Chapter 13: Chapter 13. Warming up to them.

Tatyana turned around and looked at him with a questioning gaze. Although she was nervous, she could maintain her expression in check.

What Tatyana didn't know was that even though she was not groomed, with her hair moderately tangled and her shoes and feet dirty, her exotic red eyes and beautiful facial features weren't very hidden.

Hao Junjie appreciated it and wanted to get to know this girl better. He smiled gently and asked, his tone calm, "How about you travel with us? We are going to return to town soon. It would be safer to go in a group, right? We don't mind adding another person."

The other six looked at Hao Junjie with doubt. He usually was quite adverse to other people joining, so offering this was unnatural. But after looking closely at Tatyana, the other three men somewhat understood. 'Is he attracted to her? Well, I can't blame him. Even in her current situation, she seems young and beautiful.'

One of the women's thoughts was the polar opposite, 'He likes her? Who does this woman think she is? Hmph, if she dares overstep her boundaries, I'm going to kill her!'

Meanwhile, Tatyana thought about it carefully. 'I don't know their intentions, so if they are bad, I will end up in danger. However, if I don't go with them, I may encounter a group that isn't as peaceful as them... If I ignore that woman that is antagonizing me, the rest look calm and haven't shown hostility at any moment.'

Of course, Tatyana couldn't be sure about her thoughts, but she didn't want to be assaulted just before she reached the town. In her opinion, this was her best chance to travel without major incidents. Tatyana spoke calmly, "I will take up the offer, respectable immortal."

The group raised an eyebrow, 'Why is she referring to us the same way a mortal does? Isn't she a cultivator?'

Hao Junjie ignored it and chatted with Tatyana, "Great! What is your name? Since we will be traveling together, we may as well present ourselves." He smiled handsomely and continued, "Of course, I will present myself first. My name is Hao Junjie, an outer disciple of the Cloud Sword sect."

Tatyana was slightly overwhelmed but answered without trouble, her voice still calm, "My name is Tatyana Dravory. It is a pleasure to meet you, Senior Hao Junjie.."

Another man, quite average compared to Hao Junjie, entered the conversation, "So you are called Tatyana! What a beautiful name. I'm called Wan Ling. As you can see, I'm a rare spear user." He said as he spun the spear in his hand.

Tatyana was impressed, "You look very powerful."

Hao Junjie's eyes cooled down for a second but then returned to the previous gentle gaze. "He is really good. I'm a sword user, the same as you. If you have any doubts, we could train together!"

Tatyana shook her hands, flattered, "That would be too much of a bother. Thank you for the offer, senior-"

"Brother." He interrupted.

Tatyana tilted his head. Hao Junjie smiled and said, "Brother Junjie is enough."

Tatyana nodded and called, "I understand, brother Junjie."

Wan Ling asked, "So, where do you come from?"

However, their conversation was cut when the person dismembering the bear shouted, "Lucky! This [Mad Bear] had a Beast Core!"

Tatyana blinked and wondered. 'What is a beast core?'

However, seeing their excited faces, she could guess that it was something precious. A woman with a gentle demeanor said, "How about we give a part of the [Mad bear] to little sister Tatyana? If it weren't for her, the bear could have escaped."

Ruo Yun, the antagonistic woman, didn't like Tatyana, so she snorted with arms crossed, "What are you talking about, Shi Ning? That brat didn't do anything! The [Mad bear] was already half-dead, and she just gave it a gentle tap. It would have died because of its injuries eventually."

Shi Ning frowned slightly. She was the oldest in the group and also the strongest. Although Hao Junjie was the leader, her words were as important as his. Her gaze locked on Ruo Yun, and she was about to scold her, but Tatyana interrupted, "Immortal Ruo Yun is right. I wouldn't dare take something from the esteemed immortals."

The last girl of the three skipped beside Tatyana and asked teasingly, "Why do you call us that way? Aren't you also a 'respected immortal'? Hahaha, you should call us senior sisters or brothers~."

Tatyana kept her face under check and didn't deny it, but she thought. 'How can I compare? Just thinking of facing off against this bear makes my legs weaken!'

That girl saw Tatyana maintaining silence and moved her hand to grab her cheeks, wanting to pinch her playfully.

However, Tatyana had her nerves stretched tautly. The moment she saw her hand approaching from her periphery, her body shook and reacted involuntarily. She made a big jump backward and placed a hand on the sword's handle. Her red eyes locked onto the woman and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

The cheerful woman was stunned. "Huh?"

Shi Ning scolded that woman, "Yan Shuang! Didn't I tell you not to be so friendly with strangers? They can easily misinterpret your actions. Maintain your distance until we get to know her better!"

Yan Shuang scratched her cheek and protested playfully, "Shi Ning, are you our mother? Why are you always scolding us?

Shi Ning's eyebrow twitched, and a gentle smile spread on her face. "Who are you calling old? Do you want to relive THAT experience all over?"

