Ming Yue and Jun Xi walked along the streets of The Righteous Sword Sect. Many curious eyes gathered upon them, especially on Ming Yue who was moving suspiciously behind Jun Xi. She was gripping on the folds on the back of Jun Xi's robe and occasionally peeked around his back.
Suddenly, Jun Xi made a sudden stop and Ming Yue walked right into his back.
Ouch!
She rubbed her, now slightly red and aching, nose while giving him a pitiful and tearful look.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to avoid everyone's attention." She said, still rubbing her nose.
"Why?"
Ming Yue looked around sneakily and then motioned for him to bend over so that she could whisper in his ear. As he bent over, she whispered, "Remember what you said earlier? If they find out I'm a demon they might kill me.
Jun Xi straightened his back and then flicked his finger on her forehead.
Ouch!
Now she was rubbing a slightly red and aching spot on her forehead. She gave him a feisty look.
"Let's go."
"En." She said and scurried closely after him.
A few moments later they arrived before a large gate. On the sign above the gate it said 'Sky Pavilion'. They walked through the gate and entered a courtyard, then they entered the pavilion and he lead her to a room.
"You'll be staying here. If you need anything I'll be in the room over there." He pointed to a room down the hall and then he left.
The room was large but sparsely decorated, with only a bed, a desk, and a dresser.
Ming Yue threw herself on the bed and rolled around in the bed sheets. She let a mouthful of air out as she relaxed, staring at the ceiling. It had been a stressful day and so many things had happened. Thinking back, she could barely believe half the things that had happened this day. Perhaps the next time she wakes up it will all have been a dream?
At some point, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
A few hours later she woke up, hugging her stomach. It was growling like a small beast. How could she forget, she hadn't eaten all day!
She crawled out of the bed, somehow feeling even more exhausted than when she fell asleep. Drowsily she moved out into the hallway. It was now in the middle of the night and it was dark and she had already forgotten the layout of the building.
Looking down the hall, she saw a thin strip of light under one of the doors, and decided to move that way.
Opening the door, she found a room similar to hers. An oil lamp sat on a small table beside the bed and gave off a warm yellow glow.
Jun Xi was lying in the bed seemingly asleep.
She moved over and crouched before the bed, looking at the handsome sleeping face of Jun Xi. Somehow he looked even more handsome while sleeping, she thought. She rested her head on her knees as she listened to his shallow breathing and traced the contours of his face with her eyes.
Looking at him was too comfortable. She had already forgotten about the hunger that had woken her up and already being slightly drowsy she soon fell asleep again.
The next time she woke up, she found herself lying on the floor, her whole body was aching. She looked at the bed and it was empty.
Empty!?
She suddenly jolted awake and her face turned red from embarrassment. Oh my god! What's he going to think? He's going to think I'm some crazy lustful woman who sneaks into men's bedrooms at night to steal glances.
Her heart started pounding as she anxiously walked back and forth, thinking: "What do I do? What do I do? What excuse can I make up?"
Suddenly, the door opened behind her. Frightened like a scared kitten who'd been caught doing something really bad, she jumped two feet up in the air and landed on the bed.
Jun Xi stood calmly by the door, as if having become completely immunized toward her weird behavior and said, "There's breakfast outside in the stone pavilion."
"Breakfast?" The thought of food completely vaporized her previous thoughts and worries. She quickly got off the bed and followed him outside.
In the courtyard under a small stone pavilion, a feast of delicious food had been laid out on a stone table.
"So much food!" She exclaimed and immediately took a chair and began gobbling up the various dishes. "Uh? You're not eating?" She mumbled with her mouth full.
He shook his head and then said, "I'm leaving and might not return until the sun has set."
"Where are you going? Can I come?" She asked as she chewed on a piece of beef jerky.
"No, It's better if you remain here and stay out of trouble. I'm going to the library to look for a way to break the life and death contract."
Ming Yue pouted as she watched him leave. "What does he mean, stay out of trouble? Is he saying I'm a troublesome person?" Her pout turned into a frown and then a small sausage suffered her small outburst of anger as she sliced it in half with her sharp teeth like a guillotine.
***
In the sect's library.
Jun Xi was patiently browsing through book after book. When an old man with a long white beard that reached to his feet suddenly appeared.
The old man's eyebrows were so thick and bushy they looked like a pair of clouds that seemed to weigh so much he could barely keep them open.
"Ho ho ho! Seems like you brought back something interesting." The old man said while chuckling with mirth glowing on his wizened old face.
"Patriarch!" Jun Xi turned around and respectfully bowed to the old man.
The old man walked over to the bookshelf and traced a finger over the books. Then he pulled out a book and threw it to Jun Xi. A satisfied smile appeared on his old face.
Jun Xi read the title of the book and a cold bead of sweat ran down his cheek. "The four pillars of a happy marriage".