The Fire-Chasing Herrscher Who Destroyed the World

"How?"

Mikael took back the bamboo sword and asked with a smile.

But he did not get a response from Mei. The latter stood there for about two or three seconds, then quickly took two steps back, and finally stumbled and fell to the ground.

Mikael scratched his head and realized that he had not controlled his strength just now.

But Mei was not so fragile. She gritted her teeth and took off the "noodles". The action seemed to involve the injury at the collarbone, and the pain squeezed the muscles on her left face together.

Mikael knew he was in the wrong, threw away the bamboo sword, and walked quickly to Mei. He first leaned over and pushed aside the bangs on Mei's forehead. There was only a slight redness and swelling there, and the situation was still good. But the junction of Mei's left neck and collarbone had completely changed color. The outer circle of the hit area was smoked yellow, and the inside was spotted with purple-red bloodstains.

"This is trouble..."

Looking at Mikael's embarrassed face, Mei thought he was worried about his work. She covered half of her face in shame and panted:

"Don't worry, I'm fine... I underestimated you, I asked for it, I won't complain to my father for this. And, I have to admit that your swordsmanship is very good, at least you are competent as a bodyguard."

Mikael shook his head slightly after hearing this, he reached into his pocket and took out a small green bottle and stuffed it into Mei's hand.

"I'm not worried about this, but I injured the boss's daughter on my first day at work. If it gets out, I won't be able to find another job in the future. Well, it doesn't matter. Applying this thing to the bruises is good for recovery, you can apply it yourself, it's not convenient for me to help you there."

"Humph! Who wants your help!" Mei snatched the small bottle, she pinched the bottle with two fingers and looked at the chandelier on the ceiling. The light shines through the liquid, showing a light green color. There are three Chinese characters written on the bottle:

"Fengyoujing? Are you sure this works?"

Mikael has stood up and is packing up his bamboo sword to put it back on the wooden rack. Hearing Meiyi's question, he scratched his head again:

"I don't know much, but I used to have two friends from Shenzhou, one of whom is a medical student. They always apply this stuff no matter if they have a headache, a cold, or a bruise, so I always think of it as a panacea."

Meiyi puffed up her cheeks and looked at the long green light flashing in the bottle. She always felt that Mikael was fooling her.

She opened the lid, and before she could put the bottle mouth under her nose, she felt an indescribable odor floating into her nose. Her brows wrinkled immediately, but the next moment they relaxed and relaxed - along with the odor, there was also an indescribable cool feeling that entered her body, almost instantly sweeping away the lingering depression in her heart.

"What a magical thing..."

Mei couldn't help but put her nose to the bottle mouth and sniffed it. The refreshing feeling that went straight to the top of her head was probably comparable to eating a whole stick of mustard in one mouthful.

Seeing Mei inexplicably immersed in the happiness brought by Fengyoujing, Mikael didn't know how to comment for a moment.

"Is she still a child after all..."

He walked into the yard and looked at the sky. Only the westernmost sky still had a little red. The moon jumped out impatiently before the sun fell completely, and now it was hanging steadily in the air.

Mikael stared at the slender crescent moon that looked like a long mark pinched by a fingernail, and his eyes unconsciously narrowed into the same arc.

He stared at the crescent moon for a long time. The cold air around him was a little heavy. He couldn't help stamping his feet and jumping twice. With the amount of activity just now, it really couldn't even be considered a warm-up.

It had been a while, and Mei had been practicing kendo since she was young, so she was not completely ignorant of how to deal with injuries. He was about to turn around and walk back to the room. But as soon as he turned his head, he saw a black shadow gradually occupying his entire sight.

The green wind flowed through his fingers, but he did not catch it. Instead, he stood there and let the bamboo sword in Mei's hand gently hit his head.

"Tsk! Do you feel relieved like this?"

"Hmph!"

Seeing that the other party did not even resist at all, Mei also felt a little bored. She turned around and put the wooden sword back on the wooden rack, and the protective gear had been removed before.

"Let's go, I'm a little hungry, take me home quickly!"

In fact, there was no need to remind her deliberately, her stomach had been protesting for a long time. But she was embarrassed to say that she had only eaten a crepe at noon, and the rest was eaten up by Kiana.

Mikael tilted his head:

"Do you want to buy something to eat nearby to fill your stomach first?"

Mei's eyes widened a little, and she was a little tempted. Her stomach was still growling, and she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't eat something to appease it. Of course, this was only one of the reasons. After all, with her status, she was not the kind of person who would have the opportunity to go to street food stalls on a daily basis.

Her family had a special chef hired by her father at a high salary. The dishes he cooked were well matched and the taste was impeccable. There was really no need to eat out blindly. After all, the cleanliness and hygiene of those things outside were secondary. The most important thing was that they might not be as delicious as those made by chefs.

But taste was not important.

