Leon resisted the pull of consciousness, savoring the rare comfort of a proper mattress. He opened his eyes sleepily and closed them again, trying to summon back the lush paradise he was seeing a few moments ago. His attempt proved to be unsuccessful. Sighing, he once again opened his eyes to his surroundings and crawled out of his bed to peek at the sky behind the curtains.His fellow soldiers were still asleep but outside, it was already past noon, the sun casting a golden glow through gently shaking leaves. Pulling open the door, Leon stepped onto the balcony outside the room. On the balcony in the room next to his, Leon noticed the General gazing peacefully at the sky, enjoying the soft breeze with his dark hair flowing in the wind. Leon smiled admiringly at the General, who was ever so serene."General, have you been up long?" he called out to him."No. I've been up for a while.""You didn't wake us? It was my belief that we would be leaving early today, so we could pass the forest before dusk.""Yes, I decided for us to stay a bit longer than originally intended.""Ahh. I thought it might be a bit of a hassle to set out now that the sun is setting in a few hours."Sounds of stirring and blankets rustling resonated from behind him. Leon turned to see the men scrambling out of their sheets, hurriedly."We woke up so late! I heard the forest is treacherous if we are stuck there at night!" a voice exclaimed worriedly."Don't worry about it. The General is letting us stay another night," Leon reassured."Oh, thank God!"A young soldier with tousled blonde hair, barely out of adolescence, joined Leon on the balcony. Silas, the youngest of Leon's recruits, still carried the eagerness of a boy trying to prove himself."I'm so sorry, Captain. Is the General displeased with us? I know you have been trying to make a good impression on him," he said quietly, eyeing the General on the balcony a few yards away from theirs."It's okay, Silas. I only woke up a few minutes before you guys. And the General is kind and understanding"Silas nodded. "Hey, look! They are setting up lanterns!" Silas exclaimed, pointing below them.In the street below them, strings of red lanterns were being hung under the roofs of every store. Men stood on ladders and strung red lanterns on the wooden beams above the street, walkbridges, and over the little canal. Street vendors started stocking their carts with lanterns of various animal shapes.Leon called down to the street vendor below them, "Hey! Is something happening today? Why are so many lanterns being set up?""It's the annual lantern festival! Very beautiful and lively, you should check it out!" the street vendor called back."Thank you for the information! That sounds great!"Leon turned back to Silas, who was looking hopefully at him like a puppy, "We should all go. It's been awhile since we've attended a festival," he responded with a chuckle...................................................................................Leon stood inside the luxurious bathroom where a gold plated mirror stretched the area of the entire wall against the sink. After washing away all the dirt and grime that had accumulated after his days of travel, his skin was finally glowing again. Instead of wearing his heavy armor from the day before, today he donned a black, silk robe, decorated with some gold patterns. Noticing his untidy stubble, he had taken his dagger and was now leaning over the sink, removing the hair. With a satisfied sigh, he inserted his dagger back into his waistband and exited his bathroom.When he stepped back into the sleeping area, he was met by some approving glances and whistles."Damn, Captain! You're looking even better than usual. You must leave some girls for us mere mortals!""Hey! Kendrick, don't lump me in with you, I'm up there with Captain!"Leon chuckled goodnaturedly, "You all don't look too bad yourself. Now let's get going".They met up with the General back down on the first floor and went into the street. The General was once again wearing his mask and his heavy armour. As the seven men walked in the street, they were met with double glances, giggles, and subtle pointing. Tall, intimidating, buff, needless to say, they definitely stood out from the crowd. The one in the front, with the mask- he seemed regal, mysterious, and untouchable.Now the sky was a dark blue, illuminated by the crescent moon and the red lanterns that were everywhere-lining the shops, canals, above the streets, and bridges. The streets were crowded with couples admiring the lanterns, children running up and down the bridges, and families filling up the bustling restaurants. In particular, a large throng of people gathered around the edge of the canal. The eight men walked towards the crowd, trying to see what the fuss was all about.Benefiting from their natural advantage in height, they could see what was happening without having to push through to the front of the crowd. On a two tiered boat anchored in the canal was an ethereal dancer in a flowing sparkly red dress, which seemed like rubies on her glowing bronze skin. Her face was partially concealed by a silk mask, drawing attention to her striking amber eyes.Although half of her face was concealed, it did not in any way lessen the quality of her facials. Her eyes themselves spoke more than words, at some parts fierce, and other times soft and amused. Her swift motions could express anything and everything, sometimes soft and gentle like strolling in a flowery meadow, other times, powerful, like a warrior on a battlefield. And her flexibility was stunning. In one smooth motion, she kicked her leg towards her head, arching her back impressively. It seemed many of the watchers, the men in particular, were very fascinated by this, shouts and cheers vibrating among the crowd. And among them was a very wealthy looking man, seated inside a horse drawn chariot, watching from inside with the curtains pulled open. At the end of the dance, she threw a rose into the crowd and chaos broke loose. Hands stretched to grasp the flower which was still thorned; however, none had seemed to be able to get it, given that the dancer threw it from an elevated height on the second tier of the boat and it was still sharp. It reached the horse drawn chariot where the flower was abruptly snatched by the pot-bellied middle-aged man that sat inside.The middle-aged man got out of his carriage eagerly and was greeted by enthusiastic shouts as spectators pushed him towards the dancer."What a lucky man," spectators remarked , "he gets to drink privately with that mysterious beauty"He shoved his way forward, clutching the flower and stepped onto the boat with a large grin.Leon frowned as he observed the man that had a strange, almost hungry expression plastered to his face. He made Leon feel uneasy as he approached the delicate-looking dancer.The dancer smiled with her eyes, welcoming the man aboard the ship, "Congratulations, sir. I hope you enjoy your evening tonight." She