Closing the door behind her, she looked around in puzzlement. Where was Ye Yu? Usually he would be in his room napping at this time. She had checked the training grounds before heading to Ye Yu's room. He would either be in his room or the training grounds. There was one more place that he really liked being in though, but it couldn't be... She had banned him from that room without her permission. Could it be...? She quickly walked back to her room and flung the doors wide open. He really was there! "Ye Yu!! How many times have I told you not to enter my room on your own without my permission?!" She couldn't believe it. He was sitting on her chair, drinking her tea, eating her snacks all without a trace of remorse for getting caught doing so. But he looked like he was... sulking? "Young mistress are you really leaving?" "Wha- I haven't told anyone yet. How did you... I was on my way to let you know but I couldn't find you anywhere! And here you are in my room which I specifically told you not to enter." "I don't see why I can't enter! We slept together in the same room last time anyway!" "That's different! You were a tiger cub! You were all cute and cuddly then. But you transformed and took on this human form. Ye Yu, you are a male. I am a female. We are not supposed to sleep in the same room. Even if you are my celestial beast." Blushing furiously, Zi Yue tried to make her celestial beast understand. He never quite understood the reason behind their separation. In his mind, he was her celestial beast so he should be in her room guarding her. "Young Mistress, if you would like, I can change back into a tiger. Wouldn't that solve everything already?" "But I cannot unsee your human form anymore. It's different! Don't enter a female's room easily in future I'm telling you again!" Sulking, Ye Yu could only nod unwillingly. His was supposed to be Young Mistress' bodyguard so he could not understand why he had to stay somewhere else where he could not protect her from. He understood that she was strong enough to protect herself but he was still uneasy. It's his adorable Young Mistress afterall! Ye Yu was the name given to him by Zi Yue. He was a celestial white tiger that Zhao Yan saved as a cub from other celestial beasts that were trying to eat him as he was weaker and an easy prey. He had been separated from his parents, lost and alone in the forest when these celestial beasts found him. Thank goodness Zhao Yan had been training his people nearby and had heard the cub's cries for help. Zhao Yan had then delivered Ye Yu back to his parents but Ye Yu had wanted to stay with his saviour as his contracted celestial beast. His parents had given their approval as they believed that their son’s saviour would be a worthy partner for their son. That was what Ye Yu thought too. But Zhao Yan had refused to contract with Ye Yu, claiming that the cub was young enough to be his children’s playmate. He had saved Ye Yu not because he wanted a celestial beast but out of goodwill. In the end, Ye Yu had obstinately followed Zhao Yan home. It was there that he met the Zhao children. He had followed Zhao Yan around a lot at the start like a shadow. However, the Zhao children often caught him to play with them instead. They were still rather young then, with Zi Feng being only 9 years old, Zi Yue 6 years old and the youngest Zi En was only a year old. So when their father explained to them that Ye Yu was not a pet but a celestial white tiger cub, only Zi Feng understood what he was saying. Celestial beasts were creatures of intelligence and were not lesser beings than humans. They were actually quite respected because of the power they possess and the fact that celestial beasts are able to cultivate as well. In fact, when they reach the Immortal stage of cultivation, they can choose to transform into a human shape if they wish. Ye Yu’s parents were able to, but they chose to remain in their white tiger form while their son was still unable to transform. To his sisters, however, Ye Yu was a cat that they could play with. They were unable to understand that he was a celestial beast. They pestered him day and night. Initially he hated Zi Yue so much because she was often the one who caught him to play with her. Zi En was still a baby so she was often with their mum. So that left Zi Yue alone with Ye Yu at many times. Zi Feng tried to stop her, but Zi Yue was already quite strong-willed at 6. So he could only watch to protect her in case the white tiger cub turned aggressive, only joining occasionally when his sister pulled him to play with them. “I shall name you Ye Yu! Because… because… Ye means leaf and Yu means rain. You lived in the forest where there are a lot of leaves and it is raining today.” With a firm nod of her head, Zi Yue gave the white tiger cub that had became her playmate the name she had came up with on the spot. What kind of name was that! She had obviously not given it much thought! Ye Yu hated the name, but his protests were ignored. He lost to the little girl. Her willpower and stubbornness were too much for him to handle. His parents had not named him yet because according to tradition, celestial white tigers’ names were decided by themselves when they were old enough. Because Zi Yue kept calling him “Ye Yu", people in the household started picking up on that name and started calling him that as well. So over time, he slowly grew used to the name and accepted it in the end. He found himself spending a lot of time with the Zhao children, Zi Yue especially, and had stopped following Zhao Yan so much anymore. An attachment for the children had grown in him and he felt happy spending time with them. Having spent the most time with Zi Yue, the initial feelings of dislike he had for her were almost all but gone as he