in that arrogant, proud way, of his, Paoxiao said. "It''ll have to do."


    After that had been agreed upon, Ning Shufen ordered a servant to bring ink and paper to draw up a contract and to also bring over the deed for the property. Once the discussions were over, everything signed, the money was taken, and the two finally left his estate Ning Shufen wilted in his chair.


    Ah, how he hated dealing with that monster and those related to him. The fact that he was short fifteen gold coins had him on the verge of tears. That insufferable Li Yu Rong was going to be the death of him one day.


    ---------------------------


    To make sure that his master wouldn''t be bothered, Hui Se Ying decided to gather up the spirits that needed to make their reports, into a line. He listened diligently as the spirit spoke, making sure to take everything down word for word, that his master could read it later. However before he even finished the first report, a bitingly cold voice floated over.


    "What are you doing?"


    Jumping up from his seat, Hui Se Ying cupped his fist and greeted his master. His movements were stiff and unnatural due to his guilt for interrupting his master''s good thing.


    Wait...


    Not much time had passed and he was done already? Isn''t it a bit too quick? Hui Se Ying thought that his master would be occupied well into the morning, but it was merely a small fraction of the time an incense stick took to burn.


    This was really concerning. Didn''t his master read the books he slipped to him on the sly? Though his master hadn''t touched a girl before those books should have been rather telling. There''s no way that he couldn''t know what to do.


    Should he have a talk with him, explain the ins and outs? Ah, but if Lu Se Ying appeared during that conversation, he shuddered to think of the consequences. Lu Se Ying was the old-fashioned sort that didn''t believe in talking about such things; especially since he felt that Hui Se Ying had a warped sense when it came to romance and sex.


    As he was about to ask if master read the books he''d given, he took note of Li Yu Rong''s fierce glare and gulped the words back. Ah, that''s right, he did interrupt them. It would be difficult to continue after that.


    Feeling a sense of impending doom, that he was going to be suffering over the next few days, Hui Se Ying said faintly. "Ah, master those from the south finally returned. None of them were injured. I was gonna write down the reports for you, but now that you''re here it''s not necessary anymore."


    That said, he vanished. Hopefully the next time he saw master, master would have calmed down and forgotten his anger toward him.

 It Gives a Familiar Feeling

    As they exited the Magistrate''s estate Paoxiao was frowning slightly. Putting his hand over the deed and contract that had been safely stowed away along with Nastasia''s coin purse, he slid a glance toward Jiang Ya Lin.


    There was something he had been confused about. While he wanted to ask about it, he kept his silence until they were leaving the Magistrate''s estate.


    "Why did you say it was for Li Yu Rong? Nastasia was the one wanting it?" While he wasn''t too clear on how these things worked between humans, generally, when a contract is involved, everything one wanted to do with the contracted would need to go through the contract owner.


    This idea didn''t sit too well with him. This was supposed to belong to Nastasia, but now that it was with Li Yu Rong the chances she''d be able to use it for what she wanted shrank; if she could do it at all. While Paoxiao was still a bit unsure of what designs Li Yu Rong had on Nastasia, he doubted that -with the way he protected her- he would allow her to run back and forth to operate a shop in town.


    If the contract for ownership of the shop were in her name, then it would be easier for Nastasia in regards to this.


    Smiling slightly, Jiang Ya Lin replied as she thought back to their meeting with the magistrate. "My father said that Magistrate Ning Shufen is a smiling fox. To deal with a smiling fox you have to use their weakness against them. The only thing I knew about him, besides what my father said, is that he had a respectful fear of the Elemental Spirit Master."


    Honestly, she really hadn''t expected it to work so well. It made her unbearably curious as to the relationship between the two that Ning Shufen would end up that muddle-headed with just the mere mention of his name. He didn''t even confirm if they were speaking the truth before handing over the property with such a generous price attached.


    The last thought caused her to frown that she couldn''t help asking. "Xiao-ge, do you know what happened between them? It must have been really traumatizing if his thoughts were so scrambled that he didn''t even think to confirm your identity before agreeing to sell the shop to you."


    Being that there was a demon among the servants, the magistrate probably got the confirmation from him. Paoxiao did not mention this as he said. "I don''t know."


    "Hmmm," she hummed. She was a little disappointed that, though her curiosity was piqued, nothing could be done to satisfy it. "Well, in any case, I signed the contract over to your master. I didn''t know how to write her name, so I signed it to the Elemental Spirit Master''s Pet."


    She chuckled a little over it, feeling to be in quite the good mood. It was thrilling, doing this with Xiao-ge. Her heart had been pounding all the way to the moment she signed the contract and they were allowed to leave without issue. Magistrate Ning Shufen, from beginnings to end, was completely distracted by thoughts of the Elemental Spirit Master''s intentions.


    Hearing that, Paoxiao''s heart felt better. "Good." However, that heart suddenly seized as he realized they''d walked all the way to the end of the estate. They had walked all that way, but Nastasia, resting against the wall in wait as she should have been doing, hadn''t been seen at all.


    He was directionally challenged. Perhaps they had gone down the wrong side and it was the other way they needed to go. Thus, as he tried to keep his rising panic out of his tone, he asked. "Did we go the right way?"


    At first, Jiang Ya Lin was confused as to why he was asking, but realizing in the whole of their conversation they had yet to see Nastasia, she understood. "This is the right way, but I-"


    "An Ying has escorted her home."


    Both Paoxiao and Jiang Ya Lin whipped around to face the owner of the voice. Paoxiao, seeing that it was Lu Se Ying and registering what was said, heaved a sigh of relief. "I see, that''s good then." Recalling that he still had to tell Li Yu Rong about that man, the one Nastasia wanted to look for, he was eager to find his way back the Palace of the Four Gates. "I''ll follow you back, then."


    Lu Se Ying shook his head. "You''ll have to find your own way back, I have other things to take of before returning." That said, he vanished before any protests could be made.


    Helpless, Paoxiao could only stare at the spot he''d been standing. Seeing that look, Jiang Ya Lin felt her heart squeeze. She knew that he was worried about his master. "Xiao-ge, I''ll help you get back. I''m sure that she''s okay." She said gently as she tried to reassure him.


    Paoxiao nodded and silently followed her as she led him through the streets; his mind was preoccupied over what to say to Li Yu Rong when he should get the chance to talk to him about that man.


    ---------------------------


    Laying out across the floor, head propped on the cushion meant to be a seat for the desk, Nastasia was deeply immersed in the fairytale her eyes eagerly drank in. There were many books in Li Yu Rong''s study. She would, after becoming more proficient in this world''s language, take one out to read to better her range of words.


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    Those she didn''t know, she would write down to latter have either Paoxiao or Li Yu Rong explain the meaning to her. Reading the words she did know, and those that took her a bit of time recall the meaning of, helped to solidify their presence in her mind.


    The reason she had so quickly come to the study to read after that embarrassing and frustrating event with Li Yu Rong, was that she was once again awoken to the need to understand more about this world. This idea at that moment wasn''t the first time it had come.


    She was aware that she needed to learn more.


    However, the books that held this information were extremely difficult to read. There were too many high-level words that it was hard to pick out the meaning of the sentences. After a while of reading, she''d develop a headache that soon zapped her will to press on.


    Paoxiao only knew things about the Spirit Realm. She had tried asking him about it, but he was reluctant to speak too much about the place. Especially that, with her being human, she would never have the chance to visit.


    His reluctance only made her more curious. So, from any of the creatures that would speak with her, she would talk to them about the Spirit Realm. Although it sounded like an extremely dangerous place, it was also made to sound very fascinating.


    If there was ever a chance to go, the place she wanted to see the most would be the underwater ice forest the water sprites spoke of. Not only for the beauty that was reiterated masterfully, but also for the chance to see living ice. Of all the things told to her -of the ones willing to speak- that had been the one to spark her curiosity most.


    In her childhood youth, Frozen was a movie she had watched countless times, she had loved it so much. She had all the dolls and even the outfits so that she, herself, could play act as the characters. Thought it probably wasn''t likely, she couldn''t help but wonder if there were little Olafs running around. The idea of it made her laugh merrily to herself.


    As for the things of what they called the Mortal Realm, only Li Yu Rong would be able to tell her of them. The creatures here -or at least the ones willing to speak to her- have never left this Place of the Four Gates to know anything outside of it.


    However, Li Yu Rong had been reluctant to tell her anything; always saying that it wasn''t necessary yet. He was the one who brought up her lack of knowledge today, so perhaps if she asked him now, he''d be willing to speak?


    Setting aside the book she just finished, Nastasia stood up to find another. Although she should be finding and taking out a book relevant to the things of this Mortal Realm, her fingers grasped at another fairy tale. This one was titled "The Death of the Immortal."


    These fairy tales, though there were severe differences, they brought her back to the days before her father passed. When she still lived in Minnesota, when she curled up in her father''s lap to hear his Russian stories to compete with her mother''s Irish ones. When she read them she was filled to the brim with home-sickness, but also a kind of peace. It almost felt like her father was beside her, once again regaling her with his wonderful stories.


    "I wonder who wrote these," she mused to herself.


    "They were written by the previous owners of this Palace of the Four Gates."


    Jumping at the sudden low-toned voice speaking out in answer, Nastasia turned to find Li Yu Rong watching her. He walked the rest of the way into the study, clearing the length between her at the bookshelves and entrance in a matter of seconds. He took the book from her hands and opened it up to flip through a few pages.


    "It was the first of them that introduced this way of writing. He was also the first to come up with this way of binding books. Before, everything of importance to history was written on scrolls and everything else was handed down by word of mouth. These kinds of stories, meant to please the imagination of the reader, didn''t exist."


    He handed her back the book and she took it back gingerly. Being that only a bit of time had passed since he pinned her down and kissed her, Nastasia''s feelings were still a little out of sorts. She was doing her best not to think of the feeling of his body against hers and of his mouth as he kissed her.


    Li Yu Rong''s lips curled up as he caught her distracted expression, but he held himself back from the want of teasing her. Instead, he said. "There''s something I need to speak with you about."


    Hearing that, she nodded her assent but was confused that he turned to leave the room after he got it. Did he not want to speak to her now? Did he mean for this to be a conversation they would have later? However, after he paused and gestured for her to follow him, she understood what he meant by this. He wanted to speak with her, just not here.


    Thus, after putting the book in her hands back, she followed him out.

 Testing For Spirit Energy

    Li Yu Rong made the way to the back of the Palace of the Four Gates in contemplative silence. His thoughts were both concentrated on the report made by the spirits returning from the south and the words Lu Se Ying gave after his return.


    The fact that the southern part of the Spirit Realm, the portion split between the countries Zhi Feng and Jing Di, seemed to have joined hands coupled with the earlier reports coming from the north and west, were quite troubling. The number of contracted and the number of spirits laid out before the gates were staggering. That the two didn''t even try to cover up this fact, more than arrogance, it spoke of their self-assurance that nothing could be done to stop them regardless.


    The south was strengthening themselves, the west and north were probably hiding the same things by killing his scouts, but to what purpose? Who were the aggressors? The five countries were supposed to be neutral within the Spirit Realm. Regardless of the government and who were allies and enemies, the Gate Guardian''s did not get involved.


    As his eyes were concentrated elsewhere these past two months, Li Yu Rong could not fathom what had changed during the time he had been distracted.


    Because of this tentative situation, he wanted to change his mind and not bring Asya along to the Spirit Realm should she have the ability to step passed the gates; this thought was soon tossed aside. For although he worried about bringing her along into something obviously bad, the idea of leaving her behind stifled his heart far more.


    Not only did the current events lend to the idea of a possible invasion while he was away and could not protect the gates from the other guardians, he also worried over the type of serious trouble she could get into while she was left alone. If he didn''t have to, he''d rather not leave her behind.


    After Lu Se Ying returned, leaving Paoxiao to find his own way home as per his orders, he relayed an interesting tidbit. It made Li Yu Rong think back to An Ying''s report, speaking of his sudden return to sanity after falling into one of his violent episodes. When Asya reached out and grabbed hold of An Ying''s wrist there was a type of energy that flowed from her into him.


    According to Lu Se Ying, this energy seemed to be a perfect blend of both spirit and vital energy with an underlying something that he couldn''t name. In order to confirm the truth of the matter, he would have to examine her more closely.


    Slanting a look toward the girl that barely came to his shoulder, Li Yu Rong carefully took in her expression. Although Asya seemed a bit tired from the long walk to the location of the gates, she did not display the usual strain a normal human with only vital energy would feel.


    It was puzzling as it was curious. Asya was human. There was no mistaking that, not for him, but somehow she able to have multiple energies and her human body was able to withstand such a high-level concentration of spirit energy. Before, he had never allowed her to wander far from the front of the palace where the spirit energy was weakest, for fear that she would be poisoned from it. Though he placed that mark on her wrist to make it easier for her to stay here with him, it should only protect against a mild exposure.


    Although it didn''t seem that she knew about the energies in her body, perhaps the realm she was from was inferior in that way. Even here, there was a time when the people did not know how to utilize the energy in their body. It started with one. That one had then developed skills that were spread to others through schools and then sects. Soon, even clans developed their own skill sets unique their family.


    Finally, the gates came into view. The huge, towering constructions that looked as if they opened into nowhere. They were placed evenly in a circle with enough space between them to set three people. As soon as Nastasia saw them her first thoughts were of Stonehenge. This was probably because the gates were made of rough-hewn stone pillars with another slab of stone stretching across the top.


    The constructions piqued her curiosity to such a degree that she immediately wanted to go over and examine them from every angle. Why did they look like Stonehenge? What was their purpose? Although she could easily ask the man at her side, she wanted to go and-


    Li Yu Rong grabbed Asya by her arm and pulled her back to his side. Although the concentration of spirit energy was high near the gates, it was nothing compared to actually walking through one of the gates into the Spirit Realm.


    "Don''t go near there, it''s too dangerous."


    "Dangerous," she asked as she tilted her head wondering how that could be, "what are they?"


    Considering a moment before answering, Li Yu Rong said. "The gateways leading into the Spirit Realm." It wouldn''t do any harm to say it. Besides, it appeared that she may have the tolerance to follow him to the gathering of the Gate Guardians. Thus, she would learn of them eventually.


    Nastasia opened her mouth to question more on the subject but was silenced as Li Yu Rong pulled her along to a building off to the side. The building had a black roof that swooped down and then curled up at the ends. Though it wasn''t exactly small, it was the smallest structure she''d seen so far in the Palace of the Four Gates.


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    The inside was one large room split unevenly by a screen. The side that was seen from the doorway had a few desks and about ten beds laid out. The side behind the screen was a storage area that mostly had weapons taking up its space.


    Leading her to the back, he had her sit on a bed. Li Yu Rong than sat on a bed across from her. "Lu Se Ying, you may begin."


    The purpose of bringing Asya here was to test if she had the ability to follow him to the Spirit Realm. That she was able to make it this far without breaking a sweat showed a high likely-hood that she wouldn''t suffer should she go. All that was left was to have Lu Se Ying perform a thorough test to put his mind at ease.


    If he took a human, that should only contain vital energy, to the Spirit Realm their body would suffer heavy and irreparable damage. It was why he had gone back and forth with the idea of taking Asya along. However, he trusted Lu Se Ying. There was no being as well versed in the arts of medicine and energies as him. If he said that she was okay to go, Li Yu Rong wouldn''t question it any longer.


    Seeing her confused look, Lu Se Ying assured her gently as he took both her arms up by the wrist. "It''s just a test to check if your body is well enough to travel."


    This sort of answer left Nastasia even more confused as she was not unwell in the least. While she trusted Li Yu Rong not to harm her, for some reason her chest was feeling a bit uneasy. Something inside was telling her not to go through with this. Never-the-less, she nodded her acceptance.


    Lu Se Ying drew her sleeves up to her elbows. He drew out an array that would vanish as soon as the test was over from the crook of her elbow down to her writs; stopping just short of the mark on her left wrist.


    Once he was done, he said to the girl. "Take deep breathes and exhale slowly until I tell you to stop." At her perplexed frown, he realized that she might not know all the words he used and thus demonstrated what he wanted from her. "Now," he said as he pointed her palms upward, "concentrate all of your thoughts here."


    Nodding she did as he asked.


    Sweat began collecting on the back of his neck as he worked. It wasn''t from the work itself but rather from his master gorging himself on vinegar at his back. That fierce, dual-colored gaze was burning his hands as he swept then down her arms with a green glow in an attempt to help her guide the energy contained in her body to her palms. The process he was using was necessary to get the most accurate reading and could not be exchanged for something else.


    In most cases, it was difficult to tell the type of energy one had if it wasn''t called out in this way. This held true for all energies, especially if you wanted to see the type of element one had. For Lu Se Ying''s spirit energy, it was a mixture of fire and earth, with earth being dominate; a healing type.


    It was almost unheard of for a person to have more than two elements and it was most common to only have a single element. The reason the Mortal Realm called the Gate Guardians "Elemental Spirit Masters," was that they were mortals that could withstand spirit energy and could also utilize all of the elements; their strongest element being the element of their country.


    ''Ah, master,'' Lu Se Ying thought miserably, ''it''s really difficult to concentrate with you being so fierce back there.''


    Due to the stress being placed on him, the process took longer than necessary. However, after a good few minutes of guiding her, the arrays finally lit up as the energy flowed down her arms into the palm of her hands.


    Nastasia jolted from the shock of it, hardly believing what her eyes were seeing.


    "Don''t move," Lu Se Ying warned., "we''ll have to start over if you interrupt the flow."


    Nodding, Nastasia looked in wonder at the glowing energy that was dancing around in her hands. It was a pale blue with silver flecks that snapped out here and there.


    The colors that had her so fascinated stumped Lu Se Ying. While he could tell that she indeed had a mixture of three energies, the color of the energy did not give way to any known type. It almost felt like the third, unknown, energy was blanketing it from prying eyes. That third energy, it dominated the other opposing two and forced them to coexist in harmony.


    For Lu Se Ying, this was like a confirmation on how she managed to handle An Ying so easily. This must have forced the ragging spirit energy in his body to calm, in turn calming the murderous rage in his heart.


    "The test is done." He said. Relief colored his tone as he was finally able to release her arms and his master''s glare retreated from him. The light of the arrays vanished as they disappeared from her arms. The energy retreated back to her core now that it was no longer being forced to come out.


    As Lu Se Ying was talking, explaining the test, the words coming from his mouth started to sound like a video clip that had been slowed down. It was garbled and then sounding far from her ears. Everything in front of her vision began to warble. As Nastasia tried to concentrate on any one point the object would split into many and the clones would wave and dance about.


    Ah, she was feeling motion sick. As she opened her mouth to speak of her discomfort, Nastasia felt as if the ground was pulled out from under her feet.


    Her mind only knew darkness.

 The Voice is Xianmei

    Though Lu Se Ying was closer and saw the moment Nastasia''s body lost its strength, Li Yu Rong was faster. He quickly gathered the girl up into his arms; his face marked by a worried frown. He slid a look to Lu Se Ying, that narrowed red eye upon him made his body shiver involuntarily.


    "What''s wrong with her? Why did she faint?" He demanded.


    "Lay her on the bed and I''ll-" or not. Seeing his master''s unwillingness to put her down, Lu Se Ying decided to conduct his examination as is. Whether she was laying out on the bed or in his master''s arms didn''t really matter. He''d be able to examine her all the same.


    Reaching out to grab hold of her wrist, Lu Se Ying released his energy as he closed his eyes to concentrate. The green energy penetrated her skin, ran through her veins, and took stock of all her major organs. As his energy touched upon everything and sent back information, his lips drew up into a frown.


    Her body showed signs of fatigue from overwork. This, coupled with the sudden calling out of her energy that she had never used before, seemed to be the reason for her sudden blacking out. Yet, while her body had such signs leading to this conclusion, Lu Se Ying couldn''t help but feel it was wrong.


    It was as if someone had interfered with his examination to force him to reach a such a  diagnosis.


    When he stayed longer, attempting to feel out and find the culprit, if there was such, something shot out to blanket everything. Rather than just blanket the inner workings of Nastasia''s body from his view, his energy had been rejected and forced back into his body. The recoil came with a fierce stinging pain that he gave his all to mask from view.


    Not wanting to worry his master, Lu Se Ying said. "Her mind is fatigued from overworking itself. Because of this, when her energy was called out, it sapped her remaining strength causing her to pass out. After a few hours of sleep, she should be fine."


    Within his sleeve, he took out a vile of medicine he kept on hand and dumped the contents as he spoke to his master. Taking that empty vile he stuffed the residual energy, that had forced him back, into it before replacing the stopper. After studying it a bit he should be able to determine whether the energy belonged to her and was some sort of subconscious defense mechanism or if it was something else entirely and to what entity it belonged.


    From there, if it proved to be something else, he would use the energy as a base and concoct a medicine to expel it from her body. At that point, he would also inform his master of his findings. For now, it was best not to unnecessarily worry him when he was already so worried.


    "I''ll make a nutrient supplement to help strengthen her body and bring it by later." Lu Se Ying added.


    "Hmm." Li Yu Rong hummed his acknowledgment. Being that it wasn''t anything too serious he felt his heart ease a bit. Brushing aside some errant strands of red hair that fell across her face, he stood from the bed and moved to leave the room.


    Rather than wait for her to wake here, he felt that it would be better to have her rest in her own bed as it would be much more comfortable for her there. Her sleep would be all the more restful.


    Lu Se Ying watched his master go with a worried frown. This was the first time he hadn''t told his master something right away; even if it were a trivial something. As he finally moved to research the energy in the vile, he honestly hoped that it turned out to be nothing.


    -----------------------------------


    Darkness.


    She couldn''t see her hand placed in front of her face.


    There was no up and there was no bottom.


    It was as if she were floating in a vast space of nothingness.


    Her heart pounded hard in her chest.


    Nastasia, before waking to this nightmare, had been sitting in front of Li Yu Rong and Lu Se Ying. She had felt herself fading to darkness. She was aware that she had fainted.


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    There was no sound.


    Even the voice she tried to cry out with could not make a dent in this silence. It was absolutely frightening. Though it was scary, she tried to keep her wits about herself as she thought of ways to escape this place. However, no matter how hard she screamed for help, no matter how she tried to force her self to wake, she remained in this darkness.


    Panic was beginning to set in.


    Once, when she was little, she gotten herself locked in a small storage closet. The door was heavy and had a tendency to shut itself on you. Not being careful as she rummaged around for an old toy she wanted to show a friend, she was locked in. As she was left home alone, there was no one to hear her banging on the door and screaming for help.


    She had been stuck in there for about half of an hour. Even though it wasn''t too terribly long of a time, the damage had been done. Since then, she had a terrible case of claustrophobia. Right now, as she tried to ignore the similar feeling of being locked in the closet, the panic was clawing at the edges of her mind.


    Luckily, before it was able to take hold, a voice called out.


    "Don''t be afraid. Xianmei just has to stop this guy real quick and then we''ll have our good long talk." The voice was feminine yet very cute. There was an innocent childishness to it.


    For some reason, hearing that voice helped her to calm herself down a bit. Even though Nastasia could not see the person, it helped to know that she wasn''t alone in this darkness. She tried to open her mouth to ask a question, but her voice still could not make a dent in this silence.


    what seemed a long time later, the voice returned.


    "You should have listened to Xianmei when Xianmei said not to do it."


    Nastasia was confused. She didn''t ever remember hearing this girl, who referred to herself in the third person, telling her anything. However, she soon recalled the gut feeling she had earlier. The one that told her not to go through with that test.


    Hesitantly, she asked. "That... that gut feeling I was having... it was you."


    "That''s right, that''s right," the girl said happily, "it was Xianmei."


    "Why?"


    "Because that guy is really strong." Xianmei fell silent for a moment and then said. "He''d definitely be able to tell that Xianmei is with you."


    Nastasia didn''t understand. Her head hurt. She tried to rub at her temples yet felt nothing. It was very unsettling, but she tried to pull down that feeling as she asked. "Who are you? And Where is this?"


    Suddenly, Xianmei''s way of talking changed and she sounded older as she answered this part. Her voice still held its feminine charm, but it didn''t sound as childish. "This place is your subconscious mind, that''s why we can converse freely and without trouble." This was why they were able to talk without Nastasia having any difficulties in understanding what had been said or speaking what she wished. "I tried to bring you here before that man could see your energy, but it was really difficult. The energy I have to stay here is quite faded after all.


    "I can''t quite tell you who I am, but I am responsible for bringing you here. When you fell into the Shang Youhun river, I used the mass amounts of spirit energy contained there to remake your body. I did it to stop that guy''s plot and to save my-."


    That last part, she couldn''t hear it, so Nastasia asked. "To save who?"


    "The energy of the people from your world- unique, it- so it''ll be useful to-"


    The words began to cut out. The feeling of being roused to consciousness in layers rose to the fore. She couldn''t waste any more of her energy keeping Nastasia in this unconscious state, so Xianmei shouted out in panic. "Don''t let that guy in the picture you- find you! -help you when- can!"


    The voice faded and Nastasia''s eyes opened to a familiar view of the room Li Yu Rong gave her.

 Just Sleep

    Thump Thump Thump...


    Nastasia''s heart was pounding fiercely as her body jolted to wakefulness. Chest heaving with her mind in a daze, she tried to calm her erratic breathing. After a moment her breaths evened out and her thoughts were able to move forward.


    It was vague, but she recalled the darkness that she had been trapped in. The feeling similar to being confined in a small space that one couldn''t crawl out of. It had her swallowing back the rising panic that made her fingers tremble and her breaths go ragged anew.


    Not wanting to revisit that feeling she banished the thought and focused on the voice and the words she spoke. While the voice referred to herself in the third person, Nastasia could not pull the name from the edge of her thoughts.


    She remembered bits and pieces of what had been said to her. The point that stood out the most was a broken warning about the man she met at the banquet. At least, Nastasia was pretty sure the one mentioned was she drew the portrait of. The one she was intending to gather information about in order to track him down.


    The dark eyes that had locked on to her then had been simply chilling. Recalling that man brought an uneasiness to grip at her heart. If it weren''t for the fact that the man had spoken English, she would do her best to keep them from ever crossing paths again.


    She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her family again. Her mother was sickly and her grandfather was too old to work. They relied on her.


    It seemed that in this world, Chinese was the only spoken language. If that man spoke English, then perhaps he was from the same world as her. Or, perhaps, he knew someone from her world that had come to this one.  He had been her hope for finding a way home.


    Now, however, he was a person to be wary of.


    The voice, whose name escaped her memory, claimed responsibility for bringing her to this world. It wasn''t an accident that she was brought here. There was a purpose. That voice probably knew how to bring her back to her original world.


    Yet, it sounded as if the voice went through some difficulty to shift her into this world, or realm as it''s called here. The voice probably wouldn''t be willing to send her back just like that. There was something the voice wanted her to do, but Nastasia could not recall what it was; if the voice had mentioned it at all.


    There was a vague recollection of what transpired in that darkness.


    Even if it were vague, Nastasia could grasp from the pieces she could remember, that it had something to do with that terrifying man. So, she wouldn''t look for him to inquire after a way home. Instead, she would try to gather information and attempt to understand just who this man was and why the voice seemed to hold a bit fear toward him.


    In doing so, perhaps she would also find the reason the voice had brought her here. That is, if she couldn''t find a way to come into contact with the voice again. For asking after it of the voice, and getting the answer from the voice, would be ideal. There would be no need to guess or second guess the voice''s purpose for bringing her into this realm.


    This had all been thought out and decided in a mere moment.


    Long enough for the sleep to clear from her head and her breaths to even out. Turning over, Nastasia was both startled to find Li Yu Rong sleeping beside her and finding it a matter of course that he was there. From the beginning, he was always sneaking into her bed whenever he found the chance.


    It was to the point that she had long since lost any feelings of discomfort from his presence, in bed, beside her. In fact, it had now become something of a comfort. In this world where she knew no one and had nothing, stripped of her familiarity, his constant support was a reassuring and soothing warmth.


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    Gaze tracing down the sharp, handsome, lines of his face that were eased from sleep, Nastasia reached out a had to touch. Gasping at the unconscious act, she retracted her hand as if burned, rolling around to face the other direction.


    She almost indulged in a very bad desire.


    Swallowing it down, Nastasia decided to leave the bed. Moonlight was shining through the open windows. She wasn''t entirely aware of how late it was but still made the decision to get up and find Paoxiao.


    Wanting to know how it went with the buying of the shop had been forcibly shoved to the fore. To attempt blanketing the warmth she felt for Li Yu Rong. She tried to snuff it out, but her mind traitorously traveled back to earlier that day when Li Yu Rong pinned her to the bed and kissed her.


    A hand reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, preventing her from moving any further. That hand yanked backward, the abrupt and strong movement had Nastasia splayed out across a broad chest before she could react. An arm snaked around her waist, holding her in place.


    "Don''t go. Stay here." Li Yu Rong said, voice heavy with sleep.


    Nastasia shook her head. "Let go," she said as her heart thumped heavily from their close contact. "I go find Paoxiao, important."


    Li Yu Rong tightened his arm around her waist. "You can deal with your shop business in the morning." He then forced her head to lay down on his chest. After which, he began to pet her head. "Lu Se Ying said that you fainted from overworking yourself.  You need to rest."


    Then, after a breath, he added. "You''re always staying up rather late studying words and writing, so, for now, you''ll cut that time in half."


    Nastasia forced her head up as she said in protest, forgetting to be flustered at their closeness. "Cannot! Not get better as fast." Learning a language was already difficult enough. If she cut back the time she spent on it, it would take even longer to make any improvements.


    Besides, the reason she fainted wasn''t from overexerting herself. She wasn''t a delicate female that fell at the slightest difficulty. All she had been able to do, besides the two chances she''s had to leave the palace, was to laze about when she set aside her learning. Rather, this all came about from the voice forcing her to unconsciousness, but she couldn''t exactly say that.


    Not only would it be something difficult to believe, the voice didn''t seem to want itself known to others. While suspicious in itself, Nastasia did not feel that the voice was anything sinister. There was something gentle and warm about it.


    Brushing loose strands of hair behind her ear, Li Yu Rong shook his head.  "There''s no rush." He then shifted their position so that Asya was laying beside him, using his arm as a pillow while the other held her to him. "I''d rather you be well and healthy... besides, you speak decently enough that it doesn''t matter if you hold back a few days."


    Nastasia wanted to continue protesting, but his embrace was comfortable and warm. It lulled her brain to become fuzzy and eyes to grow heavy with the want to sleep. She muttered weakly. "Not enough, it hard to know what to say and what to speak." At the end of her words, she spoke with a yawn.


    "See," Li Yu Rong pointed out, "even though you''ve slept for so long your body still wants to sleep." He moved the hand holding her to him to run his fingers through her hair, hoping to further draw the girl in his arms into slumber.


    "Hmm..." she hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. For now, she decided to let it go.


