Skadi, My Wife

It would've been fine if he'd seen them somewhere else—he could've hidden. But this was Lungmen!

He'd lived in Lungmen for over half a year and spent that same time providing free medical care to people in the Lower District. By now, most people there knew Chen An, and even plenty of people in the Upper District recognized him.

Hide in a situation like this? Hide my ass!

If Nian and Dusk got serious, given his reputation in Lungmen, they'd find out where he was within days. Then they'd come knocking, tie him up, drag him back to finish the wedding they hadn't completed back then, and make him their bandit king.

Chen An had no desire whatsoever to be tied up and made into a bandit king—especially not by Nian and Dusk, whom he considered friends, rather than Skadi. So what was there to think about now?

Obviously, he had to pack his bags and get ready to run!

Meanwhile, outside Lungmen.

Chernobog's diplomatic convoy had finally arrived.

Rather than entering Lungmen immediately, the convoy stopped outside the city.

Stepping out of the vehicle and looking at the city before her, one she hadn't seen in so long, Talulah's eyes filled with nostalgia.

After all these years, she had finally returned.

Behind her, Red Skadi wore an expressionless face, though a trace of anticipation lingered in her eyes.

Chen An, would you be here?

Lappland chewed gum and happily whistled. Didn't expect this, did you? I'm back. Get ready for a surprise, you idiot man.

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Nian and Dusk

Night had fallen.

After dinner, Exusiai had planned to stay at Chen An's place as usual and play games. Surprisingly, Chen An didn't agree today. Once dinner was over and he'd cleaned up the dishes, he threw her out without another word.

It wasn't just Exusiai. Texas and Swire had been kicked out too.

"He's not still angry, is he?"

Standing outside the door, Exusiai didn't feel wronged after being kicked out by Chen An. She felt uneasy.

She'd caused Chen An plenty of trouble before, but his reactions had mostly been helpless resignation. Even if he got angry at the time, it would fade before long. This had never happened before—an entire day had passed, and he still seemed to be holding a grudge.

Besides, Chen An had probably stopped being angry already, right? They'd had such a pleasant chat earlier.

A woman's intuition told Exusiai that something had been off about Chen An just now, but she couldn't figure out why. In the end, she could only blame his strange behavior on what she'd done during the day.

Pretending to be angry, she said, "It's just an electric fan. Why's he being so stingy? Besides, I wasn't the only one who broke it... Hmph. Forget it. I'll buy him a new one tomorrow. Let's see how he kicks me out then."

"I don't think he's angry. Chen An said he wanted to talk to Skadi and had some things to do."

Texas frowned. She also felt uneasy, but like Exusiai, she didn't know where that unease came from. She could only voice her doubts based on what she knew of Chen An.

"But what could Chen An possibly want to say to Skadi at this hour? Couldn't he say it during the day? And if it were something private, whether words or deeds, there'd be no need to rush to do it now, would there?"

Texas's words gave Exusiai a sudden flash of inspiration.

Could it be...

Her eyes shifted slyly as she leaned close to the door and pressed an ear against it, trying to eavesdrop on what was happening inside. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear a thing.

At that moment, Texas added, "And Chen An asked me a strange question during the day. He asked what I wanted—what I truly wanted right now... Strange. He'd just given me two boxes of Pocky as a gift. Why would he ask me something like that?"

"Huh? Chen An asked you that too?"

Exusiai, who had been frustrated by her failed eavesdropping, froze and looked over in surprise. "He asked me too. Texas, how did you answer?"

"A weapon. I want a new sword."

"Pretty much the same for me, except I want eight guns. Every angel has her own Guardian Gun, but one isn't enough."

Exusiai raised her brows smugly, but immediately became dejected. "But guns aren't easy to come by, especially outside Laterano. It's been so long, and I haven't seen a single gun that satisfies me."

She went on to swear, "If Chen An can really get me a Guardian Gun I like, I don't need that many. Even one or two would be enough for me to fulfill that promise from last time and warm his bed!"

Texas: "..."

She suspected Exusiai only said that because she wanted an excuse to sleep with Chen An, but she had no proof.

Having listened to Exusiai and Texas's analysis, Swire's tail unconsciously curled in circles as she muttered, "So he asked you two that question too... Chen An really was strange today."

