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Having trained to his heart's content, Zhao Wei decided that it was time to go to the Martial Arts Library. But on his way out, Zhao Wei encountered a rather frequent visitor to his living quarters.

It was Zhao Yufei. Apart from her, there has been no one else with whom he had spent more than a few minutes with.

Zhao Yufei… The woman was at risk of getting fatally attached to him and that wasn't definitely good in the long term run. Or maybe she was already ensnared without her even knowing it?

"Hey, brother Wei. I have been looking for you for quite some time. Where have you been hiding all this time?" Her exquisite and gentle eyes gazed at him with a questioning look, her voice sounded just like a celestial tune to the ears.

Zhao Yufei looked innocent, sexy, pure and devastatingly charming. Any man would find it hard to resist her call and whims and only wish to protect, cherish, possess and spoil her to the best of their ability.

But was Zhao Wei just any man? No.

Truthfully from the depths of his heart, Zhao Wei didn't want to be emotionally entangled with the beautiful lady standing on his path.

That's why several days after learning the mysteries behind his new found technique, [Shadow Traversing Technique], Zhao Wei had been using it to hoodwink those who sought after him and it was especially one person… Zhao Yufei. It could be said that he had been acting pretty childish. That act of hiding from someone was reminiscent of the childish game of hide and seek.

Zhao Wei believed what he was doing was for her own good and peace of heart and mind. He was the type of man any woman should avoid diverting their interest to. For his heart held no love and compassion. His mind hadn't for once thought about being cuddly with anyone in the Fan Universe - A universe comparable to a simulated reality.

"Hiding? That is a rather ridiculous way of putting it. Can a man just not be busy with his life and remain unseen from the world?" Zhao Wei fluently replied, not admitting anything or explaining himself to the fairy in front of him.

"Hmph, but to me it feels like you have been diligently avoiding me. A woman's intuition has little to no probability of going wrong." Zhao Yufei adorned a cute pout on her face while placing her hands on curvy hips.

"And?" Zhao Wei calmly urged her to continue. The expression on his face was one that portrayed an uncaring attitude.

Seeing his nonchalance and kind of aggravating stance, Zhao Yufei exhaled in clear frustration.

She still couldn't understand Zhao Wei even after spending some time with him. Albeit only a little bit.

"Did I do something wrong or is there a specific reason why you have been avoiding me? I only wanted to spar and learn more from you since you have already proven yourself to be the best among all disciples." Zhao Yufei inquired with a hurting expression on her gorgeous face.

A foreboding feeling crept in Zhao Wei's heart. He didn't know why. Even so, Zhao Wei chose to ignore the feeling as he intensively looked at Zhao Yufei.

Some things couldn't be avoided just for long. Zhao Wei wasn't so conceited to think that Zhao Yufei was already head over heels for him. But he speculated that if he continued interacting with her for longer periods, her budding feelings would erupt and what he mostly wanted to avoid would become an eventuality.

Due to his intense gaze, Zhao Yufei found herself blushing unintendedly as her slightly watery eyes sought to avoid him.

"The reason we couldn't see each other was due to my arduous training and in this cruel world of cultivation, negligence and laziness shouldn't be tolerated. I don't know if I should feel sorry for just wanting to increase my survival rate and strength." His words weren't soothing or gentle but sharp and a little bit sarcastic.

"The world doesn't revolve around your beck and call, beautiful."

Zhao Yufei found herself quite disoriented by his words.

Beautiful? That word stuck to her heart like a magnet. It made her maiden heart race like never before and if it were not for his other words, Zhao Yufei would have chosen to remain muddled.

Wasn't he being unnecessarily harsh to her?

What was the reason for his shitty response?

Why was he being rude?

What did she do wrong for him to be this cold?

