"Curiosity, huh? Never mind that, Now that I've shared some of my problems, I remember we never did talk about your problem, right? Wanna tell me what it is?" Asher asked, his voice laced with a mix of curiosity and concern, wondering if it was related to Cultivaton.

'Of course, it's related to Cultivation, what else it would be to' Asher thought.

Xinyue's expression flickered—a storm of hurt and gloom briefly darkened her features.

"I mean, you don't have to if you're uncomfortable..." Asher quickly backtracked, his tone softening.

"Huh? No, I... I was just surprised. You've caught me off guard with your question," Xinyue said, her voice a mix of surprise and mild defensiveness, pausing as she searched for the right words. 

"We normally don't talk about our personal lives... But maybe another time." She shifted uncomfortably. 

"Don’t change the topic. Tell me about the memories you've awakened?" Xinyue asked changing the topic.

"So, what type of memory almost made you kill yourself?" Xinyue asked, her voice a little excited.

Seeing her excited, Asher decided to share his lie that he had told Alissa. 

"Hey, so umm, I have been poisoned, you know for like 3 years". 

"What? When did you start getting poisoned?" Xinyue leaned in, her eyes widening with concern and intrigue.

So, Asher told her a shortened version of the scene, watching her reaction closely.

"That's pretty messed up, using your own guardians... That guy sure has some nerve," Xinyue said, her tone a mix of admiration and disdain.

"Do you want my help to deal with him?" Xinyue offered.

"I don't know, I will ask Alissa but I don't think we will" Asher said.

"So let me continue, When the posion reached a critical point, the Locket seemed to break some of its conditions and share its knowledge," Asher said, mixing the timeline a bit.

"It was an inner energy management technique to show explosive strength or speed." Asher said wanting to see her reactions

"Only that…" Xinyue's initial disappointment flickered across her face, a stark contrast to Alissa's reaction. Noticing Asher's look, she quickly added, "I mean, it's good for you."

'So an technique to increase strength and inner energy is quite common.' Asher thought reading Xinyue reaction.

"But then why... did you have to go to such extremes? Did you try to bring the Spirit?" Xinyue asked, her impatience creeping into her voice.

"I was getting into it… And no, I don't why the spirit was there. So the main reason was to remove impurities through blood…," he said, his voice trailing off as he sensed her understanding.

"Ah, that's reasonable, You got impurities but they were at  the level that the your Locket helped, so it must be quite serious right? Thats why you do it in infirmary" she queried, her curiosity piqued yet again.

"Did your fight agitate you that the poison reacted?" Xinyue muttered. But before she can say anything else paused as Elder Su appeared before them.

'' Asher thought as he felt Elder Su glance toward him.

Elder Su suddenly came in, looking serious. "Sorry, Princess, but Captain Darius is here," she said, eyeing Asher as if he was the reason.

Xinyue, surprised, asked, "Huh? Why is the Captain here?" But then, catching Elder Su's meaningful look,  she stopped as if she realized something. "Well, invite him in," she said, her curiosity piqued.

"You did something stupid, didn't you? I should've known when you arrived with Elder Su without any scratch," she sighed, half annoyed, half amused at Asher.

"Princess, my apologies for the intrusion," Captain Darius began, his voice polite but firm.

"It's no trouble. I understand it's part of your responsibilities," Xinyue responded gracefully, trying to maintain a formal air.

Noticeing the shift in Xinyue's demeanor, Asher felt his mouth twitching. 'You wouldn't even believe that this girl is an over excited nerd who likes to read fairy tales. Jade beauties sure are unfathomable.'

Captain Darius then turned to Asher with a less friendly tone. "Brat, you really know how to stir up trouble, don't you? Couldn't you wait until the Councilor's meeting before causing a scene?"

Asher acted taken aback. "The Councilor wants to see me?" he asked, not really surprised.

"Last time, she was just asking for you," Captain Darius replied, his eyes narrowing. "Now, you've been summoned because of your earlier antics."

Xinyue couldn't help but interrupt, curious and concerned. "What behavior?" she asked, finding it strange that Asher would be summoned for acting out. Usually, trouble found him, not the other way around.

Captain Darius explained, "He slammed Jolan's head into a table and broke his nose at breakfast."

"What?! You did what?" Xinyue couldn't maintain her composed facade, her surprise breaking through. She quickly looked Asher over, as if checking for injuries. "You don't seem hurt, though."

Asher felt a mix of embarrassment and irritation. 'Does she expect me to get beaten up every time something happens?' he wondered as he thought about his reputation.

"Of course, I'm not hurt," Asher replied, trying to brush off the comment. 

With a hint of reluctance, he added, "Let's go, Captain Darius. I suppose we shouldn't keep the Councilor waiting."

Before leaving, Asher turned to Xinyue, "I'll come back after my meeting with the Councilor, if that's okay."

"It's no problem," Xinyue said, her voice returning to its usual calm.

—

As they left Xinyue's place and walked through the busy hallways of the council building, Asher couldn't keep quiet any longer. 

"So, what's the big deal with what I did to Jolan? Was it really that serious?" he asked Captain Darius, looking for some hint.

Captain Darius gave him a look that was a mix of stern and a little understanding. "It's not just the fight, Asher. Jolan is pretty important, and you've caused a problem at a bad time," he explained, keeping his voice low as people passed by them.

Before he can ask more about it, a familiar voice cut through the noise of the hallway.