Feto carried Shana on his back, sprinting ten miles north through Bearwood. When the sounds of pursuit faded behind them, he finally slowed his pace, scanning the terrain to orient himself.

The path ahead was choked with fallen logs and thorny brambles, and werewolves hunted them from behind—their situation was dire indeed. But what sent a thrill through Feto was the fact that, throughout their flight, the beautiful witch had pressed her body firmly against his back, no reserve at all.

"Don't worry," Feto said to her over his shoulder. "I'll protect you, no matter what."

Shana leaned closer, her cheek brushing his neck. "With you by my side, I have nothing to fear."

Her breath was warm and sweet, like blooming orchids, stirring an urge in Feto to turn and kiss her. But the urgency of their situation forced him to suppress the desire.

"Feto, there are two things I don't understand. Can you explain?" the witch went on.

"Go ahead."

"Have you noticed you've been running straight north?"

Feto knew what she meant. "I'm doing it on purpose. The werewolves will definitely assume we're heading south back to the Great Wall. So we'll throw them off by going north first, then circle around to return."

Shana nodded. "That makes sense. Looks like the werewolves fell for it."

"Werewolves are smart—they won't just chase south. They'll spread out in all directions, but the north should have the fewest of them."

"Right! Listen, we can't hear them anymore."

"This is only temporary. We can't let our guard down."

"Can you put me down first?"

Oh, right! Feto suddenly remembered Shana's leg had been clawed by a werewolf. He quickly set her gently on the ground.

"How bad is your leg?"

He looked at her right leg—crimson blood had soaked through her entire trouser leg. "Wow, that's serious!" he exclaimed in alarm.

"Don't worry, that's just the blood from when I got hurt." Shana leaned on his arm, slowly sitting down beside an ancient tree. "While you were carrying me, I applied safflower healing potion to it." She rolled up her trouser leg, revealing her pale, jade-like calf with a faint, shallow scar. "See? A witch's magic potion can do anything! The wound's already healed!"

Feto knelt down, examining the scar closely. He reached out and took her ankle—her skin was slender, barely filling his palm. His heart skipped a beat, and when he looked up, Shana was staring right back at him.

The guard was captivated by her sweet smile, the affection shining in her eyes. He stared, dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Feto's throat felt dry; he swallowed hard.

"Do you think my foot looks nice?"

"Agh!" Feto jumped, releasing her ankle. He'd already seen the witch's bold, outgoing side, but her daring still caught him off guard sometimes. I'm a ranger who's traveled the four realms, seen countless heroes and beauties—how can I be flustered by a girl like you?

With that thought, Feto grinned. "Not only does your leg look nice, it's firm and smooth. It feels amazing to touch. If we weren't in such a hurry, I'd love to take my time admiring it."

A flush rose to Shana's cheeks. She pouted playfully. "I'm so worried about this scar, and you're teasing me!"

"How could I? That scar's almost invisible—you'd have to look really close to see it."

"Pfft! I don't believe you!" Shana rolled her trouser leg back down. "You just love picking on me!"

"I'd never dare." Feto laughed.

Shana tilted her head, looking at him. "Feto, I have another question. When I first came to the Great Wall, some people said you were a show-off—all flash, no substance, climbing the ranks by sucking up. But after spending time with you, you're nothing like that."

It must be those damn hunters badmouthing me! Ever since they lost their muskets, they've been taking their anger out on others! Feto seethed inwardly, helpless.

The Great Wall was seen by the world as a land of legend and honor, a sacred place of merit that every warrior and mage on the continent aspired to—symbolizing the highest glory and bravery. But beneath the Great Wall Legion's glorious halo, undercurrents churned endlessly.

The covert war between commoners and divine humans never ceased; warriors and mages scorned each other, as if their two power systems were fundamentally incompatible. Moreover, various cliques formed among hunters, guards, knights, and other professions—they slandered each other daily, bickered, and even settled disputes with duels. Especially in the past six months, internal strife had grown so fierce it rivaled the battles between humans and werewolves. The future of the Great Wall Legion was truly worrying!

Feto sighed heavily. "You've seen gargoyle statues, right? A gargoyle looks different from every angle. From the front, it looks like an ordinary human; from the back, you see it has a tail; from the right, its hand is a wolf's claw; from the left, it has an extra eye in its palm."

"Humans are like gargoyles in a way. The same person can look completely different to different people. You can't truly know someone without seeing them from all sides."

"I admit, sometimes I come off as competitive, but that's not the real me. Deep down, I'm soft-hearted. I act that way because of the Great Wall's unique 'culture of struggle.' To survive here, I have to fight for my place. When I first arrived, an elder told me: if you don't want to be bullied, you have to be tough."

"I know my actions might have offended some people, but that was never my intention. As for those who slander me behind my back…" Feto spat on the ground. "Bah!"

After the guard's long speech, Shana stared at him, her eyes soft with understanding and a hint of adoration. Will she understand me? Seeing she didn't speak, Feto worried she might still misunderstand him, so he tried to explain further: "You know, here at the Great Wall…"

"I get it." Shana stood up, brushing dust off her clothes. "One of my senior sisters was also slandered. People said she always got confrontational, told me to stay away from her. But when I got to know her, I realized she wasn't like that at all. She only lost her temper when people targeted her maliciously—it wasn't her normal self. We became great friends after that."

Hearing her words, a warm flood of emotion filled Feto's heart. She understands me! She really does!

Feto's voice was moved. "Everyone has multiple sides. A person who's a villain to one might be a hero to another. To judge someone accurately, you can't just listen to what others say—you have to hear what they say, see what they do. Most importantly, you have to spend time with them, feel who they really are. Like I said, you can only see the truth of a gargoyle by looking at it from every angle."

Shana smiled. "I agree. No matter what others say about you, I think you're a warm, kind person."

If you stand by me, I swear I'll keep you safe forever! Feto could no longer hold back. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her soft, red lips right then and there.

But just as he moved, his ears twitched—he heard a faint rustling in the distance. Oh no! The werewolves are coming!

The guard turned quickly, spotting faint green glows deep in the forest. "Enemies?" Shana had noticed too.

"They outnumber us—we can't fight. We need to move and find a hiding spot!" Feto looked at her right leg. "Can you use your light footwork?"

Shana shook her head. "The wound's healed, but it still hurts when I walk. I can't jump or sprint."

Feto turned around, his back to her. "Then it's back to the old way."

Shana froze for a moment, then blushed and pinched his waist playfully before climbing onto his back.