“Titania?” Xinxin muttered the name.

She recognized it. For some reason, when Xinxin mulled over the name in her head, she felt like she should know it. Not only that, but when she stared at the elf’s face, it tugged at something in her memories. Like coming across an acquaintance after many years.

But that was impossible. Xinxin had never been aware of the existence of ‘elves’ before today.

A headache started to form, but Xinxin decided to ignore it for the time being. Instead, she walked over to the elf and released the gag.

Immediately, Titania glared at Xinxin, a gaze filled with malice and hatred.

Of course, it didn’t bother Xinxin. Instead of paying attention to that, she tilted her head and said, “Tell me, elf. Have we met before today?”

“…them.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll kill them…! I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them!”

Xinxin sighed. “Driven mad by vengeance?”

While Titania’s gaze was on Xinxin, the elf seemed to be look at someone else.

For a moment, Xinxin pondered leaving the elf there. The money more than served her purposes. But…

“I suppose your life belongs to me now.” It’d be irresponsible of her to just leave the elf behind, and, while she respected her Sifu and his strength, Xinxin was not going to imitate his tendency to cast people aside.

If he hadn’t, perhaps ‘that’ time would have been different…?

Hm?

A sense of incongruity. Something didn’t match up in Xinxin’s memories.

Before Xinxin could figure it out, Titania’s eyes focused. Maybe it was due to her words, but Titania glared at Xinxin and said, “You… you’re just like her! I’ll never listen to you!”

Like her…?

Xinxin shook her head. “I do not need your life story, only your obedience.” She paused. “No… perhaps not even that.” Xinxin stepped closer to Titania and placed her hand over the elf’s chest. “In the end, your power is all I need. Now, a simple question. Live, or die?” For emphasis, she drew on the power of her dark core, causing bits of Titania’s powers to flow into her.

Titania glared for a moment longer and then slumped down, losing all signs of resistance. “…I will obey.”

“Good.”

And that was a relief. For a moment, Xinxin thought that the elf would have refused.

…Maybe there was something to her Sifu’s cold demeanor after all. People tended to ask less questions and become more pliable if you seemed ready to cut them down at a moment’s notice…

But she was going on a tangent.

Xinxin waved her hand, releasing the rest of Titania’s restraints, and then helped her up. “It’s a bit unexpected, but I suppose I could use a servant… You’re a bit weaker than I’d like, but that can be fixed.”

She’d just have to convince Wang Tian to hand over some secret manuals or arts. From how he had foreigners as his disciples, surely he wouldn’t mind?

Also… it’d be more convenient for her to go around if she had a servant at her side.

Like Xiaomei.

Xinxin’s heart pounded when she remembered that and she sighed.

Her, along with the others, would never return. Thus… there was no use thinking about them.

Xinxin steeled her heart again and then focused.

Titania unsteadily rose to her feet. The act caused her tattered clothes to shift, revealing the ruined skin beneath.

Xinxin frowned.

Titania noticed and scowled. “What? Upset that your precious servant is flawed? Damaged?”

Xinxin shook her head. “No. I just considered that it’d be more trouble than it’d be worth having you walk around dressed like that.”

If the elf, Titania, was to be her servant… and if she planned to walk around with her usual appearance, the elf would have to wear fitting clothes.

“Hm… I’m not as good as Sifu… but this should work?”

Titania furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about?”

Xinxin drew out a bit of her qi and threaded it into a dress… or she tried to. In the end, the result was a loose black cloak. She sighed and tossed it at Titania. “Put that on for now. I’ll get you something more suitable afterwards.”

Titania frowned, but did as she was told. 

Xinxin stared at her.

It was a bit odd. The black cloak covered Titania’s body from the neck down, concealing her tattered clothing. As for her neck itself, a thin black band had appeared around it, indicating her status as a slave. Despite that, with her defiant and dark jade eyes, instead of looking like a captured princess, she seemed like a vagrant out for revenge.

Which, now that Xinxin thought about it, seemed fitting.

She shook her head and said, “Are you well enough to walk?”

Titania scoffed. “I may be weakened, but I am not weak. Lead the way, Master. I will follow.”

A spiteful tongue, but grudgingly obedient.

Xinxin shrugged. “Very well. Then… let us go.” She tied her bag of coins around her waist, concealing it with threads of darkness, and started walking down the halls, using the jade slip’s map feature to navigate.

