The sun had sunk below the trees long ago, and white dots spread across the boundless sky, glowing brightly in the night. Under the cloudy veil of the moon, hidden by the darkened leaves of Taoyuan Forest, was a clearing.

  Sheltered by the shadows of the trees, away from view, one would hardly believe that a person would be there. But there was.

  Her fingers played a flute in the calmness of nature. The melody held a serene yet somber tune. A gust of wind played with her silver hair, carrying the sweet scent of flowers with it.

  The music continued to flow without a hitch as the girl skillfully played the flute. For a moment, she closed her eyes.

  A subtle light spread across from the edge of the woods. As though cautious, it was cold at first, yet when it surrounded her, it felt like that of a flickering flame.

  A presence...? And a familiar one at that. Who could it be?

  The sound of footfalls and rustling leaves reached her ears, its initial sound like a distant rumble, growing more distinct with each second. It was running, and, she guessed, from the speed and the way the trees swayed, that this creature must be a powerful one.

  She tensed as she saw a flicker of distinct grey flash across the forest, heading towards her.

  By the gods! she cursed. If I could just summon the fires of the Netherworld... But again, even a divine artifact from Feng Long Sect could not be compared to it!

  If she had to fight that beast...

  She didn't have time to think further as the brute, who had sensed her presence, darted with the speed of a lightning bolt, scattering the dust of the ground like a sandstorm.

  Indeed, in just a few moments, a wolf emerged from the trees. Its fur was stained with dust and mud and leaves stuck out from the top of its head. Despite its slightly disheveled appearance, its bearing was majestic.

  But all that didn't matter to the creature when its gaze settled on the silver-haired girl. Eyes gleaming with joy, it still controlled its excitement as it lowered its head.

  "Master Zhenzhu," it said, its voice filled with reverence while holding a tinge of familiarity and affection.

  Qin Zhenzhu, who had already composed herself after seeing the wolf, even blinking once or twice to make sure that she was not dreaming, thought of some things.

  Months of solitude sure had its effects, making her a bit slow to respond to its presence. She then flicked her fingers and the flute vanished in a flash of light.

  The first question that had entered her mind was what business was her friend here for, but when she saw the state it was in...

  When she finally found her voice, she calmly looked at the furry being before her and asked, "What happened? Why are you in that form, Fengyue?"

  Her worry was barely concealed, the look in her eyes betrayed her. It was not that she disliked seeing Fengyue in that form, but because it was not the form Fengyue usually used, she was naturally concerned.

  "Ah... It is nothing Master needs to be worried about. I merely lack some spiritual power, so I changed my form to this," Fengyue explained, attempting to dissolve his master's worry with a half-truth. "Don't worry," it continued, "a few days and I'll return to normal."

  "But Fengyue..." She sighed. "Then as your master, let me do something for you," she softly said.

  Fengyue could not understand her concern. After all, it was just a matter of lacking spiritual power; what was there to be worried about? And as a divine beast, he didn't really think much of it. But of course, his master would not easily dismiss it. In fact, he knew that even if he continued his argument for hours on end, his master would equally insist that it was something she should be concerned about. So he simply let her do as she wished.

  Qin Zhenzhu approached Fengyue, her footsteps silent on the dewy grass. Stooping, she realized that the wolf seemed a bit... smaller than when she last saw it.

  What? Fengyue... She bit her lower lip. This stubborn wolf was definitely not just lacking spiritual power; he was hiding something from her!

  As much as she wanted to press about it and demand an answer from him, she had to focus on the matter at hand. Zhenzhu placed two fingers on the wolf's forehead, her fingertips emitting a golden, silvery light.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Floating and dancing around Fengyue, the light surrounded him in a mist.

  Qin Zhenzhu took a few steps back. It wouldn't do her good if she was near Fengyue in his other form.

  Meanwhile, Fengyue closed his eyes, feeling the cold yet gentle flow of her spiritual power travel through his spiritual veins with ease. Smiling, he vaguely remembered the first time Zhenzhu had done this to help him. But now...

  Focus, focus, he told himself. He didn't want to waste his master's power, even if he knew that she would not care about it as long as he was fine.

  On the other side, Qin Zhenzhu was incredibly anxious. The way she looked around, wary of anyone disrupting her friend's transformation, clearly showed her restlessness.

  As the light faded and the mist began to clear, Zhenzhu closed her eyes, silently praying to the gods for her friend to be alright.

  When she opened her eyes a moment later, the mist dissolved. Standing before her was a seemingly young man of about his early twenties when equated to the life of a mortal, but again... he was a divine being. So she naturally knew that despite his appearance, his age spanned thousands of years. She knew this not only because she was his "master," but also because they had spent an incredible amount of time together.

