Standing side by side, the two young people made quite the elegant picture. Xieren, tall and handsome with a strong aura and golden eyes that watched the entire world. By his side was a beautiful young woman, lovely and pure looking, drawing the admiration from all present.

All but Xieren.

Xieren was just confused as to why there was someone talking to him. From her scent, he could tell she was a cultivator like himself but something like that held no interest to him. So he turned away without a word.

His interest in others was very distinct and structured.

There was Shizun, himself, Xinyi and Xuejie, the sect and then everyone else.

While he didn't necessarily have and true loyalty to the sect, it was his home of several years so wouldn't ever betray them. For that reason alone, he refused to let anything happen to it.

"Ah?" This young lady, beautiful as she was, was being ignored?!

Su Xinyue was a noble lady, refined and carrying herself with dignity and grace. She was the beloved flower of the Su clan and cherished disciple of the Jielin sect. As such, she wasn't used to being ignored.

"Good sir, perhaps this sister can assist you?" She offered, brazenly putting herself in front of him. While she usually wasn't so blatant, her desire to be near this handsome gentlemen had her tossing aside her own rules.

"...You're still here?" He said with an annoyed grimace. Xieren, while visually a treat to all who gaze upon him, had a sharp and ruthless tongue, speaking frankly and harshly.

Xinyue flinched, not expecting such a rejection. She was used to being fawned over and pursued so be treated so harshly was a shock.

Despite all that, she wasn't willing to give up.

"That's right, good sir." She replied, smiling softly. "I saw you wandering about and wanted to offer my assistance."

"...Why?" He asked with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious of this girls 'kindness'. They were strangers so why go through so much trouble just to be near him. He's ignored her and practically humiliated her by dismissing her before yet she still clung to his side like this. Was she an idiot?

The fact that he himself was very much the same did not occur to him.

"My Su clan is known for their generosity toward others, so to uphold my family name, I feel I should show such qualities myself." She proclaimed, lying through her teeth. Her clan had a different reputation but she thought mentioning the name would spark some reaction.

As expected, those around her started to whisper among themselves. Her clan was quite prestigious, honored far and wide as strong and capable cultivators. Even as the weakest in the clan, her status as eldest daughter granted her quite the pedigree, making her very sought after.

How could anyone resist such a prize?

Xieren just nodded, accepting the strange girls words. He didn't believe her, since he could tell she was plotting something but couldn't deny he needed help. If she was offering, why not use her. If she had any intentions of harming him, he felt confident he could counter it.

"I need to find these." He stated, handing over the list he'd been given. He was a bit surprised he could only recognize a few and refused to admit most of it was unfamiliar to him. Apparently, there were a few characters he hadn't picked up yet.

Happy to be acknowledged, Xinyue took the list and read it over. She was happy to standing beside such a handsome young man. He was a bit abrasive but if she could make him fall for her, she'd be the envy of all.

"Ah, this is a lot of stuff." She noted, brushing her hair back hoping to draw his eye. She received none. "Is this all for you?"

"That is none of your concern." He replied, uninterested in conversation. In general, he disliked talking to others. They were generally scheming and dangerous so why waste breath talking to them. Only those few people were worthy in his mind.

Xinyi was one, since she was very accepting of his less that social personality. He valued her greatly. Xuejie was fine as well, since he too was a welcome change of pace. Thinking of the young man, he was suddenly glad he'd come alone.

That person was strange.

He always tried to get Xieren to talk to the girls of the sect, commenting about their beauty and positive quirks. The subject was boring to Xieren but that didn't change this young man's mind. He just kept on trying to push girl after girl at him.

It was annoying.

Had they come together, no doubt he'd try and pair him with this strange girl. He thought, turning his gaze briefly to Xinyue.

At that exact moment, Xinyue also looked up, as she had been doing for a while before this, his gazes shy and quick. They their eyes met, Xinyue's face went red, looking away with nervous embarrassment.

Those intense eyes were finally looking at her. Perhaps he'd finally noticed her beauty? Ah, how nice to be be admired by such a good looking man! She cried in her heart, though he face remained calm, if not a little red.

Xinyue showed him around, helping him find the herbs he needed. The time spent together was short but memorable for the young miss. Every brush of his shoulder or look he gave her stayed with her, making her want to get closer despite him not having said a word outside of questions about the herbs.

