I Was Wrong, But I'll Dare Again Next Time

"Who?" Chen An pointed the scale sword condensed in his hand at the shadows and shouted in a low voice.

The shadows stirred, and a slender figure slowly emerged.

Moonlight outlined her neat high ponytail. The narrow blade in her hand radiated a cold, starlike gleam—it was the Star God Sword.

Ye Xinglan? What a coincidence.

At least it wasn't some big villain stepping out of the shadows applauding after I beat a few lackeys, saying, "Well done."

Ye Xinglan gave a slight nod, her cool eyes lingering on Chen An for a moment.

She had noticed the conspicuous yellow Soul Ring and the composure on Chen An's face that did not match his age.

A one-ring Soul Master daring to pursue two three-ring Soul Exalts—his temperament and courage were far beyond ordinary.

She spoke calmly, her voice as cool as her sword. "Who are you?"

Chen An smiled. He had never registered his martial soul at the Spirit Pagoda, and now was definitely not the time to draw attention.

The roar of the Sky Patrol Team's soul-powered engines drew closer. Without waiting for Ye Xinglan to react, Chen An's figure flickered and slipped silently into the darkness like a fish.

Ye Xinglan glanced at the fallen Evil Soul Masters, then looked toward the direction he had left.

"Those were... fish scales?"

Chen An quickly returned to the bushes where Na'er was hiding. Na'er happily grabbed his arms and checked him for injuries.

"I told you, they couldn't hurt me."

With a serious expression, Chen An spoke softly and took Na'er's little hand.

"Let's go."

Na'er obediently asked no questions and simply followed closely behind him.

The two avoided the approaching Sky Patrol Team soul-powered vehicles and silently slipped out through a damaged fence on the other side of the amusement park.

After leaving that troublesome place, Chen An led Na'er into the bustling nighttime crowds of Shrek City, and they soon vanished without a trace.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

Without a fixed home, Chen An and Na'er wandered aimlessly.

Sometimes they stayed in parks, and sometimes they blended into noisy marketplaces.

On rainy days, Chen An would happily step out from under the eaves to get drenched. Though he explained that it benefited his bloodline, Na'er still felt that he simply had a little habit of enjoying the rain.

Chen An did not deliberately meditate or cultivate. Spending so much time with Na'er, the resonance of their dragon bloodlines pushed his soul power from level 12 to level 14.

Later, they boarded a soul-powered train that crossed the continent.

The train sped along its dedicated tracks at an incredible pace, the scenery outside the windows rapidly receding.

When the train crossed an elevated bridge built along the coastline, Chen An opened the window.

A vast, boundless ocean came into view, its azure waters merging with the horizon.

The salty, powerful sea wind howled into the carriage, tossing Chen An and Na'er's hair.

Na'er excitedly leaned against the window, her little face nearly sticking out as she let out a silvery laugh.

Seeing how happy she was, Chen An's mood brightened as well. He copied her, raising both arms high and letting the sea wind fill his sleeves as though he wanted to embrace this free and open world.

The train stopped at a small coastal town.

Chen An took Na'er to a golden beach.

Sunshine, waves, and fine sand formed the purest kind of joy.

Na'er ran barefoot across the beach, leaving strings of tiny footprints behind. Every now and then, she bent down to pick up shells pushed ashore by the waves.

Chen An, meanwhile, lazily lay on the warm sand, letting the fine grains cover his body as he enjoyed the caress of sunlight and sea breeze. The affinity between his martial soul and the natural surroundings made him feel incomparably comfortable.

Once they were tired from playing, Chen An held Na'er's hand and walked over to a cold drink stall by the beach.

He bought a brightly colored balloon and tied it around Na'er's fair, tender wrist.

The balloon bobbed in the air, just a head taller than Na'er.

"Want some ice cream?"

Chen An rubbed her silver hair, then pulled out a Federal Credit and stuffed it into her hand. "Go buy your favorite flavor."

"Mm!"

Na'er nodded heavily, clutching the money as she happily ran toward the food truck in the distance. The balloon on her wrist swayed in the wind.

