Early in the morning, just as the dawn was breaking and the plants on the street had yet to wake up, their tender leaves still kissed by shimmering dew, many shops had already opened their doors. Shopkeepers swept away the dust inside, hoping to leave a good impression on their customers.
Ye Yu and Lox had also risen to pack their belongings.
Today, Ye Yu was setting off for the capital of the Empire—the Imperial Capital. Having lingered in Guangxi Town for too long was hardly advantageous to his subsequent plans.
Though, truth be told, he didn't really have much of a plan to begin with.
Ye Yu looked at the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber in his hands, growing fonder of it the more he examined it. After repeatedly inspecting it, he felt that it didn't quite resemble a Japanese katana; rather, it seemed styled after a Tang dao. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about swordsmanship or smithing, but he hoped to someday meet the person who had forged it.
Connecting this to the names of Chen Konghao and the others, Ye Yu harbored a faint suspicion in his heart. In the era before the Empire was founded, most people's names were likely similar to his own, rather than the foreign names he was familiar with now.
Hugging his saber, Ye Yu sat down in a chair and fell into deep thought. If things truly were as he suspected, then where had all those people gone?
Though he continued to use his name from his past life simply because he found naming things troublesome, meeting Chen Konghao and the others had, to a greater or lesser degree, given him a sense of belonging. Ye Yu didn't dislike that feeling at all.
"Young Master, everything is packed," Lox said, hoisting the pack onto his back and bowing slightly toward Ye Yu.
Hearing Lox's words, Ye Yu nodded, hopped down from his chair, stretched lazily, and then tucked the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber into his belt before walking toward the door.
"Let's go. Take me to see the bustling Imperial Capital."
"I trust it will not disappoint the Young Master."
Lox went to the front desk to check out, then picked up Ye Yu, who was waiting at the inn's entrance, and brought him to the horse-drawn carriage that had just been brought out. Leading the carriage by hand, Lox walked through the streets of Guangxi Town, intending to drive the carriage only after they cleared the city gates.
In Guangxi Town, galloping horses on the streets was strictly forbidden—barring that arrogant, well-connected fool from earlier, of course. After all, not everyone had a father serving as a city guard officer.
If anyone else dared to be as flagrant as him, the city defense soldiers would swiftly haul them off and lock them in confinement.
Just as they approached the city gate, Lox heard someone calling Ye Yu's name and halted his steps. Out of curiosity, Ye Yu parted the curtain and leaned out of the carriage window to look behind them.
"It really is Young Master Ye Yu!" Chen Konghao came running up, panting heavily and completely out of breath.
"Brother Chen, are you here to see me off? Where are Akame and Kurome?" Ye Yu looked at him cheerfully and asked in a calm tone.
After a long while, Chen Konghao finally let out a long sigh of relief. Lox patiently held the horse's reins without urging him, using his hand to gently soothe the animal.
"They're still asleep at home. Are you really leaving just like this?" Chen Konghao looked somewhat reluctant to part with him.
"If fated, people will meet even a thousand miles apart; don't miss me too much." Seeing Chen Konghao looking as though he were about to cry—making him look even more like a child than Ye Yu himself—Ye Yu couldn't help but chuckle. "Remember the task I entrusted to you: take good care of Akame and Kurome, and if you run into any trouble, come to the Imperial Capital to find me."
"I'm their father, of course I'll take good care of them!" Chen Konghao gave Ye Yu a sideways glance and said excitedly, before his voice softened as he remembered that Ye Yu was about to leave.
"I won't say much more. I just wish the Young Master a smooth journey," Chen Konghao said earnestly to Ye Yu.
"Your kind words are appreciated." Ye Yu nodded, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "By the way, is that kid alright?"
"He should be fine, I suppose," Chen Konghao said uncertainly. "He was quite polite right when he first woke up."
"But then he asked who his savior was, and I told him it was Young Master Ye Yu. After confirming the Young Master's name a few times, he turned right around and ran off without looking back." Chen Konghao shrugged, completely baffled by the situation.
