Bing Shi's attention was drawn to his striking features—vivid red hair and crimson eyes. With her gaze focused on his eyes, she pointed at her heart, inquiring, "Sir's doing?"

Noticing her curious gesture, Ru Quan cast his eyes downward to his chest plate, where he observed a slight bend caused by the knife. He explained, "An accident."

If he answered yes, wouldn't he be seen as a mentally ill person? Not knowing where to start looking, he wandered around the streets without any clear purpose until he spotted this stall. Wasn't this little monster's favorite food?

"Do you like sweet potatoes?" Ru Quan asked Bing Shi the moment he spotted a guard giving her a sweet potato.

Thanking the guard, Bing Shi nodded in anticipation, "I love them."

Tasting every kind of sweet potato in the universe became one of the things on her bucket list, "They are my comfort food. Do you have one too?"

Before Ru Quan could answer, the sweaty, old man stopped him.

"Tian Shi, your role as a courtesan is to allure powerful men, not a mere guard," Hasan chastised, his disapproval evident. At the very least, he could vent his resentment toward Bing Shi outwardly.

"Mr. Hasan. Even a mere guard can become someone of great importance," Bing Shi took a step towards the redhead, sending him a hypnotizing smile, "Am I right, Sir?"

As her words sank in, Ru Quan's mind raced, 'A courtesan?'

"Right," Ru Quan responded with a similar smile and answered her question, "My comfort food...Bananas?"

"What a coincidence..." Bing Shi scrunched her eyebrows suspiciously. Did HQ throw an upgraded Victor before a sweet potato stall? Roaming down his chest, she declared truthfully, "I'm looking for a soul with similar taste to Sir's."

Before Ru Quan could respond, he was interrupted by Hasan again, "..."

"Tian Shi, that's enough of training," Hasan called out and handed her a veil, "Stop wasting your time on a man who obviously isn't rich enough to afford your services."

Without a ripple of emotion, Ru Quan's hands were itching to break Hasan's neck on the spot, his might was pushing through.

Hasan didn't believe that this untouchable angel could seduce anybody and requested her to at least train a few times before going to that place.

Along the way, he pointed at a few serious-looking men. But who was Tian Shi?! Did she use some magic? She was able to keep their interest, almost effortlessly.

"Alright," Bing Shi covered the lover part of her face with a veil. Following Hasan, she began to munch on the sweet potato.

'Everything sounds too good to be true.'

Could someone tell Ru Quan what in the world had just happened? Did she mention a soul?

Before she could disappear, Ru Quan called out, stifling at how flirtatious his words sounded, "Would you believe it? I'm looking for a soul too. The only thing I know about her is her love for sweet potatoes and her name."

Comparing his impression of little monster and this girl, they were quite different. But similarly, both came to him first and asked indirectly for a favor. There was no way he'd ignore it again.

Bing Shi was under the impression that she'd be the only one looking for Xuan Mu. Him looking for her without any memories? How was that possible? Waving at a guard, she took out a banana, a few sour candies, and a bottle of lemonade from his crossbody bag.

Lifting her gaze, she gifted them to Ru Quan, "That's so sad. I know a lot about mine. He is very possessive. An overly jealous... Anyway. It sounds impossible to locate a soul Sir knows nothing about."

"It's alright. I'll wait until she finds me," Ru Quan accepted the strange gift. Were courtesans in this world that good at their job? He couldn't tell if she was telling the truth, seducing him, or simply taking him for a joke. Just then, he could feel little monster's vibes. "My name is Ru Quan."

"Tian Shi, we are going to be late," Hasan urged.

"I know," answered Bing Shi, making a slight bow in Ru Quan's direction, "Sir, forgive me, I'm a bit busy right now."

Seeing his nod, she gave him a mischievous smile, "I give no discounts." Turning around, she disappeared into the crowd.

Ru Quan's mouth twitched. Gulping down the sour water, he looked at his occupied hands. She must be telling the truth. Why would she keep all these items in her bag then?