  His blue eyes shone in the moonlight. With his black hair cascading behind his back and his sharp features, his ethereal grace and divinity stood out. Fengyue, glad to finally address her in a more proper manner, bowed his head. "Once again, I greet Master."

  A flicker of something indescribable, yet familiar, flashed across Qin Zhenzhu's eyes. Before he even had a chance to make out what it was, Zhenzhu took a jug from seemingly nowhere and gave it to him.

  Confused, he took it. "Master...?"

  "Drink," she said, looking away. "You look like you have not had water in a while."

  "Huh?" He licked his lips; indeed, his lips were chapped and dry, like that of a book from one of the Ancient Libraries in Guzhi Sect.

  No wonder his master had looked strangely at him, he thought. His manners were surely unimpressive. If his master found out the real reason why he had turned into a wolf, he would've been better off if he didn't exist at all!

  Drinking the water and sighing inwardly, he reminded himself to be more careful in the future as he didn't want to worry her.

  Heavens... How unlucky could he be? His first plan was to spend some time with his master before telling her his purpose for disturbing her, but things took a different turn. Tsk, he didn't even prepare a backup plan!

  "Fengyue? Fengyue!" Qin Zhenzhu's voice broke into his thoughts. "Are you alright, Fengyue?"

  "Hm?" He blinked. Sensing his master's concern, he quickly apologized, "I apologize, Master. I was... simply lost in thought. Forgive me."

  Hearing Fengyue's answer, Qin Zhenzhu heaved a sigh of relief. For now, she'd play along with his pretense of being fine. While he may not be telling her the whole truth, she was glad that he was unharmed.

  "Is that so? That's good then." She then asked him the question that had been inside her mind since she saw him, "Fengyue, what are you doing here? Surely, you know that there is still some time left before I return?"

  Oh Heavens... Fengyue thought. Too late for regrets and excuses.

  Outwardly Fengyue nodded, His voice was calm and measured, not allowing his inner frustration to seep into his voice as he spoke, "Yes, Master. But your father asked me to bring you back to Jinbai Hall as he has something to discuss with you."

  "Discuss with me?" Qin Zhenzhu repeated, perplexed at her father's sudden summon. She still had two months before returning home, so why did her father send Fengyue to fetch her? Could it be something important? Thinking and wondering would never answer her questions, she would only know if she asked. "Did he tell you what it is?"

  Fengyue shook his head. "No. He only told me to be as quick as possible, Master, since it is important."

  Qin Zhenzhu sighed when she heard Fengyue's answer. She knew her father meant serious business: that father of hers often personally spoke with her when it came to important matters regarding her.

  Anxious, she subconsciously bit her lower lip. "Then let us be quick. It's no use to keep father waiting."

  Fengyue nodded. "Whatever Master decides, this one will obey. But, Master, from Taoyuan Forest alone, one would take three to four days to travel to Saojian Mountain, let alone traveling on foot to Jinbai Hall which takes eight to ten days from there."

  "That's exactly why," she said. "It's better to go now. If we need something, we can pass by Wanghuo City." She paused. "Actually, I've already thought of going there to buy a present for Father."

  "I see." Fengyue smiled at her. "Master, it seems you have already planned things out."

  "Ah..." Qin Zhenzhu blinked. Fengyue's guess was spot on. "Yes, I have. I just didn't think I'd have to go now."

  Fengyue, still smiling, nodded. He was amused; his master really was thoughtful. He was sure he would never regret choosing her as his master.

  "Like you said, it'd take days. And whatever father wants to talk about, I don't want to make him wait."

  "Alright, alright."

  If there was anyone around to hear the conversation between these two, they would be bewildered by the casualness of the conversation.

  For a master-servant relationship, they sounded familiar with each other, with Qin Zhenzhu treating Fengyue as a friend and Fengyue being bold enough to talk with her informally and speak his thoughts, save for the sole exception of calling her "master".

  Having decided to pass by Wanghuo City, the two began to leave. Qin Zhenzhu walked before Fengyue since Fengyue was not familiar with the forest.

  Qin Zhenzhu glanced around, silently appreciating and missing the time she spent with no one but herself.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fengyue walking behind her. "Come, walk beside me, Fengyue."

  It was not the first time his master had asked him to be beside her, but every time she told him to, Fengyue still felt a sense of surprise. Nevertheless, he complied, not only because she ordered -- no, asked him to -- but also because he would never dare to do so without her permission even if he wanted to.

  风龙 - tone: Fēng Lóng; in English, and by author's meaning, translates to "Wind Dragon".

  古智 - tone: G?zhì (please flip the tone for "?" as it is supposed to be a fall/rise tone, but I don't have it in my keyboard); by author's meaning translates to "Ancient Wisdom".

  旺活 - tone: Wànghuó; by author's meaning translates to "Life and Prosperity", therefore, Wanghuo City = "Lively and Prosperous City".