❝ WILL YOU REALLY NOT LEAVE? ❞

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Night had fallen fast upon the mortal world. Darkness stretched for as far as the eye could see, making the world seem nothing but cold and empty. Other than the darkness and herself all that seemed to exist was the chilly wind whose harsh bite could be felt through her cloak. 

"W-where am I?" The hesitant voice spoke to herself, high-pitched like a child. "...Who am I?" Wrapping her arms around herself she shivered violently as another cruel wind blew through. 

" Lǎo gōng!" ¹ The sound of a human woman's voice came running. "There's a little girl here!"

Lifting her dark, glowing red eyes slowly, which changed to a dull brown when she blinked to see two worried faces looking down at her, the small shivering figure did nothing as the human man took off his jacket quickly and wrapped it tightly around her, the woman doing the same with her scarf.

"Hello, sweetie." The older woman spoke gently, crouching down onto her knees to meet her eye level. "My name is Liu Mei and this is my husband Xian Quan. Why are you here all alone? Did your family leave you?"

"I...I don't know. I don't think I have a family." The small child answered, snuggling her face into the warm scarf.

The woman seemed to startle at this. "Why don't you come with us and get out of this freezing weather?"  Extending her hand to the small girl, the young girl took it, not sensing any ill will.

"Do you have a name, kid?" The man asked. He was a kindly-looking type who wore round glasses and a perpetual warm smile. 

The girl thought for a moment before a single word came into her head that kept repeating over and over. Nodding, she stood up and gave them each one hand of hers to hold.

"Ling Ling."

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The wind could be heard lashing against the frosted window, which let the slight wintery sun bleed into the room. Rousing from her heavy slumber, Xian Ling Ling was first aware of the coolness of the air and an odd lonely feeling. Sighing heavily, she ran her fingers through her long black hair.

"I'm all alone again, huh."

"Not really. I'm still here." A male voice suddenly chimed in on her thoughts. 

Brown eyes widened as she saw the ghost from last night standing politely at the edge of her bed. "Zheng Yin!" She exclaimed, startled at his presence. 

"Yes, Master?" He replied with a cheerful, obedient smile.

Lingling simply stared at the spirit who had such a content expression lighting up his face. He seemed merely simply and genuinely happy to be near her.

"You didn't go back to the grave?" She question, arching an eyebrow. 

"Master, I'm not a ghost!" Zheng Yin insisted, pouting. "...Of sorts." That he added mostly to himself quietly. 

Looking out the window towards the blustery snowy landscape outside Xian Lingling spoke involuntarily without realising it, which would make her wonder later as to why she would ask such a thing:

"Will you really not leave?"

At that sentence, the golden-eyed spirit was silent for a few moments, his eyes glowing in an inhuman fashion before he―

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Xian Lingling startled awake suddenly to find herself still laying on her bed, eyes looking upwards towards the ceiling. She blinked a few times before she sat up in puzzlement. '...Two dreams...?'

"Master~♡!" A cheerful voice entered beaming upon seeing her awake.

"Zheng Yin?" She frowned at seeing the youthful spirit who now had a red headband tied around his forehead and the sleeves of his chángshān rolled up in a working style.

"The house appeared to be in a state of disarray so I decided to tidy up a bit!" He chattered away brightly, floating around the room.

Lingling ignored the ghost and got out of bed, heading downstairs. As she walked down the flight of steps she noticed that the drawing hadn't been wiped off the wall except for the two tears that she drew upon returning to the abandoned manor. 

The house was sparkling in such a manner of pure cleanliness that she had to rub her eyes to remember the state of the manor from yesterday. The change was quick something from the dusty, cobweb-filled mess. 

"Doesn't it look much better now, Master?" Zheng Yin inquired optimistically, floating down the stairs to follow her. She ignored the odd urge to pat his head.

"I'm planning on moving back into this house full-time so I'll have to unpack the few boxes I brought in the back." She informed him, though unsure why she was even bothering talking to a ghost, though he had cleaned her house. "I also left Xiaohu someplace and I'm sure he's hungry by now."