Exusiai found that odd. "Chen An asked you too, Swire? What did you say?"

Swire didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Do either of you know people named Nian and Dusk?"

Exusiai and Texas exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads.

Texas asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Because Chen An seemed to become strange because of those two people."

Swire's brows were tightly furrowed as she bit her thumb, looking rather cute. "At the park during the day, he seemed to see two people with those names. Before that, he was perfectly fine, but afterward, he immediately called me and ran back here. He didn't look back once the whole way, as if something were chasing him from behind."

It felt like a thief seeing a soldier... No, that wasn't right. He hadn't looked as tense as someone seeing their natural enemy. Was it more like a person seeing a monster? That wasn't right either, because he hadn't seemed afraid.

Chen An had looked flustered then, but the only emotion she could sense from him seemed to be helplessness.

Like the helpless, speechless look he wore whenever Skadi grabbed his clothes and rubbed against him fiercely—only much more intense.

Texas's gaze turned slightly cold. "Were they enemies from his past?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

Swire shook her head. She didn't particularly like Exusiai and Texas—not that she hated them, but it annoyed her that they were so close to Chen An.

Normally, aside from Chen An's house, she pretended not to see them whenever they met. But now, sensing that something was subtly wrong, she decisively set aside her irritation and discussed what exactly had happened to Chen An today with the two of them.

Unfortunately, after discussing it for a long while, they reached no conclusion. None of them knew who Nian and Dusk were, and they knew little about Chen An's past.

In the end, the only conclusion they reached was, "Let's find a chance to ask Chen An tomorrow." Filled with confusion and doubt, the three went home separately.

Under a bridge.

Flames danced above the bonfire, illuminating the small space beneath the bridge.

Not far away, neon lights flickered and thousands of homes shone brightly.

Without identification and too lazy to deal with outsiders, Dusk had no choice but to watch Nian, who had found this place as a temporary shelter, absentmindedly poke at the burning sticks in the fire with a branch.

...In any case, with Dusk around, even sleeping under a bridge could be comfortable.

"Another day with no results~"

Entertaining herself with a summary of the day's gains, optimistic Nian—who was exceptionally good at finding her own fun—muttered to herself for quite a while. Then she suddenly glanced at Dusk beside her, who had her eyes closed as if resting.

"Dusk, how about we go somewhere else tomorrow? Let's take a look around Lungmen's slums."

"Reason." Dusk opened her eyes, her tone cool and detached.

"Obviously, because that guy's a good person."

Nian spoke with great seriousness as she analyzed the matter for her cold beauty of a younger sister. "You know it too, right? He says he's not a good person, but in reality, he's one hell of a good guy! He helps people without asking for anything in return, saying it's just a good deed for the day. I've lived this long, and I've never seen anyone like him."

"Sometimes he makes you feel like he grew an extra mouth just so you could punch him to death, but you can't deny it—he's a good person who makes everyone like him and loves helping people. And that guy's really down-to-earth. He can handle noble life, but he prefers hanging around ordinary people."

"I asked around. Lungmen's Lower District is the slums. There are lots of the Infected there, and plenty of people living difficult lives. If he came to Lungmen, with his personality, he'd definitely go there. He might not necessarily help change anything for the people there, but he seems able to treat Oripathy. With so many of the Infected living in the slums, wouldn't it be perfectly normal for him to work there as a traveling doctor and treat people?"

Nian spoke with absolute certainty. "As long as he appeared in the slums and treated people, we can use that as a clue to find him. Once we find a clue about him, we'll definitely find him. I said so!"

Dusk said nothing, staring at the dancing flames in the bonfire.

The firelight reddened her cool face, transforming into illusory flames that danced in her eyes.

"It's just..."

Nian suddenly scratched her head. "If we really find clues about him, what do we do then? That guy obviously only sees us as friends and doesn't want to marry us. Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned around and bolted the instant he realized something was wrong back then. We couldn't even catch up to him."

At that, she couldn't help slapping her thigh in frustration. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't gotten so carried away and let it slip back then, things would've been fine. Damn it, that guy isn't dense at all. He's just too free-spirited and takes everything lightly. A friend is a friend to him, and once he sees someone as a friend, he'll never think anything more of it."

