The uncanny coincidence.

Ji Ru linked arms with him, smiling brightly. Meanwhile, Tai Yang swallowed and looked away from Li Jun.

"A bit more coaxing and he'll let you stay!" Ji Ru snickered to himself when Li Jun walked away.

Stay? Tai Yang didn't know if Li Jun would let him live till the next morning.

"Everyone, report to your designated areas. Cho Rin," Li Wei started to give out orders.

"Yes, your majesty?" A young boy with medium-length hair and large brown eyes quickly moved forward.

"Tell the others to prepare one more seat immediately at the table for Tai Yang. Make sure it's done before dinner and tell the Culinary Cultivators that Tai Yang is here now too, they'll know what to make for him. Then check the state of the food and table arrangements. Report to me discreetly afterward."

"Yes, your majesty." Cho Rin ran off.

"General Wang Bin and Lieutenant Lan JiRen."

"Your majesty?" An older-looking man with a stern face and a large beard spoke along with a younger man with hair tied back into a low ponytail, both stepping forward.

"Tai Yang will stand to the left of Ji Ru, and Ji Ru to the left of myself. I want you both to the right of Li Jun, for uniformity."

"Yes, your majesty." They responded and moved to follow his instructions.

Li Jun scoffed. "Good, you finally remember that you're second in command and have responsibilities."

"My responsibilities are to my Familiar, and marriage, first and foremost. You should take notes. Significant others do not like arrogance or self-centeredness." Li Wei said coolly. Li Jun scrunched his nose in irritation.

"Everyone else, move out to the palace gates." Li Wei commanded before Li Jun could retort.

Tai Yang swallowed and rubbed the reddened skin at his throat. "Does it hurt?" Ji Ru asked, looking at him with his shining, puppy-dog eyes laced with worry. Everyone was moving out rapidly and like he'd done all evening, he was tugging Tai Yang with him.

Tai Yang swallowed, in his head thanking the heavens that the meeting on Earth hadn't happened. If the Earth Li Jun was anything like this one, he would have gone into cardiac arrest if he had to speak to him at the meeting.

"It's okay…"

"Sorry again." Ji Ru said with slightly flattened ears.

"Is your master the prince's brother?" Tai Yang asked. Ji Ru nodded. "Yup! Younger brother, by a year. But being as old as they are, it's pretty irrelevant." He said.

"How old are they?"

"Li Jun is 479, and I'm 478." Li Wei said, falling into step next to Ji Ru and slipping his hand into his. "I'm Li Wei, by the way. I'm already aware of who you are, Tai Yang." Li Wei said, offering Li Jun a calm but not unwelcoming smile.

Tai Yang bowed slightly. "Good to meet you."

"Likewise… A second time." Li Wei said. He looked down at Ji Ru. "By the way, you know you did something wrong, don't you?" He asked Ji Ru.

Ji Ru was doing the guilty-dog-face again. Not letting him suffer too long, Li Wei continued. "You give me too many scares, Ji Ru. I thought you'd been kidnapped again."

'Again?' Tai Yang frowned.

"…I'm sorry." Ji Ru said.

"It's fine. At least you aren't hurt." Li Wei said, rubbing at his strangely red neck. Looking closer, Tai Yang realized the red marks looked like fingers as if he'd been strangled. Those hadn't been there when he'd entered the courtyard. Interestingly, Ji Ru looked like he hadn't been strangled at all.

There was not a single scratch or mark on his pale skin. Tai Yang wanted to ask about it but decided to leave the question for when Li Wei wasn't tugging Ji Ru (who was tugging him) to the front of the formation. The Royal Escorts were suddenly all around them after they arranged themselves properly.

Now at the front near Li Jun, Li Wei was looking around to make sure that everything was in order.

As they arrived at the castle gates, Tai Yang could see many people lined up on either side of the paved path leading from the castle gates to the rest of the kingdom.

They were holding up blue and orange fireballs in their bare hands, and yet they were not being scorched.

