“Mhm!” Flora cleaned up the leftovers of the fish soup, rinsed the wooden bowls with lake water, and brewed a pot of Moonlight Grass tea with hot water boiled over the bonfire, pouring three cups onto the blanket.
Then, holding a cup of freshly brewed Moonlight Grass tea, she walked over to the bonfire and sat down.
She simply cupped the warm mug in both hands, staring at the dancing flames of the bonfire.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Mhm?”
Flora held the Moonlight Grass tea with both hands, her fingers gently rubbing the cup. After a brief pause, she asked softly, “Did you have companions you adventured with in the past?”
Chen Mian was pinning down the corners of the tent, and his movements paused slightly at her words.
“Yes.”
He stood up, brushed the dirt and ash off his hands, picked up a cup of Moonlight Grass tea, and walked over to sit on the other side of the fire.
“I want to know more about you, Mr. Chen Mian... Is that okay?” Flora looked up. Her delicate face appeared soft under the firelight, but her eyes were earnest.
She had wanted to ask many times before, but she had always let it drop, fearing rejection.
“It was a long time ago. Back when I was still very weak, I had a party. There were only three of us,” he said, casually picking up a dry branch to poke at the fire. “We were just like this, pitching tents in the wild, cooking by the campfire, chatting, and arguing.”
Hearing this, Loviki looked up, her eyes shining in the firelight. “Arguing?”
“Yeah, arguing with me.” The corners of Chen Mian’s mouth curled up slightly. “The guy was named Betts, a warrior. He was very carefree, and we often argued over our route.”
“Our route? Why?”
“Because my goal was to defeat the Demon King and become a Hero, while he wanted to defeat a dragon and become a dragon slayer. So, we constantly debated because our destinations were in completely opposite directions.”
“What happened after that?” Flora held her teacup, the firelight dancing in her eyes. “Where did you go?”
“Everywhere,” Chen Mian said, poking the fire again. “We traveled across most of the Continent of Cecia. We'd go west one day and north the next, because neither of us was the one deciding the route.”
“It was Louise, a vampire girl who was always coming up with terrible ideas.”
“A vampire?” Loviki blinked, putting down her Moonlight Grass tea, looking rather intrigued. “Didn't she drink blood?”
“No,” Chen Mian laughed, adding another dry branch to the fire. “She said drinking blood was too primitive, and that fruit juice was much better. She insisted she was a vampire of taste, spending all day figuring out how to blend different fruits into juice, on top of tinkering with a bunch of weird magic that obviously had no practical use.”
“Did it taste good? The blended fruit juice,” Flora asked softly, her lips curving up unconsciously.
“At first, it was terrible. But she slowly improved, and eventually, it tasted alright—though still not as good as just eating the fruit directly.” Chen Mian looked up at the fire, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes. “It's just that she was always full of wild ideas and constantly made absurd suggestions. Like stealing griffin eggs with her bare hands, entering forests to find treasure-hunting rabbits, or disguising ourselves as nobles to sneak into the palace just to steal juice from banquets. Because of her, Betts and I kept getting further and further away from our respective goals.”
Loviki continued to ask with great interest, “So, what kind of weird magic did she research?”
“Once, she claimed she had developed reinforcement magic and used Betts as a guinea pig.” He paused, his lips curving upward. “As a result, Betts’s voice became high and squeaky for the rest of the day, and his voice even trembled at the end of his angry shouts.”
“Pfft!” Loviki pressed her lips together, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “And then? Did he recover?”
“He went back to normal the next morning, but Louise absolutely refused to admit she had failed. She insisted it was a ‘temporary vocal cord expansion’ and renamed it Feminization Magic.” Chen Mian couldn't help but laugh as well. “She said it was designed for those who wanted to experience a different life. Betts chased her down the entire street.”
Flora couldn't hold back her laughter either, quickly lowering her head to take a sip of tea.
“Even though she was usually very unreliable, she was dependable in critical moments. Many times during our adventures, Louise was the one who saved the day.”
“And what happened after that?” Flora asked softly.