---

“…You are a strange girl, Master.” Titania muttered.

Xinxin shrugged. “I am who I am… and in this case, I am a swordswoman.”

The two had left the shady building that hosted the Dark Tournament and were wandering around the normal part of the Sun Kingdom again.

Xinxin had once again used Myriad Heavens to take on the guise of a cold swordswoman, crafting a simple blade from her qi to hold at her side.

Titania walked beside her, the elf’s ears twitching as they moved and her dark green eyes scanning the surroundings. With her appearance, as well as the collar around her neck, she drew a lot of attention from passersby. However, because of her attire, that attention quickly passed over her, especially when they saw Titania walking so close to Xinxin.

Probably just another odd sight in such a vast kingdom… at least, that was what Xinxin assumed.

Titania shook her head and said, “For one so young, you are… strangely mature. Unlike…” She trailed off and then narrowed her eyes.

A young man with black hair who had been staring at them flinched and immediately averted his gaze, running off into the crowd.

Xinxin sighed. “Would you relax? You are drawing more attention to us than necessary.”

“I said that I would obey, not that I would change who I am.”

“In that case, I command you to relax… or at least not show such blatant bloodlust. I would like to at least finish shopping in peace before being found out by the sect.”

Titania frowned and then nodded. “I… will try.”

“I suppose that is all I can ask for…” Xinxin shook her head and then looked around.

Daylight was running low. The sun that had been high in the sky when Xinxin first left was now starting to sink into the horizon, casting everything in a crimson hue. Despite that fact, there weren’t any less people walking around.

Xinxin and Titania had arrived at a commercial alleyway. Merchant stalls lined up along either side of the paved road, travelers from distant lands or adventurers trying to offload their wares. But in addition to those, there were actual shops, buildings with a more established reputation backed by the Sun Kingdom itself, which was shown by the Tian character hanging on their walls.

At the moment, the first priority was to get Titania changed into proper clothes. While it would be inevitable for her to draw attention due to being an exotic foreign beauty, they could at least blend in better in that case rather than being stared at like potential criminals.

With that in mind, Xinxin scanned the surroundings for a tailor shop. Thankfully, in a place like the Sun Kingdom, so bustling with activity and commerce, it didn’t take long to find one. A few buildings down, Xinxin saw a shop called The Old Dream.

Xinxin nodded and said, “Follow me. It’s time to get you proper attire.”

Titania did, but she frowned. “Is it necessary?”

“I do not intend to wander as a swordswoman all the time. While your current appearance matches, as we appear to be wanderers, I would like to have more options as well.”

Xinxin remembered the way Wang Tian had disguised them as a young lady and servant pair to get into the Bai Clan’s territory. If she planned to roam the world, there may be an occasion where such a façade would be necessary again. And, since she apparently wasn’t skilled enough to conjure such goods from thin air like Wang Tian or her Sifu, she had to resort to the old fashioned way.

…Well, at least winning the Dark Tournament had resulted in her gaining a spatial bag in addition to the coins. If not, it would have been more troublesome… and she didn’t feel like being more indebted to Wang Tian than she could with her weird feelings about him.

Titania’s frown deepened. “…Understood.”

Xinxin opened the door to the shop, causing a small bell to chime, and walked inside.

The store, The Old Dream, was fairly large and had two floors. The first was the one where they entered. There, various dresses were on display, worn by masterfully crafted wooden mannequins. Finely spun silk dresses, dyed satin robes, and other outfits were carefully arranged on the main level, showing them off in full splendor.

In the back of the main floor, a stairway led up to a second level. That floor was actually more of an extended balcony surrounding the shop interior and suspended in the air. On that level, colorful dyed fabrics and embroidery hung along the walls.

Xinxin lowered her gaze from the surroundings and focused on the owner of the store.

An old man with a shock of white hair sat behind a counter top near the stairway. While he had been threading a piece of flower embroidery, when he noticed Xinxin and Titania, he stood up and smiled. “Greetings, young madams. What can this humble old man do for you today?”

Xinxin walked forward and said, “I was hoping to get new clothing for my servant, grandpa.” She nodded towards Titania and said, “Her current attire is a bit… ill-suited for travel, as you can see.”

The old man nodded. “Hm… yes.” He walked around the counter and started to circle Titania.

The elf winced and crossed her arms, glaring at the old man.

