```
"Long Yi!"
It wasn't until someone called out to him that the Dragon Shadow Guard finally let go of Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao didn't dare stay a moment longer and scurried away like a startled rabbit!
By the time Gu Jiao returned to Bishui Alley, Xiao Liulang had also come home from his duty at the Hanlin Academy, washing his writing brush in a basin of water by the well.
Gu Jiao approached slowly.
Heaven knows she was terrified that the Dragon Shadow Guard would catch up to her, unleashing the survival instincts she'd honed in her previous life fleeing after stealing military supplies. She plonked down on the small stool opposite Xiao Liulang, gasping for air.
Xiao Liulang gave her a puzzled look and asked, "What happened? Did something happen?"
"...Nothing," Gu Jiao replied listlessly, "just played with... charcoal pencils all afternoon."
