The Twelve Zodiac Guardian Gods​

The capital of the Yanhuang Republic sat in the far north. Though it was only early May, the weather had already turned warm. As night fell, the city took on a new charm—neon lights shimmered across the streets, and professions that only came alive after dark began their work.

At precisely 9:30 PM, Qi Yue (finally exhaled in relief aboard the T27 train. Before boarding, he’d been plagued by anxiety—if he’d been caught, it would’ve been over for him. Completely over.

Now, seated safely inside, his nerves began to settle. Tibet—his destination—had always been a name shrouded in mystery for him. All he knew of it was the legendary Potala Palace, a place whispered about like a myth from some other world.

Originally, Qi Yue had planned to buy a basic hard seat ticket. But when he tried, he discovered that the T27 offered no such option. After asking around, he learned that because Tibet lay on a high plateau, passengers were prone to altitude sickness. To minimize incidents, all trains heading there were fitted with sleeper compartments only—either hard sleeper or soft sleeper.

After some hesitation, he forked out over 800 Yanhuang coins for a hard sleeper ticket. It felt like a fortune. Before coming to the station, he had transferred the entire 20,000 yuan he’d taken from the vole gang into his card. To him, this was the greatest wealth he’d ever held in his hands.

The moment he stepped into the carriage, all the tension from the street brawl vanished. The train’s interior was warm and inviting, with thick carpeting underfoot and soft yellow lighting overhead—likely energy-saving bulbs, bright but gentle on the eyes. Qi Yue had no idea if this train was considered luxurious by normal standards. After all, this was his first time riding a train. His first time leaving the capital, even.

He picked up a train manual and flipped through it casually. According to the schedule, the T27 would take a full 48 hours to reach Tibet. Despite the long journey, a small ember of hope burned in his chest—maybe this snowbound expedition would bring him something special. At the very least, maybe something exciting would happen aboard the train. He couldn’t stomach the cheesy erotic novels other people read, but he’d still imagined, more than once, that he might meet someone… interesting.

Each hard sleeper compartment housed four passengers. Qi Yue, driven by paranoia, had arrived early and claimed his bunk as soon as possible. Now, he sat on the upper berth, curiously watching the passengers who filtered in, hoping—foolishly perhaps—that some beautiful woman might end up in the same cabin. Even just one would make the 48-hour ride far less lonely.

The train slowly began to fill up. Chatter and movement brought the carriage to life. With each new arrival, Qi Yue’s anticipation surged. The magazine in his hands grew dull compared to the parade of unfamiliar faces. From his perch above, he scanned the growing crowd below, eyes gleaming with idle curiosity.

Qi Yue’s eyes scanned the carriage with shameless intensity, his gaze casting a wide net. Any woman who looked even remotely youthful—so long as she wasn’t too old—was subject to his appraisal. And not subtly, either. He stared from the bottom up, taking in every curve. This, for Qi Yue, was second nature by now.

He considered himself a seasoned satyr—a self-proclaimed expert in the art of appreciating women. In his mind, it was perfectly natural to admire a woman’s body. After all, what fun was there in beauty without a good figure? A pretty face was nice, sure—but a great body? That was essential.

Even as he drew annoyed glares and eye-rolls from nearby passengers, Qi Yue remained undeterred. Stares couldn’t be used as legal evidence, after all. So he endured the silent judgment with the tenacity of a man possessed, eyes still roving.

That’s when he saw her.

A figure in white entered the carriage, instantly seizing all of Qi Yue’s attention. The girl seemed almost ethereal—dressed head-to-toe in snowy white. On her feet were pristine, brand-name sneakers. Her legs, slender and fair, were exposed from the knee down beneath a crisp white skirt. The upper half of her outfit was a loose, wide-neck shirt, just as white. She looked like she had stepped out of a dream.

But it wasn’t just the outfit.

She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old—youthful, vibrant, and dangerously beautiful. Her body struck the perfect balance between soft curves and delicate grace, and her face… her face could only be described as angelic. Pure. Untouched.

Qi Yue practically choked on his own breath. “A devil’s body and an angel’s face… If she were mine, I’d gladly give up ten years of my life!” he thought feverishly. “No, wait—maybe just one year. With ten years, I might meet even more beautiful women…”

His eyes lingered, shamelessly glued to the girl as she walked. And then—she began approaching.

Qi Yue’s heart started racing uncontrollably. His mouth went dry. He tried to swallow, but his throat refused to cooperate. The girl in white seemed to be alone. No boyfriend, no girlfriends in tow. That only made him more excited.