    Her brain was too tired to keep up the argument. Li Yu Rong''s warmth and the way that he combed his fingers through her hair was drawing her even deeper into such a drowsy state. For some reason, she was suddenly so tired.


    Tomorrow, Nastasia decided, she would discuss this again; determined to win.

 Paoxiao, A Knight in Shinning Armor

    Only a bit of time had passed since Lu Se Ying had left Paoxiao to find his own way home. Or rather, for Jiang Ya Lin to show him the way the home. He had no sense of direction. Even in the Spirit Realm, he had someone that could point the way for him. Especially when it was a place he didn''t often travel.


    Their travel, all except for the clamorous noises clinging to the lively streets, was made in silence. For some reason, even without stopping for anything, the way back felt much longer. Paoxiao wanted to complain about it but held his tongue. After all, if she wasn''t leading him back, it wouldn''t be wrong to say that he''d possibly find his way home well into the night once he finally got his bearings.


    As for Jiang Ya Lin, she was enjoying the extra moments with him, even if they were made in silence. At the same time, as she led Paoxiao down the longest route back to the Palace of the Four Gates, she kept in mind all the streets they''ve been down so as not to retrace their steps in any way. Afraid that Paoxiao would catch on to her ploy.


    "Jiang Ya Lin!"


    The voice, shouting out in anger, had Jiang Ya Lin''s spine stiffening in dread. Swiftly reaching out for Paoxiao''s hand, she wanted to run with him into the crowd, losing that person in the process. However, her hand fell short of reaching him when the next words rang out, clear as day.


    "Jiang Ya Lin, you stop right there! Gallivanting through the streets with another man like a dog in heat when you''re someone''s fiance!"


    Balling her hands into fists, Jiang Ya Lin turned around and marched straight up to her accuser. Before the other could react, she grabbed hold of his lapels and yanked him forward. "You listen here, Cheung Fai Guang! You may have cozied up to my grandmother, but that doesn''t mean we''re engaged. Father won''t agree to it so long as I don''t agree with it!"


    Cheung Fai Guang ripped her hand from him and flung her backward. Before she could become a crumpled heap upon the street, Paoxiao reached out and caught her. Fai Guang sneered.


    "Are you waiting for your beloved Gong Meng Yao-ge to finally speak up that he wants you?" He taunted. "He''s never going to say that he wants you, you know. Regardless if he would actually even entertain the idea of you being his wife, his family would never allow it. You''re nothing but some rubbish Commander Jiang picked up in passing, so who knows when he''ll tire of you."


    Jiang Ya Lin bit her lip against hollering out like a shrew at the side of the road. Those biting words, even though they fell from the mouth of a pig, cut her heart. The things he spoke were her deepest fears.


    She and Gong Meng Yao had both grown up in militant families that had close ties to one another. It was for this reason that they had the opportunity to be childhood friends. Her only affections for him were the feelings between siblings. He, as well, had only ever graced her with the affections afforded to a little sister.


    He would never say that he wanted her as a wife, nor would she hope for him to speak such words.


    However, it was true that even should he want it, his family would never allow it. That she was something picked up in passing, that she would probably be abandoned once Commander Jiang tired of playing father... even the servants of her family cursed her such since young.


    Hearing it so often dug it into her heart, creating a deep seeded fear to sprout unhindered. The only thing that managed to keep it from crippling her was the constant love given to her by her father, Jiang Yu Xue. He held her in the palm of his hand, like a treasured daughter that was truly born from him.


    Jiang Ya Lin opened her mouth to retort, not wanting to remain her usual passive self in these situations with Paoxiao at her back. However, before anything could make it passed her lips, she was drawn back tightly into a warm embrace.


    The feeling of being held in Paoxiao''s arms caused her heart to speed up and her face to redden.  Even though she was embarrassed, she rejoiced in the feeling of it. Paoxiao, on the other hand, did not hold the same sweet sentiments. Rather, his blood was boiling in his veins.


    Although he didn''t understand how human courtships went, he could tell from the conversation that this low down scum was squeezing his way in through loopholes. Not only was he trying to cheat his way in, he had no respect for the one he was trying to take as his wife. Treating her lower than an insect.


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    Seeing the cute and child-like innocent Jiang Ya Lin that constantly went out of her way to help him, being smothered and walked on, angered him like nothing else. Paoxiao glared at the little worm that was wriggling in front of him, trying to act like he had legs.


    The sheer violence in that glare, a glare from a demon, was so strong that the bodyguards on either side of Cheung Fai Guang drew their weapons. Paoxiao sneered at them, the corners of his lips drawing up into a mocking fleer.


    "Oh, is that right?" Deliberately pulling the girl tighter against him, he said provokingly. "You''re a bit too late, though, I''ve already claimed this girl as mine. If you have the strength, then take her from me." With that being said, he swooped up Jiang Ya Lin into his arms in a princess hold. With one good jump, he had the strength to leap from the ground to the second story rooftops, disappearing from view.


    At their back, Cheung Fai Guang''s voice could be heard screaming out. "Who is that impudent flirt!? Jiang Ya Lin, if you don''t come back here, your grandmother will be hearing of this!" Only, his cringing shouts were ignored. The threats falling on uncaring ears.


    Even after some time had passed, neither of them spoke a word. After a second more of this silence, Paoxiao suddenly leaped from the rooftops to an obscure street corner. He set Jiang Ya Lin back on her feet. "I wanted to send you home, but I don''t know where to go." He reluctantly admitted.


    After saying so, he shook his head. "No, rather, I stopped because I need to apologize. Being that I don''t know how these things work between your kind, I might have made things worse."


    "No," she denied, "I''m glad that you did. That guy thinks that he''ll be able to climb up in power because I''m an unwanted girl; he''s convinced my grandmother that he''s the only one who''d be willing to seek me as a wi-"


    Reaching out, Paoxiao pinched her chin, forcing her downcast eyes to look up at him. He couldn''t bear to see her beaten and self-deprecating appearance. The strong tom-boy he was used to seeing shouldn''t look like this.


    "You''re not unwanted. If you were unwanted, Commander Jiang wouldn''t have wasted the effort it took to raise you. You don''t waste time on something you don''t want. " He then added, "you''re such a nice and courageous girl that anyone would be lucky to have you as a wife."


    As he said so, Jiang Ya Lin felt the damn on her emotions break as tears spilled from her eyes. Startled, Paoxiao wiped at them with his thumb. "D-don''t cry! That rough guy won''t be able to bother you anymore! Look-"


    Paoxiao stopped and realized with some dread that he had broken the rules Li Yu Rong set for him long before he nearly broke this one rule just now. As he raised his hand to create a charm, he nearly revealed his ability as a demon. Earlier, in his anger, he had caused a scene and for the people viewing that scene, he had displayed his extraordinary abilities.


    Swallowing back his dread, he decided that as long as he said nothing, Li Yu Rong would never know. Thus, to prevent more from being revealed he dropped his other hand from her chin. Reaching into his wide sleeve, like he was pulling something out, he created the charm away from view.


    When he finally pulled his hand out, on his open palm, was a white jade bracelet that had arrays carved across it. Taking her hand, he slid the bracelet onto her delicate wrist, nearly as white as the jade. "So long as you''re wearing this, he won''t be able to touch a single strand of hair on your head."


    Jiang Ya Lin''s heart felt so warm and full, that she wanted to cry again, but because of his earlier reaction, she forced it back. Smiling brightly, she said. "Thank you, Xiao-ge, but this is too much to accept."


    "Nonsense! You''ve been a constant help to me these past two months, think of it as a repayment for that."


    No longer attempting to reject it, Jiang Ya Lin proposed instead, "then let me continue to work for it by helping you get home?" She still wanted more time to be around him, before they had to part.


    With a nod from him, they both made their way to the Palace of the Four Gates. The atmosphere between them, a little sweeter than before.

 Discussing the Man in the Drawing

    By the time Paoxiao had gotten back, night had already fallen. He tried to look around for some servants to ask where Nastasia might be but found no one. Thus, being that its night, he decided to head over to her room first. If she was not there, then he would go over to the study. She had the habit of staying late to practice her words and writing.


    The contract and deed were still resting snugly alongside her coin purse, but that wasn''t the only reason he was so eager to find Nastasia. The event earlier was still weighing heavily on his mind. He still felt like he might have done something wrong, but Jiang Ya Lin was too nice to say it.


    So, Paoxiao wanted to get her opinion on it.


    As he walked through the door, a murderous feeling came tumbling down around him. Startled, Paoxiao looked toward the bed, to find dual-colored eyes glaring at him heatedly. He did not expect to find Li Yu Rong in Nastasia''s bed, with her curled up at his side and using his arm as a pillow.


    It was the beginning of Xu Shi. Usually, when Li Yu Rong snuck into her room, it was around the end of Xu Shi and the beginning of Hai Shi.


    "U-Umm, I..." Paoxiao stuttered a bit as he tried to carefully, but quickly, respond. He felt that if he said the wrong thing, he was going to suffer.


    "You?"


    "I-I-I was looking for you!"


    The stifling air decreased by half. Paoxiao''s chest heaved with a sigh of relief, but from this, he came to understand something. Li Yu Rong, that barrel of vinegar! If he had claimed to be here looking for Nastasia, he probably would have been drowned to death.


    "For?"


    Ah, was there any need for these one-word questions asked so intensely? Did that guy really need to look at him with that one red-eye glinting so sinister-like? He didn''t understand why Li Yu Rong was so upset. It''s not like he was climbing into her bed every night; unlike a certain person!


    Although those of the Spirit Realm were more liberal, especially the demons, even they would have been upset by this thoughtless intrusion to the one they liked by a member of the opposite sex. However, one couldn''t blame Paoxiao too much for not realizing this. His sister, his only family, had been snatched from him while he was still quite young. The rest of his years until the present time had been dedicated to training and forcing his way past the gate into the Mortal Realm.


    He knew that Li Yu Rong was Jealous, but merely thought it was like a child being upset at its favorite toy''s attention being snatched away. From the beginning til now, Paoxiao had not recognized Li Yu Rong''s actions as one pursuing the girl he liked.


    As he was put on the spot, it took a moment to remember that he had a valid reason to seek out Li Yu Rong. He had to talk about that man in the drawing. "The one that she drew, that she''s looking for, I know him. I need to talk to you about that." He cried out once the memory struck.


    Heart-stopping and jumping up to his throat, Li Yu Rong swallowed hard, but it was difficult to bring down. That was the last thing he expected to hear from Paoxiao. He considered, briefly, to kill the witness to silence the words, but soon tossed the idea aside. Asya would probably morn his loss.


    He really didn''t want to hear about the man that might know how Asya could get back to her own realm. Although he''s made progress, it was only a bit; hardly making a dent in her will go home.


    Li Yu Rong was completely unwilling to have found this guy so soon. He was torn about whether or not he should even give the knowledge notice. If he pretended it didn''t happen, he would have more time. Paoxiao''s silence was easy to obtain. Li Yu Rong could easily ensure it by using the Slave Binding Contract to seal his lips.


    He wanted to lay back beside Asya, close his eyes, and pretend that he never heard the words.


    Yet, there was no way that he could.


    So, as he repositioned Asya and tucked her in, he kissed her forehead before reluctantly leaving her warmth. As he left the room he carried with him such a heavy atmosphere that Paoxiao couldn''t help but regret everything since he decided to pay Nastasia a late-night visit. Not wanting to re-visit this situation, this would also be the last time he''d step through here at night.


    No words were spoken between them as they exited the room. Being that Li Yu Rong didn''t want to go too far, he decided to have the conversation after firmly shutting the door behind him. His attention was split between Paoxiao and the one sleeping inside the room.


    "What about this man?" He asked. Paoxiao slid a glance toward the door, seeming hesitant to speak, thus he said. "It''s fine. I''ll know it when she wakes."


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    Nodding, Paoxiao took a reflective moment to consider how to begin this conversation. It was difficult to speak about one''s wounds with another. Especially when that other person wasn''t exactly one you held complete faith in.


    He didn''t hold complete faith in him, however, he did trust that Li Yu Rong had the intention to protect Nastasia for the moment. So, having that in mind, Paoxiao started the conversation like this: "You know why I wanted to go through the gate so badly, right?"


    Li Yu Rong said nothing but gave a slight nod. Curious as to what this had in common with the man in the drawing whom Asya wanted to find. The one that spoke the same words as those from her realm.


    "I can''t say it with a hundred percent certainty, but I''m at least ninety percent certain. That day, all those years ago, I''m sure that he was the one that took my sister."


    Humans can''t enter the Spirit Realm, the concentration of spirit energy would destroy their bodies. While it''s not impossible for demons to enter the Mortal Realm the vital energy, without a contract to protect them, would make them slaves to violence.


    The reason the Mortal and Spirit Realms connected is, currently, unknown. However, that the two are inexorably tied together cannot be denied. Many things regarding this had been researched and recorded by the previous Gate Guardians.


    One of which is that when a living thing dies, it enters the Spirit Realm. The vital energy within it leaves the spirit after it enters while it''s on its way to the Wheel of Reincarnation. The energy that leaves undergoes a type of change, becoming the spirit energy that fills the Spirit Realm.


    This is why that, while a human cannot enter the Spirit Realm under any circumstances, a demon can still enter the Mortal Realm. Because, essentially, spirit energy had been vital energy when it was alive.


    Whether the residents of the Spirit Realm fall to insanity or not depends on their level of spirit energy. The lower the level the less likely they are to be afflicted. One could also avoid it so long as they had a contract with a human.


    This being the case, and for the fact that the man Asya drew was clearly quite young, then the person in question isn''t human.


    "A demon?" Li Yu Rong asked.


    Paoxiao shook his head. "I don''t get it either. The day that he took my sister and destroyed the village protecting us, though incredibly strong, he was clearly human. The drawing that she drew, he looks exactly as he did then! The similarities are too spot on, from what I remember of him, for that guy in the drawing to be a descendant or someone with a similar face."


    Frowning, Li Yu Rong opened his mouth but shut it as his gaze slid to the door. He waited a moment for the rustling sounds to settle and her breathing to even out before responding. "You said that you were only ninety percent sure? So then, there''s a ten percent chance he could be someone else?"


    However, Paoxiao shook his head. "The drawing isn''t in color... it''s that thing she called a sketch. The drawing is really good and very life-like, but it happened more than fifty years ago. If the drawing was in color, I might be able to be more sure about it."


    "Fine," Li Yu Rong placed his hand on the door, poised to open it and enter the room once he finished saying what needed saying. "Then, under the excuse of having a better portrait for gathering information at that shop of hers, have her make a copy in color."


    "We''ll discuss it more after you''ve done that." Not waiting for a response Li Yu Rong entered the room, eager to be back within the bed, sharing Asya''s warmth.


    Paoxiao frowned.


    He hadn''t even told Nastasia about how Jiang Ya Lin had gotten the Magistrate to agree to their purchasing the shop, yet Li Yu Rong already knew about it. More and more, Paoxiao felt that nothing could escape that man''s notice.


    As he stared at the door, he disappointment washed over him.


    Although he wanted to go back into the room and demand to know what he intended to do to ensure Nastasia''s protection, Paoxiao held back. There was no benefit to annoying Li Yu Rong. Once he was able to confirm it from a colored picture, and once again have this conversation, he wouldn''t back off until this point was properly discussed.


    Not wanting to be too far from her room so that he could find her easily early the next morning, he jumped into a nearby tree. Settling down as comfortable as one could be on a branch, Paoxiao fell into a light sleep.

 New Direction

    As Nastasia woke her first thoughts weren''t for the time of day, as the bed curtains were drawn and blocked out the light; nor were they for the whereabouts of Li Yu Rong as he wasn''t by her side after she woke. Rather, as her mind shed the grogginess of sleep, her entire focus was placed upon her conversation with that voice the other night.


    The name of the voice escaped her, but the message left behind stayed to tumble about her thoughts; though broken. The clearest point that stood out at the moment, though she hadn''t noticed it at the time, were the feelings behind the voice''s words.


    Sadness.


    Fear.


    Desperation.


    Hope.


    Nastasia wanted to go home. She had wanted to find that man with the hope of being given a way toward that end. Now, however, this thought had been dashed. After the heartfelt entreaty of the voice, though she didn''t recall all the details, the point of that man being the enemy stood out clearly.


    With a new direction in mind, Nastasia''s gaze focused away from inward thought. As she came back to herself and moved to leave the bed, it suddenly dawned on her that it was so dark she could barely see anything around her.


    Moving the bed curtains aside, light from the morning sun flooded the in. Her clear sky blue eyes squinted at the sudden brightness. After a moment of adjusting, she noticed that the bed curtains had been changed from the near sheer blue material of before to a solid black that couldn''t be seen through at all.


    Touching the smooth material, she was once again made to realize that she wasn''t as light a sleeper as she thought herself to be. Before, no matter how lightly she thought herself to be sleeping, Li Yu Rong always managed to sneak into bed with her. Now, he had managed to switch out the bed curtains without her being disturbed.


    However, this couldn''t be used as a proof to Li Yu Rong''s skills of sneaking about. Though she was unaware, the Palace of the Four Gates was a bit special. For Li Yu Rong, or for those that he gave the permission to do so, the insides of the palace could be changed with a mere thought.


    This palace, it was like it''s own space, separate from both the Mortal and Spirit Realms.


    This too she wasn''t aware of.


    As she looked at the curtains, Nastasia realized that Li Yu Rong had changed them due to what happened yesterday. He was trying to keep the area around the bed dark so that she would sleep longer. Although it wasn''t necessary, as her reason for passing out had been the voice, the consideration warmed her heart.


    Getting ready for Nastasia was a quick affair. After she reached the age of thirty-seven and became immersed in her research she had little care for her appearance. Tossing on whatever and throwing her hair up into a simple pony-tail had been the most she''d do for so long that the habit still stuck though she returned to her fifteen-year-old body.


    The clothes of this world took a bit of time to put on. Especially to make it look neat and tidy. This type of dress wasn''t something that could be thrown on haphazardly and not look a disaster. The short cropped top had to be held in place just right as she tied the sash over both it and the skirt to keep them up.


    Being that she was in a hurry, Nastasia didn''t bother with her long red hair and left it to flow about, unrestrained, down her shoulders. Checking over the light blue dress lined in pink trim, she was satisfied. Although it wasn''t exactly neat, it was well enough that it didn''t appear sloppy.


    Although Li Yu Rong provided her with makeup, except for that one time during the banquette a month ago, she never wore it. So, after checking her appearance, she was already heading out the door. Finding Paoxiao the prime objective occupying her mind.


    Fortunately, a search hadn''t been necessary. The minute she left her room Paoxiao could be seen leaning against a tree across the way. He had been waiting for her.


    Originally, he wanted to follow the two wolves she kept as they entered her room to wake her. The ones that had originally been under his command, but he didn''t mind that they had now attached themselves to Nastasia. If it had been Li Yu Rong, that''d be a different story.


    Before they could even get close to entering, Li Yu Rong had barred their way. He forbade them from entering. "Don''t bother her rest, wait till she wakes on her own." After saying so, he walked off to who knows where.


    Therefore both the wolves and he had forced themselves to wait patiently. That''s why, when she finally emerged from her room, they quickly made their way over to her. The wolves were the first to get there, tails wagging so eagerly that they looked more like obedient puppies then fierce predators.


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    Nastasia was distracted by Paoxiao so she didn''t notice them right away, but when she did, she was pleasantly surprised. The two, whom she named Fenrir and Loki after learning that they had no names, had been scarce these past few days.


    Falling to her knees, not bothering about whether or not she''d dirty her dress, Nastasia accepted their affection. Wrapping an arm around each of their necks, she hugged them both as they licked her cheeks. Laughing a bit at the ticklishness of it, she let them go after one last pet to look up at Paoxiao.


    After she stood up and dusted off her knees, Nastasia grinned. "I was going to look you, then you here." It was like the saying of "speak of the devil and he shall appear," or to think of the devil as is her case. She then asked."Did you buy the shop?"


    Paoxiao reached into his robe and then handed over both the contract and deed. As he did that her eyes were drawn questionably to his clothes. He wasn''t one to wear the same thing twice, at least not in the time that she had known him.


    His golden eyes and orange streaked hair were also still under the guise of a dark-eyed, dark-haired young man. Thinking about it, she remembered he was like that too, when they traveled to the capital to attend the banquette held by the royal palace.


    Taking that into consideration, she asked as she looked at the two papers he handed over. "You going to town again?"


    At first, Paoxiao''s brows drew down in confusion, but as soon as he realized he hadn''t shed the appearance he wore when he went outside the Palace of the Four Gates he said. "I''m not. I got back rather late last night and didn''t think about it." His mind had been too occupied with the matter of his and Li Yu Rong''s conversation last night.


    Nodding as she looked at the papers, she frowned at the name signed at the bottom of the contract. It was rather long and couldn''t possibly be her name written in Chinese as she didn''t think it was possible to write her name in Chinese.


    Pointing toward the name signed on the contract, Nastasia asked. "What do this part say?"


    Seeing the part she pointed to, Paoxiao made a strange face as he tried to make himself look normal as he said. "Little Ya Lin didn''t know how to write your name, so she signed it as the one under the Spirit Master''s care."


    It was really hard to say this, although it wasn''t entirely a lie. While Li Yu Rong was caring for her every need, as if he took on an orphaned child, a ward wasn''t the status she had in other peoples eyes. She had been announced as a pet at the banquette, and while she didn''t understand the word, nearly everyone had been made aware of her position at that time.


    Paoxiao had wanted to enlighten her, but he had been forbidden. Unless she actively got the answer from someone outside the Palace of the Four Gates, she would sadly be left in the dark about this unfortunate title. As that thought popped up, he dwelled on it a bit longer.


    If he could get someone from the outside, like little Ya Lin, to tell her the truth of the matter then he would finally have a way to break her blind trust in Li Yu Rong. Paoxiao didn''t know what he was planning to do with Nastasia but, being that that red-eyed guy kept hiding so many things, he felt that it couldn''t be anything good.


    His sister always said: "If they weren''t telling the truth, then they''re up to no good."


    While his sister''s heart was a bit on the softer side, she was extremely strong and very quick witted. If she hadn''t been taken, then the elders wouldn''t be constantly hounding him to... ah but that really didn''t matter. He would find her and everything would go back to being as it should be.


    "I see." Being reminded of that cute, but helpful little girl, Nastasia had a sudden idea. Though little, that girl was incredibly smart and understood the rules of her town better than anyone she could get her hands on around here. "Where do that little Ya Lin live, you know?"


    "I do," he answered after a second''s hesitation. While he knew where she lived and had been led there multiple times by the one in question, he was directionally challenged and could only find it after a bit of wondering.


    Happy, Nastasia said. "Good, we go then. Fenrir, Loki too. It good to stretch legs after stuck here so long." Excited by the invite the two wolves, one dark black and the other a shimmering silver, followed after her with quick wagging tails.


    Paoxiao was dumbstruck. He couldn''t help but think, ''isn''t she going to ask Li Yu Rong first?'' Even though he felt this way, he still followed after her, intending to lead the way as best as he could.

 The One Who Will Lead the Way

    Halfway to leaving, Nastasia remembered her appearance. Without the mask and wig, she couldn''t safely walk about the town. So, after donning both, she once again, unhesitatingly, headed for the exit.


    Finding the Jiang estate had not been easy. Although it was difficult, Nastasia had fun walking around the town with the wolves. There were both parts that were entertaining and nerve-wracking. Several times the wolves had snatched food, from both the hands of passerby and from edges of food stalls without bothering to sneak at all.


    At first, Nastasia had been horrified and had tried to stop them, eliciting many strange stares from the people that passed by. It was from this, however, that she soon realized that aside for her and Paoxiao the wolves couldn''t be seen.


    Because of this, she no longer tried to stop them. It was funny when the person that had been snatched from frantically looked around trying to figure out what had happened. She felt bad too, but it wasn''t like she could go up to each individual apologize and make amends for the wolves that they couldn''t see.


    She wasn''t supposed to bring attention to herself and that would certainly make the townspeople think that she was a crazy person. This, however, made her reconsider taking the wolves into town in the future. At least until she could get them to understand that stealing food, even if they were hungry, was wrong.


    It was after a while of searching that Nastasia realized when it came to directions Paoxiao did not know left from right. It became very clear that even if night were to fall, there was a very good chance they still wouldn''t find themselves at the Jiang estate.


    At the moment they were in a residential area of small houses with roofs that swooped upward at the ends. Though the colors of the houses varied, they had been made dull from years of being baked beneath the sun. Older women were either sitting around gossiping or watching their children play. Some were play fighting with swords, somewhere kicking a small dark colored ball, and some were playing with dolls.


    Nearby to where they were there was a little boy leaning against a dull gray column. He couldn''t have been older than thirteen. His dark brown hair was neatly combed and though his clothes looked more worn than the other children, he presented a neat and dignified picture.


    He watched the other children as if it were beneath him to go out and join them.


    Since he was the only one out there that seemed as if he had nothing to do, Nastasia decided that he would be the first she would ask. As she approached with Paoxiao the boy took notice of them, his dark eyes narrowing with vigilance.


    Though it wasn''t odd for unmarried women to hide their faces, the boy couldn''t help but find her suspicious for wearing a mask. The black mask only covered the top portion of her face. That he could see the expression her lips made didn''t make him feel any better. Facial expressions didn''t always elude to a person''s truth, he knew that fact quite well.


    So as the pair drew closer, he rose his guard.


    It had been decided that Paoxiao would do the talking. Although Nastasia''s speech had improved greatly over the past month, her sentences still weren''t entirely smooth. She could use the practice, but it would be faster to have Paoxiao ask the boy if he knew the way and to lead them.


    "Little boy?" Being addressed, the boy didn''t say anything. He just watched them warily as he waited for Paoxiao to continued. "Little boy, do you know where Commander Jiang''s estate is located?"


    Who didn''t know where it was? Commander Jiang was a decorated officer with many merits beneath him, his most outstanding being that he single-highhandedly turned the tied in that major war with their neighboring countries more than a decade ago. To both curb his influence and to guard against his younger brother, the emperor had assigned him to this backwater town under the pretense of guarding it.


    However, though this town was the closest to the eastern border, no one would dare tempt to invade it due to the presence of the Palace of the Four Gates. This was a tacit agreement between all five countries.


    The real reason, to be whispered about, was that Commander Jiang had been stationed her to keep on eye on the emperor''s imperial older brother, the Elemental Spirit Master; to supress him. Though it was whispered about, it wasn''t far from the truth. That Jiang Yu Xue became one of Li Yu Rong''s people as swiflty as he entered the town was not something anyone under the emperor''s faction could have predicited.


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    Thus, in the following year, Minister Li along with General Bai had been made to accompany Commander Jiang in protecting Mencheng.


    Even though a few years had passed since the commander had been moved here, the townspeople often traveled to the Jiang Estate hoping to catch a glimpse of people living within. Though most were young unmarried ladies hoping to sneak a peek of the unmarried Jiang Yu Xue''s valiant figure and perhaps, in turn, catch his eye.


    The children, however, knew the location of the estate for a different reason. The young miss of the Jiang family wasn''t like other young nobles. She wasn''t stuck up and would engage with the local kids as if they were on equal terms, inviting them inside the estate to play every now and again.


    Though he never participated, he knew the location. The young boy looked at them as if trying to decide why they were looking for the Jiang estate. Though he never joined in when she came out to play, she was a nice girl and he rather liked her. He wouldn''t lead trouble to her house.


    "Why are you looking for the Jiang Estate?" He asked, his sharp tone and narrowed eyes carried suspicion.


    Aware of the boy''s guard against him, he said. "My master has business with the young miss Jiang." This next part was rather difficult to say and he had to force his mouth and brows not to twist with distaste. "While looking for the estate, we''ve seemed to have gotten ourselves lost." He always hated having to admit to being lost.


    After a moments consideration, the boy nodded. The Jiang estate was filled with Commander Jiang''s soldiers and the two before him didn''t look to be very strong. If they attempted to do anything, the guards would be able to stop them. Consoled with this, he said. "Then I''ll lead the way."


    As they wandered about, Nastasia had taken a few gold pieces from the coin purse Paoxiao was holding for her. She had done it to buy food for Loki and Fenrir so that they would stop snatching a bite to eat here and there as they walked.


    At the restaurant that had a lot of business, she had stuffed the wolves full. Though the bill amounted to three silvers, she gave the waiter a gold coin and only accepted a hundred silver pieces as change. The restaurant nearly full of patrons, but they would hardly afford to make change for a gold piece. They weren''t a resturant of the capital.


    As that was all she had to pay with she willingly accepted the amount.


    Recalling when she had mistakenly given gold to the street vendor, Nastasia did not take out gold this time. Instead, she grabbed one of the silver pieces she had gotten and handed it to the young boy. With a smile, she said, "thank you."


    Looking at her smiling face that seemed to bear no ill will, he accepted the coin; swiftly stowing it away. As he was doing her a service it was only right that this young miss should pay him, but even so, he felt bad about it. Originally, he was one that didn''t need such sympathy.


    However, his thoughts were wrong. The reason she hadn''t given him the normal few copper fee wasn''t that she was feeling sympathetic with his run-down appearance. Rather, eventhough she did not have a single copper to give, it wouldn''t have mattered, as she still didn''t understand entirely the value of things in this world.


    "You''re name?" Nastasia decided to stick to small and easy sentences so that she wouldn''t give away the reality of her poor speaking ability.


    The boy kept his dark eyes straight ahead as he led them along. A moment or two had passed since she spoke that Nastasia thought he wasn''t going to answer. Being that he seemed to be a quiet and withdrawn boy, she didn''t mind all that much. After he got used to their presence, she would just ask him again.


    Surprisingly, after finishing that thought, a soft voice uttered; almost too quiet to hear.


    "Yating... my name is Liu Yating."


    This meeting would point the boy away from his fate to die on the streets and point him toward regaining everything that he''d lost.

 Leading the Way

    "Yating... my name is Liu Yating."


    Hearing that soft utterance, Nastasia smiled. "Nice name." She complimented.


    The boy, Liu Yating, ducked his head to hide his embarrassment over the compliment. It was the first time someone had ever said anything remotely kind about his name. This appellation had been given to him out of mockery due to his birth mother being a prostitute from a run-down brothel.


    Yating carried the meaning of "graceful and refined." His mother had been praised as a devastating beauty that could easily bewitch a person''s mind. However, she was a person of the streets, orphaned from a young age. She only knew how to please men so how could she survive among the noble personages of his father''s house. She didn''t have the wit, the etiquette, or the sense for it; easily falling to underhanded schemes.


    The legal wife of his father was a rather vicious woman, not letting them go even to the tiniest detail. It was a wonder that he could manage to survive to this near adult age of thirteen. His birth mother, on the other hand, wasn''t so lucky.


    She died shortly after giving birth to him. He didn''t know her face or her name, the only things that he knew were the slander his stepmother vomited to abuse him. Such a vicious woman, how could he believe her?