Xinyue was growing convinced he would indeed fall for her as the looks increased.

"Ah, good sir, were you buying these for someone? She asked, wanting a chance to get closer.

"Why would you think that?" He said, looking over the selection in front of him, memorizing them. Part of him really didn't care about them but learning them now would prevent him from having to ask others.

Perhaps he'd ask Xinyi? No, she would never let him sleep, bothering him at all hours to get him into alchemy like her. That fiend was way too engrossed in her study. Just thinking about it was horrifying.

Perhaps asking Shizun? He seemed knowledgeable. He wouldn't bother him all the time. Though that sounded less appealing that being followed around by the alchemy fanatic. He'd much prefer being around Shizun that much than Xinyi.

All these thought and preferences clouded his mind, he failed to hear Xinyue's response to his question until she called out to him.

"Hm? What did you say before?" He replied, a bit annoyed to have gotten distracted with a stranger nearby. He had to be more careful.

Seeing that this handsome man had been distracted, Xinyue was greatly pleased, thinking he'd been thinking about her. She was beautiful, smart and considerate. What wasn't there to admire?

"I was talking about the herbs you were buying." She said, with an indulging smile. "These are quite a unique collection of herbs. Most are medicinal but theses last few are cosmetic, mostly for hair care."

Hearing that last part, Xieren couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, though he quickly covered it with a cough.

That damn Xinyi, so devious and smart. He thought, shaking his head. He'd most likely have to thank her for her help but knowing her, she'll be smiling that evil little sister smile.

Xinyue saw the action but was a bit confused by it. Was he embarrassed? Was it truly a gift for someone else? The hair care tonic was simple but effective, so it was fairly popular with women. The thought that this man, that she had claimed as hers in her heart, was buying gifts for another woman was unacceptable.

"Good sir, I-" She started to say, only to find herself alone. Looking around, she couldn't see or sense him anywhere. While consciously she was distressed to have somehow lost him in such a short time, part of her was confused as to how she had failed to notice his departure.

She was, despite her delicate looks, a high level disciple. Her clan was very strict about strength so she had been trained from an early age. Her sense's were sharp and keen, so she could tell when people were close.

Yet this young man, whose age was not that far from hers (she assumes) was able to walk away and disappear before she could even notice?

Who was that man?

Elsewhere, Xieren was briskly walking through the crowd, arms full of his recent purchases. He knew he should have probably thanked that lady for her help but she had a gross look on her face every time she looked at him, so he was unwilling to.

Strange lady.

With a lighter heart, he walked swiftly, wanting to go back home quickly and see Shizun again. Perhaps he could get the man to spar with him again. He'd very much like to, since it was one of the few times they spent with only each other.

Shizun focusing only on him was his only desire really. He disliked sharing his time with Shizun with others, even Xuejie. While other disciples were allowed to come to him at anytime, Xieren had been very clear on his dislike for those who bothered Shizun outside of the official lessons.

Liang Fei was, of course, unaware of these 'warnings' and just assumed Xieren was very good at getting along with others and helping them. He was always so keen on offering help to those who attempted to ask him for private lessons.

Xieren was such a good disciple. Liang Fei always thought, when looking out at his student. Xieren did nothing to interfere with those assumptions. He'd be a good student for his Shizun.

By this time, Shizun should be alone so it would just be the two of them.

Xieren walked on, blissfully unaware of the dreaded and almighty plot looming over him, puppeteering him down the path he was supposed to go.

***

Sometime later, the plot had stuck a decisive blow, drawing all the relevant characters to an elaborate scene.

Xinyue and Xieren, destined to meet, were drawn together once more after parting. The godly plot dictated that despite not falling in love at first sight, their interest in each other was clear despite both hiding it well. Later on, when Xieren was to get lost in the unfamiliar town, they'd bump into each. A helpless girl in need of rescue and the cold protagonist saves her, thus cementing their 'possible' romance.

Such is the tale of Xieren and one of his many, many conquests.

The only problem being that the plot was not all powerful. It's power was only in creating situations and couldn't account for changes made. The side characters and even the protagonists had changed so the plot could only bring about chaos.

The plot continued on anyway, unaware of how weak it was to influence the protagonist, as Xinyue was cornered by some men with ill intentions. While she was fully capable of fending for herself, she wished to maintain her weak and delicate persona, showing herself to be like a kitten in need of protection and pampering.

