Coincidental Encounter

Her gaze swept around the stores of the street. She twisted her head to either side almost at every other step. We had already been roaming this street for hours as she looked around. Every once in a while we would stop in nearby shops to have a snack or two. In fact we must have eaten small bites from at least 7 different little stores and stands.

One of the stores caught my eye, it was the one I had met Sister Xue and her Big Sister at. I thought back to that fond memory I had when I saved them both from a corrupt young master. She must have been so embarrassed at the time otherwise why else would they run away from me, their savior?

Perhaps purely because of that memory I peered into the store hopeful to catch a glimpse of them within it. I even deliberately walked a little slower just to look within a little longer. Of course even with that hope of mine to meet them once more it didn't mean that I would. The store was devoid of their presence and with a shallow sigh I kept walking down the street.

"Hero Chen! Hero Chen! Let's go to that store over there! It looks like they have a lot of pretty dresses! You know father is hosting a banquet soon, so I should get a good dress to wear! Come help me pick one out!"

'Isn't that banquet in another 3 weeks? Does she really need to prepare so much? She already bought a dress and a set of robes. She must have spent at least 50 silver already! Does she even know how much that is?!'

I peered down at the bag I held. There was a green dress which had a small portion of its sleeve hanging out of the bag. For a moment I thought about how it would have been if I was born into such a family, but of course if I was then I wouldn't have any of those experiences I've gained.

That goes especially for my lucky find, I most definitely would have never found it if I wasn't so desperate at the time. I would have never gotten here without it, even if I was born rich I would probably still be struggling at the first level of Body Tempering without it.

Quickly, she dragged me into the store she had pointed out earlier. It was a medium sized store and with a quick glance at the dresses I noticed how unique each one seemed. The place was mostly split off into 3 sections: a modest side, a promiscuous side, and one which was in the very middle of the two with some characteristics of each.

Hao Lin went to the more modest side, but every once in a while she would glance at a dress in the middle before peeking at me. In return I responded with a small smile.

She would pick up a dress here and there to examine, every once in a while showing it to me to ask for my opinion.

In the end she settled upon a fairly reserved outfit, but at a few points would still show off her skin. Notably the points were a shorter skirt to reveal her feet and a more open neckline that would reveal her shoulder and collar bones.

With a joyful expression she started to walk towards the dressing rooms as I followed behind her. But just as she rounded the corner a person appeared at that exact moment and they crashed into each other.

The new person was quite a bit shorter compared to Hao Lin. When they collided with each other, the new person hit her forehead on Hao Lin's chin.

The two had similar responses to being hit though, They both closed their eyes as they covered the spot where they collided with their hands, even exclaiming in the same way and manner.

"Ah!" They both simultaneously yelped as they each took a single almost synchronized step backwards.

"Ow!" Another synchronized cry of pain.

After blankly staring at the scene I finally came to realize that I knew the person who had just appeared from behind the wall.

'W-what?! Is that Sister Xue?! Why is she here? Was she not taken away by that Hao Fang? No, it doesn't matter why. It was clearly fate which brought us together! That's all that matters. Maybe she had managed to find a way to escape his clutches! Luckily she met me so soon and not any of his subordinates.'

Sister Xue was holding a dress in her left hand and the other covered her forehead. Hao Lin was the same, except she held her chin instead of her forehead. They both sucked in air through their teeth before one of them finally spoke up.

Sister Xue opened her eyes to look at Hao Lin to apologize.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going! Are you alright?"

"Y-yea I'm fine, don't worry about it. Just make sure to watch out next time."

At that moment Sister Xue finally noticed my presence.

"Hah?" As she stared at my face she stood still, shocked, clearly because she was unprepared for my appearance. She must have been so excited at that moment, but of course I wouldn't ruin the mood and simply put on a charming smile.

Hao Lin noticed soon that the girl in front of her stood frozen as she looked past her. Her head turned a moment before she noticed that her head was looking at me.

"Hero Chen, you know her? How come she was staring at you so much?" Hao Lin lightly spoke as she jumped out in between Sister Xue and I. She held out her arms as if her body could block Sister Xue's advance.

I could feel a tinge of jealousy from Hao Lin as she blocked the girl in front. I put my hands on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"Lin, this is Sister Xue. I've met her a few times and like you I've saved her too, twice in fact."

"I-is that so?"

She tilted her head down to her small chest a moment later before staring once again at Sister Xue. I lowered her hands and came to her side to see that her cheeks had puffed up, a frown appeared on her face and her eyelids began to twitch.

Sister Xue stared at me, only after we spoke did she seem to regain some consciousness.