    He tried to do his own research into the matter, but that nearly got him killed in the process. A sympathetic servant saved him from death and helped him to escape, but had died while trying to aid him. The servant had taken an arrow to the back for him and passed along the way. Yating buried the body as best as he could, saying a few prayers; hoping wild animals didn''t find her.


    That servant was called Bai Cui, she had been a gift to his mother from his father. From her, Yating learned that his father and mother had known each other long before his stepmother fell into the picture. Mother''s status would never see her married to such a noble person as his father, much less for her to be his concubine.


    However, when his mother had become pregnant with him that all changed. Especially since the imperial doctor claimed that he would be born a boy. From there, his mother was brought in as a concubine in his father''s harem; one of many women, but without the background to support her from treachery.


    From Bai Cui, Yating learned that his mother hadn''t been a prostitute as his stepmother claimed, but an orphaned girl that had saved his father when he was injured. Bai Cui claimed they were deeply in love, but Yating didn''t believe it.


    His mother only provided his father with some warmth and his father was only attracted to that warmth. He wasn''t foolish. A man like his father, as vicious and cold as he was, couldn''t seriously love anyone. That man only spent enough time to get his warmth and then move on. If he could no longer get it than that woman and everything associated with her, faded away.


    Liu Yating held no expectations of such a father. He had been missing for two years, but nothing had been done. Whether alive there was no search and whether dead there was no funeral held.


    As his mind wandered down these less than pleasing thoughts, his body mechanically lead the way. They moved through many twisting turns and through many tight streets. The ways he took were mostly avoided by others but made for the shortest routes.


    As Nastasia followed behind him, she tried to memorize the way. However, with all the turns and strange streets, it would probably be difficult to retrace their steps. Not that it really mattered, she realized of a sudden, as going back the way they came would only have her back at that residential street.


    In about forty-five minutes to an hour, they finally arrived at the gates to the Jiang Estate. Seeing that Yating led them to their destination without incident and that he seemed very familiar with the town''s streets, she said to Paoxiao in a whisper.


    "Ask him, do he know how to get to..." ah, she couldn''t remember how to say the name of Li Yu Rong''s home and so said it as best as she could remember. "How to get to... Solid of the Four Depressed."


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    "Palace of the Four Gates," Paoxiao corrected her pronunciation. After correcting her, he nodded before saying to the boy. "Hey, little Yating, do you know how to get to the Palace of the Four Gates from here?"


    Liu Yating almost opened his mouth to complain about the way he''d been addressed, but pressed lips despite being unwiling. Only a child complained about being treated like a child. He was going to be an adult in two years so it should be beneath him to complain about such things. He decided to let the matter roll off his back.


    So Yating merely said a simple, "I do."


    This child was very cold and withdrawn, treating words like gold. Even though he didn''t speak much and his expression was frozen into a scowl, Nastasia found herself liking the little boy. Walking over to hand him another silver, she said. "Stay with us to take us there, okay?"


    Getting a single inclination of the head for agreement, Nastasia was happy. Flashing the boy a smile, she followed Paoxiao all the way to the front gate where two guards sat diligently watching the entrance.


    Liu Yating followed since had agreed and taken the silver. Also, he was a bit curious as to what these two strange people wanted with the Jiang family. As the guards recognized Paoxiao as one whom frequently came to visit with Commander Jiang, they let the trio through the gate with barely a question asked.


    A servant standing at the side came forward. "This way sir," he said upon seeing Paoxiao, "Third Master Jiang is in his study."


    "I''m not here for Commander Jiang," he denied and then glanced toward Nastasia. "My young miss is here to see miss Jiang Ya Lin."


    Their Fifth Young Miss Jiang had many friends visit her from the town. Though they were all common folk, due to Commander Jiang and the Old Madam''s doting, they said nothing when those children came to visit. This was the first time in a long while that someone obviously from a wealthy family, stopped by.


    Changing the direction the servant said. "Our Fifth Young Miss is this way."


    They were lead down a long corridor that opened up into a spacious courtyard that was beautifully decorated. The lotus flowers floating gently in the pond were eye-catching. Around the pond were a few plum trees in full blossom and to the furthest side of the pond was a magnificent mahogany bench. A leaf and stem pattern had been carved into the wood down the sides and beautiful plum blossoms had been carved on the top, with fluttering butterflies.


    Before they could enjoy the serene scenery, the atmosphere was broken by a sudden yell. "I already told you, I won''t marry him! And you, I don''t know what you were hoping to gain by telling grandmother what happened the other day, but I won''t be marrying you. So get it out of your head."


    Jiang Ya Lin had stood from her chair and slapped her palms against the table. Across from her was an older woman. Aside from the wrinkles at her eyes and lips, she was rather well preserved that it was difficult to tell her exact age. Her silver hair was in a beautiful knot atop her head, with many glittering accesories adorning it.


    As she was the only other woman sitting at the table, she must be Jiang Ya Lin''s grandmother.


    "Insolence!" The older woman cried, "you and your father both! Wanting to worry this poor old woman into an early grave." After heaving a tired sigh, she said. "Why won''t you marry?"


    "It''s not that I won''t marry, I just don''t want to marry him." Jiang Ya Lin answered honestly, hardly caring that the object of their discussion was right beside them. After hearing her words, he coldly harrumphed.


    As he opened his mouth to say something. Jiang Ya Lin turned to the side and noticed Paoxiao standing over there watching them. Feeling embarrassed, she faintly called out questioningly. "Xiao-ge...?"

 A Better Son-In-Law

    As he opened his mouth to say something. Jiang Ya Lin turned to the side and noticed Paoxiao standing over there watching them. Feeling embarrassed, she faintly called out. "Xiao-ge..."


    Seeing her granddaughter''s lost look and hearing her faint whisper, both she and Cheung Fai Guang shifted their gaze. Seeing the handsome youth standing there, unsure of what to do, the Old Madam started to have thoughts. Those thoughts became even deeper once Cheung Fai Guang jumped from his seat, yelling at the newly arrived guest with an accusatory finger pointed in his direction.


    "Grandmother, that''s the shameless rouge that ran off with Ya Lin!"


    Hearing that, Old Madam Jiang''s heavy heart finally settled. When Cheung Yao Si, Fai Guang''s father, had come to talk of marriage between his son and her granddaughter, she hadn''t agreed. Although Ya Lin was an orphaned child that her third son had picked up from the battlefield, she didn''t adore the girl any less. She wouldn''t allow some lower rank family to snatch up her granddaughter in a bid to rise up in the ranks of power.


    Especially one that was a whole three ranks lower. How could they treat her granddaughter well when they obviously were only doing this to get ahead in life?


    Unwilling to tolerate the idea, Old Madam Jiang had searched around all the houses of equal rank, hoping to find a suitable partner for Ya Lin. Unfortunately, none of the houses would even entertain the idea. However, some were willing, though a bit reluctantly, if she could be brought over as a concubine. Old Madam Jiang''s heart was pained, but she understood it.


    Ya Lin didn''t share blood ties with the Jiang family which made others feel uneasy. In their opinions, Jiang Ya Lin didn''t have a stable foothold in the family and thus it was better not to take her in. When nobles married, it wasn''t for love but connections. Even some of the families a rank lower were less than thrilled with the idea.


    Old Madam Jiang had been at this for two years since the father-son pair came to propose marriage, that her hope had long withered. Although she wasn''t too fond of Cheung Fai Guang, at least the boy would stop by periodically to keep her company and ask about Ya Lin.


    Although she really didn''t want to, for fear of her granddaughter being unable to marry, she began to talk to Ya Lin about the Cheung family heir. Yet she didn''t expect for Ya Lin to have such large reaction about it and thus, since Old Madam Jiang first told her about it, they''ve been butting heads over the matter.


    Now, after seeing the young man that claimed to want her granddaughter, the hope in her heart had once again been reignited. That youth had a slight, but strong build and the clothes that adorned his body were something only an upper-rank nobleman could afford. He looked both strong and wealthy, not to mention that his face was incredibly handsome.


    Ignoring Fai Guang''s clear indignation, Old Madam Jiang asked as she continued to look deeply at Paoxiao. "Young man, how old are you?" He didn''t look as if he''s had his coming of age ceremony yet, but if he had then she wondered if he''d be willing to wait for Ya Lin to have hers?


    Thrown by the question and unsure of how to answer, Paoxiao murmured to Nastasia. "How old do I look?"


    Paoxiao wasn''t human. There was no way that he could blurt out his true age. So Nastasia murmured back how old she thought he looked. "Somewhere around, fifteen ¨C seventeen..."


    Since Paoxiao thought it was better to be older among humans, he chose the oldest option. "Seventeen, but why do-"


    "Good, good." Old Madam Jiang said as her eyes became crescents in her happiness. Since this young man has yet to have his coming of age ceremony then it shouldn''t be too difficult to have them wed after Ya Lin reaches fifteen. That is, should this work out and marriage talks between the families not fall through. "You''re family name would be?"


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    Paoxiao did not like voicing his name. To give out ones true name was to give out power over himself to another. It was how he got into this predicament of being controlled by the Slave Binding Contract. Though it was self-inflicted, he felt sore about it and though he felt sore about it, he no longer had the intent to run from it.


    Because he wanted to remain by Nastasia''s side, to protect her.


    Human''s didn''t have the ability to control another by their name and so they didn''t have the reflexive worry that those of the Spirit Realm had. Even so, this wasn''t the Spirit Realm and there were no demons nearby. The two wolves were the only spirit creatures in the vicinity, but they already knew his name.


    As for his surname name... well... even he wasn''t too sure of it. When he was too little to understand, there was an uprising. He and his sister had been hidden away in a small village in the eastern portion of the Spirit Realm by the elders.


    The elders had always spoken of how his sister was a rare talent that was meant to take on their father''s legacy. Although he didn''t know what that legacy was, he always felt pride and joy to have such a sister. After his sister disappeared the elders turned their attention toward him as the one to inherit that legacy.


    However, being that he could only focus on saving his sister, the elders refused to tell him anything regarding his birth and his father. Paoxiao was curious, but more than his curiosity was his desire to defeat that man to get his sister back. He refused to write her off as dead as the elders would have him do.


    Thus, not knowing his family name, Paoxiao could only borrow one from another. "It''s Li," he said as Li Yu Rong''s surname was the first to come to mind, "Li Paoxiao."


    Old Madam Jiang locked the name away in her memory so that she would be able to send someone to make inquiries at a later time. There were two families surnamed Li, one was written as "black" and the other was written as "plum tree." Either of the families would satisfy her just fine, but finding the latter would be a bit tricky.


    The current Elemental Spirit Master''s mother''s paternal family had been surnamed Li. However, this family was like a ghost. No one had ever seen a single member in person, besides Consort Li herself.


    Yet, the family certainly existed.


    It had been said that whatever Consort Li needed they would deliver it before the former emperor could even get the chance. The high-level experts that had been given by her family were so astonishing that they could make intense moves without once being seen. It made those who would conspire against her to tread with lighter steps.


    Although it would be really nice to be connected to such a family, it didn''t really matter to Old Madam Jiang. Rather, she was just ecstatic to have another prospect for her granddaughter outside of Cheung Fai Guang. It was a good thing that she hadn''t made any agreements to hand Ya Lin over.


    Over the moon, Old Madam Jiang stood up with the help of a servant standing at the side that understood to do so from a glance. "Good name," she said as she used the servant to help her walk, "this old lady will now take her leave. You young ones don''t have to worry about me, just talk and get to know one another better."


    That said, she left. Entirely intent on making plans to switch out the Cheung family for the Li family. From beginning to end Old Madam Jiang never noticed the young woman in the mask or the young boy that stood to the side of her.

 Fenrirs Imaginative Revenge

    As he watched the old woman leave, Paoxiao was left feeling a bit stunned. She had asked him a few questions and he was waiting for the reason, but she merely left with a few parting words and a smile.


    While Paoxiao was confused and Nastasia shared the confusion, the other two involved understood the old madam quite well. Cheung Fai Guang looked at Paoxiao with a sneer. As if he would let all the hard work put into brainwashing Old Madam Jiang into thinking that he was her only option go to waste.


    He opened his mouth to make a snide comment but was cut off by Jiang Ya Lin''s dismissal that was colored in both impatience and annoyance. "Now that grandmother has left, you should leave too. I don''t plan on marrying you, so you should quickly drop the idea."


    Cheung Fai Guang snorted. "First it was Gong Meng Yao and now it''s this guy... when he doesn''t want you, I wonder who you''ll throw yourself at next?"


    Angry, Jiang Ya Lin shot back. "Well, you don''t have to worry, because it''ll never be you!"


    The women of the Jiang household were all just as outspoken. Although the other Jiang women favored more feminine pursuits they, too, did not bear the gentle and placid temperament a woman was expected to have. Were they also accused so shamelessly of being a loose woman, they too would bite back just as harsh.


    Able to toss out such vicious words but unable to swallow anything vicious in turn, Cheung Fai Guang''s thin lips twisted as his slitted eyes squinted tight in his anger. To be so refused again and again burned his throat and singed his nerves.


    Even though he was a lower official, due to the fact that he reached the profound lower level of martial arts at a young, everyone catered to his whims. The only problem was his status, otherwise, he wouldn''t even deign himself to deal with such an aggravating and willful girl.


    Acting out in the moment, he rose his hand to strike her face. He suddenly wanted to see her cheek besmirched scarlet and inflamed, to see her eyes look tearfully and helpless up at him as she crumbles to the floor.


    So willful and so arrogant to refuse him again and again, as if she were better than him, when she was nothing more then a commodity picked up in passing!


    As Jiang Ya Lin swallowed hard and attempted to sidestep the wrathful strike thrown with quite a bit of strength, blue and black filled her vision. A clear and crisp smack filled the air with a horrifying clarity as a clank, clank sound followed suit.


    Paoxiao had moved to intercept the attack, but the minute he tried the Slave Binding Contract sealed all his limbs, preventing him from doing anything. As they left without informing Li Yu Rong, the restriction preventing him from acting against humans had not been lifted. Without considering this, his thoughts at that moment had been rather grim and had thus activated the seal.


    As he watched Nastasia''s face being crisply slapped and slammed to the side a white-hot rage filled his chest. The more he envision slicing through that cretin''s flesh, the more he struggled against his bonds, the tighter they became and the stronger the pain inflicted by it.


    Nastasia breathed in deep as she tried to tolerate the stinging pain. Straightening her posture, she looked up at the dark-haired youth with glaring sky-blue eyes. The mask had been knocked to the ground and the wig had shifted to send several strands of red hair to drift over her face.


    The one in front of her had to be at least twenty years of age. At first, Nastasia had been confused as to what they were talking about, but then remembered the word "marry," from one of the books she read in Li Yu Rong''s study. Jiang Ya Lin couldn''t possibly be older than thirteen. This sad excuse of a man wanted to bully such a young girl into marriage, going so far as to beat her? She couldn''t help but be filled with disgust for this man.


    While Cheung Fai Guang was startled by her strange eye and hair color, he was also enchanted by her. The righteous anger in her eyes made him want to push her down. As he nearly stepped forward to make a move, her words stopped him cold.


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    Nastasia was so angry that she nearly started speaking in English to curse him, but caught herself. "You not get what you want, you throw fit like child act violently. So despicable!" The level of her speech fell with how upset she felt inside.


    More than being struck by these offensive words, Cheung Fai Guang was stunned over this indigent girl''s severe lack of skill to properly speak. Even his three-year-old nephew could command a higher ability in his speech.


    Holding back his amusement, Fai Guang ridiculed, "are you so desperate for companionship, Jiang Ya Lin, that even fools can satisfy you?"


    Before his words could register, before they could feel any negative emotions from it, a suspicious wet spot bloomed across Cheung Fai Guang''s crotch area. Feeling the wet, he froze a whole second before looking down. His cheeks heating up from both its appearance and the disbelieving gazes attaching themselves to his crotch.


    The wolves had been bound like Paoxiao, unable to move due to the contracts placed upon them. However, Fenrir, after considering the situation a bit, calmed his hatred and want to maul the human that dared to strike its master. Once having done so, he was able to move freely.


    Without any shame at what he thought to do, calm as can be, Fenrir walked right up to the human male and lifted his leg to relieve his bladder. From his height, the steady stream perfectly alighted to the man''s crotch and so created the present situation.


    Both Paoxiao and Nastasia were stunned as they could see what Fenrir dared to do. The rest, however, could only stare in stunned horror at what they thought was Fai Guang''s failing bladder. A few even dared to laugh, though they tried their best to muffle this fact.


    Cheung Fai Guang tried to calm his heaving breathes as he drowned in humiliation. The suave and cool image he had worked so hard for had shattered in a mere instant. Although this happened within the Jiang family home, servants had legs and mouths. This could easily spread outside.


    "No... this... I.." he stuttered as he tried to think of a way to refute how the situation appeared to be. However, he couldn''t even begin to understand how this dripping wet spot could have possibly appeared to dissuade others from believing that he had trouble holding his bladder. Especially when the smell of urine was so heavy in the air.


    Seeing his stumbling and horrified appearance, Nastasia''s lips twitched upward. Her sky blue eyes shined as she felt that a bit of her anger had been vented by this humorous event. She wanted to say that "when karma bites, it bites hard," but didn''t know how to say it. Though she wanted to say something, the words were choked in her throat as she couldn''t help but laugh at Fenrir''s self-satisfied expression as he sauntered back to sit beside his brother.


    It was unbelievably cute.


    Their staring, their laughter, this unbearable humiliation, his emotions were all over the place at the moment. When Nastasia laughed without holding back, Fai Guang''s tender hold snapped. Reaching out for the girl, he viciously yelled. "You little Bitc-"


    Fai Guang bit his tongue at the end when a hand reached out and shoved him backward. When he looked up that girl was being pulled flush against a man''s sturdy chest. His arms wound around her waist possessively. Those dual colored eyes bore down on Fai Guang with such strong and cold pressure the fine hairs on his neck stood on end.


    Though the man''s lips twisted upward the grin he presented held not a shred of warmth. "I wonder how my how my pet has offended you?" The words were slow, the voice mellow as it asked, but there was a chill in it so frigid it was hard not to feel intimidated.


    Although Cheung Fai Guang had only seen this man once from some distance away, his frightful appearance had been etched deeply into his memories. The Elemental Spirit Master of their time, the emperor''s younger brother, was nothing short of a terrifying nightmare that lingered long after waking.


    No matter how you tried to shake it from you, the fear wouldn''t fade.

 Breaking Bones

    Slave Binding Contracts can only hold back the inevitable for so long. After a time, the contracted must return to the Palace of the Four Gates to both filter out the corruption by vital energy and to reforge the contract. Should this not be done and the time missed, the protections of the contract would wane till it snapped. The prolonged exposure to the vital energy of the Mortal Realm would have those originally of the Spirit Realm slipping into insanity.


    Therefore, from quite early this morning, Li Yu Rong had been renewing contracts after Lu Se Ying purified their bodies of the vital energy''s taint. This was aside from the preparations and meticulous planning -in response to the information gathered- that was necessary to be done before journeying to the Spirit Realm.


    Around late wushi, after renewing around twenty contracts, Li Yu Rong paused his work to take a break. Having exhausted his energy in reforming so many contracts, he was feeling rather sluggish and so was laying out on a couch near the pond to relax. Although his dark black hair was hanging loose the light gray robes lined in black trim and embroidered bamboo along the edges was still as neat as when he first wore it.


    The servant that had been sent to check on whether Nastasia was still asleep or if she were awake returned. The hesitant and unwilling look across the spirit''s face had Li Yu Rong sitting up straighter. He could tell the news being brought back to him wasn''t going to be anything pleasant.


    The servant couldn''t bear to look at his master, turning his gaze to his cloth shoed feet. "Ma-Master, it would appear that the young lady has left the palace with Paoxiao."  His eyes couldn''t help it, they looked up to catch his master''s blackening face. It was so terrifying, Ah, why did he have to be the one sent to deliver this bad news?


    Well, at least he wasn''t on guard duty. It had been a long-standing order not to allow her to wander out from the Palace of the Four Gates. Although master had allowed her to leave yesterday, he never directly said that they no longer had a need to prevent her from going outside.


    "Tell the two who were on guard duty at the time to await punishment."


    "Of course master." Cupping his fist and bowing his head respectfully, the servant was more than happy to carry out this duty so long as it could get him away from his master''s darkening and suffocating presence.


    Li Yu Rong''s face was drawn up into an angry frown. Just the other night they had discussed her need to rest. Not even a day had passed since her fainting, yet she was already disregarding her health. He understood that Asya wanted to go home, but did she really have to strive so hard to leave him that much quicker.


    "¡­."


    Ah, that last thought was rather depressing even though he knew that her purpose wasn''t to leave him but to get home. Even so, did she really have to work that hard? It was like the vast amount of time he thought he had dwindled to such small and difficult to move space that it was suffocating.


    It made him want to push her down and have his way with her. If he took her first time than she''d have no choice but to remain with him. Although he never paid much attention to human courtships, this much he was aware of.


    He''d never be able to do it.


    Although he would gain her body, he wouldn''t have her heart. Asya would hate him for it and that was something he wouldn''t be able to bear.


    Banishing his depressing thoughts, Li Yu Rong let his eyes fall closed. His vision was filled with a map of Mencheng. Considering Paoxiao''s complete lack of directional sense coupled with Asya''s lack of familiarity, they were probably lost somewhere.


    As he concentrated on the arrays that would delineate her location included in mark he placed on her arm, a little moving speck appeared. Although they were some distance from the Palace of the Four Gates the direction they were heading in, without error, was the Jiang family estate.


    The Jiang estate wasn''t far from here. It was about a ten to twenty-minute walk depending on factors of traffic and walking speed. The only reason it had ever been an all-day affair was due to Paoxiao''s complete lack of directional sense. Somewhere along the line, as it appeared they were moving in the right direction without veering off, they must have gotten someone to lead the way.


    For Li Yu Rong, being so light on his feet, it wouldn''t take long to meet the troublesome pair. Thus he leisurely stood from the mahogany couch to slowly make his way to the front gate. All the while his mind was plotting out punishments.


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    Luckily for Asya, he was no longer restricted by the laws of this place that prevented him from leaving after his long absence to entertain his brother at the imperial palace. He was now able to move about freely.


    -------------------------------


    Thus, is how we came to this point in time.


    Although Cheung Fai Guang had only seen this man once from some distance away, his frightful appearance had been etched deeply into his memories. The Elemental Spirit Master of their time, the emperor''s younger brother, was nothing short of a terrifying nightmare that lingered long after waking.


    No matter how you tried to shake it from you, the fear wouldn''t fade.


    So no matter what he did, Fai Guang couldn''t stop the trembling that started from his fingers and worked its away down to the tips of his toes. He tried to stand up, desperately wanting his feet to carry him away from this frightening man, but it was as if he were paralyzed.


    He could only remain on the ground watching as that man, who very much resembled a demon with that red eye, fawned over the girl in his arms.


    Li Yu Rong pulled the girl against him to calm his anger. Feeling her warmth in his embrace was comforting. Leaning forward a bit, his lips placed by her ear, he murmured. "I thought we agreed that you would stay and rest for the day?"


    ''You said it,'' Nastasia thought rebelliously, ''but I agreed to nothing.'' These were words she would never say out loud. At least not while she was still in this disadvantageous position. Instead, she leaned against him and patted the arms that held her tight, aiming to pacify him, and said.


    "Came to talk with Ya Lin, not work. I sleep again when I get back." She assured him, hoping that her willingness to rest would move him to calm his anger.


    However, the aroused displeasure making his jaw clench at the moment came not from Asya sneaking away, but rather the scene that he had stumbled upon. How dare that swine reach out for her with ill intent! How dare he try to curse her with such disgusting words!


    Turning her around his embrace so that he could look at her, his hand that reached up to tuck away an errant strand of hair froze. His black and red depths deepened as they filled with irreconcilable rage. Li Yu Rong had desired to look upon her to staunched back his violent feelings only to have them rage out of control.


    On her fair cheek was deep red welt the well displayed a palm and five fingers. The strength of the hit was painfully evident. If it wasn''t taken care of soon it would quickly develop into a nasty bruise.


    Taking in a shuddering breath he swept Asya up into his arms. With barely conceal acrimony he said to Jiang Ya Lin. "Though this happened in your estate, I won''t hold the Jiang family responsible. Whatever discussions you were going to have with my pet, you can have them later."


    He turned and slowly walked back the way he came in. As he passed by Paoxiao he said, voice seeting. "Break the hands that dared to touch her, break the jaw that dared to slander her, and break whatever else will see him bedridden six months or more." After he said so, Paoxiao was able to move. He then added as an extra punishment for both. "Don''t leave him for the Jiangs to clean up. Return him to wherever he comes from."


    Li Yu Rong then left without a backward glance. His thoughts were centered around finding Lu Se Ying in order to tend to Aysa''s wounded cheek. The anger he felt at her disappearing without a word had been pressed to the back of his mind. Through his worrying, he didn''t notice the boy that followed after him with a look of contemplation on his face.


    Paoxiao nodded and took to his task with relish. At their backs, Cheung Fai Guang''s screams, which sounded like a slaughtered pig, along with his cracking bones, resounded through the air with a gruesome clarity. Those that heard it, those that saw it, felt their teeth set on edge from the horror of it.


    Afterward was another type of torture. The bumpy way back, as Paoxiao fumbled around to find his way, jarred Fai Guang''s wounds horribly with every step. The humiliation at being slung over a man''s shoulder like a sac of rice, while people whispered and stared and pointed toward his face that had been beaten until it was pig-like with his jaw hanging crooked, was devastating.


    Soon the pain became too much that his mind gave out, falling into unconsciousness. Before his thoughts faded, Cheung Fai Guang made the decision to steer clear of anything related to that demon called the Elemental Spirit Master, for fear of losing his life faster. This included the young miss of the Jiang family.


    Nothing was more important than his life.

 Outside the Gates to Home

    After Paoxiao dropped off Cheung Fai Guang at the gate, the guards were horrified by his severely beaten appearance. Hollering for the servants, the young master was brought back to his room while others ran about to find both their master and a doctor to look over the young master.


    Sometime later after his jaw had been reconnected, with much difficulty, Fai Guang had detailed his encounter with the ruffian that had injured his body to this severe degree. His father,irreconcilably unsatisfied with the state of his son, had marched his way over to the yamen in hopes of having them investigate the matter and find justice for his son.


    This matter of Mencheng being turned about to find an imaginary culprit would soon die out in a few days as the Magistrate declared the suspect to have long left town. Cheung Yao Si could not give up and refused to leave it at that. He highered out a few highly intelligent martial arts experts skilled in tracking to hunt down the culprit based on his son''s description.


    This knowledge, though Commander Jiang personally came to tell it, Li Yu Rong chose to ignore it. If they wanted to hunt after phantoms, what did it have to do with him? However, this was at a later time.


    Currently, Li Yu Rong was marching along with a belly full of anger, ignoring Asya''s attempts to either get his attention or force her way out of his arms. He held her fast as his eyes remained straight ahead while he tried to calm his simmering rage.


    If he looked at her face, saw her swollen cheek, then he would be unable to help the urge of wanting to deal with the scum himself. Unfortunately, there was a drawback of being half demon while holding control of the Palace of the Four Gates. Unless there was a threat to his life or it had something to do with the balance between both the Spirit and Mortal Realms, he couldn''t act against humans.


    With demon blood flowing through his veins the palace deemed him too op to deal with those of the Mortal Realm. So, like the contracted, he was restricted from acting in violence toward humans. However, unlike the contracted, he wasn''t physically prevented from doing so. If he so wanted, without ending up like Paoxiao and the wolves, he could raze Mencheng to the ground.


    Only that, afterward, the feeling of a thousand things crawling up his body to sting down would visit upon his flesh. The pain was immense and the poison from the invisible stingers would steal away his five senses. Depending on the severity of his crime his being caged in a void of nothingness could last an entire month.


    This was a consequence he had discovered in his youth.


    The reason he had gotten away with flinging the knife back to General Bai is that it was a counterattack. While in reality, it was nothing more than revenge, and a simple killing of the chicken to warn the rest, it had been treated as self-defense. Although a knife thrown with General Bai''s flimsy strength couldn''t even pierce his flesh, he had forced his fear for Asya''s life to be a fear for his own life.


    Being under the control of the Palace of the Four Gates for so many years he had found many of its loopholes. However, in this instant without any cracks to exploit, he could only borrow a hand to stab the knife.


    So, while he was still angry enough to disregard the consequences, Li Yu Rong refused to look at Asya while he quelled his unstable emotions. As they approached the gated entrance to the Palace of the Four Gates he was finally breathing easier. Unhooking his arm from beneath Asya''s knees, he carefully set her on her feet, helping to steady her as he released her completely.


    Taking a moment to cup her uninjured cheek, his expression was pained as he looked at the welt marring the other. "Next time, if you want to go out, say something first. I won''t stop you from going, but if you just leave without a word then how can I protect you properly?"


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    Though he said this, Li Yu Rong already told the spirits guarding the entrance to prevent her from leaving in the future should she try. When Paoxiao returned, he decided on the way back to give him the standing order to protect Asya by whatever means would prove necessary.


    Although Paoxiao, from the times he''d seen him on the other side of the gate, had been hot-headed and acted on emotion, he was quite steady since becoming one of the contracted. Li Yu Rong felt that such an order would not be abused by the golden-eyed demon thus, for Asya''s safety, he would take this risk.


    As he looked at her glaring wound, Li Yu Rong leaned forward, brushing his lips across the bruising welt. His hand slid from her cheek to the back of her neck as he plundered her mouth that opened in shock over his sudden actions. His tongue dove in to ruthlessly to sample every corner a good five seconds, biting her bottom lip, before letting her go.


    "Punishment," he murmured against her lips before straightening, acting as if he hadn''t done anything shameless just outside his home in front of so many onlookers.


    While Asya was stunned, breath a little unsteady as she processed what he had just done to her, Li Yu Rong slid his attention to the boy standing off to the side. He couldn''t help feeling a little appreciative of the boy''s skills. Though he hadn''t gone all out when he left the Jiang Family Estate, he hadn''t exactly been slow and nor did he take the normal route through the streets. Opting to jump across rooftops than to take the long way around, the boy had been able to keep a near perfect stride of him.


    "You would be...?" He asked, holding the last syllable a might longer then it should in question. There was something familiar about the boy''s appearance, something that hung on the edges of his memories from a long time ago.


    The boy held out a gleaming silver coin and rather than answering, he said. "I need to return this since I wasn''t needed to show the young lady home." He was polite, his movements refined as he held himself with a noble dignity. Though he was no different from urchins off the streets, his small and tattered clothes were kept neat. Though he couldn''t help being dirty, he kept himself as well as he could, and coupled with his noble air one would take a moment or more to notice the less refined details.


