Art: @anna_drw01 on Twitter

A/N: I'm actually early for once :)

"Did I... hear that right?" Y/N's voice lightly cracked.

"I think I said it clearly."

Y/N didn't know what to say. She shouldn't talk about serious things like this when she has alcohol in her system.

"Do you really really—"

"Yes." He said firmly. "I said what I have said. I believe this is what it is to feel love. And it feels... light."

Y/N's demeanor softened 5 times more than she already had.

"Truth be told. I'm not one for these either. I don't know what love feels like. But I think Guizhong would have known." She took her shoes off, and lightly placed her feet inside the clean water to feel the coolness, of the lake.

"But I believe the best way to learn is through experience."

"Experience...? What would that mean?"

"I've thought about it. When I went back to when we were spending time together, I felt extremely happy. I felt like, one." Xiao tilted his head slightly to the side. "It was a different feeling from when I talk to Morax. I really can't describe it. But to let you know, I think this means that I hold you a lot more closer to my heart than the others. And that makes you special."

"Me? Special?"

"Yes. Special." She nodded her head chuckling at his confused expression. Then looked back down to the water with a fond smile of hers.

"I think this is what they call love. I, myself never expected to have any romantic feelings for anyone whatsoever." Y/N reached over and cupped his cheeks, and lightly squished them. Then giggled. She could feel Xiao's cheeks starting to feel warm again. "I think I love you too, my dear adeptus."

Those were the only words he needed to break down. He couldn't control the plethora of happiness surging through him, therefor they were expressed physically, with tears.

"Aww. Don't cry, like I said. Your handsome face might get ruined. But I have to say, even if you cry. You look just as handsome, I'll give you that." She teased with her signature smile, while wiping away his tears for him, with her thumb gently.

"D-don't say things like that..." Xiao said stubbornly, while trying to wipe his own tears away himself.

"I think it's already past midnight. But we can continue to talk. Except, I'm not sure if this boat will be able to stay afloat." She slowly stood up, trying to gain her balance, as Xiao followed her suite.

The two stood up, and when the boat lightly tipped, the two swayed, but held each other's hands to gain support, against gravity.

"That was close..." She mumbled and got off the boat.

Xiao hadn't said anything yet. He fears his voice might crack a little from being a bit emotional at the moment, and then start crying again.

"Xiao. Let's go back to my mountain, we can sit there and talk a bit more if you'd like. And eat some almond tofu." She suggested. And Xiao nodded cutely. Making her chuckle again.

Ming welcomed them back, and raised an eyebrow when she noticed them holding hands. Then gave a knowing stare straight into Y/N's eyes.

"Ming, we'll be staying up tonight talking and such. Could you prepare a cup of tea for us? And some almond tofu."

"You're going to drink tea?" Ming asked.

Y/N shrugged. "I'll try it again. I need something to settle the alcohol down, the one from the pharmacy please."

Ming nodded and walked away into the shrine to prepare the needs.

Y/N pat the seat next to her to let Xiao sit down.

"Have you ever heard of the 'Incessant Mountain?'" She asked him.

"No. I haven't."

"The Incessant Mountain is called that because, waaaaay back before the Archon War, people would try to sneak into the mountain. For whatever they greed for. But never came back out. Possibly dead."

"Does the mountain still exist?"

"Of course." She replied with a little bit of spark, and amusement.

"How do you know?" Xiao asked, while leaning in slightly in an act to try and listen in.

"Because you're on the very said mountain right now."

Xiao paused. Then got back to his senses.

"This is the Incessant Mountain?"

"Indeed."

"How did you take control...? Or..."

"Partially because this mountain has belonged to me since the beginning. I wasn't always an adeptus. I used to be what they called a celestial spirit, as odd as that may sound."

"Well none of us adeptis I doubt, were human to begin with." Xiao admitted. She nodded in agreement.

"Truthfully." She got back up and walked over somewhere into the mountain, and disappeared. Leaving Xiao to sit there by himself in silence.

She came back with a scroll of parchment paper. The more it came into view, the more it looked old.

Y/N opened the scroll, to reveal old text, and a painting of a white tiger.

"This is something that someone had made. And it was someone from my old village that used to live here. It is not a replica, it is the original one."

Xiao stared at the old text. Trying his hardest to read it, but the words seemed slightly smudged, restricting him from being able to decipher what it says.

"This scroll has been in the hands of the Qixing, protected. Those mortals thought for it to be something powerful. Something that would give me power to destroy everything." She looked at it very lovingly.

"But it was only a mere scroll, to tell the tale of the mountain spirit that lives and protects inside this mountain. 'Xiwangmu', was only a name they had given me. And Y/N was name that Morax, and Guizhong had given me."

Xiao handed the scroll back to her, seeing she had her hand out, to get it back. She rolled it up again, and tied it with a thin worn out string, with a small bead attached to it. It was a peculiar bead, and peaked his interest.

"The bead..." He mumbled.

Y/N perked up, and looked at the attached bead.

"This bead was from the same person who had made this scroll, along with the string. They had a wife, and two kids. His wife passed away, due to unknown reasons, that were far too out of my reach to handle." She sighed sadly, at the memory. But continued.

"He had a boy, and a girl. The boy was older, and would help his father with the heavy work. The daughter and her grandmother, who was the father's mother would stay with her to make food, and whatnot. The two ladies would always come and pray at my small shrine down at the bottom. And leave offerings."

"What was your favorite?" Xiao said, interested in this conversation.

Y/N thought to herself immensely, and snapped her fingers in realization.

"I actually really like almond tofu." A/N: (In real life, I actually do. It's really good.)

Xiao felt a little happy with that. And his heart skipped a beat.

"I'm not sure what else. I did like the grilled tiger fish. Pervases had made me eat them once, and they were delicious. He would catch the fish, and then grill them over the wood fire."

"You know a lot of people..."

"Haha. You would be surprised. Morax would tell me how the old me, is just like the Xiao right now."

He looked confused, at the statement.

"I wasn't social at all. I actually hated all mortals, and was really distant." She admitted.

"What?" Xiao's eyes widened, at the sudden information. He really didn't think she could have such a drastic personality change. And to think she used to be like Xiao...

Ming brought the tea, which helps with getting rid of the alcohol out of her system... She drinks all too much and had Baizhu make specific tea leaves to help with the alcohol.
A/N: (To you all worried she'd forget everything that happened because of the alcohol, remember, she might be drunk, but she has good memory considering she remembers a lot of things even before the archon war combined.)

"I uh... actually killed all of the mortals with greed in their eyes that entered into the mountain when I was still in the form of the tiger. I still had my abilities that time." She looked at the cup of tea inside her hands, and looked back up at Xiao who was staring at her.

"I sort of feel bad about it. I killed them. So when you mentioned about feeling horrible about killing innocent people, I kind of felt the same."

"Yes. But those weren't innocent people. They tried to get money off of the celestial spirits in the mountain. So don't blame yourself, you were protecting it."

"That's reassuring, thanks... But. I still had killed people. Innocent people. I still have."

"But—"

"I've killed a few hundred more." She confessed, making Xiao pause from what he was doing. Y/N had a grim look in her eyes, then sighed at the tension that was rising.