Chen An smiled at her skipping figure, his gaze gentle.

He casually sat down in a beach chair and comfortably faced the sea breeze.

This kind of carefree life was pretty comfortable too.

If things could go on like this forever—no Evil Soul Masters, no invasion from the Abyss Plane, no conflict between soul beasts and humans—if they could simply live ordinary lives, how wonderful would that be?

He could not help sighing softly, voicing that inexplicable feeling aloud.

"If only things could stay like this forever..."

"Yeah. Not having to worry about anything feels like quite an accomplishment."

"You think so too?"

Before his words even faded, Chen An's body suddenly stiffened!

Stay like this forever... how wonderful?

Wait, who was he talking to?

On the beach chair beside Chen An, a graceful figure had appeared at some unknown time.

Long purple hair cascaded down to her waist, gleaming with an eerie luster beneath the sunlight.

A dark, fitted long dress accentuated her tall and delicate curves. Her purple eyes held a trace of amusement and undisguised coldness as she glanced sideways at him.

Zi Ji!

When had she arrived?! He had not sensed her at all!

A chill shot up Chen An's spine and spread through his entire body. All his previous ease and relaxation vanished instantly. His heart clenched, and cold sweat soaked his back.

This had to be a hallucination. He would put on his sunglasses and take another look.

Just as he reached for them, a slender hand shot over and yanked his ear.

"You didn't see wrong. It's your Sister Zi Ji."

"Ah! Sister, I was wrong!"

Beep—

In a shady alley by the roadside.

Chen An lowered his head, assuming a standard pose of surrender.

The leisurely comfort he had felt on the beach had long disappeared like the receding tide.

Zi Ji stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a mottled wall. Her purple hair gave off a cold gleam in the shadows.

She extended a slender finger, ruthlessly pinched Chen An's ear, and gave it a gentle twist.

"What are you doing here?"

Zi Ji's voice was icy.

"I... Sister Zi Ji... I can explain..."

Chen An sucked in a breath, trying to keep his voice steady as he dared not struggle.

"Explain?"

Zi Ji raised a brow, adding a little more force as her tone dripped with mockery.

"And what if you can't explain yourself?"

"I... I'll go buy you a drink to apologize right now?"

Chen An tried to resolve the crisis with money.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Zi Ji released him, but her gaze still scraped over Chen An like knives.

The great weight in her heart finally eased. Ever since Chen An had left the Star Dou Great Forest and gone so long without any news, she had been deeply worried.

Now that she saw him safe and sound with her own eyes, even looking healthy and rosy, her anxiety finally subsided somewhat. But she absolutely could not soften her words.

Chen An noticed her concern and seized the opportunity. His inner actor emerged as he covered his ear and pretended to look pitiful, even making his voice tremble with grievance.

"Sister Zi Ji, you have no idea what kind of life I've lived these past few months. Every day, I had to scavenge scraps, eat leftovers, guard against Evil Soul Masters, and coax the Lord.

"The hearts of people in this world are far more complicated than the soul beasts in the forest. I've lost a whole circle of weight. Feel my arm—it's all skin and bones..."

Zi Ji looked at Chen An's skinny little frame. Though she knew this brat was most likely acting.

Still, seeing his expression of utter suffering, the corner of her mouth twitched despite herself.

She slapped Chen An on the back. Her strength was perfectly controlled, not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him stagger.

"Cut it out! You look perfectly fine to me!"

Zi Ji's words remained sharp.

"Who was that sitting on the beach with his legs crossed, enjoying the sea breeze, looking like he was living in peaceful bliss?

"I'd say you've been having a wonderful time. You've probably even forgotten your mission, your name, and who you are, haven't you?"

"Ow! Stop, stop, Sister, go easy! My bones are going to break!"

Chen An cried out exaggeratedly, dodging to the side and ending up directly behind Na'er.

Na'er, who had been holding back her laughter until it almost hurt, finally burst out laughing. She was still holding the ice cream that was nearly melted.

Yet when facing Na'er, the Lord, Zi Ji wore an entirely different expression.