"I-" But before she could even speak more than a word she was interrupted by Hao Lin.

"Tch! Girl, you better not have any thoughts about Brother Chen! You better not tempt him with those udders of yours!"

"What?! Tempt him? You can keep him! I don't want anything to do with him!"

"Oh? Why is it that you are at this store then?! You were following us weren't you?"

"F-following you!? If that was so, how could I possibly have gotten in here first?! If anything you would have been following us!"

"Ladies, ladies, please calm down!"

As their conversation began to become heated I stepped in the middle and pushed them apart. Sister Xue had managed to dodge my hand, but Hao Lin didn't. My left hand landed squarely on her chest. I wanted to squeeze a bit, but I resisted in case it would worsen the situation. Touching it was better than nothing, but since this was also the first chest I've ever touched I didn't really want to let go. So I risked it a bit and held on a moment or two longer. I pretended not to notice as I was facing Sister Xue at the moment and decided to ask her a question.

"Sister Xue, when and how did you escape? I looked everywhere for you. Also, do you happen to know where that Big Sister of yours is?" She tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow as she put on a confused expression. I was quite expectant of her answer.

"Escaped? I-" But once again Hao Lin Interrupted her and at this point I was becoming a bit infuriated with her.

"B-Brother Chen! Y-you, you're, you're touching…"

Hearing what she began to say I gained a slight blush from embarrassment. As soon as I started speaking with Sister Xue I guess I must have genuinely forgotten about Hao Lin for a bit. I retracted my hand and cooled down from that small display of embarrassment.

When I looked back up they both had differing expressions. Hao Lin had a red blush from a similar embarrassment as she avoided eye contact with me, but Sister Xue looked at me with disgust.

'Oh no, did I just ruin my image in front of her?! No, Sister Xue, please! Don't look at me with eyes like that! I have to somehow recover from this! First I have to apologize to Hao Lin, that should make it look like I care!'

But just before I could do that two sets of footsteps were heard and quickly appeared from where Sister Xue came from.

The person who appeared just so happened to be the one I was asking Sister Xue about. It was that Big Sister from the first time I saved Sister Xue.

Her eyes immediately located me as she turned the corner, but her brows furrowed.

'Why is she looking at me like that? I don't think I've done anything to her yet, have I? Now that I think about it, she was the silent one wasn't she? Perhaps she just has an aversion to men or something!'

But just a moment later my hopes were shattered by the owner of the second set of steps. A moment later another person came out from behind the walls. The person was a handsome man, but not just your ordinary handsome. They were overwhelming, to the point where if I stood next to him I would be considered trash.

The fact that they were together could already tell me that they had some sort of relationship.

Hao Lin, who moments ago could only really think of me, was currently looking at that man who just appeared. Her current gaze towards him was of awe as she gazed at him.

'Damn you, you bastard! How dare you so easily take her attention! Tch! He's only handsome, so what, I'm a cultivator! If only I was in the second realm right now! I would be able to tell what cultivation is like.'

Her mouth was slightly agape and a red blush adored her cheeks as she blankly stared at the man who appeared. She was dazed purely by his appearance, when he eventually looked at her with a smile she covered her beating red face before quickly and immediately running away.

"I-I-I have t-to go and t-try on this d-dress!"

Now it was only me as the other three people looked at me. The two women looked at me with disdain and disgust, all the while the man calmly looked at me with a smile. It was like he was mocking me! Even if he didn't show it I could feel it!

"Hello there young man, is there something I can do for you? It seems you know her, are you perhaps a friend of hers?" He spoke with an even tone.

'Is the reason why Sister Xue was rejecting me because of him? Is he perhaps forcing these two women? Yes, of course that must be the case!'

"What are you to Sister Xue?! You also happen to be with this Big Sister here!" I immediately started off with an antagonistic tone. I had to help these women escape from his clutches.

"Pardon me? Why must we disclose our personal relationships with you?"

Quickly I had to think of a reason.

"Why?... Because we're lovers! She's my girlfriend!"

"WHAT! That's impossible! I've only ever met you 3 times before! Even then I clearly told you each time how I felt about you!"

The man glanced at Sister Xue for a moment. She looked at him in a pleading way before he returned his gaze at me.

"Young man, I don't believe you." His smile disappeared and he looked at me with indifference.

'Sister Xue, you're just doing this so he wouldn't suspect anything aren't you? I'm sorry, but I can't let you suffer like this!'

She sighed at his response before turning to me.

"You don't even know me! If you ever knew a bit about me then tell me, what's my first name?"