"Is that so? As long as he's still alive and kicking, that's fine," Ye Yu said with a smile, not pressing further. "We're heading out now. Goodbye."
Chen Konghao walked them all the way to the city gate, watching as Lox climbed up onto the carriage as well. He waved his hand and bid Ye Yu a silent farewell.
Inside the carriage, Ye Yu placed the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber across his lap, looked down at its scabbard, and let out a soft sigh. "Could it be you, Mo Yao?"
Outside the carriage curtains, Lox occasionally flicked his whip against the horse's flanks. The horse let out a loud snicker, kicking up dust with its four hooves as it ran with boundless energy.
Ye Yu turned his head to look at the curtain fluttering in the wind, gazing at the azure sky outside.
It seemed today would be a fine day as well.
As time passed, the sun gradually began to exert its might. The cicadas on the trees were relentlessly tormented by the scorching heat, letting out one wretched cry after another, while the grass by the roadside drooped limply to the ground, letting the horse's hooves trample them this way and that.
Ye Yu had climbed out of the carriage early and was now sitting beside Lox. Looking at the city walls, which were shimmering and blurred by the intense heat, he said with a look of relief, "We're finally here. I was about to be roasted alive."
If not for the horse running at a brisk pace, whose generated airflow provided Ye Yu with some cooling, he felt he might have been dried into beef jerky by the heat.
Upon reaching the gates of the Imperial Capital, Ye Yu and Lox stepped down from the carriage to undergo inspection by the guards.
"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" One of the guards stared intently into Lox's eyes and asked suspiciously.
He had a vague feeling he'd seen this face somewhere, yet couldn't recall it at all. How strange.
"I'm a traveling merchant who roams from place to place, and I often come to the Imperial Capital to purchase materials. It's only natural that you've seen me before, sir." Lox remained completely composed as he reached into his tunic, retrieved two silver coins, and slipped them discreetly into the guard's hand.
"So that's how it is." The guard nodded, swiftly pocketing the silver coins into his uniform, and turned to his partner. "Let them through, let them through."
The two of them pushed aside the barricade blocking the gate, and Lox, walking slightly behind Ye Yu, led the horse inside.
Unlike the lively yet modest bustle of Guangxi Town, here a massive, magnificent palace sat flanked at the center, and the streets were packed with people of all descriptions rushing about. Shouts of peddlers and calls of greeting were endless; one squad of guards had just passed by, and another would soon follow.
"It's so lively," Ye Yu murmured in admiration as he walked down the street. Neither Linluo City nor Guangxi Town could compare to the Imperial Capital in the slightest.
"Hey, mister, you guys must have just arrived in the Imperial Capital, right?"
A sweet voice drifted into the ears of Ye Yu and Lox. Following the sound, a flash of brilliant gold instantly captured Ye Yu's gaze—golden hair.
Its owner looked to be about Ye Yu's age, yet towered a head above him. She wore a ragged short-sleeved top, and her chest was already beginning to show promising signs, easily foreshadowing a torrential future ahead.
Her face was smeared with dust, though she paid it no heed. Her golden eyes curved into crescent moons, and with her hands on her hips, she smiled cheerfully, revealing a set of white teeth.
With that personality, and those trademark golden hair and golden eyes, Ye Yu instantly identified her in his mind.
One of the main characters from the original work, and the very guide who would draw the protagonist Tatsumi into Night Raid—Leone.
Remaining unruffled, Ye Yu greeted her with a smile, "Hello. We did indeed just arrive in the Imperial Capital; we're merchants traveling from various places."
"Oh, traveling merchants? That's a great profession," Leone said, feigning mild surprise.
Then she burst into laughter, stepping closer to Ye Yu as she said, "I thought I could make a little pocket money acting as your guide. What a shame, hahaha."
It seemed that failing to make money wasn't a particularly big deal to her.
"Still, meeting is a matter of fate. Could the little mister treat me to something to eat? I haven't had any food in days."
Leone looked at Ye Yu with a pitiful expression, resembling a stray cat begging for scraps.
