The woman set a small plate of rice cakes before him, her smile genuine, eyes crinkling at the corners.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked as she poured more tea. “Where are you coming from?”

  Jin Yu stirred the tea absentmindedly, watching the steam curl up toward the ceiling. “Far,” he said. “Through storms, blood, and a road few survive.”

  The man chuckled, misreading the weight in his tone. “You speak like a storyteller. What are you, a wanderer? Merchant? Scholar?”

  “A collector,” Jin Yu said, lifting his gaze to the man. His eyes unreadable.. “I come seeking things… and sometimes, to take them.”

  “Ha! Aren’t we all?” the man said with a laugh, clearly amused. “I collect corn. My wife collects herbs. My daughter collects frogs.”

  The girl perked up, holding up a wooden bowl with a wiggling frog inside. “Want to see it?”

  Jin Yu gave a slow nod. “I’ve taken many lives. This might be the first frog.”

  The children giggled, thinking it was a joke. The woman leaned over with a soft laugh. “You must be tired from that long journey. Do you have family waiting somewhere?”

  Jin Yu’s eyes lingered on the dancing fire in the hearth.

  “Once. Now I only carry memories. And debts.”

  The man clapped his shoulder with a smile, completely unfazed. “Well, even debts can be put down for a while. You’re welcome to rest here.”

  Jin Yu looked at the map again. The house was exact. The mark hadn't changed. But nothing here aligned with what he expected. No prisoners. No fear. No shadows lurking in the walls.

  He folded the map and tucked it away.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  This place… It’s either the cruelest lie I’ve seen… or the purest thing left in this world.

  He smiled faintly . “Thank you. I may stay. But not for long.”

  “Of course,” the woman said cheerfully. “We’ll prepare a room. You can wash up too—oh! I nearly forgot, what’s your name, kind sir?”

  Jin Yu paused for a heartbeat.

  “Nameless,” he said softly, “...just call me Nameless.”

  The children clapped again. “That sounds like a hero from a story!”

  -----

  The sun now hung high in the sky, casting golden warmth over the backyard.

  Jin Yu sat quietly beneath the shade of a fig tree, the two children nestled beside him, one on each side.

  “Do you have a sword?” the boy asked, wide-eyed, his voice filled with awe.

  The little girl leaned closer, brushing her fingers through a lock of his hair. “Your hair is so long… and shiny, like silk.” she whispered, twirling it gently around her small fingers.

  Jin Yu glanced between them, brows knitting slightly.

  Weren’t they supposed to be kidnapped?

  “Are you an immortal?” the boy asked, tugging lightly at Jin Yu’s sleeve.

  “Can you fly?” the girl chimed in quickly, her eyes bright with curiosity.

  The boy perked up at the question, gazing at Jin Yu with hopeful wonder.

  Seeing those eyes, so pure and trusting, softened something in him. The tension in his shoulders eased, and the knot of suspicion in his chest loosened.

  “A little,” he replied, voice low but honest.

  “Wow!” both children gasped.

  “Fly for me!” the girl cried out, jumping to her feet and clapping her hands, eyes sparkling with joy.

  Jin Yu looked at the boy’s eager face, then at the girl who was bouncing with anticipation. Their smiles were bright, unguarded, the kind that couldn't be faked.

  With a quiet sigh, he stood.

  The children stepped back, eyes wide with excitement. Jin Yu raised one hand, channeling a faint trace of spiritual energy. A breeze stirred, and then, slowly, his feet lifted off the ground. His robe swayed around him as he hovered gently above the grass.

  The boy’s mouth fell open.

  “He’s flying…” he breathed in awe.

  The girl squealed with delight, clapping her hands and hopping in place.

  “You’re really an immortal!”

  Jin Yu descended a moment later, the grass brushing his boots again. He gave a small smile, almost despite himself.

  The two children rushed up to him, giggling.

  “You're so cool!”

  “Can you teach me someday?”

  Jin Yu looked down at their beaming faces, then glanced toward the house where warm sunlight spilled from the open door.

  But the map… he had followed it exactly. This was the place.

  So why did it feel like he’d stumbled into someone’s peaceful dream?

  His gaze lingered on the children.

  Something wasn’t adding up.

  but what is it ?

  Just as he was about to check the surroundings again with his spiritual sense, the back door creaked open.

  “Children!” the mother called. “Don’t bother our guest too much!”

  The children ran to her, laughing.

  Jin Yu stayed seated, looking at the woman.

  "I've prepared the room for you honoured guest, please come and take a rest". She smiled slightly at him and said.

  Without a word, Jin Yu entered the house and was led towards the room.

  The room was neat and just normal, nothing special.

  A wooden bed to the side, a small table and chair beneath the shuttered window, and a worn rug on the floor. It was too ordinary.

  Jin Yu sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes sweeping the room again. Then...

  “Look what I drew for you!”

  The little boy burst in through the door, his small feet padding quickly across the floor. He held out a crumpled paper with a wide grin. Jin Yu took it without thinking, expecting scribbles or a stick figure.

  But what stared back at him made him froze, eyes widened in shock.