“Y-You're back?”

“Yes. May I come in?” Yu Lin asked. Kumamono nodded her head as she moved to the side. Yu Lin stepped inside and glance around to see that Kumamono's room did not differ much from hers. She sat on the chair near the tea table as she looked to see Kumamono looking around before closing the doors. Kumamono took a seat across from her.

“Wh-what… what do yo-”

“I heard from sir Su, that you and the other two came by while I was gone. Is this true?” Yu Lin crossed her hands and set them on the table.

“Huh? Oh… un…” Kumamono nodded her head, “we were… we were worried…”

“Why?”

“Huh? Oh… because…” Kumamono’s eyes darted around the room, “I… I am sorry…” Kumamono said as she bowed her head, “I should’ve known better. I’m sorry. Yu Lin, please forgive me,” Kumamono looked up at Yu Lin with tears running down her face, “please forgive Sanji too. We felt really guilty… knowing that you were gone like that. That is why we went there… please,” Kumamono pleaded. Yu Lin looked into Kumamono’s sincere eyes as thoughts ran through her head.

“Miss Higurashi,” Yu Lin leaned forwards, “did a masked man come see you or Sanji after my disappearance?” Yu Lin whispered. Kumamono’s eyes grew as she opened her mouth.

“H-how di-”

“Kuma! Get up!” Sanji’s voice could be heard outside the door along with his knocking. Kumamono started to get out of her chair but Yu Lin was faster as she sprung up from her seat.

“Y-Yu Lin!” Kumamono said but Yu Lin ignored her as she opened the door.

“You’re fas… Yu Lin?!” Sanji’s jaw dropped and Yu Lin quickly glanced around before pulling him inside and shutting the doors. Yu Lin turned around to see tha Sanji landed on the floor. “What are yo-”

“Tell me, what are you guys keeping away from me?” Yu Lin demanded. The two looked at each other for a moment before Kumamono looked back at Yu Lin.

“The truth i-”

“Shut up, Kuma! Do you want to end up dead?” Sanji yelled.

“But you were worried too! Why can’t we tell him?!” Kumamono yelled back.

“Think about it, that person has enough power to this to him! Imagine what he can do to us?!”

“But I’m tired of hiding and worrying! If we tell Yu Lin, he will for sure be able to do something about this… and… and aren’t we friends with him Sanji? He saved my life!” tears were running down Kumamono’s face, “why… how… how can you be like this, Sanji?”

“His kind destroyed our vill-”

“But he didn’t destroy our village! I know that you know that… that’s why you were worried for him and that the only reason you’re scared of telling him is because you worry for my safety and Su Me’s safety but… this is wrong…” Kumamono’s head hung low as she stared at the ground.

“Kuma… but… if we tell her… that ape might not leave us alone anymore,” Sanji let out a small sigh, “that senior… he is too scary…” Yu Lin furrowed her eyebrows together. ‘Ape… Sarutoki... Saruto?’ Yu Lin thought. Everything started to piece itself together in Yu Lin’s head. ‘He was there with Wei when we were having a dispute… he could’ve known about it… he also touched me at Henua village and he went to see Nie Fu afterwards… it’s not impossible…’ Yu Lin bit her lip before she looked at the two.

“I’m leaving,” she announced and the two stopped in their conversation to look at her, “I apologize for making you two argue like this. If you can’t tell me, or is not ready to tell me then that’s alright. I understand. Until next time,,” she gave them a small bow as she opened the door and left.

“Y-Yu Lin!” Kumamono called out after her but she didn’t stop as she returned to the white section.

She looked at the courtyard to see Saruto talking to Chen Hua. When they noticed her Saruto looked away and Chen Hua smiled as he ran up to her.

“You’re safe!” Chen Hua exclaimed as he grabbed onto Yu Lin’s shoulder. Yu Lin nodded her head.

“I’m fine,” she said as Chen Hua pulled his hands away.

“I was so worried when I got there and I saw that everyone was lying in the rain and you were nowhere in sight. It was a good thing that Saruto was there and had already attended to most of the patients!” Chen Hua said.

“Chen Hua!” Saruto nudged him and Chen Hua nudged him back.

“What?!”

“Don’t say things like that!”