"Xiaohu?" Zheng Yin queried as he titled his head to the side. 

"My cat." Xian Lingling answered curtly.

"Ah, you used to have a pet before as well. Though he was a different type of...species..." Zheng Yin slipped in obscurely, thinking of the Red Dragon.

Lingling sat on the bottom step absentmindedly as she watched the ghost finish the last bit of his tidying. "I'm so sorry, Master!" He would apologize profusely, a slight blush visible on his face.

"I would have prepared breakfast as well but I'm still confused as to how mortals use their cooking tools here."

The sharp-eyed girl didn't speak, only watching him for a moment before she repeated her line in the dream. "Zheng Yin, will you really not leave?"

Zheng Yin froze when he heard that, whirling around with his golden eyes wide with an expression of pure astonishment towards the brown-eyed girl who was observing him calculatedly.  

"Even if I drive you away and am cold and cruel, will you not leave me?"

The spirit's head was lowered for a moment, shadows cast over his eyes as he stayed silent for a moment before replying in a low tone. "Master, I'll obey any order you give, but not leaving...I can't promise you that."

Xian Lingling rolled her eyes. "Then don't promise, just stay." 

Snapping her fingers once, the stove turned on for him by use of her cultivation-gained abilities that most in this world possessed at least by mediocre standards. Though one still abided by the laws of the natural world, electricity and gas were things rarely needed and easily bended for one's own purpose without any effort. 

Standing up she looked Zheng Yin straight in the eyes. "I don't need good-for-nothings hanging around me but since you did say you're a 'good-for-everything' I don't have much of a problem with allowing you to stay. So? Do you want to stay here?"

"Impossible! I would never dare do such a thing!" Zheng Yin swore devotedly, snow falling around them. "I promise I'll never be a bother, Master! I can cook and clean, carry and fight! I'm a good-for-everything!"

"I..." Zheng Yin seemed at a loss for words, which Lingling guessed, from seeing him bounce around all morning and last night was quite an odd occurrence.

"Ma― Master!" He teared up, hugging her legs. "I shall follow you to the ends of the earth and heavens!"

"There's no need to go that far." Lingling huffed flatly.

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Most of her things had already been packed into boxes and she didn't really have any furniture to move from her old place she stayed in with her cousins. After she had left home she hadn't taken much with her and her bare rooms were proof enough of that. 

Waving a box over with a single hand movement, she unpacked a few books and the last of her clothing into boxes that Yan Zhou forced her to take along so that she wouldn't be without, Zheng Yin folded up her bedclothes and pillows as a white cat pattered into the room with an odd pair of heterochromia eyes of green and blue.

The cat gave a 'mew' in hello but upon seeing Zheng Yin, he gave a frightened sound, running back out of the room with his fur on end.

"Ah. Xiaohu!" Lingling called after the cat, a hand outstretched. 

Zheng Yin gave a little mischevious laugh before grabbing the cat and tapping its forehead. 

"Meow! It's a ghost!" The Toyger-breed cat yelped while speaking in a perfect human's tongue before starting in a pause. 

"Eh?" Xiaohu spoke, confused. "Did I just speak?"

"Did he just speak?" Lingling echoed as well, pointing towards her cat. 

For all the Nine Stages of Heavenly Cultivation that were learned, practised and were utilized in this world, talking animals had never become a part of the norm unless they were a familiar to some high-ranking immortal which were never seen in public. 

"I'm not a ghost!" Zheng Yin puffed his cheeks in annoyance. "...Of sorts." He added quickly as a footnote before he answered. "It isn't that difficult to make his consciousness surface.  It is the least I could do for you, brother cat, since you have stayed by my Master's side for some time."

"His consciousness surface?" Lingling asked, completed unsurprised by the turn of events. Why not, she thought, I have a ghost following me around and calling me 'Master' so my cat should be able to talk as well.

"Well, he is a spirit animal." Zheng Yin said matter-of-factly. 

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𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐘

¹  Lǎo Gōng — (informal) husband, hubby