Only after the girl swallowed her food did he withdraw some of his magic. The gold in his eyes dimmed slightly as he asked calmly.
"How old are you?"
The girl looked up at him, still holding half a steamed bun, and replied in a small voice.
"Sixteen."
Shi Jin nodded faintly. The golden glow in his eyes faded a little, and his voice was flat, yet it pierced straight through her identity.
"That makes sense. To your kind—dragons—you are only sixteen. After all, you are merely a few hundred years old."
The girl froze completely. Her fingers around her chopsticks tightened sharply. When she lifted her eyes, terror filled her red pupils. She forgot to swallow the food in her mouth, set down her chopsticks, and tried to stand and run.
"Don't be in a hurry," Shi Jin said calmly, stopping her. He tapped the table lightly, the coldness in his golden eyes softening. "I have no interest in you, and I mean you no harm."
The girl froze in place, her nails digging into the table edge. Fear still lingered in her red eyes, and she dared not move.
Shi Jin watched her tense back, his tone still steady, but every word struck the core.
"Why did you come to the Mixed-Blood City-State? At your age, you should never have left your clan. Especially not when your power is still too weak to maintain a stable human form."
The girl lowered her gaze, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the table. Her voice was thin and trembling with grievance, tears glistening in her eyes.
"My bloodline… it's too low. The clan has no place for me. I had to run away. If I stayed, I would have been killed or crippled."
Listening to her quiet sobs, the golden light in Shi Jin's eyes slowly faded, returning to its original color. His tapping fingers stopped abruptly, and his mind drifted into a distant past.
He thought of the Dragon Lord he had met when he was five thousand years old—same red hair, same red eyes, but with overwhelming majesty, scales shining like fire, aura shaking the heavens.
The contrast with this timid, low-blooded little dragon girl, who could barely hold her form, was like heaven and earth.
After a moment, he pulled his wandering thoughts back. His expression turned cold and calm again. He looked at the girl with lowered head and tapped the table.
"What do you plan to do now?"
The girl kept her head down, shoveling food into her mouth, cheeks puffed. She mumbled softly, lost and helpless.
"I'll just take it one step at a time… I'm too weak. Even in my true form, I won't last long outside."
Shi Jin tapped the table, his gaze falling on her hands clutching the chopsticks.
"Haven't you thought about finding a place to stay?"
Her eating paused. She lifted her eyes, tears glistening, then quickly looked down again.
"Where would I go? The City-State is full of pursuers, and other races don't accept low-blooded ones like me. I can only wander."
"No one in your clan stood up for you?"
At those words, the girl's knuckles turned white. She ate more slowly, her voice almost a whisper.
"No… everyone looks down on me for my mixed blood and weak power. Even my parents don't care about me."
Shi Jin asked no more. After a short silence, he said simply.
"Finish eating and clean up. Don't stay here too long."
The girl blinked and looked up at him, confused and timid.
"Then… can I follow you?"
Shi Jin lifted his eyes, gaze cold.
"I never said I would take you."
Her eyes dimmed at once. She lowered her head and picked at the remaining rice, saying nothing. Only the faint sound of chewing filled the quiet corner.
Shi Jin watched her eating with her head bowed. Her tiny dragon horns drooped, a few strands of red hair sticking to her cheek, dotted with grains of rice. She looked miserable and cowardly.
Suddenly, blood-soaked memories from his five-thousandth year surged up.
The red-haired, red-eyed Dragon Lord had died in a mist of blood, the divine artifact shattered. Her dying hand had grabbed his clothes, her voice weak but clear, full of unfulfilled regret.
"If not for this divine artifact… I would have loved to be your friend."
She had looked at him, forcing a faint smile, and whispered like a plea.
"If you ever meet someone who looks like me… please take her on a journey. The way we did when we first met."
Dazed, the blood and warmth of the past faded. Shi Jin snapped back to himself, his gaze returning to the girl's drooping head. His fingers curled slightly, and his voice softened a little.
"What's your name?"
The girl looked up sharply. Tiny lights flickered in her red eyes. Her previous dejection vanished, and even her dragon horns perked up. She let go of her chopsticks, her fingers curling lightly on the table, a small smile tugging at her lips. Her voice was clear, trembling with joy.
"I'm Levitel!"
Shi Jin watched her bright eyes, his expression still calm.
"I only asked for your name. I didn't say I'd take you with me. Don't get your hopes up."
Levitel's light dimmed instantly. The smile froze on her face, and her little horns drooped again. She scratched the table and mumbled "Oh", then lowered her head and continued eating, dejected.
Shi Jin looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching almost invisibly. A very soft chuckle escaped him, mixed with faint sorrow and distant memories, lingering on her red hair—so similar to his old friend.
He looked out the window. The snowstorm raged fiercer, flakes slamming against the windowpane, blurring the world into white. All was vast and silent.
Shi Jin paid the bill. The moment he lifted the curtain and stepped outside, the wind and snow wrapped around him. He pulled his coat closed and walked into the depths of the street.
Behind him, soft footsteps followed—timid, not too close, not too far, like an unshakable shadow.
He paused slightly and glanced sideways.
Levitel huddled, thin snow dusting her red hair, tiny ice crystals forming on the tips of her dragon horns. She clutched her clothes and hurried after him. When she saw him look, she froze, her eyes reddening, but whispered.
"I… I'll just follow. I won't be a bother."
Wind and snow stung her face. She blinked, snow sticking to her eyelashes like frost.
Shi Jin said nothing. He turned and continued walking, but his pace slowed—just enough for her to keep up.