“Why? It’s just Yu Lin! I know that you don’t like receiving the limelight so you gave me all the credit but you were the one who healed all of them! It’s alright Yu Lin won’t tell anyone else, right Yu Lin?” Chen Hua smiled at her. She nodded her head. “See?” Chen Hua let out a small laugh.

“Sir Sarutoki was the first to arrive at the scene?” Yu Lin asked. Chen Hua nodded his head.

“Mhmm… he got there way before any of us did,” Chen Hua confirmed. Yu Lin nodded her head as her eyes drifted to Saruto. Saruto kept his head down as he looked away.

“I see,” Yu Lin said as she looked back and gave Chen Hua, “anyways, I will have to leave the two of you. Teacher Li told me to go see him. Then,” Yu Lin gave them both a small headbow before she headed towards Zhi Shu’s office. Her eyes grew darker as she balled a fist. She arrived to Zhi Shu’s room and knocked on his door.

“It’s Yu Lin,” she announced herself.

“Come in,” Zhi Shu’s muffled voice came through and she opened the door. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her as she stood in front of Zhi Shu and bowed.

“What did teacher Li want to see me about?” she asked as she looked at him.

“Li Hu Die,” she heard Zhi Shu say as she stiffed and grabbed onto her cloak, “have you ever heard of this name?” she relaxed as she let out a small breath.

“Why?”

“I’m just curious.”

“I see… yes, I have heard of the name Li Hu Die before.”

“I see… what do you know about her?”

“Huh? Oh… just that she’s a healer from Sky Continent who was able to advance our modern medicine,” Yu Lin gave her textbook answer.

“I see… you… do you know what’s going on in Sky Continent right now?”

“I… I do not know exactly… but I have a rough picture,” Yu Lin replied.

“Wang Pei told me that you are planning to go to Sky Continent. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Yu Lin… do you know what’s happening to dark elves if they go there?”

“I’ve already prepared myself for the worst.”

“Yu Lin…” Zhi Shu looked at her with a trace of sadness in his eyes before he let out a sigh, “Yu Lin… the things that have been happening recently… do yo-”

“I know. Teacher Li, everything that has been happening I know who the culprits are. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“It’s not you who I am worried about,” Teacher Li averted his gaze, “I am worried about the people aiming to get you,” he said. Yu Lin furrowed her brows slightly.

“Why?”

“I’m afraid that the ones targeting you are familiar faces I know… I don’t want them to face any troubles… Yu Lin, if you do find out who they are… I beg of you, please be kind to them. If you do, I will try my very best to help you achieve your goals.”

“And if I don’t treat them kindly? What are you going to do then?”

“Yu Lin!” Zhi Shu stood up and looked at her, “they… you don’t know their story… they have gone through diffi-”

“And they don’t know mine either yet look what they’re doing! Teacher Li, I will do everything in my power to secure my own safety over theirs. If I don’t protect myself, then no one will.”

“Yu L-”

“I believe that our talk here is over. Thank you, teacher Li. I will excuse myself now,” Yu Lin turned on her heels and started to head towards the door.

“Wait!” Zhi Shu called out and she paused, “just… I beg for your empathy… it’s not their fault… Yu Lin… please… just be as kind as you can then…” Zhi Shu said.

“I… I will try…” Yu Lin replied before walking out of his office. Yu Lin glanced up the wall beside Zhi Shu’s door which had the gems of each person and what room they were in. ‘Sarutoki is in diamond…’ she thought to herself as she returned to her room.

Yu Lin stayed in her room until night had fallen. After the moon hung up in the sky and the bell rang for everyone to go to sleep Yu Lin stood up beside her bed. She waved her hand down her bed and created the illusion of herself sleeping. She put on some dark robes that clung to her body as she put a cloth to cover her face. She waved her hands over her eyes, and her skin color changed from a grey to tan and her eyes from red to average brown. She went out to her backyard and looked around before skipping over the fence.

Yu Lin sneaked over to Nie Fu’s room as she hid behind some bushes. She sat and waited as she was on the side of his side window and front door. Time passed, however, after three hours Yu Lin saw Saruto’s silhouette leave the room through the front door. She saw him glancing carefully side to side and Yu Lin stayed low to keep herself hidden. She watched as he started to head somewhere and she swallowed hard as she followed closely behind him.

