Levitel looked up sharply at his voice. Her red eyes were swollen like soaked cherries, and tears fell like broken beads onto her new clothes, darkening the fabric with small wet patches. She opened her mouth, heavy sobs choking her throat. Her fingers, clutching the cloth, had turned white from force. After a long moment, she managed to stammer:
"I-I watched you get swept away by that light… I couldn't move at all… I thought you'd never come back… I thought you buying me clothes, letting me follow you… it was all a lie…"
By the last few words, her voice shattered completely into weeping. She buried her face back into her knees and cried harder, as if even the heater's light had turned bitter from her tears.
Shi Jin stared at her tear-reddened face and tight little fists, and a very soft laugh escaped his throat — not his usual cold sharpness, but like shards of ice melted by the heater's warmth. He did not pull away, letting her small, crying fists tap weakly against his arm. His fingertips still rested on her damp hat brim, his voice carrying helpless huskiness:
"Alright, I didn't disappear. It wasn't a lie."
Levitel's pounding paused, and tears fell even faster. She repeated through sobs:
"You're still laughing… you don't know how scared I was… when that light took you, I called and you didn't answer. I tried to grab you but couldn't touch you… I really thought I'd never see you again…"
Shi Jin's arm felt light from her tearful little fists. That laugh in his throat softened further in the heater's warmth, with an indulgence he didn't notice himself. He didn't dodge, letting her fists land on his sleeve again and again. Instead, he moved his hand down her damp rabbit-fur hat brim, his fingertips gently brushing the drooping little dragon horns on her head.
Only when she cried out "never see you again" did he gently pull her toward him. His voice dropped even lower, as if soothing a frightened small animal:
"Alright, alright, don't cry. I'll take you to the hot noodle shop at the alley entrance. Extra two eggs."
Levitel's crying stopped abruptly. Her red eyes, still misty, suddenly lit up. She let go of her fists and instead grabbed his sleeve tightly, her knuckles white with force. The package of new clothes in her arms was crumpled from being tugged.
"O-Okay! But you can't disappear suddenly like that again. I'll worry the whole time. I'll be so scared…"
She shook his sleeve, and her little dragon horns trembled lightly too, as if fearing he'd be swept away by that white light the moment she let go.
Shi Jin helped her stand up. She still clung to his sleeve, her fingertips nearly digging into the cloth. He looked down at her small tight hand, then ruffled her hair again, tilting her rabbit-fur hat crookedly to one side. She loosened her grip a little, but still followed step by step, her red eyes fixed on him. Only when they reached the doormat did she quietly step onto it.
When they reached the alley entrance, two guards in silver armor leaned against the wall chatting. One caught sight of Levitel's incompletely hidden dragon horns, glanced away, and curled his lip:
"Another mixed-blood kid? Hurry inside. It's cold."
Shi Jin grunted in acknowledgment and led her onward. Her small hand still clung to his sleeve. She secretly lifted her red eyes to glance at Shi Jin's profile, then quickly lowered her head and followed.
The alley smelled of cooking from every home. Red lanterns outside the noodle shop swayed gently in the wind, and the glass door was fogged with white steam, revealing warm yellow light inside.
The bell jingled as they pushed the door open. Rich bone broth fragrance filled the shop. A few customers sat at wooden tables, slurping noodles quietly.
The shop owner lifted a cloth curtain and carried over two bowls of steaming hot soup noodles. The noodles piled high like small hills, dotted with bright green scallions.
Levitel's stomach rumbled first. Her face flushed, and she quickly buried her face lower, yet couldn't help sniffing deeply at the aroma.
Shi Jin transferred both golden fried eggs from his bowl into hers. He watched her pick up chopsticks, carefully lift a noodle, blow on it, then take small, careful bites. Fine sweat soon beaded on her nose.
Halfway through, a little soup stained her mouth. Shi Jin took out a handkerchief and gently wiped it off for her.
She looked up sharply, her red eyes sparkling. She gave him a smile with a smudge of oil, then quickly lowered her head to keep eating. The tips of her ears, hidden under the rabbit-fur hat, quietly turned bright red.
After they finished, Shi Jin paid. He led Levitel out of the shop. The wind outside was colder than before. She tucked her face deeper into her rabbit-fur hat, her small hand still clutching his coat hem.
They walked slowly back along the lantern-lit alley. Their footsteps sounded softly in the quiet night.