That expression had such a terrifying undertone that Yan Shuang almost kneeled to ask forgiveness, placing her hands on her butt. "Sorry, Sorry! Don't be so serious, don't spank me! You are going to scare the little girl!"

Shi Ning snorted and said to the baffled Tatyana with a gentle tone, "Don't worry about junior sister. She is just a little bit dumb and playful. She doesn't have bad intentions."

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Tatyana nodded silently. She relaxed and said embarrassedly, "Sorry for overreacting. These last days have been hard, and I'm stressed."

Shi Ning approached and smiled, "Don't worry, Tatyana. We are all from the same sect, so you shouldn't worry too much. Nobody here will hurt you." Tatyana nodded.

While they spoke, the men had finished distributing the [Mad bear]. Hao Junjie exclaimed, "Good! Let's go back. It is already the afternoon, so if we make haste, we should reach the town before night arrives."

All of them nodded and advanced toward the nearby town.

The way back was uneventful as the group spoke with each other.

Tatyana tried to participate the least she could, but Shi Ning, out of consideration, and Hao Junjie and Wan Ling, out of interest, kept talking with her. She answered awkwardly sometimes, but as time passed, she slowly warmed up to them.

Moreover, listening from the side allowed her to gain basic knowledge about the Cultivation world.

She learned that a sect was a place that gathered immortals or, putting it another way, cultivators. The positions inside the sect were divided depending on the cultivation level, status, strength, and seniority.

The most basic division was between outer, inner, and core disciples. Then, the teachers, or elders as they called them, were divided into the outer court Elder and the inner court Elder.

It didn't end there, as she had heard them complaining about the disciplinary elders being too strict.

All of this made Tatyana interested in the sects. 'Should I join one?'

When they were about to reach the town, Tatyana gathered courage and asked them, maintaining her cold and calm facade. "I've been listening for a while and wanted to ask. Can anybody enter your sect?"

Hai Junjie and the others were somewhat surprised. He asked with an interested tone, "You aren't part of a sect?"

Before Tatyana shook her head, but before she could answer verbally, Ruo Yun sneered at Tatyana, "Do you think anyone can enter our prestigious sect? Unlike other places that accept all people regardless of talent, you must be a genius cultivator to enter ours! A person like you would probably fail the first test."

Tatyana frowned, 'When did I offend this immortal? I've minded my own business all this time, but she keeps biting and barking like a mad dog!'

Hao Junjie ignored Ruo Yun's remark and answered Tatyana with a smile, "There will be an entry test between one to two months from now. If you want to try, you can go there. But I warn you, the entry test is sometimes dangerous, and there have even been deaths every time they are done."

Tatyana looked at him and made a small smile. "I will keep it in mind, brother Junjie. Thank you."

The small smile brightened Tatyana's facial features, highlighting her natural beauty. Hao Junjie's heart skipped a beat, and he looked sideways. "Not a problem."

This was the first time she had shown a hint of a smile and had taken everyone by surprise. Yan Shuang exclaimed, "So you can smile! I thought you were born with a stiff face and couldn't move your facial muscles!"

Tatyana's eyebrow twitched, 'Who would be comfortable between a group that can kill them if they wanted to?'

Tatyana stealthily looked at Hao Junie. His tone has always been gentle, and his smile carried a somewhat worried tone when he spoke right now. 'He is very gentle.'

Moreover, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Tatyana's cheeks even gained a slightly rosy color when looking at him. 'He really is good-looking... I bet he would be a good match with Big Sis...' Tatyana instantly frowned, feeling uncomfortable in her chest, and said, 'Hmm, maybe not.'

When she thought about Loreia being together with him, Tatyana felt uneasy and made an excuse in her head, 'A respected immortal is not suitable for my Big Sis.'

Tatyana shook her head and asked, "Will it happen in this town? I want to try and enter the sect."

Shi Ning nodded, "Yes, it will. But not only in this town. Our Luan Continent is very big, so various recruitment spots exist across the land."

Then, she took out a badge and gave it to Tatyana, "With this, if you have difficulties, you will at least be able to get your chance to participate. Others that don't have this can only wait in line until their turn arrives."

Tatyana took the badge and gave it a look. It was a sword with clouds around it. Tatyana could also feel a peculiar aura in it. 'With this, I will be able to become stronger.'

Thinking as such made Tatyana's mouth arch as she looked at Shi Ning. "Thank you, Big Sister Shi."

Shi Ning saw Tatyana's youthful face smiling and pinched her cheek, "You don't have to thank me. I really like you, so I'm hoping you enter the sect. Be sure to search for me when you enter, alright?"

Tatyana didn't react this time since she had seen how gentle Shi Ning was and let her play with her cheeks. Her smile widened, and she nodded, "En!"

Her guard had lowered a lot toward this group during the returning journey. 'Besides Ruo Yun, they all appear like good people.'

Shi Ning found it very comfortable to pinch Tatyana's face and played with it tenderly for a little more. 'Her cheeks still have some baby fat and are somewhat plump and soft~. Together with her red eyes and expressionless face… She is so cute~! I want to take her home. What to do...?'

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