    Having recovered from Li Yu Rong''s surprise attack, Nastasia moved forward before he could respond to the boy. Taking the boy''s hand and curling his fingers over the coin, she shook her head. "You keep. Paoxiao don''t know where he going, can just help next time."


    Liu Yating hesitated a moment before returning the silver coin to sit beside the first one he had gotten. Then, thinking of an issue, he asked. "How will I be able to help you next time?" If they part ways here, there''s no guarantee that they''d run into each other again for him to be able to help her.


    Thinking about it and recalling what Li Yu Rong had said before he angrily snatched her up to march out from the estate, and the screams that tragically followed in their wake, Nastasia said. "Come back early the day after tomorrow." She would rest a day seeing as Li Yu Rong seemed rather concerned about it.


    She also made a mental note to be careful when she went out next. Although that fellow that squabbled with Jiang Ya Lin was a nasty sort of guy, and while she honestly wanted to deck him after he slapped her, breaking both his hands and jaw and whatever else Paoxiao decided to do was a bit much. However, becoming even more clear that this world was of a different mindset, she could only do her best to tread carefully.


    Liu Yating waited a moment, but seeing as she said nothing more, he then gave a polite nod then walked away. Before doing so, the boy gave Li Yu Rong a look full of complicated feelings as he turned to go back the way he came.

 Why He Was So Familiar

    That look, It was caught by Li Yu Rong. He watched the boy as he walked further and further away for a brief moment before turning his attention back to Asya. "That boy," he asked slowly as he tried to recall where he had seen that face, "who is he and how did you meet him?"


    Feeling a little cautious around him after he suddenly kissed her as he did, Nastasia made sure to subtly keep a good distance between them. As she did so, she casually said. "He was leaning on the wall of a house on a street with lots of houses. Paoxiao got lost, we asked him to help us. His name is Liu Yating."


    Liu... Yating...?


    Though Li Yu Rong''s lips slowly curved up his eyes were very cold. The air around him also become frigid. One of the hands at his side clenched into a fist so tightly the veins on his hand and bit up his arm began to pop out. Stunned, Nastasia quickly grabbed his wrist to encourage him to stop, completely forgetting her thoughts of keeping a distance between them.


    "What wrong?" She asked, deeply concerned over his sudden change. Her small hands rubbed over his clenched fist, trying to uncurl the fingers and straighten them out. "Don''t, your hand is going to get hurt."


    Turning gentle over her concern, he uncurled his fist. Li Yu Rong watched as she traced over the deep nail marks on his palm with a frown marring her delicate face. His heart was pricked as it squeezed with emotion. To help contain that feeling before it overflowed he gathered Asya up into his arms and hugged her to him; tight. As he hugged her, he walked them through the gate and away from curious eyes.


    The feeling of her warmth in his arms was a balm to the raw wounds that had suddenly resurfaced. He curled forward a bit as he rubbed his cheek against the crown of her head, breathing in deep the light scent of her body. She smelt softly of fragrant plum blossoms. As he breathed out, all the tense muscles in his body relaxed.


    Although he could never get his fill, he released her once his emotions stabilized. He dragged his fingers through red and black strands of hair before taking his had to remove the black wig from her head. The spirits had gathered as he entered through the gate, waiting to hear any orders fall from his lips. As he threw the wig to the side, he ordered, "return that to her room. Also, one of you head over to the Jiang estate and collect the mask she lost."


    A spirit materialized to catch the wig before fading off to do as he bid.


    Asya''s clear sky blue eyes were looking him up and down as if trying to delineate from any part of him the reason for his sudden strangeness. Concern was still clearly written across her face as she seemed to debate with herself on what to say to him.


    Again his fingers reached out and brushed across her cheek, reveling in warm softness of her flesh. "I''m fine," he told her lightly, "let''s go have Lu Se Ying take care of your cheek before it gets any worse." She really made it difficult for him to not want to touch her. Her every action pulled him into the want of losing himself in her.


    Unfortunately, those wants and desires had to largely remain unanswered. ''Ah, but soon,'' he thought to himself as he escorted her back to her room, ''I''ll be able to do all I want to her and more.'' This thought, it brought a devilish grin to rise across his lips as his eyes were aglow with a predatory light.


    This look, it brought a sense of dread and caution to rise up in Nastasia. She didn''t know why, as he often had that devilish grin, but coupled with those eyes, it made her feel a need to put a bit more distance between them. It was as if, should she remain careless, she would be devoured to the bones before she could even see the meat leaving.


    After Li Yu Rong saw her to her room, Lu Se Ying appeared. He checked over her wound before smearing a strong smelling salve across it. It tingled and smelled and was quite unpleasant, but with Li Yu Rong standing nearby, she didn''t dare to reject it.


    After everything had been seen to, Li Yu Rong left with Lu Se Ying once he got Nastasia''s promise to remain in her room and rest. Although she gave this promise, as there really wasn''t anything wrong with her, she very quickly pulled out her ink brush and papers.


    Sitting at a drum-shaped table with drum-shaped stools that had recently been brought into her room, she began to drag her ink-filled brush against a fresh sheet of paper. While she didn''t get to discuss with Jiang Ya Lin on how to go about hiring out employees for her shop, she could at least write out her plans and work out designs.


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    Though she worked diligently, Nastasia made sure to take breaks here and there to rest. She didn''t want her eyes to appear tired should Li Yu Rong come back later. Once night fell, during one of her breaks, she drifted off to sleep while comfortably nestled in her bed with a book borrowed from the study.


    ---------------------


    Li Yu Rong was currently looking over some reports that had been handed to him earlier. His eyes may have been looking over them, but his mind didn''t take in a single word written on the page. Too preoccupied with the familiar-face he had seen not too long ago. Eventually, day descended into night as he aimlessly sat here like this.


    As he was lost in those thoughts, thinking of the possibilities, Hui Se Ying materialized into the room. There was a bit of hesitance to speak written clearly across his face, but it didn''t stall him in speaking. "I''ve contacted our agents in the capital. It would seem that Liu Yating is the current emperor''s son. His mother was an orphan living on the streets; she died after giving birth to him. Having no mother to protect him on top of not having the power of a maternal family, he was heavily mistreated, even by the servants."


    Hui Se Ying took a breath and then continued. "Upon further investigation, it was found that the empress has moved the young prince to a countryside villa to recover after it was said that his body was weakened from a cold. This was half a year ago, the whole truth of the matter would require further investigating. Do you wish for me to ask it of them, master?" He finished.


    Liu Yating... how many people out there could have the surname Liu? There was only one family. The imperial family. A sardonic grin transformed his lips into something tragically heartbreaking as his eyes shined with a bit of helplessness.


    "No need," Li Yu Rong said, his voice a tad hoarse. "Even without further investigating I can understand what happened. In the imperial palace, without a proper strength to back you, your either suppressed to death or cast aside and left for dead."


    Nodding, Hui Se Ying then said. "The spirit you sent to investigate the boy''s whereabouts has also returned. Though currently, by using the silver given to him by the young miss, he''s gotten himself a few days at an inn... he''s usually sleeping on the streets. He''s never begged the passerby for money, instead, he takes on odd jobs here and there, surprisingly staying far away from the more seedy types of work." Glancing over at his master to try and gauge his reaction, but on finding his look to be like trying to find emotion from a stone, he still decided to ask. "You want I should send someone to help him out?"


    "It won''t be necessary." Li Yu Rong rejected. That boy had a proud and upright appearance. He wouldn''t accept charity even if it were well meaning. The best form of help would be to put him to work. At that thought, Asya came to mind. Recalling that he had given her quite a bit of money, he decided that when next she brought up wanting to visit the town, he would let slip to be a little more generous when paying the guide; Liu Yating.


    "Have someone keep an eye on him all the same. Although he''s been abandoned all the way out here, he''s still an heir for the throne. Should something happen beyond his control, we''ll help him out."


    "Understood master." That said, Hui Se Ying vanished to carry out his orders.


    An Heir for the throne... even if you don''t want it, even if you were abandoned without a single hope of obtaining it, just the fact that you existed would prevent others from living peacefully. Trapped in the melancholy of the past, Li Yu Rong''s chest was feeling stuffy. Long having been unable to continue looking through documents and writing out responses, he forwent his persistence to try.


    Instead, he stood from his desk and left the study. His heart was unsettled. He was feeling cold. His feet carried him down the path leading to Asya''s room. Suddenly having a longing to see her, Li Yu Rong was aching to have her warmth beside him.

 Late Night Comfort

    Nastasia, who was in a deep sleep and was usually not disturbed when Li Yu Rong snuck into her bed, found herself waking in the middle of the night from discomfort. She was caught up in a tight embrace. Her sleepy warmth had yet to transfer over to his frozen form, letting her know that his being beside her was rather recent.


    His body was so cold. The coldness seeped into her bones and was probably half the reason she had been pulled from a pleasant slumber. Had he been sitting outside a long while before deciding to sneak into bed with her?


    He hugged her close, curling his body around her, burying his face in her neck. The warmth of his breath washed over her collar, his long hair sliding over her skin, and with it, a tingle traveled down her spine while her own breath hitched unsteadily in her throat. Nastasia tried to swallow down that feeling as she attempted to untangle herself from his clinging arms.


    As she struggled to break free, Li Yu Rong tightened his grip; the hold was almost crushing. To further prevent her struggling he tangled his legs with hers, practically dragging her body half beneath his own. There was something strange about him tonight. Sensing this, feeling it transfer over from their points of contact, she stopped her efforts to get away.


    There was something broken and vulnerable in the way that he curled around her. It reminded Nastasia of her younger brother. After their father died, all their mother did was grieve the first couple months. Her broken cries were constantly being overheard by them from her tightly shut, bedroom door. Her bother, Ruari, had been too young to completely understand what was going on.


    All he knew was that he couldn''t see his father and that his mother was so grief-stricken that she hid away in her room, unable to offer his anxious heart any comfort. She and he were separated by two years, so they were closer to each other than the rest of their siblings. When he couldn''t go to his mother, he would come to her.


    In the middle of the night, when he couldn''t sleep, Ruari would come to her for comfort. In his anxiety, he would squeeze her tight, as Li Yu Rong was doing now, and cry out all his grievances until he fell asleep. At the time she, herself, was quite young and, though her understanding was a bit higher, she was also filled with anxiety and grief. Crying along with her brother until she, too, fell asleep.


    Thinking about it like this, Nastasia''s heart softened. Although she was being tightly squeezed, her arms could still move. Lifting her unconfined limbs, she brought her hand to stroke his dark hair while the other returned his embrace.


    There was a slight tremor through his body as his breath stilled and then in the next second, he seemed to melt into her. Her heart was doused with honey and even more, she was made to think of her younger brother. This grown man that normally held himself with a cool confidence, strong in everything he did, had become steeped in melancholy and made weak as he sought her arms for comfort.


    It invoked tender feelings to sprout for him in her heart. The hand petting his hair smoothed down the back of his head to rest around his shoulders as she gave him a tight squeeze. "Not know what happened, but everything will be okay." She told him as she lowered her voice to be soothing. "Until you feel better, we can stay like this."


    Although she was trying to keep a bit of a distance between them, she couldn''t bring herself to push him away while there was such a despairing atmosphere cloaked around him. Thus, Nastasia decided to allow him to use her as a body pillow until whatever trembled him so stabilized enough for him to stand back up.


    After she finished speaking, Nastasia felt warm breath puff against her neck as he laughed; it was a short, soft, heartfelt sound. After her words and after his laugh there was only silence between them, however, it didn''t feel awkward.


    Warm and content, she almost drifted off to sleep once again but was startled wide awake as something ticklish brushed across her collarbone. At first, Nastasia though it was an accident from his shifting around. However, after a few more times of this, something warm and wet trailed up before his mouth came down to suck on her accelerating pulse.


    Her body jolted as a strangled noise trapped itself in her throat. It was difficult to swallow down underneath Li Yu Rong''s fierce ministrations, but once she managed to find her voice for speaking, shaky words tumbled out. "Wh-What, wh-what, a-ah-are you-!?"


    The arms that had held him prior came up to push his body from her. Unwilling, his hands slid up her arms to lace his fingers with hers, pulling them away. Their clasped hands pulled to her shoulders as he left her neck to seal the words in her mouth.


    Li Yu Rong was full to overflowing.


    His heart that had been tattered in his youth had been poked again by reminiscence of the past.  One thing after another surfaced in his mind, leaving him suffocated. Booted feet brought him to Asya''s room. As he saw her comfortably laid out, sleeping in her bed, all he could think about was holding her while banishing his past struggles and disappointments.


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    That was all he had intended to do.


    Yet, when Asya returned his embrace, when she spoke those words meant to comfort him, everything he felt filled his chest to overflow. He tried to staunch it back, but before he knew it, his mouth started working along her collarbone. It started off small before growing into the raging fire present at this moment.


    His tongue surged against hers, sucking, biting, as he pressed her down and indulged in his passions. The taste of her, the feel of her, her mewling gasps, the rising heat from her body beneath him heightened his desires and set his own body aflame.


    He brought the hands laced with his above her head moving to seal them together with a single hand. The fingers, now freed, burned a trail down her cheek, down her neck, down her robed body, to sneak their way into the folds of her robe.


    Finally feeling the softness of her skin, he dragged his fingers upward to clutch at her bare breast, kneading at the plump flesh as he kissed her deeper. The new feelings it invoked in her, the warmth pooling in her groin, was something no man had ever made her feel.


    It was frightening.


    Frightening because she didn''t find it unpleasant, frightening because she actually wanted him to continue, frightening because she had a home and a life that she needed to get back to. In light of the last point, it would be irresponsible and cruel to give herself to him when she likely couldn''t stay. Even if there weren''t people waiting for her to return, she had fallen into this world suddenly and so it wasn''t unreasonable to think that she could suddenly be tossed back.


    To build emotions on something that might not be possible, it terrified her to give into it.


    That sudden fear caused her heart to squeeze painfully. Rousing from the haze Li Yu Rong''s passion invoked in her, Nastasia began to struggle to free herself. Pulling her mouth away from his, panting heavily, she gasped out.


    "Please... don''t do this... please..."


    The fear in her voice, the trembling of her body beneath him, it caused the heat boiling the blood in his veins to die. Slowly untangling himself from her, he straightened her robe before releasing her completely. Upon being free, she put as much distance between them as she could manage.


    Her fear, her abrupt distance, it would be a lie to say that these things didn''t sting. As Li Yu Rong watched her try to collect herself and steady her breathing, as he witnessed her beautiful and soft-featured face twist with her unease; his chest became choked with emotion.


    His heart was still raw and suffering under the effects of having his bandages pulled back, revealing the hidden scars beneath. Her clear-cut rejection of him, though he understood it was merely because she had yet to accept the idea of living her life in his world, pealed at his scabs and ripped at his scars.


    A hand reached out for her, but because it began to tremble, he let it fall back. Instead, he tried to smile gently for her. Hoping to assuage the fright he must''ve given her. Ah, but he really couldn''t do it. Though he had toughened up over the years, though nothing should have been able to penetrate the iron defense he had erected over time, he had fallen to vulnerability as he sought comfort from her.


    Her, whom his heart began to delight in.


    Li Yu Rong held out his arms, taking a risk that was likely to chip away at him. Regardless, he said. "I promise, I won''t do anything you won''t like I... just want to... can I hug you?"


    Nastasia wanted to reject him. She wanted to keep the distance between them. She feared it shrinking any more than it already has, but she couldn''t open her mouth to say the words. The look on his face was something she had never seen displayed on any person she had ever known. It was a look she never wanted to see again.


    A broken smile.


    Eyes that trembled, unguarded, exposing so many emotions it was difficult to understand them all.


    Even though she wanted to back away, she found herself crawling toward him. Nastasia could see clearly, if she rejected him at this moment, something inside of him would break.


    Li Yu Rong trembled as Asya came toward him, trusting him though she was afraid. He kept to his word. He merely held her. After what transpired between them sleep was far from their minds. Though sleep slipped away, neither made a move speak, just taking comfort and offering comfort.


    When the sun started lightening the sky, Nastasia finally could no longer bear remaining awake. She fell into slumber with her uneasy thoughts.

 Distance

    Wakefulness came to Nastasia in layers. Her head hurt and was severely groggy. After a moment of rubbing at her temples to encourage the pain away, she moved to roll out of bed. As her thoughts cleared a bit more she paused, recalling the events of the night before.


    Her heart began to beat a bit faster; filled with a mix of fear and tenderness.


    What happened yesterday could not be allowed to happen again. She was afraid to let the deep emotions she was beginning to feel for Li Yu Rong grow. At that moment, when he touched her, she wanted nothing more than to drown in feelings he brought out in her.


    And, that was terrifying. For many reasons. Yet, the foremost thought that made her unable to throw caution to the wind was this: She didn''t belong in this world. She had been born in another world, her family and friends were waiting for her in that world, so she had to go back. Nastasia couldn''t toy with such a sincere heart.


    Even if she were able to stay, if she decided to abandoned everything she knew and loved for this feeling that had only just started spouting in her heart, she could still end up being forced back. Recalling her mother''s debilitating grief after her father''s death, the grief that still ate at her to this day, Natasia didn''t have the confidence to risk experiencing it.


    If she was really forced back after their feelings had been allowed to grow, then it would really be as if they had died to each other.


    At the same time, Nastasia couldn''t help but worry over last night''s cause. When he came to her that night, it had been to seek solace from something that stabbed at him and brought him from his usual cool confidence. He was like a little boy wanting affection after a horrid nightmare.


    It was her first time to see him in such a melancholic way.


    A part of her wanted to find Li Yu Rong to discuss the other night; to understand what possessed him to move as he did. To perhaps help him cope with whatever was eating at his heart. While the other part wanted to hide away from him.


    Being that neither options were something she could do, Nastasia put the worry aside for the moment. Staying awake all night and only falling asleep when the sun started rising, she had nearly slept the day away. Standing from the bed and walking over to peek out a window, from the light outside, it was probably around four in the afternoon.


    Both from having promised to rest and not wanting to run into Li Yu Rong just yet, Nastasia stayed in her room. Even though she was planning to stay inside, and still feeling a bit lethargic from sleeping at dawn, she walked over to the wardrobe to change her clothes.


    As she walked passed the full-length Mirror, Nastasia noticed something on her neck. Getting a closer look, her face heated up in embarrassment. There, glaringly obvious against the pale white of her flesh were a few deep red splotches. The largest being across her pulse.


    Horrified, she used her hand to hide them. Realizing that she couldn''t just walk around all day with her hand holding her neck, she searched through all of her clothes. Not finding anything with a high collar, she dressed in a comfortable green and pink robe and skirt. Taking out another sash, she wrapped it around her neck like a scarf.


    Satisfied that the love-bites couldn''t be seen, Nastasia sat at the table in her room that still had her brush, ink, and papers, laid out. The rest of the day would be spent on continuing her designs for the shop she was planning on creating. She was halfway through the blueprint she was working on for how the inside should look and decided to try and finish it before the end of the day.


    Although she worried about Li Yu Rong visiting her; he never came. Paoxiao dropped in for a time and she discussed the shop with him. Showing a few designs and getting his opinion, they talked for quite a while. Before he left, she asked if he would visit Jiang Ya Lin on her behalf to consult her on how to go about hiring employees.


    A few days passed like this and as far as Nastasia could tell, Li Yu Rong hadn''t climbed into her bed since that night. In fact, she hadn''t even seen his silhouette in the distance, since that night. While it was something of a relief, it also felt strange. For the over two months that she had lived in this realm, though there were times he wasn''t around as much, Li Yu Rong had been a constant presence.


    To ignore the part of her that said she missed him, Nastasia distracted herself with work, books, and playing the flute from time to time. On the fourth day, along with Paoxiao, she was getting ready to meet with Jiang Ya Lin.


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    The young miss of the Jiang family was quite a kind and helpful girl. Under her arrangement, several people had been gathered to be tested as potential hires for the shop Nastasia intended to create. Excited at being a step closer to meeting her desired end, she gathered up her things and left with Paoxiao.


    ------------------------------


    Since the night Hui Se Ying had been asked to investigate about Liu Yating, his master had been in a rather foul mood. Li Yu Rong had been working throughout the night these past few days, with little sleep, in his study. Not once had he taken a break to play around with that girl of his and neither did he slip into her room.


    Their master''s dark air, short commands, and easily upset manner had the servants treading carefully. Hui Se Ying, feeling sympathy for the servants and curious over his master''s sudden moodiness, braved forward to ask after it.


    Although he wasn''t entirely sure of the reason, he felt like it might have something to do with Nastasia. The girl his master was keeping. He couldn''t help but wonder if they had gotten into a fight, and so he worded his question carefully. "In three more days we''ll be traveling to the meeting point, are you still planning to take that girl along?"


    Li Yu Rong looked up from his writing, a flash of something passed through his eyes before he looked back down to finish working on the reply that quickly needed to be sent out. Ah, so he guessed rightly. Hui Se Ying wasn''t bothered by his master''s lack of response. Lowering his head, he began to carefully think of a way to coax his master into opening up about the issue.


    There was silence between them for a short while before, surprisingly, Li Yu Rong broke it. "Hui Se Ying," he sighed, "that night, I wanted to indulge in her. Touching her, everything unpleasant melted away. I thought that she, no..." he shook his head with a rueful laugh, "I wanted to believe that she was okay with it. Because of my selfishness, I scared her."


    Tossing aside everything he had come up with to make his master open up, Hui Se Ying easily moved on to what needed to be said now. "That girl never seemed to mind it so I didn''t think to say anything about it but, master, in the Mortal Realm there is a thing a called ''the proper distance between men and women.'' So it was probably just that, as you see... a woman''s reputation is a very fragile thing. Even the tips of their fingers aren''t meant to be casually touched. Especially the unmarried ones.


    "So, rather than being afraid of you, it was probably just that she was worried about how she''d be viewed. After all, such intimacies between men and women are meant to be had after marriage." Such words coming from his mouth were rather comical. As, for him, the proper distance between men and women was between the sheets. Yet, considering he was trying to make his master feel better, such words were okay to speak.


    Frowning, Li Yu Rong shook his head. "It wasn''t that." If it were only a worry over reputation, she wouldn''t have looked at him the way she did. The fear in her eyes wasn''t something so simple. However, the fact that disgust hadn''t been in her gaze was a great relief. "I was giving her time. Before leaving for the Spirit Realm, I had planned on discussing that night with her."


    Once Aysa had a bit of time to calm down, there was a chance he could speak to her about that night and find out exactly her feelings on the matter. Once they were able to discuss things properly, perhaps he would be able to assuage her fears. Or, better yet, convince her to stay.


    While that last one was wishful thinking, it didn''t stop him from fantasizing about it.


    Ah, this won''t do at all. If master really forced her talk about it, then master would probably end up hurt in the end. Hui Se Ying quickly moved to dissuade his master from such thinking. "If you keep up with this distance," he said, trying to sound all-knowing, "then she''ll be the one coming to you. From the beginning, you''ve been rather close to her. If you suddenly put distance between you, at first, she''ll begin thinking about you constantly and then, unable to take it, she''ll start trying to bridge that distance."


    As Li Yu Rong thought about it, he found the idea pleasing. He was always the one chasing after her, hoping that she would fall for him. It would be nice to have her chasing after him for a change. Still, even as he entrained the thought, he felt that they needed to talk about that night. He owed her an explanation and an apology for frightening her.


    Finally, he said. "I''ll think about it."

 A Test for Hiring Prt. 1

    Nastasia smiled at Jiang Ya Lin. Though her face was covered beneath a black mask, the bottom half was still visible. Her red hair was hidden beneath a black wig. Part of the dark hair of the wig was piled on top of her head and held in place by a single silver hairpin. A white skirt was worn up above her breasts that stretched down to cover her feet from view. A long wide-sleeved, white robe with red trim and embroidered plum blossoms along its length was held together at the waist with a red sash. The sash also had plum blossoms embroidered along it.


    She had been dressed by the servants after getting their opinion on what would make an impressive appearance for the people of this world. As she wanted to leave a good impression on those who would soon become her employees.


    Jiang Ya Lin excitedly left the front entrance of the shop, the green tea colored skirt fluttering about with her jaunty steps. With a cute and amused laugh, she said. "I''m surprised you got here so quickly."


    Nastasia returned her amusement with a light chuckle of her own. "Liu Yating is good guide."


    Perturbed, Paoxiao wanted to say something in retaliation but held his tongue. Luckily he realized in time, if he had opened his mouth he would only be inviting trouble. Instead, he kept his silence, following after them to the building''s entrance along with their kid guide.


    "I, Paoxiao, and the servants of my Jiang family have prepared everything as you wrote it. I''ve never seen such a test before and tried it myself. I didn''t do too bad and through the test, I''ve also discovered some skills I wasn''t aware my family''s servants possessed."


    Understanding only half of what the younger girl was chatting about, Natasia gave her a smile and nodded her head as she tried to follow along. Not having the confidence to respond, in case she misunderstood something, she listened attentively as Jiang Ya Lin led her inside and toward the waiting people.


    That the jubilant young girl readied everything properly, and that she had fun playing around with the test that had been prepared for the potential hires, were things that Nastasia grasped well enough. It was the things mentioned after that, that got a little hazy. Luckily Ya Lin didn''t seem to mind it as she continued to ramble on about this and that.


    Once they climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked down a corridor to where a large room stretched out, there was a group of people waiting. The room had been sectioned off by thick curtains. The people were quiet and did not converse among themselves, opting to observe those around them while considering the possibilities of the test they were to soon partake.


    Seeing this type of silent, contemplative attitude, Nastasia was rather pleased. From the first impression, it would seem that Jiang Ya Lin had found some rather promising potential hires.


    Staying at the side with Paoxiao, she watched as Ya Lin walked forward to address those gathered. Over the last three days, she had carefully worked out how this event would proceed down to the last word. With Paoxiao''s help, this had then been conveyed to Jiang Ya Lin.


    She knew that she wouldn''t be able to articulate herself well enough to act the part of the host. So Nastasia had decided, with her dark mask and elegant dress, to stand at the side keeping up a cool and mysterious front. It was both a means to wow and to distract those present. Already, a few eyes slid in her direction curiously.


    The reason they were here was already known, so there was no need for Jiang Ya Lin to reiterate it for them. Instead, she got right to the point. "You''ve all had time to prepare yourselves for this trial and from the hints, you should have understood what is expected of you should you obtain a position in this shop." She then gestured toward the curtain where two of her servants stood at the center.


    "To begin with, we''ll have you all lineup. After you''ve lined yourselves up, for ten seconds the curtain will be opened. You will have that long to take notice of as many things behind the curtain as you are able. Once the curtain is placed back you will write everything you can recall seeing and you''re observations of those things.


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    "After that, you will then have to talk with some of my servants to see how well you are at getting them to tell you their information. So get lined up because we''ll be starting in a moment, and" she threw a glance toward Nastasia, "don''t forget to do your best as the Mistress of this shop is watching."


    The corner of Nastasia''s lip kicked up slightly into a semi-smirk as she watched multiple eyes cast toward her, both appraising and nervous. She maintained her stance, appearing detached even as she steadily returned their gazes. As she saw their reactions, she was quite satisfied and couldn''t help but be eager to see how they would perform under the pressure she gave them.


    The curtain was pulled back to reveal the mini setup of a storefront. Various carved dolls dressed in various ways and place in various positions dotted the area, presenting what the store may look like once it''s bustling. The size of everything was diminutive to its actual thing, but it was large enough to cover most of the room that had been sectioned off. It was a beautifully crafted model of what she envisioned the store to look like once everything was finished.


    From their position, everything crafted was easily seen, as it was almost like a bird''s eye view. One shouldn''t have any problems with completing the test.


    After a few seconds, the curtains were swiftly pulled shut. The people were made to write out their answers a distance from each other, to make it difficult to see what other was writing. The idea for this test came from the game she and her siblings would play with their grandfather.


    Whenever they would eat out at a restaurant, whenever they went shopping, or whenever they were out for vacation, their grandfather would play this game to keep their senses sharp. He would have them glance in a direction and then tell him everything they noticed from that one look. He would point out a person and say, "after observing them a moment, what do you think of them?"


    It had gotten to the point that each one of his grandchildren could easily take stock of the situation around them, reading the people and their intentions to near perfection, which later greatly aided them in their lives and in their chosen professions.


    While Nastasia had this skill, she, unfortunately, inherited her mothers wish to see the good in others rather than the bad. Thus, she often found herself tripped up though she had the ability to not get her feet tangled. This blindness, unbeknownst to her, also extended to matters of the heart. Though she was highly intelligent and highly perceptive, the amount of shatter hearts trailing her steps was tragic.


    Even Li Yu Rong''s straightforward and forthright approach for the longest while had been seen as nothing more than a play boy''s teasing antics. It was only recently that she noticed his sincerity, creating, even more, fear to envelop her heart though it brought with it a sense of warmth.


    As she was observing their deft skills with the brush, Nastasia noticed that Liu Yating had also joined in. A brush dabbed in ink gracefully and artfully dashed across his page. Although from her position she could see that he had written a lot, taking it seriously, she thought that he was doing it for fun like Jiang Ya Lin.


    As the last person finished their writing, she felt herself anticipating being able to read all of those papers. She was rather curious to see what each individual observed in the model she created with everyone''s help. After it was made sure that names were written on the papers and they had been properly collected, without mixing anything up, it was time to move on to the next half.

 A Test for Hiring Prt. 2

    In the second half of the testing, the potential hires were made to converse with the Jiang family servants. Before they were placed in front of a servant, they were given a set amount of information they needed to extract. It was interesting to watch the different techniques employed, but the most common, it would seem, was to use small talk.


    They would lead the servant into a sense of security through small talk; the small talk generally starting off with harmless topics, such as the weather, the gossip of different noble families, and their country''s current state of affairs. The types of things anyone would speak of in passing.


    Through the flow of conversation, the potential hire would use the examples of other things, situations, or even their own made up information to have the servants unconsciously spill their lives onto a silver platter. They used kind smiles and kind words; an unassuming wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    Eventually, each tested person walked away with a wealth of information. Jiang Ya Lin''s horrified expression at each instance of mass information dropping was rather comical. Though, it was as said: "Loose lips, sink ships." The young miss Jiang was probably re-thinking the training undergone by her family''s servants.


    As she watched the proceedings, conversation by conversation, she couldn''t help but smile fondly as she recalled her grandfather. The ideas for this test came from him. He often stressed that a person was always eager to speak of themselves. It didn''t take coaxing or underhanded means to know what you wanted to know. You only needed a glib tongue. As long as you steered the conversation right, allowed the one you were speaking to get their fill of tooting their own horn, and praised them for it, nothing was out of reach.