What was important was the kind of experience that she had imagined countless times in her dreams and that most other classmates had had——

Walking hand in hand with her parents on the dim streets at night, looking at the dim lights and sparse pedestrians in the distance, she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance when turning a corner, and then she took her parents' hands and ran into the alley to taste the taste that hooked her soul from a distance... Of course, it wouldn't be so smooth, and there would be a lot of people queuing for such a fragrant taste, right? But she was not in a hurry, and her parents were not in a hurry either. The three of them lined up and talked and laughed, and the chef who made the food didn't shout, but just worked hard on the polished kitchen utensils.

Unfortunately, such a thing has never happened in the past 16 years... It's not good to be so arbitrary. Maybe? The reason for having such a dream may be purely her own delusion, but it must be possible that it may be a past that she didn't remember. After all, when she was very young, her father was not so busy...

Well, it's impossible, because her mother died when she was two years old.

But it doesn't matter, her father is still alive, isn't it?

"Well, let's explore the road today, and wait for Dad to have a chance next time..." Thinking of this, Mei smiled slightly, nodded vigorously, and accepted Mikael's proposal. But she herself did not realize that the real reason she wanted to do this was just out of her inner yearning for freedom and ordinariness. As for why she hastily accepted the proposal of this new driver who she was not familiar with, perhaps it was because the other party looked about the same age as her, and could be regarded as a peer, which just happened to echo her desire for a friend of the same age to some extent. Or maybe it was because of the mystery brought by his sophisticated swordsmanship that was completely inconsistent with his age, which made her want to dig out more information about him involuntarily? Or maybe it was just because of the almost suffocating loneliness he exuded when he was looking at the moon alone just now. "My wife is dead, my daughter is dead, and I only have myself to support now." - She remembered that he said that. Although from his age and his tone that didn't sound very sad, Meiyi thought he was just talking nonsense, but... just looking at his back, she felt that it seemed like it really happened.

In fact, it doesn't matter. This guy can pass the screening of his father, so his position must be fine. He has just proved his strength. Just think of it as taking a bodyguard with you when shopping.

In short, no matter what, since we have decided to taste this "ordinary" taste, it is destined not to be just "filling the stomach". In this regard, the two of them tacitly understood and walked out of the gym slowly. Mikael even risked blindness and sent a text message to Thunder Ryoma in the dark, and Meiyi did not stop him.

Since we plan to solve the dinner on the spot, of course we have to say hello to our family and inform the kitchen to leave work early.

"By the way, are you familiar with this street?"

Mikael briefly checked the car parked at the entrance of the gym, and after confirming that it had not been tampered with, he turned around and asked.

Mei shook her head. She used to come here to practice kendo in the gym, and after practice, she would get in the car and go home. Why would she stay for a long time?

But then she was stunned again, and then stared at Mikael with a bad look.

The latter touched his nose embarrassedly, but shamelessly took the initiative and said:

"My eldest lady, you are not even familiar with this street. Where can we go to eat? Are we standing here and staring at the northwest wind?"

"Don't come on! Whoever came up with the idea should lead the way!"

Mei put on her baseball cap again, leaned against the car, folded her hands in front of her chest, and turned her head away in disdain.

Mikael sneered twice, and he suddenly pulled Meiyi's sleeves. Meiyi didn't think much, and took two steps forward along his force, and saw that Mikael had waved his hand to stop an old woman holding a child.

Mei's eyes were immediately attracted by the child and the steaming Dorayaki in the child's hand.

One step in front of her, Mikael greeted her in a familiar manner, even too enthusiastically, which scared the old woman:

"Hello, old lady!"

"Ah...ah...hello...uh, what can I do for you?"

Mikael scratched his cheek with his index finger, and then pointed to the half-eaten Dorayaki that the child was holding in his arms:

"Where did you buy this...this? I'm not familiar with this place. Excuse me, is there any snack street here?"

Hearing him say this, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief. The tall young man in front of her was wearing formal leather shoes and a tie. Her first reaction was that she had met a salesperson, or was harassed by a bad gang.

So that's all you're asking...

Before she could say anything, the kid next to her blurted out:

"Dorayaki is on the street behind!"

"Yes, yes. You two go in the direction we came from, turn right at the second intersection, there are a lot of snacks there."

"Thank you!"

Mikael smiled and narrowed his eyes, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and bowed slightly.

The two grandparents also responded with a smile.

Until they walked away, Mikael slowly turned around:

"See, it's that simple, let's go, my lady...wait, you..."

At some point, Mei put the mask she used to cover her face when she got off the car back on her face.

"There's no need to be so cautious."

"This is not a question of caution!"

Mei glanced around and slowly took off her mask.

"I just feel a little embarrassed... It stands to reason that you are also a master. Why don't you have the so-called master temperament?"

Not to mention the old woman just now, even Mei was startled by Mikael's jump. She could compare with Kiana, whom she just met today.

"Huh? Don't you like it?"

Mikael raised his eyebrows and suddenly became expressionless and calm.

Just looking at each other, and catching the still light in the other's eyes through the dim light, Mei felt an invisible strange feeling permeating the darkness around her.

What exactly is that? Is it the same loneliness as before? Is it the pressure unique to masters? Or the legendary murderous aura?

