The night after Yong's departure, Xiang Lu was finally found by her family after she had secretly tried to run away from home. Xiang Lu had felt bored and wanted to enjoy the evening breeze, but she was truly lucky to have met a man who shared a similar fate.
Just as they were about to part ways, Xiang Lu suddenly ran away again, slipping out unnoticed. The relaxed guard of her parents caused them to panic when they realized their beloved daughter had disappeared again.
Not long after, a huge, shaggy monster with equally large eyeballs appeared. They were startled and ran in a panic.
Unintentionally leaving their missing daughter behind was truly unavoidable, but how lucky they were to find her again when they returned home. Xiang Lu was fast asleep with scrapes on her feet in front of her own house.
"Is this because of that monster?"
"Yes, it seems so. We'll call for help tomorrow."
The next morning, they decided to seek help. The job finally reached Yong and the short man, whose name was unknown. Their task was to escort the girl until the monster was exterminated by another swordsman. That was the essence of Yong's current job.
"I didn't expect the two of us to meet again," Yong said softly, nodding and looking at Xiang Lu with a happy smile.
"Yes."
"You two know each other?" Xiang Lu's father asked with an unpleasant expression, as if Yong were the villain here.
"No, Father! I was just greeting them from a distance," Xiang Lu replied, not wanting to cause trouble.
Xiang Lu was a cheerful woman. It was a great pity that she couldn't go anywhere when the sun was still shining like this. But her parents were aware of the change in Xiang Lu's demeanor.
The beautiful girl's father smiled and said, "Yesterday you were still sulking and always in your room. What's wrong today? You look very happy."
Xiang Lu nodded enthusiastically with a wide, happy smile. Xiang Lu's cheerful expression made Yong smile unconsciously. The short man then gave Yong a sharp look, a signal to focus on the job.
"Sir, could you please describe the characteristics of the monster?" Yong asked.
The father was silent for a moment, closing his eyes. He was trying to remember the monster's features. After a while, he opened his eyes and began to explain everything.
"It's just my guess that the monster has bad intentions toward my daughter. As I told you, after my daughter disappeared, the monster appeared."
"I understand."
"It has a large body and head, its eyeballs are very round and big. It's also furry. Because it was still dark at the time, we didn't know what kind of animal it was."
"Oh, alright. I understand."
Dusk was approaching, and an orange curtain adorned the sky amid a festive atmosphere where a small festival was being held around the client's house.
The short man was watching from a distance while Yong watched from up close. Remembering Xiang Lu's stubborn habit of wandering off or disappearing, Yong was very cautious.
"This is a cookie, would you like to eat it with me?"
"No, thank you," Yong declined with a smile.
"Why? Are you full?"
Yes, for Yong, he was already very full, especially when he recalled the night he fought with the demon.
"Come on, just eat it. It's delicious." Xiang Lu seemed to be insistent, and because he couldn't refuse, he accepted.
Xiang Lu had a hard time asking her parents for permission to go out, even though she was being targeted, she was still having fun as if there were no problems at all.
"Thank you, Miss Xiang Lu." With his head bowed and eyes closed, Yong felt this was necessary when giving thanks.
"You don't have to be so formal. And besides, I didn't expect you to be working like this. I thought you were still a swordsman."
"My skills may have disappeared, but I am still a swordsman. I believe that about myself," Yong said, looking blankly into the distance.
Seeing a flicker of darkness in his deep gaze, Xiang Lu was startled but remained silent as she walked side by side with Yong. She didn't intend to say what she felt, nor did she intend to think about it.
"Yong, I hope we can meet again and do this once more," Xiang Lu said, full of hope. She stood in front of Yong so that his eyes were focused on her completely.
Her wide, sparkling eyes looked at him warmly, and for a moment Yong was mesmerized. Xiang Lu slowly closed her eyes until she suddenly collapsed on the spot.
"Xiang Lu!"
In a panic, he quickly carried her to a quiet place. Even though they were still in the festival area, this temporary calm made Xiang Lu feel a little safe.
"Are you okay? Here, I'll get you some water," Yong said, offering a drink of plain water.
After drinking it quickly, Xiang Lu laughed as if it were a joke. Yong was silent and frowned, he was truly annoyed that Xiang Lu was taking what had just happened so lightly.
"Don't laugh. You almost fainted. Your resistance is weakening because it's not night yet. We'd better go home immediately," Yong said seriously.
"Don't talk with your face covered," Xiang Lu pleaded, reaching for his hood, but Yong was reluctant to let go of the hood, so he held Xiang Lu's hand that intended to do so.
"Please don't take anything lightly."
"As long as I'm still alive, this is all I can do."
"I said no, is no. Why are you so stubborn," Yong grumbled.
No matter how many times he told her, Xiang Lu still thought the same thing. No matter what happened to her, no matter the situation, she still laughed.
"If only there was a black jade stone, maybe my life would be so much better," Xiang Lu rambled with a bitter smile.
"What do you mean by that?" Yong asked, curious.
"There is."
The man who had been lurking behind the trees now showed himself in front of them. His expression looked annoyed about something. Yong then tilted his head back and returned the sharp gaze.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't let your guard down, not even if you have to go to the bathroom."
"What?"
"If you're a little bit careless, this is the result. We don't know if the monster they're talking about exists or not," he stated firmly.
Carrying out a task is also a great responsibility. Right now, the short man was just trying his best. But sometimes this man emitted an evil aura that for some reason made Yong uncomfortable.
"Not like Zhuge. Does he look strange because of the spirit that possessed him?" Yong thought to himself.
"And about the black jade stone. I'm not sure if it exists, and even if it does, it probably won't be very beneficial," he said.
"No! That stone must exist!" Xiang Lu replied with conviction.