    Even a person''s social security number and bank pin could foolishly be entrusted into your hands. Not that her grandfather had ever done such a thing purposefully and nor did he ever condone maliciously going after such a thing. It''s just that, through the art of conversation during his tenure as an undercover agent of the military, he often spoke of the type of sensitive data a person can drop when led into a sense of warm secured camaraderie.


    After watching the last one skillfully and subtly fish for information, Nastasia and Paoxiao retreated to a room that had been turned into a temporary office. It took a bit of time to read through all the written papers, though a good many of them didn''t have too much written. Paoxiao helped to explain the words she didn''t understand.


    As she came upon Liu Yating''s papers, Nastasia couldn''t help her astonishment as she read through them with Paoxiao''s occasional explanation of the words. The young boy had written, in great detail, nearly everything she had included in the model. Even his speculations about the identities of the dolls were concise and wonderfully well thought out.


    This level of attention to detail, she was shocked to find it in such a young kid. Then again, in this place that was similar to a past-like China, being fourteen here wasn''t necessarily similar to being fourteen in her modern world. From what she''s seen, even at ten, the ones here seemed to be like little adults.


    That thought got Nastasia to thinking. In her world, even at eighteen, a kid was a kid. They''d be focused on friends and school. Even if some of them had part-time jobs, most of them didn''t have to work if they didn''t want to. However, in this world, even at eight, one could work. They could start a family at fourteen-fifteen; or rather, the books in Li Yu Rong''s study claimed as much.


    Even Jiang Ya Lin''s grandmother was trying to find a husband for a girl that looked twelve, but couldn''t possibly be much older than fourteen. Though the girl, herself, had the qualities of someone her age, she was also very grown up in both her actions and thoughts.


    Considering all these things, Nastasia couldn''t help wanting to hire this meticulous-to-details-minded kid. Struggling with the thought, as in her mind children should lead carefree lives, studying rather than going to work, she said to Paoxiao. "He so little, yet saw all those things. He much great potential, what do you think?"


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    Paoxiao didn''t have much of an opinion on these things and wasn''t quite sure on how to respond. All of his time had been spent strengthening himself, so he didn''t know too much outside of that. In light of being able to sense a decent level of martial skill in the boy, and that he seemed to have taken a liking to Nastasia, Paoxiao didn''t feel threatened to have him nearby.


    In the end, after shrugging his shoulders, he said. "If you want him, then take him." It didn''t hurt to have more people around to watch out for her.


    Nodding, she decided to hire Liu Yating, should he agree to work for her. Of the fifteen people that came, Nastasia hired four of them. It would be five should the kid agree. She intended to discuss the matter with Yating as he walked them back to the palace of the four gates.


    Of the four that were hired, three were women and one was a man. As the things she planned to have in the store were more geared toward women, it made sense to have a woman attendant attend to a woman customer. The ones she chose to hire, while detail oriented, were quite the smooth talkers. They could steer a conversation, pull information without being invasive, while generating the feeling, between them and the other person, of being as close as lifelong friends.


    The perfect type for gathering information without seeming as if they were fishing something.


    A chef and a few waitresses have already been hired by Jiang Ya Lin and Paoxiao, to head the restaurant she planned on the second floor of the building. The blueprints for the inside construction had already been given to a craftsman''s guild along with adequate pay for the project. It was said that a week or two later, the projected was predicated to be finished.


    The clothing designs had already been handed over to a seamstress''s guild. A generous extra fee was required to silence their tongues and still their hands from handing off her designs elsewhere for greater profit. It took a bit of effort, but Jiang Ya Lin had managed to work out a deal between them and her shop for the seamstresses of the Mencheng Seamstress Guild to be their exclusive mass production force.


    As Nastasia thought about all Jiang Ya Lin had managed to help her accomplish, she couldn''t help but find the young girl to be absolutely amazing. To be able to negotiate so well at her age, it made Nastasia wonder how the children of this world were educated.


    However, what she didn''t know was that the reason Jiang Ya Lin was able to progress so smoothly was not that her negotiation skills were topnotch, but that she knew how to threaten the people of Mencheng just right. Everyone feared Li Yu Rong, the minute she dropped a but "Elemental Spirit Master" this or an "Elemental Spirit Master" that, it was easier to negotiate more favorable terms.  As well, not a single one dared to turn her down for fear of the consequences.


    After bidding Jiang Ya Lin farewell, expressing gratitude for this time''s matter as well as her past aid, Nastasia followed after Liu Yating as he led the way home. While they were on their way, she formulated what she would say in her head. After a moment of silent walking, she said. "Liu Yating, you want work in the shop?"


    "Why?" He asked, his expression guarded. There was a sense of wanting to fight if her words didn''t satisfy the pride he had in himself. If it was merely an act of charity, he''d shoot her down and leave without a backward glance.


    "Hmmm..." Nastasia thought of all the good things she could say to butter Liu Yating up to the idea. She really didn''t want to let such a promising character go, and felt that he was beyond the scope of a mere guide. He would make a wonderful addition to her shop. "You really smart, good for working in shop. I pay you lot, and since Jiang Ya Lin said that it be easier, some rooms will be made bedrooms for the workers to stay. You can make you room however you want. Because you really good details, you can be one in charge."


    After thinking it over, Liu Yating found the terms to be rather good. The promise of a place to sleep was also something he couldn''t pass up, long tired of sleeping on the streets. "Okay," he agreed, satisfied that the offer wasn''t made because of pity, and then continued to lead the way.

 You Tell Her About It

    Paoxiao entered the study, quite reluctantly. Looking over at Li Yu Rong, who bent over his desk, with eyes roving over maps stretched across its length, he felt even more that he didn''t want to be there. A feeling of oppression pressed against him, locking him in place and only allowing him to stand there stiffly.


    He didn''t know, nor care, what caused this temperamental half-demon to be in a black mood, but he wished that he would have called him after he was over it. Paoxiao had a strong desire to walk right back out the door and head for the tree he generally rested in, nearby Nastasia''s room. She had just begun to play a tune on her flute that he had yet to hear.


    It was a relaxing and soothing tune and now, because of Li Yu Rong, he''d been deprived the pleasures of listening to it.


    Looking up from the maps, Li Yu Rong shot Paoxiao a look entirely drenched in reluctance. However, being that he decided to follow through on Hui Se Ying''s advice, he had no choice but to hand the task over.


    Even if he wanted to do it himself.


    "In two days we''ll be leaving for the Spirit Realm. It''s time for the five guardians to meet and discuss the state of things over the past year." Though it was difficult and though he wanted the excuse to see her, he managed to say the next line after a bit of silence. "I''ll be taking Asya along, so I''ll have to trouble you to deliver the message."


    Overlooking the part of being tasked with delivering this message, something Li Yu Rong would generally take himself, he zeroed in on the first part. Exclaiming in shocked indignation Paoxiao almost marched forward to slam his hands on the desk. Though angry, he was still quite aware that Li Yu Rong was stronger.


    "To the Spirit Realm!? Are you crazy? She''s human! You should know that humans aren''t like us, able to handle different energies for a time, and I doubt the contract you tricked her into will make much of a difference. I don''t know what you''re thinking or are trying to-"


    Li Yu Rong held up a hand, a hard glint in his red-eye, effectively causing Paoxiao to abruptly fall silent. ''If it weren''t for the contract,'' Paoxiao comforted himself, ''then I wouldn''t have to dance around him carefully.'' For, definitely, his reflexive action wasn''t because he feared Li Yu Rong.


    Certainly not.


    Lowering his upraised hand to rest over the maps, his fingers tapped across them in his irritation. It couldn''t be helped, however, as he had to rely on Paoxiao to deliver this message and so he had to waste time on unnecessary words. Words that wouldn''t need to be said if he could go and see Asya himself.


    Holding back a suffering sigh, Li Yu Rong said. "Lu Se Ying tested her and said she would be fine to come along. She isn''t from our realm, naturally, she wouldn''t be the same as the human''s from the Mortal Realm." His fingers twitched and his legs felt a bit restless as the great want of going to see Asya himself rose up, making it nearly impossible to sit still.


    Although Paoxiao wanted to say more against this, it was hard to refute when a master of Lu Se Ying''s caliber gave the "ok." In this world, there will probably never be another doctor who could even reach one-tenth of his ability.


    Paoxiao''s lips pressed into a thin line. Though he didn''t want to, there wasn''t much of a choice but to give into to Li Yu Rong''s wants. "Fine," he muttered, "I''ll go and tell her." As he left the study, once he had gotten the go-ahead, he couldn''t understand why Li Yu Rong didn''t go himself.


    No matter when it was, even if he were extremely busy, he would find a moment to slip into her room. Paoxiao''s brows furrowed as he thought about it, golden eyes darting back to the study''s entrance before giving up on the thought entirely. It was better if Li Yu Rong was losing interest, it didn''t really matter was the reason for it was.


    Now, if that lack of interest goes deeper, then eventually he''d be able to bring Nastasia away from whatever plot Li Yu Rong wanted her for. As he pondered this he considered where to bring her after they managed to get away. He couldn''t stay in the Mortal Realm for too long before requiring to be near spirit energy. He also didn''t know how long she would be able to last in the Spirit Realm.


    Either way, he thought about it, should he run away with her, they wouldn''t be able to last very long. There was also the option of getting her back to her own realm, but that one wasn''t a very welcome one. If he went that route, then it would be like losing a sister all over again.


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    The possibility of being able to follow her was very low. Even if he were able to manage for a while, there''s a good chance his body wouldn''t be able to adapt to her world''s energy. During his deep ruminations on what to do, he soon found himself outside Aysa''s door.


    Since it was unlikely to work, Paoxiao put the thought to the back of his mind. He knocked on her door before opening it to enter. As he thought, and why he didn''t wait for a response, was that she would probably be preoccupied with her designs and writing.


    Nastasia was working at a roundtable, sitting on a round stool, completely immersed in perfecting the plans and designs littered across her vision. Paoxiao realized, with some regret, that if she were working it would be quite sometime before she took a break to play her flute again. Even then, he might not get to hear that tune she was playing earlier, though he supposed he could just request it.


    After writing down a few more things, Nastasia set her ink brush down upon the brush holder and looked up to see the person that entered her room. Seeing that it was Paoxiao, she offered him a small smile and gestured for him to take a seat at her table.


    Coming over to sit, Paoxiao immediately blurted. "That guy, he wants to take you with him Spirit Realm!" He slapped his knee on the last word and looked over at Nastasia with his golden eyes and youthfully handsome face twisted into a, "can you believe this nonsense," expression.


    Nastasia blinked twice, stunned. Her thoughts didn''t turn like Paoxiao''s around the unfathomable act of taking a human to the Spirit Realm. She didn''t understand the implications to find herself shocked over it. Instead, she was rendered so only due to the fact that Li Yu Rong had been avoiding her ever since that night. Not to say that she wouldn''t have reciprocated the behavior should she be given the chance to come across him at all these last few days.


    Because of this she couldn''t help but be thrown by the news, but also feel a sense of budding anticipation. If they were going to be traveling together then, of course, they would have to meet each other face to face. In that case, she would need to prepare herself for a confrontation as there was no way they could continue to pretend the other doesn''t exist if they were to travel together.


    And, though she didn''t allow herself to pay attention to it, she missed Li Yu Rong''s presence. At night she found herself restless in sleep and during the day she found herself waiting for him to randomly show up as he usually would.


    So, yes, though she didn''t allow herself to pay attention to it, there was a budding anticipation and giddiness at the thought of being forced to confront that night that couldn''t be pushed down. Since she was having trouble containing it and needed to keep herself rigidly to the path of distance, Nastasia turned her thoughts to the shop that was still in its infancy.


    If she were to go on this trip then she needed to have things well prepared that the shop could continue on a path until she returned to take its reins. So, after her inward struggle, she said to Paoxiao. "How many days is the trip?"


    Crossing his arms over his chest, legs also crossed, he tilted his head as he thought about it. Strand''s of unbound orange streaked black hair came tumbling passed his shoulder as they hung at the side of his face. He recalled past days when he would use the opportunity to try and make his way past the gate. "Though he didn''t say, these things usually last a week."


    Nodding, Nastasia picked the ink brush back up and dipped it into the inkwell. If this were the case, then she needed to write instructions to be handled while she was away. Luckily the construction of the inside and the production of the products was set to be completed in a week at the earliest.


    "Paoxiao, there not much time, help me tell Jiang Ya Lin and Liu Yating what to do in the next days, please?"


    Her large, limpid, blue eyes looked up at him pleadingly. Being looked at in such a way, how could he refuse? Thus, Paoxiao nodded. "Of course I will."


    Giving him a smile in return for his answer, the two of them got down to business, quickly working out a plan to be carried out over her possible week-long absence.

 The Journeys Start

    The next two days passed in the blink of an eye for Nastasia. On top of preparing and explaining instructions for anything that may happen on her shop''s path to completion, Paoxiao also helped her to prepare for the journey ahead.


    The Spirit Realm was a new uncharted territory for her. She, who was still trying to wrap her head around the ways of the Mortal Realm, was stuffed full of new information pertaining to the other. There was so much to know and remember that her head felt dizzied by it all.


    Though Paoxiao was a tough teacher, his toughness was only a by-product of his worry. He wanted to make sure that Nastasia was well aware of the dangers that could be found in the Spirit Realm. Being that a currency system did not exist there, it was a show of strength or the trading of items that got you wanted, he stressed that she should keep a few valuables on her person at all times.


    The thought of Nastasia having to fight anyone in the Spirit Realm had Paoxiao so worried that he stuffed a few more things into her coin purse for her to carry. Appreciating the care, she flashed him a bright smile before turning to finish deciding the things to bring along.


    She didn''t have much, so it was relatively easy. All she took was her flute, enough clothes to last the week, and her drawing supplies. Besides, though Paoxiao insisted she take along more things to be safe, Nastasia preferred to travel light and would generally only take things that were absolutely necessary.


    Faced with her brilliant smile that he felt, at that moment, was too innocent and screamed of being a delicious meal to be preyed upon, Paoxiao couldn''t help his sudden urge to hide her away. If Nastasia got lost in the Spirit Realm what would happen to her? The answers to that question bounced around his head, the many possibilities making him short of breath.


    In the end, he gave her another lecture on what to do should they be separated. He explained to her different layouts of the lands surrounding the area they were headed. He told her how to negotiate a good deal should it become necessary. Finally, to make sure that none of what he said would become needed, he stressed that she should try her best to not wander and stick close.


    Through it all, Nastasia patiently listened and expressed her willingness to follow all of his warnings strictly. Even so, Paoxiao still felt it wasn''t enough and explained a few more things, with a couple reiterations, before leaving to allow her a good night''s rest.


    Though the two days seemed to pass by rather quickly for those rushing about the Palace of the Four Gates, for Li Yu Rong the two days seemed to drag on at an agonizing pace. Although he was extremely busy, handing over responsibilities and strengthen the arrays for the barriers around the Palace, his mind couldn''t but churn over his issue with Asya.


    Li Yu Rong wanted to see her. His nights were restless without her presence beside him. Though he was following Hui Se Ying''s advice, he also knew that deep down he was a bit weak-kneed at the thought of confronting her just yet.


    Those blue fearful eyes, her trembling and fearful voice, they haunted both his sleeping and waking moments. He was afraid that, should he confront her too soon, she''d pull back from him completely. The reason he decided to go along with Hui Se Ying''s plan was that he hoped the time apart would give her a time to calm down as well as give her a chance to miss his presence.


    Though that last thought was likely a long shot to come to pass, it didn''t make him wish for it any less. And so, as he sat there in front of the gates waiting for both Paoxiao and Asya to appear, he steeled his heart against giving in. Even though there was an itch to grab her as soon as she appeared, he ignored it. In fact, he forced his eyes to nary chance a glance in her direction.


    Instead, Li Yu Rong kept his gaze ahead of himself as he walked toward the northern gate. Activating the arrays the gate opened into the Spirit Realm. As Paoxiao saw the gate they would be traveling through he couldn''t help but exclaim.


    "The northern gate? But, doesn''t that lead to-!?" How were they suppose to get where they needed to go that way?


    As they walked through the gate the world around them flashed white before opening up to an entirely different world. Their feet treaded upon soggy dirt and grass, their eyes peered out onto a vast spread of water. It was so wide and endless that if Nastasia was told it was an ocean, she wouldn''t find it too unbelievable.


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    Though, the fact that it looked as if a wide ocean was spread out before them was probably an illusion created by the mass amount of thick fog surrounding them. It made Nastasia feel a sense of adventure to see and explore this new scenery as it made her a bit apprehensive to take a step forward. It was difficult to see where the land ended and the expanse of water began.


    This same worry was something Li Yu Rong also shared. Just as he was about to give in and tell  Asya where to step to avoid falling in, he saw Paoxiao happily pointing out the path to her. He sat there staring blankly for a moment before forcing his gaze away. The sight was like a needle pricking at his eye.


    Clenching a fist and forcing himself to continue on with what he decided, he walked to the edge of the land. His steps held none of the hesitance one would usually have walking in a barely visible area, it was as if he had the ability to see through the fog.


    However, his sure steps were a result of his repeated visits to this area. After coming here for so long the lay of the land had become deeply ingrained. Yet, back when he was a child and first had to come to these northern wetlands, this place frightened him like nothing else. Always waiting for something horrifying to pot out from the fog to take a bite. On more than one occasion he had nearly fallen to his death. None of the pools of water, that opened up hidden in the fog, were shallow by any means.


    As he got to the edge, Li Yu Rong called for the boat he had prepared for the occasion. The boat that was summoned forth was at least nine meters long and six meters wide. It was single masted and had a small dwelling at its back with enough room to house two people. Though he needed to be inconspicuous and something smaller would have been more ideal, he had it crafted with Asya in mind.


    He didn''t know if she had ever been on a boat before. It can be rather tough for those without experience. Even then, there were those that just couldn''t help being seasick no matter how many times they stepped on to a boat. Li Yu Rong figured that, with the comfortable enclosure, it would be easier on her.


    The plan was to sit back there with her, helping her through any discomforts she might have. All three of his Ying subordinates were coming along and they were more than capable enough to take the helm while he used more of his dwindling time to get her to fall for him.


    That had been the plan, but everything could only be cast aside for now.


    While he couldn''t exactly think that it was for the best he understood that he honestly shouldn''t let himself become distracted during a perilous time. At any second the enemy could drop in for an attack. It had been why he chose to travel by water than go by land. An attack on the water would be more difficult to amass.


    From the intel gathered it would seem that the other guardians didn''t have the resources to construct a boat on the fly like he had the capabilities to achieve. Even so, it wasn''t exactly impossible and thus each one of them ideally needed to remain vigilant.


    As the boat was loaded with the few things they were going to take along, Li Yu Rong muttered to Paoxiao as he passed by with Asya to board the boat. "Watch her carefully."


    Hearing the command Paoxiao nodded, his face serious. "Of course, isn''t that a given." He said as he then hurriedly followed after Nastasia to make sure she didn''t slip while walking up the steps onto the deck.


    Li Yu Rong was the last to board, his chest feeling heavy as he considered tossing away this idea of distance. Though it wasn''t exactly appropriate for it, he could have a conversation with her concerning that night while drifting along the water to the meeting point. Though he seriously thought about it there were also thoughts that cropped up to convince him otherwise.


    As he was absent-minded about this their luggage was properly stowed away, the ladder for boarding had been drawn up, and the boat was made to sail away from the shore. Although he seriously wanted to use the journey to right things between them, he would never get the chance.


    After all, this was going to be a journey fraught with danger.

 The Night Attack of the Shaqi

    Night had fallen.


    Though they were mere feet from each other, Li Yu Rong had not seen Asya. The conversation, the laughter between her and Paoxiao, would drift to his ears every now and again. Even so, he managed to last through all of it with a passive frown, his eyes staring out into the distance.


    He was the very picture of diligence as he watched the surroundings as if nothing could tear him away from his vigilance.


    Hui Se Ying, on the other hand, could see the truth of it from the minute details screaming silently from his person. His master''s clenched jaw, his tense frame, his tapping finger on the small table next to him and his restless foot spoke subtly of his want to dash into the enclosure at their back.


    A rueful half-grin couldn''t help stealing across Hui Se Ying''s face as he suspired a heartfelt breath. Indeed, he had given the advice to place a distance between them, but he hadn''t meant it as an outright expulsion of their presence from each other.


    He meant it as the type of distance where his master held back from her. Aloof in their interactions while stemming his hand from his deep seeded impulses to be intimate with her. His master was always in close contact with Nastasia, giving his touches to reassure her, to comfort her, to show the unbridled affections he had for her.


    If just that part was taken away while his master''s presence was shoved in her face, she would be forced to think of him constantly while missing the pleasant contact between them. Soon her heart would be surging for want of getting close to him.


    This plan of distance... putting an actual hundred or so li between them rather than a wall of indifference stunted the effect of the plan by half. Hui Se Ying lamented in his oversight to explain this concept properly. His master, though many of his actions spoke otherwise, was rather innocent when it comes to matters between men and women. Most of Li Yu Rong''s knowledge came from either his sparse observations of others or from the tidbits Hui Se Ying managed to slip past Lu Se Ying''s stalwart guard.


    Thus, his master wasn''t too well versed in schemes to capture a woman''s interest.


    However, at the moment, this was probably for the best. Considering the precarious state of things and the well conceal plot brewing in the dark, it was good that Li Yu Rong wasn''t distracted by the warmth of a beauty behind closed doors.


    Just as he was thinking this something moved in the darkness of the night, rippling along the water at an incredible rate. A quick trilling splish, splish, splish accompanied the movements of the strange humanoid creatures as they rose to the surface to run on all fours across the water as if it were solid ground.


    The three Ying spirits moved to defend the boat should it become necessary. However, Hui Se Ying noticed that his master was slow to react, his attention still on the other side of the boat in deep thought. Horrified, he bellowed out,"master!"


    Looking over, Li Yu Rong immediately jumped to his feet, infusing his fingertips with his energy. In the time it took to blink he made a horizontal slash in the air, sending out multi-colored rays of shimmering energy to sail into the arrays carved out at various points. The symbols glowed and a barrier burst forth to cover the boat from top to bottom.


    Yet, due to his momentary lapse, around ten of the hundreds of creatures that slammed against the barrier managed to make it within before the protection zoomed into place. Their figures were hunched, their hair a dark, sparse, and straggly mess. The pallid color of their skin was as frightening as their hollowed out eyes that lead into a vortex of darkness. Their mouths were twice the size of a human''s and bore wickedly sharp serrated teeth.


    That Shaqi had been gathered and used against them was out of Li Yu Rong''s expectations. In fact, the idea of even attempting to contract such volatile creatures was absolutely insane. The backlash from trying to contain the murderous desires of such lowly creatures would destroy a person''s mind. Yet, the proof of their being among the contracted was clearly displayed across their bulging and pulsating necks.


    The minute these murderous spirits, transformed into ghastly apparitions from their unwholesome desires in life and in death, landed on the deck the boat thrashed about the water threatening to capsize. Were it not for the fact that Li Yu Rong foresaw they would likely be boarded by outside forces and put protections in place, from the heavy landings of these vicious spirits, the boat might have really turned over. Or, even split down the middle from the strength of their feet colliding with the deck.


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    The tumultuous rocking of the boat toppled both Nastasia and Paoxiao. The clamor of thumping footfalls, the snarling grunting groans human throats couldn''t produce, and the sounds of sudden fighting drifted into the ears of the overturned pair. It caused their breaths to catch in their throat as they froze in shock at the unexpected event.


    Paoxiao immediately disentangled himself Nastasia as he got to his feet quick as can be. The space of the boat''s enclosure wasn''t very large, it took him five steps to get to the door their fallen position. He threw a firm, "stay here," over his shoulder before exiting the room.


    He felt his blood run cold.


    Shaqi!


    These creatures, they didn''t know fear and couldn''t feel pain. Even if their bodies were torn down piece by piece their frenzy couldn''t be stopped. These were creatures born from the deepest reaches of the underworld.


    Even though his blood ran cold, even though he''d rather fight anything else this realm had to fight, Paoxiao joined in the ruckus of fists, swords, and teeth. The creatures came at them with sword-like claws and razor-sharp teeth. Their speed a frightening blur. It took everything Paoxiao had to circumvent losing a pound of flesh.


    The Shaqi were creatures of insanity, their insatiable greed was the only thing holding them to this world. Such creatures, Li Yu Rong couldn''t use his soul binding techniques on thus adding a whole other level of difficulty to this fight.


    The creatures were fast. This fact could, for the most part, only allow for them to defend against the teeth and claws suddenly appearing from one angle and then another.


    Though it was difficult, it wasn''t impossible to win.


    After a bit of time, watching the disjointed yet swift movements of the Shaqi, Li Yu Rong was finally able to sever the arms and legs from the body of one. That one was then kicked from the barrier, the severed limbs tossed first.


    For, even severed, their body parts could run amok on their own.


    The battle was beginning to drag out to a dangerous length. Hundreds of upon hundreds of these creatures were hacking away at the barrier, hoping to find their way inside. Li Yu Rong''s attention was divided between managing the barrier and fighting the, now nine, creatures that managed to slip inside.


    Prolonging the barrier was draining. All the more so due to Li Yu Rong''s body containing two conflicting energies. If one energy exhausted more then the other the stronger energy would start to attack his body.


    Between maintaining the barrier and fighting he also had to carefully use his energies to make sure neither was drained beyond the other, keeping them balanced. This put a heavy strain on his body the longer he was forced to sustain this precarious state.


    The Shaqi were light on their feet and, though they were single-minded, they could adapt. After watching one of them be severed of limbs and tossed aside, they seemed to learn from the experience and changed their movements accordingly. This made it necessary to spend a bit of time watching their quick, but disjointed, motions.


    As Li Yu Rong went to make his move from the defensive to the offensive, a horrid crack was heard from the back of the boat. The wall of the small room had been smashed in and a struggling Nastasia was slung across one of the creature''s shoulders as it balanced itself on a ledge ready to jump off.


    This chilling turn of events distracted Li Yu Rong as he froze a whole second or more upon recognizing the scene before his eyes. Though it was only a short time, it was enough for one of the creatures to embed four sword-like nails into his right shoulder.


    He felt his world going dark as panic squeezed his heart while he struggled to make his way toward Asya.

 A Creature Straight from a Horror Film

    Pulling her self from the floor after Paoxiao left the room, door shut firmly behind him, Nastasia watched the door with a worried expression. She was torn between listening to him and keeping herself out of the way or to defy his will and see for herself the situation outside the door. She wasn''t weak and felt that perhaps there was some way she could be of help out there on the open deck.


    The sharp heavy sounds of fighting, the deep snarls, groans, and yowls of whatever was out there came into the room; though muffled. Worried about the things she was hearing, Nastasia quickly got to her feet and made her way to the door.


    Just as her hand was about to reach out to open it her hand froze in mid-air, recalling the earlier scene of when Li Yu Rong had her pinned to the bed "punishing" her. Nastasia''s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she bit her lip out of frustration.


    She wanted to help but was afraid of becoming a hindrance. In the end, after a long struggle of reaching out to open the door and pulling back, she decided to remain in the room.


    It was better to sit still.


    Both Paoxiao and Li Yu Rong seemed to be really strong. There was also An Ying who was able to deal with a group of strong men with nary a bit of effort placed into it. If those three were so powerful, then Hui Se Ying and Lu Se Ying couldn''t be too far off in strength.


    Thinking of it this way helped to calm Nastasia down a bit.


    Backing away from the door, she sat down in a padded chair. Though every sound of struggle that slipped through her ears made her anxious, she forced her eyes not to glance at the door. If she continued looking at it, she wouldn''t be able to help herself wanting to do something.


    Just as her worry for those fighting outside started to become unbearable, the growling sounds from beyond the room weren''t as muffled as before. There was a heavy step, wheezing breaths, and snarls so clear it brought a chill down her spine.


    Swallowing hard, Nastasia turned her gazing hesitatingly toward the door.


    There, standing in front of it, was a creature that could only be born from the minds of the greatest horror writers. And, just to be clear, she and horror films did not go well together. Thus, as she stared at that thing with this thought in mind, her entire body became numb.


    Eyes that hollowed into darkness were staring at her as a mouth much wider than a human''s gaped open to reveal sharp, jagged, teeth dripping of saliva. Pallid hands tipped with long blade-like claws reached out for her. Jumping up from her seat, she fled to the back of the room, trying to open a window to escape.


    If these were the things that Li Yu Rong and the rest were fighting out there, then how were they faring against such monstrous things? Though she was anxious before, it was nothing to terror that began attacking her body now.


    It had been a long time since she felt this type of fear.


    Nastasia didn''t understand how it had gotten in here as there were no openings for something of its size to crawl through. Not that she really cared to know at this moment. Instead, she focused on unlatching the lock of the window''s shutters with her trembling hands to escape.


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    That thing, it brought back all the memories of the horror movies her older sister forced her watch when she was a child. For the longest time, she had to sleep with her mother or grandfather in fear of the human imagined horrors sneaking in to snatch her up. A nightlight present to light the darkness and prevent herself from being attacked unawares.


    Although she was older now and knew better, being faced with a creature that looked like a combination of all the horror film monsters that scared her as a child made her feel sick. Getting the latch and pulling open the shutters, she prepared to shove her body through the opening.


    A rush of air flew past her ears as clawed hands smashed against the shutters. She was barely able to draw in a grasp of air from the shock before sharp teeth sank into her shoulder. A cold feeling washed down her body, stealing the strength from her.


    Eventually, her body sank like a puppet with its strings cut to the embroidered rug beneath her feet. Though she tried to move, the most she could do was to wiggle a finger or a toe. Nastasia squeezed her eyes shut as she gave her utmost to jump to her feet and run from this perilous situation. Unfortunately, she only succeeded in animating her hands from the wrist and twist her head from side to side.


    Her heart raced as she felt the thing approach.


    There was no feeling as it grabbed her to toss over. Even as she lay against its bony shoulder, her weight pressing down on her stomach as half of her dangled from the front side while the other dangled from the back side, she could feel nothing.


    A loud slam echoed in her ears as splinters of wood and dust flew past her head. The thing from her darkest childhood nightmares rushed forward to balance at the edge of the boat. Nastasia tried to struggle free, she tried to scream and shout for release, but the words wouldn''t fall from her mouth. Just as how the strength fled from her body, her voice had also been taken from her.


    Real panic began to set in as her breathing roughened. She wasn''t sure if it were the tremendous fear rising in her or if it was another effect of the creature''s bite, but dots of darkness began to float about her vision.


    Then, there was a second of feeling her gut rising up to her throat as her eyes trailed the wooden hull of the boat before smacking into the water''s surface, submerging below it. The water rushed up her nose; burning. She hadn''t had time to take in a breath before they hit the water.


    Without any air in her lungs, they began to burn fiercely. The black dots floating in her vision worsened as her heart beat deep thuds in her chest. She couldn''t move, she couldn''t breathe, and they kept sinking deeper into an unknown darkness.