He paused and said, “My apologies. I was simply surprised by your beauty.” He shook his head and said, “It is not often that young women like yourself appear in this kingdom, let alone in my humble shop.” He frowned and said, “For a foreign beauty like yourself…” He turned towards Xinxin and said, “She is your servant?”

“That’s right, grandpa.”

“A servant… hm.” The old man wandered back around the counter and pulled out a small wooden board with scraps of fabric on it. Flowery patterns, solid colors… like a painter’s pallet, it seemed that he was using it to prepare for his work. “Was there something you had in mind for your servant, young madam?”

Xinxin turned to stare at Titania. “Well-“

The door opened, causing a bell to chime again.

“Ah.” The old man paused and then placed his board back on the counter. “More customers?”

Xinxin frowned and turned around.

Laughter spilled through the door, and a young man entered the shop. A typical young master, wearing white silk robes and a haughty smile. Behind him, a tall man with honed muscles and a sword strapped to his side walked in.

“Old man! I’m back for another… order?” The young master paused when he saw Titania standing in the middle of the shop.

Xinxin felt a headache coming on.

Of course. How could she forget? The fatal three flaws a woman could possess: beauty, youth, and weakness… and also the ones that immediately attracted men.

While Titania wasn’t young, she held the appearance of one not much older than Xinxin. Paired with her beauty and the fact that she was still weakened from her ordeal…

“What’s this? A foreign beauty?” The young master smiled. “Perhaps the heaven’s are smiling on me today.”

Titania scowled and immediately began moving back to Xinxin’s side. But before she could take a few steps, the young master ran forward and grabbed her arm.

“One moment, fair maiden. Why don’t you and I-“

Xinxin sighed and dumped a few dozen platinum coins on the counter top.

The old man blinked and said, “What is this for, young madam? I have yet to-”

Wind and ice exploded, swirling in a torrent around Titania.

“Young master!” The man that followed the arrogant young master immediately charged forward drawing his blade.

Xinxin paused and placed a few more coins on the counter top.

---

“You won’t get away with this!” The young master’s servant roared those words and ran out of the shop, carrying the arrogant young man over his shoulder.

The old man stared at the entrance and scattered mannequins lying around the floor with wide eyes. He took a step back and raised a shaky finger. “Y-You…” He shook his head and turned towards Xinxin. “Do you know what you’ve done?! Who that young man was?!”

Xinxin’s response was to place a few more platinum coins on the counter top before turning her head back. “Finished?”

Titania let out a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.” She frowned and said, “…But it appears that humans… no, that males are the same wherever you go.” She paused and then turned to look at Xinxin. “How do you deal with such attention? Does your patience not run thin?”

“Y-Young madams!” The old man interrupted and said, “While you two might not know, that young man was-“

“Some arrogant young master who was spoiled from birth and felt entitled to the world.” Xinxin shook her head. “Foolish. To think that while lacking even the basics… even he had not been so arrogant.”

Wang Tian in his youth had acted much the same, but he had the right to be due to his heaven-given talent.

Not that Xinxin agreed with acting like that, nor accept it. In fact, she preferred her Sifu’s more humble approach. The quite and unshakable confidence… though she could have done without his outright hostility. Though when you simply wanted to live a peaceful life and people constantly tried to interfere…

The old man shook his head. “Well… I suppose I cannot change your minds. Still, I must warn you two that he will not leave things like this so readily.” His face grimaced. “I have seen many a young woman fall to his hands, and I would not wish for another pair to fall victim.”

Xinxin resisted the urge to scoff and instead said, “About the dresses…”

The old man sighed. “The total is paid in full.” He laid three dresses on the counter top and said, “However, are you sure you do not wish for me to adjust them for your servant?”

Xinxin glanced at Titania.

The elf narrowed her eyes.

Xinxin turned back and said, “I will find someone to do that at a later point.” She shook her head. “We’ve caused enough trouble for you as it is, grandpa”

The old man smiled. “Trouble? If anything you’ve livened up this old man’s day… but I do worry about you two after that.” He paused and said, “I have a grandson in the Heaven-Seizing Dragon sect. His position is fairly high as well. If you two would-“

“Thank you… but daylight is running low. We should be returning now.” Xinxin bowed her head and swept up the dresses into her bag. “Come, Titania.”

The elf nodded and walked in step with Xinxin.

“W-Wait! Young madams!”