Fast Friends

Although she tried her hardest to only carry with her the bare essentials, perhaps because she had never left this place, what she thought of as 'important' was... quite a lot.

Fortunately, she owned a lot of bags, in which she could store the various pieces of clothing and other items that she would bring with her. Due to her superhuman physical strength, she felt no burden even when carrying a comically massive mountain of bags on her shoulders.

'All the bathing utensils and the ingredients for all kinds of medicinal baths? Check! My saved up pocket money? Check! My bathrobe collection? Check! Pyjamas? Check!'

Mentally going through her list, she spent a couple of minutes double-checking everything, before finally turning to Theodore and confidently nodding.

"Thank you for waiting, Master! This should be all."

Looking at the hulking monstrosity that her silhouette had transformed into, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. Considering that he and Xie Mei would likely also accumulate increasingly more possessions which they couldn't easily let go of, it was time to prepare some things.

"Does anyone here in Huizhong City have a Storage Item?"

Thinking for a bit, Han Junqiao nodded, albeit reluctantly. Clearly, she wasn't entirely certain in regards to what she was about to say.

"I think Han Junming, my father, has a Storage Ring. I've occasionally noticed him pulling things out of thin air, and the only suspicious item on him at the time was a pretty ordinary ring. Which is weird in and of itself, as he'd usually prefer more ornate jewellery. But Storage Items should be very rare, so I doubt that there are any others in the Jun branch."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, a relieved smile flashed across his face. He hadn't anticipated getting a positive response to this inquiry which he had made on a whim. In a desolate place like this, Storage Items were pretty much unheard of, so he hadn't expected to find one here.

'This Jun branch likely experienced a considerable fall from grace in the past, else such valuables would have never appeared in their hands.'

Grabbing her shoulder, he adjusted the initial teleportation goal from inside of his home to outside, in the garden. If they chose to arrive anywhere else, her luggage would have made the building burst at the seams.

"Welcome back! ... Husband, who is this?"

At first overjoyed at his return, Xie Mei charged straight into his arms, a relieved, loving smile brightening up her adorable face. But then, she noticed the young woman he stood next to, instantly feeling alarmed. Not only did her power make her sense an instinctive dread, but she was extremely good-looking as well! Heck, she could even be compared to herself! That was not all, though–she also sported dragon-like features akin to those she had heard the Imperial Han Family members had!

"My new Retainer, Han Junqiao. I was surprised as well when I found out that not all of the Hans were irredeemable. Don't bully her, alright? She's suffered enough already. Ask her about her circumstances if you'd like to know more."

Gently returning her embrace, he chose to defuse the most pressing issue first and leave the rest up to the two of them to handle. Then, he turned to face his newest Servant.

"This is Xie Mei, my first Follower–and also my lover. The whole husband and wife narrative is a cover story we're going with in this world. Although Mei'er here definitely wants it to be more than that. I'll give you two some space for now, so get to know each other."

Planting a kiss on the conflicted beauty's lips, he let go of Xie Mei and waved at the two, then walked inside of the house, where Li Shuying led him to an already filled dining table. Although he could still hear the others, he didn't pay overly much attention to them–they deserved that amount of privacy, at least.

Left all alone, the two women examined each other, their thoughts complicated–although for very different reasons.

Xie Mei was worried that this new beauty here would attempt to fight for her spot at Theodore's side. She didn't exactly want to share his love, yet she knew that she inevitably would have to do so. Still, she had hoped to avoid it for as long as possible. This woman clearly had the makings of someone every bit her equal in terms of looks, so for the first time, she felt a hint of threat. As a result, she was unsure of how to treat her–and then there was still the issue of her being from the Imperial Han Family.

On the other hand, Han Junqiao feared that she would be disliked by her Master's lover, meeting a miserable fate as a result. She knew how despised the Hans were, so she wouldn't be surprised at a less than friendly reception. That aside, she also couldn't help but worry about whether Theodore had chosen her to serve him due to her appearance. If this girl who was pretty much on par with her was his lover, then did he plan for her to fulfil a similar role at some point?

Contrary to Xie Mei, while she acknowledged her Master's outstanding beauty, she wasn't smitten with him. If something did indeed occur, she would have no means to resist, nor would she feel particularly opposed to the idea. Still, she would much rather simply focus on being a capable Servant and improving her strength.

"It's an honour to meet you, Mistress. If you have any instructions for me, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will also answer any and all questions that you might have."

Choosing to accept her fate, she put on a professional, kind smile, bowing slightly. Because the one in front of her was 'only' the lover of her Master, she did not exactly have to grovel at her feet. Even being this submissive was already more than she technically needed to do.

"Ahem! It's a pleasure to meet you, too. For now... why don't you tell me about your circumstances, as my husband suggested before he left? I think... that'd be a good place to start."

