"It's okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai,

" Qing Yue said with an innocent smile that I haven't seen on her face in a while.

"This is a great opportunity that we definitely shouldn't miss. You don't need to be held back by us… oh, but make sure you take me along as part of your team, fufu~

"

"After that encouraging speech, really all you wanted was to go with him…

" Lin Luo muttered in disdain.

"But jokes aside,

" Lan Xiao Su interrupted seriously.

"Xuan Kai… I agree with Qing Yue. I want to be taken along and stay by your side, but I realize my strength level is the weakest out of everyone here, so that wouldn't be ideal. You should just take four of us here with you while leaving the rest behind for the time being. No hard feelings.

"

"… You guys sure?

" I asked quietly.

"This mission could take quite a while, you know.

"

The girls all smiled warmly at me, though the smile carried a hint of sadness that couldn't be missed.

"Although we all want to be taken along… the decision is up to you, Xuan Kai,

" Yu An Yan said, placing a hand on her hips.

"Go on, choose any four of us.

"

"Nya~ Xuwan Kwai, pick me, pick me!

" Amane cried, latching onto my arm.

I smiled, patting her head, but gently pushed her away.

"Sorry, but… I already have my four candidates in mind.

"

"Aw…

"

"First off, Mei Gui,

" I announced.

"Yes, Master.

"

"It's undeniable that she is the strongest of all of you, so it makes sense for me to take her along. We also make the best combat partners, adding on to her worth.

"

The girls all exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Yeah, that's fair.

"

"Next… Feng Mian.

"

"E-Eh? Me?

"

"Yes. You're the most proficient at Shadow Magic out of any of us here, and stealth could prove to be very useful in a mission like this.

"

"Ah, you're right,

" she said, blushing happily.

"Hehe~ guess the goddess of luck is on my side.

"

"Thirdly…

" I continued, rubbing my chin.

"Lin Luo.

"

At this, she raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"You're really going to pick me, despite the looks of anticipation on all these other girls' faces? I may find a way to break this curse and stab you in the back, you know.

"

"I trust you won't,

" I said.

"Because you can't break that curse. As an Ascended Seraphim, your power is second only to Obsidia and Mei Gui, excluding me. Your natural control over flight is also useful.

"

"Tch… fine. This may be a good opportunity for me to get stronger anyway… but you're going to regret letting me having this chance, Xuan Kai.

"

"Heh, you can try,

" I scoffed, closing my eyes.

"And now… finally… Obsidia.

"

"… Of course you pick me, human. Such a hassle… when are you going to finally fulfill your end of our deal?

"

"You tell me,

" I shot back.

"You know how strong I am right now. Is that enough? Tell me.

"

"Hmph. Nowhere even close, if you want to challenge the Elder Dragons of the tribe. But… you are getting closer. A few more years should do it.

"

"Then you will be my ally for a few more years,

" I concluded.

"And with this… all four members have been chosen. As for the rest of you… I'm sorry.

"

"Hehe, don't worry about it, Big Brother Xuan Kai! We'll be fine — just come back soon, okay~?

" Qing Yue said in a seemingly happy, carefree tone, but… the tears on the corner of her eyes couldn't be missed.

"Qing Yue…

" I smiled sadly and expanded my arms for a group hug.

"Bring it in, you guys.

"

The girls, apart from Lin Luo and Obsidia, all fell into my arms, stacking on my body one after another. Although it won't be long before we meet again, this was still the first time I would be parting ways with them considering how closely we've stuck by one another's sides all the time.

Ming Hao and the girls who weren't getting left behind saw this scene and walked away, leaving us to ourselves.

"I'll be back soon,

" I said quietly.

"You better be…

" Yu An Yan muttered, clutching my cloak tightly.

"Mm… we'll… miss you…

" Yu An Xue added.

"Xuwan Kwai… I'll be so lyonely without you… wahh…

"

I chuckled lightly and patted Amane's head.

"Don't worry… it won't be long.

"

"Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai?

" Qing Yue suddenly said, causing the group hug to disband.

"What is it?

" I asked curiously, raising an eyebrow, but-

"…!

"

She suddenly grabbed my collar and pulled my head down as she went on her tippy-toes, bringing our lips together. Her tongue slipped into my mouth as we shared a deep kiss, exchanging saliva passionately.

