Ju Liang begins his day as any, dressing himself and tying his hair with a thin rope, next he begins to cook congee for the children, ten Wooden bowls set up on a small but mighty wooden table somehow big enough for ten little ones–– if you asked anyone else, they'd tell you Ju Liang definitely needed a new table, but he's as stubborn as a mule.

Once he's set everything up, Ju Liang next prepares a small treat for each, for each one of the bowls, the children get two steamed buns. Each bun is almost the exact same to ensure no arguments.

Ju Liang then goes to wake up the children, the bamboo hut is small with only four windows, it's rectangle shaped yet somehow he fits himself and ten children, the villagers wonder how he does it.

The children have a small area sectioned off with a thick red curtain in a corner of the hut, with bamboo mats laid out in a way that ensured they would have space to play in between, each with personalized little blankets.

It's around when the sunrises, The children all slowly awake and wander out of their lIttle area, dressed in tunics and lose pants or robes for sleeping. Ju Liang smiles gently as he watches their faces light up.

One of the children, a little girl with two buns, exclaims happily, "Congee for breakfast!!", the other children all run over to the table, little hands snatching the bowls and buns like sharks with meat.

Eventually, after a minute once they all had their Congee, they realized there were no spoons!-- oh dear. Ju Liang realises he's forgotten to put the spoons out and quickly dashes to find the crate he usually leaves the wooden spoons in after washing them off.

Lu Jiang returns with an armful of spoons, before he can even realize it, his arms are empty once more. Ju Liang let's out a sigh, watching the children all scoff down their congee and then their buns, it's fruitless at this point to even try to remind them to slow down their eating.

He watches as they all go and put their spoons and empty dirty bowls into a different crate, it's deemed as the "washing crate"–– in other words, Ju Liang takes the crate out in the evening to the near river and washes them while the children sleep, these kids are quite lazy sometimes, one would even consider them brats––but in reality thankfully they are not.

The children begin to excitedly crowd Ju Liang, their little voices clambering all asking the same question:" What are we doing today!!" after a moment, Ju Liang answers, "We're going to a creek today, go get dressed quickly and maybe we can have candied Hawthorn when we get back" Ju Liang replies, his voice gentle and a hint of playfulness, The children quickly run off to do as told.

Squeals echoed throughout the forest as a frog leaps from one of the hands of a child, jumping back into the creek they all stand by, watching as the frog floats away like a lazy man resting in the sun, giggling as they watched with amusement.

Ju Liang stands near the children, his boots off and his trousers rolled up to the knees as he held his robes skirt up a little, so the hem didn't get wet from the running stream of the creek, as he continued to watch the children play and splash about, Ju Liang feels a shiver go down his spine and the hair on the back of his neck rise.

Ju Liang turned his head just enough to look over his shoulder, but he saw... nothing? He could've sworn he'd felt eyes on him, shaking his head and turning his attention back to the children. Ju Liang passed it off as a curious animal who just happened to get scared and ran before he could look back.

Later on, after the children had all gotten bored with the creek, Ju Liang and the ten little ones all went on a walk around the forest, some occasionally picking up a stick they deemed interesting or a leaf with a bug of some kind.

Ju Liang once again felt that feeling on the back of his neck, yet this time it was cold and made the hairs on the back of his neck raise up once more, his spun around fast, boots kicking up a small amount dirt, for a split second he swore he could've seen something, a flash of gray and two red dots like eyes. The children, seeing this abruptly stopped, all staring at their caretaker.

Ju Liang quickly gently laughed it off, assuring them, "I'm sorry, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, it must've been a falling leaf." he reassured gently. One of the children, a little boy, piped up with a grin "like the time Li Ying had a leaf fall on her nose!!" the child giggled, while the one mentioned in the little story, Li Ying, short little girl with a small ponytail and pale pink robes, darted over and smacked the back of the little boy's head.

Ju Liang quickly intervened, his voice gentle as usual. "Hey now, let's not hit each other, now, apologize to each other please." he watched as the two huffed and reluctantly apologized to each other.

After that situation, the group continued on their little walk through the forest, eventually the sun began to set. Ju Liang lead them all back to the bamboo hut, shutting the door behind them all.

Ju Liang lit a few candles to light up the small bamboo hut, and begun cooking over a small clay stove in the corner, he grabbed a pot, some vegetables and soup, then lit the stove, placing the pot on top, pouring the soup into the pot and dropping the vegetables in.

Once Ju Liang was done, he grabbed the now clean wooden bowls and spoons from the crate, which he had cleaned right before their departure to the creek for the day, pouring an equal amount of soup into each, steaming. He set up the bowls and spoons, the children, playing with wooden toys and colorful cloth tigers, all immediately stood up and darted right for the table, it only took around five minutes for all the soup to disappear, Ju Liang had only just finished his own soup ten whole minutes after!!–– so unfair.

Ju Liang instructed them all to get ready and go to bed, which thankfully they all complied with him. Dressing into their night robes and laying down into their bamboo mats. Ju Liang smiles and whispers a quiet "goodnight" before pulling the curtain to their little corner closed.

Next it's his turn, Ju Liang let's down his hair and takes his outer robe off, now left in his under robe he slips his boots off, folding his outer robe up and placing them next to his boots by the door, which is next to ten little shoes–– flats, boots, sandals, etc. Ju Liang rummaged for about a minute until he found his own bamboo mat, unrolling it next to the shelf and laying down, the wind howled outside like wolves howling at the full moon.

Ju Liang's world goes black as he closes his eyes and succumbed to sleep.

When Ju Liang woke up and dressed himself, he took all the ten children to an old woman to care for them for the day, so he could do cleaning.

Once Ju Liang made it back to the bamboo hut, he began cleaning, sweeping the leafs into a big pile he was sure would be jumped in once they returned–– why does he even do it if he knows the children will jump in the pile anyway? Oh, well.