His eyes widened in curiosity. Looking at Tai Yang's line of vision, Ji Ru smiled. "I'll teach you how to do it. That was one of your predecessor's favourite spells." Ji Ru whispered.

And it was becoming something Tai Yang was more and more fascinated by, by the minute.

"On your marks, everyone." Li Wei said as a Palanquin could be seen peeking over the horizon of the palace path.

"Smile, Tai Yang. It's the first time we're meeting her! It's so exciting!" Ji Ru said, flashing Ji Ru a grin and unlinking his arm from his, removing his other hand from Li Wei's, and tucking his hands into the opposite sleeves, gesturing for Tai Yang to do the same.

"She's supposedly awfully beautiful. Ji Ru and I have a bet that she's going to be too good-looking for my brother." Li Wei smirked. It was a teasing comment with no real malice, since the brothers looked quite similar, save for their different eye colors.

An irritated growl could be heard from Li Jun. "Your mutt will pay for his involvement in that bet, and by default, you'll be in a world of pain, bastard."

'The prince cusses…' Tai Yang thought, keeping his eyes straight ahead to not get involved or in trouble.

"I dare you to try. Touch him and Xian Xia will know that you're such a coward that you take your frustrations out on the innocent."

"Ji Ru is far from innocent. He causes more trouble than it's worth." Li Jun snarled.

"I'll be the judge of that." Li Wei said.

"You can't be. You're biased because you sleep with him."

"You're jealous that someone would sleep with me willingly."

"Jealous? He's a dog. That's bestiality."

"Firstly, my Ji Ru is a wolf. Secondly, even an animal would refuse to be with you, so silence yourself."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"She's almost here. Are you okay, Tai Yang?" Ji Ru asked him, pointedly ignoring the conversation the brothers were having.

Tai Yang nodded quickly and looked ahead as the palanquin and escorts got closer. Soon, they were right in front of them.

The palanquin was lowered to the ground.

"Announcing the entrance of her Royal Highness, Princess Xiao Xia of the Kingdom of Atarah and her Royal escorts."

Everyone waited patiently as the princess was helped out of the palanquin. Her head was lowered as if she was exhausted, but forcing herself to move.

With the cover of darkness that the cool night brought, it was impossible to distinguish her features with her face toward the ground. Her female attendants moved to either side of her, and her Royal guard and male attendants moved to the side of them and behind her.

Finally, she lifted her head and looked towards them, smiling beautifully. When she did, however, everyone's expressions turned into looks of utter shock and confusion.

Tai Yang's eyes widened before he could stop them too.

The princess smiled at Li Jun and Li Wei. Forcefully (and quickly) schooling their features into hospitable looks, they bowed with deliriously handsome smiles.

"Your highness, we welcome you to the Kingdom of Changying. We are honoured to be graced with your presence." Li Jun said, trying not to point out the elephant in the room... or at the palace gate, rather.

'So he does know how to be civil and eloquent. This must be why the princesses fall for the princes... They act like this upfront... when in reality, they're dog abusers and crankier than the elderly.' Tai Yang thought. His eyes were still fixated on the princess's face.

"The pleasure is mine." She said, letting him kiss her hand. "I am Prince Li Jun. This is my brother, Li Wei." Li Jun said. Li Wei leaned down to kiss her hand, but Xiao Xia shook her head.

"I'm delighted to meet you as well, but I wouldn't want to anger your significant other." She smiled in a good-natured way. The way her eyes curved and almost disappeared into her long, upturned lashes were too familiar. It perturbed Tai Yang, but he could do nothing more than keep his thoughts to himself as she moved sideward to Ji Ru, reaching out to hold his face.

"Ji Ru! The infamous 'Black Wolf who Transmigrates', I've heard so many things about you and your brilliant mind. I've read many of your books and research journals too. I'm privileged to finally meet you. What an adorable little wolf. Wow. You certainly are regal-looking boy, aren't you?" She said, scrunching her nose and rubbing her nose against his.