After several seconds, she backed away and wiped the excess fluid off her mouth, then smiled happily.

"Stay safe, mkay~? Qing Yue will be waiting for you here~

"

I blinked a couple of times, still in a daze, then finally regained my senses and smiled warmly.

"Got it.

"

With that, I turned around and left, heading for where the other girls and Ming Hao were. But little did I know…

"Hey, Xiao Su. Are you really just going to hide there like that?

" Qing Yue asked once I was out of earshot.

"…

" Lan Xiao Su slowly came out from behind the pillar, wiping the tears off her face.

"I-I don't want Xuan Kai to see me like this… I can't control my tears… he'll think I'm weak…

"

Yu An Yan folded her arms and sighed.

"You're not weak, Xiao Su. You just have to embrace the strength inside of you. Go on, prove to Xuan Kai that you can do the same thing Qing Yue did, even better.

"

"The same thing Qing Yue did…!

"

"There's not much time left…

" Qing Yue taunted, shrugging nonchalantly to spur her on.

"…

" Lan Xiao Su looked down at the ground and clenched her fists, then finally glanced up to look at my shadow, determination in her eyes.

In a flash, she dashed from the pillar to me and hugged me from behind right before I rounded the corner to leave, stumbling me forward a bit from the harsh impact.

"… Xiao Su?

" I blinked in surprise.

"Xuan Kai…

"

She let go of me and forced me to spin my body around, then planted a firm kiss on my lips just like Qing Yue had done moments before. I was stunned at first, but then eased myself into the feeling. Since she was inexperienced with this, I decided to guide her — using my tongue.

Her kiss was more gentle than Qing Yue's erotic ones, leaving a strange sweet taste behind in my mouth after we parted lips.

"Xuan Kai… I love you.

"

Although her cheeks were deeply flushed, she said these words firmly, showing me her devotion and dedication.

It was only right for me to return the favor.

"I love you too, Xiao Su. I'll be back soon.

"

"Mm…

" She nodded happily, waving goodbye at me. A long distance behind her, I could see Qing Yue and the other girls join in with the waving, having encouraged Xiao Su to do this.

I turned around and mirrored their wave as I rounded the corner, finally disappearing from sight.

*****

"Ah, there you are,

" Ming Hao said after spotting me.

"Took you a while to say goodbye, huh?

"

"Don't worry, Brother Xuan,

" Long Lu said, patting my shoulder.

"Your wives will be treated like queens under the roof of the Long Family.

"

"Uh, please don't call them my wives,

" I replied.

"We haven't married yet.

"

"Keyword: yet,

" Ming Hao added with a chuckle, which caused Feng Mian to blush slightly.

"Ahem… are we going to go, or what?

" I cut in.

"Relax, we're just waiting on a few more people to arrive,

" Ming Hao replied.

"Si Si's team is still not here, and Long Lu, you're missing one person, right?

"

"Yeah,

" Long Lu replied.

"She's one year older than us.

"

"Oho? What's this?

" Ming Hao immediately wrapped his arm around Long Lu's neck and pulled him close, whispering into his ear.

"Hey, hey, tell us more. What's she like? Is she human? Elf?

"

"C-Calm down,

" Long Lu said, pushing Ming Hao away.

"She's my sister.

"

"She- oh.

"

"… Well, things got awkward real quick, didn't it?

" I scoffed.

"Y-Yeah… my bad, man,

" Ming Hao muttered, scratching his head, then suddenly looked at me.

"But wait… doesn't that short girl call herself your little sister too? If that's the case, then-

"

"That's different,

" I interrupted before anyone developed a misunderstanding.

"For one, she has a name — Qing Yue — and for two, we aren't blood related; just childhood friends, pretty much.

"

"Hm, I see… then, what about you, Long Lu?

" Ming Hao asked, absolutely insistent to the point where he was being a pest.

"Is your 'sister' blood-related with you?

"

But rather than Long Lu himself responding, the voice who answered Ming Hao's question was that of a young woman.

"Yes, we are, third young master of the Ming Family.

"

Immediately, we all turned to look at the newcomer, a tall young woman with a voluptuous figure comparable to that of Obsidia's, along with long velvet hair and similarly-colored eyes. She had an icy look on her face, clearly disappointed with Ming Hao's remarks.

"My name is Long Yi. Nice to meet you all.

"