Chapter 70 [VIP]

The next day, Xu Xing got up and went to the living room to find the spirit sitting on the sofa. He walked over, sat on the other side, and poured himself a glass of water.

In the silence between them, Xu Xing turned his head and began to observe the soul. From beginning to end, this act of examining himself was somewhat indescribable.

"How much has been restored?"

Seeing that the other person still didn't speak, I roughly understood. Okay, at least their expression wasn't so blank anymore.

The two sat peacefully for a while until they heard a clattering sound coming from the stairwell.

Jiang Zhuochen suddenly ran out, came to an abrupt stop in front of the human and the soul, and faced the rising sun, his eyes shining.

"Master!"

Xu Xing waved his hand dismissively, "Who are you calling?"

Jiang Zhuochen sat down next to Xu Xing, but his gaze was fixed on the soul. "Master, are you feeling any better?"

Seeing that the other party did not reply and feeling somewhat discouraged, he took out the longevity lamp.

"Why isn't Master properly recuperating inside?" he muttered to himself. "We still need to find the other souls quickly. Can Master sense the remaining souls now?"

The soul stood up, moved in front of Xu Xing, and bent down to enter. In that instant, the hem of his robe, which fluttered with the movement, brushed against Jiang Zhuochen's hand. Although there was no feeling of touching, it was as if he had been caressed.

Xu Xing unreasonably took Jiang Zhuochen's hand, and after sensing the location of the remnant soul, he turned on the longevity lamp and forcibly retrieved the departed soul.

Then, meeting Jiang Zhuochen's gaze, she gently pinched the back of his neck. "Good boy, go eat breakfast first."

"Shall we go after breakfast?"

Xu Xing raised his chin. "You should let him rest and recuperate in the lamplight for a while."

Jiang Zhuochen thought it made some sense. He was going to collect souls, which would most likely involve another fight to restore his master to his best condition, so he could help him then.

"good."

So he packed his things and went on another business trip with Xu Xing, leaving Xu Xing to do his work while he traveled on his own. He was all alone, and even his silhouette carried a hint of loneliness.

Xu Xing couldn't bear it, so he silently sped up his work and finally finished the task the day before the original plan.

Back at the hotel late at night, he held the person who had been waiting for him on the sofa until he was sleepy and coaxed him for a long time before slowly saying that he would take him out to play the next day.

Jiang Zhuochen finally perked up a bit and happily asked someone to carry him back to sleep.

A few dozen kilometers away from the city where Xu Xing was on a business trip, there was an ancient town that attracted many tourists. The afternoon sun shone warmly through the clouds, casting its glow on the bluestone pavement. The main street of the town was bustling with people, and the noise was incessant.

The two wandered around casually and unknowingly turned into a quiet alley. The noise gradually faded away, and they stopped at the entrance of a small courtyard deep in the alley. The brick walls were old but not dirty, and a small wooden sign stood to one side with the shop's name written on it.

Pushing open the slightly ajar wooden door, one enters a spacious courtyard where several rows of tall wooden racks are erected, on which long bolts of cloth are being dried.

A spirited old craftsman, dressed in simple clothes, came to greet us. "Are you two here to experience the printing and dyeing process?"

"Mm." Jiang Zhuochen replied, since he was already there.

The old master craftsman smiled kindly, his gaze lingering on Jiang Zhuochen for a moment, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He seemed to find the young man's demeanor somewhat special, but he didn't ask further. "We happen to have a vat of dye ready today. Would you two be interested in giving it a try?"

Jiang Zhuochen curiously looked around the courtyard. He saw some inconspicuous plant stems and leaves in a stone mortar in the corner. After soaking and fermenting, they eventually turned into a large vat of thick, almost black, deep blue dye.

This ancient craft reminded him of certain skills from his own world, giving him a sense of familiarity that transcended time and space.

"Give it a try," Xu Xing gestured to Jiang Zhuochen.

The master craftsman brought out two small pieces of plain white cotton cloth, as well as some smooth bamboo strips, wooden clips, and thin rope.