To Ji Ru, it was strange hearing someone call him 'boy' other than Li Wei. After all, he became a contrived immortal at 29 years old, so he was certainly not a boy; though he looked more like someone around 21 years of age. The word 'boy' was a sort of canine familiar and master terminology that most Immortals with such a familiar used. It was kind of... exclusive.

He decided to not comment on it, but it confirmed to him that it only sounded good if Li Wei said it. With a twiddle of his nose, he let Xiao Xia continue her petting.

If Li Wei had a problem with the coddling of his familiar, he didn't voice it, but it was hard to miss the flare of his nostrils. Thankfully, he was able to squish his irritation very soon as Xiao Xia started to scratch behind Ji Ru's ears and under his chin.

It became clear that she seemed to see him as a human puppy.

…To an extent, she wasn't wrong. Ji Ru closed an eye and let his ears get scratched quite thoroughly, looking content.

He gave her a cute smile. "As are you, your highness. You are as beautiful as the rumors say."

She let out a laugh. "Thank you! You're incredibly kind. Prince Li Wei, please continue to be a good husband and master to him."

"Simply 'Li Wei' is fine, and yes, princess, I certainly will." Li Wei said.

She smiled brightly, looking quite pleased, and turned her eyes to Tai Yang, finally.

Immediately, her eyes widened and she gasped. Tai Yang was looking at her with equally wide eyes in silence. Everyone was staring at the two as well, and Tai Yang could practically feel their eyes boring holes into him.

"You…" She started. Her brows crossed and her delicate, cupid-bow lips formed a few inaudible words.

After blinking a few times, and shaking her head, she broke into a smile.

"My apologies. You reminded me of someone."

'Of course I would!' Tai Yang thought but remained quiet as he blatantly stared.

"What's your name?" Xiao Xia asked, holding his eye contact. For someone who barely made eye contact with anyone for too long, he had no problem gazing into her eyes.

He couldn't quite figure out what it was, but between the two of them, there was an undeniable connection; and though Li Jun was murdering him with his eyes, he couldn't bring himself from looking away from the beautiful, familiar, fox-like eyes.

"…Tai Yang." He said quietly.

Xiao Xia's eyes widened.

"Tai Yang?" Her eyebrows knitted as she started to blink rapidly. She glanced at Ji Ru.

"He… Wasn't that Cultivator murdered?"

Ji Ru nodded.

"He's not the one of this Universe; he's a mortal from Earth of Universe 72. In fact, he got here a little before you did, so he's taking everything in. Since he's the last one of him in existence, we're hoping to get him to immortality in this realm." Xiao Xia nodded slowly as Ji Ru spoke.

"It's still under discussion." Li Jun said, looking pointedly at Ji Ru.

Xiao Xia looked back at Tai Yang and a smile started to form on her face, she reached forward and held his hands in a kind way. "Well then, Tai Yang, I'd like to welcome you to Earth of Universe 394."

The people around them continued to stare between them. It was too much of an uncanny coincidence to not be weary.

Tai Yang and Xiao Xia were both very good-looking individuals, moreover, they both had a unique sort of beauty. In fact, that was why Xiao Xia's looks were always talked about.

The people at the castle had gotten so used to Tai Yang's visage in the last few centuries that they no longer made a fuss over it, but looking back, when he'd first started his research in the castle, everyone had become quite enamored with the anxious stutterer.

Now, seeing Xiao Xia for the first time reignited the memory of how strikingly attractive Tai Yang truly was; just like the woman in front of him… Too much like the woman in front of him.

Tai Yang was very slightly taller than Xiao Xia with wavier hair, but the rest of their features, like their fox-eyes, straight-postures, defined jaws and necklines, beautiful lips, straight noses, and small ears… They were very similar, if not identical.

The biggest difference was that Tai Yang was blind as a bat, and Xiao Xia very clearly had breasts.