A small conflict, huh?
Lin Xiangyi grumbled inwardly.
What kind of conflict could injure a Spirit Being with such refined control over Spiritual Power that badly?
He really wanted to know what she had been through.
Probably only Senior Brother could handle a problem of this magnitude.
But even if he asked, he wouldn’t get an answer.
Still, he had other questions he wanted to ask Shen Ye.
With that thought, he looked at the girl across from him.
“By the way, Xiao Ye.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Shen Ye was taking small sips of her Cola. When she heard Lin Xiangyi speak, she turned her gaze toward him.
“Is something the matter?”
Facing the girl’s direct stare, Lin Xiangyi faltered.
Thinking about the question he wanted to ask, he chose to look away instead of meeting Shen Ye’s eyes.
“Back at the Shopping Mall, you were attacked by that man but didn’t fight back. Is your body alright?”
“What about your Spiritual Power? Still unusable?”
“Oh.”
Shen Ye responded simply, then thought for a moment before speaking.
“I was worried that if I used my Spiritual Power, it would break the Concealment Spell, and then my identity as a Spirit Being would be exposed. That would’ve been trouble.”
“It was just that kind of consideration. Also, thanks for arriving in time.”
“Other than that, well, my injuries haven’t healed yet anyway. Spiritual Power will recover eventually, so you don’t need to worry. I’ll just need you to put in extra effort with the treatment.”
“Any more questions?”
She tilted her head.
“I don’t come to human cities often. If there’s anything I should watch out for, just tell me.”
“…”
Lin Xiangyi opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
The past two days of getting along made him feel like Shen Ye wasn’t a bad person.
But he couldn’t understand why Shen Ye was so close to him.
There were too many questions, too many, leaving Lin Xiangyi unable to sort out the relationship between them right now.
It was just thatโ
She claimed to be Senior Brother’s friend.
But earlier at the Shopping Mall, the hand-holding, even if it was just so they wouldn’t get separated.
Or maybe it was because she was a Spirit Being, unfamiliar with the ins and outs of human gender relations.
But that part, I understand clearly.
Knowing full well she has a deep connection with Senior Brother, yet I keep getting charmed by her smile and her actions.
Before I figure out her relationship with Senior Brother, how could I…
With that thought, he took a deep breath, smiled, wiped the bitterness from his lips, and made his tone light.
“Nothing. Let me teach you how to use the Mobile Phone.”
Why think so much?
She’s just a patient entrusted to me by Senior Brother. Once she’s healed, she’ll be leaving before long.
He opened the packaging box and handed the phone to Shen Ye.
“Ah, thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
“No need. Consider it a small gift for meeting you. My Senior Brother always welcomes you Spirits to visit the Human World. I’m more than happy to have you.”
“Okay, alright.”
ใYouใ, huh?
Shen Ye took the phone, and apart from her smile, there was no other expression on her face.
In such a short time, it seems I’ve already accepted my identity as a Spirit Being.
But that’s fine. As long as I change back before I’m exposed, everything will be alright.
“Thank you, Xiangyi.”
The model carefully picked out by Lin Xiangyi fit perfectly in her small hands.
Lin Xiangyi watched her quietly, a complex look in his eyes.
The glass of Ice Water in his hand left droplets on the side, dampening his palm.
Cold and chilly.
Yeah…
It won’t be long now.
Shen Ye fiddled with the little gadget in her hands, the glow of the screen faintly illuminating her small face.
This thing called a “Mobile Phone”โwhen I was little and saw Mom and Dad using theirs, weren’t they the kind with flip lids?
Now you can just poke and tap on this little glowing screen and it works. So convenient.
“Not bad. You’re picking it up quickly.”
Lin Xiangyi watched her clumsy yet earnest movements, a smile unconsciously curling at the corner of his mouth.
Thought it would take a while to teach, but she’s surprisingly quick on the uptake.
“This is the keyboard. You can type messages using pinyin or handwriting.”
He moved a little closer, his finger swiping across the screen.
“Let me give you my phone number first, so we can stay in touch.”
He recited a string of digits.
“Save this number in your phone and add a label. When someone calls you, you’ll know who it is. See.”
Lin Xiangyi showed Shen Ye his phone screenโit displayedโ”Calling contact: Xiao Ye.”
The next second, Shen Ye’s phone rang with a pleasant chime.
Lin Xiangyi answered the call.
“Hello?”
The voice came through on Shen Ye’s end.
“Wow.”
Shen Ye marveled, her eyes lighting up.
“Oh, and there’s this too.”
Lin Xiangyi opened an app on his phone.
“You haven’t been to human cities much. If a Spirit Being wants to live in human society, this app is a must.”
“What is this?”
Shen Ye was puzzled.
“The Spirit Master Association’s Forum. Every Spirit Being active in the city needs to go to the Association for Identity Verification.”
“What’s Identity Verification?”
She was puzzled again.
“It’s how the Association registers Spirit Being information. I’ll take you to get one tomorrow.”
Facing the girl who didn’t understand anything, Lin Xiangyi wasn’t impatient. He answered promptly.
Oh~
So the Association has something like this? How come I didn’t know.
Shen Ye held the phone like it was a rare treasure.
Still, at least I can finally keep in touch with Junior Brother and Junior Sister anytime, anywhere.
The corners of her mouth curled up high, the edges of her eyes stretched with delight, her whole cat-like demeanor relaxing as she nestled contentedly into the sofa, curling into a ball.
Lin Xiangyi watched her obedient demeanor and couldn’t help but smile.
She really does have a bit of a Cat look to her.
Senior Brother never brought such a distinctive Spirit Being to the mountains before.
He picked up his cup to take a sip of water, but his peripheral vision caught Lin Xiaomeng sneaking around furtively.
What is she doing?
Suddenly realizing something, his half-lidded eyes shot wide open.
No way! Oh crap!
Lin Xiaomeng!!!
Lin Xiangyi stretched out his long legs and lunged over in one stride, trying to snatch the thing from Lin Xiaomeng’s hands.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaomeng unhurriedly reached into the bag and grinned at Lin Xiangyi’s panicked expression.
Too late, big bro.
“Hehe.”
She let out a sly chuckle, pulling out a Dress from the bag.
“What’s this, huh? My dear big brother.”
“So going out with ‘Senior Brother’s friend’ means buying her little skirts, huh? What a close relationship~ Could it beโ”
She deliberately drew out her tone.
“You two went out on a daโ!”
Lin Xiangyi’s face darkened, and he instantly clamped his hand over Lin Xiaomeng’s mouth, cutting off whatever she was about to say next.
He instinctively glanced at Shen Ye.
The Cat-Eared Girl hadn’t noticed the commotion at all, playing with her phone without a care in the world.
Lin Xiangyi let out a sigh of relief.
“Actually, that was bought for you, my dear little sister.”
He forced a smile, trying his best to look amiable.
I can’t exactly say I suspected that Spirit Being of being Senior Brother’s girlfriend, can I?
Before Xiao Ye notices anything, I’ve got to shut this little loudspeaker up!