    Unable to handle a moment more lacking oxygen, Nastasia lost consciousness.

 Hui Se Ying in Pursuit

    Hui Se Ying felt his heart stop as the Shaqi lept over the edge of the boat into the water below. The distraction of her capture had caused his master to be dreadfully pierced by their claws. The Shaqi were malevolent creatures with deeply poisonous energy that zapped the strength of those that came into contact with it.


    Even so, his master fought against it with his entire being as he struggled to rescue the girl in his heart. An Ying couldn''t understand it as he had been a malevolent spirit for so long that his understanding of deeper emotional things became rather simple after being rescued by their master. Lu Se Ying wouldn''t get it either, their master hadn''t confided in him as he had in Hui Se Ying.


    Hui Se Ying understood that the girl had a tight hold on his master''s heart and that he cared for her so deeply that he wouldn''t think twice about his own safety to save her. So, unlike and An Ying and Lu Se Ying who immediately rushed to their master''s side to aid him, Hui Se Ying quickly jumped the side of the boat in pursuit of Nastasia.


    As he lept over the side, he used his energy to grab up large amounts of oxygen from the air. Once his body slipped through the surface of the water into its depths, he used the oxygen to form a bubble around his around his head.


    Below the vast expanse of this body of water, of this area known as the Ice Forest Sky, was the Ice Forest itself. It was a good five to ten minutes worth of travel to the bottom. Though he was traveling fast, though he wanted to save her before they broke through to the other side, he, in no way, could overtake the Shaqi in speed.


    The only thing he could do was to keep track of the distant, obscure, shadow in front of him. Hoping not to lose sight of it, falling out from the sky a distance away.


    --------------------------


    Pacing back and forth across the cold, ice frosted, ground was a cloaked figure. His face, slightly peeking from the cowl of his cloak, was twisted into an impatient sneer. He kicked an ice frost rock, sending it sailing clear across the open ice field.


    "Those incompetent, mad, freaks!" He cursed. "How long could it possibly take to snatch a person!" He kicked another rock, sending it sailing with twice the amount of force. Even so, it didn''t away even an inch of the annoyance he felt.


    Just because he screwed up just a little bit, allowing that guy his master hated to understand a portion of their plans, he was sent here to this wasteland of ice! From such insignificant information, it wasn''t like that incompetent thief would have the ability to grasp even the tiniest hint of the beautiful machinations in his master''s mind.


    He felt his master was making much ado about nothing.


    If he was Tongchuu, this never would have happened. It didn''t matter what Tongchuu did, in their master''s eyes that damned all-I-care-about-is-studying-this-or-that lunatic could do no wrong. "Damn it!" He hissed. "It''s not like I- Ah!"


    His mood shifted to excitement as he watched the disgusting figure of that gloomy Shaqi fall from the wavering water sky. Calculating the trajectory of the fall to deduce the landing point in but the blinking of an eye, he dashed off to carry out the task his master gave in punishment.


    Footwork as light as a feather, feet tapping across iced branches, hopping over jagged ice, and swiftly setting across the rough frosted terrain, he moved with a surprising speed. Yet, even though his current quick and sure steps would grab enviable grumbling from the masses, it was only a fraction of what he capable of.


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    Because, honestly, why should he go all out on a mission that was given from an unjust punishment? It would be quite foolish of him if he did. Especially when his current level of effort would have him at the location of the drop when that disgusting and mad creature finally touched the ground.


    As he got close enough that the Shaqi was but a foot from touching the ice, he noticed something amiss with the person slung across its shoulder. A splash of red hair, a fine feminine figure dressed in rich silks, and delicate pale flesh.


    This was not that bastard thief his master wanted to catch.


    It wasn''t even a man!


    Already annoyed to the point of murder, instead of stopping he threw a kick at that grotesque monster with all the force of his run behind it. The Shaqi was sent flying a few feet backward, the girl resting on its shoulder sailing through the air with it.


    As the Shaqi hit the ground she tumbled from its body and skidded across the frosted rocks and grass. Even though the pain of smacking into hard ice and sliding across the sharp things on the ground should have been immensely painful, not a sound escaped her lips. After her body settled there wasn''t a single movement made in reaction to the hurt.


    Fuming, he marched right over the Shaqi on the ground and smashed his foot as hard as can be over its chest. "You useless, idiotic thing!" Each word had been enunciated with each sharp jab to the chest. "Even if you are a brainless thing with only its greed in mind, can''t you tell the difference between a man and a woman!?"


    After that last curse, he smashed the things head in with the back of his heel. His lips twisted with disgust over the black blood that now drenched his foot. Wiping the appendage across the ice grass with hardly any success at fully removing the garish stain, he gave up on the matter with a sense of revulsion trembling his spine.


    Straightening himself as he slowly got over it, he turned toward the woman discarded on the ground. With a frighteningly twisted smile parting his face, he said. "Now, now there, who do you think you are to try and snatch my prize from me?"


    While he had been dealing with that disgusting bug called Shaqi, some wandering spirit showed up to snatch away the girl. He didn''t care who this spirit was nor why it was trying to take the girl, only the fact that he made the attempt mattered. If he couldn''t bring the thief to his master, then he''d at least bring the girl.


    It wasn''t his fault that the brainless Shaqi wasn''t fit for this sort of kidnapping work. In fact, using the Shaqi at all for this type of delicate thing was, in of itself, a foolish move. Not that he would ever have the courage to say as much to his master''s face. Especially since his master had gone to so much trouble to forge contracts with them.


    Still, he needed the girl as wordless proof.


    Hui Se Ying, though he slowed, proceeded to subtly make his way to interpose himself between Nastasia and the spirit in front of him. As he did so, he attempted to distract the spirit through conversation. "Who are you and what exactly are you trying to achieve by having the Shaqi attack, my master?"


    All though he had no intentions to answer the other questions asked of him, he did answer his name. Because, well, the name his master gave him was such a nice one that he couldn''t help but share it when asked.


    This name, it was proof that his master valued him.


    "I am called Zu¨¬d¨¤ De M¨¢o, sometimes Velichaysheye Kop''ye, but you can call me Mao." Then, with an arrogant tilt of his lips, he boasted. "I am my master''s greatest spear."

 Heading to the Ice Forest

    His strength was failing him.


    Even though Li Yu Rong acted quickly, using his energy to seal off the poison in his wound to prevent further spread, it was still difficult to move. It was as if he had multiple weights tied all over his body encouraging him to follow the laws of gravity to the floor.


    Yet, this pressing weight forcing him down was promptly ignored as he fought his way to the edge of the boat. He was desperate to follow after the kidnapped Asya, fearful of her fate after being captured by these depraved creatures. In his struggled forward, being so singled minded in his efforts to give chase, his shoulder had been torn into.


    The creature taking fabric and skin with its leave.


    Again he quickly sealed the poison in the wound. Now, even more, his body grew heavy for want of giving in. Ignoring the screaming protests of his every part, Li Yu Rong began to utter an incantation beneath his breath.


    When Lu Se Ying heard the words, his blood ran cold. Quickly decapitating the Shaqi he fought in an unusual show of strength, he disposed of the parts overboard beyond the barrier, before flying to his master''s side.


    Hand clamping over his master''s mouth while the other secured itself around his waist, Lu Se Ying jumped to the roof of the boat''s enclosure. The wood, made weak from being smashed into, groaned under their combined weight.


    "Master, forgive the impertinence, but are you seeking to die? The condition of your body is already delicate and now with the poison zapping away at your vital energy, the spirit energy within you is becoming turbulent."


    An Ying was below them, valiantly preventing the four remaining Shaqi from slipping past him to the roof.  Li Yu Rong didn''t say anything as he watched him, his mind contemplating their next moves. Lu Se Ying knew as he saw that look in his master, that the only reason he wasn''t attempting to break free was to conserve his strength for more important things.


    Emboldened by this fact, he continued to scold him. "What do you think would happen if you were to release the seal on An Ying? The strongest seal you''ve made, can you undo it so easily, and in your current condition? You can''t, isn''t that so? If you undo it you won''t be able to maintain the barrier.


    "Right now, the only thing distracting the Shaqi is their mad attempt to break through it. Once it falls we''ll be swarmed by them. Even if an unsealed An Ying would be able to handle them all, what''s to say that none of them won''t follow after the one that took that girl?


    "Both Hui Se Ying and Paoxiao went after them to save her. Do you want to make it harder for them to do so? The best thing you can do right now is to focus on fighting the enemy in front of you and then on regaining your strength.


    "Besides, by the time you''ve recovered those two will have probably already saved the damsel in distress, escorting her back to your side." Lu Se Ying ended his harsh words lightly and then waited for his master''s response. Even if his master decided to punish him for his reprimand, he would have no qualms about it.


    All that matter was that Li Yu Rong''s mind cleared up, allowing for him to accomplish what needed doing at this moment.


    Taking a deep breath, calming his frazzled nerves, Li Yu Rong gathered his wits about himself. Though he was still incredibly worried, though he wanted to go after Asya and see to her safety himself, he stamped down the frantic need.


    Even though his mind worked out a way to do it, he put it aside.


    Lu Se Ying was right. If he kept on being foolish it''d only bring more harm.


    "An Ying won''t be able to keep this up for long." The Shaqi were beings that never tired while they were not. If the battle dragged on any more than this, it''d be difficult carry out the plan he thought up after being thoroughly rebuked. "Quickly give me the antidote and then go help him. Try to keep the upper parts of one without letting it regroup."


    Relieved to see his master back to his usual self, Lu Se Ying fished out an energy cleansing pill from a pouch in the folds of his black robe. After handing it to his master, he jumped from the roof to the deck below to aid An Ying. Unlike his master and the other two Ying subordinates, he was apt at medicine more than he was at fighting.


    He, by no means, fell into the category of average and commanded some enviable skills. However, creatures like the Shaqi required a mightier hand to dispose of them. They were the bane of the Spirit Realm that even the five supreme clans, second only to the ruler of this realm, avoided them if it could be helped.


    If his master wasn''t, first, trying to feel out the purpose of the attack and then found himself thrown into a frenzied mess by that girl''s capture, his energy wouldn''t have digressed in its fight against each other for supremacy. He wouldn''t have found himself injured to this degree. Even if it took a moment, they would have been able to secure the situation while capturing one of the Shaqi to wordlessly interrogate its body for information.


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    Sadly, things don''t always go as one wishes. However, even if desires fall away, they can always be grabbed again after traveling on another path. Thus, though his strength wasn''t as good as his compatriots, Lu Se Ying gave it his all to buy his master time.


    Even if they had to travel down several roads, they could and would grab victory in the end.


    Swallowing down the pill, Li Yu Rong closed his eyes as he turned his mind inward to cleanse his veins and his inner core of the corrupted energy with the help of Lu Se Ying''s divine grade medicine.


    He pulled the corrupted energy out through his pores and dissipated it as though smoke. While he purified himself under the aid of the cleansing pill, he regulated his dual energies until they were pushed back to equal levels; restoring their balance.


    This insane rate of recovery was something only Lu Se Ying''s medicine could achieve.


    He had only been within himself for a moment before pulling out; successful. Li Yu Rong turned his attention to the wounds on his body, pulling out the blood made black with poison until it flowed out red.


    Unwilling to waste energy to forcefully coagulate the tears, he instead left them as is. Standing from his meditative pose, Li Yu Rong felt energized as if he''d been given half a day to rest. Although he still felt worried, he didn''t allow himself to fall prey to that worry.


    Well, not entirely.


    He no longer cared to find the "why" of the attack. He only wanted the who and the where. Whoever trapped these horrific creatures with a contract would be the mastermind of Asya''s kidnapping. The one that got away with her was likely returning to the master that commanded him.


    Unable to wait for Hui Se Ying or Paoxiao to recover Asya and bring her back, he was determined to play the hero himself. Therefore, no longer holding the caution he maintained before to both save his strength and gather information, he walked up to his subordinates after separating the remaining Shaqi from them with a shield.


    "Master, what are you-!?"


    Before Lu Se Ying could finish his words, Li Yu Rong had already written a few symbols with energy over the shield he placed that separated them from the Shaqi. He slammed his hand across the glowing symbols, muttering the incantation, "rent the flesh and spear the bones," effectively silencing the question of the genius doctor at his side.


    The moment the words fell, the Shaqi immediately fell to pieces on the deck. Those outside the ship also seemed to be torn asunder by invisible blades. The minute the deed was done, he fell to his knees, blood dripping from his nose and the left corner of his lip.


    Though the recoil was harsh, it was worth it for the time it saved.


    "I can''t move," he muttered weakly, "so retrieve a neck for me and toss the rest."


    Lu Se Ying opened his mouth, again, to scold his master for this unnecessary show of force. Yet, after looking into those determined dual-colored eyes and stubborn set brow, the words failed to come. Heaving a sigh, he merely did as he was bid to do and brought forth a neck tattooed with a contract.


    While maintaining the barrier to prevent the already reassembling Shaqi from once again boarding the boat, Li Yu Rong squeezed out his energy to see beyond the surface properties of the inscribed contract.


    His sword-like brows drew down into a tight frown. The identifying traces remaining in the contract didn''t belong to any of the Gate Guardians. Yet, there something familiar in it. "Lu Se Ying, a bottle." Slipping a knife from a wrist sheath hidden by his wide sleeves, Li Yu Rong used it to slice off a portion of tattooed flesh to be studied at greater lengths another time.


    Scrapping it off into the bottle, placing in the stopper, he tossed it toward the doctor. As he did so he looked up to be met with Lu Se Ying''s green-flecked eyes bright with worry and scolding thoughts. Though he smiled slightly in response, he didn''t acknowledge the shifting emotions he''d seen in those eyes.


    Instead, he commanded, "Keep that for me," before turning to An Ying. "Help me to the bed to rest and then set the boat''s course to the teleportation arrays."


    The boat hadn''t sat in one spot and had been drifting forward throughout their struggle. The link he had with Asya through the mark on her wrist was blocked by the interference of the ice forest water sky.


    He couldn''t pinpoint where she was, nor could he tell her condition.


    The only option left was the teleportation arrays. If Hui Se Ying or Paoxiao managed to rescue her they could also be traveling toward the direction of the arrays.


    The only way to exit the Ice Forest.


    As he laid down, settled in for a light yet uneasy rest, he never once allowed himself to relax completely so as to prevent the barrier''s collapse. From on the bed, within the enclosure, the dull and muffled sounds of the Shaqi rising up to once again continue their siege, accompanied them as the boat drifted toward the teleportation arrays.

 Escaping to Live Another Day

    Between Nastasia and this self-proclaimed greatest spear, Hui Se Ying set himself as he faced the latter while blocking the former from view. "I see," he murmured. Though this Mao claimed it, he could feel the truth of it.


    This spirit was an old one.


    The accumulated spirit energy within his vessel was far greater than Hui Se Ying''s own. If they were forced into a head to head battle, though he''d fare well for a bit, he would surely lose in the end.


    Mustn''t let him see that, he thought as he drew his posture up with an air of confidence. "Your master having such a great spear, I wonder just who he could be?" Of course, he was merely asking for the sake of distraction. What good subordinate would toss his master''s name about without a care?


    However that was the case, the reaction of this spirit, who wanted to be addressed as Mao, was far from what he expected. None the less, it was welcome. It made it easier to distract his mind from Hui Se Ying''s slight of hand.


    The spirit, called Mao, darted his almond-shaped eyes about and laughed with a forced joviality that was quite painful to look at. "My master is so great that all names pale in comparison to him. He''s so great that it would a blaspheme to give him a name that any other person could have possibly used, so he doesn''t have one." He laughed again, this time it was confident and overbearing. "Yup, that''s how great master is!"


    Raising a brow in question, Hui Se Ying''s lips arched in a mocking fleer. "Oh, so you''re your master''s greatest spear, yet he doesn''t trust you enough to share his name with you? Hmm, but I suppose not everyone can be as close as I with their master."


    The hands that had been placed behind his back moved, fingers flexing as they gathered a red energy in his palm. The energy, as it gathered, heated up into a rapidly growing flame.


    Mao stomped his foot, his sharp-featured face twisting malevolently with his anger. He tossed a pointed finger in Hui Se Ying''s direction as he raged hotly. "I am my master''s favorite! His most important! I''m the one he calls for his most special missions." He then ground out word by word. "I-told-you-he-doesn''t-have-a-name! If he did I would certainly be the one he tol-"


    The energy Hui Se Ying required to condense a fireball in the palm of his hand, with enough heat to incinerate even bones on contact, had been amassed. It was something that shouldn''t have gone unnoticed, especially by a spirit as strong as Mao.


    Hence his need to distract him.


    It was good that Mao was both childish and proud, easily falling prey to such silly words. Having achieved his goal, Hui Se Ying threw the ball of fire toward the ice at their feet, covering a wide range of ground. The extreme heat suddenly meeting with extreme cold caused a thick rush of misted air to blanket everything from sight.


    Hui Se Ying wasted no time in rushing toward Nastasia after throwing out the fireball. Scooping her up, he gave it his all to flee far enough from the area that the spirit, Mao, would have difficulty in tracking them. As he fled, Hui Se Ying made sure to leave as little presence as he could in his escape.


    If Mao was able to track them down from the near nonexistent traces left, then he was way beyond Hui Se Ying''s first impression of his strength. If this was the case then, although he would give it his best to hold out, Hui Se Ying didn''t have the confidence to fend the spirit off, while protecting Nastasia, until the others arrived.


    He ran for a good hour, his path a bunch of zigzagging lines as he changed direction periodically, hoping to throw off his possible pursuer with his disjointed run. Eventually, he found his way to the side of a mountain. There was a cave carved out at the side of it, hidden behind a close cluster of ice bushes and ice trees.


    As there was no sign of being chased, Hui Se Ying felt it safe enough to stay at the cave for the time being. Not once did Nastasia rouse from her unconscious state and her body burned with fever. He understood that it was an effect of being bitten by the Shaqi.


    Although he wasn''t a doctor, Lu Se Ying always made them carry energy cleansing pills. While he couldn''t be sure if a pill tailored toward cleansing his energy of vitality poisoning from the mortal realm would help in any way, he was determined to try it.


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    She couldn''t be left this way, with such a burning fever. Though he wasn''t a doctor, Hui Se Ying understood it wasn''t good to leave a fever unchecked. Especially one that felt it would melt flesh on contact.


    Luckily he had a skin of water on hand before the unfortunate night attack had befallen them.


    Taking off his outer robe, hoping that it would make the icy ground a bit warmer, he laid Nastasia out across it. Uncapping the skin, he pressed the pill past her smooth, pink lips before filling her mouth with water to help it go down.


    Being that she was unconscious and couldn''t swallow down the pill or water on her own, Hui Se Ying used his finger to help massage it down her throat to her stomach. Satisfied that he managed to make the medicine to go down without having to resort to tactics his master would kill him over, he capped the water skin and shoved it into the folds of his inner robe.


    Looking at the soft, pink lips that were wet with the water he poured, he had to admit that he felt tempted to go for it. Especially when he imagined his master''s insanely jealous expression after getting wind of the matter. He almost felt the brush with death would be worth it just to see his master in such a way.


    However, his master''s woman was someone he would never touch.


    Worried that the water, in this cold climate, would make her situation worse Hui Se Ying used his sleeve to wipe her lips, chin, and neck dry. After that, there was nothing left to do but to watch and wait for the medicine to take effect.


    If it would take effect.


    Hui Se Ying wasn''t a doctor and had very little understanding of how to care for the ill and injured, but he had witnessed Lu Se Ying on more than one occasion. He could mimic and follow along with the steps he remembered, but that was all he could do. If the things he knew didn''t work, then he could only hope Nastasia would be able to hold out until he got them to the teleportation array of the Ice Forest.


    As his eyes traced over her tragic form, helplessly, his sight was immediately drawn to the blooming red on her shoulder. After seeing it, he couldn''t bring himself to ignore it. So, though it felt improper, as this was his master''s woman, he still pulled back the top part of her robe to reveal her delicate collarbone. The creamy white flesh was bedewed in blood and sported a horrific serrated bite mark.


    With nothing available to bandage it, Hui Se Ying could only clean the wound using melted ice and the handkerchief he pulled from her person. Taking the extra cloth that was held in place by a sash around her waist to dangle pleasantly downward, he slashed it to use it to bandage the wound after taking a portion of it to staunch the bleeding.


    The sheer material was quickly and easily soaked, but it would have to do.


    Pulling her robe up and over her shoulder, he righted her clothes to look proper. Satisfied, he reached a hand over to find that her skin was still burning. Her hair was becoming slick with her sweat. Taking a moment to consider his next move there was a vague memory that surfaced from a time before his death.


    He remembered a time from when he was delirious with fever. There was someone who had covered him and kept him warm, saying it was necessary to burn through the fever. Thus, he jumped on it. Before leaving the cave to find sticks for a campfire, he wrapped the girl in his inner robe.


    Being that his element was fire, he wouldn''t easily fall prey to the cold of the Ice Forest.


    As he left, he murmured. "Pull through this, okay? For master. And, don''t get worse while I''m gone."


    -----------


    With a wave of a hand, the mists cleared and Mao was able to see around him. Unfortunately, the spirit and the mistakenly grabbed girl were nowhere to be found. Snorting, Mao turned to leave. He''d rather face his master''s punishment than to chase after unnecessary prey.


    That thought in mind, he headed toward where he recalled Tongchu having a research lab in the Ice Forest. Master had a tendency to widdle his time away there.


    Ah, he was so jealous. As he walked along in the direction he remembered he couldn''t help hoping that he wouldn''t find master there.

 The Gathering Beasts Are No Match

    After touching the ground, Paoxiao used his energy to keep out the extreme cold of the Ice Forest. The first thing he saw wasn''t Hui Se Ying or Nastasia as he expected, but rather a swarm of giant ice creatures fighting for ownership of a Shaqi corpse.


    It was probably the Shaqi that had taken Nastasia.


    Although he was relieved to see the defeated Shaqi, he was disappointed that neither Hui Se Ying nor Nastasia were in sight. As he sat there pondering his next move the creatures fighting over the corpse began to notice his presence.


    Though the energy contained in the Shaqi corpse was rather appealing, it was quickly turning stale as it merged into the atmosphere of the Ice Forest. A living prey, though cumbersome in the attempts to capture it, was much more preferred. The energy contained within its depths a much more satisfying meal.


    Thus, a few ceased to seriously vie for the corpse as they superstitiously watched the contemplating Paoxiao. They were waiting for the opportune moment to strike. However, as they noticed the prey they wanted being eyed by others, a few lost their patience and strove forward to strike.


    These were the weaker of the creatures hoping to snatch a piece of meat from the mouths of the strong. The weaker ones foolishly though the strong were too caught up in caution for each other to move. However, the truth of the matter was, the strong was using the weak to distract a formidable prey.


    The weaker creatures were various kinds of carnivorous animals, wolves, cats, and the like that had passed on from the Mortal Realm to be newly made spirit beasts. The strong were old hands in the Spirit Realm, a good many of them evolved from their previous forms that they looked like entirely different creatures. While others were creatures that had always been a part of the Spirit Realm.


    Like the Ice King Snakes with their bodies made of translucent ice. They were the head honchos of the of the Ice Forest. The leader of it''s kind so accomplished that it was close to breaking through to the divine realm of power and obtaining a human form. Because of that leader, nearly all the creatures of the forest gave way to their kind.


    So, with such high-level competition near-by, the weaker creatures would, of course, be eager to pounce before the strong forced them to submit.


    Although this dangerous and heated atmosphere would have most choking with fear, desperately running to safer ground, Paoxiao continued to think out his next move as if he could not sense it. This complete disregard of his surroundings spurned on the courage of the weaker ones.


    It made them feel like they had a chance to come out on top.


    The stronger merely sat back to watch the show, waiting to swoop in when they could be assured of victory. With the dense energy pouring off the prey in front of them, how could they dare risk anything more?


    Having made up his mind on what to do next, Paoxiao moved to follow his gut instinct and proceed in the direction he felt Nastasia was in. As his feet carried him to begin his search he was suddenly besieged.


    Yet, he didn''t even spare a glance for his attackers.


    This wasn''t the Mortal Realm where he was forced to hold back his energy to stifling degrees. Here there didn''t exist any restrictions on the contracted. All the more so, considering that Li Yu Rong had removed all constraints placed on Paoxiao''s strength so that he could better protect Nastasia.


    Though they could taste pure and concentrated spirit energy coming from him in waves, they were too weak to comprehend the depth of his strength. That was why they could throw themselves at him without regard, thinking they only had to compete with each other to have the taste of his meat in their mouth.


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    However, as they sprinted toward him with full intent on striking whilst fighting among themselves, they slammed with dizzying strength into a wall of energy. Collecting themselves from the shock and pain of smashing their heads against something like solid steel, a chill swept through them.


    A chill that had nothing to do with the icy atmosphere of the Ice Forest.


    A sense of hopelessness fell upon them but, unlike they expected, Paoxiao did not counterattack. He didn''t have the time or the will to play with the lesser creatures. Realizing the opponent, to both the strong and the weak, was beyond the scope of their ability they turned their attention back to the Shaqi corpse.


    To their chagrin, the body had vanished along with the presence of the young opportunistic Ice King Snake. Though they wanted to give chase and try to snatch back the corpse, or at least give a bit of trouble, they didn''t dare. Not because they feared the young Ice King Snake, but on account of the power behind him.


    The leader of Ice King Snakes was a powerhouse on the verge of gaining a human form.


    Who wouldn''t give pause to act under such discouraging circumstances?


    All of this, from the beginning of its happening to the end of it, had been overlooked by Paoxiao. He hadn''t even realized he''d been eyed as a snack for these spirit beasts. Even as he walked away, while the beasts slammed into the concentrated energy that usually flowed about his person like a barrier, he didn''t notice a thing.


    His mind entirely filled with his worry and taken by his thoughts. He was a person without a sense of direction. Though he had an idea of where the pair, Hui Se Ying and Nastasia, could have gone whilst he saw the land from above the ability of his feet to get him there was another matter.


    Through instinct he deduced that she was in this direction, however, the actual location was rather broad. He remembered seeing a spot that Hui Se Ying was likely to rest as he fell from the water sky. So, although he had a general direction and a possible area they could have stopped to rest, his ability to get there tenuous at best.


    In the past, even within Paoxiao''s most traveled places within the Spirit Realm, he had always had guide to point him in the right direction.


    Even if he used all the concentration he could spare, he still might not make it to where he wanted to go. Thus he would let nothing distract him from finding the place he wanted to find.


    He would let nothing distract him. This thought, he placed it firmly to prevent himself from wandering.


    Even if something interesting cropped up at the side, he''d pretend it didn''t exist.


    "Paoxiao?"


    Even if that rock over there looked interesting, he wouldn''t pay it any mind.


    "Paoxiao."


    Although there were purple and blue ice lilies, an extremely rare find, he wouldn''t allow himself to get caught up in the wonder of it.


    "Paoxiao!"


    He had been concentrating so well to the task at hand that everything cluttered together in the background to be collectively ignored. However, that last sharp yell had been accompanied by a sharp pain from a blow to the head. Paoxiao angrily looked to his left to find a familiar, but rather unapologetic, spirit.


    "Hui Se Ying?"

 The Thing Watching in the Dark

    "Hui Se Ying?" Looking all around the spirit, Paoxiao didn''t see a trace of Nastasia anywhere. Concern filled his chest as worry caused him to his clenched fist. "Hey, where is she? Didn''t you manage to rescue her?" His eyes then narrowed in on the bundle clutched under Hui Se Ying''s right arm. "Why are you... carrying a pile of sticks?"


    While Paoxiao agitatedly rattled off all those words, Hui Se Ying cleared the distance between them. He would have gotten closer earlier, but the golden-eyed demon had let his energy run wild. He could only shout and throw a stick at him to get his attention. The minute the energy was pulled back, he closed in and grabbed Paoxiao''s sleeve to quickly drag him along.


    "No time for that! I need you to use your ability of creation to make something that will keep her warm. The bark of the Ice Forest trees burn for only a moment before dying out and her fever is only getting worse. Lu Se Ying''s energy cleansing pills don''t seem to be helping, either."


    Paoxiao didn''t fight being pulled along nor did he complain when low lying branches grabbed and tugged at his orange and black streaked hair in passing. "You let her get hurt!?" The words tumbled from his mouth harshly as he tugged his arm back.


    Acting as if he didn''t feel the tugging, Hui Se Ying kept a sturdy grip on the cloth and continued leading him along. With such a directionally challenged guy, he couldn''t let him go for a second. This demon was like a little kid, especially when upset. He''d probably think something like, "I can find her on my own," and then if Hui Se Ying let him go, even if he kept his eyes on him, who knows where that guy would end up.


    Well, it probably wouldn''t end up like that, but he didn''t dare take the chance. Thus, he maintained his unbreakable grip. If that girl wasn''t able to recover and something bad happened here, he couldn''t even begin to imagine how his master would react. This guy was needed and so he couldn''t have him getting lost.


    "She was bitten by the Shaqi back on the boat," he had noticed the blood as he followed them into the Water Sky of the Ice Forest. "So stop struggling, be quiet, and follow. We can talk later."


    Agreeing with this sentiment, Paoxiao ceased his struggles but was unable to quiet his mouth as he asked. "Where did you leave her? Not out in the open, I hope?"


    Of course, he wouldn''t. He wasn''t stupid. Hui Se Ying knew to hide the injured and place wards to keep away predators. Though he felt a bit insulted by the suggestion, he ignored it. He understood that Paoxiao was worried.


    So, without getting upset, he answered in the hopes that the demon would be dragged along much easier. "I''ve never been to the Ice Forest, but I''m rather certain it''s a cave at the base of Cloud Frost Mountain."


    "Cloud Frost Mountain...?" He murmured to himself softly, almost sounding nostalgic. In a louder voice, he said, "you''re going the wrong direction."


    Hui Se Ying scoffed at that claim, his gray-speckled eyes rolling at such a directionally blind demon trying to lead him. As if he would ever be so lost that he would need it. So, with that thinking, he ignored those words while continuing in the direction he came from.


    Paoxiao''s peach lips kicked up at the corner, creating a bitter grin. "I know I''m no good with directions, but Cloud Frost Mountain is the one place I can always find." Before he had been taken to the village his father had placed he and his sister for refuge, they had hidden in the Cloud Frost Mountains. It was the perfect place to hide, as it was difficult to get to.


    While it made the perfect place to hide, it was the worst place to be in all of the Ice Forest.


    "This mist around us messes with a person''s sense of direction. It''s been theorized by someone," his sister, though he had no intentions of mentioning that part, "that my lack of directional sense was being cleared by the mists." Yet, the actual truth was that it was a mere illusion. After leaving the reaches of the mists his sense of direction fell even lower.


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    Paoxiao hadn''t realized it at the time, but after hearing Cloud Frost Mountain being mentioned, he suddenly understood why he felt that he could find his way. Why it was he could glean the possible direction Nastasia could reside.