Meiyi couldn't understand it, but this feeling made her very uncomfortable.

Simply, Mikael laughed again the next second:

"Okay, don't delay! Your stomach is growling again. Let's get going!"

The streetlight overhead happened to light up silently at this moment, and only then did Mei Yi see Mikael's smile clearly.

She finally understood that the reason why the old woman was frightened just now was probably not only because of her dress and sudden enthusiasm, but also because...

It's also because this smile, although exceptionally bright and beautiful, is full of emptiness and hypocrisy upon closer inspection. Maybe you can't say that, but through that smile, you can't feel the slightest emotion that can be called happiness. It may not be empty or hypocritical, but it must be false.

"you……"

"Okay, let's go."

Mikael's hypocritical smile disappeared in an instant, leaving only a faint smile and a tone that was almost commanding.

"Um……"

Meiyi nodded stiffly.

The two of them followed the path pointed out by the old woman and found the street with "a lot of snacks" without any difficulty.

Everything was just as Meiyi dreamed. In fact, they only took about twenty steps forward when they smelled the mixed fragrance of countless kinds of food. As soon as she smelled this smell, Mei's stomach protested even more fiercely. She unconsciously speeded up her pace, but Mikael slowed down without a trace, falling half a body behind her.

But when Mei walked into that street, the reality was still somewhat different from her fantasy.

There are not many pedestrians on this street with "lots of snacks", just a few long shadows under the street lights.

The so-called shiny kitchen utensils are just a fantasy, it's just Mei's fantasy based on her own kitchen. The pots, molds, shovels, and kitchen knives were all covered in black oil stains, which made her regret for a moment.

There were few customers, so the stall owners naturally did not have to work hard. They were in groups of two or three, warming themselves around the stove. When they saw someone coming over again, they hurried back to their stalls and shouted loudly:

"Hey! Handsome guy! Beautiful girl! Let's see if there's anything you want to eat! We have all kinds of snacks here!"

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I was immediately challenged by my friends and businessmen:

"Yes, yes, you do have everything there, Duda. There are corn rice balls, pineapple rice balls, strawberry rice balls, and all kinds of rice balls, but there are no plum rice balls or salt rice balls! Of course, there is also your specialty - solid rice balls!"

As soon as these words came out, half the street was enveloped in laughter.

"What does it mean?"

Mei turned her head and looked at Mikael for help.

Mikael sighed, leaned into her ear and explained in a breathy voice:

"It's probably because this guy always likes to put weird things in rice balls, but he can't even make the most basic plum rice balls and salt rice balls."

"What do you mean by solid rice balls?"

"More rice and less filling."

"puff--"

Meiyi covered her mouth and laughed.

This smile seemed to break her restraint. She put her hands behind her waist, walked in goose-step to the stall selling Taiyaki, and asked the price with a smile.

Mikael looked at this scene, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

Taking a deep breath, the oil smoke in the air was a bit choking, and it reminded him of some bad memories.

Yes, for Mei, she may only smell the sweetness of food, but for him, the most sensitive thing is the smell of oil smoke...

Mikael raised his head, and the tall buildings on both sides formed high walls, pinching out the slender crescent moon in the sky.

"Hey! Is the moon so beautiful?"

Meiyi patted his shoulder.

Mikael shook his head and did not answer the question. But Mei Yi’s original intention was not to ask this question. She spread her hands towards Mikael and said in a crisp voice:

"Pay!"

"ha?"

"Do you think I have money on me?"

"...Forget it, the president will reimburse you anyway."

The two of them walked around this not-so-long street several times. When they came out, Mikael was carrying two portions of takoyaki and a set of snacks in his left hand, and three flavors of taikoyaki and a set of snacks in his right hand. A classic taste of Dorayaki.

In Mei's hand, she was holding a dorayaki with taro paste filling that only had two bites left.

"Hey! Don't you want to eat something yourself?"

She chewed the remaining part of the Dorayaki like a hamster, as if she was extremely reluctant to part with it.

"I'm not hungry."

This bland answer obviously did not satisfy Mei Yi.

"Really? But you were the one who suggested putting a belly on the street, right?"

"That's true."

Mikael unconsciously showed that fake smile again.

"But when I talk about padding my belly, isn't it my lady's belly?"

Mei Yi smoothed her bangs, it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Since you don't want to eat it, just put all these back in the car. I'll leave them for dad to eat!"

"Huh? Me? What about you?"

After Meiyi swallowed the food in her mouth, she slowly replied:

"Didn't the uncle who made Dorayaki just recommend a ramen shop? It's only a hundred or two hundred meters away from here. I'll go there first. Don't worry, I won't treat my driver badly. I'll treat you to ramen. What do you want to eat? Let me help you first.”

Mikael instinctively wanted to refuse, but then nodded:

"Okay, actually... I've always wanted to try the ramen in Changkong City."

Meiyi frowned, always feeling that there was something wrong with Mikael's words.

But when she turned her head, Mikael was already walking in the direction of the sword hall. She raised her chin and walked in the opposite direction.