"To create a pattern..." the master craftsman explained while demonstrating, "Use these tools to tie or clamp a part of the fabric tightly, or sew it together with needle and thread according to the design, so that the dye cannot seep in, and the remaining part will be the white pattern."

Jiang Zhuochen looked at the tools, hesitated for a moment, probably feeling that he didn't have the skills, and didn't choose the complicated patterns demonstrated by the master.

He casually grabbed and folded the fabric, then wrapped and knotted it with thin rope. Seeing that Xu Xing wasn't interested, he had him help him out.

"This technique has a certain charm," the master craftsman said with interest as he watched from the side. "It doesn't adhere to fixed patterns; the patterns are formed naturally."

Jiang Zhuochen smiled, meeting Xu Xing's teasing glance, but offered no further explanation.

The two men immersed the treated fabric piece into the dye vat. The dye emitted a strong plant aroma and was a deep, inky color. After soaking for a while, they took it out, but the fabric piece had turned an unsightly yellowish-green.

"Hmm?" Jiang Zhuochen unfolded it and checked it repeatedly.

"It will slowly turn blue after it oxidizes," the experienced craftsman explained.

After hanging the partially dyed cloth on a rope in the yard to dry for a while, the yellowish-green color gradually faded, and a clear and bright blue gradually appeared, just like the sky above.

Once the blue color stabilized, the experienced craftsman guided them to remove the ropes and clips.

Jiang Zhuochen carefully untied the haphazardly knotted ropes, fully unfolded the cloth, and his eyes lit up instantly.

The fabric does not present a specific image, but rather flowing white patterns like ink wash, resembling clouds in the mountains or ripples on water, perfectly natural, with a kind of exquisiteness that deliberate designs lack.

"Wonderful!" the master craftsman exclaimed. "This artistic conception is extraordinary!"

“Right?” Jiang Zhuochen raised his chin slightly, his tone full of unashamed boasting: “I also think I have talent.”

Xu Xing listened quietly to the back-and-forth praise between the two, his gaze fixed on the unique blue-and-white printed fabric in Jiang Zhuochen's hand. His eyes were deep, and a faint smile flashed across his lips, but he did not reveal his true feelings.

Jiang Zhuochen was so charmed that he lost his bearings. He happily paid the bill, bought a bunch of souvenirs, waved to the old craftsman at the door, and turned around with his smile still on.

He stared down at the fabric in his hand, its cloud-like patterns inexplicably evoking memories of the sea of ​​clouds and mountain streams behind Wangxian Valley.

A familiar feeling of longing quietly welled up in his heart, his smile faded slightly, and a hint of melancholy crept in. He turned his head to look at Xu Xing, and slowly a faint sense of comfort arose within him.

“I want to keep this piece of cloth,” he said softly.

“Of course,” Xu Xing noticed his mood, raised his hand to support the back of his hand, and squeezed it comfortingly. “This is your work.”

As dusk settles, lanterns light up the ancient town, their reflections shimmering on the river that flows through it, creating a pool of warm light that is gently rippled by the water.

Jiang Zhuochen walked along a somewhat deserted stone path, wearing Xu Xing's trench coat. He lifted his sleeve to look at it, and found a small patch of indigo that hadn't been completely washed off, unexpectedly breaking the seriousness of this business elite.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly steamed glutinous rice cakes, as well as the faint fragrance of some unknown flowers, which stirred up the most familiar parts of my memory.

Jiang Zhuochen stopped, his hand resting on the cold railing of a stone arch bridge. He watched as a small boat silently slid into the archway, the red lantern at its bow casting a long, swaying shadow on the dark water.

Xu Xing didn't urge him, but stood silently half a step away from him, noticing that the other's gaze was not focused on the scenery in front of him, but rather on a distant emptiness.

The evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on Jiang Zhuochen's forehead. He was clearly dressed in modern clothes, with a tall and neat figure. However, Xu Xing could almost see the shadow of a long robe overlapping on him, incongruous yet strangely integrated into the background of the ancient town with its lights just coming on.

“It’s very similar,” Jiang Zhuochen suddenly said softly, his voice carried by the evening breeze, carrying a hint of elusiveness, “but it’s also different.”

Xu Xing didn't reply, but simply tilted his head slightly to indicate that he was listening.

“In the town below the mountain gate, there’s a bridge and water like this on market days, and lanterns are lit up at night.” A faint smile appeared on Jiang Zhuochen’s lips, fleeting in an instant.

"Occasionally, when I went out for trials with my senior brothers and ran out of energy, I would drag them along to spend the night with me. At first, they were afraid of being discovered, but later, when I made a fuss, they would rush to buy me a bunch of things to appease me. After a few times, they got used to it..."

His voice lowered, and his next words blended into the murmuring water. The daytime excitement and novelty receded like the tide, revealing the deep-seated sorrow beneath.

Xu Xing looked at the unconcealed desolation on his profile and understood.

"Want to go back?" His voice was lower and gentler than usual.

Jiang Zhuochen paused for a moment, then turned his gaze away from the river and looked at Xu Xing. He shook his head and forced a smile: "It's alright. I just miss them a little."

The smile appeared somewhat thin and weak in the dim light. Xu Xing pulled the man into his arms, placing his palm on his neck.

Under the eaves in the distance, a string of old wind chimes gently turned in the wind, their intermittent tinkling sounds clear and ethereal.

"It'll be soon." Xu Xing suddenly spoke, the night light settling into his deep eyes with a reassuring power. "If you don't like it here, we'll go back once we've collected all the souls."

Jiang Zhuochen looked up at him.

"Us?" he murmured, catching the word and a slight tremor running through his heart.

In this completely unfamiliar world, Xu Xing is the only person who knows his background and whose fate is intertwined with his.

The words "go back" came out of his mouth as if they were no longer a vague expectation, but a goal that was about to be achieved.

“Yes, us.” Xu Xing repeated without hesitation.

Jiang Zhuochen smiled again, "It's not that I don't like you, I just want you to be with me."

All the light from the sky fell into his eyes, and they were filled with the image of a single person. This sight made Xu Xing's heart tremble uncontrollably.

He gently ran his fingertip across the corner of the other person's eye, "Of course I'll always be with you."

Jiang Zhuochen felt a little ticklish from his touch, and with a slight upturn of her lips, she pulled his hand down and played with it in her own. "I'm hungry."

"Let's go." Xu Xing naturally took his hand, the sleeve of his overcoat just covering their clasped hands. "I heard there's a famous old shop up ahead that makes good sweet fermented rice balls. I'll take you to try it."

These words pulled Jiang Zhuochen back from his lingering thoughts to the everyday reality. He turned his head, and the other person's tall figure blended into the warm lights of the ancient town. The melancholy in his heart was finally swept away by a sense of security.

He took a deep breath, the aroma of food filling the air. He gently shook their clasped hands, took larger strides, and walked side by side with Xu Xing.

"Master, do you think those sweet fermented rice balls can compare to... the ones I've had before?"

"You'll only know once you try it. But it's probably not as good as what you've had before." Xu Xing's tone was flat, but it carried an obvious hint of teasing.

“No.” Jiang Zhuochen chuckled, refuting the argument with an air of self-righteousness: “The food you’ve given me is the best.”

The lamplight stretched their shadows long and intertwined on the bluestone slabs. Jiang Zhuochen finished speaking and was about to walk forward when a force pulled him back.

Xu Xing stood still, his expression inscrutable, and leaned slightly closer to the other person's ear. "How about we go back first?"

Jiang Zhuochen paused, then, suppressing a laugh, tried to break free from his grasp. "No, I want to eat."

"Have someone pack it up and send it over later."

His protests were ignored, and Xu Xing dragged him back.

A note from the author:

People start getting busy as soon as they have free time :)