    "Since you can ordinarily find your way, you''re only going to get lost. If you want to ever get there, then we need to go left starting here. The direction you''re headed in would lead us out of the mist''s reach. At that point, it would be very difficult to find our way back in."


    Paoxiao couldn''t remember how he and his sister had been secreted away within Cloud Frost Mountain. If they left the area he wasn''t sure he or Hui Se Ying would have the ability to get back. There was something, like a barrier, that prevented entry.


    Its what made this place the perfect hideaway. Though spirit beasts, on occasion, could find their way in around the edges. Though, because of the mist, it was impossible for them to reach the parts closer to the mountain. The more humanoid creatures could find their way to the to its base, but it required the humanoid or beast to be rather strong. In some cases, there were those like Paoxiao, who were so incredibly directionless the mist somehow worked an opposite effect.


    What made this place into a bad hideaway was the negative effects of remaining for to long. Although many tried to make their way here, with most failing, to cultivate within the dense energy of the mountain it was a double-edged sword. The few that managed to make it through the outer barrier and mist would find themselves being devoured by the mountain.


    The Cloud Frost mountains were a living entity.


    The dense energies that surrounded it and made it such a desirable place to cultivate came from the many lives it''s managed to consume.


    So, while it made a good place to hide for a few days due to its difficulty and rumors, it was also a dangerous place. Thinking about this, Paoxiao suddenly recalled his older sister''s relieved words the day they left for the village that would be their new home.


    "Finally," she had released a shaky as she wrung her hands together, "it was difficult to sleep with that monster watching me."


    He was little so he hadn''t thought about it, but as the words suddenly surfaced with her fearful tone of voice, it felt as if his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. His steps suddenly gained momentum as he raced off even faster than before. He and Hui Se Ying had come to an understanding after a few more words. It had been agreed for Paoxiao to take over leading the way. It helped matters that Hui Se Ying could recall hearing similar rumors of the Cloud Frost mountains.


    Unlike his normal wandering steps, his lead was sure and focused. The quick flight forward rising in speed while a climbing worry surmounting his heart, to cover it sickeningly in dread. Paoxiao remembered, all the days within Cloud Frost Mountain, his sister never slept well. Though he was a child at the time and didn''t really question it, his sister was always uneasy and never let him wander off.


    Did those watching eyes still exist here? Were they malicious or did it only make his sister, who was young at the time and facing the unsettling crisis of needing to run away, uneasy?


    As they came up to the cave, that was hidden a bit behind trees and bushes and made vague by the heavy mists, Paoxiao swallowed down a lump that beginning to form in his throat. As they came up to the cave, able to see inside, the only things to cross their vision was a recently burned fire and Hui Se Ying''s outer robe crumbled next to it.


    Nastasia was nowhere in sight, she was gone.

 Feigning Sleep

    Though there was nothing but darkness, it was warm and comfortable.


    Wake up...


    As consciousness started to rouse to the surface a dull aching pain started to rear itself with a gruesome clarity. To escape such a pain, one should fly further from a wakeful state into the peacefully warm comfort brought by the silent uncluttered darkness.


    WAKE UP!


    The sound was a deafening holler and immediately brought her eyes to snap open. As an unfamiliar view filled her vision, Nastasia did not dare to move a muscle. The voice that had screamed in her head to encourage wakefulness, the very same one that spoke to her during a similar bout of unconsciousness, applauded her decision.


    "Look, my dear," a rich and smooth baritone crooned somewhere to her left. She resisted the urge to turn her head at the sound, forcing herself to feign sleep. "I wanted to capture the bastard you call son, but instead ended up with the Red Demon you brought here to save him."


    "Master," another voice, rough and uneven, chimed in, "I wasn''t given a large enough sample to study and couldn''t quite find the answers you wanted. Now that we have the living material before us, can''t I harvest some pieces from her?"


    "Hnn," the man hummed his agreement, "but only a bit of blood and a bit of energy. It shouldn''t take more than that to test for what I need to know. Once we know whether or not she can serve the purpose I need then I may say you''re free to take whatever you want."


    Hearing such a horrifying conversation it took everything Nastasia had not to show any form of reaction. Keeping her breathing regular was the most trying part of the whole process. There was nothing she could do about her irregularly beating heart except to hope that, in this world of the supernatural, super-hearing wasn''t a thing.


    "I understand, master," droned the second voice.


    "Well, I suppose, since my velichaysheye kop''ye brought back such a prize, I should reward him." His words didn''t sound happy at all and were drenched in reluctance. "Now, what to do in order to not breed any more arrogance in that head of his." He pondered.


    "Why reward him, master? Aren''t you already being kind in not punishing him for failing to carry out the simple task you assigned him?" The other, rougher voice added as if he were trying to be helpful. "It was the thief he was to bring back, but instead he brought you this girl that wasn''t needed yet."


    There was a dangerously sharp smile in that soft baritone of the first speaker as he replied to the second. "My, aren''t you unusually helpful." The first voice paused for a moment and then drawled out. "Don''t think that by telling me this, I''ll let you butcher the girl for your experiments."


    "Of course not, master," the rougher second voice easily denied without sounding the least bit hesitant. "Whether punished or rewarded, as long as I can continue to research new things, all else fails to matter. The blood and energy given earlier are sufficient; I''ll test them right away."


    After those last words, the sound of quickly escaping foot steeps faded into the distance.


    Even though silence suddenly filled up the air around her, Nastasia did not relax her feigned sleep in the slightest. That man, with that familiar soft voice, by his tone and words was a dangerous and mad creature.


    To be caught by him, she didn''t think she''d be able to survive the consequences.


    A time later, after he cooed about this and that, once again silence reigned after his footsteps too disappeared into the distance. Nastasia did not open her eyes right away. She waited until the sound of his footsteps faded beyond her hearing. Even then, she waited a few seconds more, just to be safe.


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    As her eyes popped open what filled her vision was an unfamiliar room bathed in the slight light offered by the fire of a single brazier situated just outside the entrance of the room she had been left in. There was a penetrating and dull ache coursing through the center of her right shoulder to radiate outward.


    It was quite painful and rather distracting that it wasn''t until after the pair left for her mind realize they were speaking in English. This new insight brought about several questions. The foremost she desired to answer was whether the English spoken here was from her world or something that had already existed in this realm, but had been hidden.


    Weakened by her injuries, it took Nastasia a bit of time to rise from her prone position against the rock slab beneath her. As she did so, with her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, she first checked over her person. Though she wasn''t aware of who had taken care of her injuries, everything was properly bandaged with a strong medicinal scent wafting toward her nose.


    While checking herself over, she had been calling out to the voice. Hoping to receive a reply, she was disappointed with silence. Swinging her legs down, she got to her feet quite intent on attempting to leave as quietly as she could.


    As she stood Nastasia came face to face with a deathly pale beauty. Her long silky lavender locks fell unrestrained down her shoulders to flow around the stone bench she sat. Her red-eyed gaze was so unfocused that it was unsettling. A delicate, yet eccentric, beauty like the porcelain dolls Nastasia''s mother collected.


    There was something familiar about this red-eyed woman.


    Leaning closer, she whispered as low as she could to still be heard by the one in front only. "Were you also-!" Her words cut short. After getting a look at the woman from so near a distance, Nastasia couldn''t help noticing something strange in her, almost, sightless stare.


    Reaching out a hand, she felt the woman''s face that still retained a bit of warmth. However, the heat of life did not radiate from her and, going a step further, she found that breath did not flow through the woman''s lungs.


    Such a beautiful woman that appeared to be full of life and completely unlike a corpse was, "dead," she whispered in disbelief. Pulling back her trembling hand, Nastasia swallowed back her unsettled nerves.


    It was time to leave.


    However, as she turned her body was obstructed by a broad chest, nose smacking into a hard shoulder. Big, strong hands, gripped her arms and pressed her back to her original spot upon waking. She refused to tremble, shake, or show any signs of fear toward her captor.


    Upon catching a good look at his face, she breathed, "you..." It was the spitting image of the portrait she drew, intending to find the man who had spoken her English.


    That man threw out a wicked grin, his dark eyes speaking of a deep madness. He pressed her until she was laying upon the rock slab, his body nearly resting above hers as he securely pinned her down. "Did you think that you could feign sleep and I wouldn''t notice?" He brought his hand to trace down her cheek, burning a path of revulsion along her skin. "Did you think that I would allow you to escape again?"


    He chuckled mockingly, "I won''t make the same mistake twice."

 Have You Ever Written a Book?

    He chuckled mockingly, "I won''t make the same mistake twice." The trailing finger down her cheek changed to his hand harshly gripping her chin. "Oh, wait... that was the other one who had escaped before, but the sentiment remains the same. I won''t let you leave here. You can keep my dear Xianmei company until you serve the purpose I need."


    Xianmei... the dead woman to the left of them? The name, it sounded familiar, yet it sat at the edge of her mind just out of reach. In fact, the face of the woman held a sense of familiarity as well. Nastasia couldn''t recall where she had heard the name or seen the face, however.


    Her distracted thoughts fell back to the deranged man pinning her down as he leaned forward to sniff at her neck. Stiffening at the unwanted contact, she took a shuddering breath to calm herself so that she could deal with the present situation.


    "Hmm... you share the same scent as her, but that isn''t surprising. In order to use you as she needed, she melded the last vestiges of her being with yours." He rubbed his nose along her flesh, nuzzling her. "The question that needs to be found, however, is what parts were merged?"


    The grip that secured her was as unyielding as steel. His sturdy body contained a strength greater than her own. She didn''t think it possible to struggle free and escape facing them head-on. Therefore she had to carefully tread and act accordingly until she found the proper moment to flee.


    It the meantime, Nastasia decided to understand as much as she could about her current situation. Why had she been brought to this other world that mirrored her own world''s past? The voice, this man that pinned her also seemed to be aware of it. In fact, if she was understanding it right, the lilac-haired woman to their left just might be the voice''s body.


    That mean''s, her mind worked quickly, the voice was probably the Xianmei this man spoke of.


    "You can speak English, so then, are you also like me? Brought here from another world?" Being that she could speak her native tongue, it was easier to articulate her thoughts. This helped her rather deteriorated situation and made gathering information and understanding the happenings around her much easier.


    The answer to this question didn''t really matter anymore. It had been something she desperately wished to know, hoping to find, in him, a way back. Now, however, it was obvious that wishing for help from such an obviously bad guy would hardly be the best move. To go back, she needed to accomplish what the voice brought her to this world to do.


    The man chuckled lightly as he pulled back slightly from their close proximity. "That girl tried this too. It''s too bad, though, as I''m too focused to be led astray by mere words."


    "That wasn''t my intention. I honestly want to know. If you''re from the same world, I thought that maybe you would have or know of a way to get back."


    "Darling," though the man''s lips were twisted into a harmlessly smiling expression, it evoked a sense of terror in her heart. "To open a gateway to another world requires a person with the ability to manipulate space. The preparations to open such a gate takes an entire human lifetime and, even with so much preparation, one can''t guarantee the world the gate will open into.


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    "You see," he said as his eyes began to glow, "you need a special type of energy in order to use the proper arrays required to set the right coordinates. There''s actually an equation I''ve worked out over the years to..." He trailed off as his smile fell to a frown. Without the smile, the death circulating in his dark inky eyes became all the more prominent. "If that bastard hadn''t f***ed my property I would have long realized my dream."


    After he mentioned the word "dream," his face fell even more.


    Though these words of his revealed a lot and she appreciated them, tucking each detail away, they worried her. Though he didn''t say it, Nastasia felt that this man was from the same world as her. His over the top actions a reflection of his desperation to find a way back. She understood his deep desire to once again return home, to see his loved ones. However, there were boundaries that should never be crossed. This man, in his frantic need, became blind to those lines.


    While he poured out these words, Nastasia gave half her mind to the story while the other half worked out a plan of escape. Though she didn''t know how much of what he spoke was common knowledge to this world, in all the books she''s read and the movies she''s seen, the bad guy never talked like this if they planned to let the victim go.


    Death or enteral imprisonment, between the two she would definitely grab on to the option of escaping. As her mind started losing focus of the things around her to her inner thoughts, she heard the man angrily spit out. "That bastard thief was born with her abilities, it would have been perfect had his blood been partly from me. Instead, he was tainted with a bastard''s blood... it''s little wonder that he turned out to be a thieving wretch."


    "Thief," she murmured as if she wasn''t meaning to say it. In reality, she hoped this lightly dropped word would incite this man to elaborate on the thief.


    Nastasia wasn''t made to be disappointed as he fell into the memory, almost as if he no longer saw the girl he pinned down, to rattle off the things she wanted to know. His grievances fell from his lips as his eyes were misted over from nostalgia. "Yes, thief. That man''s blood''s expertise lies in taking the things that don''t belong to him. After all the efforts I placed into building all of that, just because I left it alone for a few years, they take it for themselves." His voice was incredibly bitter as he complained.


    Though it was a far-fetched idea, something in his words clicked inside the thoughts of her brain. Perhaps it had to deal with the voice suddenly demanding she ask this question, but the identity of the thief and the identity of this man had suddenly become a clear certainty in her mind.


    After asking this question she wondered if the sudden thought that had risen from it would be proven correct. "Have you ever written a book?"

 The Reason Youre Working Together Is?

    "Master...?"


    Although he had gone to the back to rest, sleep never found him. Under such dire circumstances, where he couldn''t even be assured of her safety, how could it ever? So, when Lu Se Ying''s voice traveled through the door in question, Li Yu Rong was able to answer immediately.


    "What is it?" He was currently sitting cross-legged on the single-person bed. Half of his deep black hair was pulled up into a knot and held in place with a jade pin while the rest hung loosely about his shoulders. In one hand he held on to a Blood Moon Jade, pulling from within it the mass amounts vital energy it contained, to help even out and balance the dual energies in his body.


    Whenever he left the Mortal Realm for the Spirit Realm, Li Yu Rong always took the Blood Moon Jade along.


    Soon, Lu Se Ying''s voice drifted through the closed door to his ears. "We''ve already reached the transportation array to the Ice Forest, however, the Gate Guardian''s of Zhi Feng and Jing Di countries have bared the way. They demand we turn around..." He paused for a moment and then said. "They seem to be under the impression that An Ying and I have come to the array without you, master."


    Breaking the connection to the Blood Moon Jade, he placed the smooth, deep crimson piece into a pocket sewn on the underside of his outer robe. After hearing the last sentence spoken by Lu Se Ying, Li Yu Rong immediately understood the purpose of the attack from earlier.


    Even if the other guardian''s had gotten wind of her existence, it shouldn''t have been made known that he was taking Asya along for this journey. The target was clearly meant to be him. To trust the Shaqi to nab the right person, to even think they would be able to overtake his strength to the point that he could be taken, was laughable.


    Though he found it laughable, his mood soured as he thought about what happened earlier. Even if it were his first time dealing with these emotions, he should not have allowed himself to become so distracted. Were it not for that lapse in concentration, their faulty plot would not have had the opportunity to advance even half a step.


    Rising from his crossed legged position on the bed, Li Yu Rong crossed the space to the door in half a second. "I see," his expression was black as he opened the door to exit, "then let''s see what kind of show they''ll put on for me."


    Stretched out and engraved across a slab of carved stone was an elaborate array working out the equation for teleportation. Standing at its front are the two Gate Guardians and surrounding it on all sides are their subordinates.


    As Li Yu Rong emerged into view and walked down the ramp onto land, the expression on their faces was a shoddily concealed shock. A grin hooked its way around his mouth, but it by no means gave him a friendly look. If anything, it brought a sense of dread to coil around their guts.


    Drawing close, he said. "Oh, I see both Wei Ping and Ruang Ning are also here instead of traveling to the meeting point. I wonder if you, too, have had a comrade fall into the Water Sky?"


    Wei Ping, sturdily built with the bearing of a great general, was the Gate Guardian to Zhi Feng Country and Ruang Ning, slight with the bearing of a delicate scholar, was the Gate Guardian to Jing Di Country. However, both took more than a moment to form a response. As they shared a glance, the two seemed to come to a bit of a tacit understanding.


    Ruang Ning, his delicate features painting a harmless atmosphere, stepped forward as he replied. "That''s right, on the way we were ambushed by Shaqi. A few of our men were made off with, that we had to make a detour to the teleportation array. Isn''t that right, Wei Ping."


    Wei Ping nodded his head, making a noncommittal "hmm," in reply for fear of saying something unneeded. He had a tendency to carry on in ways he shouldn''t due to an anxiety he had with being in the presence of others. Although his appearance suggested a military hero, he was as timid as a mouse when not in a fight.


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    "You''re preparing to enter the array to save your comrades," Li Yu Rong began slowly, "yet when my subordinates tried to enter for the same reason, you prevented them. I wonder what the meaning of this is?"


    Both Wei Ping and Ruang Ning twitched at that velvety tone that hid a layer of knives. They schooled their expressions, unwilling to display even a hint of the dread they felt for Li Yu Rong. Although they should have been on equal footing, being Gate Guardians with neither stronger than the other, he was different.


    He was a demon, or at least half of his blood was from a demon.


    Li Yu Rong was born from the almost unheard of union between a human and a demon. The abilities he gained from such a union placed him far above the average human. In fact, his abilities would probably rank him above most demons as well.


    Ruang Ning had been extremely interested in Li Yu Rong''s background once he felt the spirit energy in him and understood that he was partially a demon. Even more so after witnessing his prowess and, being besieged by that interest, he sent a few of his men out to investigate the other man''s origins.


    Despite sending out his best, the only thing he could find out was the same knowledge everyone knew about. Li Yu Rong was the cast aside son of Jiang An''s Emporer. His mother was an unknown woman that the emperor fancied and forced into his harem. After being poisoned due to a harem plot, she passed on. From her corpse, as it waited for preparation for her burial, Li Yu Rong had been born.


    Every Citizen of Jiang An knew this story. It was rumored that Li Yu Rong''s lone red eye was a result of being born from a corpse. It was said that he was a plague of misfortune. These were merely rumors. For humans that couldn''t see the spirit energy or those of the Spirit Realm, their wild imaginations had to come up with a plausible -or plausible in their minds- reason for the things that didn''t make sense around them.


    Knowing that the mother was a demon Ruang Ning didn''t find it all that strange for Li Yu Rong to survive in the womb to be born after his mother''s passing.


    However, even if he understood the truth behind Li Yu Rong''s red eye, it didn''t make it any easier to look at him directly. There was something about that red color that made one feel horribly uneasy. There were times when he felt that he could almost see his death reflected in it.


    Even so, Ruang Ning mustered up the strength to say. "A misunderstanding, I assure you. Since we both have someone to save, why don''t we team up and save them together." He proposed and then added. "We don''t know how many of the Shaqi we could end up running into, so having extra help would be a good thing."


    Li Yu Rong did not say anything right away. His face was contemplative as if he were giving the suggestion a thought, which left Ruang Ning hopeful. Yet, that hope soon shattered as the half-demon Guardian slammed his foot on the ground.


    Both Ruang Ning and Wei Ping noticed that symbols had been dug out into the ground with his feet. Lines moved from the symbols to link up with more symbols that had been dug into the ground by his subordinates. As they had been so focused on Li Yu Rong they missed the other two moving about in the background.


    The energy that had been condensed in his booted foot connected with the array and surged to life. Soon each and every person standing guard in front of the teleportation array had been ensnared; unable to move.


    Tendrils of viny light had burst forth to wrap them all in a crushing hold.


    "Now then," Li Yu Rong murmured as he crossed his arms over his chest, "why don''t we slowly discuss the reason you both teamed up to act against me."

 Shocking Revelation

    "Have I ever written a book...?" The man echoed. The madness in his eyes softened as a faraway look crossed his visage. "What makes you ask such a question?"


    Nastasia wanted to know that too. The voice that woken her from sleep, that claimed to be the one to have brought her here, whispered in her ears to ask after it. However, after giving it a bit of thought, she recalled the books in Li Yu Rong''s study.


    Among the chronicled histories and technical manuals were books containing fairy tales. Though there were differences, very slight in some cases and quite large in others, they were rather close to the tales she had often heard in her youth.


    It didn''t cross her as odd at the time. Many different cultures had stories that walked along the lines of each other''s, but with minute differences. Although this was another world, with its own set of rules, it did not mean there wasn''t a mind here capable of coming up with a similar tale.


    It was very possible for the other kingdoms of this world to be similar to the past selves of the countries in her world. However, now that she was made to think about it, Nastasia began to consider if some of those books had been written by this man.


    She wanted to stall for time, to find out as much information as she could but reminded herself to be careful. This man, whose name she''d yet to learn, was a bit off-kilter in his thoughts. If she poked him in the wrong spot he might react violently against her.


    Thus, after careful consideration, she asked. "There are a few books in Li Yu Rong''s study, fairy tales that you would find in my world... I was wondering if you wrote them?"


    The hands that held her down tightened around her arms, squeezing painfully. Nastasia bit her lip to silence her yelp of protest. Her breathing came out in shaking breaths as she tried to overcome the pain. She didn''t want to give this man anything. Neither satisfaction nor reason to act with more vigor nor anything else he might be looking for.


    When she didn''t make a peep he squeezed harder, almost feeling the bones beneath her soft delicate flesh give way. "That isn''t his! None of it belongs to him, that thief! I wrote those books, I built that place, the knowledge he gained so easily were the fruits of my labors!"


    Li Yu Rong had told her that the previous generations had written the books in his study. Yet, this man is claiming to have written them all. More than that, if she was understanding it right, this man was claiming to have created the Palace of the Four Gates.


    How old was he? Was he even human?


    Just as she was about to voice her queries, he pressed down on her with even more strength, driving his knee into her diaphragm, just below her ribs, as he raged. "The woman that popped him out was supposed to mine! The blood that sired him only knows how to take and take and take! Satisfied only with things that don''t belong to them!"


    Nastasia tried to force her voice out, to ask a question, to distract him. The bones in her arm were going to fracture and her ribs felt as if they might snap. After a moment, she was finally able to gather enough breath to say, "how old are you?"


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It wasn''t the best of questions, but it was all she could think to ask under such pain.


    The man pressing down on her, digging into her arm flesh and wreaking havoc on her body, stilled. A second later laughter fell from his lips, but there was nothing delightful in its sound. "You know," he chuckled, "I can''t recall. After a couple hundred years ago my mind started to get funny." He drew close and whispered huskily in her ear. "Humans were never meant to live this long."


    Scared.


    She was afraid of what would happen once there was nothing left to speak about. So, she blurted out questions to keep the conversation going as she hoped for someone to come to her rescue. After dealing with this man for a prolonged amount of time, she understood quite clearly that she couldn''t escape him on her own.


    There was a rising dread in her that something bad would happen the second he stopped speaking.


    "Th-Then Li-are you the first person to own the Palace of the Four Gates?" She was about to ask if Li Yu Rong was the son of the beautiful corpse that rested to the left of them but held her tongue. Whenever he was mention or the woman, Xianmei, this madman would fly off into an uncontrollable rage.


    Besides, the answer to that question was already painfully obvious. There was no point in asking it to further incur his wrath.


    The man scoffed as if insulted. He spoke in a self-boasting manner, his dark eyes aglow, as he said. "The first person? Hardly. I was the one who created that place and its rules. After making the gates, that spiraled everything out of control, there needed to be a tool that kept it in check." He then said in a sing-song voice, "the palace and its prisoners became that tool."


    Just as she was about to inquire deeper into the words the man had just spoken, they were interrupted as the bald man, who had been with him earlier, reentered the room. He ambled forward as if he didn''t see his master''s unscrupulous actions.


    Rather, he just didn''t care for them.


    Even if his master were to be stabbing the woman over and over again with a knife until her blood flowed like a river, he wouldn''t bat an eye.


    Standing in front of his master with such an attitude, his expression one of total indifference, he said in even tones. "The samples gathered this time around were overflowing with energy. It was much easier to compare the leftover samples from the prior subject to the current one. This time the results show a perfect match to the desired pieces."


    The corner of his lip rose a mere insignificant fraction that even if one looked all day they wouldn''t be able to find the happiness he felt for his master. "The things you were trying to achieve, the current subject will serve well for it." He bowed low and then left the room, leaving his master to take care of the rest.


    The madman rearranged his hold, forcefully dragging her arms to be raised above her head, pinned with a single-handed hold. His other hand drew down her cheek, her neck, and chest to snake its way into her robes to feel soft pliant flesh.


    "Did you hear that, darling?" He asked softly, giving her a gentle squeeze, "you and I are going to make a baby."

 If the Tongue Dont Wag then You Dont Need It

    Wei Ping and Ruang Ning were flabbergasted at this turn of events. While Ruang Ning had figured that everything was already known, he still thought that Li Yu Rong would play along and follow them into the Ice Forest. Then, it would be whoever reacted quickest to win the game in the end.


    Although Li Yu Rong had that mad ghost, An Ying, he and Wei Ping had that guy. They had been given permission to summon Mao and his Shaqi with a special signal. This favor was graciously offered as insurance should they run into any issues during this capture plot.


    Yet, who knew that it would end up this way? Though aware that Li Yu Rong had a splendid mastery over arrays, able to create his own equations, it simply went beyond his expectation that this partial demon would pull this kind of ploy.


    Didn''t one usually lure the enemy into a false sense of security before striking when able to catch him unawares?


    ¡­.


    Oh, wait... this is exactly what had been done.


    Realizing this, understanding that he had been outmaneuvered, Ruang Ning felt a sense of shame fill his being. He always prided himself on being a splendid tactician. Yet, here and now, in his haste to rectify his blunder, he overlooked one critical fact.


    Li Yu Rong was already aware of their involvement.


    In trying to trap him by luring him to the Ice forest, Ruang Ning was trapped himself.


    The failure was his fault, yet, also wasn''t his fault.


    Trying to capture Li Yu Rong the first time had been extremely stressful. Then, being told to prevent that demon''s subordinates from traversing through the teleportation array wasn''t any less of a burden on the heart. Honestly, who wanted to face the renowned Mad Ghost and Godly Doctor?


    To make matters worse, the wrong person had been captured, and Li Yu Rong was still free to roam about. Who would be able to think properly under such pressure? The only thing that made it somewhat bare able, though not by much, was that the Quick Handed Rouge wasn''t present.


    Though famed with such a name among the Spirit Realm residents for his shameless womanizing, he was by no means a character one would wish to cross.


    So, assuming that it was the Quick Handed Rouge mistakenly nabbed by the Shaqi, some of the pressure slamming down on Ruang Ning eased. So what if, even with just one of them, they were a surging force of power?  With as many being beneath his command, just waiting for the signal he had been granted, what did he have to fear?


    Besides, so long as everything was denied, what could be done?


    Ruang Ning affected a look of ignorance and hurt. Squinting his eyes, as if in disbelief to be questioned thus, he said. "We, too, lost a person and were merely trying to get him back. I only thought that by combining our numbers, we would have a better chance at success. I don''t understand where you got-"


    As he continued his speech of lies, Li Yu Rong grabbed at his chest as his brows scrunched down painfully. A look of intense worry with a trace of fear crossed his eyes. "Stop," he said with a heavily hoarse voice, "I don''t have time for your superfluous words. An Ying, if he won''t speak than he doesn''t need a tongue. Take it."


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    Wei Ping felt a chill down his spine as he was watched that emotionless ghost slowly make his way toward Ruang Ning. His dark copper eyes looked, unable to turn away, while that mad ghost grabbed at the delicate jaw and pried open rose-colored lips. All struggles had been made fruitless under his unrelenting strength,  Ruang Ning''s screams rending the air as his tongue was pulled from his mouth.


    For the first time, he couldn''t help but be grateful that despite his heroic visage, he always slipped into the background like some unimportant side character. Then, another cold order fell from that demon''s lips that chilled his blood.


    "Lu Se Ying, stop the blood and don''t let him choke to death. He can still write." Then, as Lu Se Ying quickly undertook the task, he added. "An Ying, one by one, if they don''t talk, pull their tongues." Then he snidely spat. "If it can''t be used to talk, then what good is it?"


    After sprinkling a powder that lessened the flow of blood and sewing up the wound, Lu Se Ying handed a pouch full of the same blood staunching powder over to An Ying. After nodding to his master, that he was in fact done, the pair disappeared with a flash of light once they stepped on to the array.


    -----------------


    A baby...


    Making a baby....?


    The words echoed about her brain a whole five seconds or more before they registered. When they did, her body stiffened up as panic began to settle in her chest while her limbs fell into a sort of shaky numbness that burned.


    To make a baby you had to...


    Sure enough, his mouth fastened to her neck before drawing the tip of his tongue down the length to her clavicle where he roughly sucked on its flesh. His free hand also didn''t sit still as his fingers danced across the supple skin beneath her robe.


    ''Calm down,'' the voice called from the confines of her mind, ''he won''t do anything more to you.''


    Nastasia could hear none of it as she panicked and struggled. "Wh-What does any of the earlier stuff have to do with making a baby!? Isn''t this just an excuse to...Ah!" Her words ended in a yelp as he bit her collar, the force of his closing jaw nowhere near delicate.


    Snorting, the man said. "Didn''t you hear anything I said before?" His free hand began to part her robes as he talked. "To open a gate to a specific realm, world or wherever requires a special type of energy plus the ability to manipulate space." He paused to drop another lingering kiss along her shoulder, lightly biting the bone there. "You have a special energy within you, one that''s needed. I have the ability to manipulate space. The child we create will have both."


    "So you see, this is absolutely necessary." Removing the sash that was keeping his robes closed, he used it to tie up her arms despite her desperate struggles. Once tied securely, he moved her to a sitting position and pressed her tied wrists against an array on the wall, activating it. Afterward, it was like being bound to the wall with a chain and shackles, like a prisoner.


    He chuckled lightly as he added. "You can talk all you want and try to distract me, but it won''t work. Remember...?"


    "I said I wouldn''t make the same mistake twice."

 The Eyes, They Arent Green

    As she was tied and pinned, as she saw his robe fall away to reveal his nearly naked body beneath, her struggles kicked up a level. Her frantic efforts rubbing the skin around her wrists raw.


    As Nastasia struggled, she cried out. "Please don''t do this! If you want that whatever energy then just take it, there''s no need to go this far."


    The man sat in front of her, lifting her by the waist to sit her on his lap, facing him. Pulling at the sash holding her robes together, he tossed it aside and pulled her skirt down to her hips. His hands brushed up her smooth, flat stomach before his fingers rubbed at the lace of her bra.


    "The only way to give it to me is by giving me a child." He murmured as he rubbed her body. "It''s like taking out an organ and transplanting it into another body. The body has to compatible or it''ll fail. I''ve tried it countless times with the previous one. Mine or hers, there wasn''t a body that could hold them. Not even our own to each other''s."


    He slid his hand under her bra and grabbed her bare breast. "You see, darling, the only way is for you to obediently lie here until you give me a child."


