"It didn't go quite the way I'd pnned, but it's sorted out. Suwen has received his due punishment, and the Rebels have safely left Blue Sea City."

  C.C. gave a soft "oh" and didn't press Rulu for the details. She said: "So what do you pn to do next, Rulu?"

  "Do you even need to ask? Go home, of course. If I'm te getting back, Nana will start worrying again."

  At that, C.C. couldn't help but smile: "You've grown, Rulu. You've learned to consider other people's feelings, to think about others."

  "What's that supposed to mean? I've always treated Nana as my most important family. I would never let her suffer even the slightest hardship or hurt."

  "What about me then? What do I am to you? Would you treat me as well as you treat Nana?" C.C. fixed her gaze on Rulu as she spoke.

  Rulu blinked, hesitated slightly, and said: "C.C., you… you're an important partner to me. As long as you're by my side, I absolutely won't let anything happen to you."

  "Then if both Nana and I were ever in danger at the same time, who would you go to first? Who matters more to you?"

  Rulu shot C.C. a mildly reproachful look and said with a hint of impatience: "That situation is never going to happen. Alright, we should get going. If we don't leave now, I'll head off without you."

  "Fine, fine. I'm absolutely exhausted today—I need to get back and rest properly."

  The two of them set off for home together. The journey passed without incident, and they arrived safely. This time, unlike before, Nana hadn't gone out looking for them—she had stayed put at home the entire time.

  Seeing Rulu and C.C. return safely, Nana couldn't help but let a relieved smile cross her face. But when she noticed the wound on Rulu's body, her expression shifted to one of quiet sadness. She reached out and gently touched the injury on his right arm, her face a mixture of emotions. "Rulu… you're hurt again."

  "Don't worry—look at me, I'm perfectly fine." Rulu wore an easy smile and moved his injured arm around to show he was alright.

  Nana sighed, then turned her gaze to C.C. "And you, C.C.? Are you alright?"

  "I'm fine too," C.C. said.

  "Good, that's what matters." Nana said softly. Then something seemed to occur to her, and she said with a trace of anxiety: "You went out this time to deal with the Sanctuary and Governor Suwen. Since you've both come back safely… does that mean the Governor is already…"

  Rulu's face darkened at once. He said coldly: "Hmph. That man got lucky. He begged for his life and swore he would never oppose me again—so I spared him and let him live."

  Hearing this, Nana felt somewhat relieved. She said quietly: "Killing alone can't solve everything. I hope things will be peaceful from now on. Oh—Rulu, how is your wound? Do you need my help with it?"

  "I'm alright. But I'd like to rest properly. Could you make me something to eat, Nana?"

  Nana said: "Of course, I'll get started right away. You've been injured, Rulu—you need to eat well and get your strength back."

  "Me too, me too—I want something good to eat as well." C.C., hearing food was being made, immediately chimed in.

  "I know, I'll make a portion for you too, Miss C.C." Nana said with a smile, then headed to the kitchen to prepare the food, while Rulu returned to his room to rest.

  Over the next several days, Rulu stayed home to recover from his injuries, while keeping a close eye on the outside situation and staying alert for any moves the Sanctuary might make to come after him.

  As it turned out, in the wake of the earlier battle in Blue Sea City, the Sanctuary had gone strangely quiet. They took no measures to apprehend the assassin, unched no operations against the Rebels, and the news media said not a single word about the major incident that had recently taken pce in Blue Sea City—as though nothing had happened at all.

  Rulu surmised that this was because the Sanctuary had suffered a significant defeat in the previous engagement, their Governor Suwen had been gravely wounded, and General Feihu and Jason had both been eliminated by him—leaving the organization in internal turmoil with morale at rock bottom, and no capacity to deal with him or the Rebels. This state of affairs was greatly to his advantage. At least for the time being, he was safe, with no need to fear being hunted down by the Sanctuary.