Every time he had narrowly escaped danger, back when he was young and daring, he and Little Beauty would look at each other and laugh happily.
Those were all precious memories to him.
Sadly, as he grew older, he no longer had the strength for some of those adventures, even if he wanted to try.
In recent years, he had mostly gone swimming leisurely in the sea with Little Beauty.
Or he would sit on the beach and chat with Little Beauty, who would poke her head above the water.
They would tell each other about what they had seen and done.
The sky overhead was vast, the sunlight bright.
The sea before him was clear, its surface glittering.
Everything was so beautiful.
"Old Master Zhao, Little Beauty gave me a task to do this time, too."
Xiao Xiao's lips curled up slightly.
The old man paused.
"Little Beauty gave you a task, too?"
"What is it?"
The old man was curious.
Xiao Xiao took a black velvet bag from his own bag and handed it to the old man.
The old man looked at the bag, then at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao smiled and nodded.
"Take a look."
"This is a gift from Little Beauty."
A gift from Little Beauty?
The old man's face showed a look of understanding.
So that was it.
This wasn't the first time he'd received a gift from Little Beauty.
He almost always brought Little Beauty a little gift whenever he went to visit.
After all, they only saw each other once a year.
He wanted to make the occasion a little more special.
Once Little Beauty understood what a gift meant, she brought him one the next time, too.
The first time he received a gift from Little Beauty, he was