The night passed peacefully.
As dawn arrived, the chirping of birds came from outside the tree house.
Akali abruptly woke from her deep sleep and shot upright in bed. She looked around and saw Luke still sleeping soundly, while Ahri's eyelashes trembled as though she was about to wake.
Confusion rose in Akali's heart.
Had she really fallen asleep just like that?
She scratched her messy hair and could not help glancing at Luke again.
Had this ridiculously carefree man somehow rubbed off on her?
She remembered remaining cautious last night and deciding that she would not sleep.
Akali had trained in the Kinkou Order since childhood and developed astonishing endurance. Going without sleep for four or five consecutive days was not particularly difficult for her.
Despite that, she had let her guard down for only a moment last night and fallen asleep.
It felt almost unbelievable.
"That was such a comfortable sleep…"
Ahri gradually woke as well. Her hood had fallen off long ago. As she stirred, her two soft foxlike ears slowly stood upright. Her freshly awakened face still carried a trace of lazy drowsiness, and she yawned like a sleepy kitten.
She looked extremely cute.
Even Akali could not prevent the thought from crossing her mind, and she hurriedly looked away.
It seemed she would have to remain focused in the future and resist the charm Ahri unconsciously released.
As Akali turned away, she also caught a glimpse of a fluffy fox tail protruding from beneath Ahri's cloak. It was quite beautiful.
Clearly, Ahri had become so absorbed in sleeping that she had forgotten to conceal it.
Ionia, like the rest of Runeterra, was home to several unusual races. Some resembled humans but also possessed features associated with other animals.
The Vastaya were one such people. In the past, most of them had lived peaceful lives beyond the boundaries of human society.
When Noxus launched its massive invasion, however, many Vastaya joined the struggle to defend the land beneath their feet.
Afterward, people no longer found it particularly surprising to encounter Vastaya whose features were clearly different from those of humans.
However, Akali could not recall ever seeing a Vastaya with tails like Ahri's.
That was also why the people around Tevasa had regarded Ahri as some kind of demon or monster.
Ahri seemed to notice where Akali had been looking. Once she had fully awakened, she immediately turned toward her and offered a friendly smile.
"Good morning."
Akali merely nodded with feigned aloofness before getting out of bed.
No matter how innocent Ahri looked, she had still killed twelve people, possibly more. Until Akali could determine whether she was truly good or evil, she had to harden her heart.
Ahri did not mind her reaction. She turned toward Luke and sighed in admiration.
"He sleeps so soundly."
"Wake him up. Do everyone from the Wind-Wielding Sword School sleep until half the morning is gone?"
Akali looked outside. The sun had already been up for a while, which meant they had all overslept.
Judging by Luke's condition, there was no telling how long he would continue sleeping unless someone woke him.
Were disciples of the Wind-Wielding Sword School always this undisciplined?
Akali picked up a hair tie and began tying her hair. Her mouth felt dry and her stomach was empty. Come to think of it, she had barely eaten anything decent over the previous two days.
After receiving the task, Ahri cautiously approached Luke.
The closer she came, the more clearly she could smell the enticing fragrance coming from him.
It made her want to take a taste.
She desperately wanted to know what his essence tasted like. Ahri swallowed before quickly suppressing the desire rising inside her.
She extended a small hand, gently pushed Luke, and whispered, "Wake up."
Akali had already tied her hair and put on her mask. Seeing Ahri's attempt, she could not help commenting, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you were trying to lull him to sleep. You sound like you haven't eaten in days. It'll be a miracle if that wakes him."
Ahri felt embarrassed. Luke looked so comfortable that she had not wanted to disturb him too harshly.
Akali stepped forward and shouted directly into his ear.
"Wake up!"
As it turned out, volume produced miraculous results.
Luke opened his eyes, covered his right ear, and sat up.
"Next time, I can do without that kind of wake-up service."
He was the type of person who would continue sleeping for as long as circumstances allowed.
Being suddenly shouted awake had genuinely startled him.
Akali stared at him.
"Do you have that much time to waste?"
Hearing this, Luke could not help asking, "How did a homeless kid like you end up with such a strict sense of time?"
"You're the homeless kid! My time is extremely valuable!"
Akali widened her eyes and glared at Luke in irritation.
