Tan Rou had brought Prince Laka to a popular spot just outside the Capital today, and since it was the summer holidays, all the major sites in the Capital were crowded. To prevent Laka from getting lost in the crowd, Tan Rou had to stick close to him at all times.
âPrince Laka, please stay close to me and do not stray from my sight. There are too many people here, and if we get separated, I might not be able to find you,â Tan Rou said as she handed Laka an item, âThis is a locator produced by our company. Keep it on you, and Iâll be able to see your location on my phone at all times. Of course, if you feel this invades your privacy, you donât have to wear it.â
Tan Rou had realized just how absent-minded Laka could be; he was constantly daydreaming. If she didnât keep a close eye on him, he could disappear right under her nose.
Having no other choice, Tan Rou had to provide Laka with a locator in the hopes that he wouldnât get lost again.
Prince Laka was resistant to the locator. He didnât like the feeling of being tracked, nor the idea of someone else controlling his whereabouts, but the place was too crowded, and he too was worried about getting lost, so he reluctantly wore the locator.
Tan Rou was truly puzzled. Since Prince Laka was prone to getting lost, why didnât he carry a communication device? Upon observation, she noticed that his clothes had no pockets, not even a place to put such a device if he wanted to.
Therefore, Tan Rou had someone quickly modify a locator so that it could be worn on the personâs hand and included basic call functions. This way, when Laka got lost, Tan Rou could immediately pinpoint his location and tell him not to wander off.
âMiss Rou, you have to come and see thisâthere are so many huge people inside this mountain!â Laka exclaimed, apparently having spotted something.
In her mind, Tan Rou thought that the mountain was full of people anyway, but she still headed over to where Laka was.
It was only when Tan Rou climbed the steps that she realized what had surprised Laka, as the people inside the mountain were not real people but were carved out of stone.
Their location was probably at the base of a cliff of a mountain. The opposite mountain was elevated, and the fracture exposed vast patches of hard rocks. On these patches, there were caves, each filled with many stone statues.
âHow did these stones turn into people?â Laka asked curiously, âThereâs water below and nearly vertical cliffs above. How were these people carved out?â
Upon closely observing the carvings, Tan Rou noticed thick moss and clear watermarks in many areas, so these were certainly not carved recently; they must be several centuries old.
It was her first time here too; before arriving, all she knew was that the scenery was nice, but had no idea there were so many carvings, so she didnât answer Prince Lakaâs question.
âThis is the Thousand Gods Wall, carved between the years 725 and 750 CE,â a familiar voice said near Tan Rouâs ear, but the person spoke in Japanese, so she didnât immediately realize who he was, âIt mainly depicts the scenes of celestial life imagined by ancient people, with a total of 1123 deities carved.â
âGiven the social backdrop at that time, there were no elevators nor large machinery. All these caves and deity statues were chiselled out bit by bit by the people of that era,â the man continued, âIsnât that amazing?â
Tan Rou smiled slyly and then replied in her own language, âRunning into you here is also quite an amazing occurrence.â
Zhuang Liu chuckled and said, âDo you think our meeting here is a coincidence, then?â
Tan Rou helplessly replied, âIâm just here for work, you donât need to be so anxious. Besides, this prince isnât as handsome as you. Iâm not likely to fall for him.â
Zhuang Liu gently wrapped his arms around Tan Rouâs waist from behind, âI know you wouldnât like him, but I canât help but worry about you. What if this foreign prince is a bad guy?â
Tan Rou pursed her lips and responded, âThen Mr. Zhuang Liu would have no choice but to accompany me and protect this frail woman at all times.â