Within the otherworldly Secret Realm Forest, while Fang Ran was still bewildered and wondering if he could only survive in the wilderness,
he finally heard the clear, cheerful sound of a young girl laughing.
He watched as a girl jumped down from an ancient tree, leaves falling in her wake. She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen,
an age where any younger would seem childish, yet any older would lose some of that lively spirit,
giving people such a strange impression.
Her clothing resembled no style from any historical dynasty, yet was certainly not modern either. Her elegant cloud-white sleeves were suited for movement, embellished here and there with exquisitely splendid red brocade.
What startled Fang Ran most was not how perfectly the outfit seemed made for her,
but that the moment she appeared, she began sizing him up from head to toe, as if she had finally encountered something she had long been curious about and wanted to find flowers blooming on him.
"Um... may I ask who you are?"
Unable to withstand that gaze any longer, Fang Ran looked at her and asked tentatively,
"You're Fang Ran, and you recently came to Midnight, right?"
But rather than answer his question, the girl smiled brightly and asked a lively question of her own, leaving Fang Ran to nod blankly in reply.
"Ah, yes. I accepted an invitation from a senior. Grandma Shui sent me here."
"Oh, Grandma Shui."
Hearing the name Fang Ran mentioned, the girl seemed to think for a moment before nodding as though she understood. Then she raised her lighthearted voice again.
"Anyway, you're going to Midnight, right? I'll show you the way."
Without waiting for Fang Ran's response, she turned and walked in one direction.
Fang Ran could only hurriedly follow.
Following the mysterious