Lox merely stood to one side, watching Leone's performance without a word.
Hearing Leone's words, Ye Yu smiled and nodded. "We haven't eaten yet either. You can come along with us."
To Leone's surprise, she hadn't expected Ye Yu to agree at all. Delighted, she said, "Great! My name is Leone. What's your name?"
"My name is Ye Yu." Ye Yu nodded, indicating that they were now acquainted.
Leone immediately pointed in a certain direction. "No time to waste, let's head to that restaurant over there!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu turned to Lox and said, "Old Luo, go find a place for us to stay first, drop off the luggage, and then come back."
"Understood."
Lox bowed slightly and departed.
Ye Yu and Leone walked side by side. With her hands clasped behind her head, Leone couldn't help drooling as she looked at the luxurious restaurant ahead of them. When in her life had she ever set foot in a place like that?
She immediately shook her head to banish the fantasy from her mind, then turned to Ye Yu with a curious look. "Why do you trust me so easily? Aren't you afraid I'm a bad person?"
Hearing this, Ye Yu shook his head and smiled faintly. "Not afraid."
At the same time, he patted the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber at his waist. "I'm actually quite strong. If I run into any petty thieves, I'll teach the bad guys a proper lesson."
Glancing at the exquisite longsword at Ye Yu's waist, Leone swallowed back the drool she had just leaked. "Haha, what petty thieves could there possibly be?"
Leone let out an awkward laugh, and soon they arrived in front of the restaurant's doors.
Ye Yu pushed open the door and walked straight to a table for four. Leone hurried after him, and as she looked at the restaurant's elegant environment and compared it to her own tattered clothes, she couldn't help feeling a bit constrained and uneasy.
Seeing her expression, Ye Yu felt amused, though he didn't point it out.
The restaurant waiter noticed two kids coming in, one of whom was even covered in dirt. He hurriedly walked over to Ye Yu and said, "Kid, where are the adults with you?"
"They'll be here in a moment. Can you hand me the menu first?" Ye Yu asked.
"Kid, I'm only reminding you because you look like you come from a good background. Don't let yourself get scammed—there are plenty of wandering urchins going around scamming people these days." As he spoke, the waiter cast intentional glances at Leone sitting opposite Ye Yu, his implication couldn't have been more obvious.
Leone grew even more constrained under the stare, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into; she looked ready to cry.
"Thanks for the reminder, but she's my friend. If you aren't going to serve us, get someone else to do it. Don't stand here flapping your gums." Ye Yu looked at the waiter with a flat tone that carried a distinctly belligerent edge.
"Hmph, treating kindness like a donkey's lung." The waiter snorted coldly and turned on his heel to leave.
Taking advantage of the moment, Leone sprang to her feet and dashed toward the door at top speed. As she ran, she called out, "I'd better leave first! This place isn't for me."
Leone's sudden dash out the door drew repeated sideways glances from the other diners.
Watching her make what looked like a shamefaced escape, Ye Yu hopped down from his chair as well. Glancing at his waist, where his money pouch had already vanished, he gave a light sigh. "Her acting skills are actually quite impressive."
Instead of immediately giving chase, Ye Yu waited until Lox arrived at the restaurant a short while later. After giving him a few instructions, Ye Yu pushed open the door and bolted out after her.
Before Ye Yu and Leone had even stepped into the restaurant, Ye Yu's money pouch had already been pilfered.
Afterward, the scene at the restaurant had simply been Leone and the waiter putting on an act, culminating in Leone staging a panicked escape so that by the time anyone realized what had happened, nobody would be able to find her.
Leone ran all the way to a secluded spot, weighed the money pouch in her hand, and happily wiped the tip of her nose.
"Quite a haul today! I hope there are silver or gold coins inside."
Rubbing her hands together, Leone expectantly opened the money pouch. Just as she caught sight of the faint glint of gold within and held her breath in anticipation of a miraculous moment, her view was suddenly blocked.
