Chapter 64: Surrounded by Onlookers in the Street

At this moment, the sun hung just right in the sky, neither too harsh nor glaring. Though it was the height of summer, the sunlight felt especially pleasant against the skin. Zilian walked ahead, and I followed closely behind him. Along the sides of the path, young women would frequently glance back at him with bashful, flirtatious glances, their eyes filled with secret longing. Occasionally, a few bolder ones would deliberately brush past him, “accidentally” colliding with his side, and intentionally drop their silk handkerchiefs at his feet. Then, turning back to retrieve them, they would wait, hoping for Zilian to pick up the handkerchief and return it to them.

At first, I felt a twinge of worry in my heart, afraid that the forwardness of these mortal women might succeed in luring Zilian away from my side.

But when I saw his calm, indifferent expression, his eyes utterly unmoved by the many glances cast his way, and watched as he stepped mercilessly upon those scented, faintly rosy handkerchiefs without so much as a glance, my heart was soon filled with pity for those women.

If it had been an ordinary man—someone like Putai, for instance—he wouldn’t have needed these young ladies to resort to such coy tricks to create an opportunity; he would have already struck up a conversation with them in no time.

But today, it was Zilian, an immortal, and that made things rather difficult for them.

I hurried my steps to catch up, hoping to walk beside Zilian. Yet, there was still a noticeable difference in our heights. Now, I barely reached his shoulder. Even if I turned my head, I couldn’t see his neck, let alone his face.

A faint scent of lotus drifted in the air. A gentle breeze stirred, and Zilian’s dark hair brushed against my face, tickling my nose and making my skin itch unbearably. Though I delighted in the closeness, I truly could not endure that single strand swaying lazily before my nose, teasing to and fro.

Wrinkling my nose, I tried to nudge that lock of hair away. But no matter what I did, it kept returning. Unable to help myself, I pursed my lips and blew it aside. For a moment, it fluttered away, but the breeze soon brought it drifting back, clinging to my nose once more.

Again, I wrinkled my nose and blew it away, and again, the wind returned it. After a few rounds of this, I found myself rather amused, delighting in the little game and gently blowing at the strand in small puffs, my gaze following its movement with a secret joy.

“Little Fish, what are you doing?”

I hadn’t noticed when Zilian had stopped walking. Now, he gazed at me with a slight furrow between his brows, his eyes filled with puzzlement.

“Heh heh,” I chuckled awkwardly, hastening to explain, “I feel a bit overheated, so I’m blowing to cool my mouth.”

“Overheated?” he echoed, his brow creasing further. His confusion deepened. “What does ‘overheated’ mean?”

“Overheated?” I blinked up at him, smiling broadly.

As a little fish who had spent her life in water, I had only ever heard of this condition called ‘overheating’ in passing, never having truly experienced it myself. So, naturally, I had no real idea what it meant.

I babbled, “It’s when you eat too much, and you have to take deep breaths to help swallow all the food down into your stomach.”

Since I didn’t know, and he clearly didn’t either, whatever I said, he would have to believe.

“Hmm,” Zilian nodded thoughtfully, then turned to continue walking. “When we reach the Immortal Abode, I’ll ask Ancient Mo about this. He’s practiced medicine among mortals for some time; I imagine he knows more about ‘overheating’ than either of us.”

Ancient Mo? Wasn’t that the legendary descendant of the Mo clan, Gu Mo Bai, who had once given up his immortality for his disciple? Anyone who counted Zilian as a friend could hardly be ordinary.

“Master, you are wise. But who is this Ancient Mo you mentioned?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

He did not answer, only smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curving upward.

“When we reach the Immortal Abode, you’ll see for yourself,” he said, and with that, his steps grew lighter and quicker, soon leaving me behind.

“Master, wait for me!” I called, running after him, my voice ringing out as I trailed in his wake.