Unable to accept the truth, He Jin ran off that night.Fen Lei did not stop him, nor did he utter anything to halt him. He simply stood next to the boulder, watching the young man's back until he vanished into the darkness. He felt bad, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, Li Yuan's decision and its consequences were completely out of his hands.He stayed on the riverbank until sunrise, hoping He Jin would return by then, but the morning and afternoon passed with no sign of him.Nightfall came, and the moon rose once more. Fen Lei had been drowsy all afternoon and desperately needed a nap, but he dared not enter the house as it felt wrong, and thus, he fell asleep beneath the tree.It was late at night when He Jin returned. He paused in front of the door, unsure whether or not to enter, knowing Fen Lei was inside the house. He did not know how to face him, and despite knowing he was not to blame for what had happened to Li Yuan, he still could not help but be upset with him.He stood there staring at the door for a long time before deciding to open it, but before he could turn the knob, he descried a figure moving beneath the tree. The movement was brief, but it piqued his interest enough for him to approach the tree without making any sound. The moon was bright, and he immediately recognized whose figure it was. He was taken aback, as he had assumed Fen Lei was inside the house the entire time. What was he doing sleeping there?Fen Lei seemed to have sensed He Jin's presence. His eyelids gradually parted, revealing the young man standing in front of him. "You are back."He Jin was rather startled. "W-why are you sleeping here?"Fen Lei stood up. "What gives me the right to enter someone else's home?"He Jin felt a twinge of guilt. If that was the case, then Fen Lei clearly had not eaten or taken a bath yet. He turned around and walked toward the door, speaking coldly, "Let us go inside."The entire house was already lit up by the moment Fen Lei walked in. Only the oil lamps provided lighting throughout the house. Thus, it was still dim. This was new to him, as he had lived in a modern world where electric lights and artificial lightings existed.He Jin prepared a meal and a warm bath for Fen Lei and gave him a few instructions. After that, he did not say anything else and went straight to his room, unconcerned and uninterested in accompanying the other and prolonging their conversation.That night, Fen Lei ate alone and bathed in silence.The next morning, He Jin left early, but he did not forget to prepare something for Fen Lei to eat. He also left a few books on the table along with a small note stating that Fen Lei needed to read and study the contents of those books. Fen Lei had nothing to do anyway except sweep the fallen leaves in the front yard and clean the house, though there was not much to clean. Hence, he spent the entire day beneath the tree reading.One week had gone by in the blink of an eye, and that had become their daily routine as the days went by. He Jin would leave for his commissions half an hour before sunrise and return in the evening. Fen Lei, on the other hand, would get up an hour after He Jin left the house and eat breakfast by himself. After eating, he would clean the house, sweep the front yard, and do the laundry in the river.Naturally, doing laundry was difficult as modern detergents and washing machines did not exist on Plaillon. Thus, to get the dirt out of the fibers, he had to twist and slap the clothes against the rocks, sometimes stomping on them or paddling them.He had been on Plaillon for over a week, and there were three things he had been doing that were difficult for him. First was the laundry. The second was bathing. And the third was urinating.He had been a woman in his previous life, so how was it easy to witness a man's body every time he took a bath? Not to mention that every time he urinated, he had to hold the pillar between his legs. Nevermind the length.At noon, he would sit under the tree and resume reading, or he would practice writing the Yillali characters.The writing system on Plaillon was called "Yillali," and the primary language spoken by the people was called "Ilmina."He Jin had reminded him that the Ilmina spell Li Yuan had cast on him was only temporary; hence, he had no other option but to learn the writing system and the language before the spell's effect wore off.In a week of reading, he had learned many Ilmina terms, and there were five terms that remained most clearly in his mind: nenha, mejinsu, gauwoki, da, and ruu."Nenha" was the term for spiritual energy.Magic casters were referred to as "mejinsu."Monsters and demons were known as "gauwoki.""Da" was the honorific prefix used to refer to a close companion or friend.And "ruu" was Plaillon's currency.In the evenings, Fen Lei would take a bath while He Jin worked in the kitchen preparing dinner. And by the time Fen Lei finished bathing and putting on his clothes, He Jin had already exited the kitchen and entered his room. Thus, Fen Lei had to eat by himself.He discovered many things in a week on Plaillon that he would have liked to ask He Jin about, but he knew the young man did not want to converse with him, and thus, he kept those questions to himself and spent