At the door, Shi Jin pushed it open and stepped aside to let her enter first. Warm yellow light wrapped around her at once.
Shi Jin tucked the blankets around Levitel. Watching her eyelashes tremble slightly in the warm light, he turned and turned off the room's lamp.
The door clicked shut. He melted into the night outside, his hand resting on the hilt of the Enma Blade at his waist, walking straight toward the Odd Jobs Shop where the witch lived in his memory.
The late-night street was empty, only street lamps casting long shadows on the ground. His steps were light, like a black feather skimming the earth.
Soon, the small shop with the "Odd Jobs Shop" sign appeared at the alley's end. Dim light glowed from its window, just like when he came during the day, exuding an indescribable mystery.
Shi Jin pushed the door open. The witch sat by the window polishing a crystal ball, her pointed elf ears faintly visible in the light.
Seeing him enter, she raised an eyebrow:
"Coming so late — something wrong?"
Shi Jin leaned against the doorframe, his scabbard touching the ground:
"The demon clan is invading. They'll reach here soon. You helped her pick clothes earlier — consider that favor returned. Leave as soon as you can."
The witch's hand paused on the crystal ball. Before she could speak, the inner room's curtain lifted. An elf with childlike features, emerald eyes, and pointed ears stepped out — the shop owner.
She crossed her arms and looked at Shi Jin:
"Visiting late at night, you didn't just come to warn us, did you?"
Shi Jin repeated:
"The demon army is coming. I advise you to leave quickly."
The shop owner chuckled softly, her emerald eyes glinting in the light:
"The demons are coming? I've known that for ages. I'm over seven hundred years old. I've lived through countless wars. Why run?"
Shi Jin fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke:
"I want you to take someone with you and keep her safe."
The witch blinked, then realized:
"Oh, that little dragon girl from last time?" She turned to the shop owner. "The one I told you about — Levitel."
The shop owner's eyes lit up. Her gaze fell on Shi Jin's Enma Blade at his waist:
"I can protect her. But that sword of yours… can I borrow it to study for a few days?"
Shi Jin frowned:
"This blade isn't something to be studied."
The shop owner pouted:
"Suit yourself."
She pulled a jade pendant carved with vine patterns from her chest and tossed it over.
"Have that little dragon girl wear this. It can block one fatal blow when it matters. But understand — I only protect her until the demons retreat. After that, her path is her own."
Shi Jin reached to take it, but the shop owner suddenly pulled her hand back. Her emerald eyes turned deep in the dim light:
"I can give her this pendant. But you must promise me one thing — do not kill that Artifact Wielder. He is an old friend of mine."
Shi Jin's hand tightened sharply around the hilt, his knuckles white. The Enma Blade seemed to sense his emotions, humming faintly.
On one side, a mission he must complete. On the other, Levitel's safety. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he could not say a word. He stood frozen, trapped in a dilemma.
The shop owner's face instantly darkened. The last trace of mischief vanished from her emerald eyes, leaving only the coldness of seven hundred years:
"So you'd let that little dragon girl die just to kill him?"
Shi Jin's Adam's apple moved. His knuckles whitened further around the hilt. The Enma Blade's hum grew louder, its surface reflecting the scarlet in his eyes in the dim light:
"I will protect her life myself. But the Artifact Wielder must die."
The shop owner suddenly laughed, her tone mocking yet tinged with helplessness:
"I've lived seven hundred years. Demon blades can't touch me. But Levitel is just a half-grown dragon girl.
Tomorrow, the army will be at the gates. Random arrows, hidden attacks — you can't guard against them all. Even I would be anxious protecting her.
What makes you think you can do it? Refuse now, and if she dies at the demons' hands, you won't even get a chance to regret it."
Shi Jin's voice suddenly turned icy cold, without a ripple:
"If you cannot do it, then I have no more requests."
He slowly loosened his grip on the hilt. The Enma Blade's hum faded, only the scarlet in his eyes still flickering.
The shop owner froze, seemingly not expecting this answer. For the first time in seven hundred years, her composure cracked.
The wind outside grew stronger, as if distant roars of the demon army could already be heard.
Shi Jin turned and left, his back as resolute as someone walking into a bloody battle with no return.
The shop owner's voice came from the darkness, carrying the arrogance of a seven-hundred-year-old powerhouse:
"Fine! Be proud and bear it all yourself!