    Throughout this, the voice, Xianmei, had been trying to get Nastasia to calm down. To listen to her. To repeat the words that needed to be said, but her mind was too taken by panic to hear the voice in her head.


    ''Listen to me!'' she cried as loudly as she could to surmount the girl''s panic, ''he''s not able to do anything if you just-''


    "Then what about me," she cried out, desperate to put an end to this. "If you put-"


    Both their words cut off as he leaned forward to grab the nipple he freed from her bra in his mouth. He bit down after suckling it and she stifled a light startled shriek as she bit her lip to suppress it. After he released the pink dusted nipple from his mouth, he said his threat in a sing-song sort of way.


    "No more words or I''ll gag you."


    Xianmei was chilled to say nothing of Nastasia who struggled to kick him off of her with her lower body. This, however, only resulted in him grabbing her legs to grind his hardened crotch against her. ''Why,'' Xianmei thought as a sense of dread began to fill her, ''he was never able to get this far with me. He could never go through with it. Is it because she looks like...!?''


    Though it was dangerous and though it would deplete a large portion of her remaining energy, Xianmei took over Nastasia''s body. The struggles stopped in mid-swing as she assumed control. Leaning forward, as much as can be permitted by the sash binding her wrists, she used Nastasia''s lips to murmur.


    "Mikhail, remember Aoife."


    Her words were laced with power as they forcefully pulled out a buried memory.


    After hearing the name the man assaulting Nastasia''s body stiffened. His dark eyes became unfocused as he gazed at her. Reaching out he grabbed a lock of red hair murmuring. "The hair is the same." His fingers traced down her jaw bone from one end to the other before sliding off the chin. "The jaw is the same, but the nose is a bit different and the eyes aren''t green."


    The strength fell from his arms as he sat there listlessly.


    Seeing that the situation had turned around Xianmei released a breath. It still worked. That man, whose name she discovered was Mikhail through use of her ability, had a woman he loved with all his heart buried in his memories.


    Human''s weren''t meant to live much longer than a hundred years. Their bodies, their organs especially the brain, would be unable to take the strain. There were some that reached an astounding point in their cultivation, allowing them to transcend that number by a hundred or two more years, but this man was not a subject of this phenomena.


    His true age, Xianmei didn''t know, but from what she managed to glean with her ability to probe the mind she knew that it was well over five hundred years. At the time she met him, his brain was already so fragmented it was a wonder he could still function.


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    The only thing that drove him forward, despite his delving deep into madness, was his desire to create a gate that would connect to a certain point. Through the years that she had been trapped by his side, she was unable to find the answer in his fragmented memories.


    However, she could hazard a guess.


    She felt it had to do with getting back to his world, back to the woman in his heart.


    As she felt her control slip, Xianmei gave out a silent prayer. ''Let everything continue to go well, let someone save Nastasia soon.'' Her consciousness fell back into a dark corner while her spent energy tried to replenish itself. For the time being, she wouldn''t be aware of what was going on, she wouldn''t be able to help again.


    When Nastasia came back to herself she found the man staring blankly, his hands and mouth no longer roving her body. She was confused as to what happened but seeing as the man lost his fever, she released a relieved breath.


    "Aoife, why are they blue..." he murmured, "did you change the color... no... not Aoife... not Aoife..." On and on, he was mumbling these things under his breath.


    Swallowing hard, she felt her heart stop as her breath caught in her throat. It wasn''t because of his insane mutterings... it was the name. That name... her fingers trembled. ''More than one person can share a name,'' she told herself. Even her own name, countless people had it.


    To distract from the terrifying thought that rose through her mind, she spoke to the man. Though it might have been better to allow him to remain with his crazy mutterings, her mind couldn''t handle the direction her thoughts were going.


    "Why do you want to make a gate... or rather, where is it you''re wanting the gate to connect to?"


    Though Xianmei fell into the background, the power she used to connect his memories to excavate Aoifee was still active. Nastasia wasn''t aware, but as she asked this question it dug the memories out.


    As they passed through his recollection it was as if he were in a theater, he sat alone in a front row seat, watching the strips as if they were removed from himself. The things that stood out to him at the time were shockingly clear while the things that didn''t blurred into the background, difficult to distinguish.


    The booms and cracking thunder shook his core and nearly made his ears bleed with their decibel.


    He was running.


    Why was he running?


    That''s right...


    He needed to get to his next vantage point. Though sounds whistled and boomed, tearing up things around him, he didn''t feel unsettled. There were people with him, his trusted companions. The blurred figure that was running beside him stopped with him as they rested a moment, hidden at the side of a wall.


    The person''s face cleared up like a 4K picture as he turned to him. The sweat and dirt on his tired face, the fear in his hazel eyes, and his messy brown hair were so clear that he felt he could reach out to touch them. His breathing was heavy, but he managed to say, "Mikhail, you nervous? This mission''s a hefty one."


    The youth in front of him was five years younger and participating in his first combat experience; it was natural that he was afraid. The ''him'' on the screen laughed. "Not at all, once its over, we can all go home."


    "Hmph," the youth scoffed, "so like a sniper! Always so cool-headed and unaffected."


    He felt himself smile. "Alright, enough of this. Time to go, staying in one spot too long isn''t good."


    The brown-haired youth, as they prepared for another long sprint, seemed to glow with a more confident air. Right before they ran for it, he said. "I suppose it''s better that you''re like that. It''s a relief you know, cause a guy like you has got my six, right?"


    Mikhail slapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I''ve got your-" before he could finish the response, blood rushed up from the youth''s throat and out his mouth, his face freezing in horror as he crumbled.


    The memory froze and skipped as it turned dark. Across the screen of his recollections, something began to play.

 A Chasm that Cant Be Filled

    After asking that question, the man in front of her became so still that even his breath was barely discernible. Words stopped tumbling from his mouth and his eyes didn''t blink. It was like the man had been turned into a statue.


    After a long while had gone by with him in this state, Nastasia tried, cautiously, calling out to him. He didn''t budge. She then moved her legs, scooting back, off from his lap. Though she tried to be as careful as could be when shifting away from him, there were still times when her feet knocked into him slightly.


    Yet, he remained as still as he had from when he first fell into this state.


    Seeing this, gaining a bit of confidence, Nastasia began to work on her escape. Her wrists had been tied separately before they were secured to the wall. This limited her ways of breaking free to one technique of the few she had been taught.


    The high-quality material wrapped around her wrists was thick, but Nastasia was determined to make her plan work. Rubbing the cloth against the coarse stone wall in quick rough strokes, she prayed for the material to wear down enough for her strength to pull it apart.


    As for the man in front of her, he was currently resting in the theater of his own memories. The emotions from the last viewing still ghosted his nerves, leaving faint vestiges of pained sadness, anger, and rushing adrenaline. The screen, the window into his remembrances of the past, gave no care for his unsettled being as it switched into another memory.


    "HnnaaAAAH!"


    A woman''s pained shout sounded from the blurry screen. Along with the shout were the indiscernible sounds of machinery, clanking objects, and voices. Upon his hand was a heavy pressure, in his ears were quick breaths ending in a drawn-out breath that accompanied pained groans and screams.


    "Hi hi huuu, hi hi huuu," the blurriness of screen suddenly sharpened as it zeroed in on a woman''s face. Scrunched in pain and wreathed in sweaty red hair...


    She was absolutely stunning.


    He placed his left hand over the delicate one mangling his right as he encouraged with every discouraging word that fell from her pale lips. "Yes you can, you can do this Aoife. You''re the strongest woman I know." Then, at other times he would respond with, "what are you talking about? You''re doing great. Just a few more pushes, in just a few more we''ll be holding our child."


    Just like this, the excruciating process progressed until a shrill cry broke through the sudden silence. The hand holding his fell slack upon the final push as an exhausted peace replaced her pain filled visage. Mikhail caressed her face to displace the overwhelming emotion that filled his chest.


    "It''s a girl!" Someone cried out.


    The doctors and nurses were blurry, but the squirming and crying infant in their grasp was beautifully clear. Although this wasn''t the first time he had seen this scene, it filled him with just as much wonder and awe, just as much love and affection, as the first.


    The feelings crossed over from the screen and echoed in his heart as he reached shaking fingers toward the crying face of the infant as her umbilical cord was cut and the body hastily wiped down. A clean receiving blanket was wrapped around the squirming baby girl before she was carefully placed in her waiting mother''s arms.


    Aoife glowed as she looked at her daughter. Mikhail took in the two, admiring the perfect scene, before reaching out to grab, with his forefinger and thumb, a small and delicate hand. It was so tiny and dainty that it could barely grasp his thumb.


    "She''s absolutely gorgeous, just like her mother."


    Giving an amused laugh, Aoife denied it. "Aside from the red hair where do you see me in that face. Clearly, she looks more like her handsome father with her beautiful blue eyes and cute button nose."


    As she paused to admire the darling infant, she slowly murmured, "so, I was thinking that we should name her Aowy-"


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    "Hey," he cried as he quickly interjected, "you promised I could name this one!"


    Laughter followed that comment, but the laughter drowned out into the sounds of battle. The happy image shredded away and through the shredded pieces, the scene of a war raged. Mikhail was laid out flat on a rooftop, gun barrel aimed through a gap in the wall. The gap opened to the perfect view of the plaza below.


    His marksmanship was topnotch, able to take down a target up to 1.8 miles away. Currently, he was equipped with the M110 Semi-Automatic sniper rifer, though he liked the feel of the M24 this newer model was admittedly more accurate.


    "Okay," his spotter, two feet from left called, "take the shot."


    "Why do you have to go!?"


    The memory, the theater screen, it was shredded. Between the shreds was another memory playing out. Though it wasn''t bloody or violent, it was no less blood-rushingly nerve-wracking.


    A woman''s face, framed by her long red hair, was scrunched up in anger as tears streamed down her cheeks, her chin, and then dropping to the floor. Mikhail reached out for her, but she pulled away with a sharp jerk as she glared at him for making the attempt.


    A block of frustration was stuffing up his chest, causing him to yell out. "You know why I have to. You were there when I got the deployment order! While I''m doing this for my country its mostly because I want to protect you and our children. Bombings, running people down with cars, walking into buildings and streets to open fire on people just trying to live their lives... these terrorist are crazy and don''t care for the innocent at all.


    "The thought of you or our children walking into a situation like that terrifies me. This needs to be taken down at its root. If I can make this kill we''ll be taking out a major part of their operation. After-"


    "But you could die!"


    Hearing that his fingers trembled, but that was a risk he was willing to take. Otherwise, he never would have followed in his father''s footsteps to join the Marine Corps. Reaching forward, this time he was able to bring Aoife into his arms, hugging her tightly against him.


    "I won''t die, I promise." His lips brushed down her wet cheek as his hands began to soothingly roam her body. Lust wasn''t what drove him, but comfort.


    Yet, as this promise was being made, as they took comfort in each other, the other scene taking place on the shredded screen took a turn for the worse. He and his spotter, on a near equal level, could quickly calculate the distance and target size and make the proper adjustments for the shot. Each kill was within seconds before the next.


    It needed to be this way. A sniper couldn''t afford to take longer than that as they risked their location being found. After his spotter confirmed the final kill, Mikhail quickly tidied up his equipment. He took what needed to be taken and left behind what could be left behind.


    However, before he fully made his exit, an explosion rocked the earth. A heat swallowed his form and melted his flesh. As the remembrance of that pain ghosted along his nerve endings, Mikhail was shocked by the excruciating feeling of it.


    ...ster...


    Yet, that notice fell away as the screen in front of his vision began to fade, and with it, clear access to the memories lost in his mind. Seeing that face, that lovely and dear body wrapped in his passionate embrace, as it got more and more indistinct brought a rising level of distress to shake his limbs.


    ...aster...


    He reached out to grasp the fading image. "Aoife!" He screamed desperately. "Don''t leave me!" the memory, it was becoming lost again.


    "Aoiiffee!"


    "MASTER!"


    Ah... the hand that was outstretched fell uselessly to his side. It was gone. Though there was a vague recollection of what transpired, it wasn''t enough for him to really be bothered by it.


    Even so, a massive hole opened up in his heart. A chasm that couldn''t be filled.


    It was devastatingly painful.

 Since Its of No Use, Take It

    After a while of looking around the area, Hui Se Ying had had enough. The girl was obviously not here anymore. After waking she probably left to try and find, either one of them or a person that could point her in the right direction toward finding her way.


    Wasting time here, staring around the cave and wandering just outside its entrance wasn''t getting them anywhere. There were about a handful of rock formations in the cave that she couldn''t have possibly hidden behind. Though it went back pretty far, it wasn''t that large. The area just outside was the same, with little obstacles around to block a person from sight.


    Pulling Paoxiao to face him after being ignored the first few times he called his name, Hui Se Ying bellowed. "This is ridiculous, the longer we stand around here staring at the rocks the further away she''s going to get."


    He would have left long ago to hunt her down himself were it not for his newly discovered fact of the mists that surrounded Cloud Frost Mountain. Getting lost in the mists would be just as unproductive as staying here. Therefore he had been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to get Paoxiao to leave with him.


    Paoxiao, on the other hand, was too busy examining the cave''s rock walls to care about the impatient spirit angrily shouting at his back. However, upon hearing the last outburst, he finally paused his efforts to slant him a look.


    "I''ve already explained to you that she couldn''t have left the cave without leaving behind footprints in the process. She has to still be here. When my sister and I stayed here in the past, she often spoke of eyes watching her from somewhere in the cave. I''ve already said there''s probably a secret entrance to some secret room, so why are you sitting here complaining instead of helping me look for it?"


    The spirit shot the demon a look of complete disbelief. "You didn''t say any of that! After yelling at me for my negligence you insisted that she still had to be around here somewhere. You started looking around without so much as another word, ignoring me!"


    "Oh," Paoxiao shrugged, uncaring as he recalled the words to be true. With a nonchalance that drove Hui Se Ying mad, he said. "Well, I thought about it. Anyway, help me look around the entrance."


    He thought about it...


    Upset with such a flippant reply, Hui Se Ying ground out as he joined in looking around once again, "next time just say it outright. I''m not a satori, I can''t read minds." All the cave walls looked the same to him, never-the-less he began to look around for anything odd.


    After half an hour of pressing rocks, looking for arrays, or anything that stood out as odd the ground began to shake. The cave wall nearest Hui Se Ying pressed inward and began to shift as it opened. Paoxiao hurried over after the shock wore off.


    "What did you do?"


    "I didn''t do any-"


    Before the words could finish Hui Se Ying bit them off as the tapping sound of footsteps neared. The footsteps were followed by mutterings that were too low to make out even as the tapping grew louder. They debated whether to wait or quickly enter.


    The pathway descending downward was dimly lit by torchlight.


    If they were quick enough and kept to the shadowy side of the wall, it would be possible to catch the ascending person unaware. However, before they could wordlessly communicate this idea to each other, the ascending figure came into view.


    A clean-shaven head reflected the torchlight as dark eyes were riveted to the documents held in black-gloved hands. Though the gloves were black, one could still see the off colors of a myriad of substances staining the leather surface.


    It was a man. A spirit.


    Tongchuu was reading over his list of needed items as he ascended the stairs to exit his secret, underground, laboratory. Although the girl who would give birth to his master''s child carried the proper energy in her core, it was not originally hers. From his findings, he discovered that the energy had assimilated with her core at around ninety-eight percent.


    There was a two percent chance that, should she be able to conceive, it would not carry over from her blood to the child.


    He didn''t like those odds.


    Therefore Tongchuu began to brainstorm ways to force the energy to fully assimilate within the girl''s inner core. After writing out the ingredients he felt would work, he left his lab to contact one of the nameless spirits to gather the ingredients he didn''t have on hand.


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    However, as he looked up from checking over the list, he was stunned to come face to face with two unexpected figures. Tongchuu had no fighting prowess to speak of. Instead of facing the two intruders, he made an about-face and raced back within the secret underground room.


    As he ran he called for his master.


    The sounds of pounding feet in pursuit of a person encouraged him to run even faster. As he flew to the alcove where the first experiment was kept and where his master was tangled with the new subject, he shouted again.


    All the while he cursed himself for being so caught up in his thoughts that he didn''t check for outsiders before opening the door. This was the first time, in all his years of having this secret research lab, for such a folly to happen. He was quite upset with himself as they would now have to abandon this place that had served them so well for so many years.


    Though he shouted, his master showed no signs of acknowledgment. As he drew closer he noticed that his master was in a state of unconsciousness though his eyes were wide open. Shouting again woke his master from whatever brought him to that state. He gasped for air as if breaking the surface of a large body of water.


    In that gasp an agonized breath that sounded as if he spoke a coherent word broken-heartedly fell into one''s hearing, but Tongchuu thought it had to be his misconception.


    His master didn''t have such emotions.


    Before Tongchuu could say anything a vicious growl sounded out as a murderous aura filled the room. "It''s you!"


    The man came to himself at those hatefully growled words. As he came to himself, he forgot his name. He forgot her name and he forgot the memories he relived at that moment. However, fragments of it remained; it changed things.


    Bile rose up as a sort of strange and sickly breathlessness enervated his limbs while looked upon the disheveled red-haired girl in front of him. His cheeks were cold and wet. The desire he had before falling unconscious evaporated without a trace.


    Looking at the girl that nearly freed herself, he understood that she had done something to him. She had done something because even though he needed a child he couldn''t bring himself to even entertain the idea of touching her again. Even though he wanted to torture the answers from her mouth, he couldn''t bear to disrupt even a single strand of hair.


    "Bastard!" There was a shouting and clamoring that finally entered his notice. He slanted his sight to clash against two pairs of murderous eyes. "What have you done to her!?"


    He recognized them both. The man, his name forgotten, stood languidly as a twisted grin marred his blank expression. "Ah, the brother," he murmured as if a relative happy from a sudden reunion, "you''ve grown quite well these past years."


    Paoxiao, unwilling to entertain such nonsense, snapped. "Return Nast-"


    "Ah, right, you can take them both. I don''t need them anymore." He walked a few steps to the side, not even bothering to right his disheveled appearance. Once he pressed his energy into the wall, a gateway opened up. "Tongchuu were leaving." Though he couldn''t choose where to go, the gateways never led anywhere beyond the stretched of either the Mortal or Spirit Realms.


    Although Paoxiao felt regret at that man getting away before he could remember to question him, he was satisfied at managing to rescue Nastasia. Hui Se Ying had already crossed the way to her side, making her decent. He then released her bound wrists.


    Paoxiao made his way over to join them. He wanted to ask after her condition, but the words died in his throat before they could be voiced.


    His lips became numb as a sense of disbelief crowded his mind and heart at the sight that entered his vision. Though it had been fifty years, he would never forget.


    He was finding it difficult to breathe.


    Though he could hardly dissociate the vision in front of him from a dream, he had to admit that he was, in fact, awake. He wanted to swallow but his mouth was dry. He wanted to move forward, but he was suddenly powerless...


    ¡­ because the corpse in front of him was his sister.

 Moving Forward

    Attempting to swallow down the lump in his throat did nothing to alleviate the vomit that rushed up. Trying to steady his breathing did nothing to ease his burning eyes. "Ahng..." he tried to say something, but all that could come out was a strangled noise.


    One step forward.


    It was a difficult step to take.


    As if his legs were weighed down with lead.


    The second step was even more difficult to manage as limbs numbed and trembled. On the third step, he stumbled. Yet even as he fell to his knees his eyes never left that godforsaken corner.


    Her pale skin was without a trace of rot and her beautiful lavender locks gleamed vibrantly. If it weren''t for the fact that her gentle ruby eyes stared off sightlessly, without even a trace of life, one could be fooled into believing she was merely, quietly, resting.


    Her eyes...


    "Ang..." tears began to spill over.


    Hadn''t she suffered enough? Why couldn''t he close her eyes? Why couldn''t they let her rest, even in death!? How could she leave without grievances if she was forced to continually watch this wretched world!?


    By sheer force of will, he stood and ambled toward her corner. Each taken breath burned, each tear that slipped out left an icy trail, as the continued and unavoidable sight of her death pierced and squeezed his heart.


    Paoxiao reached out trembling fingers to force her eyes closed.


    Her skin was still warm.


    Though he tried to block his breaths that were coming out in uneven puffs by biting his lip, though he tried to swallow back the torrent of emotions that swept through his trembling frame, leaving him enervated, it all came tumbling it out.


    "Ha... ha... ha... haaAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    Paoxiao dropped to his knees and threw himself into his sister''s lifeless embrace. Though it was warm, as if she were still alive, it was also cold. The cold seeped into his flesh, into his bones, but warmed his eyes with a fresh set of tears.


    In the past, when he would throw himself at her, she would hug him tight and wipe away all his woes with her gentle, kind, and patient love.


    He would never feel it again.


    She couldn''t embrace him anymore.


    He would never again get to hear her say, "Xiaoxiao, come and hug your sister and tell me what happened. Sister will make all the sad things go away."


    The trembling arms around Xianmei''s waist tightened. "I''m sorry... I''m sorry... I''m so sorry, sister."  Paoxiao''s shoulders shook as he mourned with all the strength of his sadness. "If I had been stronger... he wouldn''t have been able to take you. If I didn''t listen to the elders, I could have gotten to you sooner. I''m sorry...  I''m so sorry.. ha ha ha Aahng."


    Nastasia''s nails bit into palm flesh as she clenched her fists while feeling extremely helpless. She understood what it felt like to have a loved one die. There wasn''t anything anyone could do or say to make the pain go away.


    It was something that could only numb over time, but it would never fade.


    Even though she understood this, she still opened her mouth with the hopes that Paoxiao could communicate with Xianmei, through her. Before the words could come out, a loud shriek careened about her skull. The heavy, piercing sound nearly caused Nastasia to cry out.


    DON"T TELL HIM!!!


    ''Why?''


    The voice of Xianmei didn''t respond. Even though she didn''t respond, Nastasia could feel the voice resting weakly in a hard to pinpoint spot of her mind. As she puzzled over why Xianmei would refuse to share some last moments with her brother, Hui Se Ying made a move.


    As he watched the demon fall to such strong emotion, Hui Se Ying felt envious. Beings of all sorts could feign feelings for one purpose or another. They would walk through the motions to make it easier to live as they wished, but rarely did one feel to this level.


    At least in his experience, it was so.


    Hui Se Ying admired the single-minded devotion Paoxiao maintained for his sister over the years. He envied the broken soul that fell to piece upon finding her corpse, upon realizing her death. He couldn''t feel those sorts of things, because such feelings always felt so fake to him.


    Every time he seduced someone''s wife, he always chose the ones that put forth a view of such harmonious love and devotion. Every time he swooped in, speaking his flirtatious words while adding in seductive little touches, he wished with all his might, to be rejected.


    However, he was never rejected.


    Because love was only a moment''s lust and sibling affection could only persist so long as the sibling wasn''t in the way.


    He knew that all too well.


    Being the son of a powerful family, how could he have the leisure to hope for such fantastical emotions. Or rather, that''s how it should have been. He never should have hoped for them. If he hadn''t, the disappointment wouldn''t have been so severe.


    The woman he loved, his fiance, left him for his brother after he told his father he would rather give up his right for succession than to destroy his brother for it. All the claims and assurances she gave after he confided his desire to her, meant nothing.


    Apparently, his sacrifice touched their father, because on his deathbed Hui Se Ying had been named successor despite his giving up the position. The woman that left him and married his brother, shortly after, during the banquette arranged to celebrate his being named, drugged him.


    They were found naked and in bed together.


    The woman was in tears, claiming that she had been forced. The elders of the family, appalled, had invoked the family laws to have him banished from the family. It was a few years later that Hui Se Ying discovered everything was a plot by his brother to take the family head position for himself.


    The woman his brother used to frame him, his own wife and Hui Se Ying''s former fiance, had died during his absence. From a little digging, it was discovered that he hired someone to kill her soon after the deed he forced her to perform. Quite unwilling to keep a woman that may have been touched by someone else.


    Once he had found out about these deeds, Hui Se Ying felt such hatred. A burning need for revenge. To have the sweet feeling of justice served, he returned. However, once he returned to Jing Ang country, his brother couldn''t sit still. Living in constant fear that his return meant he came back to steal the position of the family head, his brother struck first.


    So swift and deadly was the strike that Hui Se Ying had been killed before he could even decide on a move to make. Honestly, his soft and hesitating heart, that was stuck in the days of their youth, was at fault. He never should have entertained it.


    His brother certainly hadn''t.


    So, as he watched Paoxiao sincerely mourn, he also couldn''t help feeling envious of Xianmei. Seeing this display of pure and untainted emotion, Hui Se Ying put aside any negative thoughts he had towards Paoxiao.


    Therefore, as he reached forward, placing his hand on the demon''s quivering shoulders, he said carefully as he could. "I wish I could allow you all the time you need to mourn, but we don''t have it right now. If you want to take her with us and not leave her here, you must pull yourself together. This is enemy territory. We can''t be sure of when the enemy will come... if they come.


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    "If you use your ability of creation to make a coffin from the wood of Ice Firs and add these arrays," he pointed toward the wall the Xianmei''s body leaned against, "then we should be able to keep her body preserved even after taking her from this room."


    Paoxiao loosened his arms as he pulled back from his sister''s body to look at the spirit with his copper eyes that glistened as tears flowed over his bottom lashes. "I don''t want to leave her here, I won''t ever leave her again."


    Though that statement, with the current state of her body, was an impossible promise to keep, Hui Se Ying didn''t voice it. Instead, he walked over to free Nastasia from her bonds. "Good," he said as he looked away while she fixed her disarrayed clothing once she was freed., "then you need to pull yourself together and get to it. As I said, we may not have long to accomplish it."


    Having come to this agreement, Paoxiao finally managed to swallow back his sadness. He couldn''t leave his sister here, nor could he risk her being snatched from him again. These thoughts made it easy to stand back up again despite the pain that cut at his heart and sapped his strength.


    Patting his sister''s arm reassuringly, with a silent vow to bring her back home, Paoxiao immediately got to work.


    -----------------


    The rain came down in intermittent sheets. The downpour was accompanied by crackling booms and awe-inspiring light shows. The weather was hardly fit for travel, but this was where the gate randomly threw them.


    There wasn''t much of a choice.


    So, trekking through the muddy terrain, dotted in various types of foliage, in sodden down robes and squelching boots wasn''t something that could be helped. Though it was extremely uncomfortable, a place of shelter had yet to be located.


    As they walked Tongchuu glanced around while trying to guess their current location. The view was ordinary and quite similar to any other sparse forest they had ever walked. With the sky being so overcast, pinpointing the exact spot they stood, would have to wait.


    It wasn''t until some time had passed that Tongchuu began to notice an abnormality in his master. Though he was generally a quiet fellow, this wasn''t a time his master would fall to silence. Thus, as he turned to find his master''s preoccupied visage, he dared to question:


    "Master, is something wrong?"


    Mikhail said nothing for quite a while, his thoughts turning over in his mind as he tried to travel down the broken and fragmented pathways of his memory. However, even as he thought and thought, he could not stumble upon the answer he sought after.


    "Why do you want to make a gate..."


    That question kept bouncing around his brain.


    "... or rather, where is it you''re wanting the gate to connect?"


    It wouldn''t leave him alone.


    However, even as he dug through his brain for the answer, he couldn''t uncover anything. He needed it and since he couldn''t find it himself, he decided to ask Tongchuu. This spirit, who had been with him the longest.


    "For what reason am I doing all of this...? Where exactly is it, that I''m trying to go?"


    Faced with this question while his bald head was being pelted by rain, sending icy rivulets of water down his back, he was uncomfortable and entirely unwilling to waste time talking. Yet, it was his master''s question and he couldn''t ignore it in favor of searching for a shelter out of the rain.


    So, without the slightest hint of any of those feelings, Tongchuu calmly replied. "When I met master, you already had the mind to do these things. The reasons for them, you''ve never said and being that I am only a subordinate, it wasn''t my place to ask."


    "I see..." though he was disappointed at not finding the answer to the question ceaselessly careening about his skull, he didn''t dwell on it. Instead, he walked over to a large Dawn Redwood to lean against its wide trunk. Though it offered a little protection from the rain, it wouldn''t make a good shelter for long.


    "Tongchuu, while I rest here, go find somewhere out of the rain to rest for tonight. In the morning, or when the rain lets up, we''ll figure out where this is."


    "Understood master."


    Tongchuu''s specialty was research. Though he knew a bit in the ways of martial arts, his ability wasn''t anything worth mentioning. So, unlike most of the spirits working under Mikhail, his exit wasn''t made in a spectacular fashion. It was no different than a normal person walking away after a conversation was through.


    Alone, he was left to his thoughts. The question never stopped it''s want to be answered, however, he had no answer to give it. He could only twist his brows as it continuously whispered about.


    "Why do I want to do what I am doing...?" Mikhail asked himself this as he tried to lose his mind in the sounds of the rain rather than in what he couldn''t remember; tired of trying to grasp what couldn''t be grasped. As he did so, seconds, minutes, and hours passed by with no signs of Tongchuu returning.


    Though the Dawn Redwood blocked the rain by a good margin, he was still constantly misted by a fine layer of water as rain splashed through the dense leaves. His body was drenched, uncomfortable, and cold. Finally fed up, he stood away from the wide trunk to find his own shelter rather than to continue waiting.


    As he took a step forward, shrieking laughter ghosted past his ears. This caused him to pause and look around for the source. If there were people around it meant there was a good chance of finding shelter nearby.


    However, if that were the cause, Tongchuu shouldn''t have been gone for so long.


    The laughter came again.


    It came accompanied with the image of a little girl as she joyously ran passed him to splash about the rain, making it her mission to jump in every puddle in sight. Red hair twisted about like a tail as she moved and her blue eyes arched upward like crescents.


    Such a beautiful and happy child.


    She twirled about to face him, shrieking again happily as water splashed with each hop. "Papa, papa," she cried, "it''s raining, it''s raining!"


    Her reckless running was beginning to cause him to worry. Stepping out from beneath the reaches of the Redwood''s branches, Mikhail walked toward the happily playing child.


    "Be careful-" he started to warn, but it was too late. She already slipped in the muddy puddles, landing on her rump and dirtying her dress.


    Large tears began to slide down her plump cheeks, causing his heart to ache. He wanted to race over to her, lift her in his arms and offer comfort after checking for wounds. However, with the call of "master," the girl vanished.


    Now that she vanished, Mikhail began to feel a bit hollow inside. Even though for some inexpiable reason, he found himself feeling this way, he was able to quickly stamp over it and put it aside. "You found shelter?"


    "Hn," the spirit replied, "it''s an abandoned hut."


    "Then, lead the way."


    That child, though it was probably an illusion made by a trickster, wouldn''t leave his mind. Instead of trying to banish it, he pressed it into a bundle to be forgotten at the back of his mind while he focused on his next move.