got to knew her better. They were of a different race and species altogether, but Zi Yue and Ye Yu became as close as siblings. Who said that those of a different race or a different species could not get along? Ye Yu found himself feeling a connection with Zi Yue and realised that perhaps, Heaven guided him to the Zhao family not to contract with Zhao Yan but to lead him to Zi Yue instead. He had wanted to contract with her, but decided that she was still too young. A contract between a celestial beast and a human takes a lot of strength and mental capacity. Zi Yue was still too young to be able to handle the pressure and provide the power needed for the contract. Even though Ye Yu was still a cub, celestial white tigers matured very quickly and so he had the mentality of a young adult. Still not quite fully matured, but old enough to rationally think things through. He decided that he will contract with Zi Yue when she’s older and had approached Zhao Yan to talk about it. Zhao Yan was delighted. It was not everyday that someone could contract with a celestial beast. He would have accepted Ye Yu’s offer to contract if Ye Yu had been older, but he was only a mere cub then and it would have felt wrong to do so. Thus, Ye Yu took on the position of Zi Yue’s bodyguard while waiting for her to grow up. He grew to adore her and was super-protective of his Young Mistress. It was funny how he went from hating her to adoring her. 10 years passed by in a flash and at the age of 16, Zi Yue was ready to contract with Ye Yu. It was a simple process but to form the bond between the two parties, a lot of mental strength was needed and the stronger the Qi of both parties, the stronger the bond will be. At the end of the process, they were both sapped of energy. However because of the enormous amount of Qi that Zi Yue has plus the fact that Ye Yu was a celestial white tiger after all, their bond was solid strong. That was the trigger for Ye Yu to break through the Transcendence stage to the Immortal stage of cultivation and thus, he gained the ability to transform. That was also the time when Zi Yue met the human version of Ye Yu and proceeded to kick him out of her room. Her self-consciousness refused to let her see Ye Yu as a cute, cuddly white tiger anymore. —— Which leads us back to the present moment. —— “Young Mistress, are you going to be leaving without me? You didn’t tell me anything... I heard it while passing by your parent’s room as part of my patrol…” With watery eyes, Ye Yu grabbed Zi Yue’s hands and clasped it within his hands as if to beg her not to leave him. He was like an overly-attached puppy. He thought she was going to leave him behind! Zi Yue was amused. She decided to play along to see Ye Yu’s reaction. “Ahhh.. About that, I have no choice but to leave you behind. I’ll be travelling to a Women’s Village where only females are accepted. It would be difficult to bring you along, Yu. I’m sorry..” Pretending to wipe away tears from her eyes, Zi Yue hid her smile behind her sleeves. It was getting difficult to control her laughter. “Nooooo, Young Mistress, you cannot leave me behind. I’ll turn into a female human for you. I’ll turn back into a white tiger and travel with you. I’ll do anything!” Ye Yu was mortified at the idea of having to part with his Young Mistress. He was usually a very rationale person. Until it involves Zi Yue. Technically Ye Yu and Zi Yue are of equal standing as partners, but Ye Yu insists on calling her that and it has stayed that way since. He really was a fool for his Mistress. “You fool, can’t you use your usually rationale brain to see that she is just teasing you.” Hitting him on his head, Lan Ying walked into the room and sat down on the bed. She had gone home to inform her parents of her decision to journey with Zi Yue and had came back in time to watch this entertaining scene unfold in her best friend’s room. “Wha- Young Mistress, you were not going to abandon me?” eyes watering again, he looked at Zi Yue with happiness shining on his face. Unable to keep it in anymore, Zi Yue burst out laughing. She had always loved teasing Ye Yu because his reactions were priceless. Although she felt bad now, because Ye Yu looked so relieved that she was going to be bringing him along. “Yes, I was kidding when I mentioned the Women's Village. I’m not going there, you’re safe. You don’t have to transform into a woman, nor stay as a white tiger for the entire journey. We’re all going to be travelling together. The three of us. How could I ever forget my celestial beast partner.” “Wait, three of us? You mean Lan Ying is going to be travelling with us too?!” “Yes you moon fool (1). I’m going to crash your dreams of travelling alone with Yue Yue.” She gave Ye Yu an evil smile and smirked when she saw his crestfallen look. Lan Ying had always enjoyed teasing Ye Yu. He was usually so serious and logical, but he does such a huge 180 degree change when it comes to Yue Yue. It was amusing to ruffle his usually unruffled feathers. Not that he had any feathers, being a celestial white tiger, not a phoenix. But it does not matter. Ruffle his usually unruffled fur then. Watching him sulk again, Lan Ying exchanged a glance with Zi Yue and they ended up bursting out in laughter again. “Alright, alright. As amusing as it has been, Ye Yu, Lan Ying you guys should start packing soon. We will head out in a week time. It’s time for the adventure of our lifetime!” Grinning widely, Zi Yue’s excitement bubbled out as she gushed at her two best friends. She couldn’t wait. (1) This is a play on her name. Yue stands for Moon. So she calls him a moon fool to show that he is a fool for Zi Yue. I would like to emphasise that these are not romantic feelings. It’s more like an overwhelming adoration and loyalty to Zi Yue.