"Sleep properly if you're sleeping. What's with all this fidgeting late at night?"

Er Yue Feng sat up in bed, twisting his neck side to side to loosen it. He patted his chest.

"Why do I feel like someone slashed my throat and carved out my heart?" he muttered. His neck felt stiff, his breathing uneven.

"Speaking of which..." He picked up the steel dagger from the floor, turning it over in his palm. His gaze fixed on the large pool of blood. "I only dozed off for a moment. When did this room get flooded with red liquid? Did someone spill tomato juice?"

He turned back, spotting more crimson stains on the bed—especially near his pillow.

"Oh," Luo Yu began instinctively, "that’s from when the catgirl sister and I took a few swings at your body—mmph!"

Cat Ten clamped a hand over Luo Yu’s mouth and yanked her into the corner before she could finish.

Luo Yu’s eyes widened. "Mmph...!"

"We absolutely cannot tell him," Cat Ten hissed, deadly serious. "Champions usually don’t care about this stuff, but Sister Chai? She’s a full-blown husband-obsessed demon. If she finds out we chopped off her husband’s head and kicked it around like a ball, she’ll punish us."

"Really?" Luo Yu gasped.

"So we need a cover story."

"But he lost so much blood! How do we explain that? We can’t just say it’s tomato juice..."

"Of course not—that’d be treating Lord Er Yue like a total idiot." Cat Ten wagged a finger. "Just tell him you got your period. Heavy flow. Simple."

Luo Yu nearly jumped. "That much? It’s almost four liters! No one bleeds that much at once!"

"Pfft, relax." Cat Ten grinned, eyes crinkling. "The Champion knows nothing about biology. He only knows how to *do it*. Lie boldly—he won’t know the difference."

"Are you sure?" Luo Yu frowned. "You really are treating him like an idiot..."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Er Yue Feng’s head suddenly popped between them, making them yelp.

Cat Ten shook her head frantically. "Nothing! Just... chatting about that ancient battle where the Demon Kind burned the Emotion Demonic God at the stake during the war..."

"Oh, Oharola?" Er Yue Feng nodded. "Stunningly beautiful. Formidably strong. They say she was close to mastering the authority to forge souls. Pity she angered the masses. The Demonic Gods ganged up on her—she lost both her life and purity. Only her sorcerous legacy remains..."

"Huh?" Luo Yu blinked. "Were we even talking about that?"

"Biographies of Demonic Gods are history," Er Yue Feng said, walking back to the bed. He stared at the red liquid again. "This stuff... feels oddly familiar."

"Well..." Luo Yu’s face flushed as she shuffled forward. "It’s... my period blood. Heavy day today..."

Er Yue Feng whipped around, eyes wide. "Heavy enough to spill *four liters*?"

"Everyone’s body is different!" Luo Yu stammered. "I’ve got bad cramps lately..."

"Then you’re sick." Er Yue Feng’s tone turned stern. "Lie down. Let me examine you."

"...Okay." Luo Yu obeyed, lying stiffly on the bed.

"Open your legs. Spread them apart. I need a proper look."

"...Understood."

"Huh." Er Yue Feng leaned close, inspecting Luo Yu’s mouth from every angle. He gently prodded her lips. "Your period isn’t due for another half-month. And your body shows no signs of bleeding."

Luo Yu’s face burned crimson. She spat, utterly speechless.

Er Yue Feng turned his sharp gaze to Cat Ten.

She flinched, scrambling into a corner and hugging her sword.

"I see. Heh." A knowing glint sparked in Er Yue Feng’s eyes. He stroked Luo Yu’s head, examining the steel dagger. "No need to apologize. Spilling two bottles of tomato juice in my room? It’s nothing. The maids will clean it. I’m not mad."

"...I’m sorr—" Luo Yu started, then froze. "*Huh?*"

Cat Ten rushed over, stunned. "*Huh?*"

"Look at you two," Er Yue Feng chuckled. "Terrified over spilled tomato juice. Making up stories about periods flooding four liters? Really?"

"But—"

"Maids!" Er Yue Feng grabbed a magical communicator from the table. "A girl knocked over two giant bottles of tomato juice in my room. Clean it up—I need to sleep."

The tavern manager sent servants immediately.

The maid froze in the doorway, face draining of color at the sight of thick, fresh blood soaking the bed and floor.

"*Well?*" Er Yue Feng waved impatiently. "Clean this tomato juice! How am I supposed to sleep?"

*This...* She pinched her nose against the metallic stench, thinking: *Lord, who did you bleed dry?*

"Hurry up!" Er Yue Feng urged. "Fix the bed first. I’m exhausted."

"Yes, sir..."

Soon, the room gleamed spotless again.

Er Yue Feng sank into his massive ten-person bed, breathing deeply. Within moments, he drifted into peaceful sleep, face serene.

"...Craving tomato juice..." he mumbled in his dreams.

As the maid left, she turned to Cat Ten. "Sir Knight... should I report this blood to Madam Chaijiu...?"

"*Blood?*" Cat Ten beamed. "Spilled tomato juice. Forget it. And *don’t* tell Sister Chai."

"Are you certain...?"

"Delete today from your memory."

"Yes, sir."

After shooing the maid away, Cat Ten joined Luo Yu beside the sleeping Er Yue Feng.

"Seriously," Luo Yu tapped her temple. "Is his head *really* okay?"

"Probably amnesia messing with his common sense," Cat Ten said, poking Er Yue Feng’s cheek. "He’s always been scatterbrained. Mixes up basics all the time."

"What a weird bird," Luo Yu muttered, still dazed.

"The Champion *is* peculiar," Cat Ten shrugged. "But today’s lesson for you, kid: stop dreaming of killing him for fame. As you saw—even if I chop his head off, he’ll stand before you again, good as new. Focus on your own life from now on."