Chapter 1

Out in the Western Regions, yellow earth and sand rolled together over the ground, turning everything gold under the fierce sun. The land lay exposed without a single hiding place; the occasional lizard creeping by dug through the sand for food, only to be startled by a young woman's sudden shout.

"Hey! Wait for me!" A bright cry echoed through the vast desert, mixed with the occasional hiss of windblown sand.

Zhu Yu braced her hands on her knees and looked up, glaring at the man who never once turned around. The nonstop walking had left her panting for breath, and the scorching sun had brought out sweat on her forehead, soaking her bangs.

It all started a few days earlier. She had been an ordinary returning overseas student, only to have bad luck strike when turbulence on her flight turned into a crash.

She had thought she was done for, but instead she woke up in the body of a little girl who happened to share her name.

The original body's father had been the Protector-General of Dashi, and he had married a Western Regions woman and had her.

Not long ago, the original owner's parents had fallen into an enemy's trap and died together in the desert.

The girl had been raised in seclusion since childhood. After such a sudden disaster, how could she possibly withstand it? In a moment of despair, she had hanged herself.

That death had conveniently left this stray wisp of a soul with a chance to live on in this strange world.

Just as Zhu Yu was agonizing over whether to stay in the Protectorate's residence or run away, a man had shown up at her door.

"Who are you?"

Zhu Yu studied the person before her. He wore a drab gray robe, as if he had traveled a long way to get here, and his plain face was the sort that would vanish into a crowd and never be found again. His expression was equally flat, giving off very little emotion.

The man took out a keepsake and said, "I'm a friend of your father. On his final instructions, I've come to take you away."

It was a jade pendant. Zhu Yu searched the original owner's memories and confirmed that it really was a personal item her father had left behind.

After thinking it over, she realized she had nowhere else to go anyway. Staying put might only invite her enemies to come knocking. She might as well leave with this man.

So she said, "All right, then wait while I pack."

The man nodded and stood by the door.

"By the way, what's your name?" Zhu Yu stepped over as well, and a carefree smile appeared on her face. "My name is Zhu Yu, the Zhu Yu that's round and lustrous like pearls and jade." A little pun didn't cost anything, hehe.

The man looked at her for a long moment, then answered, "Li Wu."

"Li Wu?" Zhu Yu burst out laughing. "Like a gift you can give away?"

She never got tired of corny wordplay, and Zhu Yu thought she was pretty funny. Who knew the man wouldn't play along at all? He only pointed toward the room and urged her to hurry up and pack.

"Not a shred of humor," Zhu Yu muttered to herself, and obediently went to gather her things.

Back to the present.

She had been traveling with the man for three days. Even Zhu Yu, who had started out full of energy, was so tired by now that she could barely speak.

She sat in the carriage while Li Wu drove it out of the city. Except for eating and sleeping, they had been on the road nonstop the entire time.

By now they were already three hundred li outside the city, in the stretch of the Longmen Desert.

Once they crossed this desert, Chang'an would not be far away.

After buying the supplies they needed in the nearby town for the crossing, Zhu Yu thought about having to abandon the carriage and go into the desert on camels, facing the real heat and the brutal journey ahead. Just imagining the eating and sleeping under the open sky made her vision go dark. She rubbed her aching legs and couldn't help asking, "Can we rest here for two days before we leave?"

The man, Li Wu, was choosing camels for the transfer. The carriage couldn't go any farther once they entered the desert. Without looking at her, he said, "No. We're short on time."

Zhu Yu puffed out her cheeks, a little annoyed. He kept saying they were short on time, but never once told her why. "Then at least let me have one day. You have to give me time to catch my breath, don't you?"

"No." His voice carried no emotion at all as he flatly refused her.

"You!" Zhu Yu glared at him. Sitting down in the shop chair in a huff, she said, "I'm taking a day off. If not, I'm not going anywhere!"

