Immortal Envoy (3)

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The extremely regular sound of chopping wood came clearly into the house through the half-open window, and each sound penetrated into He Shu's already chaotic brain, completely shattering his remaining sleepiness.

He frowned uncomfortably, let out a muffled groan, and buried his face deeper into the soft pillow to avoid the annoying sound.

The pain of a hangover immediately set in, my temples were throbbing, my throat was dry and tight, and the bitter smell of overnight alcohol was lingering.

The feeling of a hangover is really unpleasant...

He Shu was thinking in a daze, and turned over drowsily, still with his eyes closed. His consciousness was not yet fully awake, and he could only vaguely feel a warm and rough touch on the tip of his nose and eyelids.

His long and thick eyelashes trembled twice in unbearable distress, and he finally opened his eyelids with difficulty.

The dazzling morning light suddenly poured in, making his eyes sore and dizzy. He squinted subconsciously, and his hazy vision met a pair of emerald green cat eyes that were very close to him.

He Shu instantly shrank back in shock, and his vision became clear.

The one causing trouble turned out to be a black and white kitten, which was now lazily curled up among his long gray hair scattered on the pillow.

Seeing Heshu wake up, it was not scared away, but moved even closer, stretched out its pink little tongue, and licked his chin very attentively again and again, leaving a string of wet and cool sensations.

“Hmm…”

But this soft little tongue was covered with fine barbs, which made him feel itchy and numb, and he turned his head away to avoid it.

The little kitten followed him relentlessly, meowing softly and rubbing its furry little head against his cheek as if to please him.

He Shu was stunned by the sudden soft touch. The pain of his hangover seemed to dissipate a little, and an unconscious smile escaped from his lips.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. He raised his hand and stroked the kitten's chubby back, gently smoothing it.

His fingertips sank into the soft and fluffy fur, and the excellent touch made him unable to let go.

A satisfied purr immediately sounded in his ears, and a small paw with soft and tender pads took the opportunity to rest on the side of He Shu's face, stepping on it twice, neither lightly nor heavily.

A small ball of warmth lay obediently in the crook of his neck, accompanying him as he slowly woke up.

However, He Shu, who had completely regained consciousness, suddenly realized that something was wrong. He stood up abruptly and looked around hurriedly.

The furnishings in the room were simple, with only a couch, a table and a stool.

Besides an oil lamp, there were several well-read music scores on the desk. The paper was rough, but neatly stacked.

The most eye-catching thing in the whole room is the lyre.

The body of the guitar is old and the paint has some cracks, but it has been well maintained, the strings are clean and the body is dust-free, which shows that the owner cherishes it.

This is a poor but elegant little house, but it is definitely not his residence!

Where is this?

His head began to ache again. He Shu reached out and rubbed his Taiyangxue, trying to suppress the dull pain.

hiss--

Drinking will cause trouble, drinking will cause trouble!

He was in a gloomy mood yesterday. After leaving the cabin, he went to the stream to drink alone. He drank a lot in a melancholic mood...

And then… and then…

He Shu closed his eyes and tried hard to salvage clear fragments from the chaotic swamp of memory.

Everything last night was covered in a layer of fog, leaving only sporadic sounds and swaying lights and shadows.

The cold wine burned my throat...

The cold moon sways vaguely in the night...

besides……

Suddenly, a shattered image pierced through the fog without warning and pierced into my mind.

A figure resembling a green mountain walked towards him from the fog...

He rushed over regardless and hugged the other person tightly...

And that person also stretched out his arms and hugged him back...

He Shu suddenly gasped, opened his eyes instantly, and his cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

Ridiculous! He actually had such a… such an outrageous dream yesterday!

After all, he is a centenarian, how can he hold someone tightly and cry? And he even dreamed that Qingshan was a fool!

Fortunately, it was just a dream, otherwise, where would he put his face?

He Shu gritted his teeth secretly, thinking that he would never touch such confusing things again!

His face turned blue and red, and he was immersed in regret and shame. He didn't notice that the regular sound of chopping wood outside the house had stopped at some point.

With a creaky sound, the wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and the increasingly dazzling sunlight of the early morning poured in, casting a slender figure on the ground.

He Shu looked towards the door and caught a glimpse of the orange cat squatting on the windowsill and wagging its tail leisurely. At this moment, it jumped down lightly upon hearing the sound and rubbed affectionately against the trouser legs of the person who was still covered with fresh sawdust and dust.

Then, the long-haired tortoise shell that was dozing beside the guqin stretched out its body, and together with the little kitten beside it, they circled around the man's legs in tacit understanding, one on the left and one on the right, with their tails curled happily.

"Oh...you little guys..."

The man standing at the door bent down, his voice was slightly panting as if he had just finished work, but it was unusually gentle.