some time pondering the possible answers.He Jin had not spoken to Fen Lei since the night he let him into the house, and their only conversation had been when He Jin had given him instructions that night. After that, they never spoke to each other again. It felt very uncomfortable for Fen Lei. Given how much He Jin ignored him, it was almost as if he did not exist at all. However, he did understand how the young man felt. Accepting the loss of someone with whom one used to spend their days was not easy. Thus, he let him be, thinking that he might only need some time and space.Another week had gone by and their daily patterns remained unchanged.Fen Lei was seated on the long wooden chair, facing the dining table and eating his lonely dinner as usual. His gaze was fixed on the oil lamp as he chewed his food languidly when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head to look at the approaching individual. Who else could it be besides He Jin?He Jin walked right past him and headed straight to the kitchen, not even sparing a moment to glance in his direction. He returned after a while, holding two bowls: one of rice in his left hand and one of curry in his right. He placed the bowls on the table and sat across from Fen Lei, starting to eat as if he had not noticed the person in front of him.Fen Lei stared at him in astonishment. It was the first time He Jin joined him for a meal. He could not help but wonder what in the world had happened to this young man to make him suddenly join him. Was he ill? Or had he been struck by lightning?A frown formed on He Jin's brow as he noticed Fen Lei was observing him. He then put down his fork and scowled at him. "Stop staring and just eat!""It is a miracle that you came to eat with me. Did you bump your head somewhere?" Fen Lei responded, unconcerned about the young man's annoyance.He Jin's frown became even more pronounced. "Is this your house to forbid me to join you for a meal?""When did I forbid you?"He Jin was stupefied for a moment, unsure what to answer. He then pointed at Fen Lei and exclaimed, "I dislike you!""Do I appear to be having fun with you?" Fen Lei responded in a sluggish tone, which irritated the young man even more."You–""Fine, fine. I understand you dislike me so calm down." Fen Lei made a heavy-eyed face as he rested his chin on his palm. He could not help but sigh as he realized he would have to deal with this grumpy disciple of Li Yuan on a daily basis.He Jin made a "hmph" before continuing, "This is something you must remember. I dislike you, but as instructed by my master, I must teach you things that you need to learn and accompany you on your mission."Fen Lei squinted. "Mission? What mission?""I will explain more about the mission later. There is still a lot for you to learn." He Jin picked up his fork and resumed eating.Fen Lei simply gave a brief hum and nodded, not intending to look away from He Jin as he pondered the aforementioned mission. What could it possibly be?"I said stop staring at me!" He Jin exclaimed angrily, his face contorted with a disgusted scowl.However, Fen Lei was unbothered. He had an epiphany, as if a light bulb above his head had just turned on. "Did you know that I used to be a fortune teller in my previous life?""So what!""Since I am a nice person, allow me to make some predictions about you." Fen Lei arched and lowered his brows with a playful smile. Needless to say, his "being a fortune teller in his previous life" was only a lie. God knew what he intended to tell the young man.He Jin scoffed. "Only a moron would believe your prediction."Fen Lei continued to speak as if he had not heard what the young man had said, "You like someone, right?""Stupid. Everyone has someone they like," He Jin replied."I do not have one.""You are abnormal!"Fen Lei's smile vanished as he gripped the fork in annoyance, ready to stab He Jin. He had not expected the young man to trash-talk him. However, he did not want to ruin his plan, so he immediately calmed down. "Do you want me to describe the person you like?""Whatever, idiot." He Jin shifted his focus to his food, hurriedly finishing it as he did not want to converse with Fen Lei anymore."The person you like has long hair.""Everyone here has long hair!" He Jin's voice was irritably raised."Why are you yelling?" Fen Lei frowned.He Jin simply gave a "hmph" and resumed eating."The person you like is a mejinsu. Am I right?""You are.""You are taller than that person.""I am.""That person is pretty.""Correct. He is certainly prettier than women," He Jin responded confidently.Fen Lei pursed his lips, trying to contain himself from laughing. He Jin might not have been aware, but he had just confessed himself. He was undeniably intelligent and wise, but Fen Lei did not expect him to be hilariously stupid at times."He is a genius," Fen Lei continued."Correct!" He Jin seemed to be taking an interest in their conversation as he responded in high spirits this time.Fen Lei grinned with amusement, eagerly joining the young man's enthusiasm. "He wears a black robe!""Correct!""He wears a red skirt!""Exactly!""He uses a bow!""That is right!""His name is Li Yuan!""Yes!"He Jin's smile faded quickly as he realized what he had just responded.A momentary silence fell between them.