"If I'd been more careful and finished the wedding, our status in his eyes could've changed into wives. Even if the truth came out afterward, things probably wouldn't have ended up like this. Damn it!"

Dusk ignored Nian's frustration—she was afraid that if she responded, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from beating her to death!

Nian continued, "Dusk, don't keep ignoring me. Seriously, what do we do if we find Chen An? He didn't want to marry us back then, and he definitely won't now. Even if we really find him, he'll surely run away again. I don't know whether he can fight, but he's genuinely amazing at slipping away when things go bad. When he ran from the wedding, all twelve of us tried to catch him, but we still couldn't. He got away. Now there are only two of us—we won't be able to catch him."

"The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge."

Dusk finally spoke, her voice still as cool as ever. "If we can't catch him once, then twice. If we can't catch him twice, then three times. We have plenty of time. He can't escape."

She looked toward the neon-lit city in the distance, as though speaking to Nian and also to herself. "Whether we completed the vows or not, the wedding began. That is a fact. In my heart, he is already my husband. He untangled my heart and stole it away, then wants to leave as though nothing happened. I will never allow that."

Dusk's voice was soft, but her words landed with force, filled with unwavering determination.

Chernobog's diplomatic delegation had arrived in Lungmen during the day, but negotiations for cooperation with Lungmen had not yet begun.

For the entire day, Talulah, FrostNova, Shining, and the others had toured Lungmen's bustling streets under the guidance of an envoy sent by Lungmen.

Lungmen was Talulah's hometown, but she had been away from it for nearly ten years.

Lungmen's development changed with every passing day. After so much time, the city had long since become unrecognizable.

As she traveled through the city, Talulah was deeply astonished by its many changes, but at the same time, a sense of pride rose naturally within her.

Chernobog might have been her city, but this was her hometown.

And after the tour ended and night fell.

After resting for a while in the courtyard residence arranged by Lungmen, Talulah picked up her weapon and left alone without telling anyone.

Talulah and Wei Yenwu

The stars glittered brilliantly, carpeting the boundless night sky.

The bright silver moon cast down light like a silken veil.

Tonight, the stars and moon shone brightly.

Traveling alone with her weapon in hand, Talulah made her way beneath the stars and moon to Lungmen Central District—to the residence of Wei Yenwu, where she had once lived and where so many memories of her childhood remained.

As Lungmen's governor, Wei Yenwu's residence was enormous. Naturally, it could not possibly house only himself and his wife, Wei Wen-yue.

Servants, guards, people of all sorts of status—altogether, several dozen people lived in the Wei Residence.

Under normal circumstances, even at night, the Wei Residence would be brightly lit. It couldn't be called noisy, but it was certainly full of life.

Tonight, however, the Wei Residence was silent as a grave, as if no one were inside.

Not only that, Talulah was clearly armed and seemed to have hostile intentions, yet Wei Yenwu's guards—the hidden guards stationed around the Wei Residence—never appeared from beginning to end, as though they did not exist.

She walked through the grounds as if no one were there and stepped into the Wei Residence, whose doors stood wide open.

—Wei Yenwu is the enemy who killed your father.

Ten years ago, when Koschei abducted her, that was what he told her.

Thus, young Talulah had been filled with hatred for Wei Yenwu.

To avenge her father's death, she left behind her younger sister Ch'en, who had not dared to leave with her, and departed Lungmen with Koschei for Ursus. In an instant, she changed from Wei Yenwu's niece into Koschei's adopted daughter.

During those days, to make future revenge easier, she memorized everything she knew about Wei Yenwu. Among those things was Wei Yenwu's habit of going alone to a certain side courtyard to smoke and stare blankly whenever he had something on his mind or was in a bad mood.

Now that she knew the truth of the past—that rather than having been killed by Wei Yenwu, her father had been driven to death by Koschei—Talulah's years with the Reunion Movement had gradually diluted her hatred for Wei Yenwu.

She had seen too much misery and too much helplessness. Now, she understood herself and understood what the supposed blood feud between herself and Wei Yenwu truly was.

Yet she had not forgotten the things she had once forced herself to remember.

She did not know whether Wei Yenwu's habits had changed over the years, but after arriving at the Wei Residence and finding it seemingly empty, she already knew that her uncle Wei Yenwu had guessed she would come tonight. Her destination was immediately clear.