At the same time, Bng Huo had just woke up and she heard the ice eagle's last sentence.

'...dear?'

The girl blinked her eyes softly and groaned, startling the other two. Both of them looked at each and nodded, agreeing to not speak anymore.

"Senior brother? You're awake?" Xi Xue hurriedly let the girl stood on her own but his hands were still on her shoulder, protecting her so she won't fall.

"...what happened? Did I fall asleep again?" Bng Huo rubbed her eyes and her mind recalled the ice eagle's sentence.

'You will regret that, dear.'

BA-THUMP.

The word dear somehow struck Bng Huo's heart. The girl looked at Xi Xue with hazy eyes.

'Did the ice eagle just called Xi Xue...dear? What's happening here? What happened when I was asleep?'

The girl bit her lips.

'How the heck I even fall asleep in the first place? Something is wrong!'

Seeing Bng Huo didn't respond and just stared blankly at him, Xi Xue snapped. He looked at the ice eagle and shouted,

"Hey, look! Bng Huo isn't responding to me. Did you do anything to her aside from making her asleep?!"

His shout startled Bng Huo and the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

'What? The ice eagle made me sleep? Wait, wait. How the hell Xi Xue can speak so rudely to the ice eagle??'

"Xi...Xue" Bng Huo called the young man in a groggy voice. "Don't be rude to her." The girl hit Xi Xue's chest but then she felt really weak that her body fell to the guy's chest.

'....what the?? Why I can't feel my body?? I'm so weak!'

Seeing the girl fell to him, Xi Xue hurriedly caught her and hugged her to secure the girl's body. He glared at the ice eagle again.

"What did you do?"

'This isn't a normal sleeping spell!'

"She's just tired." The ice eagle shrugged. "I bet she needs rest. I only made her sleep with my cultivation energy, nothing more."

"So she's like this because she's tired?" Xi Xue raised an eyebrow. He looked back at Bng Huo and his heart softened.

"Why you didn't tell me you are tired" Xi Xue caressed the girl's head.

'This must be her first time sleeping in a cave with a man and then she guided me to the Academy, doing all sort of things.'

Xi Xue smiled bitterly. "You silly, " He whispered.

'You must be tired.'

Seeing how gentle Xi Xue treated Bng Huo, the ice eagle giggled.

'Ah-ah, see, this sacred beast is in love with a human. I expect a drama coming soon.'

"If your business with me is done then please leave." The ice eagle waved her hand and the temperature in the cave dropped even further.

"Your little girl- boy needs rest." The ice eagle spoke in a stoic face even though deep inside, she was smiling widely.

'A sacred beast and a human. This is like that dragon and his human wife.'

"Mn. We will be going." Xi Xue nodded. He turned around and carried Bng Huo in a princess carry. The guy had just walked a few steps when he stopped.

He turned to look at the ice eagle. "Hey. Can you dispose of that wind outside your cave? I can't go down because of that."

'I'm afraid Bng Huo will be wounded by that wind.'

"Oh, that wind. I'll give you and your little lover protection."

"What- she's not my lover!" Xi Xue's face turned red but the ice eagle ignored it.

The ice eagle casually waved her hand and created a barrier around Xi Xue's body, enveloping even Bng Huo in Xi Xue's arm.

"There. No need to worry about your little sweetheart." The ice eagle waved her hand, motioning the guy to get out of her cave.

Xi Xue was about to refute again but he swallowed it. The guy walked out of the cave and rode on the white owl back, descending the mountain pretty fast as the white owl also got the barrier protection.

Along the way, Xi Xue was silent. He looked at the tired-looking Bng Huo and sighed.

'Why that eagle tease me? I'm just friends with this girl. No, maybe she's only a potential food.'

Xi Xue shook his head.

'It's going to be hard to marry a human but that doesn't mean it's impossible.'

At the thought of marrying Bng Huo, Xi Xue suddenly paused. He was baffled with his own thought.

'Wait, what! Why I think about marriage?? No, no, there's no way I'll marry this bean sprout!'

Xi Xue bit his lips and decided to forget it. He brought Bng Huo to their room and laid her on the bed while the guy took a bath.

Little did he know that Bng Huo was half-awake all this time. She naturally heard the ice eagle teasing Xi Xue and how the man responded with 'she'.

Bng Huo gripped her bedsheet and stared at the partition separating them.

'Xi Xue...you already know I'm a girl? How do you know that? Why you don't tell me?'

The girl bit her lips and somehow felt an immense betrayal from the guy.

'I thought you won't know but maybe.you already know all this time? You pretend you don't know?'

Bng Huo recalled all the things happening between them and her face flushed red.

'So Xi Xue already knows I'm a girl and he still did those things!'

Bng Huo kicked her quilt and pouted. Her head throbbed, she felt lost in the sea of feeling.

"Xi Xue...how strong are you to see through my disguise?" Bng Huo took a deep breath and inhaled.

! ('!)