"Ah, so that is the reason."

After hearing this, Xiao Shou let out a sigh of relief.

He immediately took Chen Yufei’s small hand and turned back the way they came.

Chen Yufei was stunned.

After walking a few steps, he finally asked in surprise, "Immortal, the City Lord’s residence is in the opposite direction. You are going the wrong way."

"I have changed my mind. I am not going to the City Lord’s residence. Take me to your home instead."

Xiao Shou blinked his fox-like eyes and said in a tempting tone, "I happen to have two mid-grade antidote pills. If you satisfy me, I might give them to you."

"Really?"

Chen Yufei cried out in delight.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Xiao Shou’s hand and quickly run to another direction.

As he walked, he said excitedly, "Immortal, as long as my eldest and second brothers can be cured, I will listen to anything you say. Whatever you tell me to do, I will do it. If you tell me to kill a dog, I will not kill a chicken. If you tell me to go into the sea, I will not go up the mountain."

This kid...

What would I need you to kill dogs or dive into the sea for?

Xiao Shou found it a bit amusing.

This boy who usually acted quite mature was now overly excited.

He could not help but think of his own disciple and felt a bit nostalgic after only a few days apart.

Teasing his disciple had been far more interesting.

Thinking of that, Xiao Shou’s mischievous side surfaced again. He said, "Alright. First thing, stop calling yourself ’this lowly one’ and stop calling me ’Immortal.’ It has sounded strange to me since earlier."

"Ah... then how should I refer to myself? And how should I address you?" Chen Yufei asked, at a loss.

Xiao Shou smiled and said, "It is very simple. You know how to say ’I,’ right? And my name is Xiao Shou. You can call me Uncle Xiao or Senior Xiao."

"Senior... Xiao." Still childish, Chen Yufei did not understand the subtleties of building familiarity, so he chose a respectful form of address.

He looked at Xiao Shou uncertainly and only relaxed after seeing him nod.

...

"Brother, it is already completely dark, and Yufei has not come back yet. I am a little worried about him."

Under a half-worn wooden door, a teenage boy sat on the threshold, resting his chin on his hand as he stared anxiously toward the entrance.

Chen Zhiyi leaned against a tree trunk.

Fallen leaves drifted down slowly under the starlight and scattering across his clothes.

His eyes that was like distant stars, were half open and half closed.

He made no sound and no movement, yet his entire presence carried a sense of loneliness.

After the younger boy spoke, there was a long silence.

Only when a leaf landed on his brow did he suddenly open his eyes.

For an instant, his gaze shone like lightning through mist before dimming again.

"He is back. Qingzhi, go prepare some tea. We have a guest."

"A guest? I understand."

The teenage boy, Chen Qingzhi, was momentarily stunned, then showed a look of realization.

He slowly got up and shuffled toward the house.

In the courtyard, Chen Zhiyi also slowly stood up.

He brushed the fallen leaves from his clothes and walked unsteadily toward the gate.

Whether by coincidence or not, just as he reached the entrance, Chen Yufei’s excited voice came from outside.

"Big brother, second brother, I am back."

"Mm. You have worked hard, Yufei. Aren’t you going to introduce our guest?"

Chen Zhiyi opened the door and gently patted Chen Yufei’s dark hair as he ran over excitedly. Then he lifted his gaze toward Xiao Shou.

His eyes seemed to carry a power that could see through everything.

Outside the door, Xiao Shou froze for a moment upon seeing Chen Zhiyi.

A sense of disbelief rose in his heart.

Before transmigrating, he had lived in a modern world overflowing with information and had seen all kinds of beautiful people.

He had even studied descriptions of beauty and thought they were exaggerated.

How could anyone truly be that beautiful?

Yet upon seeing Chen Yufei’s elder brother, everything around him seemed to blur.

The only thing that remained clear was those eyes, like stars veiled in mist.

It was simply...

Xiao Shou held his breath for a moment before coming back to his senses.

The smile on his lips stiffened slightly.

He suddenly felt a bit of regret for coming.

Someone like this, so extraordinary, was clearly different from an ordinary person like himself, someone destined to be a mere background figure.

They did not seem like the same kind of people at all.

The first impression this person gave was that he was far from ordinary.

Was he really just Chen Yufei’s elder brother?

Chen Yufei did not notice the subtle tension between his elder brother and Xiao Shou.

Hearing Chen Zhiyi’s words, he immediately turned around, grabbed Xiao Shou’s hand, and said excitedly, "Big brother, this is Senior Xiao. He has mid-grade antidote pills. He even agreed to give them to me. Right, Senior Xiao?"

"They are just two mid-grade antidote pills." Xiao Shou nodded, but inwardly he felt puzzled.

The person before him did not seem like someone who would be troubled by something as trivial as two mid-grade antidote pills.

He gently tugged Chen Yufei’s hand and said, "Yufei, this is your elder brother? He is quite different from what I imagined."

"Yes. This is my big brother, Chen Zhiyi. He is 27 years old. Much older than me."

Chen Yufei said this a little shyly, then pulled Xiao Shou inside.

As they walked, he added in a low voice, "Before he was injured, my big brother was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."

"Senior Xiao? Mid-grade antidote pills..."

Watching their backs, Chen Zhiyi slowly closed the door.

A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes as he let out a soft sigh.