The protective barrier surrounding the building had now been lifted — and suddenly, a flashy convertible shot out from the building with a sharp whoosh, speeding down the already mostly cleared roads.

  Night was gradually falling over the city as Yi drove his beloved sports car, racing nonstop in a single direction. Along the way, he gazed at the city in ruins, his heart a mix of emotions.

  Though it was June and summer, the air seemed to grow colder and colder, now mixed with light rain. The advantage of a convertible was the open-air ride — but for this, Yi was practically “drinking the northwest wind” (hē xīběifēng，喝西北风), the cold rain slapping hard against his face. Helpless, he gave up on looking cool and tried to raise the roof, only to find the mechanism malfunctioning, refusing to respond no matter what he did. This made Yi mock himself repeatedly; his current situation could be summed up in one phrase — “A Road Trip in Embarrassment” (Rén zài jiǒng tú，人在囧途).

  In fact, when he had bought the car, someone had strongly warned him, but Yi had been stubborn, believing that style was the most important thing. He had gone to great lengths, refusing to compromise even under pressure, and had finally gotten his way — but now, he was beginning to understand the punishment for acting on impulse.

  —Ah, if she found out, she’d probably mock me again!

  As he was thinking this, Yi suddenly noticed something unusual ahead. He slammed on the brakes, stopping at an intersection amid the rubble — a red light!

  Even in these extraordinary times, his deeply ingrained sense of traffic safety gave him a moment to pause.

  “Sigh—if it weren’t for that guy, the forces of nature wouldn’t have gone this far, and this city wouldn’t be in such a state!”

  While waiting, Yi seemed to recall something, suddenly shouting in anger, and slapped the steering wheel of his beloved car. “Ah… my car — did I just damage it? I still have years of payments left on this thing…”

  The moon peeked its round head out from behind the clouds, casting light over the land… At that moment, not far away, a figure was waving and calling out to Yi: “—Hey, Guild Master Yi, where are you headed?”

  Yi, still feeling distressed over the crack in his steering wheel from that earlier slap, quickly wiped away a tear upon hearing the call. Using the moonlight, he looked toward the source of the voice…

  The figure gradually came into view, and Yi recognized them — two young friends of his. They had also taken part in this operation, tasked with capturing the beasts (Yìshòu，异兽), and it seemed their mission was nearly complete.

  The one greeting him was a girl with big eyes, petite stature, and waist-length hair, dressed in a specially made work uniform and holding a stone hammer (shíchuí，石锤). Beside her stood a tall boy, calm and cool in demeanor, his hands skillfully manipulating a square device glowing with golden light from within.

  The components of the square device slowly separated, then reassembled. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a golden chain, binding a howling beast on the ground hand and foot, sealing its noisy mouth, and dragging it back to its original spot.

  Bathed in the golden glow, the beast — covered in wounds, with a particularly large bump on its head — began to shrink in size. At the same time, the golden chain reverted to its square form, neatly containing the beast inside.

  “Oh, I’m heading home!” Yi called out with a smile, lazily waving his hand. In that moment, he seemed to have completely forgotten his earlier matter.

  “Well, that’s perfect — then please, Guild Master, give us a ride!” The girl, carrying her stone hammer, strode over and looked at Yi with big, watery eyes — though it felt less like a request and more like a demand he couldn’t refuse.

  “Well… fine—ah, hurry up, I’m in a rush!” Yi beckoned to them, suddenly growing anxious again.

  “Great, we just finished our mission and took down a big monster,” the girl said with a smile toward Yi, then turned and waved. “—We were just wondering how to get back, right?”

  “You—hmph…” the boy replied coolly, “—You just want to get back early to enjoy the food at the victory feast (qìnggōng yàn，庆功宴).”

  “You, you… nonsense! I’m just hungry from fighting the monster, okay?” the girl protested, looking aggrieved.

