One would need to be absolutely blind to fail to see how this Senior Wei youth had become so easily infatuated with Her Ladyship. It was a sad fate to befall him; Her Ladyship's husband was a very possessive type of god. It was not unheard of for him to inflict painful retribution upon those who coveted what was his.

"What do you suppose he did to the poor mortal boy?" Xiao An Hua wondered aloud, cracking another seed.

"I cannot tell for certain… Perhaps he threatened him?" Xiao An Fei examined Senior Wei from head to toe, scratching her chin as she thought. She had initially expected to see the youth missing a limb or two, or to have possibly started balding prematurely, but he seemed physically well...

"You truly believe our black-bellied Sovereign Lord would simply let what happened slide with only a warning?" Xiao An Hua raised an eyebrow at her sister incredulously, as if to ridicule her sister's suggestion. The idea that their Lord would have merely threatened the human verbally was preposterous. "I think not. Even if no physical harm was done to Her Ladyship, that damned pixie tormented her mentally and emotionally. And, correct me if I am wrong, forgiving and forgetting is not something any of us do."

"You will not find me arguing with you on that, sister, but His Lordship's mood was not entirely sour after the battle ended," Xiao An Fei responded pointedly, deftly stealing the bag of seeds from Xiao An Hua.

"Hey, give that back!" Xiao An Hua exclaimed. "I bought that!" She practically growled, pouncing at her sister, but Xiao An Fei evaded her attack with a skillful somersault and a giggle.

"Sharing is caring," she said in a singsong, mischievous tone. "Have you not heard that before?"

"I am willing to share, but you just took the entire bag!" Xiao An Hua vehemently protested. "Just buy your own, you big meanie."

"I suppose the feeling of possessiveness can apply to food, too," Xiao An Fei commented with a grin. She dangled the bag of seeds playfully in front of her sister's face. Xiao An Hua snatched the bag back with a triumphant snort, shaking a fist at her twin.

"Hmph! See if I ever share with you again," she grumbled.

Xiao An Fei simply smiled and shook her head as she stared off into the distance.

"Back to the matter at hand. What I mean to say is that his mood could not have been all that bad. Think about it for a moment. If we both heard Her Ladyship's confession, then surely His Lordship must have heard it as well. Even though Her Ladyship was under the effects of the illusion, her words of passion were clearly aimed at His Lordship, albeit his human disguise for the sect. Zhu Qingyue, I believe is the name being used."

"You mean when Her Ladyship professed her love whilst on the battle stage?" Xiao An Hua asked around another seed. At her sister's nod, she continued, "Her Ladyship was knocked out at the time, and her words were no more than a whisper. Considering how His Lordship was crouched right over her, though, I am certain he heard it!"

The twins stared at each other silently for a moment before Xiao An Hua broke into laughter.

"Did you see how embarrassed he was?" she snickered. "He could not look at Her Ladyship in the face for so long!"

Xiao An Fei's eyes curved up in amusement, and she stifled her own giggles as she covered her sister's mouth with her palm.

"Shh!" she scolded, "You are being far too loud." She kept her voice low, nearly a whisper, as she continued speaking. "For all His Lordship's excellent breeding and education, he has little to no understanding when it comes to matters of the heart. Imagine! What is one supposed to do when the object of their affections professes their love so suddenly? Especially if one had been chasing them as long as our Lord has pursued Her Ladyship! I know I would be very flustered, and I am not so ignorant about love as he."

They were talking about their own Sovereign Lord, and so there had to be respect given, even whilst gossiping.

Xiao An Hua sobered up and gently moved her twin's hand away from her mouth.

"I guess so," she agreed reluctantly, "But I cannot imagine such a situation since pursuing someone else is beneath me."

Xiao An Fei eyed her sister with skepticism. "When you fall in love," she said, "I will remember these words and throw them right back at you."

"People fall in love with me, not the other way around! I would not succumb to this silly emotion."

"Dummy!" Xiao An Fei chided, smacking her twin lightly over the back of the head and glaring. "When foxes love, it lasts us a lifetime. In the future, if you end up eating your own words, it shall make you cry a river." She narrowed her eyes to intensify her glare. "A lifetime can last a very long time for us, you know."

Xiao An Hua raised her chin defiantly and placed her hands on her hips.

"That is to say, if I am ever unlucky enough to find my supposed 'soulmate'," she replied haughtily. "If we take into consideration the fact that our clan is cursed, then the idea of liking anyone so intensely becomes almost entirely fantastical. If anything, it would be nothing but a forced obsession. Our will would have no effect on the matter."

"Then what do you call that feeling which His Lordship has for his wife? Does it not look like fate has allowed them to meet from thousands of miles away?" Xiao An Fei persisted.

"That feeling is named 'obsession', dear sister, and what you call fate may as well be a matter of sheer coincidence."

"Sister… Do you even know what this curse does or is about?" Xiao An Fei asked suddenly, surprised by her twin's words.

She suspected that Xiao An Hua did not actually know the true implications of the curse.

"The curse forces us to obsess over a single soul." Xiao An Hua raised her gaze to the skies above as she pondered her answer. "But that does not mean we will fall in love with whoever possesses this soul."

"You really are a dummy!" Xiao An Fei lightly knocked her twin around the back of the head again. "Our clan members stay true to only our single soulmate, the only one who we are destined to be with, our heart's desire! Isn't that romantic?"

As she finished speaking, the image of a certain grey-coated fox, perched on a tree branch, popped into her mind. Xiao An Fei quickly shook her head to dispel the image before she could become distracted.

"Romantic my furry ass," Xiao An Hua grumbled, glaring at her sister and rubbing at the sore spot on her head. "Have you not heard that people with only love in their heads tend to go insane? Do not fall for such a trap, sister. I, for one, will not let myself fall prey to my own false, invented feelings," she stated with finality firming her tone.

"Fine, then you keep thinking that way," Xiao An Fei retorted. Exasperated, she decided to drop the subject.

Just in time, too, for as their conversation had reached its natural end, Bao Li had decided to at long last leave the premises. She went to mount a crane, carrying a large assortment of groceries with her, and the twin fox sisters followed suit.