"My wishes are simple," he said, voice steady. "First, I want a private residence on the outskirts. I have no interest in your clan's politics or power struggles. A place outside will suit me."
She tilted her head. "You won't be lonely?"
A dry chuckle left his lips. "I'm twenty. I spent five years chained in that dark pit. Do you think solitude frightens me? I'll savor it."
Her brows rose. "Five years? You were locked in there that long?"
"Yes."
While his thoughts were different.
How would I know? This body feels early twenties, but its memories are gone.
He continued clearly, "My second wish is freedom. To come and go from my residence as I please. No spies."
Rou Mei covered her mouth as she laughed. "Spying? Why would I bother?"
Ji Zong tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Don't wives keep watch on their husbands, as if guarding against affairs?"
"You're not wrong," she admitted with a smirk. "But I don't care who you sleep with. What I won't allow is my clan's name being dragged down by you. No gambling."
His lips curved. "So you'll grant these wishes?"
"Yes."
Ji Zong lowered his head a fraction, almost respectfully—yet his eyes gleamed with amusement that didn't reach his smile.
Together, they walked into the bustling city streets.
The city hit him all at once.
The air reeked of smoke and frying oil. Merchants bellowed, carts rattled, and bodies pressed too close together.
Ji Zong halted, eyes sweeping the chaos. Everything seemed so small.
So noisy.
Ruo Mei mistook his expression. Pity softened her voice. "It must be hard. After five years in chains, you've forgotten what the world looks like."
"Yes," he murmured, resuming his walk. "Five years is a long time."
But inside his head, his real thoughts were something else.
Five years? That's more like five breaths to me.
I lived for ten thousand years or more, and I was still the youngest primordial god in the land of the Silver Sea, where gods reside. I've seen stars explode and new worlds form.
This city? It's just an anthill. These people's lives are short and loud. I have done things she couldn't even imagine. I didn't just kill people—I erased entire worlds because I was bored. I fought wars that shook the universe. To me, that wasn't cruelty. It was just... what I did. It was natural, like a storm or an earthquake.
On the outside, though, he just nodded.
His face looked like that of a man who was simply overwhelmed after years in prison.
"Yes," he said again, softly. "It's been a very long time."
A thought struck him, and he stopped once more. "Do you have money?"
She glanced over. "Why?"
"How much?"
"Twenty gold coins."
"Good. Lend them to me."
Her eyes narrowed. "No. Today is my father's birthday. I still need to buy his gift. And I already spent enough purchasing you."
Ji Zong smiled faintly. "What if I return double, triple, within half an hour?"
"Why would I trust a gambler such as yourself who lost himself, and why would you need money?"
She gave a sharp laugh. "Why should I trust a gambler who once lost himself in a wager? And why do you even need it?"
He looked at her as if it were obvious. "To buy my father-in-law a gift, of course."
She froze, staring at him. "You… you really don't feel embarrassed saying that?"
She tossed five gold coins at him. "Fine. Bring me back at least double, or forget those wishes."
Ji Zong caught the coins with ease. "Wait for me."
He turned down a different street, away from her.
"A passerby said there's a gambling house straight ahead."
Five minutes later, he reached the outskirts. The smells changed—fried food gave way to sour rot. The crowds thinned, replaced by drunks sprawled in alleys.
As he searched for the gambling house, a different scene caught his eye—two men forcing themselves on a struggling woman.
"Help! Please help! These men are trying to rape me!"
A woman stumbled into the road, two rough-looking men at her heels.
Ji Zong's lips twisted into a grin. "Good morning," he said mildly and walked past.
The three froze.
"Did he just… say good morning?" one man muttered.
The other frowned. "Forget it. He's loaded—look at his clothes. Miss, what do you think?"
The woman dropped her act, scowling. "What kind of lunatic ignores that? Calls out 'good morning' and leaves?"
"Maybe he panicked," the second man said. "Blurted out the first thing that came to mind and ran off."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
They exchanged a look—then rushed after him.
Three figures blocked the road. The woman pressed a dagger against his throat, while the two men closed in from behind.
Ji Zong widened his eyes, playing the fool. "W-wait, what are you doing?"
The woman sneered. "Scared, chicken?"
The men barked with laughter.
Ji Zong blinked once. Then the innocence in his face vanished, replaced by something glacial. His gaze, colder than steel, settled on her.
"Did I look afraid?" he whispered
The air itself seemed to chill.
The dagger wavered.
One man took a half-step back, as if instinct warned him.