Ding Xiaocuo still couldn't accept the fact that she'd traveled to another dimension through a toilet. What did that evil tree yaokai say? Oh, right. It had given her a talisman, telling her to stick it onto the toilet that had swallowed her neckce, along with chanting a few strange incantations. Then... countless sharp lights fshed before her eyes, and the toilet split in two right in front of her, revealing a strange, glowing white hole. An irresistible force pulled her in, dragging her straight into the hole.

  She transformed from a 21st-century high school girl into an ordinary commoner during the Northern Song Dynasty's Qianxing era! She was indignant that such a cliché event as “time-traveling” had actually happened to her. When she realized that the "spiritual rhino" Sword had crossed a space-time rift and nded in this ancient city, and further realized that the people of the Northern Song Dynasty had no concept of renminbi, she was exasperated. But heaven knows, she still got hungry and needed to eat!

  (T/N: Renminbi (RMB) is the official currency of China, with the yuan (￥ or 元) as its primary unit. "Renminbi" literally means "the people's currency," and it's often referred to as simply the "Chinese yuan" in international contexts.)

  All around the city, the job notices at inns and restaurants clearly stated they wanted men, not women. Luckily, she wasn′t entirely without wit—she stole a set of men′s clothing and confidently walked into this inn. By asking only for food and no pay, she managed to beat out the other applicants and secure a job as a trainee waiter at the "One Room Inn."

  Today marks the seventh day, yet there is still no news about the "spiritual rhino" Sword. Recently, the flow of people in Bianjing has noticeably increased, with local residents and visiting merchants bustling through the city like waves. Ding Xiaocuo overheard from the inn staff that in seven days, it would be the Lantern Festival, a grand annual event that attracts visitors from all over.

  So, was he here for sightseeing too? Ding Xiaocuo's gaze shifted to a man seated by the window. He had checked into the inn st night, and his attire was quite different from the locals. He wore a high-colred, narrow-sleeved bck robe with tall boots and looked travel-worn. He carried no extra baggage, only a bundle and a long, narrow wooden box about three feet long and a foot wide, which never left his side.

  It was dinnertime, and the inn was bustling with noise as guests poured in for their meals. While serving dishes to the customers, Ding Xiaocuo would occasionally steal a gnce toward the man by the window.

  He leaned back in his chair, head slightly tilted, his dark, wavy hair casually tied at the back with a gray hemp cord. He seemed to be leisurely watching the scenery outside the window, though he hadn’t touched the food and wine he had ordered. Outside, the evening sun cast a warm glow, and in the backlight, his striking silhouette was etched against the golden window. She became mesmerized, and somehow, his shadow seemed to move from the window into her heart, stirring a strange, unbidden feeling.

  “Hey, you brat! Daydreaming again? The guests are waiting!” The pigheaded innkeeper smacked Ding Xiaocuo on the head with his pipe.

  “Yes, yes!” Ding Xiaocuo hurriedly picked up the food and, without thinking, brought it to the man. “Here’s your order, sir!”

  “Did you bring this to the wrong table?” The man turned his head, giving Ding Xiaocuo a casual gnce. Only then did she get a full view of his face, which had every quality that could be described as strikingly handsome. Beyond his good looks, there was an aura of natural authority—a quiet, intimidating presence that slipped into her heart like a little beast. But it wasn’t just that “little beast” sneaking into her heart now; it was his eyebrows, his voice, his every gesture…

  "Have I... met you before?" Ding Xiaocuo suddenly asked.

  "You're probably mistaking me for someone else," he replied quietly yet politely.

  "But I'm certain I've seen you!" Ding Xiaocuo's unexpected persistence startled even her. The man ignored her and turned back to gaze out the window.

  In the distance, the crisp sound of horse hooves approached. A caravan of merchants dressed in foreign attire hurriedly made their way from the northern market. As they passed the inn, Ding Xiaocuo noticed the heavily den horses, and leading them was a woman in green, her face partially veiled with thin gauze. Amidst the dull bck attire of the others, her jade-green outfit was strikingly vibrant.

  The caravan paused briefly at the inn's entrance. The woman in green dismounted, gave a few quiet instructions to her companions, and then entered the inn alone. She took a seat across from him, as though they were long-acquainted friends. Ding Xiaocuo, purposely dragging her feet as she corrected her earlier mistake with the dishes, strained to listen intently to the conversation behind her.

  "Where's the item?" The woman's voice was soft, almost syrupy.

  "Where's the person?" he asked, his hand resting on the wooden box.

  The woman pulled out a letter from her chest pocket, pced her palm over it on the table, and then lifted it, leaving the thin envelope embedded deeply into the solid wood surface. Beneath her gauzy veil, a faint smile flickered. "Beitang Ken, they say you're a sentimental soul. It seems true—you're willing to do anything for that woman, Ye Nishang."

  Beitang Ken? Ding Xiaocuo's hand slipped, and the wine jug tipped over, spilling onto the table. That name sounded so familiar.

  He seemed entirely unaffected by her mockery, swiftly pcing the wooden box in front of the woman in green. "The "Spiritual Rhino” sword is yours now."

  The "Spiritual Rhino” Sword?! Ding Xiaocuo whipped her head around. The woman in green, smiling at the corner of her mouth, delicately raised her hand to open the wooden box. A fsh of sharp light gleamed from inside, accompanied by a scent that Ding Xiaocuo knew all too well.

  The "Spiritual Rhino” Sword! It really was the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword! Though it appeared now as an actual sword, she was absolutely certain that the box held the authentic "Spiritual Rhino Sword she had watched over for hundreds of years. She had searched high and low for it, only to find it here by pure chance! Overcome with joy, Ding Xiaocuo couldn't hold back any longer. She threw down her tray and, eyes gleaming, lunged wildly toward the wooden box in the woman's hands...

  Beitang Ken grabbed her by the back of her colr like a chick and harshly tossed her onto the cold, hard ground. Less than three meters away from her was an endless, bottomless cliff.

  "Give it to me!" He extended his hand, his gaze fixed on the sword box clutched tightly to Ding Xiaocuo’s chest. This little troublemaker who had shown up out of nowhere ran off as swiftly as he had snatched the box. Just moments ago, Beitang Ken had even thought he imagined the kid’s feet barely touching the ground. In reality, Ding Xiaocuo had indeed been using wind-riding magic—only her powers were too weak, and she hadn’t been “running” fast enough, allowing a mere human to catch up with her.

  "No way!" Ding Xiaocuo hugged the sword box even tighter, shouting at the top of her lungs, "The “Spiritual Rhino” sword is mine!"

  “I don’t want to get rough.” Beitang Ken advanced step by step, his face coldly illuminated by the moonlight, looking anything but joking. Ding Xiaocuo's eyes darted around, and suddenly she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his leg and wailing with tears and snot streaming down her face. “Oh, hero!! To be honest, I only took your sword because I had no choice! A group of mysterious men kidnapped my parents and told me to retrieve the “Spiritual Rhino” sword within seven days to exchange for their lives. I never expected it would be in your hands, hero! In a moment of desperation, I had no choice but to take it! Hero, please forgive me! I′m the only child in my family—if anything happens to me, my parents won′t survive either!”

  Her dramatic and emotional plea softened Beitang Ken's expression ever so slightly.

  “Mysterious people want the ‘Spiritual Rhino” sword from you?” He crouched down, looking at the slender young man. In his rge, bright almond-shaped eyes, the moonlight reflected in a clear, almost unnatural way, so beautiful that it didn't seem like a man's eyes at all. For a moment, Beitang Ken was distracted, shifting his gaze elsewhere. “Give me the sword first.”