Under the belief that he remembered all his lifetimes, Ru Quan didn't think that he was the one she was looking for. The only contact he had with her was during his first lifetime. She didn't react to his name at all.

If he could remember his past lives, why not others? The man she mentioned had to be another soul, meaning, she was not little monster. There might be a chance that he remembered only a few lifetimes. If yes, what was their relationship?

Peeling off the banana, Ru Quan took a bite while recollecting their first kiss. There was a limit to so many coincidences. He had no such thing as comfort food. The banana fritters were just another thing that reminded him of little monster.

(To look for one another, everything they said was intentional, nothing was left for chance.)

· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

Ru Quan continued to walk mindlessly, his eyes void of any desires. When he started to get sick of everything, sex included, he knew that things had gone shit. 'I need to hold on until I locate her,' he reminded himself, 'and make sure she is alright first.'

His steps brought him back to the estate. Passing through the front gates, a petite girl called out to him.

Stepping before him, she revealed her face, "What would my father say if he knew our guard ran away during his working hours?"

Fei Lan showed him a smile, mesmerizing enough to cause the downfall of a city, "If you accompany me to the arena, I'll take the blame upon myself."

Ru Quan's gaze rested on the unfamiliar countenance before him, yet a familiar sensation welled up from within, urging him to grasp onto this girl and never release her.

Only towards one woman would he feel this type of emotion. And now, that very woman's soul was in the body of an underage girl. Wasn't Fei Lan only twelve or something?

His thoughts of Bai Meili never ceased as her imprint was just too deep. He was unable to move on from his first love. In the following lifetimes, she would choose another man over him.

He couldn't blame her. He hadn't even fought for her affection. Who would want this broken shell? The all-powerful man was gone. This was the current him — damaged on the surface, dead and empty on the inside.

The old spirit within Ru Quan's body was disgusted by his own feelings, "Find someone else," he said and went to resign from his post as a guard, "I don't have time to babysit a little kid."

Hearing his sarcasm, Fei Lan didn't back down, "Judging me by my age already? How... childish."

Disappearing on a whim, this guard didn't act like a guard at all, which could mean that he remembered something. When Fei Lan ordered her system to switch the target from the guard to Tian Shi, it malfunctioned — the only person she could monitor was this guard.

"Say whatever you want," Ru Quan's tone carried an air of indifference, "I have no time for bickering."

Fei Lan reacted immediately, "Are you leaving?"

When it came to Bing Shi, he always took his time. So why, when it came to her, he would always run away?! Fei Lan scoffed nonchalantly, 'As expected of the heroine's halo.'

Tears welled up and trickled down Fei Lan's cheeks, her voice a mere whisper, "Take me with you... please..." As she lifted her head, her teary eyes bore into his, the resilient facade she had upheld moments earlier now dissolving completely. "I don't want to be married off."

Ru Quan bit his bottom lip, halting at his steps, "Pack your things and meet me at midnight behind the willow tree."

What could he say? He couldn't ignore his ex-lover's pleas for help, 'I'm so damn pathetic.'

"Y-Yes," Fei Lan hurried towards her courtyard, a delicate smirk replacing her tear-stricken face.

Ru Quan observed the disappearing figure, 'Bai Meili, why won't you let me go?'

Taking out little monster candy from his pocket, Ru Quan popped it into his mouth, 'Is this what she meant by comfort food?' His focus completely switched to the sour taste of the candy.

Suddenly, he began coughing uncontrollably, causing the candy to abruptly fall from his mouth. Eyes widening, Ru Quan gasped for breath, his hand instinctively thumping against his chest.

♡Just a second ago, he felt another tongue invading his mouth. No. It was him, who tried to leave his traces all over that slick territory. The texture of her wet tongue pushing the candy back, her nails scratching his hands in protest, and how he was holding her face in place... he could feel it all. Only after she tasted the same as him, did he take the sour candy back in satisfaction.

The shocked Ru Quan stared at the wasted candy in the grass, 'Little monster, what sorcery was that?'