Not intending to make a fuss, Xie Mei once again embodied the role of a virtuous wife, quite curious to learn more about what had led to this sudden addition to their household.

"... as you wish."

Aware that she needed to get this out of the way eventually, Han Junqiao didn't beat around the bush and gave her a rather brief but exhaustive summary of her comparatively straightforward life. As a matter of course, she painted herself in quite the sympathetic manner–which she didn't exactly need to go out of her way for, as her story was actually somewhat tragic.

By the time that her retelling of events arrived at the current moment, the way that Xie Mei looked at her had completely changed. Her eyes red with barely-suppressed tears, she reached out and grasped the newcomer's hand, a comforting smile blossoming on her lips.

"It's alright now! From now on, you're not alone any more. I'll take care of you, so don't worry too much! I'll call you Qiao'er from now on, okay?"

Feeling a bit conflicted in regards to the sudden emotional welcome, Han Junqiao's expression froze, then she awkwardly nodded, accepting Xie Mei's goodwill. She had never had a friend before, so this particular brand of kindness was foreign to her. Yet, it might not be all that bad. At least, she wouldn't be treated too horribly. There was one part which she chose to avoid mentioning, though–she had never really been lonely. Being alone hadn't felt like a negative experience to her.

"That's fine. But... how should I refer to you? I worry that my Master might not approve of a too casual form of address."

Rolling her eyes at her and playfully puffing out her cheeks, Xie Mei patted her back in a supportive manner.

"Theo won't mind what you call me, as long as you don't insult me. So just call me Mei'er, alright?"

Going along with her, as she reasoned that she wouldn't be blamed for it now that she had been given explicit permission to do so, Han Junqiao responded, before asking another question. This time, it was–indirectly–about her biggest worry.

"Got it, Mei'er. By the way, there is something I'd like to ask you. Is my Master... a lecherous man? Do I have to... be mentally prepared?"

Seeing the genuinely troubled, awkward expression on Han Junqiao's face, Xie Mei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that all of her dread had been an overreaction. This woman clearly wasn't gunning for her husband!

"I think you'll only have to begin being concerned about this if he starts to tease you a lot. At least, that was my experience. And to be fair, I came on to him pretty strong. I'm quite confident that when it comes to... the 'matters of the bedroom', he'd never go against his prospective partner's wishes."

Positively surprised at this response, Han Junqiao heaved a sigh of relief. Clearly, she didn't need to be excessively on edge. Ever since she had borne witness to the behaviour of her family and their lackeys, she had feared that she might also ruthlessly get 'devoured' at the hands of her Master. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I'm glad to hear that! Thank you. I think I can serve him without any troubles, then."

Eventually, they spoke about Xie Mei's past as well, before their discussion gradually devolved into small talk. For a first meeting between the two, everything seemed to have gone smoothly. Luckily, neither of them were confrontational in nature. In general, they were very easy to get along with, so there was no friction between them now that they had got all potential misunderstandings out of the way.

"Seems like you've figured it all out. I'm relieved to see it!"

Strolling over to them, followed by Li Shuying, Theodore showed an appreciative smile. He had only occasionally picked up a few words here and there, but that had been enough to know that no conflict had occurred.

"Qiao'er will be coming with us even after we leave this world, right?"

Looking up at him with adorably evident pleading in her eyes, Xie Mei attempted to make sure of this. It would feel like a punch in the gut if the new friend who she had made would stay merely a temporary passer-by in her life, after all.

"You're that close already? That's good to hear. But to answer your question: Yes, 'Qiao'er' will be coming with us. Anyone qualified to formally join me–like you and her–will."

Adopting his lover's nickname for the newcomer once again, he sat down next to Xie Mei and unabashedly held her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers.

"Awesome! Then we'll pretty much be together forever!"

A bit overwhelmed by Xie Mei's enthusiasm, Han Junqiao could only nod her head while sporting an awkward smile. Still, she wasn't opposed to interacting with this bundle of energy.

"Tomorrow, we'll be cleaning up this city, so prepare yourselves. Also it's time for our bath, Mei'er."

Dropping two pieces of information which couldn't be any more different in nature from one another, he soon distracted his lover by carrying her over to the bathroom, looking forward to the intimate times to come. Han Junqiao, on the other hand, was left behind, deep hatred and frustration written all over her face.

'... he really doesn't waste any time. But to be fair, I'd also love to get rid of them as quickly as possible. We'll likely be playing exclusively supportive roles in the battles to come...'

Ruminating about how exactly tomorrow's events would play out, she followed behind Li Shuying–who had already been introduced to her by Xie Mei–and got ready to sleep in the room which had been prepared for her.

But right as she was about to drift off into slumber, and for the majority of the night to come, obscene sounds barely quietened by the walls separating them entered her ears.