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They say Jiang Taigong fishes, and only those willing to bite take the bait.

But Jiang Taigong only pretended to fish. Lin Ge was actually fishing—and, as luck would have it, he reeled in a young lady.

The young lady had a headscarf wrapped around her head, in the style you’d see on an Indian man. From the hair peeking out by her temples, it looked like she was a brunette. As for the rest of her getup, all Lin Ge could say was: Miss, you’re the real fishing pro here.

I bow to your superior skill, miss. Let me give you a thumbs-up!

“Heh, I was just bored and passing the time. But you’ve got quite the complete set of gear.”

A professional fishing rod, a professional fish basket, and a professional fishing net… Uh, basically, everything was professional-grade.

“I just take the things I love and pursue them to the fullest.” The fishing girl smiled softly.

“A hobby is the source of all life. You’re pretty sharp, miss.”

Lin Ge smiled too, feeling as if he’d met a kindred spirit, someone who shared his interests.

He hurriedly made room for the fishing girl, then considerately pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket for her to sit on.

The fishing girl’s lips curved into a sweet smile. She thanked Lin Ge and briefly introduced herself. Her name was Mu, and she was about the same age as him.

A female friend his own age. Mm, Lin Ge instantly felt better.

Alice or Rosetti—though the two of them and Lin Ge were married in name, their daily life together was… sigh. If there hadn’t been any bloodshed, Lin Ge would’ve thought they were enemies.

It was only when he saw the fishing girl smile that Lin Ge finally remembered how sweet a girl’s smile could be.

Still… as nice as this was, Lin Ge’s brain wasn’t switched off. The woman in front of him hadn’t come here just to fish.

“Miss Mu, you don’t look like a resident of Bota City.” Lin Ge held his fishing rod and smiled warmly.

“I’m actually an apprentice merchant. When there aren’t many customers, I sneak out to slack off and fish.” Mu stuck out her tongue, looking sheepish, as if she’d been caught.

“Heh, looks like we’re alike.”

“Alike?! You mean…”

“I also come here to slack off when I get a break from work.”

“Really?! Looks like we have a lot of hobbies in common.”

“Hahaha, exactly.”

They shared a laugh, hiding their smiles from each other, like old friends who hadn’t met in years but still had endless things to talk about.

They talked about everything from sneaking away under the boss’s nose to slack off, to sharing their fishing tips and experiences.

Before long, they’d become completely familiar with each other. They were so close they were practically throwing their arms around each other, swearing brotherhood before Guan Yu and calling each other brothers.

Thinking about it now, this world wasn’t so bad after all.

Back then or now, it was rare to have a close female friend who got along with him like a bro.

Almost nonexistent, in fact.

After all, pure friendship between a man and a woman was about as likely as a novel becoming a bestseller.

Pretty difficult.

But even as they got along, Lin Ge didn’t let his guard down around the fishing girl.

Judging by the headscarf and outfit that looked like something only an Indian man would wear, if Lin Ge remembered right… that was a style unique to beastfolk.

Miss Mu’s true identity was probably that of a beastfolk.

With tensions between their people and the beastfolk running high, for a beastfolk woman to come fishing by the river and slack off… this couldn’t be a good sign.

What was her goal?

Was she smitten with my good looks?

That was highly possible! After all, the fact that he was handsome and charming was known throughout the world. No arguing with that!

And yet…

“Lin, why do you think the different races can’t just live together in peace?”

As she gazed across the still lake, Mu’s long lashes lowered slightly, as if reflecting the worries in her heart—a heart that cared for her country and the fate of the world. Her face held a sadness no woman her age should have had…

Lin Ge pressed his lips together, took back the words he’d been about to say, and changed his answer:

“That’s something you have to ask yourself.”

“Ask myself?” Mu raised her delicate brows. “Ask what?”

“What does it mean to live together in peace? What kind of life do you think deserves to be called peaceful?”

“What kind of life deserves to be called peaceful…”

Murmuring Lin Ge’s words, Mu fell into thought.

A gray pigeon skimmed overhead. Sunlight fell on them as they gazed out at the quiet lake, and Mu’s own heart was just as quiet. After thinking for a while, she gave a faint smile and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“That’s a tough question. I’m no scholar.”

“Is it? I think it’s actually pretty simple.”

Lin Ge smiled, looking as if he’d already seen through it all.

“Oh? What is it?” Mu pressed him eagerly.

“I’m not telling you. It’s such a simple question—figure it out yourself.” Lin Ge grinned mischievously and spread his hands.

“Hey, what do you mean, ‘figure it out yourself’? Are we even friends?” Mu puffed out her cheeks, looking a little upset. It was kind of cute.

“That won’t do. Some things are better when you find the answer yourself. Besides… sure, we’re friends, but we only met a few hours ago, didn’t we?”

“Well… that’s true…”

Hearing Lin Ge say that, Mu’s already downcast eyes lost even more of their light. As if explaining it to herself, she gave a self-mocking smile and murmured under her breath…

Seeing a girl like that made Lin Ge feel a little awkward.

Why did it feel like I was bullying her?

“Ahem. Well~ maybe giving you a hint now and then isn’t so bad. But this is only how I see it. You still have to find your own answer.”

As he spoke, Lin Ge glanced at Mu. Seeing that she was now focused entirely on him, he continued:

“As I see it, peace means being able to eat, drink, and laze around every day. And of course, it’d be even better to have beautiful girls by your side. If possible, they should be beautiful girls from different races. That… is what peace means to me.”

Lin Ge puffed out his chest, looking proud of himself.

“Pfft! That’s not peace—you’re trying to turn the whole world into a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings!” Mu laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “If everyone in the world lazed around and did nothing all day, wouldn’t the world fall apart?”

“You can’t put it like that. Laziness is the nature of all living things. You could say the world exists because of laziness. What do you think, mysterious beastfolk miss?”

“…”

“Heh, looks like that headscarf wasn’t much use after all.”

Mu froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile and touched the top of her head.

She didn’t bother to explain. Getting up, she packed away her fishing gear, then gave Lin Ge a gentle smile as she left.

“I enjoyed talking with you. If we can, I hope we’ll stay friends. If we ever get another chance…”

“If we get another chance, I will.”

They smiled at each other.

Lin Ge watched the girl’s departing figure until she disappeared, then shrugged.

He didn’t know why she’d chosen this moment to come talk to him, but from her words and manner, it was clear she held some position among the beastfolk…

“So, what should I do now?”

Looking at the fish basket, only half full, Lin Ge decided to slack off a little longer. As for everything else, he’d leave it for later. Wasn’t taking it easy the best?

…

…

At the same time, Mu, who had left, took off the hat on her head. A pair of fluffy tiger ears appeared, twitching nimbly.

She looked back toward the pond where she’d spoken with Lin Ge.

Then she looked toward the nearby street.

Gone was the innocent, guileless look she’d worn while talking with Lin Ge. Now her eyes held a solemn composure beyond her years, along with a faint, murderous intent she hadn’t quite managed to hide…

“For the sake of peace, I’ll have to deal with the rat who’s been cozying up to the ‘enemy.’”