Fang Chen hurried off, his figure fading into the garden's archway and leaving only the quiet hum of the wind behind.
Fang Yuan turned to Lin Zhaoyue. Her eyes were still wide from the news, her face caught between both curiosity and confusion.
He reached out, resting a hand gently atop her head and ruffling her hair with an affectionate ease.
"Are you excited?" he asked.
She blinked up, puzzled.
"Excited…? What for?" Fang Yuan coughed into his fist, trying to reclaim some gravity.
"Right. Ahem." He straightened. "I did say I'd teach you how to communicate with beasts, didn't I?"
Her expression lit up instantly.
"Mm! I remember!"Fang Yuan's lips curved. "Good. Because the creature we're going to see, the Saberfang—" he tapped a finger against her forehead, "—is one of your beasts before you lost your memory, we'll practice with that."
Zhaoyue's mouth fell open. "Really? I had a… Saberfang?"
She paused. "…What's a Saberfang?"
