“Is everything okay?” Bo opened the door. One large purple eye could be seen by Ku Lo and Feng Huling inside the utility room.

“Yes,” Feng Huling replied, hand shooing him out as she turned back to Ku Lo. “Yes, you would need to be present in some Feng Family and Yin and Yang Sect events as my official partner.” 

“That isn’t an issue, a plus even.” Ku Lo wasn’t opposed to this clause. Then again, he not once objected to the idea of acting as her wall against suitors. “I could use those parties as chances to make myself acquainted with people I otherwise couldn’t meet.”   

Feng Huling’s sharp eyebrows rose. “Others see trouble, you see a possibility.” 

“Problems need to be acknowledged and dealt with. The proposition has its troubles—”

“But there will be compensation for your troubles,” she finished his sentence.  

Ku Lo nodded, although knowing nothing of the items promised to him as compensation. “You’ll have my answer tomorrow.” 

“hmm?” She tilted her head, frowning. “What do—” she spoke two words before closing her mouth and turning her gaze away from him, who stepped towards the door.  

“Fairy Feng, I’ll leave now. Is that okay?” 

The response was some unintelligible muttering.

“Let’s meet at the railing, in the evening.” Ku Lo opened and closed the door behind him.

“See you around, ‘Bro’. Take care of her,” Ku Lo said to Bo and his hand patted Bo’s back. However, he didn’t stay there to chat. He began to walk back towards the classroom as Bo chuckled behind him. 

Walking there, his mind became torn apart. He didn’t know whether to accept the job or not. He already had Dai Meifen as his ticket to success, so did he need another one? Was he trying to bite more than he could chew? Also, he wasn’t comfortable navigating this new world called Terra and using all of its resources to his advantage. 

I hope Meifen can guide me... 

Ku Xie would want me to...

“Look who it is.” 

“If it isn’t the man who fooled everyone.” 

NOT GOOD! Ku Lo crashed out of his deep pondering. His head spun towards the voices and found two familiar people. 

“Huang Qingling? Huang Gingge?” 

“Ku Lo,” the sisters responded before Huang Qingling took the lead. “How’s your cheek? Did Rin Tin Tin hurt you?” 

His hand went for the 'injury' on his cheek. “Hehe...” 

“Sister, you’re going to make him run.” 

Huang Qingling glanced at Huang Gingge. “Right, and we don’t want that, do we?” 

“No, we want him to be our Dual Cultivation partner.”

Ku Lo’s jaw dropped open and his eyes blinked. 

“You weren’t supposed to say that yet.” He could hear them talk. 

“Oh yeah... my mind was dazzled by his looks again... sorry.” 

“At least you put it into words, now I don’t have to,” Huang Qingling said to Huang Gingge before their eyes returned. “Ku Lo, you heard her.” 

“T-his... this is—”

“Extortion, yes.” Huang Qingling shrugged like she couldn’t care less. 

“Sorry,” Huang Gingge said. “The opening week, it ends in two days.” 

“Don’t be sorry, sister. It’s his fault for presenting us a hook on himself.” 

Huang Qingling’s words resonated within Ku Lo, for they were true. This is all my fault... I even spoke to them moments before I had that crazy idea. 

Huang Qingling presented a paper. “Place your index finger here... here... and here.” She pointed out three spots on the paper. “That’ll do for now.” 

Of course, Ku Lo didn’t follow her instructions. “What's in it?” he asked, trying to read the fine print on the contract. 

“Whatever we want, as there are no restrictions on us on it. Sounds harsh, but it isn't like you have a choice.” 

That’s true, he sighed. What’s on the contract doesn’t matter. I Can't let Dai Meifen know I've fooled her. Without further verbal complaints, he signed the contract with his index finger.

When his signatures were on the paper, the spots glowed for a second. 

“My turn.” Huang Gingge pulled out an identical paper. 

Ku Lo took a second before deciding it was worth trying to sway this sister. “Huang Gingge, I created the scene to help you. Not to entrap someone innocent.” 

“I know,” Huang Gingge said, waving the paper in her hand. “Partly that’s the reason why I do this.” 

“Is this the way you repay kindness? With extortion?” His words had little effect on her, not even talking about Huang Qingling. 

A short moment of hesitation later, she said, “Sign the paper.”

Ku Lo signed two out of three spots required but would appeal to her once more before signing the third. “Huang Gingge, this is extortion. This is you forcing me. Please, think this through once more. You are a sweet, innocent girl I wanted to protect with any means necessary.” 

This time his plea caused her to hesitate. He could even note Huang Gingge’s hand trembled as she glanced towards her sister.

“Humph-” Stepping to the forefront again, Huang Qingling voiced her opinion loud and clear. “Idiot, my sister likes you.” 

What?

“Qingling!” Immediately Huang Gingge cried out. “What are you saying?! He’s right here!” Her hand grasped and tugged Huang Qingling’s brown hair downwards. 

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Huang Qingling resisted the pull but still bent. “Y-you two were too s-stupid, I-I had to stop this farce before he would begin to hate you.”

“But. But. But here?”

“Huang Gingge,” he said as his hand halted Huang Qingling’s hair from being pulled further. “You like me?” 

“yes.”

Damn, I’m popular here, he thought, freezing there. His mind went through a lot in a few seconds before concluding, I should go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s all to improve my life and cultivation. Heh.  

“You’re cute.” As his hand had stopped Huang Gingge from ripping her sister’s hair, it now signed the last signature. “I’ll stick around,” he said, staring into Huang Gingge’s eyes. 

Eyes of the same light-blue colour were in a lock until the third person around intervened. “See, sister? Everything went as I had planned.” 

“Thank you, sister.” 

“Thank you,” Ku Lo thanked her too. “However, can you now tell me what’s with those papers?” 

“Why should we?” Huang Qingling said. “Of course, she might tell you something. But all I care about is that you obey when I command.” 

“Can’t you be more like your sister?” 

“Make me.” 

Ku Lo rolled his eyes before they went for Huang Gingge, the girl who was still mesmerised by him. “Hey cutie—” 

Words came to a sudden end as a fist punched past his face at a speed faster than a boxer’s hook. “Remember, never play with her heart, or I’ll hunt you down. Remember.” 

Having told him so, Huang Qingling took her leave. 

There was no response from Ku Lo. Make me? I don’t think so! The hard-learned fact of not sticking your dick in crazy was still fresh on his mind. If she comes around, she will come around.

“You look the same, but your personalities are the opposite,” he said to Huang Gingge.

“She’s not a bad person.” Her damning of the joke forced a shudder in Ku Lo. “But I know you didn’t mean it that way. You have your own weird way with words.” 

“Want to go somewhere else?” 

…

“The Outer Sect Plaza huh.” Ku Lo eyed the rows of fancy buildings belonging to wealthy businesspeople and the outer sect administration branches.  There was also a mass of tents in the middle of the square, forming a bazaar area. This is straight from a fantasy book, though the animals with tails and horns are missing. 

“It’s much bigger than the market in Tihandu.” Huang Gingge, who had made sure he knew she wanted to visit this place, was similarly amazed. “But don’t think Tihandu is a small place! We simply don’t care for these things.” What an outsider could hear was this; however, she sure hid the words ‘the men’ right after ‘we’.

“There’s nothing wrong with shopping, even men should do it.” He didn’t even begin with her noting how great and big place her hometown of Tihandu was.

“If so, will you take me?” 

“Let’s just browse the goods. I’ll take you to meet someone soon.”