Luke curiously asked, "Then what do you normally spend your valuable time doing?"
"I…"
Akali faltered. Thoughts rapidly flashed through her mind before she raised her chin.
"Patrolling different regions, obviously! Catching criminals and villains, and helping people who can't protect themselves!"
Luke gave an understanding nod.
"So, in other words, you're an unemployed drifter."
Akali stared at him.
At that moment, she felt endless rage surge through her chest.
A kunai appeared in her hand with a sharp hiss. Grinding her teeth, Akali said, "Are you deliberately trying to start a fight first thing in the morning?"
"Calm down, calm down."
Ahri had been watching from the side and hurriedly stepped between them before Akali could lose her temper.
"He must be joking. I could tell immediately from your presence that you're a bold, larger-than-life hero who travels around protecting people."
Foxes truly knew how to flatter someone.
After only a few words from Ahri, Akali's anger rapidly diminished. She soon regained her composure.
Luke nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. She said everything I was going to say."
That remark made Akali laugh from sheer anger. She glanced at him and walked directly out of the tree house.
Ahri and Luke followed.
The village they had arrived at the previous night was fairly large. It was no longer early morning, and people were already coming and going along its paths.
Some villagers had gathered fresh fruit outside the forest and brought it back to sell. Others had collected sweet spring water. Stalls had already been arranged throughout the village market.
In Ionia, many different objects could be used for trade. The feathers of unusual birds, seeds from certain flowers and trees, pebbles from a lake, or shells from the sea could all be exchanged as long as they possessed value.
These things were gifts from nature in the truest sense. In return, people were expected to give something back to nature and preserve the balance among all living things.
As they walked, Akali said, "We'll begin with this village."
She was naturally referring to Ahri's task of finding evil people.
Luke said first, "There's no hurry. We should fill our stomachs before doing anything else. Even after sleeping through the night, you look worse than you did yesterday. I don't know what you've experienced during your travels, but your body is already screaming for relief. If you keep forcing yourself onward, you could suffer serious consequences."
"How can you tell all that?"
Akali looked at Luke suspiciously, uncertain whether his claims were reliable.
However, she knew the condition of her own body.
Ever since leaving the Kinkou Order, she had been searching for her own path and trying to become stronger, strong enough to determine everything through her own power.
Along the way, she truly had neglected her health.
"I happen to know a little about medicine," Luke replied modestly.
Akali remained skeptical, while Ahri blinked curiously.
"What about me? How am I doing?"
"You're very healthy," Luke said.
"Really?"
Ahri's eyes curved into happy crescents as she smiled.
There were stalls selling breakfast in the market. Stack after stack of bamboo steamers rested over hot cooking pots, releasing clouds of steam.
Luke found the sight quite refreshing. He had rarely encountered such a familiar scene anywhere else.
The three sat down at a steamed-bun stall. Calling it a restaurant would have been generous. It was only a small canopy with several tables arranged outside, though it had plenty of customers.
"Bring us five baskets to start," Akali said.
She felt that three baskets would definitely not be enough, so she ordered two more.
"Coming right up. Please wait a moment," the owner replied enthusiastically.
The three took their seats.
While they waited, Ahri began looking around. Her gaze passed over each person walking through the market.
Luke noticed and asked, "Found anyone?"
Ahri shook her head.
"No."
Akali remained silent and continued observing her.
Before long, the owner brought out basket after basket of steaming buns. Each bun was fairly large, making the stall quite generous.
Luke smelled their aroma and immediately knew the owner was a capable cook.
Akali stood, fetched a palm-sized white dipping dish, then picked up a small jug and poured an almost black liquid into it.
A sour scent began spreading through the air.
Ahri looked at it curiously.
"What is that?"
She had only been part of human society for a year. Although she had absorbed many memories, there were still plenty of things she did not recognize.
The nearly black liquid was one of them.
"Vinegar," Akali answered briefly. "How can you eat steamed buns without dipping them in vinegar?"
"Vinegar?"
Ahri looked interested.
Seeing this, Akali handed her the jug. Ahri copied her and poured some vinegar into a dipping dish of her own.
She then clumsily picked up a bun with her chopsticks, dipped it in the vinegar as Akali had done, and eagerly took a bite.