The snow fell harder. Footprints in the alley were quickly covered, leaving only two tracks, one behind the other, stretching into the white distance.
Just as they turned a narrow lane, rough shouts exploded from the alley mouth.
"Look! There's the girl! Surround her!"
Several city soldiers burst out from both sides, hands on their swords, closing in on the snow. Their eyes locked onto Levitel with malice.
She trembled in fear and hurried forward, small hands clutching Shi Jin's clothes tightly, knuckles white. Panic flooded her red eyes, and even her dragon horns trembled.
Shi Jin turned his head, cold eyes sweeping over the soldiers, but did not attack. The alley was near a busy street; too much noise would only bring more trouble.
Pale cyan magic quietly spread around him, heavy pressure unfolding silently. Snowflakes froze into tiny ice shards around his body, and the air seemed to turn cold.
The soldiers froze abruptly, chests tight and painful. Their sword-wielding hands shook uncontrollably, faces filled with dread. Not one dared step forward.
Shi Jin glanced down at the small hand clutching his clothes, then lifted his cold gaze toward the group, and spoke one hard, cold word.
"Move."
The pressure surged. The soldiers turned pale, stumbling back, clearing a narrow path.
Shi Jin ignored them, gently tugged his clothes free, and continued walking. Levitel hurried after him, still clinging tightly to his garment, not daring to let go for even a step, disappearing into the snow.
On a nearby roof, the holder of the Green Branch Floating Dream stood silently at the eaves. Snow covered her silver-white hair, and her emerald eyes watched the faint cyan figure in the storm.
She brushed a falling snowflake from her finger, her voice soft and prophetic.
"So he is not heartless after all… A single warm thought shifts the thread of fate. All that lies ahead begins here."
Pale green light swirled around her fingertips, snow melting into droplets at the touch.
Her gaze followed the two fading footprints, eyes holding a half-clear, half-hidden premonition. Her words drifted away in the wind, a riddle no one would solve.
They reached the inn's alley. Shi Jin stopped. From the corner of his eye, he saw Levitel's tattered, snow-dusted clothes. He frowned, his voice cold.
"Your clothes are ruined. Pick something new."
He glanced at her hand holding his clothes, then walked toward a clothing shop at the alley mouth without waiting for an answer. His steps were still fast, but slower still—enough for her to follow.
Levitel's eyes lit up. Snow still dusted her nose, and a smile tugged at her mouth. She almost jumped with joy, but held back, hiding her happiness in bright eyes. She trotted after him, even the ice on her dragon horns seeming to soften.
The clothing shop fluttered a warm yellow sign. Snow hit the copper bell at the corner, ringing softly.
Just as Shi Jin was about to lift the curtain, a familiar voice called out.
"Hey! It's you!"
He turned to see the witch from the everything-house, wrapped in a thick velvet cloak, holding a paper bag, her nose pink from the cold. She stood in the snow, blinking at him, then glanced at Levitel, curiosity flashing in her eyes. She hurried over.
"Weren't you looking for that elven girl? Why do you have a little dragon following you now? Were you just teasing me back at my shop?"
Snow dusted her hood, and her breath fogged in the cold, making her features lively, warming even the snow around her.
Shi Jin glanced at her sideways, brushing snow from his shoulder casually, his tone light but teasing.
"You never found her anyway, so it doesn't matter. I am still looking for her. This girl is just a side note. Pay her no mind."
The witch laughed and leaned closer, her breath fogging the air.
"I see right through you. Tough mouth, soft heart."
She bent down and brushed the snow from Levitel's hair, her finger gently touching her small dragon horns, voice soft.
"Little one, what's your name?"
Levitel froze at the sudden kindness, shrinking behind Shi Jin, clutching his clothes. She blinked timidly and whispered.
"L-Levitel."
"Levitel?" The witch's eyes lit up. She tapped her chin and smiled. "That name sounds familiar. Isn't that a northern dragon name?"
Shi Jin stepped forward, half-shielding Levitel. He glanced at her tattered, snow-covered clothes, frowned, and spoke with faint impatience.
"Let's pick her some clothes first. No need to dawdle in the snow. I'll stop by your everything-house later."
They stepped into the shop. Warm air and the faint scent of cloth washed over them, chasing away the cold.
Shi Jin scanned the racks of clothes, his fingers brushing his sleeve unconsciously. He turned back to the witch, voice casual, hiding a hint of uncertainty.
"Choose. Help her pick. Several sets."
The witch laughed and nodded, pulling out several thick outfits.
"First, this mustard-and-cream padded coat, with fleece pants and fur-lined boots—soft and windproof. Then this light pink quilted dress, with a dark blue velvet vest for going out. And this white hooded fleece set, with cuffed legs to keep snow out, perfect for staying indoors."
She grabbed two rabbit-fur-lined knit hats, two pairs of fleece gloves, and even two thick velvet leg warmers, piling them on the counter.
"Northern dragons can stand the cold, but she's still fragile. She'll need all these."
Levitel clung to Shi Jin's clothes, tiptoeing to stare at the warm outfits, her red eyes bright as stars. Her dragon horns perked up, but she dared not touch them, only sneaking glances at Shi Jin.
Shi Jin looked at the pile, said nothing, walked to the shopkeeper, and placed several silver coins on the counter, voice calm.
"Wrap them all."
The shopkeeper nodded quickly and turned to pack.
The witch leaned against the shelf, smiling at Shi Jin, eyes full of amusement.
Warm light fell on the three of them. Outside, the snow still fell heavily, but inside the shop, it was warm and soft, filled with the scent of cloth and quiet, gentle life.