"Just bring your eyes and ears, don't talk carelessly. If you have any questions, ask me when we get back. Don't suddenly jump up or dash away... Just quietly follow me around, got it?"
Xu Qing leaned against Jiang He's doorway, repeating warnings upon warnings, fearful that she might show off her skills while outside.
In the age of the internet, one must be extremely cautious.
As Jiang He changed her shoes and stomped her feet to get a feel for them, he scrutinized her a few more times.
If you ignored the heroic spirit in her eyes and her expressionless face, she was just like any modern college girl.
"Smile a bit."
"..."
Jiang He looked at him without saying a word.
"Forget it, forget it... Your expressionless face is kind of creepy."
Xu Qing touched his nose, turned to prepare to leave, and once again urged, "Absolutely do not act recklessly, just normally stroll around outside, it's very safe—put down the sword."
Seeing Jiang He pick up the sword, he suddenly wondered if taking her out was really the right decision.
This girl really never let go of her sword... but thinking about it, it made sense. It was normal not to feel secure in a completely unfamiliar world.
"Don't you have the Iron Dart? If you really feel insecure, just carry that with you. The streets are full of people like me... um..." Xu Qing hesitated, unable to think of the right adjective, and gestured at his own frame, "um... like this... weaklings. You might look tall, but with just one punch you could... you know, right?"
Not to brag, but if Jiang He dared to throw a punch, he'd be kneeling and begging her not to kill him.
"Understood."
Jiang He touched the Iron Dart holster at her waist and finally left her sword behind as they went out.
"If you were a character in a novel, you'd definitely be a cautious hero, pretending to be weak despite being so strong..."
Xu Qing babbled excitedly, feeling a sense of novelty as he confidently snapped a photo of Jiang He with his phone, blatantly capturing the shot before smiling at the frowning Jiang He, "Let's go, let's take a stroll outside, just stick close to me."
Without walking around, all his talk of twelve hundred years ago wouldn't be very convincing to Jiang He.
Dusk was falling.
The sun had not completely set, and a crescent moon was already quietly rising. The temperature had dropped significantly after yesterday's heavy rain, and the evening breeze brought a chill. As Xu Qing stepped out of the apartment building to look around and felt the wind, his spirits lifted. Glancing at Jiang He beside him, a curious feeling welled up from his heart.
Who else could say they were taking an ancient out for a walk?
"Stay calm, keep cool."
He whispered a reminder to Jiang He, pocketed his hands and took a couple of steps forward, then pulled his hands back out and nudged closer to Jiang He's side. Jiang He was only half a step behind, tilting her head slightly sidewards as she surveyed the surroundings, lips pursed and silent.
From afar, he was the one who seemed a bit out of place.
"This is a residential area, with apartments like these, where each family lives." He explained.
"That's the main entrance over there. Beyond that is the street, and on both sides of the street are shops. You can buy whatever you need, clothes, food, housing ..."
As they walked along, Xu Qing quietly explained, lucky that it was close to dinner time and not many residents were around, making it easy for the two to wander.
When they leisurely made their way near the entrance, before he could greet Security Guard Zhao, he noticed another person nearby.
With her hair curled in big waves and shiny black, a scarf around her neck, and a red and blue floral shirt, only the basket of groceries she carried on her arm disrupted her fashionable ensemble.
"Hahaha, you really can't make this up..." Mrs. Cheng was chatting with Mr. Zhao, holding her basket of vegetables. She burst into laughter then suddenly stopped, turning her attention to Xu Qing and his companion.
"What's up, Mrs. Cheng?" Seeing her cock her head towards Jiang He, Xu Qing couldn't help but speak up.
"This girl looks kind of familiar."
"Is she your girlfriend, Xu?" Mr. Zhao, delighted, leaned back in his chair, smoking, and turned his head to look at Jiang He.
Neighborhood relations shouldn't be too good... Xu Qing suddenly realized, but it didn't stop him from taking a half step forward, slightly shielding Jiang He behind him, and saying with a smile, "Friend, friend."
"Oh~ I get it!" Mr. Zhao, whose spirit wasn't as old as his age, raised his eyebrows, nodding and smiling as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.
"No, that's not right, the one holding a knife at the stairway yesterday..." Cheng Yulan sized up Jiang He for a moment, having remembered where she had seen that familiar face, and looked at her with suspicion.
Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat, recalling just how conspicuous Jiang He's outfit was yesterday.
"What knife?" Security Guard Zhao paused, puzzled.
"That long, dark one..." Cheng Yulan said, gesticulating as she spoke while carrying her basket.
"Cosplay!" Xu Qing interjected, laughing a few times, giving a reassuring look to Jiang He behind him.
Jiang He, however, didn't catch on and simply watched the three of them curiously conversing.
"It's just something young people enjoy, you wouldn't understand, all that dressing up as zombies or fairies... It's called a subculture."
While speaking, Xu Qing grabbed Jiang He's arm, feeling her make a small attempt to pull away. When he noticed she wasn't resisting much, he confidently guided her forward a few steps and called out, "We'll be leaving now, you should hurry back and cook, Mrs. Cheng."
He now understood what it felt like to have a guilty conscience.
"What do you mean, I don't understand? It's just that 'pose to death' thing, isn't it? Last time my grandson took a bunch of zombie pictures—it was the same thing..."
"And there are ones where they dress up as those ghostly things?"
"Exactly! Young people nowadays know how to have more fun than we did back then..."
As they walked away, the sounds of Mr. Zhao boasting gradually faded behind them, and Xu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief, noticing Jiang He's arm break free and involuntarily turning to glance at her.
"She saw you yesterday?" he asked.
Jiang He met his gaze without a word, only nodding her head.
"Before I came home, she came home, and you ran into each other in the hallway, but she just ignored you, or you didn't respond when she talked to you, and then she left?"
Jiang He blinked, thought for a moment, then continued nodding and subsequently shook her head.
"What does that mean?"
Xu Qing was momentarily stunned, then laughed at his oversight, finding the girl quite obedient for staying silent as instructed.
It was somewhat unexpected.
"Hmm... I guess you crossed paths, she didn't talk to you, and you just went straight upstairs." Xu Qing said.
This time he guessed right; Jiang He nodded, then looked up at the passing vehicles on the street with a clear gaze.
It was a relief that she was only given a casual glance... If someone more nosy, or a security guard, had encountered Jiang He in the hallway, things might have gotten tricky.
Xu Qing felt slightly relieved as he looked around and continued walking, educating her as they moved ahead: "That's called a car, with four wheels and a metal shell, serving the same purpose as a horse-drawn carriage, except it doesn't need horses to pull it. You can think of it as stuffing the horses inside the car, where they run to make the car move forward..."
The two moved slightly apart, one behind the other on the sidewalk, Xu Qing speaking, Jiang He listening, staying quiet when someone approached, until they reached a crosswalk.
"That," he said, "is Thousand-mile Eye."
While waiting for the light to change, Xu Qing pointed up at a surveillance camera on the traffic light pole, wishing he could make her understand immediately how dangerous this world is for outsiders: "Those videos we watched this afternoon were filmed with these. They are everywhere. Right now, as we stand here, someone miles away is watching us—don't be nervous, they usually don't bother watching, no one's that idle. But if you start showing off with wall-climbing or any other unusual behavior, a government officer will take notice of this place and come right over."
Jiang He's expression fluctuated as she stared at the camera without saying a word.
"Hmm? What are you thinking?" Xu Qing looked from her to the camera, asking suspiciously, "You're not considering... taking it down, are you?"
Jiang He glanced at the Iron Dart in her palm and then lifted her eyes towards Xu Qing.
"Put that thing away!"