After leaving the Mirage Realm, Qiong Ruiheng bid farewell to Bai Hao and Qin Nan, then departed with three beasts, one ghost, and one person, flying all the way back to the Mountain God Temple.

Deep in the mountains and forests, uninhabited, Qiong Ruiheng had no worries and flew freely, so he traveled very quickly.

Upon arriving at the mountain god temple, Shan You and Li Yuchu were put down. Li Yuchu, like a child, ran around curiously, climbing up and down inside the temple. Shan You quickly followed and helped her down.

It's been so long since I cleaned, it's all dusty. I don't want it to get dirty and make a mess all over the house.

Dan You casually picked out a small toy for Li Yuchu to play with, to distract her.

He went to the well in the backyard to fetch water and began to clean and wash.

Looking at the solemn and magnificent mountain god temple, Luo Lin was amazed. The temple, hidden among the bamboo forest and unknown to anyone, and the secluded life that transcended worldly affairs, was truly enviable.

However, he couldn't live that kind of life. He still preferred the hustle and bustle of the world and the products of modern development, such as mobile phones, computers, and refrigerators.

Seeing that Shan You was busy, Li You told Luo Lin and Qiong Ruiheng not to stop and to go back to Liu Village to find Luo Lin's backpack. Then they set off for Qin's residence.

Upon arriving at Liu Village, Luo Lin was dropped off. Qin Nan briefly told him where they had met. He searched around and finally found the backpack in an abandoned farmhouse, which contained his wallet, clothes, and other items.

With his phone, money, and ID card all intact, he can go home easily.

There was a signal in the village, so data could be used. Luo Lin bought tickets for the whole trip and changed back into his own clothes. As for the ancient costume he was wearing, he put it away. As for the sword, well, he couldn't help it; he had forgotten that it couldn't be brought on transportation.

After thinking for a while, Luo Lin carried his bag and sword, climbed the mountain, found a random spot, dug a hole, and buried the sword.

Then he went down the mountain and followed the road he took to Liucun towards the town.

Before leaving, Luo Lin turned and glanced at the desolate and deserted Willow Village. He still couldn't remember what had happened there, but it probably wasn't a good memory, given how tragic Zhao Wan's ordeal was.

To be honest, if it weren't for the ancient costume in his backpack and the fact that he had just buried his sword, Luo Lin would still feel like he had just had a dream about everything that had happened.

A bizarre and fantastical dream.

But it was both a dream and reality; those were things that actually happened, and those people truly existed.

As for his so-called past life, Luo Lin had mixed feelings about the memories he received from Zhu Zhenghe, but he absolutely did not consider that person as himself.

Since he is reincarnated, his past life has nothing to do with him. Even the so-called "paying off debts" is something he doesn't understand, yet he can't avoid.

He felt sympathy and pity for Song Huiru and Zhao Wan, but he denied the sins he had committed, saying they were not his doing.

In this life, he is Luo Lin, not Zhu Zhenghe. He has not had that kind of experience, nor would he make that kind of choice.

Luo Lin looked at Liu Village and sighed deeply, his heart heavy.

"Are you very sad?"

Suddenly a voice rang in his ears, startling Luo Lin so much that he turned around and threw a punch.

Tanyu dodged with lightning speed, exclaiming, "Holy crap, it's me!"

Luo Lin looked at the three beasts that had returned and withdrew his hand in confusion.

"Didn't you leave? Why are you back? Did you forget something?"

Qiong Ruiheng held Jiang Jiang, too embarrassed to speak, while Li You coughed lightly twice, feeling a little awkward.

"Um, what, do you have money? Can you help me buy a train ticket? And while you're at it, could you lend me some money?"

"...Uh, yes, but aren't you guys able to fly? Why do you need to take a car?"

Tanuki scratched her bald head sheepishly, "I forgot, we don't know how to become invisible, so we'll be caught on camera by all sorts of surveillance cameras... so... hehe~"

Luo Lin understood. "That's true. Then I'll buy you tickets. Give me your ID cards."

Li You pulled out her old ID card. Luckily, it hadn't expired, but she'd have to renew it after moving to the Qin residence.

"Is it only for you? Doesn't Xiao Rui have one? He's that age, so he needs a child's ticket too."

Qiong Ruiheng shook his head helplessly, "No, it's not necessary. Just buy one. Jiang Jiang and I will shrink a bit, and he can be wrapped in his clothes."

Luo Lin nodded, "Okay, but the tickets can only be bought in the city center. You'll have to transfer and then take a bus or taxi to the old town."

Knowing the address of the Qin residence, Luo Lin bought Li You a bus ticket to the city center. Then he took out his wallet; the cash was what he had withdrawn before coming, just in case.

After spending some money on water and bread, he had over nine hundred left. He wasn't short of money, but worried that it would be inconvenient for Li You and the others, so he gave it all to Li You.

Li You happily accepted the huge sum of money. Since their route was the same as Luo Lin's, they gave Luo Lin a ride.

You can't fly in places with cameras or similar surveillance cameras, but it's fine in uninhabited mountain areas.

The group arrived at a place near the city. Qiong Ruiheng and Jiang Jiang shrank in size, like two little dolls, and were stuffed into the pocket of the coat given to them by Li You.

Because of different train numbers and directions, they parted ways at the station.

Luo Lin had already accepted the existence of "magic," "immortal arts," and "ghosts and gods" without any ripples. This experience had truly broadened his horizons and opened his eyes.

On the way back, Luo Lin sat on the lower bunk, watching the scenery rushing past outside the train window.

He suddenly felt homesick.

I turned on my phone, charged it with a power bank, and found no messages, only some spam texts and missed advertising calls.

It's been a few months since he left home. He even had a fight with Luo's father before the Lunar New Year because he wasn't going back for the holiday, so I haven't been able to contact him since.

Luo Lin opened the chat window, his mind filled with a thousand words, but in the end, he couldn't type a single one.

He traveled all the way back to his rented room, which was covered in dust. His rent was due in a little over a month, and the landlord would be contacting him soon to collect it.

Luo Lin was disturbed by the hot water, and was also wondering whether to renew the lease or go home.

His mind was in a mess. After finishing cleaning, Luo Lin packed a few bags of trash and was about to open the door to throw them away.

Just then, Aunt Zhao, who was taking care of her grandson next door, came back. She was very surprised to see Luo Lin and greeted him and chatted with him.

Luo Lin made up an excuse that he had been on a business trip, then went to throw out the trash and bought some vegetables and seasonings from the supermarket downstairs.

When he got home, he was unpacking the things when he heard a knock on the door.

Aunt Zhao brought him a plate of big steamed buns, saying that he hadn't been home for a long time and must be tired from the long journey, so he should eat his fill and go to bed early.

Luo Lin gratefully accepted the gift. When he first moved in, Aunt Zhao was very welcoming. She had lived in the community for over ten years and was one of the leaders of the community's square dancing. She was also one of the community's enthusiastic volunteers.

Luo Lin was well taken care of, which was a kind gesture, so he naturally accepted it. It was also perfect timing, as he did want to rest anyway.

After seeing Aunt Zhao off, Luo Lin opened a packet of pickled vegetables and ate it with some steamed buns. Then he washed up quickly and lay down on the bed.

Returning to his long-missed home, Luo Lin completely relaxed and lay down. He had thought about too many things on the way home, but when he got home, his mind went blank, and he soon drifted off to sleep.