In her heart, she hoped that handsome young man from before would save her, since such an act would prove he wasn't as heartless as he seemed. Perhaps it would even show that he felt just the tiniest bit of favor toward her.

Her pride refused to accept that there was anyone in the world who could resist her charms.

Xinyue kept up her facade, pretending to be scared of the men in front of her. As expected, the plot brought Xieren nearby, his heightened senses bringing him to the abandoned alley despite him not really needing to be there. He wasn't lost, since he'd been to this town before but had wandered to this scene so easily.

The plot was god.

But this god was only so powerful. While it could compel the protagonist to arrive, it could not make him act, even as he was supposed to.

While Xieren was cold and heartless, he was not one to let others be bullied or harassed, so he should have rushed over to Xinyue's side to protect her. Even though he knew her to be strong, he'd still not allow another to be harassed.

Xinyue's opinion of him would grow just a bit, planting the seed for one of Xieren's future 'wives' and add just a bit to his coolness factor.

Just as the godly plot demanded.

Yet Xieren remained where he was, watching with cold, indifferent eyes.

Xieren had been watching for a while and was not really interested. The woman from before was surrounded by thugs but Xieren wasn't stupid. He could tell she was a cultivator just by her movements. Precise and confident.

She was pretending to be helpless and Xieren wasn't interested in playing into her little game.

However, he was unable to move from his spot. Backward or sideways, his feet refused to move. Only forward, toward the fray, was easy and free of problems. Xieren had no clue why but he felt annoyed by the limits.

He could have just gone over to save her, just to ease whatever force was compelling him to but he was very unwilling. Not really because of her, since he knew very little about her. No, it was the company she kept.

Despite being unaware of the reason he was being focused on, Xieren was very observant of his surroundings. As such, he knew the company she kept and who she had been conversing with before she came to him.

The man she'd come with was a familiar one. A one He Qiang, the top disciple of the Jielin sect. Rumors about him were vast and impossible to miss. The other man, who's name Xieren didn't know was burned into his memory. That surface level smile and confident look was not one he'd ever forget.

Xieren remembered them from years prior, when he and his companions had been harassing that annoying guy, An Li and tried to attack Shizun.

Even though Shizun was fine, they still dared to attack his master so blatantly. While Shizun might have been pretending to be mortal, the fact they attacked him like that, with the knowledge that he could be killed, was unforgivable. Despite that, Shizun was kind enough to only graze those bastards. It was only because of how kind Shizun was that he never drew his sword and slew them.

(AN: Really, the most he could do was just club them upside the head.)

Seeing them draw ever nearer, Xieren watched, waiting to see how long she'd keep up the act. He could already tell she was getting impatient, her fingers twitching to grab her weapon and strike. In anyone else, this sight have gained a bit of attention from a person, making them more willing to watch and see how things would go. Perhaps even decide to assist this lovely and interesting young miss.

But Xieren wasn't that person.

Xieren was not a kind person. He didn't help his classmates because he liked them nor did he speak to others because of some desire to do so. All his motives were focused on one thing.

Getting Shizun's attention.

Shizun demanded that disciples respect one another, so Xieren did his best to repress his desire to shove them off every cliff and play nice. He was courteous yet distant, gaining his a reputation for being cold, not that he minded any. If others thought him cold, he wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over it.

Shizun, however, was a different story.

If Shizun ever somehow learned he'd abandoned a woman in danger, no matter how much she could handle herself, the man would hate him. He'd chastise him harshly and possibly even turn his back on him.

He might look down upon him with a look of disappointment.

Just the thought of those disillusioned eyes staring down at him had his heart shudder with fear and before he could even take a breath, he was already stepping forward.

Just as Xinyue's fingers touched her weapon, a bladed folding fan, she saw someone appear behind the thugs cornering her. Her heart soared with joy when she saw who it was.

"Good sir!" She cried, smiling brightly and with relief. She really didn't want to dirty her hands by fighting such lowlifes.

Xieren, silent and swift, took the men down, uninterested in anything else but getting this over with. In minutes, the young man was surrounded by unconscious mortals, brushing the dust off his robes.

As expected, he didn't even need to draw his blade.

