"Aah, it's nice to be alone for a while, but honestly I miss my roommate a little." Xiu Shihong idly played with a strand of her silky hair. She had done a sect mission and got her hands on some ancient charcoal - the fire Qi in this was potent and it would help her further her cultivation...

Sadly sitting next to a burning flame and taking in fire Qi was rather boring, she had not to concentrate much - her body was like a magnet for fire Qi - pulling it in and refining it: It was the special and sacred technique of her clan that had brought them to their current position. Musing over all of that she poked the raging fire with a stick, the fire was cracking and the scent of enveloped her, she welcomed it - it smelt like home.

A grin parted her lips as she remembered her home - the raging heat, the unbearable sunshine that burned skin and land alike, the endless ocean of sand that spread into all directions. She missed it - the people in this sect had a very different temperament from what she was used to, more scheming and playing then the straightforwardness of the desert folks.

Xiu Shihong was completely absorbed in her own thoughts and did not hear that someone was approaching her, she was in the garden and the grass devoured all noise those careful steps made, a shadow suddenly loomed over Xiu Shihong, someone was standing just behind her! She jumped up almost falling over into the fire.

"Careful." Kou reached forward and held the girl's shoulder and pulled her back down on the big rock, Xiu Shihong's shoulder was narrow and the girl was light so she had no problems placing the girl back on the rock as Xiu Shihong did not fight against her anymore after hearing the girls voice.

Xiu Shihong tilted her head slightly to the side Kou was wearing a dark cloak that went all the way down to her ankles, just showing part of her dark shoes - the hood was wide and deep casting a shadow onto Kou's face. That Cloak.. did not look ordinary to her! Maybe it was some kind of treasure? "You are back, welcome Kou." Her smile parted her lips as she reached up to unmask the other girl "It is not really polite to approach friends with your face hidden - or in general, Hu?" she could feel it the moment her hand touched the other girl. The inside of the cloak seemed to be almost freezing and Kou's Qi seemed different, usually, it was an abundance of Darkness - with some light Qi in it but now it was Darkness and Ice, she could barely feel the light anymore.

"Oh, You have stepped into the next realm, and apparently gained something from it? My congratulations to you." She hummed as she unmasked the girl. Kou had changed once more. It was fascinating how cultivation could change a person so much in so little time. Her skin was fair and her face narrow - a small nose and pink lips with large stoic eyes, wild white hair fell down into her face unorderly.

"Mh." Kou pushed her cloak back so it was behind her shoulders she turned around, showing the other girl the long and fluffy tail that had rested wrapped around her hips until now. "Got this, and this." stretching out her left hand she held her palm upwards - Kou's tail swayed back and forth and blue flames flared up around her body flowing down her arm - forming into a ball of flame in her hand. Xiu Shihong cold feel the cold on her face as she leaned closer, an Ice-flame? She had heard about things like that before - it was a flaring little round ball, constant tongues of icy-blue flames shot up from it.

"My bloodline power gives me control over this. Mh I can use it for freezing things."

Xiu Shihong glanced at Kou for a moment, her expression was a little strained, her left eyebrow twitched slightly - very much saying 'You don't say!' Of course, this was very obvious for Xiu Shihong, I mean it was a cold flaring ball of energy for what else would it be used! Shortly after a grin appeared on her face as she glanced up at Kou. "Well, that does make us rather opposite, uh? I always felt like your presence cooled my temper down a little, so maybe that was the reason."

Kou blinked at her, that girl was really strange, she had that teasing way to her, but was always nice to Kou - she still wondered why exactly, but why should she ask? There was no reason - she was happy as things are and asking unnecessarily would just be weird, right? Kou counted herself as someone that was not all that socially skilled so doing something too weird out one of her friends would be not so good, right?

"What are you doing here anyway? It's summer.. why have a campfire?" Kou's eyes wandered to the crackling fire, she could feel the fire Qi inside of it and it made her somewhat wary of it - Xiu Shihong had pulled down her hood so she could still the dry heat in the air - everything was full of hot Qi, it was not as bad as the volcano but she very very much preferred being inside her cloak that was for sure!

"Oh, I got my hands on some special coal that will help my cultivation, burning it at the moment, You, Ha you are really the perfect roommate, no fighting about resources with you, we are way too different for that." She grinned, and just like Shi Shi she stretched her hand out to ruffle Kou's hair! Her fluffy ears twitched slightly and tilted downwards, it felt nice when people did it but Kou was clear that that was only because she trusted this girl to a certain degree, she still very much hated strangers touching her or even being to close.

Kou's tail unraveled and wagged slightly as she was being patted by the taller girl, the scene was rather nice, a young beautiful blackhead - patting a scruffy but cute other girl on the head. None of them spoke for this moment. Bout of them simply enjoyed the moment - but it was quickly interrupted by a harpy like screech! A small almost sobbing wet ball shot at the both of them and hugged Kou first and foremost!

"You are finally back! Oh god, I'm so happy! Now that jerk will finally leave me alone! Not that I wouldn't be happy with you being back just for that reason! But I really really wanted you to be back already!" Li Zhi, had been near a mental breakdown! She did not deal with boys well in general! And even less so with boys that could doom her family. "Kou! Once you are ready you have to meet Fu Tengfang, he won't leave me alone! He always follows be around asking for you he stalks me everywhere and I can't stand it anymore! Please meet him!" Li Zhi was already pleading with the other girl.

Kou stood there somewhat stiffly, Li Zhi's "tackle-hug" Had pushed her into Xiu Shihong who was little an unmoving rock, Kou liked both girls very much but having 0 personal space made her anxious, she quickly activated Hunting Shadows and slipped out of the girl pile, jumping to the shadow one of the trees cast nearby. What she saw from there was, fun. Li Zhi suddenly had lost the person she was leaning on had fallen against Xiu Shihong, the red-eyes girl just continued her head-patting with the other girl, grinning while Li Zhi was somewhat stiff.

A rare grin was flashed by Kou and she snickered at both of them before nodding "Will meet, that boy - what does he want?" Her hands wandered down to her belt brushing over her daggers, if he still wanted to buy them she would kick into the unmentionables! For real this time!

Li Zhi shook her head "I have no clue! He just says something about business and wants to see you for talking! This boy is really thick skinned! He does not give a damn about all the rumors! I even got a letter from my family asking if I had made friends with him because people think he likes me now!" And so Li Zhi started to wail at Kou.

Somewhere Else.

"ACHOO!" Fu Tengfang rubbed his nose after leaving his cultivation chamber he suddenly had to sneeze, was someone thinking about him? The first one to flash past his mind was Li Zhi, the girl was actually rather pleasant on the eye! And after spending some time with her he found her squirming temper rather endearing! He would have to thank Prince Ning for this job at some point, he wouldn't have seen the flower right before his eyes if not for that!

He stretched slightly and grinned. "He, my cultivation progress is amazing at the moment! I really am a new genius! I will maybe even catch up to that Ning boy!" He didn't know why he suddenly was able to cultivate so quickly but he was firmly placed in the middle of the second realm now! He could compete with the likes of Hei Tian!

His two red-head bodyguards exchanged an unsure look with each other as their little Master entered the main room of the large house, they had already sent emergency letters out back home, the progress their little Master had made was... worrying.

"I have the feeling we will find the damnable girl today! Go get the sweets I bought, we will present them to Li Zhi and finally find that evildoer Yun Kou!"