Lu Jianheng, the Sword Lord, had taken it upon himself to catch this "Phantom." He spent his nights patrolling the garden, sword drawn, eyes bloodshot.
"I know it's him," Lu Jianheng muttered to a confused bush. "He's mocking me. He steals the ingredients right under my nose to make soup. I will catch him. And then... and then I will force him to duel me! And maybe share the soup!"
But every time he got close, he would slip on a conveniently placed banana peel, wondering where he even got bananas in this climate?
Or get distracted by an explosion of flour.
Ji'an was ghosting the Sword Lord so hard it was becoming a spectator sport for the squirrels.
But the "Phantom" title wasn't her only moniker. There was a worse one.
The Flower Thief.
It happened on a Tuesday. Ji'an needed fresh eggs for a soufflé, and in this world, the best eggs came from the Vermilion Birds of the Beast Peak.
