Later that evening, rain harshly trikles on the tiled roofs. Silver zaps of lighting struck the leaden sky, followed by an ear-piercing clap of thunder leaving the air shaking in its wake.

Indifferent of the clamour and the wind's strong howls assaulting the shutters of her window, Lillie stood in front of the mirror of her room's bathroom and began to peel off her fake skin. ​​

Deft fingers meticulously removes the limpet off her face, gentle to not tear it apart. It left her skin slightly raw and tender, just as she expected.

"Smiling so much really makes one's cheeks hurt." Lillie gentle massaged her sore cheeks.

The redness of her face would recede from view on its own eventually after she takes a shower so she didn't bother with it for a moment.

Platinum blonde locks uncoiled and cascaded over her back, taking a breathe of air as it was finally relieved from the brown wig that contained it.

Clothes now shrugged off and disregarded on the laundry basket, Lillie stepped inside the tub, drew the polyester curtain, then twisted the knob of the shower.

Warm water gently drizzled down on her supple skin. Residues of make-up was completely washed off with soap, sinking along with the dirty water down the drain.

Free from the uncomfortable sweat and grime, she stepped out of the shower without regard of her drenched state, paying no mind on the wet trails she left behind to grab a towel from the rack.

She dried herself then wrapped another towel for her hair. Going in front of the mirror again, she spread a thin layer of moisturizer on her face before heading back towards her bedroom to put on some comfortable clothes that she could sleep in for later.

The bedroom's condition was exactly how she left it years ago, but without the dust that would've accumulated if not occasionally cleaned.

She noticed that the bed sheet and pillow cases were changed when the fabric softener's scent potently lingers.

Books and notebooks in a specified arrangement at her shelf, papers and pens inside her table's drawers, and her old uniforms inside her closet—just as Grandmaster Wei told her.

Ever since she stepped inside the Academy, bittersweet nostalgia swelled inside her chest. There were some things that've changed.

Nevertheless, the ambiance in the Academy was the same.

Earlier, when they were walking around the campus, she was greeted by many familiar faces of students she've mentored—that has now climbed up through the ranks—and teachers that taught her previously.

But being gone for years, several new faces have littered around the campus that looked at her in curiosity, wondering if the woman they're looking at was truly the prodigious Grand Disciple Life.

"Little Flower, are you decent?" She heard a knock followed by Grandmaster Wei's voice at the other side of her door.

"Master may come in."

Grandmaster Wei opened the door slightly, just enough for his head to peer inside. "Your betrothed and knucklehead of a Senior Brother are already at the dining room. Let's go now before they gobble it all up."

Lillie ran her fingers through her damp hair, deciding to let it dry on its own. Chuckling lightly, she said, "Senior Brother might, but Ethan won't and will most definitely stop him."

"Hm, that's good to hear." Grandmaster Wei reluctantly added another point in his mental scoreboard of Ethan's good qualities.

Anyone who can handle that troublesome brat's eccentricity and foolery is an admirable feat.

"Ay, you're not going out unless you dry your hair completely, young lady."

Lillie stopped on her tracks by Grandmaster Wei's statement. "Is master willing to wait for a few more minutes?"

"Naturally. I'll just have to cook more food again if ever your betrothed's leash on your Senior Brother broke. So, take you time, Little Flower," Grandmaster Wei gentle urged. "We don't want you getting sick. Especially in this weather, it is likely."

Warmth spread through Lillie's chest, her expression softening. "I'll be done in a moment."

The smile on her lips may be small, but Grandmaster Wei knew how much sincerity it held.

Aiyo, this girl has really grown up, hasn't she?

This must be what his good friend, Bai Wuqing, felt when his precious granddaughter flew out of the nest to build her own along with her significant other.

Hopefully, he get to live longer to witness this nest grow and be filled with younglings he could hold and dote.

But before all of that, he'll have to see if the punk is worthy and can handle a few beatings.

Both of Lillie's grandfather and father had entrusted Grandmaster Wei to do the beatings for them in a pretense of a "spar".

"Those cowards," Grandmaster scoffed in his mind. They're afraid that Lillie would be upset at them if they beat up her fiancee.

His title as Lillie's master gave him an excuse to do just that, and he was happy to oblige.