  “Tired? I wonder who it was that spent the whole fight just watching from the side.” A bead of sweat slid down the boy’s forehead as he glanced at her, idly spinning the square device in his hands. “A big monster? It was just a small one — look at you making a fuss…”

  “Hey, hey, hey!” Having had her little trick exposed, the girl’s face flushed bright red. She stomped her foot hard and shouted angrily.

  “—Alright, just humor her a little, will you? A real man (nánzǐhàn，男子汉) should have a gentleman’s demeanor (fēngdù，风度)!”

  At this moment, however, Yi (Yì，毅) had no time to listen to their bickering. He hurriedly cut in, “—Men and women working together makes the job easier (nánnǚ dāpèi gàn huó bù lèi，男女搭配干活不累). Even if she’s just standing by, that’s still a kind of strength, right, Xiao Dong (Xiǎo Dōng，小冬)…? Hey, you two, hurry up and get in the car! I’m really running out of time here, and the consequences won’t be as simple as you two lovebirds (xiǎo qínglǚ，小情侣) squabbling!”

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  But the moment he said it, he started thinking about it — and the more he thought, the more beads of sweat formed on Yi’s forehead. The two finally quieted down and quickly got into the car, the square device nowhere to be seen.

  “Guild Master Yi (Yì bāngzhǔ，毅帮主), where are you rushing off to? It’s still early,” Xiao Wan (Xiǎo Wǎn，小婉) asked curiously.

  The boy coolly pushed up his glasses and chimed in, “Yeah, even if we head to the Bureau (guǎnlǐjú，管理局) now to file our report, we’d be home by 7 p.m. at the latest — just in time for the New Year’s Eve dinner (nián yè fàn，年夜饭), right?”

  The Bureau was where the boy and Xiao Dong worked — an old institution founded by the Guardians’ Alliance (Shǒuhùzhě Liánméng，守护者联盟) specifically to manage exotic beasts (Yìshòu，异兽), known as the Exotic Beast Management Bureau (Yìshòu Guǎnlǐjú，异兽管理局).

  “You two don’t even know what time it is, do you? It’s already 8:30.”

  “8:30? Look!” The boy raised his wristband for Yi to see. “It’s 7:30!”

  “Uh…”

  “Where’s your phone? Didn’t you adjust the time?” the girl asked, puzzled.

  “No… it’s… out of battery!”

  “And the wristband?”

  “Left it… in the dorm.”

  “The car’s dashboard has a clock, doesn’t it? Didn’t you look?”

  “Uh… didn’t pay attention!”

  …

  After a while, Yi was so dizzy from their questioning that he could barely keep the car steady. His eyes darted around, and suddenly he had an idea. “—So, that means I still have an hour to spare?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You said there’s food at tonight’s celebration, right?”

  “Of course!” Xiao Dong’s eyes lit up as she answered.

  “Mmm… food, here I come!”

  Yi’s panda eyes (xióngmāo yǎn，熊猫眼) began to shine, and he drove with renewed vigor. They headed east, and before long, they arrived at a primitive forest park on the outskirts of Zhebei City (Zhèběi Shì，哲北市).

  Yi parked near a small grove, pulled a cover over the car, and patted it gently. Then, together with the other two, he walked to the edge of the grove.

  The place was shrouded in thick mist, making it almost impossible to see inside. But Yi didn’t hesitate, heading straight toward two ancient trees whose trunks intertwined to form a great arched gate.

  Just as he stepped up to the gate, a miracle happened…

  With a dull thud, Yi stumbled back a step and fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain as if he’d bumped into something invisible.

  The other two rushed over to find Yi grinning tearfully while searching for something.

  “Uh… where’s my token (lìngpái，令牌)?” Yi muttered, patting his pants pockets and rummaging through his coat. “Crap!”

  “What’s wrong?” the girl asked, concerned.

  “—Obviously, he forgot to bring it,” the boy said coolly, arms crossed.

  “Bro, after all this time, you’re still using a token?”

  “—Do I look like I’d change?”

