Danjin hid in the bushes again and waited.
She was like a patient hunter, every movement revealing ample experience.
Before long, a noise came from the camp.
Ling An stared in disbelief. There really was someone!
A boy pushed open a lid and poked his head out of a wooden crate outside the camp.
The boy looked quite young. He cautiously surveyed what remained of the camp.
Grief filled his eyes.
Then, as though he had noticed something, he hurried over and threw himself onto the corpse of the man who had led Ling An and Danjin here.
He let out a grief-stricken wail.
He mumbled incoherently about his father and revenge.
It seemed they were father and son.
Was she going to wipe out the entire family? Ling An looked at Danjin.
Going by novel tropes, the one who appeared at a time like this was the real protagonist.
Someone carrying a blood feud, out to avenge his father and all that.
Danjin rose from the bushes and slowly approached under the boy's stunned gaze.
"No, don't kill me!" The boy sat on the ground, scrambling backward, his eyes filled with pleading.
Danjin stood before him, cold as ice.
Under the boy's bewildered gaze, Danjin unfastened the Crimson Blade and the Unpolished Jade, then took a piece of Dragon Beard Pastry from inside her clothes and placed them before him one after another.
"Pick one. Pick wrong, and you die." Danjin smiled.
The boy lowered his head numbly. Three choices lay before him-
The Crimson Blade, the Unpolished Jade, and the Dragon Beard Pastry.
Silence hung over them for several minutes.
Sweat covered the boy's forehead as he shakily reached out and placed his finger on the Dragon Beard Pastry.
He raised his head and forced a smile. "I want to live."
Danjin leaned down slightly and asked softly, "Why did you choose the Dragon Beard Pastry?"
Hearing Danjin's tone soften a little, the boy wiped away his sweat and explained:
"If I choose this blade, it means I'm too murderous. You definitely wouldn't let me go."
Danjin nodded. "That's right."
The boy continued, "If I choose this jade, it means I'm too greedy. Sooner or later, I'd harm other people. You still definitely wouldn't let me go."
Ling An couldn't help admiring him.
This kid was seriously smart.
Every word of his analysis matched what Ling An was thinking.
No wonder he had chosen the Dragon Beard Pastry. Of the three options, it was probably the only correct one.
Just as Ling An waited for the boy to explain why he had chosen the Dragon Beard Pastry, Danjin spoke.
She smiled. "So you chose the Dragon Beard Pastry because you're too calculating."
The boy froze. "No-"
Danjin retrieved the Crimson Blade, and its blood-red gleam traced a circle around the boy's neck.
Thud.
It was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Ling An was dumbfounded.
So he would die no matter what he picked.
Ling An suddenly felt that he couldn't quite figure Danjin out.
When she was innocent, she was as bright as a ray of sunshine;
When she killed, she was as decisive as the Crimson Blade at her waist.
After the boy died, the killing intent lingering around Danjin gradually dissipated.
In an instant, she became that harmless, adorable girl again.
The sunset was beautiful just then. She turned back, and the amber light reflected in her clear blue eyes, suffusing them with an indelible charm.
She smiled, her smile light and lovely.
At that moment, Ling An suddenly felt-
He might never forget this scene.
Golden sunset light spilled over Jinzhou City as the red-haired girl returned from afar with a gray cat in her arms.
Ling An lay in Danjin's arms, silently thinking.
Just moments ago, he had remembered Danjin's past.
So he simply let her hold him and chatter away.
Perhaps this girl, who had carried a blood feud and been alone since childhood, needed a little warmth and comfort too.
"Danjin, you're back? Have fun out there?" a guard at the city gate asked with a smile.
Danjin nodded emphatically. "Yes!"
"A group of residents who went missing came back just now. One young man said you saved them. Well done." The guard gave her a thumbs-up.
Danjin rubbed her head sheepishly and chuckled, looking rather shy.
Ling An could tell she was happy.
After a brief greeting, the guard let them into the city. Danjin hummed as she strolled along the road.
Suddenly, her light steps stopped, and she made a puzzled sound. "Huh?"
Ling An poked his head out of the crook of her arm curiously.
Up ahead stood Tide Sis, black-haired and golden-eyed, wearing an exaggerated fake smile.
Ling An's feline body shuddered.
Then he slowly tucked his head back in.
Oh crap. I'm dead!
How had I forgotten about Tide Sis?
"Miss? Who are you?" Danjin asked in confusion.
Tide Sis walked up to her, step by step, and gently pointed at Ling An in her arms.
Danjin smacked her forehead and held Ling An out with both hands. "Oh, he's your kitten! Here you go. Keep a closer eye on him next time. Don't let him wander off!"
Ling An cracked his tightly shut eyes open a sliver.
He saw Tide Sis's gentle smile and heard her voice through gritted teeth. "Don't worry. I'll take very good care of him!"
"Great! I'm Danjin. See you next time, kitty."
Danjin gave Ling An's head one last stroke and walked cheerfully away.
By now, Ling An had lost all hope.
Just leave already. Why did you have to pet me one last time?
Do you realize that one stroke brought me another step closer to death?
Still, it felt pretty nice.
Ling An narrowed his eyes in pleasure, then plunged headfirst into Tide Sis's arms.
He began playing dead.
He was just a harmless little kitten.
He didn't understand any of that weird stuff.
"Why aren't you talking?" Tide Sis's tone was "gentle" as her slender hands stroked him stiffly.
Ling An said, "Meow."
Tide Sis's voice turned cold. "Don't play dumb. I need an explanation."
Ling An said, "Meow-"
Tide Sis said, "Meow again, and I'll toss you out!"
"Ahem, ahem!" Ling An coughed awkwardly twice.
"My lady, your humble consort has been wronged!"
"How so?"
"I had no choice. She picked me up and carried me off without a word. I couldn't resist while we were in the city."
Ling An answered honestly. He really wasn't lying.
"What about outside the city?"
"Outside... It wouldn't have been nice to suddenly transform and scare a young girl!" Ling An grew more confident, as though he had found a lifeline.
"All right, I'll let you off this time." Tide Sis's tone suddenly relaxed.
"Huh? That easy?" Ling An froze.
The oppressive aura around Tide Sis just now had been even more terrifying than Danjin's when she was killing.
He had truly experienced what it meant to be caught in romantic crossfire.
And that was it?
In that case, I'd dare do it again next time.
"But you still have to be punished." Tide Sis narrowed her eyes, a hint of danger in her gaze.
"What punishment?" Ling An asked quietly.
Was she going to make me kill a few Tacet Discords and bring back some Echoes to nourish Tide Sis?
I was good at that.
As Ling An let his imagination run wild, Tide Sis spoke slowly, her tone carrying unquestionable resolve and a hint of anticipation:
"Your punishment is to turn back into your original form tonight and play with me."
Before you continue