Back at the little courtyard.
Yu Qianqian looked at Lu Guan, as good as new, with astonishment in her eyes.
Apart from his tattered flying fish robe, which was covered in blood, the young man did not have so much as a single scar on his body.
His skin was so fair that even she felt she could not compare.
She could not help leaning closer to look. His arms were smooth and unblemished. Where were all those densely packed wounds from before?
"How did you do it?"
Faced with Yu Qianqian's curiosity, Lu Guan's expression did not change as he said calmly:
"It was simple."
"After that battle, I realized my physical body had serious shortcomings, so I went to the Demon Suppression Bureau's storeroom, chose a body-tempering martial art to practice, and made a little progress."
As his words fell, Yu Qianqian blinked, her face blank.
Was that even something a human would say?
She might not practice body tempering, but she had grown up in a prince's household. Through constant exposure, she knew her way around the intricacies of martial arts.
How could body tempering be accomplished in a single leap?
Without years upon years of honing, no peerless prodigy, however extraordinary, could possibly achieve anything.
After all, this did not depend on comprehension. There was no such thing as attaining enlightenment overnight.
Yet Lu Guan had returned after such a short time and claimed he had succeeded in body tempering. What was that supposed to be?
The woman pouted. "Lu Guan, you're lying."
"Are you trying to fool me because I've never studied body-tempering martial arts?"
Lu Guan shook his head at that and did not argue.
After all, these people could not understand his extraordinary talent.
Sometimes, that was how it went. Even when he told the truth, no one believed him.
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't."
"It's time to eat."
Without dwelling on it any further, Yu Qianqian called softly and turned to walk into the kitchen.
It was noon, which was mealtime anyway.
Hearing her words, Lu Guan rubbed his stomach and silently headed toward the kitchen.
What should I make today...
Beef noodles without noodles again?
But before he had taken more than a few steps, his nose twitched. He smelled something strange.
It was sour and acrid, seemingly mixed with a hint of burning, as though someone had burned a pot of charcoal in the kitchen.
"Here..."
The woman emerged from the kitchen, her cheeks slightly flushed, carrying a plate.
"I learned this from Auntie Wang next door. Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. Try some."
Lu Guan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the blackened lump before him.
The eggs were charred black, and the tomatoes had collapsed into a puddle of dark red mush. Stirred together, they gave off an indescribable smell.
This seemed to bear no relation to what the woman had called it.
He lifted his gaze to Yu Qianqian.
A streak of black ash marked her cheek, stretching from her cheekbone to the base of her ear, yet she remained completely unaware of it.
Taking the chopsticks Yu Qianqian offered, Lu Guan tasted a bite.
The flavor exploded in his mouth, sour with bitterness, bitter with char, and beneath the char was a hint of crunchy eggshell.
He chewed twice and swallowed without a change in expression.
"Mm, it tastes good... I'll do the cooking next time."
"Hmph!"
Yu Qianqian gave a soft huff and turned her head away.
She had never cooked before.
At the prince's residence, dedicated cooks prepared the meals, and dedicated pastry chefs made the snacks.
All she had to do was sit at the table and wait for exquisite dishes to be brought out one after another.
Yet today, for some reason, she had insisted on pestering Auntie Wang next door, begging her to teach her how to cook.
Unable to withstand her pestering, Auntie Wang had taught her this simplest of dishes, stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
But she still could not get it right.
The eggs had burned, and the tomatoes had scorched.
A complete mess, just like her life.
Even so, she had brought it out.
The greater demon behind the dead ape demon would come for revenge.
Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps a little later.
In any case, it was an existence the young man could never stand against.
So she had written a letter home, asking the prince's household for support.
She did not want to see Lu Guan die at a demon's hands.
But precisely because of that, her whereabouts had also been exposed.
At the thought, her gaze grew resolute.
I absolutely cannot go back!
Admittedly, she did harbor some inexplicable feelings for the young man.
But compared to freedom, they were not worth mentioning.
Let this letter be repayment for saving my life and looking after me all this time.
Yet when she heard Lu Guan say, "I'll do the cooking next time," a sudden sting still rose in her nose.
Next time? What next time could there be?
"I went to all that trouble cooking for you. You really don't know when to be satisfied."
Her voice was a little hoarse, but she did her best to maintain her usual tone.
Lu Guan noticed nothing amiss.
He was looking down at the plate of blackened tomatoes and eggs, weighing whether to make another pot of noodles later or buy a few steamed buns on the street.
At the same time, a handsome young man arrived at the city gates, wearing a snow-white cloak with a saber at his waist.
Wherever he went, passersby turned to look.
Beyond his appearance, that pair of deep, icy-blue eyes was startling.
Like two pieces of cold jade, they gleamed icily in the midday sunlight. Anyone his gaze swept over felt a chill down their spine, as though some fierce beast had fixed its eyes on them.
"Must be some young martial hero passing through, right?"
"He carries himself extraordinarily. I imagine he's quite strong. I wonder how he compares to the commandant."
"You fool, do you think any random nobody can hold a candle to Lord Lu?"
At that, the blue-eyed young man paused and glanced over.
The speaker was an old man selling steamed flatbreads under the blazing sun.
The old man had a hunched back and was pushing a battered little cart, its flatbreads steaming.
Seeing the young man look over, the old man realized he had been overheard. He shrank back, his words losing some of their force:
"Lord Lu is..."
The old man was only halfway through speaking when his voice suddenly caught with a strangled sound.
"Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang, what's wrong?!" a roadside vendor cried.
The old man's face twisted hideously, two streams of bloody tears flowing down it. Then blood gushed from his mouth and nose, his lips and teeth, and even his ears.
His death was utterly gruesome.
As his pupils dilated, the lingering image of a white-browed tiger with upturned eyes faded from his already dimmed vision.
The blue-eyed young man withdrew its gaze and continued toward its destination.
A mere county commandant, some random nobody, dared to be mentioned in the same breath as it?
He had fouled its ears, yet it had taken only one life. It was still far too kindhearted.
In the past, it would have had to devour everyone nearby before its anger could subside.
"Commandery Princess Luyang... where are you going to hide?"
The mountain lord twitched its nose and inhaled deeply.
"I've already caught your scent."
It walked slowly, neither hurried nor leisurely.
From behind, it looked remarkably like a white-browed tiger with upturned eyes patrolling its mountain forest.
Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, it moved with steady steps, each one carrying a predator's distinctive composure.
The people on the street hurried out of its way. Some hid in alleys, others ducked into shops. In the blink of an eye, the bustling street was more than half empty.
At the end of the street stood a small residence with a single courtyard.
Its blue tiles and gray walls were faintly visible, along with the words [Lu Residence] on the door plaque, gradually faded by wind and sun.
The mountain lord stopped before the courtyard gate.
It raised a hand, pressed its slender fingers against the gate, and gave a gentle push.
The gate opened.