  “Heh… oh no, I think I left it in the inside pocket of my other coat…”

  Yi looked embarrassed and at a loss, forcing a bitter smile before glancing hopefully at the two.

  “—Got it!”

  Before Yi could speak, the two had already exchanged a look. The boy stepped forward, focused, and a beam of light flashed from his forehead.

  The grove seemed to respond — the mist before them slowly parted, forming a narrow path. Without hesitation, they stepped through the arch one by one. The mist closed behind them.

  In no time, they were back in their homeland — the Suoluo Continent (Suóluó Dàlù，桫罗大陆), an ancient and magical place where Guardians lived. The mist dissipated instantly upon their arrival.

  Suoluo’s urbanization rate was low; almost everything in sight was green, and the buildings were all in a traditional style — as if they had stepped back a thousand years.

  “Well then, we part ways here. Until we meet again!” the girl said with a playful bow, left fist over right palm (zuǒ quán yòu zhǎng，左拳右掌).

  “Do you think you’re some kind of heroine?” the boy replied coldly, tossing her a cloak.

  As the bickering resumed, Yi chuckled to himself — but then a sudden thought made his heart jolt. No way! He quickly waved goodbye and slipped away, telling himself over and over: No matter who asks me to help, I’m not getting involved!

  “—Hey… I think my watch is broken, the time’s not—”

  “Hyah!”

  Under the moonlight, free from trouble, Yi rode his white horse toward the main city of his homeland.

  It was where he had grown up — in the eastern region of the Suoluo Continent, one of the five counties of the Guardians’ world, Baihu County (Báihǔ Jùn，白虎郡). In terms of status, it was like a provincial capital or a directly governed city.

  Tonight was a full moon, and the land was bathed in silver light — bright enough to see without streetlamps, so different from Zhebei City.

  Thinking of the fresh air, clear skies, and starry nights of his childhood, Yi felt a wave of nostalgia. Even in the Guardians’ world, such natural beauty had become rare. Now they relied on streetlights; it was no longer like before.

  As he rode, Yi’s expression was no longer anxious — perhaps even relaxed, maybe expectant. Just thinking of the delicious food ahead made him feel warm, his mouth curling into a smile, drool nearly dripping onto the horse’s back. His stomach growled, and he couldn’t resist pulling out an egg pancake roll (jīdàn juǎnbǐng，鸡蛋卷饼) to take a big bite.

  When on missions, he often made food to bring along, and this roll was his favorite and specialty.

  —Mmm… still fragrant, soft, and tasty. Even though it was a bit cold, the texture was still good.

  The highlight was the filling — braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens (méigāncài kòuròu，梅干菜扣肉), rich with sweet meat juices. It took half a day to cook, fatty but not greasy, absolutely delicious.

  —Mmm… huh? Wait! Why is it salty and spicy today…?

  “What the—braised pork with preserved greens should be sweet! I—” Yi’s indignation rose, but just as the words were about to leave his mouth, a certain woman’s image flashed in his mind.

  Startled, he swallowed his complaint, cold sweat breaking out. Even the roll in his hand trembled.

  He scratched his head with a bitter smile. “Uh… but this flavor’s… not bad either… haha.”

  The Dawan steed (Dàwǎn jùnmǎ， 大宛骏马) beneath him, however, had had enough. Though used to it, the horse still rolled its eyes at the glutton on its back. In its prime, it could have been galloping across the grasslands, courting a mate — but instead, it was stuck carrying this clueless, ever-heavier man.

  Its eyes rolled again, and it had an idea — suddenly, it began to buck and leap, then broke into a wild gallop.

  Yi (Yì，毅) was instantly thrown into confusion. He had no idea what had gotten into the horse — maybe it had just been startled by something?

  “Whoa!” he cried, pulling on the reins while trying to soothe his old companion. “Tangbao (Tāngbāo，汤包), what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell…?”

  Why did Yi suddenly feel fear and swallow his complaint when eating the strange egg roll? Who is waiting for him back home?