Xiao Yi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

  The beds in the inn were all made of rough wooden frames, with a few planks laid on top and some dry grass stuffed in. And yet, this bed had an extra layer of hemp cloth, a piece of cotton cloth that could serve as a quilt, and a straw pillow, which was already the best facility this inn had to offer.

  Sleeping on this felt totally different from lying on the velvet-covered bed in the duke's mansion, but Xiao Yi didn't mind. From the damp and chilly cave in the deep mountains to the scorching Flying Dragon Desert where eggs could be cooked, she had been everywhere. Any place was better than the duke's mansion, where she had to wear elaborate clothes and deal with etiquette and socializing.

  The Duke of Muraq was not a hereditary title. The duke came from a local gentry family and was granted the title due to his outstanding military achievements in the war between the Empire and the Southern Nations twenty years ago, and then rose to his current position through his personal abilities and means. Xiao Yi did not grow up in luxury like other noble children, but her father's hard work and education had instilled in her an independent personality. She had no ambition like her father, and her mature personality made her particularly disgusted with the empty and decadent life of the upper-class nobles. She preferred to focus on more practical things. To escape the annoying identity of a ducal miss, she went to work at the pharmacy affiliated with the Magic Academy. Exploring and discovering new things that others had not found before gave her a sense of fulfillment.

  When her father settled the marriage for her, she was very unhappy. Under her father's strict teachings, she rarely thought about romantic love, let alone marriage, and the rules of the noble house of Ailne were very strict. She also disliked her fiancé, who only had "power" in his eyes, but she did not resist, knowing that this was a common political alliance between aristocratic families, and that this marriage was important to her father. Moreover, she had always been a filial and understanding daughter, and loved her father very much.

  So she set out to travel and have adventures in various parts of the mainland before her marriage, using the excuse of helping the pharmacy collect herbs to study their medicinal properties. She wanted to live a truly free life for the last time that belonged to herself, and for this reason, she even planned to go on an expedition to the most dangerous regions of the mainland. 'If I die, so be it', she would sometimes think with a bit of self-abandonment.

  It was in the lizard swamp that she almost really died. When she knew her injuries were so severe that she could only lie in bed and wait for death, looking at her somewhat flustered father and still indifferent fiancé, she didn't feel sad at all. But when she saw that person say very firmly that he must find a way to save her again, she suddenly became completely weak, feeling that even if she died like this, it would be worth it.

  When she later woke up from her long coma, she found herself miraculously fully recovered. It was only from her father's mouth that she learned that the person had indeed found a magical medicine for her. She knew that the wedding date was not far away and that her father would no longer allow her to go out alone, but she strongly wanted to see him. This was just a very simple and strong desire. She quietly ran out again and finally found him in Brakada, and it seemed natural for her to come to this strange city with him.

  She has been very happy these days, and she has never been so happy. Everything here is so novel, every day there are countless strange scenes to see, and everything seems to be thriving and in order, as if they have come to a free and easy new world. More importantly, he is by her side.

  He can tell from the spider silk on the ground what kind of wild beast passed by half a day ago, and he can determine what kind of weather will come from the smell of the wind and the clouds in the sky. He also knows that the red smoke tree bark is not a good seasoning, but it can cause diarrhea if eaten, and that eating certain kinds of truffles can make people laugh to death. He knows how to roast dog's buttocks to make them delicious, and he knows that the single-eyed lizard actually has a good taste despite its appearance... These strange topics will never bore anyone.

  He is a very simple person. It's as if he suddenly jumped into this world from an isolated forest, completely ignorant. He doesn't know literature or poetry, nor does he believe in gods. For many seemingly common-sense questions, he has no understanding at all. Sometimes, he reveals childlike simplicity and naivety, but when needed, he can instantly show the most mature sensitivity and calmness. The two of them seem to have a tacit agreement not to mention the fact that he saved her before. A day or two later, their interaction became completely natural, like they had been together for many years, even the old thief thought they were indeed "lovers".

  Although it was a very natural get-together, as time passed, they could still feel the intimacy between them growing day by day. It wasn't until yesterday when they were leaning against each other that she was certain - she liked him and he liked her. A feeling more intoxicating than all the fine wines in the world and sweeter than all the honey immediately enveloped her completely. She was totally absorbed in it.

  But today she knew again that tomorrow would leave here and return to the empire.

  Her father, marriage, fiancé, life in Wangdu, responsibilities - all these things that had been almost completely forgotten suddenly came flooding back and overwhelmed her. At the beginning of this journey, she still had the idea of returning, but later this brand new environment and brand new mood made her quickly forget about these things.

  But forgetting doesn't mean these things don't exist. The feeling of free-falling when you suddenly discover the things in these corners while floating on a cloud of happiness is even more breathtaking.

  For the first time in her life, she had the idea of completely abandoning her father and family responsibilities. But this thought only flashed by and was immediately extinguished by herself in a flurry. Her mother died early, and her father raised her, even when he was busy with official duties and socializing, he never neglected her education. She loved her father very much and was well aware of the importance of this marriage to him, as his daughter, she had a responsibility to do so.

  But the desire to continue living a carefree and sweet life was growing in her heart, refusing to yield to strong sense of responsibility and heavy paternal love. She couldn't make a decision for herself anymore. So she made what seemed like an utterly absurd decision: tell him everything and let him decide. If he didn't want her to go back by herself, then she would really forget about everything and follow him on his travels across the continent.

