Lin Kuang walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhantai Mingyue. She held one hand to her chest while carrying her sword, Little Black, in the other. With her face full of childlike innocence, she couldn’t have been more beautiful.

Even Lin Kuang occasionally found himself stunned by Zhantai Mingyue’s antics. The girl truly had the disposition of a child.

When he thought about it, though, it made sense. Having grown up in the mountains with only her family, she’d never experienced any scheming or conflict. It was only natural that she retained a childlike innocence that had all but vanished from the modern world.

However, the thought of being saddled with this tagalong gave Lin Kuang an inexplicable headache.

After finally making it out of the suburbs, Lin Kuang hailed a taxi. When the taxi driver saw the sword in Zhantai Mingyue’s hand, he almost refused to take them. Fortunately, after a few words of persuasion from Lin Kuang, the driver agreed and drove the pair away.

Throughout the ride, Zhantai Mingyue looked at everything with wide-eyed curiosity. Her naive and artless demeanor left Lin Kuang at a loss for words, unsure of what he was even feeling.

An hour later, the two of them finally returned to Lin Kuan’s home.

It was just past six in the morning. The old man was taking a stroll in the courtyard while Lin Kuang’s father, Lin Guodong, was keeping him company.

"Father, Grandpa, I’m back," Lin Kuang said with a smile as he entered the courtyard house.

"Hm? And who might this be?" the old man responded, his gaze landing on Zhantai Mingyue with curiosity.

"Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Uncle!" Zhantai Mingyue called out sweetly, looking incredibly adorable.

Hearing this, Lin Kuang rolled his eyes and said, "Well... it’s a bit complicated. I’ll explain everything during breakfast."

"Alright, go on and do what you need to do," the old man said, giving Lin Kuang a mischievous wink that left him feeling exasperated.

Zhantai Mingyue followed Lin Kuang into his room, her big eyes curiously scanning her surroundings.

"It’s quite clean and tidy. So, where am I sleeping tonight?" Zhantai Mingyue asked.

"We’ll sleep in the same bed!" Lin Kuang said irritably.

"No way! Boys and girls can’t sleep together unless they’re married," Zhantai Mingyue replied with a serious expression.

"Just kidding. Do you want to take a shower?" Lin Kuang asked.

"Of course I do," Zhantai Mingyue responded.

"Come with me," Lin Kuang said, turning and walking off. Zhantai Mingyue followed right behind him.

Lin Kuang showed her around as they walked, explaining, "This is the bathroom; you can shower here. And this is your room. You can sleep here tonight."

"Oh, I see. I’d like to take a shower now," Zhantai Mingyue said, blinking her big eyes as she looked at Lin Kuang.

"Then go ahead," Lin Kuang said, exasperated.

"But I don’t have a change of clothes," Zhantai Mingyue pouted.

"Clothes? I don’t have any women’s clothes here, only men’s," Lin Kuang responded, annoyed.

"Men’s clothes will be fine. Just find me a clean set. I’ll go buy some later," Zhantai Mingyue said.

Lin Kuang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. You’ll buy them? Aren’t you just going to use my money? Grumbling inwardly, he went to his room and found a white tracksuit. That sort of thing was unisex, so it wouldn’t be a problem for Zhantai Mingyue to wear it.

"Here, wear this for now," Lin Kuang said, handing the tracksuit to her. "I’ll take you to buy proper clothes later."

"Okay," Zhantai Mingyue agreed with a smile, then walked into the bathroom. As for Little Black, she had carelessly tossed the sword aside in the room.

Looking at the treasured sword, Lin Kuang felt sorry for it. To be stuck with a master like her... it’s a hopeless case.

With that thought, Lin Kuang returned to the courtyard. By now, the old man was already resting in the rocking chair, and Lin Guodong had probably gone to instruct the staff to prepare breakfast. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Quietly approaching the old man, Lin Kuang placed his hands on the elder’s shoulders and began to knead them gently. A smile spread across the old man’s wrinkled face. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the massage.

About half an hour later, a freshly showered Zhantai Mingyue emerged from the bathroom. Her jet-black hair was still damp, and she was wearing a clean white tracksuit that made her look incredibly charming.

Looking at Zhantai Mingyue, Lin Kuang couldn’t help but stare, momentarily dazed. He found the pure innocence on her lovely face captivating, especially since she was already so beautiful to begin with.

"Pervert, stop staring at me," Zhantai Mingyue snapped, though her charming face flushed slightly, making her look all the more radiant.

"Am I? How would you know I was looking at you if you weren’t looking at me?" Lin Kuang retorted.

"You rascal, be a little more gentle with girls," the old man, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly interjected.

Hearing this, Lin Kuang nodded hurriedly, breaking out in an internal cold sweat.

"See? Even Grandpa knows you’re being unreasonable," Zhantai Mingyue said with a grin. She walked over to the old man and began massaging his legs of her own accord.

"Mm, what a well-behaved girl. What’s your name?" the old man asked with a smile, clearly taken with her.

"Grandpa, my name is Zhantai Mingyue," she replied with a matching smile.

"Oh, Zhantai. That’s a fine surname," the old man said with a chuckle.

"It is. Grandpa, are you sick? You don’t have much life force left," Zhantai Mingyue said, her lovely expression changing as surprise filled her large eyes.

"Mm, I don’t have much time left," the old man said with a smile, seemingly unsurprised that she could sense his condition. "But it’s alright. I can still hang on for a while longer."

"Grandpa, that won’t do! At this rate, you have one or two months at most," Zhantai Mingyue said, wrinkling her small nose.

"It’s alright. Birth, old age, sickness, and death... these are things everyone must experience in life," the old man said, his tone perfectly peaceful.

Hearing this, Zhantai Mingyue nodded in a state of partial understanding.

Just then, Lin Guodong called everyone for breakfast.

Lin Kuang and Zhantai Mingyue supported the old man, one on each side, as they walked to the meal.

During breakfast, Lin Kuang explained Zhantai Mingyue’s situation to his grandfather and father. Upon hearing the story, both the old man and Lin Guodong were left feeling somewhere between amused and exasperated. Their reaction made Zhantai Mingyue’s lovely face flush crimson with embarrassment.

After the meal, Zhantai Mingyue helped clear the table, looking for all the world like a dutiful, newly-married young wife.

Pulling Lin Kuang outside, Lin Guodong said with a laugh, "Son, that girl Mingyue is wonderful. Find a chance to make her yours. Your grandfather and I both like her a lot."

Hearing this, Lin Kuang said with some frustration, "Father, it’s not what you think."

"What do you mean it’s not what I think? You’ve already brought me several daughters-in-law; one more won’t make a difference. Keep it up. Your old man is rooting for you."

With that, Lin Guodong clapped Lin Kuang on the shoulder and walked away.