The money pouch was abruptly hooked away by a scabbard. Leone's gaze followed the pouch as it landed steadily right into Ye Yu's hand.
Though Leone had run quite far, she had left a trail of clues behind during her flight: many overturned, knocked-down wooden crates in the alleys pointed straight to her path. With no one even chasing her, there was no telling why she had been in such a rush.
As an assassin, knowing how to retreat when a mission was completed was of paramount importance. Having earned the title of the world's top assassin, Ye Yu naturally excelled at tracking and counter-tracking.
For Leone to try and run away in front of Ye Yu was the equivalent of brandishing a broadsword before Guan Yu.
"Stealing my things—did you ever consider the consequences?" Ye Yu rested the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber on his shoulder with one hand while returning the money pouch to his belt with the other, looking at Leone with amused interest.
"Big Brother, spare me! I have elderly parents to support and young children to feed!"
Leone dropped straight to her knees in a slide right in front of Ye Yu, hugging his leg and wailing.
Ye Yu was left utterly speechless. Was the young Leone really this devoid of integrity? Elderly parents and young children to feed—just how old are you, give me a break! Silently lowering his head, Ye Yu watched Leone's performance.
Judging that the emotional buildup was sufficient, Leone prepared to lift her head to display her pitiful, tear-glinting golden eyes to Ye Yu.
Who could look at that and not fall for it? In the bag!
Calculating away in her heart, Leone thought gleefully.
The moment she looked up, however, a fist filled her entire field of vision.
"Ouch!"
Struck with pain, Leone rolled across the ground.
"Damn it! You actually dared to hit someone as cute as me!" Pouting her lips, Leone looked tearfully at Ye Yu, who was shaking his hand to ease the recoil.
Seeing the dark circles around Leone's eyes, Ye Yu felt immensely gratified. He picked up the Falling Cherry Blossom Saber from a nearby discarded wooden crate, rolled up his sleeves, and said with mischievous glee, "Ready for another beating?"
Hearing this, Leone realized she couldn't outrun him, so she decided to make a desperate final stand. Rolling up her sleeves, she charged at Ye Yu.
Two rounds later, Leone was flat on her back on the ground.
Ye Yu dusted off his hands with satisfaction, picked up his Falling Cherry Blossom Saber, and tucked it back into his belt.
"Wait, don't leave. Let's keep going!"
Enduring the pain in her body, Leone shouted tearfully.
It was the first time she had ever been beaten this miserably in a fight, and by someone her own age at that. Her stubborn competitive streak was fully ignited, and she swore she'd pay him back.
Seeing Leone's petulant look, Ye Yu became even more amused. He waved a hand and said, "No more fighting. Get up and come with me."
Leone hesitated for a moment, but eventually got to her feet and followed behind Ye Yu's pace.
Though she had no idea what medicine Ye Yu was selling in his gourd, the current Leone had nothing left to fear!
She was definitely going to beat Ye Yu up later, Leone thought angrily, clenching her small fists.
To her surprise, Ye Yu led her right back to the restaurant they had just left.
Inside the restaurant, it was the exact same table as before. The only difference was that the table was now laden with a lavish feast. Lox stood by the table, and upon seeing Ye Yu return with Leone, he bowed slightly, pulled out a chair, and said with graceful propriety, "Young Master, Miss Leone, lunch is prepared. Please take your seats."
Looking at the grand feast laid out before her, Leone felt the places where Ye Yu had just hit her stop aching entirely. Although she and the restaurant waiter had been running a scam earlier, she had certainly never eaten anything like this—it was simply too expensive.
Ye Yu walked over and seated himself. Lox gently pushed Ye Yu's chair in to the precise position for comfortable dining, and amidst Leone's dazed state, she too was ushered into a seat at the table.
"Old Luo, you sit down too," Ye Yu said helplessly, looking at Lox who was still standing by the table.
Clearly, Lox used to be a drill instructor for the Imperial Capital's city guards—how had he grown so effortlessly adept at playing the role of a butler?
Only after receiving Ye Yu's permission did Lox take a seat of his own.
