"Probably because of the soul mark!"

Lord Yueliang's reply made Li Ming gasp as she stared at the Deity with her doe eyes.

"You all have soul marks? Then...then why only he believed in the bond? Why didn't the rest of you?"

Her soul jumped at the thought of seeing the soul mark carved on her mates' body.

"Not all of us. Only Hei Long has the soul mark." Lord Yueliang told her as he took in the excited expression on her face which turned into confusion at his words.

"What do you mean? Why only him?" She asked the Deity.

"Since he was the first one to accept the soulbond without any second thought, the Deity gifted him with the soul mark. He said that the rest of us will receive ours too by our mate when we finally accept the bond." The Moon Immortal answered her question truthfully, not wanting to hide it from his soulmate.

"Oh! So, he's the only one with the soul mark. But then his reaction...? It was like he felt disgusted by my touch...!" Li Ming didn't know what to think about the situation and especially of Hei Long's reaction.

But her thoughts were disturbed when Lord Yueliang immediately shook his head as he cupped her face to make her look up at him.

"No, Little One, no! It's not you, neither it's him."

At her confused expression, the Moon Deity let out a sigh as he told her everything about Hei Long's soul mark and how one of the tendrils was no more attached to the ivy, and how they all had come to the conclusion that that particular tendril represented his soul bond.

"So, you are telling me that something is wrong with Hei Long's soul mark and he can no longer recognize me?"

Li Ming didn't like what she was hearing. Did someone really dare to manipulate the soul mark? But if yes, then who and why?

"I don't think so. We have seen him worried about you. If my observation isn't wrong he even feels a pull towards you. Somewhere deep down in his heart, he has already recognized you. Just something is not letting him believe it. I think we just need to find out about what's wrong with his mark and then we will find a solution." Lord Yueliang told her with a comforting smile and warm eyes.

"We?" Li Ming asked as she looked at the Deity with questioning eyes and to be honest, she did agree that she was expecting a positive answer.

That her heart was beating excitedly at the thought of her other mates helping her in solving the issue with Hei Long's soul mark.

There was something about Lord Yueliang which called on her vulnerable side to come out in open. She somehow ended up muttering out all her problems and insecurities in front of him, maybe because he gave those vibes. That he would always be there with her no matter what, just like how he next replied to her question.

"En! We. You will always find us beside you. In your sorrow, in your suffering, in your trials, and whenever you will need us."

Li Ming was completely surprised but also happy with his words. She finally felt the happiness and contentment that a mate brought with them.

"When we were told about the soulmate thing, that Deity also told us that even though it's a very strong bond but none of us are obliged to accept it. Is it true? Can we reject the bond?"

Li Ming tried to keep the negative thoughts at bay as she nodded her head while she replied, "Not all agree that it's a fair thing for them to be bound to a complete stranger. Sometimes, it took years for one to find the other half of their soul, and during a long period of waiting sometimes they fell in love with other people. At first, breaking a soul bond or rejecting it was considered a crime but then people started understanding the situations in a better way. In the starting breaking a soul bond was very painful and even traumatic but with the passage of time and new inventions of spells, charms, and technology, now there are ways to make this as less painful as possible. If both the partners are against the bond then the rejection process can go very smoothly."

"Let's just take it as marriage. Back in ancient times, people were used to be bounded by an arranged marriage and there was no law of divorce. Some found happiness with their partners who were initially strangers to them but then slowly became close and they even ended up having a lovely and wonderful marriage life."

"On the other hand, there were other couples who couldn't find a base in their marriage. Sometimes they were in love with someone else and ended up cheating on their partner which led to the destruction of the lives of three individuals. That's where the tradition of arranged marriage became a bane for many people. But now people have the right to marry the person they love or to divorce. The same can be said about the mate bonds. It's a gift from the fate as they choose the best couples that can be paired with each other and can be happy even after their different personalities but at the end of the day, they have the right to accept or reject the bond."

Li Ming finished her explanation and praised herself for her decent explanation.

But all her happiness disappeared when she looked up back at the Moon Deity's handsome face and came across his stunned expression.

It took her almost ages to realize about what she had done.

Inventions...charms...spells...technology...Ancient...Divorce...! Damn it!!

"Well, I think I over-explained it. Let me put it in simple words - Yes! If you want you can end or reject a mate bond," Li Ming said as she tried to cover up her babbling.

It took Lord Yueliang a few long seconds to come out of the deep and long explanation that his Little One gave.

He actually tried to understand everything but at some point, he lost himself in all the weird words that she was using. Though in the end, he did get what she was trying to explain.

"Little One, since there's a way to break this bond..."

Li Ming nearly stopped breathing as she waited for the Moon Deity to complete his words.

"...then always remember this, we are and we will be beside you because we want to be. I can assure you that I'm accepting this bond not because it was already set by fate but because I really want to be with you forever and I know one day you will hear the rest of them saying this exact thing."

Li Ming felt her throat closing up as she tried not to immediately jump in the arms of the Moon Deity.

"You are kind, cute, smart, powerful, daring, loyal, caring, and have a beautiful heart. You can stand up for yourself and also for those whom you considered a part of your family. You are the worst nightmare of your enemies and a kind goddess for your friends. You can differentiate right from wrong. You know when to strike and where to lay low. You..."

"Ssh!"

Li Ming silenced the deity as she placed her index finger on his lips.

Lord Yueliang softly smiled as he lightly grabbed her hand and linked their fingers together.

Li Ming felt her cheeks flaming as she looked down at her feet which were no longer bare as she was wearing her bunny slippers.

The cute slippers made her smile as she continued avoiding looking in Moon Deity's deep eyes.

"What about Zhang Yong? I know he's not one of my soul mates but I can feel something different but as unique as the soulbond between the two of us." Li Ming asked after a few minutes of silence.

Lord Yueliang stopped grazing her fingers and gave her hand a light squeeze.

"I don't think it's my place to answer that question. And before you ask it, yes I know the rest two of your mates too. But I'm not going to tell you anything about them. It will be a better experience if you find them on your own. As for Zhang Yong, you should find out on your own." He said while softly sliding her loose strands behind her ear.

Li Ming almost pouted but then nodded her head in understanding. She realized that her childish self always came out in front of Mr. Beauty.

"There's also one thing I wanted to tell you, Little One. Though Roushan and I are aware that you are our mate but we never tried to tell this to Hei Long. The deity told us to never disclose the truth of your identity if by chance one of us failed to recognize you and the bond on their own. We were advised to rather find a different way to discover the reason and then solve it. Not sure if it also applies on you, but it looks like you know more about this soulmate thing than us." Lord Yueliang stopped when his eyes caught a slight glimpse of a blue light on her wrist.

His eyes were trained on her wrist as he slowly raised his hand towards it but then...!