Details of the Past

"Damn it, where did that brat run off to?" A voice suddenly rang out on the street, sounding somewhat hurried, followed by what seemed to be a response from another person before they both ran off again.

Have I been targeted after all? Zhang Ruofeng muttered silently from the shadows of a corner. The two men chasing him had just been customers at the shop, but judging by their demeanor and the fact that they weren't carrying weapons, Zhang Ruofeng felt that some deity had finally decided to test him. However, these two adventurers were clearly only Level 1, so he had easily shaken them off. Even so, Zhang Ruofeng let out a breath. He had already equipped his arm guards; if these two had discovered him, he wouldn't have minded a fight. After all, based on his earlier observations, their speed was on par with his own, and their overall strength was at most equal to his. He was confident he could escape if things got messy.

Zhang Ruofeng waited a while longer, confirming that the two had indeed lost his trail and left. He stepped out of the corner and looked around. The night in Orario was very peaceful, especially since he had retreated to a more secluded area to avoid the two adventurers, making the surroundings feel deathly quiet.

"Time to head back." Seeing that the danger had passed, Zhang Ruofeng immediately began to run along the route he remembered. After running for about half an hour, he finally arrived at the northeastern district where his Familia was located. Because the population density was higher here and many people were still on their way home or out for a stroll at night, Zhang Ruofeng's guarded mood eased. After all, adventurers were constrained by the Guild and wouldn't dare start a fight on the streets so easily.

"Oh, you're back." Fura had just finished bathing and was sitting at the round table where she usually drank tea, combing her long red hair. Seeing the panting Zhang Ruofeng, she asked with some curiosity, "What happened?"

"Nothing." Zhang Ruofeng replied flatly, unstrapping his arm guards. "Just testing the effect of wearing them. They're quite heavy, after all."

"Wow, the smell of alcohol is quite strong," the goddess said as she handed Zhang Ruofeng a towel to wipe his sweat. "You drank quite a bit with that craftsman."

"Yeah, sorry." Zhang Ruofeng didn't know if his goddess was averse to drinking, so he apologized.

"Drinking is fine, really." The goddess looked at Zhang Ruofeng, who seemed afraid of being scolded, and found it amusing. She pulled back the towel she was about to hand him, stepped forward, and wiped the sweat from his forehead herself. "There's almost no god who doesn't like to drink, you know? We've lived for tens of millions of years; drinking at gatherings is common sense. No need to apologize for that."

Zhang Ruofeng's face, already flushed from exercise, turned even redder. Although he was often with Xin Mu, he had yet to find a way to handle a goddess who was even more beautiful than a school-belle-level girl like Xin Mu, and who could fearlessly step into his personal space. Every time, he ended up fleeing in a panic.

"Hahaha, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Go upstairs and take a bath; Xin Mu should be finished by now." After the goddess finished speaking, she sat back in her chair and continued to carefully comb her hair. Zhang Ruofeng walked to the second floor and found that Xin Mu had also finished bathing and was sitting on the bed, staring blankly out the window.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Ruofeng looked at the dazed Xin Mu. She just shook her head blankly, frowning slightly as she said, "The smell of alcohol, the smell of sweat... it's so strong."

"Hahaha..." Zhang Ruofeng had spent the whole afternoon busy after practicing combat with Xin Mu, and he had sprinted all the way back tonight, so the smell of sweat on him was definitely noticeable. He didn't say anything more and went straight to take a bath.

After his bath, Zhang Ruofeng felt refreshed, but fatigue soon washed over him. After all, he had consumed quite a bit of alcohol today. Even though his physical fitness was far beyond that of an ordinary person, the fact that he could get tired remained unchanged. When he returned to the room, he found that Xin Mu had already curled up to sleep. Zhang Ruofeng turned off the lights and lay down in his usual position, back turned to Xin Mu, his eyes fixed on the moonlight outside the window as he waited for sleep to take him. He heard Xin Mu stir behind him, but he maintained his habit and didn't look in her direction. Then, he felt something crawl into his quilt. Zhang Ruofeng knew it had to be Xin Mu.

"Hmm?" Zhang Ruofeng's body went rigid. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't stop his desire from surging, and at the same time, a sense of heartache began to rise. "What's wrong, Xin Mu? You should know I refuse this kind of intimacy." Zhang Ruofeng tried to move away, but Xin Mu wrapped her arms around him from behind, pinning him in place.

"Didn't you promise you would help me with one thing within your power?" Xin Mu's voice sounded from behind him. "I won't do anything else; I just want to sleep holding you like this."

"But this is already beyond my capacity..." Before Zhang Ruofeng could finish, Xin Mu's voice ruthlessly interrupted him.

"Ruofeng, do you remember the name of the restaurant on the far left across from the school?" Xin Mu asked, her voice sounding hesitant.

"Hmm?" Zhang Ruofeng's attention was instantly captured, and he began to ponder the question. He only remembered that he really liked their shredded pork with green peppers over rice, but he couldn't recall the name of the shop for the life of him. "I only remember you hated their pickled fish."

"Yeah, but like me, you can't remember its name either, can you?" Xin Mu asked.

"It's nothing. We didn't go there that often anyway; only the shredded pork with green peppers was good," Zhang Ruofeng comforted her, though he had already guessed what Xin Mu was getting at.

"This world is wonderful, but our understanding of it is too shallow. It's been nearly 30 days since we arrived. Every day we've been frantically trying to learn the customs, traditions, and legends of this world, and Perman told me you've been under a lot of pressure because of me." Xin Mu held Zhang Ruofeng tightly, seemingly trembling. "I've thought about a lot these past few days, but I still haven't figured it out. I've even started to forget the details of our original world that I didn't usually pay attention to. I'm scared."

Zhang Ruofeng's mouth turned bitter. The goddess had only said there was a possibility of finding a way home; he didn't even dare to think about whether it was truly possible. So, although he had been thinking about this problem constantly, he had been trying his best to suppress the fear rising in his heart. Now that Xin Mu had brought it up, Zhang Ruofeng couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Actually, I'm thinking right now," Zhang Ruofeng smiled with great effort, "about my Platinum rank! I must have dropped to Diamond by now."

"No more nonsense." After Xin Mu finished speaking, she pinched Zhang Ruofeng's waist hard.