Spirit Cultivation

"What? I need to do missions as well?" Xuefeng asked surprised. He thought that as a Young Master he would be free from stuff like that and can train in peace.

"Well, you don't, but I do. I belong to Shadow Guards, so it is part of my responsibilities. It will be a part of your training if you join me in one." She didn't give him a chance to refuse.

'I guess it's a good opportunity to look for Spirit Herbs Ling wants. I promised I will look for them during this month but I didn't even start yet.' He thought.

"When are we departing?" Xuefeng asked as he approached her.

"Tomorrow morning. Do you want to eat outside today?" She asked cheerfully as she hugged into his arm.

"Of course we can. By the way, Princess is leaving soon." He informed her about the news, but she didn't seem different hearing that.

"Yeah, she already told me earlier. I will have you all to myself from now on." She admitted.

"Oh, and you didn't tell me?" Xuefeng asked pretending he was hurt.

"You should be happy, I didn't punish you yet for cheating on me. You even dare to complain." She pinched his arm to show him who was the boss.

"Cough… Have you ever thought about which academy you will join in the future?" He faked a cough to change the subject and asked.

"Hmm, I'll go wherever you go." She quickly decided.

"I'm happy to hear that." It was nice to have someone to rely on.

They left the training room and waited for Princess to prepare herself.

Meanwhile, Wuying was explaining the details of their mission to him.

"The main point in our task is to hunt a rank 4 Nightmare that was responsible for many deaths recently. It has the strength comparable to a Spirit Lord and it appeared around 2000 Li away from Phoenix city in the area of a Moon Lake." She told him their goal.

"Isn't Rank 4 Spirit Beast too much for my first mission?" He asked kind of worried.

"When I proposed to take you on this assignment to your father, he gladly agreed. He said that I should put you through a lot of hardships so you grow up into a real man," Wuying replied with a chuckle.

"Well, thank you, father," Xuefeng commented with a roll of his.

"Don't worry, I will be there with you. I won't let anything happen to you." She hugged him tighter.

"What is this Nightmare? I didn't find its description in the books." He asked to prepare himself mentally.

"It's a rare Spirit Beast that looks like a spider but feeds on human blood. Its weapons are its eight legs and a collection of sharp teeth. It's also extremely agile, which makes him a difficult target. During this mission not only do we have to be careful about the monster itself but also other cultivators whose aim is to get a Spirit Artefact from it." She explained causing him to worry even more.

"Couldn't you pick anything lighter like hunting for a deer or something? You had to choose a vampire spider…" He suddenly didn't want to leave the city anymore. Spiders were not his favourite animals.

"Your Spirit Art can even destroy a rank 5 Spirit Puppet. You only need to hit it once to kill it. Are you scared?" She teased him.

"I'm not…" He tried to deny but she stopped him.

"It's already decided. If we can kill it, you will be the one to get its Spirit Artefact. It will be fun. Our own adventure." She looked at Xuefeng with dreamy eyes and imagined him saving her from danger by defeating all the monsters on his path.

"Wait, so we are going alone? Just the two of us?" Xuefeng asked stupefied. He thought there would be a squadron of Shadow Guards going with them.

"Yeah, just the two of us. Isn't that romantic? Me and you, beauty and the prince, fighting against evil." She answered him as if she still didn't leave her dreamland.

Xuefeng suddenly thought of a scene where they are both sleeping in the wildness and they hug each other to gain warmth.

"I'm back." He was awakened by Princess' sweet voice, who left her room. She wore a blue imperial robe with a cut on the side showing her graceful legs. Her hair was still slightly wet but she didn't mind. She approached them and looked at Wuying who was hugging Xuefeng's arm the whole time.

Wuying looked back at her and smiled without any intent to stop her actions. Princess took it as a provocation and accepted the challenge.

"Do you have any means of transportation or should I ask someone to prepare something for y… mhmm." Xuefeng noticed that Wuying wouldn't let go of his arm even if he asked, so he didn't bother. He turned towards Princess to question her means of travelling but didn't finish before his lips were closed by hers.

Wuying didn't expect her to directly attack like that, so she didn't react in time. Just as she was about to respond, Princess separated from Xuefeng, licking her lips.

"You should take good care of him for me while I'm gone. I will be back after a while." She gave Wuying a provocative glance before turning back to Xuefeng who just came back to himself from a sudden offence.

"I already have transport ready, so you don't need to accompany me. I will miss you." She didn't wait for his answered and left after saying that.

Xuefeng looked at his courtyard doors for some time until he felt pain in his arm. He looked to the side and saw angry Wuying staring at him.

"Ehem, she was the one who suddenly kissed me. I was defenceless." He tried to reason with her but it didn't work.

"Humpf…" She turned her head away, not looking at him.

"Come on, I thought you are on good terms?" He tried once more.

"I was only tolerating her because her skill would be helpful to you. It doesn't mean I agreed to your intimacy with her." Wuying looked at him to lash out at him but that was the time Xuefeng took action.

He leaned in and kissed her the same way Princess did him.

"Here, I erased her kiss with this one. Don't be mad anymore, okay?" He smiled at her gently trying to smooth her feelings. There was nothing else he could do at the moment.

"I don't mind you having other girls as long as I'm in your heart. Will you keep a place for me here?" She placed her small hand on his chest where the heart lie and asked with hope.

If he rejected her in a situation like that he would really be a scum.

"As long as you have a place for me in yours, I will keep one for you." He couldn't find better words.

"Hehe, then it's a deal. Go clean yourself before we go to eat something. You stink." She finally smiled and let go of him.

"Okay, wait for me." He patted her before entering his room.