Their conversation was a bit chilly and he didn't see Kit before he got back home. When they arrived at the apartment, Hua Zhao stared at Xue. "I'll leave you here now."

"Alright, thank you for the assistance, Hua Zhao." Xue nodded with a smile.

The man nodded and leapt out the balcony. Xue would have worried about the man being exposed but he stared at the door, Chan Lee hadn't exactly given him the house key, did she? He sighed inwardly and sat in front of the door. Where was Han Jing when you needed him? He had a feeling of wanting to go check and knock on every door but that would be disturbing the other people, won't it?

He rested his head on the door frame, mulling silently.

He had spoken haughty words during their encounter at the rooftop, but he hadn't had the faintest clue about where to gather ingredients in the first place. Still, had he really said that—he did, he remembered the taste of the words leaving his mouth

'Do you like that human that much?'

'Yes, I do.'

It was surprising even for him, but then again, it wasn't. She had that warm glow around her that made him like her. She was kind, thoughtful and funny. So why wouldn't anybody like someone like her? "Chan Lee." He couldn't think of saying these simple words without honorifics or anything—but it felt right. It was like a silent prayer.

Staring beyond the balcony, the glitters of the tall towers and city life was before him. It was magnificent what humans could do in a short span of time, he didn't get why that old Fox didn't like it

He coughed.

Well there was this pollution in the air, or maybe it was only him and the Fox who could feel it? He really didn't know.

Still, it felt kind of lonely being the only who was here.

"Meow."

Xue stared at the sudden appearance of a cat, prowling up to him. There was keen intelligence in the eyes of the creature, it licked its paw before mewling.

"Oh, hello." He greeted the creature with a small nod. Where did the cat come from? Did it notice his presence and came here because of that? It impossibly couldn't, especially because of the bracelet that was given to him.

"Whiskers! Oh dear, I'm so sorry, she ran away and ended up here." A lady approached him, she seemed to have gone through aging. If he could guess, perhaps around their late forties.

It was a sad thing that cultivation was no longer a thing. The effects of aging were terrible on anyone, it made your bones brittle, muscle weak and made for a very short lifespan. "It's no worry, Madam. I'm glad that she came, I was getting a little lonely here, you see." He smiled, his attention on the cat.

"Oh dear, you didn't forget your key—wait, this room is Chan Lee's, are you waiting for her? Who are you?" She cleared her throat. "I'm Madam Dongxia, let's talk." She picked up her cat and then gave a thumbs up and a wink.

Xue blinked at the odd sight but nodded, following the lady into her abode.

It was a lovely and spacious place, much larger than Chan Lee's room. It had a spot for couches and television, a dining area and separate rooms. "Please make yourself at home, young man?" The lady ushered him into one of the furniture to sit in.

"Ah, please call me Xue, Madam Dongxia." He bowed his head. He may have been actually older than her, but he had to give her the respect. In a way, he was staying at her place.

"Splendid! I'll brew some tea and prepare some snacks so we can have our lovely conversation. Stay with Whiskers for a bit." Madam Dongxia went into one of the rooms, probably a kitchen.

"Meow. Meow." Whiskers purred at him, its eyes large and unblinking. It felt like it was trying to tell him something but he just couldn't tell what. It had been a long time since he spoke in his natural tongue. He cleared his throat lightly, purring back a 'hello' with a smile. The cat flicked its tail and approached him, settling on its lap and swishing the furry tail over his face.

"Hey, cut that out—" He wheezed for a bit, a content smile on his face. If he remembered his former size, he was actually smaller than this cat.

After some time, the woman returned with a tray of tea and snacks. "Oh my, Whiskers seem to like you." Madam Dongxia set it down and sat across from him. "I hope you could forgive the meal, I tried whipping up something fast."

"You didn't have to worry much Madam, thank you." Xue bowed respectfully. "Shall I pour some tea for you?" It was only natural that a 'younger' one would pour the tea for their 'senior'.

"Why thank you, boy." Madam Dongxia leaned back on her couch, patting for the cat to approach her. "Come here Whiskers~" The cat simply ignored the woman and stayed in his lap. "It seems even the cat knows how to choose a handsome man." She sighed.

"Hmm?" He raised a brow.

"Oh nothing dear~ My cat seems to like you a lot."

Xue smiled a little, "I have that feeling we could communicate to some extent." He picked up the teapot and poured some of the hot tea into two small cups. The lovely aroma of Jasmine tea filling the air.

"Really? Well, help yourself by the way. I hope you like Jianbing." Madam Dongxia motioned to their dish, it looked like thin crepes laden with generous helpings of fresh vegetables that were drizzled with sauce. It looked and smelled savoury.

"It looks good, thank you, Madam Dongxia." He bowed and offered a teacup to her.

The lady accepted it and took a sip, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but who are you?"

"Not at all, Madam Dongxia." He picked up his own cup, "As I've introduced earlier, I'm Xue."

She eyed him for a moment. "What's your full name, boy?"

"Hua Xue." He replied, biting back a grimace. He was about to answer 'Chan Xue' but thought better of it. He didn't want the identity of being her cousin, it didn't feel right at all.

"That sounds a bit familiar." Madam Dongxia murmured aloud.

"Oh, really?" He tilted his head, pursing his lips. "It must be a common name."

The lady sighed, as if getting a bit tired despite not a long time actually passing between them. "What I really do want to ask is—who are you to Chan Lee?"

He paused for a moment, considering her question. Who was he to Chan Lee? Well, he wanted an answer too, but for now he settled on this reply. "I'm her...well, she's like my benefactor."

"You're not her sugar daddy?" Madam Dongxia blinked.

He furrowed his brow at the term. "Excuse me?" He needed to ask this to Chan Lee or Han Jing later.

"Ah forgive this old lady, but I wondered if you were a bad influence of any sort to Chan Lee. She's such a quiet girl that I'm afraid of what things she may get herself into… you understand don't you?" She gave him a smile. "One's outward appearance can be quite deceiving."

Did the woman also think that he was planning something evil against Chan Lee? He shook his head and offered a placating smile. "I have no ill intentions with Miss Chan Lee, I am in her debt."

"In her debt?" Her curiosity was piqued.

He sighed softly and took a careful sip of the tea. "I may have been chased away from my old home and had nowhere else to go to… Miss Chan Lee took me in as a result."

"So your family kicked you out?" Madam Dongxia raised a brow. "And now you're living with a young unmarried woman?"

Xue grimaced at the reminder, "It does sound unpleasant doesn't it? I do apologize for causing you to worry over Miss Chan Lee's situation."

"People these days are so loose with morals. Don't you have any job to support yourself?" The woman sighed aloud. "Probably not if you're under Chan Lee's care."

A job? "I used to take care of someone." He couldn't say he made elixirs and pills for a practice, can he?

"So you were a caretaker?" She asked again, pulling him away from his reminiscing.

"I am." He nodded. He still considered himself as one, he really wanted to make medicine again.

"How long have you been staying with Chan Lee?"

"Less than a week, Madam Dongxia."

Their conversation suddenly turned silent after that, the lady, Madam Dongxia began eating her meal and motioned for him to do the same. Hospitality required her to do so, he could feel that behind her actions.

"I'm not comfortable letting you stay with her." She finally spoke again.

He looked at her and felt his chest palpitate. "...Will you be kicking me out?"

Madam Dongxia sighed and rubbed her chin. "Well, Chan Lee is a young adult now. So she's free to make her own decisions now, and I guess I'm not mean enough to turn away someone with your situation."

Xue bowed his head, "Thank you."

He really meant it.