The next morning, the entire village of Eden gathered at the gates before dawn, lanterns glowing softly in the cool air. Children waved small hands, elders bowed with grateful tears, and Chief Haru placed a hand on Luo Feng's shoulder one last time. "Come back safe," he said quietly. "And bring good news for all of us."
Miya stood beside Luo Feng, a simple travel pack on her back, her long black hair tied neatly. Kael and Lin Wang carried spears and bows, the ox-cart loaded high with sacks of maize, beans, dried fish, and the carefully wrapped barrels of grape wine. The four travelers waved back as the village cheered. Then they turned and set off down the long dirt road that wound toward the distant capital of the Dragon Kingdom.
Days blurred into a gentle rhythm. They walked from sunrise to sunset, the ox-cart creaking behind them, the road carrying them through forests, over gentle hills, and across wide grasslands. Luo Feng led with quiet confidence, his Appraisal skill quietly scanning for safe paths and hidden dangers. At night they made camp beside the road—small fires, simple meals of pond fish and maize cakes, stories shared under the stars.
One quiet evening, after the others had fallen asleep, Luo Feng and Miya sat together by the dying fire. The moonlight painted her face in silver. He took her hand gently, his voice low and steady, the same calm tone he once used in the fields of Churachandpur.
"Miya… these months with you have shown me more than any forest or any harvest ever could. I want to walk every road with you. Will you be my wife?"
Miya's eyes shone with happy tears. She squeezed his hand and whispered back without hesitation, "Yes, Luo Feng. I already knew my heart belonged to you the day you brought the boar. I want to be yours… forever."
From that night on, they walked side by side during the day, shoulders brushing. At night they sat together by the fire and slept curled close under the same blanket, her head resting on his chest, his arm around her protectively. Kael and Lin Wang pretended not to notice, smiling to themselves as they kept watch. The journey felt warmer, lighter, full of quiet joy.
Weeks turned into months. The road stretched on—three long months of steady travel—yet the time passed like a single happy dream. They crossed rivers, traded small portions of maize for bread in tiny roadside villages, and watched the land grow richer the closer they came to the capital. Miya taught Luo Feng the names of the mountains in the distance. He taught her how to read the soil and the wind the way a farmer does. Their love grew deeper with every step.
Finally, late one afternoon, the high white walls of the Dragon Kingdom's capital rose on the horizon—tall towers gleaming in the sun, banners of gold and crimson snapping in the breeze, the grand palace visible even from miles away. Luo Feng stopped the cart at a quiet clearing just outside the city gates, hidden by a gentle rise of land.
"We have reached the capital," he said, voice calm but firm. "We can set camp here for the night. Let's rest well and enter tomorrow morning, fresh and ready. No need to rush into the crowds after such a long journey."
Kael and Lin Wang nodded, already unhitching the oxen and gathering wood for a fire. Miya smiled softly at Luo Feng, her hand slipping into his.
That night the four of them ate a simple meal around the fire, the distant lights of the capital twinkling like stars on the ground. When the others rolled out their blankets a respectful distance away, Luo Feng and Miya lay together under one thick blanket, her head nestled against his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her waist. The night air was cool, but they stayed warm in each other's closeness.
Sleep came soundly to all of them—deep, peaceful, filled with dreams of green fields and a future they would build together. Tomorrow they would enter the Dragon Kingdom's capital with a cart full of miracles from a tiny village no one had ever noticed before.