_ Why don't I survive tomorrow first?

The tour of the high house ended when it was close to the noon. Gia had already taken Afina across the surroundings of the palace and gave directions to her on what floor the prince's cultivation room was situated.

When they returned to the duplex, they found the treeline girl in the living room, sitting in a meditation posture as though she was cultivating.

"What is she doing?" Afina couldn't help but blurt.

Gia appeared surprised to hear such a word from Afina. "Cultivating of course" she shrugged.

"But this is not a cultivation ground" Afina queried.

Gia gave a roll of her eyes. "How many more times before you get to learn that cultivation grounds are not real? The real ones are very very rare to find. She is cultivating with perhaps a cultivation chip perhaps"

Afina had seen some adverts about how to use cultivation chips. The users would hold it between their palms and meditate to absorb all its artificial divine energies which came from the divine stones mined by people like father Atticus.

Oh, how much Afina missed her father!

"I don't see her holding any chips" Afina, who was straining her neck in the girl's direction said.

It was her first time seeing a divine person cultivate with cultivation chips.

Gia was shaking her head in surprise at Afina's ignorance. "How about you go open her palms and see for yourself? Then, it would be easier for the high house scholar to grab your head between their lap and give you your very first battering in the high house."

"People can get battered here?" Afina's face crept into a gasp.

Gia's shake of the head was more vigorous now. "You are unbelievable little miss" she spewed.

Suddenly, as if just remembering something important, "Don't worry, no one can dare mess with you" she beamed at Afina.

"Why?" questioned Afina.

They were ascending the stairs now. "Because you are a deity. A divine person with a green qi at the ninth stage. Few more years of intense cultivation to become a rival to all the princes of every line!" Gia responded in the most excited voice Afina had ever heard.

Afina had to roll her eyes. There Gia goes again about her qi.

Even father Atticus almost choked on his coffee when he heard from mama Xylia that she had a green qi.

She could never be as powerful as the princes. She did not feel any more powerful than an ordinary divine person with a blue qi.

As she gazed back to catch a glimpse of the cultivating tree line girl.

"But why did she have to do it out there? Why not enjoy the serenity of her room?" She couldn't help but ask.

Gia seemed to not have the perfect answer to that. "You do know all of those girls are brats. Perhaps, she wants the others, including us of course to see that she came with cultivation chips which are of course expensive and important" she said.

Hmm— Afina was not sure about that.

The treeline girl did not look like the type to brag for attention.

Rather, she looked tough and nonchalant.

"I see—" was all Afina said as they arrived at the second floor and made for the corridor of their room.

However, when they arrived at the T- junction of where the staircase ended on the second floor, a smoky smell flew to their noses.

Abruptly, the two girls turned in the direction of the smell which was from the corridor of the four other girls.

"The hell—" Afina whispered as her eyes settled upon the green qi girl smoking cigarettes with so much confidence.

She seemed to sense their aura behind her as she turned her face to them.

Like a she-devil, she blew the smoke swarming inside her mouth aggressively in their direction.

"Is she telling us to fuck off?" Gia grunted.

Afina was about to nod that Gia had gotten it right when the green qi girl who was probably used to people abiding by her instructions impatiently rise up her hand to perform the bending of her sand ability and...

Whoosh!

A heap of sand from heaven knows where rose and stood between her and the duo like a shield.

"Whoah!" Gia staggered in approbation. "She can summon the element of the sand without any heap of sand present?!"

Afina was confused. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Gia tapped Afina's shoulder lightly, surprised at the girl's ignorance. "Only divine persons with a yellow qi at the ninth stage stretching to a green qi down to the red qi could perform such a trick. For the rest of us, there has to be the presence of sand to be able to bend it" she explained.

"Ohh" Afina nodded. "She has a green qi at the second stage" she supplied.

Gia's astonishment could almost get Afina jailed for her indifferent way of stating the statement.

"Yet another deity!" the girl cried as though she was about to fall on her knees.

Gia's actions remained to faze Afina. "What? I can also bend fire without the presence of fire at all" she pouted.

"Oh, what good might I have done for the deities to bestow me such a deity figure to serve under!" Gia turned with admiration at Afina also, slumping on her body as though she was performing a worship.

"Oh please spare me the crap" Afina clamored before pushing the girl off of her, opening the door, and getting inside.

"Weirdo" Afina rolled her eyes, breathed in relief, and set her hands on her hips as she stood behind the closed door.

Gia, who was unaware of Afina standing behind the door had pushed the door open thereby causing Afina to almost fall flat on the floor.

After balancing herself and successfully not falling, "I thought you said I was your deity? Why do you want to murder a deity" Afina hollered.

Gia shut the door behind her. "Come on, a single push by the door won't get a deity killed" she shrugged.

Afina's mouth was opened agape at how much Gia could say one thing and act another. "Well, apology accepted!" she yelled, already freeing her feet of their burden.

Gia slumped on her bed, her face on the ceiling. "Ah— Afina miss. I can not wait for you to come back after serving the prince tomorrow and tell me firsthand just how much his magnificence looks" she smiled with a dreamy look on her face.

"Why don't you marry him then? That way, you get to see him firsthand once every month" Afina jibed.

Gia sprouted up from the bed immediately. "Come on! It is only better when you crush on a person in distance. The moment you get acquainted with them, it spoils all the fun" she slumped back on the bed while a dreamy look appeared on her face once more.

"I would have sworn you were a descendant of the parallel earth where the mistress of seduction reigned" Afina rolled her eyes at Gia's absurdity.

"Do you believe in that tale? Of the prince's parents being a fallen angel and the mistress of seduction?" Gia asked Afina.

Afina nodded immediately. "Of course, I do. I heard she comes once in a while to this earth to cry on her monster children"

"Ah— I would faint if I get to see such a heavenly figure. Mistress of seduction. If she seduced me, I'd certainly not think twice about being a lesbian!" Gia shrieked, the dreamy look plastered on her face still.

"But I heard she is a villain!" Afina interjected.

Gia firmed her face. "She might be a villain to us all but Afina, we are all a villain in everyone's story. Have you heard the correct version of her tale?"

"No, and I don't want to. History bores me" Afina yawned, picked up the remote control, and flipped the channels of the TV which had been on since they arrived in the room.

Gia rushed to drag the remote control from her. "Nah, nah, nah. High house scholars are only permitted to watch the line's national channel only" she tuned in the TV into the channel and patted Afina's shoulders.

"There you go" she smiled.

"I fucking hate this! I might die of boredom soon" Afina grumbled and sat on the bed.

Gia had a disapproving countenance. "Words young lady. A high house scholar should not swear." she further clicked her tongue. "Everything the high house wants in a scholar, you have none young lady" she inhaled. "But I will definitely blend you in the course of a month that we have.

Afina settled her entire body on the floor regardless. "Why don't I survive tomorrow first?" She whispered.