She was just trying to be nice and get to know him more as he was the only one that wholly interested her. He was an enigma that she yearned to unravel little by little due to her relentless curiosity. She just wanted to know more about the man named Zhao Wei. Why was he so much different from others? Why did he like to stay like a lone wolf? What was the reason for the tinge of loneliness hidden within his deep abyssal eyes? Why doesn't he normally show the much needed response when in the presence of a beautiful flower like her?

Wasn't she beautiful enough for him to just look at her with a warm and tender gaze other than his usual calm and collected one?

Zhao Yufei didn't know why she was starting to feel like that but Zhao Wei knew.

Curiosity can kill the cat.

Zhao Wei took a step. Then another which was then followed by another until he was within an arm's length reach of Zhao Yufei.

Zhao Yufei chose to stand her ground, her expectant eyes following every of his calculated movements.

His actions conveyed that he had something pretty important to say to her.

But then what was this feeling of apprehension mercilessly clawing at her heart?

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

"Zhao Yufei…" The way he called her name was profoundly different from his usual way of calling her. It felt a little bit… intimate. That's how it sounded in her ears, anyway.

"You are a beautiful woman."

Eh? Eh? Eeeeeh?

For a moment. Just for a moment Zhao Yufei found her brain ceasing its functioning.

What the-?

Is he trying to confess? Various wild thoughts filled her pure mind as a red flush of shyness spread on her soft white and unadulterated skin of her small neck and cheeks.

Unaffected by the changes of her facial expressions, Zhao Wei continued.

"I wholly accept that you are so beautiful but it's a pity. It's just a pity that you bear many thorns that may prick me at any moment."

"In short, you will be inviting me and yourself a lot of unnecessary troubles when your interest in me keeps on increasing further."

"You are a lamb and a lamb usually should not intentionally send itself into the wolf's den. I am no wolf but a demon you should avoid at all costs lest your soul be consumed by me."

"I don't know how you find me attractive since I have never been one to care about superficialities but please don't harbor thoughts of friendship or something like affection toward me."

"I am not your friend that would play with you when you are bored. We have boundaries that shouldn't be crossed and I am just an ordinary disciple just like any other."

Zhao Wei then exhaled strenuously after blubbering for so long and then started walking past her. He then stopped when he was behind her.

"I might have been harsh and somehow unfeeling but it's for your own sake."

"Take care."

With that, Zhao Wei disappeared as he headed towards the Martial Arts Library leaving behind Zhao Yufei who stood frozen like a lifeless statue.

It was silent. Utterly silent.

The cool evening wind did nothing to cause a reaction from the lost woman, only slightly blowing her pretty white dress and exposing her long and beautiful slender legs.

She didn't know the hows and whens but when she came to herself, her watery eyes had already started spilling.

Something. Just something inside of her felt broken for the first time in her life.

Even though he had spoken indirectly, Zhao Yufei was no dunce and she understood what he had wanted her to thoroughly understand.

"Bastard!" She cursed under her breath, not caring for her image since she was all alone.

Through his words, Zhao Yufei had already come to verify her own feelings.

"It seems I liked him. And I…"

Her gaze was sorrowful, conveying the woes of a broken heart as she looked at the slowly approaching darkness of the night in the sky that mirrored her own emptiness.

"... Still like him." Her love became unrequited even before it bloomed into something more devastating.

It was crystal clear that Zhao Wei didn't have her in his heart and no one else. He was a poison.

And she was still determined to get poisoned by him.

Amidst the brokenness, her heart slightly mended and yearned for him.

The heart already wants what it wants.

Rubbing away her unsightly tears, Zhao Yufei sniffed back her snot with a new look of determination on her immortal-like face.

"I will surpass you and only then would you have nothing else to look at but only me. I know that you think I am a liability but that… won't be for long!"

Unknown to her and many, at that very moment, her vow inadvertently stimulated the traces of her ancient bloodline and a fire that wasn't there burned in her eyes.

The river of time derailed from its natural course as Zhao Yufei was born anew!

She was no longer that maiden that had just had her heart broken!

She was...

***

<Enjoy>

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