Unaware of how she was seen by the young man and convinced she had finally gained this young man's affections, Xinyue ran over to Xieren's side.

"Good sir, thank you so much for saving me." She said, staring up at him with adoring eyes. To be looked at in such a way, surely it would sway the heart of any young man.

No, it didn't.

Xieren brushed her off, turning to walk away. Whatever had been pinning him to the spot before had finally left him so he could move at last. He figured it was just his conscious told him that leaving her would make Shizun look bad so he was pinned.

That made sense.

Xinyue followed him all the way to the street where she grabbed his sleeve to get his attention again.

"May I know your name, good sir?" She asked, watching him slow down. From the look on his face, he seemed to be in a rush but she couldn't let this go. She had to get something from him, some way to find him after this.

"It's rude to ask for another's name before introducing yourself." He retorted, not looking her way. He didn't really care about her name but Shizun often said that so he too wished to say those words. As expected, it was very appealing.

Thinking the young man was definitely interested in her, since he hadn't brushed her off, Xinyue smiled with a near smug look before showing him her 'noble lady' expression.

"Of course. I am called Su Xinyue of the Jielin sect. And you?" She asked, staring up at his handsome face. Xieren was a bit annoyed, kind of hoping she'd stay silent. Too bad.

"Xieren... of the TianJian sect." He grumbled, really wanting to leave but knowing better than to toss aside a women in front of others. It would reflect badly on Shizun.

"Xieren." She repeated, branding the name into her heart. "When might I see you again?"

"Un." He grumbled, not wanting to talk to this person anymore. She was annoying and smelled weird. It was present but not what he liked.

He'd much prefer Shizun's unique and wonderful scent. It took some time but his old scent had faded and his unique scent was now more pronounced.

It was his favorite.

"Will you be attending the Sunjin conference?" She asked, excited to see him again.

The Sunjin Conference was a competition between the local sects to see who had the best disciples and the most promising upcoming cultivators. Xinyue was one of the competitors, representing both her clan and her sect.

Surely this promising young man was participating.

Xieren just turned away, not interested in talking anymore. He didn't want to be near her anymore.

Even when she called out to him, his back didn't turn once. Soon he faded into the crowd, her calls falling on deaf ears.

***

Hours later, Xieren sat in the canteen, choosing his meal while ignoring the looks he got from others.

They were unimportant.

Moreover, Xieren was a bit annoyed right now.

Despite his effort, he had found Shizun giving private lessons with some other disciples when he'd arrived.

Damn sneaky bastards.

Taking his bowl of Red Pot Soup, he walked to his table, resisting the urge to glare at those around him.

Halfway there, he sensed someone approach him and allowed them to sling their arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, bro, how are you doing?" Xuejie asked, smiling easily. The young man was very casual, giving hugs freely and constantly.

Xieren didn't mind it so much but having a man so close to him was weird. Honestly, he'd much prefer being hugged by Shizun.

"Please don't touch me so casually, Xuejie." He growled, pushing him away. "I don't want your smell on me."

"Eh?" He watched Xieren sit down, planting himself across from him. "Do I smell bad?"

"You smell like Xuejie." He replied, not even looking up from his meal.

"Is that bad?"

"Mm." He made this noncommittal sound, neither a yes nor no.

"That's not an answer."

"Mm." Xuejie stared at his friend, crying without tears at his friend's casual snipes. But that was just how he was.

"Fine, don't answer." He said, showing off his banquet. "See if I share my delicious food with you."

"Your taste is strange." Xieren opened an eye, looking over said banquet. It was made up almost entirely of meats, greasy and fattening. Xuejie was one who preferred fattening foods cause they 'tasted better than that flavorless stuff '. Xieren didn't disagree but it was a bit hard to watch him gorge himself on meat.

"Says the guy eating Red Pot Soup so casually." He retorted watch him so happily, in his Xieren way, eating the red as fire soup so easily.

"It's good."

"It's impossible to eat!" He countered, eye twitching as he watched his friends casually take a sip.

"Xuejie is just weak."

"Or bro is just weird." He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. "By the way, where were you today? I expected to find you sulking somewhere."

"Why would I be sulking?" Xieren growled. Xuejie was met with a glare, flinching as Xieren coldly stared him then.

"You fought Shizun, right?"

"Yes but..." He started, frowning deeper. How did he know...

