Luo Yu furrowed her brows, locking her gaze on the young, muscular man before her.

Silence.

Staring back made his heart flutter. His cheeks flushed with awkwardness, words failing him.

He’d planned to pounce on the girl and end this quickly. But meeting Luo Yu’s utterly serious eyes, his powerful body froze.

Luo Yu broke the silence first.

"Peasant. What drags this lady from her sleep at midnight?"

"Ah, well—" As he fumbled for words, Luo Yu turned away.

She rose silently, settling beside the campfire he’d lit. Hugging her knees, she reached into her backpack, rummaging inside.

The man’s eyes widened. She pulled out a coarse grayish-yellow powder, wrapped in broad leaves.

He recognized it—ground rice husks, wheat stalks, and common roots. Cheap, filling, easy to carry. Demon Realm stomachs could handle it. Rare in central cities though.

Luo Yu poured water from her flask over the powder. It clumped into a rough, unappetizing lump—like a gritty rice cake.

She took a small bite, swallowing expressionlessly. Then she noticed the groom watching. Pinching off half the lump, she held it out, tilting her head. "Want some?"

His mind reeled. This girl knew his intentions, yet sat calmly eating bitter food. Was she plotting something? Or just too scared to move, faking bravery?

He glanced at her eyes again. No trace of the broken slave he’d expected. Just a quiet girl chewing stubbornly.

"You want some?" Luo Yu pressed when he didn’t move.

"Huh?" He snapped back. "No! No, thank you."

He scrambled to the carriage, yanking open a storage box. He emerged cradling a massive haunch of meat. "I’ve got food. Plenty."

Luo Yu stared as he sliced the lean meat, skewering strips onto sticks. Five or six sizzled over the flames. Her eyes locked on them, mouth watering. "Do all carriage drivers eat this well?"

"Oh, this?" He scratched his head sheepishly. "My wife raised it on our farm outside the city. She knows I’m often away... wanted me to eat properly on the road."

"You’re lucky. A wife who cares." Luo Yu buried her face in her knees, voice muffled with envy.

"Not really. She’s sharp-tongued. Plain-faced. Nothing like a young lady such as—"

"Does she love you? Do you have children?"

"Ah..." Caught off guard, he answered honestly. "She loves me fiercely. Three kids. My horse-driving job feeds them all. Without me, they’d..."

He warmed to the topic, but Luo Yu was already packing up. She climbed silently into the carriage.

Her final words drifted back:

"Peasants will be peasants. Rotten to the core."

"What did you—" Anger flared, but she continued:

"Let tonight be forgotten. Just get me to Lan City before dawn."

"...Fine."

"I already despise you," Luo Yu added. "But abandon your wicked thoughts. For your sake. For your wife and children’s."

He gritted his teeth, remembering her tear-streaked face in sleep. Then slashed his own arm with the knife.

"Whatever."

He gathered the smoked meat, voice tight. "This... you won’t eat any?"

"No."

"Oh."

He stamped out the fire and urged the horses forward. Gripping the reins, he stared straight ahead into the night, ignoring the carriage behind him.

The ride to dawn felt endless. He’d driven by moonlight countless times, but now restless unease coiled in his chest.

An hour later, Luo Yu’s voice cut through the dark.

"News from Lan City? What’s happening? Tell me."

"Ah, well!" Professional instinct kicked in. "Big shots arrived recently. The whole city’s celebrating—firecrackers, fireworks, nonstop revelry."

"Who?"

"Not sure." He shook his head. "Rumor says some girls from the human Champion’s squad. Whether the Champion herself is there..."

"Anything more?" Luo Yu’s tone sharpened.

"No. Just what a passenger from Lan City told me."

Silence returned, broken only by the carriage wheels crunching over stones.

As dawn’s first light tinged the sky, the outskirts of Lan City appeared.

Luo Yu peered through the window. The old wooden gates stood clear in the distance. Before the carriage stopped, she leapt out.

The groom yanked the reins, waving. "Hey! We’re not—"

"Unnecessary." Luo Yu shook her head. "I wrote ahead. Someone will meet me."

"Right." He waited, watching the wind lift her skirt and hair as she stood waiting.

Soon, a gaudily dressed girl burst from the city gates, running toward Luo Yu. They chattered like old friends, laughter bright between them.

Luo Yu clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "So the Champion really might be hiding in that town?"

"Yep—" The painted girl’s smile froze. "Wait. Luo Yu, what are you—"

"Perfect. Delivered right to me."

Luo Yu struck a dramatic pose. "Xiong Thirteen Sister! Game over. I’ll summon a meteor with Heaven-Shaking Myriad Phenomena, erase that Champion, speedrun this other world, and reach life’s pinnacle!"

"You’re still so funny."

"Hush. Heed the wind’s guidance."

Luo Yu closed her eyes, murmuring an incantation. Then she thrust out a fist.

"...?"

After a long pause, the painted girl crossed her arms. "Did you do anything?"

"Bad mood today." Luo Yu tucked her hands behind her back, serene. "Withheld my power."

...

Far away, the young groom on the carriage rubbed his forehead, chuckling wryly.

"Just a bluff. I actually feared a greenhorn girl. Didn’t even collect her fare."

He yanked the reins, turning the carriage homeward—to his wife, his children, his real life.