95 Getting to the root of the Problem

Shi Die looked at Ye Xiu as they were cooling down. He could definitely see that something was on Ye Xiu's mind and it definitely wasn't anything training-related. This he knew for sure because Ye Xiu would've voiced his concerns to the entire group just as everybody else. They all shared their concerns and would offer feedback and comments on how to approach something but this time Ye Xiu wasn't saying anything.

He already had his suspicions due to the changes in his scent. When he had come back from Jin Yuan's kitchen last week, he had already known something was wrong. He didn't say anything because he felt like it was a minor thing but now that Ye Xiu was in deep thoughts, Shi Die knew that he had to say something. He had already made up his mind when he was training with Ye Xiu and he was going to commit.

Putting a hand on Ye Xiu's shoulder he called out to him, "Ye Xiu, I'd like to talk to you for a moment." He steered Ye Xiu to a private corner of the training ground without his permission. Even if Ye Xiu refused to talk to him, Shi Die would still try his best to get all the facts that he needed. Ye Xiu looked at Shi Die quizzically.

"What's so secretive that you need to take me to another part of the training ground?" Ye Xiu got pushed down onto the floor by Shi Die. Shi Die started to sniff Ye Xiu as he crouched down. They looked to be in a very ambiguous position and nearly everybody in the training ground could see them. Xiao Tu got smacked in the face by Shang Yang when his mouth became wide enough that an entire fist could enter it.

Once Xiao Tu got slapped back into reality, he closed his mouth rapidly and started to glare at the two that were still stuck in an ambiguous position. Shang Yang simply shook her head in exasperation since she could tell what was probably going through Xiao Tu's head. She pulled Xiao Tu away from the sight and brought him into the house. After Ye Xiu and Shi Die did whatever they had to do, she was sure that Xiao Tu would make a huge fuss out of the entire situation.

Yan Guo was still in the training yard but had employed his stealth skills to use. As he hid behind one of the trees in the training yard, he sent his shadow partner to listen in on the conversation. Yan Guo was a curious teenager and he obviously wanted to know what exactly was going on. Shi Die and Ye Xiu didn't even notice Yan Guo listening in since both of them felt safe in their own residence which meant that they weren't as vigilant as they would usually be when they walked outside.

"There's something strange going on with you and I want to know just what it is. Your scent changed in the last few hours that the group had been missing from the residence last week. It's nearly impossible for that to happen and you definitely weren't in the same circumstances that you were in with your first change." Shi Die's entire demeanour was serious which was rare since he was usually a more soft-spoken member of the group.

"I don't know what you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, there have been absolutely no events that would've caused a change. Are you sure that your nose isn't just malfunctioning on you? You weren't so concerned about my bigger change in scent last time so why are you so concerned now?" Ye Xiu narrowed his eyes, demanding an explanation from Shi Die.

Shi Die sniffed in response to Ye Xiu's doubt. "I trust my nose to not fail on me. I've been smelling the same smell for the entire week so I'm intimately familiar with the changes. You can't-fool me. I've also noticed that you've had something else on your mind besides training. You don't usually think about other things, so what could you possibly be thinking about that would take up so much of your time? I know that you've been absent-minded for the past few days."

He directed the topic back towards Ye Xiu easily since he had more to go on compared to Ye Xiu. When the topic was diverted to what Ye Xiu had been daydreaming about for the past few days, he blushed. The blush didn't last for long but it was there for long enough for Shi Die and Yan Guo to see. "Are you thinking about girl problems?" Shi Die narrowed his eyes and was taunting Ye Xiu for amusement.

He once again blushed at Shi Die's comment. "I don't know what you're talking about. You are joking right?" He looked at Shi Die desperately. He was trying to deny the accusation.

Shi Die simply smirked at Ye Xiu's obvious reaction to his taunt. "You don't have to be worried about talking to us about girl problems. We're a team, aren't we? We're supposed to help each other with problems. Though I still don't see how that would change your scent." He mused the last bit out loud.

Tian Bai who was listening to the conversation intently was basically screaming to Shi Die that he was getting close to the core of the problem. "I'm so frustrated with the fact that he knows that something is wrong but he can't figure it out because it is so unlikely for Ye Xiu to be drugged! I wish I could just come out. Wait. I'll just shout at Ye Xiu again through the telepathic bond and he should eventually let me out."

He started shouting as much as he could to the point that Ye Xiu's face started to twitch violently. Shi Die noticed the violent twitching and was worried something was wrong with him. "Are you okay? Is there something on your mind which is causing you to react so violently?"

Ye Xiu simply grunted. "Just wait a moment." Ye Xiu summoned Tian Bai out of his soul space considering that Tian Bai would've kept badgering him through the telepathic bond. He could've blocked Tian Bai from reaching him but that took much more effort compared to just simply summoning Tian Bai out and having him explain what his problem was.

When Tian Bai was summoned out, he immediately stopped his shouting and spoke in a calm and serious voice. "Ye Xiu, have everyone in your group convene immediately. I don't care how you do it, just have everyone inside of the house before I explain what's wrong." Ye Xiu was puzzled by Tian Bai's serious tone but the both of them complied with his order anyway. Yan Guo dismissed his shadow partner before slinking off back into the residence.

