Grandma Gale laughed even more heartily, her eyes narrowing into slits. She tottered over to bring half a pot of rice porridge and a few small dishes, muttering all the while about how pitiful it was. Grace wanted to help, but she didn’t accept the offer.

Jack was truly hungry. At first, he tried to be reserved, but soon he couldn’t keep up the pretense and began gulping down the porridge. After finishing one bowl, he served himself another. Just as he was about to thank Grandma Gale, a sudden rush of hoofbeats sounded outside, followed by a loud voice shouting, “Grandma Gale, have you seen two children ride by on horseback?”

Jack’s heart clenched instantly—the chestnut horse was still outside, and would be spotted by their pursuers at a glance.

Grandma Gale smiled at the two of them, signaling there was no need to be afraid. She turned and went outside, asking at the door, “Who is it?”

It was still that booming voice. “It’s me, Fourth Sullivan from town... Whoa... you stubborn mule, I’ll butcher you when we get back...”

“Oh, you mean Grace, right?”

“Yes, yes, she was getting married today, but someone snatched her away at the gate.”

“I saw her. She was still wearing her bridal clothes, ran right past, gone in a flash.”

The sound of hooves echoed outside as the visitors left. It wasn’t just Fourth Sullivan.

After a while, Grandma Gale came back in, still smiling as if lying was an everyday affair. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe in my house.”

“My horse...” Jack asked in confusion.

“Your horse is out back, grazing,” Grandma Gale reassured him, serving Jack another bowl of porridge. Then she sat across from them, affectionately hugging Grace, and asked the boy, “Where do you plan to take Grace?”

Jack had already prepared himself a little. He quickly swallowed his food and said somewhat anxiously, “Somewhere far away. I’ll let the horse go, or do something else—I can learn anything. Anyway... anyway, I can’t let the Shen family find us.”

Grandma Gale nodded approvingly. “Hmm, so you have a plan. Would you like to hear my advice?”

Jack no longer found this old woman frightening; the town rumors were clearly untrustworthy. “Of course, I’ll listen to you.”

“Hehe.” Grandma Gale turned to glance at the little girl in her arms, her face so wrinkled it could make anyone lose their way. “In any small town, you two will stand out. I suggest you go to Xijie City. Do you know where that is?”

“Isn’t that our capital?” Jack replied immediately, not wanting to seem ignorant.

“Yes, it’s quite a large city. Just follow the main road, pass Linhe Town, Xiao’er Fort, and Da’er Fort. It should take about a month to get there. Since you’re on horseback, you might be even faster.”

“Xijie City, a month,” Jack repeated numbly, feeling it was so far away, as if it were a journey to the ends of the earth.

Grandma Gale noticed the boy’s anxiety and smiled even more warmly. “I’ll write down an address for you later. When you get to Xijie City, look for an old friend of mine. She’ll help you get settled. When you’re a few years older and can get married, you won’t have to fear the Shen family anymore.”

Both of them blushed deeply. Jack stammered, not daring to speak, unsure how to express his true feelings: he only wanted to rescue Grace, never thinking about marrying her.

Grandma Gale arranged for the two to sleep in separate rooms, then walked alone into the courtyard. She added oil to the solitary lamp, looked around with her head raised, sighed, and whispered, “Go, go, the farther the better. Everything is destined.”

Her tone sounded like she was talking to herself, but a reply came from the corner of the courtyard: “If it’s destined, why interfere? You know our rules.”

Grandma Gale turned to look at Blue Robe Priest in the shadows, her smiling face showing no surprise at all. “Strictly speaking, I haven’t done anything. These two children ran out of Yelin Town on their own. That doesn’t count as breaking the rules, does it?”

“Sigh.” Blue Robe Priest let out a long sigh. “I just don’t understand. The great edifice is about to collapse, yet you spend your thoughts on two ants.”

“It’s just a small effort, why not do it?” Grandma Gale smiled even more. “Are the rumors true? A large number of demon breeds have escaped?”

Blue Robe Priest nodded. “They’re not far from here now. You’ve lived here so long—haven’t you noticed anything?”

Grandma Gale glanced at the lonely little oil lamp in the courtyard and said nothing. As long as that lamp was burning, she had nothing to fear.

Blue Robe Priest took a step back, almost disappearing into the shadows, and solemnly said, “As long as the Dao flame does not go out.”

Grandma Gale put away her smile and straightened up as much as she could, suddenly seeming much taller. “As long as the Dao flame does not go out.”

Chapter Four: The Quarreling Companions

Jack opened his eyes, his mind blank and feeling unusually drowsy. But out of habit, he jumped out of bed, stumbled a few steps in a daze, and bumped into a stool before remembering this wasn’t his home. Today, he didn’t have to tend the horses, but was heading to a distant, unfamiliar place.