His fingers stroked the furry heads one by one, his movements skillful and gentle.

"Alright, alright...Jin Wu, Yun Zhi, Xue Ji..."

He whispered their names, as softly as if he were humming a little tune.

"Um?"

He stood up, turned his head slightly to look outside the house, and muttered to himself,

"Where has the beaver gone again?"

He Shu watched quietly from the side without saying a word. He observed for a moment and found that the person who came was a mortal with no attack power. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.

He threw back the covers and prepared to get out of bed.

I think I must have fallen drunk by the stream last night and was found by this kind-hearted person, who took me home and took me home.

Just as he was thinking about how to express his gratitude, his eyes met the man's gaze. Before he could say anything, the other person spoke first:

"You're awake."

He walked to the wooden table with a smile, picked up the earthenware teapot, poured a cup of water, and handed it to him.

"My humble abode in the mountains, please don't be offended, young master."

He Shu hurriedly took it and without thinking much, he tilted his head back and drank it down in one gulp.

His mouth was already dry, and even water was extremely cold.

"Why, thank you for the hospitality."

"You're welcome."

The man took back his hand, picked up the kitten that was scratching and playing beside his legs, held it in his arms and stroked it gently.

"My name is Fu Qingle. Last night, when my son came home, he saw you drunk and sleeping by the stream. Worried that you might catch a cold, I took it upon myself to help you back. If I have been intrusive, I apologize on his behalf."

"No, I should thank—"

Before He Shu finished speaking, he suddenly caught sight of that name, his heart trembled, and he looked up suddenly.

"What's your name?"

He strode in front of Fu Qingle, his movements as fast as the wind.

"I am Fu Qingle..."

The other party was stunned by his action.

"What's wrong?"

The little kitten in his arms was also startled by the sudden tense atmosphere. It struggled to jump onto the table. With a crisp "crack", the coarse earthenware teapot fell to the ground and broke into several pieces.

He Shu was brought back to his senses by the sound and quickly took a step back, trying to keep his tone steady:

"Nothing, it's just that a friend of mine...a friend of mine, she was looking for an old friend, and she happened to have the same name. I got a little excited when I heard it, so I apologize for my rudeness."

His eyes were still fixed on Fu Qingle's face, testing him cautiously.

There are so many people with the same name in the world, and now the hairpin that can identify his identity is missing. But if he is really the one the cat demon is looking for...

"My friend's name is Chiyu."

He Shu spoke slowly, carefully observing every subtle reaction of the other party.

"I wonder if Mr. Fu... recognizes her?"

Fu Qingle's fingers, which were squatting down to pick up the fragments, stopped moving, and drops of bright red blood began to appear.

He Shu saw this and wanted to go forward to help, but was stopped by the other party:

"It's alright, sir. I can do it myself."

Fu Qingle silently gathered the fragments in his palm and walked to the dirty bucket at the door to put them down. He turned his back to He Shu, and his voice sounded a little muffled, with an imperceptible tremor.

"The friend you mentioned...I don't think I know him..."

He paused, then slowly turned around, still with his head down, his eyes fixed on his injured fingertips.

"But... by coincidence, twenty years ago, I had a snow-white kitten. Her name... was also Chiyu."

He chuckled softly, took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve pocket, and gently pressed it on the wound.

"Since we share the same name, we are destined to be together. I would like to ask you, sir, where is that girl named Chiyu now? Is she doing well?"

Looking at Fu Qingle's appearance, He Shu was certain that he was the person the cat demon was looking for.

The man in front of him had some gray hair on his temples and was thin. He looked even more gaunt in an old gray robe.

Time and mountain winds have carved fine lines on his face, especially around the corners of his eyes and on his forehead, but there is a kind of open tranquility between his brows.

The cat demon is now imprisoned, probably to change his fate and stay with this mortal forever...

Just two poor guys.

He Shu couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

He even had a fleeting thought: if he had been able to bring the elixir back in time, would he, Qingshan, the cat demon, and this mortal...

No, it won’t.

Even if he had the elixir in his hand, how could he give it to mortals at will? He had tasted the bitter fruit of disturbing someone's fate once, and he couldn't do it again.

He Shu quickly suppressed the absurd thought. He wanted to comfort Fu Qingle, but he didn't know how to start:

“She…she…”

I was speechless for a moment and could only speak vaguely.

"I haven't seen her for a long time. I don't know exactly."

"It's...it's getting late. Sorry to bother you."

He Shu bowed and saluted.

"I'm leaving now."

After he left, Fu Qingle remained standing there until steady footsteps were heard outside the house.

"Father……"

His son, who had just returned home from chopping wood, put down his heavy backpack and looked into the house. His eyes swept across the empty bed, and he frowned and asked word by word:

"Qingshan, yesterday... where is the white-haired fairy I brought home?"