"It's pretty obvious." Xuejie said, pointing to his forehead. Xieren's hand flew to his own, flinching as he felt a patch of soreness there.

From when he banged his head against a tree before.

"I see..." Xieren wasn't happy to learn he was so obvious.

"So where did you go?"

"Town." He replied. "A-Yi sent me to do errands."

"Ah~ How nice of her hubby to help her out."

"Whose A-Yi's hubby?" He immediately demanded, his protective big brother instincts rushing forward. "This brother was not notified about this."

"Ah~ bro doesn't mean that." Xuejie looked on, disappointed that his 'subtle' matchmaking. Why wasn't it working?

"When I find someone worthy of A-Yi, only then will I approve of a husband." He said, his tone firm and surprisingly fatherly.

That 'hubby', unaware of being spoken about shuddered with fear, not knowing why or who was talking about her.

"Speaking of, you didn't meet anyone in town, did you?" Xuejie sighed, accepting defeat.

"Meet anyone?" He cocked a brow.

"A beauty." He replied, his look eager for something.

Xieren briefly wondered whether or not this man had followed him somehow but that couldn't be it. It was just Xuejie being obsessed with women.

"No, I just heard about the Sunjin Conference." He said, changing the subject. "It's coming up, right?"

"Ah, so you heard about it too?" Xuejie said, accepting a change. "I'm surprised. I heard some of the seniors were talking about it, wanting to be chosen." Xuejie was excited too, wanting to see who came up on top.

Xieren was not so keen on it.

"Of course they would." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You're not interested?" He cried, mouth half full. "I thought you'd love the chance to beat up some seniors with no consequences."

"It's... tempting but..." Xieren looked away. He'd love to fight against seniors. His desire to get stronger hadn't faded in the least, hence why he trained as hard as he could. Fighting against seniors, even if he lost, was worth it if he could get just a little stronger.

But doing so would require him to spend all his time preparing and he'd have less time to spar with Shizun one on one. Taking a spot would make him have to share his time with Shizun and he'd rather not do that.

How could he get his most desired head pats if he had to share his time with Shizun?

Years had past and he still had yet to get that most desired reward. He'd worked hard, bettering himself so that he was his best student and yet he still failed to get it.

At the very least, the head pats were less frequent the better he got so perhaps one day, Shizun would have to acknowledge him.

"I'm done." Xieren stood up, not waiting for Xuejie. He always took the longest to eat. Xinyi was busy so it's just this wild haired, lover of beauties eating alone.

"G'night, bro." He called out, his attention now solely on his meal. He had worked hard and was treating himself.

As he walked out, he spotted a long piece of parchment on the wall. It was a sign-up sheet, something only Shizun had put up. Every other master had chosen disciples based on their own judgments. Shizun, however, allowed anyone to sign up, and then he'd test them.

It allowed everyone the opportunity to, at the very least, try. Currently, it was blank, since it was the first day.

Standing there, Xieren just happened to hear some disciples talking amount themselves.

"Did you hear? I heard Elder Shao will be leaving for something extermination mission later on."

"Will he be present for the Sunjin Conference?"

"Probably not."

"That's too bad."

"I did hear he'd be taking that person with him, though."

"That person?"

"The winner under his name."

"For a whole mission? That's a much better reward than just a plaque."

"To fight alongside a master, how cool is that?!"

Whatever else had been said after that was lost to time as the two disappeared from sight. Silent, Xieren stood in the darkness of the hallway. His thoughts masked by the indifference his face displayed.

An hour later, Xuejie was walking back to his room, belly full to bursting.

Meat was the best~

As he was passing by the sign-in sheet, his eyes briefly brushing over it. It meant little to him but was there so why not look, after all. However, his steps stopped, the sight he saw shocking him to the core of his soul.

Xieren had written his name on the sign-up sheet, as he thought he would. However...

There was being bold enough to dare write your name on such a list, knowing everyone would be against you but this was something else. This was being so bold as to make it that no one COULD write their name on the list after you.

Xuejie stared in disbelief at this brazenness. Was this truly his stoic and cool Xieren that did this? Where is the pride? The nobility?

Liang Fei, when he got the form, just sighed, thinking he'd have to teach Xieren to write better. His handwriting was good but he wrote it so large, how was anyone else going to try?