“It’s getting late.” Yi Qing looked up at the darkening sky and faced Shen Ying. “Master, dinner is ready.”

　　Dinner?

　　Shen Ying paused. Yi Qing pointed to the table beside him and said, “Master, please wait here for a moment. I am going to prepare your dinner now. If you’re hungry, you can eat some pastries first.”

　　Shen Ying frowned and shook her head. “My body is different from ordinary people. I don’t need…” Before she could finish speaking, Yi Qing retrieved plates and plates of different pastries from his storage bag. The unique fragrances filled Shen Ying’s nose.

　　He placed more than ten different plates on the table before he rushed into the kitchen.

　　Shen Ying stopped mid-sentence, staring at the full table.

　　So…. So fragrant…

　　(⊙_⊙)

　　As she stared at the plates of pastries on the table, Shen Ying clenched her fists by her side and reached out. She was just about to take hold of one pastry when a hand intercepted hers and took the pastry closest to her. The man stuffed that piece of pastry into his mouth.

　　“Mm, these pastries are not bad this time.” Lonemoon looked as Shen Ying as he chewed. “Right, what were you saying earlier?”

　　“… Nothing.” Shen Ying’s expression hardened. She sat down, still unable to tear her eyes away from the mouth-watering pastries. After hesitating for a few seconds, and watching Lonemoon wipe out the pastries at rapid speed, she finally reached out to stuff one piece of pastry into her mouth.

　　(⊙v⊙)

　　So… So yummy…

　　She had one after another, as the pastries on the table disappeared quickly. The two of them seemed to be in a competition. They didn’t even say a word – the only sounds came from their chewing. By the time Chef came back out with the dinner, the plates on the table were empty. The smell of explosives filled the air instead.

　　Yi Qing was obviously used to this. He kept the empty plates and replaced them with savory and fragrant dishes. Thus, the two of them began a new eating competition…

　　It was a full two hours later before the two of them finally rubbed their full bellies and stopped eating.

　　“Master.” Yi Qing poured a cup of spirit tea for Shen Ying out of habit. “Have a drink – you will feel better.”

　　Shen Ying paused and looked up at Yi Qing before glancing at the cup of tea. She clenched her fists by her side once again before reaching out with both hands to receive the cup. “Mm.” She lowered her head to sip her tea. In a low voice, Shen Ying muttered, “The food you cooked was edible… thank you.”

　　Yi Qing, who unexpectedly received an expression of gratitude, stared at her strangely. Master was…

　　“Chey!” Lonemoon rolled his eyes at her. As he always did, he exposed her. “That was just considered ‘edible’? Then why were you fighting for the food so fiercely with me? You didn’t even want to let me have that last piece of meat!” Drop the act – all of the Three Realms know how much of a foodie you are.

　　Lonemoon rubbed his belly and got to his feet. “Alright, if we’re all full, let’s go back to the main hall. You don’t remember what happened in the past. I’ll get the disciples over so that you can recognize them again. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to explain yourself if you address them wrongly.”

　　Shen Ying shrank back. “I’m not going.”

　　“Why not?”

　　A strange expression crossed her face. “What kind of logic is that?” She threw him a cutting glare before recovering her hard expression. “Getting them out for me to re-recognize them would be akin to admitting that I’ve lost my memory.”

　　Lonemoon pursed his lips. She had a point. “Then get Yu Hong, Chengyu, Shortie and the rest over. It wouldn’t matter if you don’t recognize the other people, but these are the few who always come to the rear hall. You’ll have to meet them sooner or later.”

　　Shen Ying sat upright. “I’m not seeing them!”

　　“Don’t worry,” Lonemoon continued to explain. “The few of them know the truth, and they’re reliable. Nothing will happen!”

　　“I’m not going!” Shen Ying continued to object.

　　“Why not?”

　　“…” She did not respond. Instead, her expression remained hard. She was determined not to go, and her fists were clenched tightly by her sides.

　　She looked a bit… nervous?

　　Yi Qing paused and subconsciously glanced at the bunch of dharmic equipment that Lan Hua had left behind and had no time to keep. Then, he glanced at the dandelion on a chair next to him. There was a ding in his mind as everything finally clicked. He tested his theory. “Master, is it that… you’re afraid to meet them because you haven’t interacted with people in a long time?”

　　“Eh?” Lonemoon hesitated and widened his eyes to shoot a strange look at Shen Ying. “You’re not for real… you’re afraid of social interactions?” You must be kidding!

　　Shen Ying shivered. Her entire body suddenly turned call, as if something had sucked all of the warmth out of her body. Huge amounts of cold Qi floated out of her body as she began to freeze up.

　　Her mind was filled with just a few words: I’m… exposed… exposed… exposed!

　　(゚Д゚≡゚Д゚)

　　What should she do? What should she do?

　　How about… slaughter them!

　　(╰_╯)#

　　“Hey, hey, hey… why are you looking at us like you want to silence us?” A chill ran down Lonemoon’s spine. Yi Qing had hit the nail on the head, hadn’t he? This devious and sharp-tongued, fifteen-year-old Shen Ying was afraid of social interactions!

　　“Shen Ying, you-”

　　“Master…” Before Lonemoon could finish speaking, Yi Qing interrupted him and stepped forward. “it’s getting late. You just woke up and your body is still recovering. Why don’t you get some rest?” Yi Qing pointed at the bedroom beside them and said, “If there’s anything you need, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

　　Shen Ying raised her head to look him in the eyes. Warmth filled her body once again. She responded with a soft “mm” and turned to enter the bedroom. She walked briskly, obviously happy to have an excuse to get away. THe next moment, they heard the door close softly.

　　The two of them: “…”

　　“Is she really…” Lonemoon still could not believe what he just heard. “She was talking to us rather smoothly back at the divine realm.” She did not look in the least bit afraid of any social interaction.

　　“Thankfully, she was,” Yi Qing muttered. “Don’t you think Master reminds you of someone now?”

　　Lonemoon paused. “Shen Jing?”

　　“Mm.” Yi Qing nodded. He glanced at the shut door sadly. “In the past, Master probably did not like to interact much with others. Now, she’s… just confused about how to respond when people treat her kindly.” That was why she received Radish’s flower while adopting the cool demeanor that Shen Jing normally had.

　　“…”

　　At that time, Shen Ying who was in the house was thinking:

　　What am I to do? I’m exposed! Even my older sister couldn’t tell – how did they know? Were the two of them demons?

　　Indeed, interacting with people was much scarier than the plane storm outside…

　　(ಥ_ಥ)

　　Teenage Ying, who was now fifteen and experiencing the same social anxieties she did before, was panicking.

　　—————

　　Ever since she decided to become her older sister’s assistant when she was three, Shen Ying had not interacted with strangers. It had been a long time since then. She had been terribly busy – the plane data that Shen Jing had handed to her alone could take up all of her time.

　　Ever since she began her physical training at age five, she seldom even went to earth. Each day, she studied, worked, and then slept. Apart from when she returned to her school two times a year to take her examinations, Shen Ying hardly came into contact with any strangers. What’s more, the duration in which she could afford to transport within different spaces was limited. Each time, after she finished taking her exams, she would have to rush out of the examination hall and back home. There was no time for her to even build relationships with her friends. The only person whom she interacted with was her own strict, older sister.