gestured towards the staircase, following up the steps behind the man.On a platform with a view of the glowing lanterns and shops lining the canal, the dancer sat across from the man on soft velvety cushions and gracefully poured a rich cherry-colored liquid into a shiny glass cup, her motions fluid as water."Here, try this drink," her voice rang like songbirds while her eyes peered at him alluringly.He laughed breathlessly, licked his lips, and reached over for the cup. "Is this your hometown? Why have I never seen such a talented dancer and curvaceous beauty as yourself around here?" he asked after downing the drink like water and passing the cup back for another cup." I've moved here recently, sir. Are you from around here? " she responded, passing another full glass of the dark liquid."Do you know who I am? I am Duke Angola's right hand man, Master Li. If you become my private dancer, I can promise that you will only have good days ahead," he spoke unreservedly, finishing another cup and wiping away drops of liquid from his lips with his sleeve."What a combination! Not only are you handsome but also powerful!" the dancer chirped unabashedly, "but just humor me, what proof do you have that you are the Duke's close associate?" She offered him another drink."Oh, I'll .. prove it to you...He has had many secret dealings that very few people know of" the man mumbled, his words starting to slur. "Wait..." he suddenly paused, " just let me see your face first, can I take your veil off?" He spoke, suddenly lurching forwards with his hand extended towards the dancer.The dancer gently pushed his hand away. "Sir, tell me about the secret dealings first. And then you can see my face," she responded, her tone starting to get nervous, as she pushed a drink into his hand. She actually had no intention of revealing her face. She hadn't expected that even after several drinks, Master Li would fail to disclose useful information but instead, act impromperly in public."No...no...I want to see what you look like," he mumbled, pushing away the drink. She slowly backed away from him towards the railing of the boat.Watching the interaction from the street beside the canal, Leon furrowed his brow in disdain.As the dancer was cornered with the railing behind her, the man grasped the edge of her veil and gave it a pull. Seeing this, Leon picked up a rock from the street and hurled it at the man. With a run, Leon used martial arts to leap onto the railing of a small bridge and then onto the second tier of the boat.When he arrived on the second tier of the boat, Master Li stared at him in rage, rubbing his forehead while beside them, the veil of the dancer fluttered down to the ground. Both men's eyes flashed in recognition. It was the rest stop waitress.A second later, Leon wrapped his arm around the dancer's waist and then leapt off the boat with her, spinning as he landed on the ground to reduce the impact on the feet.Seething with anger, Master Li shouted at his lackeys waiting beside the boat, "Chase them!"Grasping the dancer's hand, Leon ran away from the canal, weaving through the crowd and past little shops.After a few minutes of running, the dancer stopped in place and hunched over, breathlessly. Despite her rigorous dancing training, she found it hard to catch up with Leon's long legs. "...I ... think ... we lost them ... Why are we ... running," she rasped. "Can't you fight?" she asked, eyeing his strong build."I don't like making a scene so I try to avoid public fights if I can help it.," Leon confessed sheepishly, scanning her up and down, he asked " Are you okay?""Yes, I'm fine.""You look good, Cheri," Leon suddenly commented, studying her appearance. Her messy ponytail from when they first met had been combed into a beautiful bun decorated with hairpins and gems. She donned a full face of glamorous makeup, with her red cherry lips matching her alluring red dress. "Sorry, I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Leon, one of the residents at the rest stop.""As do you," Cheri smiled, dropping her lashes then slowly letting her eyes glide down and stare back up at him, "and yes, I remember you. Thank you for helping me, Leon." Leon blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the scruffy waitress scampering back and forth from before to clean up to such a beauty and be so flirty. He pondered for a moment, then responded nonchalantly, " You must be tired after everything. Do you want me to walk you back to the rest stop for you to rest?""Wait, the night is still young. How about I'll show you a good spot to admire the lanterns?" Cheri responded, grasping his arm."Sure," Leon smiled wholesomely.Cheri guided him east, past the food stalls selling rice noodles, towards the moon. She walked with a slight limp causing Leon to pause in concern. "Is your foot okay?" he asked tenderly."Oh, I think I might have twisted it a little bit when we were running earlier. It's not too bad," she reassured."Here, jump on my back," Leon responded, crouching forward, "I'll carry you. Just tell me where to go."With a beam and stars in her eyes, Cheri eagerly hopped onto his back, pointing towards the direction of their destination. After a short journey, they arrived at a serene pond that marked the boundary between the village and the wild. From this vantage point, they could see the dense forest outlined against the night sky on one side, and the quaint, charming shops and houses of the village on the other. Glowing orange lanterns floated gently above, casting a warm glow that mingled with the light of the moon, both reflected beautifully in the calm, mirror-like waters of the pond."Whenever we stayed here at our family's summer home, my brother and I would always come to this spot," Cheri reminisced. "We'd skip stones across the water, chase after fireflies, and lie on the grass, gazing up at the stars.""That must've been nice. I was never close with any of my half-siblings despite living under the same roof for soo many years.""I wouldn't have expected that. You seem so easy to get along with.""Their mother and my mother could hardly tolerate each other. Growing up in our household was ... certainly unpleasant at times," he said, his eyes glazing over with memories of the past."Ah...so it's like that," Cheri murmured. She knew about how rich prestigious families from the capital were often involved with multiple women, showering one girl with gifts and then moving on when they were bored."So about your dancing," Leon said, swiftly changing the subject, "I wasn't expecting to see you up there. How long have you been dancing for?""Probably ten or so years. My father was a merchant and during one his travels, he invited over an exotic dancer who became my teacher."Leon and Cheri admired the dazzling view before them, their comfortable silence occasionally interrupted by light chatter recounting their childhood stories. As the night grew later, Leon and Cheri returned to the rest stop to sleep.