Her expression changed instantly.
Her entire body shuddered. She forced herself to swallow the food in her mouth before hurriedly drinking some water.
"It's so sour…"
"Of course vinegar is sour."
Akali spoke as though it were obvious, then could not help laughing at Ahri's reaction.
She rarely smiled, but when she did, she was remarkably beautiful. The coldness usually covering her face melted like winter snow.
Ahri did not notice. She fearfully pushed the vinegar dish away and decided not to touch it again.
"You're amazing. You can eat something that sour."
"Of course. I've always had a strong stomach for vinegar."
Akali dipped a bun and stuffed it into her mouth.
The large bite tasted somewhat sour, but the acidity balanced the flavor of the bun perfectly.
In truth, Akali would not have been able to tolerate much more.
Luke thought for a moment before telling Ahri, "Did you know there's an old saying about vinegar? Vinegar is a concentrated essence refined through fermentation and has many benefits. It can increase your strength, remove fatigue, and nourish your skin. Many people supposedly drink an entire bowl every morning after waking up."
"Really?"
Ahri blinked innocently before looking toward Akali.
"Do you do that too? Is that why you like vinegar?"
"O-of course."
Akali answered instinctively, though her eyes drifted toward the dipping dish with uncertainty.
She knew what vinegar was, but she did not know much about its supposed health benefits.
Did it really have all the effects Luke claimed?
Had she known, she would have drunk more vinegar in the past.
Was it too late to start now?
"That's incredible. I can't even imagine how anyone manages to drink vinegar."
Ahri looked even more impressed. Her bright eyes sparkled.
Being admired like that immediately awakened Akali's pride. She casually waved a hand.
"It's nothing to me. I could drink this much vinegar without even blinking."
As she spoke, she lifted the dipping dish and poured it directly into her mouth.
In the blink of an eye, she swallowed all of it.
The mouthful of acid made Akali's soul tremble. Her teeth no longer felt like they belonged to her. Even she could not withstand drinking vinegar like that.
However, she forcibly suppressed the urge to shudder. Her other hand clenched tightly beneath the table as she calmly placed the empty dish down.
She still felt uncertain.
Did drinking vinegar genuinely work?
Ahri, who knew nothing about the situation, was overwhelmed with admiration. She had barely endured one small taste.
No wonder Akali was so impressive.
"Incredible, incredible."
Luke applauded her with sincere admiration, then turned back toward Ahri.
"From a medical perspective, most of those supposed benefits are heavily exaggerated. Vinegar has only one particularly useful effect, it can help relieve fatigue and improve circulation. Any other benefits are minimal at best. Drinking too much does more harm than good, so most people simply use it as a condiment."
Ahri nodded in sudden understanding.
"Oh."
Akali said nothing.
She slowly turned her gaze toward Luke.
If looks could kill, Luke would already have been sliced into thousands of pieces.
She was so angry that her teeth itched.
Could this miserable bastard not finish everything in one breath?
Akali clenched her fists and forcefully resisted the urge to beat him.
Noticing the murderous look in her eyes, Luke coughed.
"You actually should drink a little more vinegar right now. Your body is stiff from excessive fatigue. A moderate amount could relieve some of that exhaustion and help your blood circulate."
"Is that so? Thank you very much for the explanation."
Akali ground the words out through clenched teeth.
"You're welcome."
Luke smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.
Akali nearly stopped breathing from anger.
She redirected her attention toward the buns, viciously stabbed one with her chopsticks, and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed fiercely as though the bun were Luke himself.
The bun made her cheeks bulge. As a result, her ferocious expression only made her look somewhat adorable.
Luke pretended not to notice and pulled Ahri's abandoned vinegar dish toward himself.
Just as Akali had said, how could anyone eat steamed buns without vinegar?
Luke also preferred eating them with vinegar. Naturally, he could not imitate the courageous warrior who had just lifted the entire dish and drunk it directly.
The stall owner's buns were genuinely good. They were filled with mushrooms and pork and earned Luke's approval.
He ate two entire baskets in one sitting, while the furious Akali ate even more than he did.
Ahri also had a surprisingly large appetite.
Five baskets were clearly not enough, so they ordered another three.
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