Li Wu led the camel he had bought and glanced at her. "Up to you."

Zhu Yu watched helplessly as the man walked farther and farther away, until she could no longer make out his back. That bastard was really leaving her alone here!

Fine, alone then! She refused to believe he wouldn't come back looking for her!

Dragging her exhausted body, Zhu Yu found a teahouse and sat down. First she would eat her fill, then worry about the rest.

When the waiter handed her the menu, she, who had been living on nothing but flatbread for days, couldn't help ordering every specialty on the list: big plate chicken, spicy boiled beef, mutton paomo...

Just thinking about it made her mouth water like crazy.

After eating and drinking her fill, Zhu Yu sat and rested for a while before slowly getting up.

She planned to find an inn and stay the night. When the man couldn't wait for her to come back, he would definitely come looking for her. Before that, she would find a place to wash up and rest properly.

She slapped a piece of silver onto the table and said grandly, "Shopkeeper, one upper room!"

After a comfortable bath, Zhu Yu lay on the bed rubbing scented cream onto her skin, humming a tune under her breath. This was what life was supposed to feel like.

Too bad ancient times had no entertainment to speak of. Once night fell, it was time to sleep.

Used to staying up late, Zhu Yu couldn't fall asleep right away. She lay there with both hands behind her head, spacing out and wondering whether her brother had learned about her crash and was heartbroken now...

In her modern life, she had lost her parents at a very young age. It had been her brother who raised her. The person who would probably be most devastated right now was also her brother...

Just as Zhu Yu's thoughts wandered, a faint sound came from outside the door.

"I'll blow the smoke. You open the door."

Smoke? What smoke?

Zhu Yu immediately went on alert. She sat up and looked closely, only to realize there were clearly two thieves outside the door!

The two thieves were still whispering to each other. "Once she's asleep, I'll keep watch at the door. You carry her out, and don't forget her luggage. Sell her to Madam Hong. Then the two of us can split the money."

Zhu Yu sucked in a sharp breath when she heard that. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, slipped quietly out of bed, grabbed the walking stick leaning against the windowsill, and moved behind the screen.

Soon after, a thin bamboo tube punctured the window paper and slid inside, releasing the knockout smoke.

The two thieves judged the timing was about right, so one of them used a knife to lift the bolt, pried the door open, and slipped inside.

The sound of their footsteps made Zhu Yu's heart pound in terror. Frightened and panicked, her eyes were red from holding back tears.

One thief went to the bedside and stared at the lump under the blanket, confused. He lifted it with his hand, looked, and roared, "Damn it, where is she?"

The thief outside heard the noise and leaned in to ask, "What is it?"

"The girl's gone!"

"How is that possible?!" The thief outside also came in. "I saw it clearly today. She came into this room."

"Don't panic. Let's look carefully. Maybe she's hiding somewhere."

The two of them started searching separately, but the room was only so big. No matter how Zhu Yu prayed, she could hear their footsteps drawing closer and closer to the screen.

She gripped the stick tightly. Seeing a shadow appear on the screen, she shut her eyes and swung hard at the head that reached around it. The thief let out a miserable howl and collapsed unconscious. "Ah!"

His partner heard it and whipped around in shock. "What happened?" He also came over.

Zhu Yu tried the same trick again, tightening her grip on the stick, but this thief had been on guard.

She saw a black shadow peek around the screen and, without thinking, struck at it with the stick. With a sharp smack, she knocked a pillow to the floor.

Shit!

Her heart lurched. As expected, this thief was far more cautious than the first and had actually used a pillow to test her.

"Well now, little lady, you've got some skills." A pair of filthy eyes looked over at her with an ugly smile.

Zhu Yu held the stick and stared at the figure approaching her, fear creeping into her voice. "Don't come closer. My companion is also in this inn. If I yell, he'll be here at once!"

"A companion? You think I'm blind? There was only you checking into the inn today."