After sweeping, Ju Liang hung out the blankets and robes to dry after washing them in the river nearby, hanging them on a thin rope tied on two wooden poles, once again, he feels that cold, shivering feeling on the back of his neck, but this time...it's closer, as cold as the first day of winter. As cold as snow.

Ju Liang pauses just as he was about to hang a blanket over the rope, he slowly turns his head to peer over his shoulder, standing in between two trees of the forest nearby is a large Gray wolf, with red eyes and white pupils in slits. The wolf doesn't move, but it's eyes seem...more human than animal.

The wolf doesn't attack nor move closer, Ju Liang is left confused, he considered staying silent or trying to call for the wolf, but before he could make his decision the wolf had already walked away, it left him even more confused than he'd ever been. Ju Liang decided that later after laundry, he'll go visit the old man, an old man in his early sixties named Fan Minghao with a large knowledge of mythology and other things.

Ju Liang knocked on the door of a small, ruined shack with a wooden door probably on its last life. The door opened and there stood the hunched Fan Minghao, his graying hair in a high topknot with a white ribbon made from linen. Fan Minghao grinned happily, exclaiming "ah! Ju Liang, what a pleasure!, come in Minghao greeted, ushering the young man gently in.

The old man's one room shack was small yet cozy, a clay kitchen in the corner, a few shelves were stocked with scrolls neatly, in the middle of the room was a low wooden table and two cushions, along with a tea set. Two ceramic tea cups and a teapot.

Ju Liang sat down on his knees on one of the cushions, while Fan Minghao sat cross legged on the one across from him, Fan Minghao poured tea into the two teacups, sliding one towards Ju Liang. Ju Liang nodded in thanks and took a sip.

Fan Minghao set his cup down, looking at the young man curiously, "So, why have you come to me, please do explain." He said, interested in why the caretaker had come to him.

Ju Liang thought for a moment. Before responding to the old man's question, "I've been seeing...things. Recently when outside." the old man took a sip of his tea, and leaned forward, letting out a questioning him, "hm? And what do these things look like? Don't leave a single detail out."

Ju Liang began recounting what he had seen, "well first, I get a feeling of coldness at the back of my neck, then the hairs on the back of my neck rise, first I saw it when I was letting the children play on the creek, I turned around but nothing was there, but I felt eyes. Then when we were walking back to our hut, I felt the same feeling once more. When I turned to look. I saw a flash of gray and red eyes. And the most recent example is what happened an hour ago."

The old man perked up at the details, eyes glinting now, "oh do continue, Ju Liang." he said. Very eager now. Ju Liang nodded and continued his story "I was hanging laundry when I felt it again, when I turned, a wolf was standing there, staring at me, it never moved until it walked away and it's eyes seemed more human than animal."

Ju Liang waited for a response, but it never came, instead the old man grinned and set his tea cup down, standing from the cushion and walking to the shelf, rummaging through the scrolls, muttering and pulling a few out before shoving them back in. finally he pulled the right one out.

Fan Minghao walked back over, sitting cross-legged next to Ju Liang this time. Handing him the scroll. " What's this?" Ju Liang asked, the old man spoke with a big grin "the answer to your… ' Problem'" the old man said, chuckling.

Ju Liang unrolled the scroll and took a few minutes to read. "The demon king? who's that?" Ju Liang questions. Fan Minghao answers immediately with a very descriptive answer of the demon king, "Mo Tianhun, The demon king, if I remember he's tall with long black hair and red eyes with white slit pupils, normally people say they've seen him wearing black robes, which is drawn here in the scroll, he also usually takes the form of an animal, for example a wolf, the one you keep seeing staring at yiu" The old man instructs, pointing to a spot on the scroll. Ju Liang looks where Fan Minghao is pointing at the scroll.

Drawn on the paper is a tall man with an emotionless handsome face, his black hair tied into a high ponytail with an expensive looking silver hair crown, the man wears black flowing robes with long draping sleeves that flow around him. Peeking from underneath the skirt of his robes is a pair of black leather flat boots, seemingly reaching his shins as well, draped over his shoulders was a long thick black hooded cloak with thick black fluffy animal fur around the hems.

Ah", Ju Liang nodded, " he's very... handsome? err..am I allowed to say that about him?" Fan Minghao giggled like a school girl," yes yes, almost anyone who's seen him thinks he is indeed very handsome..heheh.." Ju Liang raises an eyebrow at the man's repeated giggling but doesn't question it further. " so, why would he be following me?", Fan Minghao chuckled once more.

"Ooh, I think he might have a slight infatuation with you," Fan Minghao said, Ju Liang immediately jolted in surprise. " What but-"" oh don't be so coy!! You're a sweet man, good with children, and you're an amazing cook!" Ju Liang gritted his teeth, "don't use that against me!"

If you're wondering, Ju Liang often cooks for the old man, delivering a snack or some lunch, apparently Fan Minghao loves his food. So yes, he'll admit, he's a good cook.

"But I'm not wrong, besides you're quite a handsome man yourself." Fan Minghao complimented. "Whatever." Ju Liang said, finishing his tea before standing up. "I'll see you later", Ju Liang said as Fan Minghao nodded.

Once he had left the old man's shack, Ju Liang began walking through the forest, back to his bamboo hut where the children were likely waiting for him after the old women had dropped them off back to the bamboo hut.

As usual, they had dinner then got ready for bed, Ju Liang did too. closing his eyes and drifting into dream land.

But when Ju Liang woke up...this time it was different, you see, he always slept without a blanket, he didn't mind not having one, but this time, Ju Liang found something on top of him, laying on top of him was a long thick black hooded cloak with thick fluffy black animal fur around the edges.