  But after hearing that she would be getting married when she returned, he just said "oh" and closed his eyes in the pile of hay as usual. She was heartbroken and quietly shed tears after blowing out the lamp.

  Lying in bed, she couldn't sleep no matter what, and from his breathing, she knew he wasn't asleep either. When she heard the rustling of hay and him getting up, quietly walking over, her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

  But he just walked quietly past the bedside and out of the door, then his voice gradually faded away, as if he had left the hotel.

  She didn't even have the strength to be curious anymore, slowly getting up from bed and sitting by the window staring blankly at the starry sky outside.

  The beauty of the starry sky on the plateau is something that people who have never seen it can never imagine. When one realizes that no matter how much the world changes, that beauty will continue to exist forever, only then can one truly feel the smallness of human beings, and all sorrows become bearable.

  I don't know how long I've been watching, but suddenly accompanied by a loud noise, a huge flame burst out in the distant sky, and the brilliance it emitted illuminated the entire Oufu City. At that moment, even the starry sky lost its color.

  She is not a sentimental person. But when she saw this magnificent and beautiful flame, she suddenly felt that it was someone's life.

  Compared with the eternal starry sky, it is completely insignificant, just a fleeting moment. But in this fleeting moment, it is the most beautiful thing.

  Because it's fleeting, that's why it's beautiful. It's unknown whether the brevity gave rise to beauty or if beauty is destined to be brief. She thought of this short period of life and before she knew it, tears fell again.

  This beautiful and melancholic language was what his sister usually liked to say, she often taught her sister that these were just people who were overly sensitive and had nothing better to do than to whine and complain about their own misfortunes. But he never thought that he would feel this way at this moment.

  The loud noise woke up the entire city of Ou Fu. The beastmen all came out of their houses and looked in the direction of the sound. However, it wasn't long before some half-beastmen arrived with torches to tell the beastmen that it was just a magical experiment by the lord of the city, nothing serious, and everyone could go back to sleep.

  As the commotion in the city gradually subsided, the half-orc innkeeper brought another half-orc and a werewolf to the thieves' room for questioning, and then quickly found her.

  "The lord of the castle has an urgent matter and requests your presence." The half-beast said respectfully.

  The werewolf carried her on his shoulder and rushed towards the place where the flames had just appeared. The wind was so strong that she couldn't even open her eyes.

  She didn't like the smell on the werewolf, it reminded her of the things in the lizard marshes, full of death and fear, she had a faint feeling that something ominous was coming.

  She arrived at the scene of the explosion and found a number of beastmen gathered in front of a stone hut, illuminated by torches. An elderly human with silver hair was waiting for her there.

  "Mr. Sedros, how are you here?" She recognized the old man, who had stayed at her home for a while when she was still a child. He and her father were good friends, a great and famous scholar and adventurer, under whose guidance she had also learned magic.

  When Sedros saw her, his face grew even heavier in surprise, and he nodded silently, leading her to the stone house. Only now did she discover that the roof of this house had completely disappeared, leaving only four walls.

  As she approached the entrance of the stone house, she caught a whiff of a strong bloody smell and immediately stopped in her tracks. The smell coincided with the ominous feeling in her heart, and she subconsciously began to back away.

  She wasn't a miss who had never seen corpses and bloodshed, but for some reason, her stomach was already contracting. She felt like vomiting.

  "Miss Mular, come here." Sedros beckoned her over.

  She took a deep breath to calm down, but the bloody smell became thicker in her nose, as if it had penetrated deeper into her body.

  She stood still for a moment, finally calming down a bit, and then walked into that stone house without a roof.

  The blood on the ground had already coagulated, occupying a large area. In the corner was a bed, and on it lay a person covered in blood from head to toe. The person's face was completely smeared with blood, but she could still recognize him - he was the one who had just quietly walked past her bedside, making her heart almost jump out of her throat.

  Her legs suddenly went limp, as if the tendons inside had been pulled out all at once.

  Cedric hastily reached out and supported her. He didn't need to ask any more questions, seeing her reaction told him everything.

  However, she immediately used all her strength to steady herself and rushed to the bedside, stretching out her hand to cast a recovery spell on the person lying there. She was so desperate that she almost cut off her own hands to let the magic flow out without any obstacles.

  His forehead was dented in, making his face look somewhat deformed. One hand was almost nailed to his own chest, with the palm and clothes sinking into the muscle, and the oozing blood had congealed the bone, muscle, and clothing together.

  She wanted to feel his pulse, but found that his other hand had been pinched like a roasted sweet potato. The fine bones were spread all over the skin, the blood had coagulated, and some places of skin and muscle could no longer be distinguished from each other.

  Her hands were stained with his blood, and tears fell heavily as her entire body shook violently. Her hands trembled even more severely, and she no longer knew where to apply her meager healing magic. She bit down hard on her teeth to prevent herself from crying out.

  She finally summoned up all her courage and felt his pulse. Fortunately, although very weak, there were still signs of life fluctuating.

  "I've already used healing magic on him, but he's just too badly hurt and the damage from the fight is interfering with the spell's effectiveness. He's only holding on by sheer force of will." Sedros said beside him.

  "How could it be like this..." She finally spoke out and burst into tears.

  Cedros fell silent for a moment before responding in a very heavy tone with an answer that seemed like a perfunctory one: "It's just a misunderstanding."