"Eat whatever you like, my treat," Ye Yu said with a smile, looking at Leone's panda eyes, before beginning to eat himself.
Leone didn't speak; instead, she stared fixedly at the food on the table, keeping her chopsticks to herself for a long time. Was she unwilling to eat this food? Of course not—she had been starving for ages, and she had never tasted such a lavish feast before. The steaming hot dishes and intoxicating aromas sent her salivary glands into a frenzy.
Seeing that Ye Yu had started eating and seemed to suffer no ill effects, she finally dove in with gusto. As it turned out, she had simply been afraid that Ye Yu might have poisoned the food.
Both Ye Yu and Lox saw right through her little thoughts, but neither of them said anything.
"Why did you hit me and then give me food?"
Leone asked Ye Yu, her mouth stuffed with rice.
"Swallow what's in your mouth before you speak," Ye Yu said helplessly.
Leone's table manners had completely collapsed!
She swallowed, then continued, "I only hit you because you stole my stuff."
"What a weird guy." Leone ignored Ye Yu and went right back to stuffing her face.
Suddenly, she received a sharp flick to the forehead. Leone quickly dropped her bowl, clutched the spot where she had been hit, and looked with bewildered resentment at Lox, who was in the midst of retracting his hand.
Before she could voice any complaint, Lox looked at her with a humorless smile and said, "May I ask Miss Leone to please observe proper dining etiquette."
Facing Lox's terrifying expression, Leone hurriedly clamped her mouth shut and buried her head back into her intense battle of devouring the food.
Mom, this guy is terrifying.
After a long while, the three of them emerged from the restaurant. Leone let out an unladylike, prolonged burp, contentedly patting her slightly rounded belly while holding a to-go package of leftover food in her other hand.
"Ah~ So satisfied, so satisfied," Leone said happily.
Back at the restaurant, Leone had insisted on packing up the unfinished food. When Ye Yu asked her why, she had dodged the question with a cheeky non-answer, leaving Ye Yu with no choice but to humor her.
When they reached a fork in the road, Leone cheerfully said her goodbyes to Ye Yu and Lox. "Young Master Ye Yu is certainly generous! I'll go steal your money again next time."
Ye Yu joked in response, "Alright, if you manage to bump into me next time, I'll give you a silver coin."
At the mention of easy money, Leone's eyes lit up and she quickly added, "You aren't allowed to go back on your word!"
With that, she darted down a narrow alleyway and vanished from sight.
"Old Luo, go check what she's doing with that takeout, and report back to me," Ye Yu stood in place in deep thought for a moment before instructing Lox.
"Understood." Lox gave Ye Yu the location of the inn, handed him the room key, and departed on his orders.
Not long after Ye Yu finally found the inn and seated himself in his room, Lox returned.
Knocking and entering Ye Yu's room, Lox bowed slightly and reported, "Miss Leone went to the slums. There are many children younger than her there; she packed up the food to share it with them."
"Is that so?" Ye Yu acknowledged the report, propping his head in his hand as he gazed at the flickering electric lamp. "Old Luo, what do you think of Leone?"
"She is a kind child." Not knowing what purpose lay behind Ye Yu's question, Lox spoke straight from his heart.
"Well said." Ye Yu smiled and hopped down from his chair.
Having understood the original work, how could he possibly not know what kind of personality Leone possessed?
"I've been traveling all day and I'm tired. Old Luo, you should get some rest early as well."
"Yes." Just as Lox reached the door to leave, he suddenly paused and added without concealment, "Miss Leone has also been bragging to the other kids about the heroic feat of pinning the Young Master to the ground and beating him."
With those words spoken, Lox closed the door behind him and left.
Lying on the bed and listening to the sound of Lox's retreating footsteps, Ye Yu couldn't help laughing out loud.
No wonder he had felt like something was missing—that was more like it! Next time they met, he'd just have to hit her a bit harder. And to think Lox had a side like that—he actually snitched on someone!
Thinking to himself, Ye Yu closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd take a stroll around the Imperial Capital.