"Let's go. Since training starts tomorrow, let's have fun today."
Getting up again, Elysia pulled Chang Yuan up from the bed.
"Wait, I just lay down. Can't I rest for a bit?"
"You can sleep anytime, but we don't always have time to play."
"Fine, I'll take you out. I know a bit about Shenzhou, so I'll show you around."
Reluctantly, Chang Yuan agreed to take Elysia out.
After informing Hua's father, the two set off together.
When visiting Shenzhou, the highlight was naturally the local cuisine.
And as everyone knew, the best food in Shenzhou was found at street stalls.
So, unsurprisingly, Chang Yuan took Elysia to eat at a street stall.
"Mmm, it's good, but not as good as what I make."
After finishing a plate of fried noodles, Elysia gave her honest review.
"Of course. Your cooking is amazing. It's not easy to surpass."
As someone who had tasted her cooking, Chang Yuan was qualified to say this.
"Hmm~? So you're lucky to be able to eat my cooking~?"
"Alright, we're done eating. Dusk is when Shenzhou is most lively."
"So what are we going to do next?"
"Hmm, just follow me."
Taking Elysia to the night market, they found many stalls already set up.
They stopped at a common balloon-shooting game.
"Boss, 20 shots."
After paying, Chang Yuan loaded the toy gun with rubber bullets.
"Elysia, watch. This game gives you prizes based on how many balloons you pop."
Of course, these guns were often rigged—either the sights were off, or the power was reduced, making it hard to pop the balloons.
Unsurprisingly, Chang Yuan only popped 10 balloons with 20 shots.
But 10 was enough for a small prize: a pink dumpling keychain.
"Pfft, haha, Chang Yuan, you're so weak. You only popped 10 at such close range."
"...Then you try."
After paying for Elysia's turn, Chang Yuan loaded the gun and handed it to her.
Elysia was confident.
After watching Chang Yuan, she believed she could do better.
But reality was harsh.
With 20 shots, Elysia only popped 5 balloons—even fewer than Chang Yuan.
"Wow, Elysia, you're amazing. You popped 5 balloons."
Hearing this, Elysia's smile faded.
But even with only 5 balloons, she still got a consolation prize: a keychain with a small, blurry globe.
"Hmph, let's go play something else."
Elysia realized it wasn't their aim that was off—the gun was rigged.
But she didn't confront the stall owner. If Chang Yuan hadn't said anything, there must be a reason.
"Here, Elysia, let's swap. A pink dumpling keychain doesn't suit a guy like me."
Chang Yuan handed the pink dumpling keychain to Elysia.
"Hmm~? Sure, let's swap."
Handing the globe keychain to Chang Yuan, Elysia took the pink dumpling and started playing with it.
Getting the pink dumpling keychain made Elysia's mood much better.
"Let's go. I see another fun game. This one's all skill, no tricks."
This time, Chang Yuan took Elysia to a beanbag toss game.
"You get whatever you hit, but the beanbags are light, so it's hard to knock things down."
After getting two baskets of beanbags, Chang Yuan explained the rules to Elysia.
He then threw one, hitting the target but not knocking it down.
"Hmph, watch me. If one isn't enough, I'll use two."
Holding two beanbags, Elysia aimed at the same target and threw them.
Thud!
A plush toy fell.
"Hehe, I'm pretty good~?"
Successfully knocking down a plush toy with two beanbags, Elysia cheered.
"Let's go all out. Don't hold back for the boss."
Smirking, Chang Yuan grabbed his basket of beanbags and started throwing them rapidly.
Elysia followed suit.
In the end, they won 14 plush toys.
"Oh dear, you two are about to clean me out. How about this? I'll give you this box of accessories, and you leave the plush toys here."
The boss opened a small wooden box, revealing a pair of bracelets—clearly cheap, mass-produced items.
One was blue, and the other was pink, obviously meant for couples.
Chang Yuan understood what the boss was trying to do.
The boss probably thought they were naive kids or impulsive teenagers and was trying to trick them.
"I—"
"Sure, we'll swap."
Before Chang Yuan could say anything, Elysia agreed to the trade.
Chang Yuan was left speechless.
Whatever, as long as Elysia's happy.
In the end, Chang Yuan didn't argue. It wasn't like they had spent much money anyway.
"Hehe, I'll take the pink one. The blue one's for you."
Putting the pink plastic bracelet on her right wrist, Elysia handed the blue one to Chang Yuan.
Chang Yuan had no choice but to put it on his left wrist.
Now the bracelets looked like a perfect couple's set.
"Let's go, let's keep playing. This is so fun~?"
"Sure, let's keep going."
By 10 p.m., Chang Yuan and Elysia decided to head back.
But this time, they had some unwanted followers.
"Chang Yuan, are those people following us?"
After years of traveling, Elysia had become quite sharp.
She quickly noticed the people tailing them.
"Yeah, probably because we're so good-looking. They might want to kidnap us."
"Hmm~? No, no, it's because I'm good-looking. You're just handsome."
"That's not the point. The point is, we need to start running."
This time, Chang Yuan took Elysia's hand and ran toward the martial arts school.