Mysterious Red-eyed Man

With Lin's birthday celebration approaching soon, Xiao was on an afternoon stroll to look for the perfect gift. She wasn't planning on purchasing something grandiose, since Lin might not be swayed with expensive trinkets and jewelry, Xiao guessed that Lin already had plenty of those.

A simple but heartfelt gift would do.

That said, Xiao was finding it hard to look for a gift that would crystalize their close friendship. She had thought of buying an ordinary bracelet and call it a day, but Xiao ultimately deemed it to be too shallow of a gesture to let Lin know how important she was to Xiao.

Xiao mentally paused as she walked amongst the crowd to reflect on her thoughts.

How important was Lin to her, that she was willing to scour the streets just for the perfect birthday present?

Suddenly, Xiao was stopped in her tracks by what she would define as an audacious placard of a newly opened store. Shameless even.

[DUAL CULTIVATION BIBLIOTHECA]

Regarded as an immoral art, the majority had deemed that intercourse had no place other than the bedroom, the person in charge of this place must be quite the character to proudly display his dissent of that judgement for everyone to see.

Then, it hit Xiao. It is by a long stretch, but could there be a chance that the second volume of Lin's favorite novel - 'Vicious young mistress' - could be found here?

Planning to do a quick in and out, Xiao proceeded to check out the store.

+++

The inside was very much what you would expect a normal book store to look like, a catalog of thread bounded literature filled the rows of shelves. Although there are even some shelves that contained scrolls. If Xiao would hazard a guess, they should be what the establishment primarily advertised.

Xiao ignored it. She had no business in dealing with the obscene.

As she was surveying the books for the title she was looking for, Xiao heard a voice call out to her.

"Looking for something, young miss?"

Following the source of the playful tone, Xiao found it belonged to a man in a regal white tang suit. He had short black hair and wore what seems to be an odd mask that covered his striking red eyes. Odd because his handsome defining features were still apparent even with it on. Xiao wondered what the hell is even the purpose of that mask if his face isn't going to be fully covered? Besides, if you ask her, only weirdos wore masks. And judging by the cunning grin that the man flashed her, he might just fit the bill.

Xiao approached the man, "Yes, I am looking for a book called 'Vicious young mistress'. Do you happen to have it?"

"Ah, so you swing the other way?" The man's grin grew wider. "Such a shame. Say, have you ever thought about swinging on the opposite side?"

The grimace on Xiao's face told all. She didn't appreciate the man's flirting no matter how handsome he might be. In the first place the book wasn't hers. But she was too ticked off to clear things up to the sleazebag in front of her.

"I came here to shop, not to get hit on."

The man's grin remained, unfazed by the rejection, "Well, your loss."

"How about you just tell me if you have it or not, so I can leave this debauched bookstore of yours?"

"Such coldness. Do you treat your lover the same way?"

With Xiao reaching the limit of her tolerance. She decided to walk away, but before she could get near the door, the man called out once more.

"I have it. The book that you were looking for."

Xiao returned to the counter, "Sell it to me so I could leave."

"Not so fast. There is something peculiar about you. I can sense it, your qi element, it is ice. A dime a dozen, but your cultivation speed on the other hand, is quite remarkable."

How was the man able to tell her qi element with just a glance? What's even more puzzling was Xiao couldn't sense any qi on the man before her. It was like she was just conversing with an ordinary human, but the air exuded made him seem anything but.

The man's grin was seemingly sustained by Xiao's confusion. He then continued his ramblings.

"You're going to be snug fit as a vessel for my friend if fate made you cross paths." From smiling to a sudden frown, the man appeared to be dismayed by something. "It's such a shame though, you are quite the greenhorn when it comes to Dual cultivating. That won't do."

"You're really testing the limit of my patience with your rambling. Sell it to me now, or you can shove that book up your behind."

The hostility within Xiao's tone made the man retain his smile.

"I'm afraid that's not the insult that you think it is. Here, take it." The man handed the book.

"How much?"

"Free of charge. Look under."

Xiao did, and there seems to be another book underneath the one she originally requested, a manual of some sort about dual cultivation that specializes on woman to woman.

"How is this even possible?" Xiao asked.

"Well, why don't you read it and find out?"

The glee on the man's face was apparent as Xiao showed signs of interest.

"But, I mean, don't you need a man and a woman to…you know…do it?"

"Man or Woman, the Yin and Yang exist in everyone. Dual cultivation is not limited by one's gender."

With that explanation, Xiao immediately left the store. The man said he would give it for free, the Xiao would take it. She had ample spirit stones to pay if need be, but the man was so sketchy, she felt no remorse for taking the books.

As Xiao walked the busy streets once more, Xiao purged the unsavoury man from her mind, her thoughts drifted to Lin. How happy she would be now that she has the second volume of her favorite book.

Xiao couldn't wait to see Lin's smile.