She stepped into the same compartment as Qi Yue, her gait slowing slightly. For a moment, their eyes met.

Though Qi Yue had always prided himself on being bold and unrestrained when it came to women, something about this girl made his heart skip. Her clear gaze pierced through him, and without thinking, he blurted out in his usual cheeky tone:

“Hey, beauty, you riding this train too?”

The girl in white paused and tilted her head slightly. She gave him a curious look, then offered a bright, innocent smile.

“Hello, Uncle,” she said sweetly. “Is something wrong with your eyes? I’ve got some eye drops if you need them.”

The blow landed harder than a slap.

There’s a special kind of pain that comes from being shot down by someone you’ve already imagined a future with. And Qi Yue—who saw himself as a charming rogue—felt that pain double. If a girl had simply rejected him upfront, that would’ve stung. But to be written off like some creepy old man?

“Uncle?” he echoed in stunned silence, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

“My eyes are perfectly fine! Do I really look that old?” Qi Yue exclaimed, leaping down from his bunk and instinctively touching his face.

Admittedly, he hadn’t showered in over a week, and though he occasionally shaved, a lazy man like him rarely had the discipline for proper grooming. His beard was patchy, and paired with a worn-out pair of white jeans, he did look a bit… weathered. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, trying to style it with nothing more than his hand like a makeshift steel comb, then turned his face toward the girl in white for inspection.

The girl blinked, a faint flush rising to her cheeks as she realized he was taller than she’d expected. Qi Yue scratched his head awkwardly.

“Sorry, I didn’t get a good look from below earlier. But still, if your eyes are misjudging me as an old man, they must be too dry. I’m a medical student, you know,” she said lightly, tone as innocent as ever.

A master…! Qi Yue’s heart practically danced. She’s a real master! Not only immune to my hungry gaze, but she countered it with grace and kindness… Pure girls like this are rare treasures. If I so much as dared act like a pervert, I’d be the one losing out!

Just then, the girl tilted her head curiously and asked, “Hey, are you feeling altitude sickness already? But… we haven’t even left the capital yet.”

“Huh? Me? No way! Altitude sickness? I’m strong as a bull,” Qi Yue replied quickly, puffing out his chest. He even flexed his arm with exaggerated flair, though unfortunately, his muscle definition was… invisible at best.

The girl giggled and teased, “Then how come you’re drooling? Oh, right—sturdy uncle, no—big brother! Would you mind helping me lift my suitcase up? I don’t have the strength.”

Qi Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Drooling? He reached up and—sure enough—he’d been so caught up in fantasy he hadn’t even noticed the saliva trailing from the corner of his mouth. Mortified, he quickly wiped it away, then leapt to help, lifting her bag onto the luggage rack in a flustered panic.

She adjusted her clothes neatly, then climbed up into the opposite upper bunk—same level as his. That discovery sent a jolt of excitement through Qi Yue’s chest. They were now perfectly parallel. With just a glance, he could see her entire form—clothed, of course—but the thought alone made his imagination run wild.

He eyed the narrow gap between their beds—barely a meter apart—and sighed longingly. If only this were a double bed… what a perfect arrangement that would be.

His gaze drifted upward. Wow, even her quilt is white… everything about her screams innocence. Compared to Nana, she’s in another league entirely. I can’t let this one go. Heaven, I beg you—let this be the end of my virgin days!

He swallowed hard, feeling his nose tickle and quickly reached up to check he wasn’t about to have another embarrassing moment.

The girl glanced over at him, wrapped snugly in her quilt. She seemed amused, maybe even a little curious, as she said brightly, “My name is Shuiyue. What about you?”

Snapping back to reality, Qi Yue scrambled back to his own bed, trying to appear calm and confident. “I’m Qi Yue. Looks like fate brought us together—look, both our names have the character ‘Yue’ in them!”

Shuiyue laughed lightly. “What are you going to Lhasa for? Sightseeing? Wait—let me guess your profession.” She leaned in with a playful smirk. “Dressed like this… hmm. You must be following the current decadent trend. I’d say you’re an artist.”

“Yes! That’s right—I’m an artist,” Qi Yue replied without hesitation, though the words nearly choked him. He forced a grin big enough to fit an egg in his mouth, but the mark of a true rogue was adaptability. And if nothing else, he had that in spades.

He’d done many things over the years—but honest work wasn’t one of them. What he lacked in experience, he made up for in thick skin.

Shuiyue’s eyes sparkled. “Really? I was right? That’s so cool! What kind of art do you do? Can you tell me? I can’t believe I met an artist on my way to Tibet. This trip is already worth it!”