The thief could clearly see through her thoughts. He sized Zhu Yu up as if she were an object, then said, "You're pretty enough, little lady. Put down the stick now, and maybe I won't sell you. You can just follow me from now on."

Zhu Yu forced herself to stay calm and deliberately put on a shy expression. "Then... if you really are this handsome, sir, it's not impossible."

"Oh?" The thief was rather surprised to see that she had stopped resisting.

"But I was just scared a moment ago, and my legs went weak. Could you come over and help me up?" she asked, blinking her big eyes pleadingly.

"Of course." Who could have guessed such a lucky break would fall into his lap? The thief immediately rubbed his hands together and walked over with a lewd grin.

Just as the man's hand was about to land on her shoulder, Zhu Yu grabbed the stick, struck without warning, and shouted, "Take that!"

"Tch..." Who knew the man would suddenly dodge? The stick only hit his elbow.

The thief winced in pain and flew into a rage. He kicked the stick out of her hand. "How dare you!"

Then he clamped a hand around her throat until breathing became difficult. "So you won't take the easy way, huh? Then you'll take the hard way!"

The grip on her neck hurt badly. Terrified, Zhu Yu's tears spilled out. Li Wu! Li Wu! She suddenly regretted picking a fight with the man and leaving herself in this kind of situation.

Zhu Yu burst into loud tears. "Help! Help me! Li Wu!"

Whether heaven had taken pity on her or really heard her plea, a dull thud rang out, and the hand around her throat loosened weakly and fell away.

Through blurred tears, Zhu Yu looked toward the newcomer. The man stood with both hands behind his back, his eyes like a deep pool, dark and profound. In the darkness he looked almost like the King of Hell, cold and merciless, so detached that just looking at him made a person shiver deep down.

But to Zhu Yu, Li Wu looked like a hero descending from the heavens.

She threw herself at him at once, clutching his lapels tightly with both hands and burying her face in his broad chest, crying so hard she could hardly breathe. "Waaah... I was so scared, I was so scared!"

Li Wu stiffened for a second, then awkwardly patted her back and said, "It's all right now."

For once, a trace of regret surfaced in him. Why had he taken this little girl so seriously? She was a spoiled, delicate sort to begin with. He should have just let her have her way.

And now she'd ended up running into something like this.

By the time Zhu Yu gradually calmed down, she realized Li Wu's lapels had been tugged crooked by her, exposing a small patch of his hard chest.

She hurriedly let go, tears still hanging in her eyes, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Before Li Wu could answer, she went on, "I shouldn't have ignored what you said..." In her view, she had flown into a random temper at him, and yet he had come to save her without holding a grudge. For that alone, he was a truly good man.

Li Wu sighed and patted the girl's head. "It's enough that you're all right."

The matter finally passed without disaster. Li Wu tied up the two thieves and dumped them in the woodshed, planning to take them to the authorities first thing in the morning.

Just as he was about to leave, a pair of small hands timidly caught his sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Li Wu asked.

Zhu Yu's hair was in disarray, and tears still clung to her crow-black lashes. She looked thoroughly frightened. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to watch the two of them in the woodshed."

Zhu Yu shook her head. "They're tied up by you. They won't run." Then she looked at him again. "Stay here with me, okay?"

Li Wu had a headache. "That's not very convenient..."

Zhu Yu's eyes started to fill again. Two tears slipped down at once, and her voice turned soft with pleading. "Please, I don't dare sleep alone..."

In the stillness of deep night, Zhu Yu buried her face in the blanket. After a moment, she peeked out with a pair of almond-shaped eyes, darting them toward the figure sitting by the table.

"Li Wu?" Her deliberately lowered voice carried a hint of fear, as if she was worried he might slip away while she slept.

Li Wu was half-lidded, resting his head on one arm. He answered, "What is it?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to call you." Hearing his reply, Zhu Yu pulled the covers over her head and fell asleep in satisfaction.