“Hicc! Hicc! Hick!”

“Why? Why did this happen?” On the bed, Xue Le started crying as she questioned herself. She couldn’t forget that feeling. She couldn’t forget him.

She cried for the entire night but she couldn’t let it go.

Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, someone knocked on her door and startled her.

“Xue Le, can I come in?” The person who spoke from outside was none other than her master.

Hearing her master’s words, she wiped away her tears and spoke.

“Yes!”

Her voice was still hoarse. She couldn’t control it.

Her master walked in and closed the door. She looked at Xue Le and asked.

“You are still crying, huh! Did you really fall for some in just two days?”

When she mentioned that, Xue Le was stunned. She realized that she didn’t fall for him in two days.

She truly fell for him when he started ignoring her and each second became an hour for her. When he wasn’t even talking, he wasn’t looking at her, it became harder to pass that moment.

It felt like the day will never end and the more it took, the more hurt she got. Until she realized that she can’t live like this. She can’t live if he doesn’t talk to her. She needed him to look at her.

But, instead of that, he just kept ignoring her.

“Listen, Xue, this is not true love. You just haven’t felt it yet. If it was true love, do you really think he would’ve been afraid even if your family pressured him?”

“Of course not! You have read books from our library. If he was truly in love with you, he would’ve never given up on any threat. I mean he feels threatened already then just imagine if someone from your family threatens him.”

“He is not worthy of you. You shouldn’t fall for some sort of cowards. Look if he was really in love with you, why would he care about those threats? Just because he has a family?”

“I am telling you, Le. Give up on him and focus on cultivation. There is no reason to remember him anymore.”

Her master walked near her and fondled her hair a few times as she tried to convince her disciple. But the more she spoke, the more confused Xue Le became.

At this moment, a few lines rang in her mind.

“Everyone works in dark, not letting you know anything and when you do know, everything is too late. I don’t mind being caught at that moment but I don’t want my parents to be caught at it.”

When she remembered those words, her eyes widened.

‘Yes, yes, he wouldn’t be threatened unless someone really threatened him.’

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at her master. For a moment, her eyes were very unnatural.

She took a deep breath and nodded her head.

“You are right, master. If I just keep on lingering on these feelings, my family would definitely kill him, wouldn’t they? Just forgetting about him is good for both of us.”

“Yes, that’s what I am telling you. If you forget about him and focus on cultivation, nobody will speak about this issue anymore. He doesn’t want to see you anymore and you don’t need to see him anymore.”

“As long as you do it, your family will never learn about it and they won’t disturb him. So, forget about him and focus on your cultivation, alright dear?” Her master smile widened when she heard her words.

Although she felt something confusing, she was overwhelmed by the happiness that her disciple would no longer think about him.

“Yes master, I will forget him. I will forget him so hard that my family won’t even know about him.”

Knock! Knock!

“Mistress, Miao has arrived.”

Miao’s voice rang from outside as she knocked on the door.

“Alright! I should leave. I have something to talk to Miao.” Her master smiled and left the room.

As she left, Xue Le’s smile disappeared and got replaced with a gloomy expression.

“Brother, you really are scum, aren’t you? I thought you send my sister-in-law to help me get stronger but it turns out you really planned to control me.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

‘Damn it! Why didn’t I think about it before? He didn’t say that because he was willing to say it. He was forced by them. But now that I know this, I still can’t make a move.’

‘If I do something, my family will definitely do something about his family. Oh yeah! I still have that.’

Suddenly, she remembered something and took out a small locket from her spatial ring.

‘I am sure that this belongs to him. I planned to give him it later but almost forgot about it. I hope this has his scent.’

Whistle!

Thinking so, she whistled and a few seconds later, a small bird came near her. This bird had fiery red feathers and looked a lot like a parrot.

“Lily, smell this!”

The bird, lily runs its hook near the locket. Normally, birds don’t have the good smelling ability but Lily was a unique bird. She can not only smell it, but she can also lock it in her mind.

She is like a dog that can fly.

“Did you capture the smell?” Xue Le asked.

“Caw!”

Lily nodded her head but she quickly turned her head around.

“Good! Now, remember this smell carefully until midnight.” Xue Le commanded.

“Caw!” But, Lily replied while shaking her head.

“I am just joking. You can forget it but you have to smell it again. I got so excited that I called it at this moment. Some people know that you belong to me so you can carry that for me during the day. So, let’s wait till the night!”

Xue Le fondled Lily and fell on the bed.

‘I was so stupid. Why didn’t I see this all along? He wasn’t afraid of rumors. He wasn’t afraid of other people. He wasn’t afraid of anyone but my family. If they lay their hands on his family, how can he sit silent?’

‘He did what any filial son would have done. But, did he have to say so much mean stuff? Doesn’t he know how hurt I would be?’

‘But, Ning’er, was he truly right? Did you take your own life because you had no one to support? But, I was there. Why didn’t you ask for help? Why didn’t you say anything?’

When she thought of that, his words once again rang in her mind.

“She didn’t ask for your help. Do you know why? Who would you choose between your family and her? She might be your best friend but is she comparable to your mother, the person who held you inside her for nine months and took care of you while you grew up?”

When she remembered those words, she got silent. Although those words were harsh, they were very true. She couldn’t choose her best friend over her own mother.

No matter how strict or harsh she might be, she is still her own mother.

This suddenly made her look at Lily.

“Lily, what should I do? I feel like comparing between mother and him. This is so hard. Help me!”

“Caw!”

Lily simply said nonsense that she couldn’t understand but Xue Le realized something. She widened her eyes as she slowly got up.

‘Yeah! I don’t need to send this today. I need to figure out whether he hates me or not. And, I need to figure out my own feelings first. I can’t just rush things.’

‘Alright! My goal is to reach Golden Core Realm first. Then, after I become the Core Disciple, I can recruit a disciple for the quest. Then, I will figure out my and his feelings.’

‘Only when we are truly alone, we can find out what both of us feel about each other. Alright Le, let’s cultivate. I need to reach Golden Core Realm as soon as possible.’

‘And, I believe you will shatter the competition, won’t you?’

With a bright smile on her face, Xue Le fell into deep meditation.

In another room,

“So, there is a Monster Emperor protecting his parents, huh! It sounds like a joke but I trust you the most. Anyway, this is also a good thing. Although I don’t like him, he is a great asset to the sect.”

“We don’t know anything about that Monster Emperor so I will give it a visit soon. Tell him that he doesn’t need to worry about his family and ask him to stay inside the sect if he wants to live.”

“That man won’t stop sending assassins this easily.” Treasury Elder commanded.

“Yes, Mistress!” Miao nodded at her.

“By the way, you said there is the possibility of that monster emperor being injured, right?” Treasury Elder asked.

“Yes! I felt like that but I am not sure.” Miao nodded her head and answered.

“Good then! I will go right now. I feel like this is an opportunity to behead a Monster Emperor.” Treasury Elder immediately left leaving a wind behind.

……….

On the Edge of the Forest,

“Y-y-you can speak?” The middle-aged man and woman terrifyingly stared at the fox covered in the bandages and asked.

“I am a Monster Emperor. Of course, I can speak. I have decided to stay for a few months. It seems like your son has made quite a ruckus. He seems to be in a trouble.” The fox spoke.

“What? Our son? Is he alright? Did something happen to him?” Both of them turned pale instantly hearing her words.

“Can you quit worrying so much about him? He is a cultivator. He can handle those things by himself. But, his action could make your life difficult, or rather I should say life-threatening. Since you saved my life, I will stay here as your guardian until the threat is gone.” The fox answered as she lay on the bed.

“Umm….. can we ask you a favor?”