“After that...” Chen Mian’s hand poking the fire paused. “Due to an accident, Louise went missing. Betts lost his right hand, left a letter, and departed. In the letter, he said he would train himself to use the sword with his left hand, and told me to go ahead and defeat the Demon King first.”
“Did you look for him, Mr. Chen Mian?”
“The Continent of Cecia is too vast.” Chen Mian shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. “If that guy doesn't want to be found, it's very hard to find him.”
“Since even you think he is strong, Mr. Chen Mian, then one day, a powerful warrior who wields a sword with his left hand will surely reappear on the Continent of Cecia.”
“Yeah, there will be such a day. That guy won't stay down forever.” The corners of Chen Mian’s mouth curled up slightly. “On the day he reappears, I'll give him a fully restored arm.”
“You must have searched for Louise for a very long time, Mr. Chen Mian?”
“Yes.” Chen Mian nodded. “I combed through that dungeon, searching for over two years. I looked in every single corner but couldn't find her. Later, I found the headquarters of that criminal organization, and learned from them that Louise hadn't fallen into their hands either.”
“You will meet again one day.”
“Mhm.” Chen Mian said calmly, “I think I will find clues related to her before long.”
The firelight of the bonfire flickered between the three of them, and the surroundings grew quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects audible.
After an unknown amount of time, Flora spoke softly, “Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Mhm.”
“Thank you for being willing to tell us this.”
Chen Mian looked up, his expression slightly softer than before. “Go to sleep if you're tired. We still have to travel tomorrow.”
Loviki glanced up at the tent, then at Chen Mian. “What about you?”
“The usual. You two sleep in the tent.”
“There are bugs outside,” Flora said, shaking her head and looking at him quietly.
Loviki looked over as well, her expression making it clear she agreed with Flora.
Chen Mian was silent for a moment. He tossed the dry branch aside, stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, and walked toward the tent.
“I'll sleep on the edge, you two sleep in the middle.”
Loviki’s lips curled up slightly as she walked to the tent, bent down, and crawled inside.
Flora finished the cooled Moonlight Grass tea in her cup, used a flat stone to cover the dying bonfire with a thin layer of soil, and turned to walk into the tent only after making sure the fire was completely out.
Loviki was curled up in the innermost spot, her back to the tent entrance. Her ears were slightly red.
Flora lay down in the middle, folding her cloak to use as a pillow under her head, leaving space on the side near the tent entrance.
Chen Mian draped his sleeping bag over his legs. The tent flap wasn't completely closed, leaving a narrow slit through which a faint light filtered in.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Mhm.”
“Do you think Keyins might have hidden her Botany Chapter log in a very concealed place?”
“Probably not,” Chen Mian thought for a moment. “She doesn't seem like the type of person who likes to hide things away securely.”
“Mhm.”
“Flora.”
“Yes?”
“Get some rest. We'll find out tomorrow.”
Flora replied with a smile in the darkness, “Alright.”
The tent fell silent once more.
After a while, Loviki’s voice drifted over from the very back. “Are you two going to keep chatting or what?”
“You're still awake?” Chen Mian turned his head.
“I was asleep, but you two woke me up.”
“Your breathing is all uneven, Loviki. It's obvious you weren't asleep.”
“I-I was too!”
Flora chuckled softly. “Goodnight, Loviki.”
“...Goodnight.”
It was quiet again for a bit.
Loviki’s voice sounded again, slightly softer than before. “Chen Mian.”
“Mhm.”
“You should sleep early too.”
“Mhm.”
The tent fell completely silent.
Leaning against the side of the tent, Chen Mian listened as the two sets of breathing gradually grew even and steady. The air carried the fresh scent of vegetation and the faint fragrance from their hair.
Images from a long time ago flashed through his mind—Louise researching her bottle of blue liquid that looked wrong no matter how he sliced it by her tent, Betts snoring... Gradually, the image merged into the tent before his eyes.
He closed his eyes, an involuntary smile touching his lips.
Rate on N.U.
