Wu Long came out to greet a hooded figure with a smile on his face.

“You should’ve contacted me with the communication talisman I gave you, what if I was not here?”

“Hahaha, this? Hehe, it is a precious gift from Darling, I won’t use it lightly. Besides, don’t play innocent, you know my subordinate saw you enter the mansion”

Hong Ye uncovered the hood, smiling brightly at him.

“Haha, well, that is true, but should you be using the Bahshi assassins that way?”

He chuckled, amused that she assigned a member of a clandestine group of assassins to a menial task of watching when her date would arrive home.

“Hehehe, who cares?… well, maybe I should silence him so he won’t tattle-tell on me to Sister Yue…”

She first laughed with a carefree smile, and then reaching an answer to her question started pondering out loud.

“Don’t worry. I am sure she would understand when she learns it is concerning your date”

“Really? Hehe, I’ll spare him then”

She chuckled with an innocent smile under the mask.

“My, my, welcome to the Wu Family Mansion, Prime Demon Ye, we have been awaiting your arrival.

I was contemplating whether to invite your subordinate in for tea a few days back, after all it must be tiring to sit and watch the entrance for days on end, but decided against it as I thought he might feel a bit apprehensive about the idea given his profession”

At this time, Ye Ling arrived with a gentle smile, causing Hong Ye’s pupils to dilate.

Weapon Masters were the natural enemies of assassins by principle.

The last time Hong Ye saw the blue-eyed beauty was from a great distance, and could not feel the sharp aura that made her spine tingle with danger. Not to mention that it has not been that long since Ye Ling made a breakthrough and has yet to completely hide the sword aura surrounding her.

“Erm… thank you… I…”

Hong Ye became a bit more reserved, and yet at the same time surprised at the genuinely warm welcome she felt from this gorgeous beauty, ignoring the slight thorns of the latter part of her words as it felt light and inconsequential.

“Hahaha, you don’t have to be so apprehensive, you are our guest, after all.

But… are you going to go on a date like that?”

Ye Ling then asked out of the blue with a slightly puzzled look as the assassin was in her usual outfit.

“Eh?… Hmm… Well… I don’t have much else…”

Hong Ye first was still in a bit of shock at the way she was received, and then said while tilting her head to the side, putting a finger on the mask.

“Hahaha, that won’t do.

What would people say about us if we let a maiden experience her first date in such a state. Come with me, we’ll fix that. Come on, don’t be shy”

Ye Ling lightly laughed, shaking her head and taking the bewildered assassin’s hand, leading her away while giving Wu Long a look of ‘please wait a little’ with a wink as he chuckled.

Wu Long went to prepare a bit as well, since Ye Ling was making the beauty change her outfit.

But even as he came out five minutes later, there was no signs of Hong Ye who was hauled away to the part of the mansion occupied by his women exclusively.

He did not find that odd, but…

…at the four hours mark he finally understood that Ye Ling likely added others to her efforts. And as such, there was surely a serious debate between the ladies at this very moment.

It was nearing evening when Hong Ye appeared in a beautiful black cheongsam with red flower patterns, its lower edge only covering up to middle thigh with black stockings and high heels.

Her hair was woven into a complicated and beautiful hairstyle, with jewelry made of black lacquered wood with red rubies and three red flowers.

And though she had a refined and beautiful appearance, her face, still in the silver mask she likely was holding on to as if it was her dear life, revealed a completely bewildered and dazed look from the experience.

“Y-you have… lively ladies…”

She spoke with a look of amazement, a new kind of respect toward him appearing in her eyes.

‘He… he’s dealing with that all the time?!’

Was her thought as he chuckled.

“Hahaha, thank you for the compliment, Prime Disciple Hong Ye.

You look lovely”

Her eyes widened, and then a rosiness appeared on the cheeks peeking from the mask.

“There’s just one last thing…”

He smiled, coming up to her and raising his hands to her face.

“Don’t!”

She held on to his hands, stopping him.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. Trust me”

He chuckled, and spoke in a gentle, soft voice while looking her straight in the eyes. She nervously gulped, very slowly letting go and he pressed the mechanism that held the straps fastening her mask, slowly revealing a beautiful face.

Her eyes finally broke eye contact, looking to the side.

“I… I haven’t taken this mask off since… since I was a kid so… I don’t know…”

“You look beautiful”

He cut into her words, a delighted smile appearing on her face.

“Shall we?”

He then offered his arm, which she took first with hesitation, and then feeling the sturdy, reliable feeling it gave, clung to it as they left the mansion and went into the city.

There was a flower-viewing festival in the city the whole week, which was why she arrived at this time.

The glowing light of the red lanterns all around the city, and reflecting in the waters of the river that went through the city reflected in the red eyes of the beauty.

She was a little less confident without her mask at first, as if her armor was stripped away, but gradually, her energetic character shown through, as she looked at the festivities, pointing toward something and then tugging at Wu Long’s arm she was holding to go faster.

There was a child-like curiosity in her demeanor, as she was experiencing everything she could only look at from distance before.

“Hahaha! Darling! Darling! Let’s go there now!”

She pointed toward a bridge over the river, full of people.

“Hehe, I once finished a contract in such a place… I remember at that time I thought it looked so pretty!!!”

She chuckled, making him slightly laugh at the discrepancy between what she was saying and her excitement.

They spent the whole time that the festival went on together, not leaving until even the lanterns were starting to go out and the street stalls were packing. As they walked back to the mansion in the dark, a figure rose from the shadows, the red eyes identical to Hong Ye’s looking at the two with a slightly cold light.

“Haa~ I have to go back. But hehehe, I had fun, Darling. Thank you for the date!”

Hong Ye giggled after a sigh of reluctance, turning to him with a slight expectation in her eyes.

She then closed her eyes and leaned forward.

“Ye’er!!”

But just as her twin exclaimed with rebuke, she felt a finger touch her lips, and opened her eyes in surprise.

“I would be happy to, when you decide to become my woman”

He leaned to her ear, and whispered.

“B-but Darling, that’s…”

Her eyes revealed slight dismay for the first time.

“It will happen, if you wish to”

He did not let her utter the word ‘impossible’, speaking with such confidence that for a second, her eyes widened and her mouth opened to speak something out, but then, as if something came to her mind, a sadness flashed deep within her eyes and she relented.

She simply nodded with a melancholic smile, while his became wry.

“Come on, we have to go”

Hong Yue spoke up with a sigh, and her twin nodded, going toward her, but stopping midway, and turning back to leap and hug him.

“Thank you for the wonderful date, Darling. I’ll be seeing you… tell Fairy Hua Ziyan I am sorry for not returning her outfit…”

She chuckled, moving away and stepping into a cloud of black smoke.

“This wouldn’t end well.

I knew that the moment she started… but I couldn’t stop her.

But you! You could have…”

Hong Yue turned to Wu Long, her eyes full of rebuke.

‘What a protective Sister, haha’

He inwardly chuckled as a smile appeared on his face.

“I see, she knows more than you do…

Here, take this”

“What do you…?

This is…?!”

He gave something to the snow-white haired beauty as her red eyes widened.

“You’ll know when to use it”

He smiled, making it apparent he wasn’t going to explain further.

“…”

She looked at him with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then turned to follow her twin in disappearing.

“Haa~… so many years, and the world doesn’t change a bit”

He sighed, musing to himself as he continued to walk toward the gates of the mansion.

Updatd frm frewebnov(e)l.com