Yu Lin moved swiftly and barely made any sounds. She followed Nie Fu as he jumped over fences. She followed Nie Fu into a small garden and then afterward she watched as he entered a shed. He looked carefully around him and Yu Lin hid behind a small bush. After she saw him enter the shed, she crept up to the shed. She went to the side of the shed as there was a small crack that illuminated light outside.

“He’s back,” she heard Saruto’s voice.

“I know,” a male voice said back. Yu Lin’s eyes widened as she recognize this voice was the voice she had heard when she and Tai Yang were getting captured.

“And…”

“And?”

“Chen Hua mentioned that it was me who arrived at the scene first, in front of him.”

“What? Chen Hua did?”

“Yes… I couldn’t stop him in time. It was my fault.”

“Hmm… did he seem suspicious of you?”

“That… I am not sure… he is hard to read.”

“For now, keep feigning innocence.”

“Yes.”

‘When the time comes we will for sure get rid of him.”

“I understand. What shall I do next?”

“Make sure that he is able to join the tournament at all costs. We must not touch him before then.”

“The tournament? Why?”

“Beca-”

“Who are you?!” Yu Lin turned her head to see a silhouette pointing at her. She heard the door to the shed open as she saw a man run out. The man was wearing exactly what he had worn when he had participated in Yu Lin’s kidnapping. Yu Lin turned on her heels as she started to run. She couldn’t use her leaping skills here, it would’ve been too obvious.

“Stop!” she heard a voice call out but she did not listen. She skipped around the garden as she fell into a corridor. She started to run when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She looked back and saw the man as she pushed his hand away. The man’s other hand came flying at her with a fist and she moved the side before sending a kick his way. She did not hit as she saw him move to the side. The two continued to exchange blows as none of them severely hit each other. ‘He’s strong!’ Yu Lin thought to herself, ‘if I wasn’t trying to hide my martial arts I would have taken him down already… but he’s tough!’

“Get the spy!” she heard a voice yell and Yu Lin squinted her eyes as she was running out of time. She glared at the cloth covering his face behind his netted hat as she reached her hands out to pull it off. The man seemed to notice as he moved back and Yu Lin felt her fingers grip onto the scarf rolled up around his neck instead. Yu Lin noticed his sudden stiffness as she grabbed the scarf as she kicked him and he went flying backward. Yu Lin took this chance as she turned and started to run away, clutching the scarf in her hand.

Yu Lin circled the area for a moment to make sure that no one was able to follow her as she set up some more illusions. Afterward, she returned to her room. She pulled down her mask as she looked at the rolled up scarf in her hand.

“Useless…” she mumbled to herself.

“Yu Lin?” she heard someone whisper as she heard a light knock on her door. She stuffed the scarf and the rest of her clothes into her endless bracelet as she quickly changed.

“Yu Lin?” she heard someone whisper again with a light knocking on her door. She removed the illusion on her bed as she took in a deep breath and walk up to the door.

“Yu Li-” she opened the door to see Yang Yang standing there.

“Miss Ni? What do you want that?” she asked. Yang Yang’s eyes brightened up as she smiled.

“You’re alright!” she exclaimed as she jumped and gave Yu Lin a hug. Yu Lin’s eyes widened before she pushed her away.

“What are you doing?!” she hissed as she moved back. Yang Yang stumbled backwards a moment before she looked up and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry! I was too happy that you were still alive and didn’t mind my manners! Forgive me!” she said as she rubbed her hands together. Yu Lin looked her up and down before clearing her throat.

“W-what do you want?” Yu Lin asked again. Yang Yang smiled at her.

“I just wanted to see if you were alright. I was busy all day today so I haven’t been able to see you at all. I’m glad that nothing happened to you… I was worried that I had lost one of my very few friends…” Yang Yang’s eyes grew sad for a second before she looked back Yu Lin. “Anyways, tomorrow you must have breakfast with me! Alright?” Yang Yang sternly said. Yu Lin bit her lip before nodding.

“Alright then. I understand,” she replied.

“That’s good! It’s a promise! I will see you tomorrow morning then!” Yang Yang smiled at her before turning around and skipping away. Yu Lin watched her plump figure grow smaller before she closed her doors.

“Friend…” Yu Lin muttered the word before shaking her head and laying down on her bed.