The flower fairy escaped the moment Shen Minyao got distracted. Perhaps Yulan knew that she was no match against the fox demon and chose to retreat for her safety. Still, she had marked Gu Liuxian a long time ago. Shen Minyao had no doubt that the flower fairy would return the moment she lost to her basal instinct once again.

Shen Minyao turned her sword back into its previous state as a harmless bracelet. She then turned around and strode towards Zhao Yichen. She then harshly pulled on his collar and gave him a good punch right on his face.

Zhao Yichen grunted when he fell to the ground.. Shen Minyao's punch was strong enough to knock him out as he felt dizzy from the impact.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you really want to die so badly that you would use your own scent to lure the demon towards you?" Shen Minyao glared at him, something Zhao Yichen had never seen before.

"You aren't allowed to die on me yet, human. If you wanted to die so badly, then you better wait until I can sink my claws right at your chest. I'll give you a swift death if you like."

Zhao Yichen couldn't say a word. How could he placate a furious demon like her?

"I told you to go back to safety and stay hidden. What did you do? You dare to defy my words instead. Do you really think you are in the right place to question me, human?" She continued to reprimand him.

"She seemed nice.." He stuttered.

"You are a fool! You put the two of us in danger. I cannot protect you if you do not obey my words! You are to stay hidden and protected until I make sure it's safe for you to roam around. "

Shen Minyao stood over him, with her jaws set and her eyes sharp.

"This should never happen again. Do you understand, Zhao Yichen?"

"E-en. I wouldn't defy your orders again." Zhao Yichen felt so stupid. Shen Minyao had the right to scold him like this for his foolishness. He should know better not to trust a demon, and yet here he was, putting himself in danger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think—"

"No, you did not." Shen Minyao cut him off, and with that, the fox demon turned around and walked away silently.

"Ah, she's really mad," Xiao Bai commented, but he already anticipated that this would happen. Their mistress was a person who didn't like being told 'no', and Zhao Yichen had successfully pushed the wrong buttons consecutively.

Yu Yan remained silent. It had been a while since they saw their mistress getting mad like this, but Zhao Yichen must understand how dangerous other demons could be to him, especially when he was vulnerable to their attacks.

Zhao Yichen washed his face in the restroom before returning to the living room where he left Gu Liuxian. When he arrived, Shen Minyao and her things were nowhere to be found. Even Xiao Bai was missing.

"Miss Shen has excused herself and left, Fourth Master. She said that she would call you once she was free," Butler Lu informed Zhao Yichen before leaving him with Gu Liuxian.

Zhao Yichen nodded. He understood what Shen Minyao meant. She wouldn't see him for some time until she calmed down. Not that he blamed her. What he did earlier was extremely foolish on his side.

"Did you have an argument with Miss Shen? She came back with a sour mood," Gu Liuxian asked.

"It's alright. Nothing we couldn't talk about later. It's my fault, anyway," Zhao Yichen said as he rubbed his temple. He couldn't even tell Gu Liuxian that the reason why he and Shen Minyao argued was that the flower fairy his friend got involved with years ago.

"Ah, you should make up with her as soon as possible. Don't drag the problem, or else you might regret it later," Gu Liuxian meaningfully said.

"Did you say that to yourself after Yulan stopped showing up?" Zhao Yichen asked in return. historical

The older man shrugged.

"I guess I did. Ever since that day, I've always wondered if I have said something that disappointed her. Was I so full of myself that I didn't even notice that I hurt her? If only I was kinder—more understanding, perhaps she wouldn't disappear without a word. I just wished that she could at least tell me where I went wrong and why she was suddenly gone from my life."

Now that Gu Liuxian mentioned it, it reminded Zhao Yichen of what he overheard when he arrived at the rooftop earlier. Didn't Shen Minyao say that Gu Liuxian betrayed Yulan? Didn't the fox woman say something between the lines.. like why did the flower fairy believe in the words of a human?

Because Shen Minyao had gone so soon, he wasn't able to ask her about it. Maybe he could ask Yu Yan later once Gu Liuxian left. Certainly, the black cat knew what her mistress was talking about earlier.

"So did you think that you've done something that might hurt her?" He questioned his friend. Something must have happened that triggered Gu Liuxian's loss of the ability to see Yulan.

Zhao Yichen then pondered if something similar could happen to him in the future. Would there be a day that he wouldn't be able to see and hear Shen Minyao? He couldn't imagine such a thing could happen, considering that their lives were deeply intertwined with that of each other since their meeting.

Gu Liuxian remained silent for a moment as if considering what to tell Zhao Yichen.

"When I realized that I might be smitten by a ghost or whatever she was, I couldn't help but get freaked out. I didn't want to believe it at first and started hanging out with my friends. We had gone on several blind dates with random girls. But whatever I did, my thoughts would always come back to her every night."