When the demons break through tomorrow, don't expect me to save that little dragon girl. And don't you dare lay a finger on my old friend —
If you touch him, I'll let you and that brat burn together in this city's demon fire!"
Shi Jin spun around sharply. The Enma Blade slid out of its sheath with a ring. Dark energy roiled across its surface, exploding with killing intent in his eyes.
His oppressive aura erupted like a ten-thousand-year snow mountain collapsing, squeezing the air until it screamed.
The witch in the corner collapsed to the floor, her mouth hanging open, forgetting even to breathe.
The shop owner's face paled. Seven hundred years of magic surged out, trying to raise a barrier — only for it to crumble like paper under Shi Jin's pressure.
She watched helplessly as the Enma Blade's tip stopped before her eyes. The cold edge nearly touched her eyelashes. The breath of death drilled into her nose with the blade's aura.
Shi Jin's voice was colder than the blade:
"I won't kill you today, because you have no reason to die by my sword. I also have no reason not to. But many have already died by my blade. One more or less makes no difference."
Shi Jin retracted his aura. The Enma Blade clicked back into its sheath, dark energy vanishing instantly, leaving only an unbroken chill in the room.
He looked at the shop owner, his voice returning to calm:
"If you protect her today, I will owe you a favor. But the Artifact Wielder must die. I will remember this favor.
Whether you protect her or not — I'll give you ten minutes to decide. I'll be sitting right here."
With that, he walked straight to the table and sat down, his back straight and stiff.
The shop owner stared at his back, a complicated look flashing in her emerald eyes. She secretly signaled the witch in the corner.
The witch snapped back to her senses, scrambling to the back kitchen. She soon returned with a steaming cup of coffee and carefully placed it before Shi Jin.
Shi Jin didn't glance at the coffee. He only stared at the deepening night outside the window, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt.
The ten-minute countdown hung over them like an hourglass, every second squeezing the tense air.
On the very last second of the ten minutes, the shop owner finally spoke, her voice as if rubbed raw by sandpaper:
"I'll protect her."
Shi Jin's fingers stilled. He didn't turn around, only grunted:
"Mm."
Demonic energy outside had grown so thick it was almost tangible. Faint roars of demons pierced the night.
The shop owner stared at his calm profile, suddenly finding this powerhouse more unpredictable than the demons.
He clearly was desperate to kill the Artifact Wielder, yet he had waited ten minutes. Even after getting his promise, he still sat there.
The coffee had gone completely cold, like the silent contest between them. Both knew that behind the words "the time hasn't come" lay an even fiercer storm.
Shi Jin stood up. The Enma Blade's hilt spun half a circle in his palm. He walked to the door, his hand on the latch, and spoke without turning around:
"Tomorrow I'll bring her here."
His voice fell. The wooden door creaked open. The night outside flooded in like a tide, swallowing his figure in an instant.
The door slammed shut, as if everything that just happened had been only an illusion in the shop owner's seven-hundred-year life.
Only the cold coffee on the table remained, marking where he had sat.
The vibration of the shutting door still tingled in the shop owner's fingertips. She stared at the cold coffee. For the first time in seven hundred years, her unshakable heart trembled before that ten-thousand-year-old powerhouse.
Was that "favor" a protective charm… or a death sentence?
When he brought Levitel tomorrow, would the Artifact Wielder appear too?
The shop owner immediately signaled the witch to reinforce the barrier on the second-floor room. She turned into the kitchen, pulling out a bottomless box of ancient elf tree bark from a hidden compartment. She crushed it and mixed it into lamp oil — light from this oil kept demons away.
Returning to the front room, she sat in the seat Shi Jin had just occupied. Dipping her finger into the cold coffee, she quietly drew a map of the mixed-blood city-state on the table.
The old district cellar, the dock warehouse, the clock tower夹层 — the three most likely hiding places of the Artifact Wielders were circled.
When she finished, she wiped the marks away with a cloth, leaving only a faint coffee stain. She lit the lamp with the bark-mixed oil.
In the orange glow, her gaze was deeper than a seven-hundred-year-old cold pool.
When Shi Jin came tomorrow, she would make sure he "just happened" to learn these locations.
The shop owner stared at the lamp's flickering flame, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the counter's edge.
Seven hundred years had taught her to find life within danger. This deal with Shi Jin was just another carefully calculated game of survival.