I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"You bastard..."

Her sword, capable of stirring up the tides, capable of tearing open oceans and splitting canyons, was held in his grasp with just two fingers.

Are these the fragile, bubble-like land dwellers the captain was talking about?

"An uninvited guest, are you not going to let me, Bai, come in and have a seat?"

Daylight swept across her arm, revealing all the wounds.

"……please."

Unable to defeat her opponent, she decisively followed her heart and stepped aside to let him into the house.

"Guests who have traveled far from home to reach this place, can they communicate with their hometown?"

"No."

She hadn't fully recovered from her injuries and didn't know much about the current situation in Da Yan, so how could she communicate with the team?

"The wind and rain were quite strong last night. Did it disturb the guests' rest?"

"Last night...it was you."

She got it.

It turns out that the barrier he created last night was his doing.

"You've already noticed."

"Several people have gone missing from this town, and the culprit has yet to be identified. It's hard to keep this from attracting attention."

Bai Zhou picked up the cup on the table and looked at it. It was very dry. It seemed that this person hadn't touched water for the past two days.

"Does the guest know a more effective way to eliminate them?"

"You've used your so-called Originium Arts, and they've successfully become more troublesome."

But it doesn't matter, since they wouldn't use fire to deal with them in the ocean.

"I tried it, but it wasn't Originium Arts; it was the power of nature."

During the day, I tested the effect with pure fire and water, and with caution, I managed to prevent them from becoming abnormally impervious to fire and water.

"I see. Thank you for clearing up my confusion."

Bai Zhou's words startled her for a moment before she realized what he was talking about.

This land-dweller is so strange.

She didn't say anything, but this guy figured it out.

"In that case, I know how to deal with these disobedient creatures."

Bai Zhou watched her and turned the cup upside down on the table.

"Guests don't need to hide like this. Our Great Yan is open and inclusive. All who come are guests. Guests can walk openly on the street without worrying about those scoundrels."

"..."

That's very simple to say.

She had no credentials. If it were just ordinary business dealings, it wouldn't be a problem. But if it were something like staying at a hotel or writing a letter, without showing her credentials, she feared that the shopkeeper would greet her with a smile one minute and then report her to the authorities the next.

After all, she had seen the notices in the city that the people of Da Yan could receive a reward of five hundred taels of silver if they reported a foreign spy.

One thousand coins equal one tael of silver, so five hundred taels equals five hundred strings of cash, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for ten years.

"It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."

Bai Zhou glanced at the water clock in the room; it was already past Chen Shi (7:45 AM), and he should go buy breakfast for his master.

"If you need anything, you can seek help from the government. Also, I have already paid for your accommodation for the past two days, but you will have to pay for any future expenses yourself."

The strange land dweller walked away, muttering to himself.

She sat back down in her chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tsk, no manners at all."

Not only did they barge in uninvited, but they also didn't put the cup back after they left.

She frowned and turned the teacup that was upside down on the table over.

"..."

A few gleaming silver coins were placed on the table, their faint light shining brighter than the sun today.

"This guy... isn't too bad."

■

"Gurgle..."

My throat hurts... I feel so dizzy...

He shouldn't have gulped down so much alcohol.

But if I don't drink it heartily, the little guy will look down on me.

After all, it was her who brought out the big bowl; it wouldn't make sense for her to sip it in small mouthfuls.

but……

"Sir, you're awake. Is anything bothering you? Does your throat hurt? Here, have some soup; it'll help you sober up."

The artist, still somewhat tipsy, was enveloped and overwhelmed by the earnest care. Her thoughts were still a bit muddled, and she could only mumble "Aba aba" as she accepted Bai Zheng's attention.

"Ah Xi... Waaah... It's hot..."

The soup was so hot again, and my tongue got burned.

She turned her head away, her face fell, and buried herself in his arms, refusing to look up.

"gentlemen……"

"Ah Xi, let me sleep a little longer, okay? Just a little longer and I'll feel better."

She doesn't want to drink anything right now. She's dizzy and the feeling of being drunk makes her just want to close her eyes and stay still.

"Alright, alright. In that case, please rest assured and get some rest until you recover."

He held her in his arms during the day and helped her lie down again.

"Don't go either..."

Xi grabbed Bai Zhou's sleeve, making Bai Zhou, who had gotten up to prepare the soup, sit back down.

"Okay, I'm right here, sir."

Since Xi didn't want him to leave, he was happy to stay.

Ah Xi...be good and listen to me...like this...it's okay if you're a little more willful and have a little more temper, right?

After all, she's still drunk, and drunk people can say whatever they want. Besides... it's rare for her to be this drunk. Usually, to maintain that all-powerful husband persona, there are many things she can't say to him freely, and many things she can't do with him...

Even though they've been reunited for half a month, and even though they've been apart for so long, the little guy's attitude towards her is completely different from his attitude towards that guy Nian.

They're all from the same old thing, so why are they treated differently?

Why should the little guy carry her on his back when she doesn't want to walk? Why should the little guy invite her to go to the temple fair? Why should the little guy take her to so many places?

Just because she left two months earlier!

She also wanted the little guy to stick close to her, to hear him call her "sister," to be able to talk to her about anything, to be as close to her as... no, even closer than that annoying guy.

Just like the little guy himself said, the two of them are as close as a married couple.

"I want to hear a story... Ah Xi..."

She felt that she shouldn't continue to lie there aimlessly, waiting for the foolish Ah Xi to come and please her.

“The story…I didn’t tell it very well, sir.”

"However, since it is you who want to hear this, please forgive me if I do not explain it well."

"But what story would you like to hear, sir?"

"..."

What are you listening to?

Xi didn't actually want to hear any stories; she just wanted to do something with her little one that they'd never done before. As for the specifics of what that would be… she hadn't thought of anything yet. In a moment of impulsiveness, the words just slipped out.

"...Let me tell you about what happened in Yongning that day."

This is one of the few things she remembers related to the little guy.

It's laughable when you think about it. She, who spent the least time with him and had the least empathy, became the one who stood at the finish line and only needed one more step to win.

Yongning... it's that matter again.

Without much thought, Bai Zhou gently held her hand, looked at her face, and softly began to tell the story he had already told countless times.

"..."

"That's how it was. The cowardly heavens gave in, and this land called Yan once again gained peace and prosperity."

The story is over.

Looking at Xi, who had fallen asleep halfway through the story, Bai Zhou gently smoothed the strands of hair that were draped around her neck.

"Rest assured, sir."

Sister Nian's style doesn't really suit you.

Looking at the slender, soft hand in his, his fingertips slowly caressed the tattoo on her skin. Bai Zhou lowered his head and left a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

"Whether we treat each other with respect and live in perfect harmony, or we are intimate and inseparable, I don't care what I do as long as I am with you."

Even if...

Bai Zhou frowned slightly and subtly switched Xi's right hand from his left to hers.

Ripples appeared, and at the fingertips, thick ink like black feathers gathered densely with those strange things.

After a brief respite following their initial failures, they made a comeback and tried again.

"This is really annoying."