When they were all gathered together, Tian Bai stood on the living room table. "Ye Xiu, you've been drugged and I suggest that you go for a cleansing as soon as possible. I have no idea what exactly that harpy used but it's definitely not good considering that you've started to have a crush on that harpy. She removed your memories so I'm not surprised that you don't remember what she did."

Shang Yang blinked. "Is this Ye Xiu's familiar? Why haven't we been introduced to him earlier." She noticed that Tian Bai was definitely a cute little animal that she would love to pamper.

Tian Bai rolled his eyes. "Focus on the important topic please!"

Ye Xiu crossed both of his arms over his chest. "I sincerely doubt that anything has happened to me. I don't see why Shi Die would question me and I don't see why you have these weird misconceptions about me being drugged."

Tian Bai jumped up and bit Ye Xiu on the arm. "Weird misconceptions? Haven't you realised that you only started developing feelings for that Hua Fei bitch in the last week or so? Tell me, when have you actually met her for the entire week. You don't remember seeing her in the last few months let alone last week. Can you say that you truly like her?"

When Ye Xiu thought about it logically, he knew that Tian Bai was right. "I still don't see what you mean by me being drugged. I'd have noticed if I had been drugged. You also have to consider that all the food that I eat is either made by me, Shi Die or Jin Yuan."

"Like I said, she's removed your memories by using some kind of liquid that she kept in a bottle. If you don't believe me, I'll shove the memories into your head if I have to. You'll believe me then." Tian Bai was still adamant that Ye Xiu had been drugged.

Yan Guo was just listening to the conversation that was going back and forth. He was planning a nasty surprise for the person that had drugged Ye Xiu. Nobody drugged his first friend without consequences. He had heard enough from Tian Bai when he called out the name of the person that had drugged Ye Xiu.

Xiao Tu was keeping silent but he was fuming. He stomped his way upstairs to clear his mind. He knew that he wouldn't be able to help Ye Xiu if his emotions were clouding his judgement.

Shang Yang was still slightly confused but Shi Die had grasped the entire situation. "So that's why your scent has changed. You've been drugged with some kind of potion or elixir that forces you to develop feelings of affection for someone."

Ye Xiu rolled his eyes. "You can't have possibly believed him."

Shi Die shrugged. "He's your familiar, he wouldn't lie about things that concerned your safety and well-being. Tian Bai, is it possible for you to show the memory to all of us at the same time? It'd be best to have evidence before we start doing anything."

Tian Bai nodded his tiny head. "Place your hands on Ye Xiu's head and I'll do the rest." They did as he commanded. Tian Bai connected the telepathy bond that Ye Xiu used with him and started to push the memory so that it could be shared with the rest.

They watched the memory and at the end of it, Ye Xiu was shaking with fury.

The potion was supposed to be used long-term which meant that if anything went wrong before true affection for the user was born, the effect of the potion would diminish but it would still be there. They still had to remove the potion that was in Ye Xiu's system before he would be considered normal again. "I told that bitch to not come back and she retaliated by removing my memories?"

"I should've remembered that encounter though, even if you removed my memory, my mind palace should still have stored it in my labyrinth." Ye Xiu was confused as to how the poison that Hua Fei administered had managed to remove his memories.

Yan Guo started to speak up. "The potion and poison that was used can be considered to be fairly rare. I've definitely heard of it and I've seen it in use. The two are bought in black market auctions and they fetch a fair price. The antidote for the potion is much easier to get compared to the poison. As far as I'm concerned, you won't be able to retrieve the memories that were wiped away immediately but they'll slowly return to you after a few months.

"The antidote to the memory wiping poison is usually snatched up by those of higher statuses so I'm unsure whether you'd be able to get it. I can still retrieve the antidote to the potion. I'm unsure if its the same potion I'm thinking about but we should at least try."

Ye Xiu was rubbing his face in frustration. "Go, do whatever you can. I'll get the bitch back. I'll toy with her little fucking feelings if I have to. We'll make sure that at least one other person is with me at all times so that we can fake the dosages that she gives me."

Shang Yang and Shi Die were still shocked that Hua Fei would do something like this though Shang Yang wasn't too surprised, considering the way she had acted the last time they had met. Shi Die shook his head. "I'm glad that I noticed the problem but I couldn't tell what the problem was. I was close to guessing what the actual problem was. I'll have to thank Tian Bai for clearing up the confusion."

Shang Yang and Shi Die both left to go upstairs to tell Xiao Tu what had actually transpired. Tian Bai looked at Ye Xiu with a smug expression. "Next time you ignore me, I'll make sure to bring out your inner beast." Ye Xiu just groaned and watched Yan Guo leave the residence to do what he to do.

"I can't believe she would do something like that. I'm glad that you managed to inform us so early. Imagine if she managed to continue dosing me without us knowing? I'm just going to plan what I'm going to do with her." Tian Bai was pulled back into the soul space as Ye Xiu was laying on the sofa, thinking about his plans.