Her tall body bent down, and she dropped to one knee with her head lowered in utmost respect.

"My Lord."

"It's fine. Get up." Na'er's tone was gentle.

The moment Zi Ji looked up, she saw Chen An with his hand on Na'er's shoulder, poking his head out from behind her. The sight left her unable to form a complete sentence for quite a while.

"M-My... My Lord?"

Na'er indicated that it was fine. "He brought me to understand the human world. On the surface, we need an identity."

Zi Ji had no objection. "Understood."

Chen An had found Na'er through the Silver Dragon King's Dragon Scale. As for why Zi Ji had been able to find them, there was only one reason—Gu Yue had awakened.

Zi Ji caught sight of Chen An's head peeking over Na'er's shoulder, plainly declaring, I'm innocent, and I'm in the right. A vein throbbed at her temple.

She took a deep breath and decided to ignore this unruly brat. Turning to Na'er, her tone became exceedingly gentle, though her resolve was beyond question.

"My Lord, Lady Gu Yue has already awakened. It is time for us to return."

She paused, then added.

"Your subordinate deserves death a thousand times over for allowing you to wander outside like this."

At those words, Na'er immediately pouted. Her earlier smile vanished, and her eyes filled with resistance.

"No! I haven't had enough fun yet! There are so many fun things and delicious foods in the human world. I still haven't seen that very tall building—the Spirit Pagoda—or ridden one of those flying ships..."

She softly muttered about the novel things in the human world. Zi Ji felt a headache coming on from listening, but she did not dare reveal even the slightest impatience.

She cast a pleading look at Chen An. Though this boy was unreliable, he was very good at coaxing the Lord. At the moment, she could only rely on him.

Chen An received Zi Ji's look and wailed inwardly, knowing he could not avoid this.

He slowly stepped out from behind Na'er, pulled her closer, and piled the most sincere smile he could manage onto his face.

"Na'er, Sister Zi Ji is right. We have more important things to do, but..."

His tone shifted, and he produced two beautifully wrapped colorful candies from his pocket as if performing a magic trick, placing them in Na'er's hand.

"If you obediently go back with Sister Zi Ji now, I promise that after some time, I'll definitely take you out to play again. I'll take you on a flying ship, to see the tallest building, and I'll buy you lots and lots of ice cream like today's—all kinds of flavors. Okay?"

Na'er looked down at the pretty candies in her hand, then up at Chen An. She hesitated.

The candy was tempting, and the promise sounded lovely, but she was still somewhat reluctant to leave this interesting world.

Chen An struck while the iron was hot, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear.

"Besides, once you become stronger, you can go anywhere you want. We still have plenty of time, and we can experience everything slowly. Everything we're doing now is so we can play more freely in the future."

"The future..."

Na'er blinked, seeming persuaded by that word. Besides, Chen An's promise sounded quite good. Finally, she nodded, reluctantly agreeing.

"Then... then you have to keep your word! And you have to buy me even more tasty things!"

"I'll keep my word, I'll keep my word."

Chen An immediately declared, holding out his little finger.

"Let's pinky swear. It means making a promise."

Na'er copied Chen An's gesture, and their fingers hooked together.

"Pinky swear, one hundred years, no changing."

Seeing this, Zi Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze toward Chen An became much more complicated. This brat might be slick-tongued, but he was genuinely useful at crucial moments.

She composed herself again and respectfully said to Na'er, "My Lord, let us depart at once."

"Mm."

Na'er responded, then turned back to look at the beach and the distant sea, a trace of reluctance flashing through her eyes.

Chen An followed at the rear, looking at Na'er's small back before glancing at Zi Ji.

Zi Ji seemed to sense his gaze. Without turning around, she merely said coldly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Chen An, once we return, I'll settle the matter of your neglect of duty."

Chen An stumbled and nearly fell face-first into the sand. It's over. The reckoning after the harvest has come...

He raised his head and looked at the blue sky and vast sea, sighing inwardly.

This brief period of freedom had finally come to an end.