Chapter 6: The Black Brush Handle

 

"The first step in cultivating a bond with a puppy is to give it a unique name."

Beneath a sprawling tree outside the town, under a sky brilliant with sunshine, Shen Yuan instructed me,

"Little Fruit Fairy, you name it."

I observed the puppy tumbling and frolicking across the ground, then frowned at Shen Yuan. "Don't just give me a random name. Call me Liang Guo."

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Don't take it for granted, Xiao Guo..."

I glared at him.

Shen Yuan's lips curved, and he quickly corrected himself. "Okay, Xiao Liang Guo. The rules I'm teaching you today are for cultivating a bond with a puppy, not a person. Besides, don't you call me Butterfly?" He asked with a smile, "Do you want to cultivate a bond with me, too?"

My eyes widened, and I glanced around frantically, terrified a massive boulder would materialize and crush me. But after a moment's anxious wait, nothing occurred, and I finally exhaled in relief.

I scolded Shen Yuan sharply, "Be careful what you say!"

He nodded repeatedly, though his acknowledgment rang hollow. "I know, I know." He gestured toward the puppy. "Give it a name."

I watched the plump puppy tumbling about on the ground, and my hands immediately recalled the sensation of stroking it throughout the previous night. "Fluffy... Fluffy, please."

Shen Yuan pursed his lips, contemplating my naming abilities for a moment, then crouched down and rubbed the puppy's head. "Fluffy, your sister named you Rongrong."

The puppy didn't comprehend Shen Yuan's elegant pronunciation, but recognized that someone was petting it. Overcome with joy, it collapsed to the ground, tongue lolling, and rolled onto its belly.

I watched, and inexplicably found myself crouching beside Shen Yuan. I extended my hand as well, but because Shen Yuan was already petting Rongrong, my hand hovered awkwardly beside his.

Shen Yuan laughed. He caught my hand and placed it on Rongrong. "The God of Law is so polite. Do you have to queue up to touch a puppy? Don't worry, you can touch it boldly. Rongrong is very resilient and can't be hurt."

I followed his lead and began stroking. Rongrong grew even happier. It no longer displayed the fear and wariness it had shown me yesterday. It began rolling around, exposing its belly as if showcasing its adorableness.

"This is the second step to cultivating feelings with a puppy—playing with it."

Shen Yuan retrieved a stick from the ground. "Come on, I'll throw the stick, and you and Rongrong will compete to see who retrieves it first."

As he spoke, Shen Yuan hurled the stick away. Rongrong, who had been rolling belly-up on the ground, witnessed this and immediately flipped over. Its round body bounced as it chased after the stick.

My feet shifted, wanting to pursue Rongrong, but the impulse seemed absurd. I turned to regard Shen Yuan, who was watching me expectantly. "You're not going with Rongrong?"

I noted his expression and crossed my arms. "How about I throw you a stick, and you and Rongrong can compete?"

Shen Yuan pursed his lips with apparent regret. "You'll never experience the same joy as Rongrong."

"Go ahead!" I shouted at him.

Shen Yuan didn't react with anger to my outburst, but simply lowered his head, concealing his lips as he laughed. The dappled sunlight cascaded onto his jade-pale face, making it seem almost luminous.

He didn't resemble an ancient tree spirit, but rather an immortal carved from jade.

I turned my head and observed Rongrong bounding back excitedly, the stick clenched in its mouth. It deposited the stick between Shen Yuan and me, barked happily twice, then wagged its tail wildly, as if laughing alongside Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan patted its head and praised it, "Our Rongrong is so well-behaved."

A dreamlike moment passed—sunlight filtering through leaves warmed the shadows. A gentle breeze stirred. It felt as though Shen Yuan and I weren't adversaries temporarily united to complete a mission, but genuine friends playing with their puppy beneath the trees at the village entrance. We'd stolen a day of leisure from our complicated past, enjoying the beauty nature bestowed equally upon all.

Shen Yuan extended a wooden stick toward me. "Play with Rongrong once."

For inexplicable reasons, I hesitated.

Then, as Shen Yuan lifted the stick, he tilted his head and looked at me. "Little Fruit Fairy?"

I accepted it, stunned, and then, imitating Shen Yuan's technique, threw the stick away.

The stick arced through the air, and Rongrong joyfully chased after it again, releasing two enthusiastic howls as it went, seemingly unable to contain its delight.

I watched the stick land, then watched Rongrong leap forward and seize it, racing toward me with it, radiating passion and unconcealed happiness.

It presented the stick to me, front paws extended, rear end elevated, tail wagging vigorously.

For some reason, I stroked Rongrong's head and said, "Our Rongrong... is so... so well-behaved." My words emerged somewhat clumsy, but their mere utterance warmed my heart. After Rongrong's even more enthusiastic response, I felt my heart melting.

"Rongrong is so well-behaved," I murmured, rubbing its head with practiced ease, my voice carrying a softness I'd never heard from myself before.

Shen Yuan smiled beside me and said nothing further. He settled on the ground, leaning against the tree, his head tilted back slightly, eyes closed, as if genuinely savoring the moment.

We played for half the day, and by afternoon, Shen Yuan instructed me on feeding the puppy. He explained this was the third step in cultivating a bond. Then he escorted us to the town's stray dog haunts. When a large dog attempted to bully Rongrong, I immediately scooped her up. Shen Yuan declared this was the fourth step in cultivating a bond—protection.

We progressed through steps two, three, and four until darkness fell. The dog and I were thoroughly exhausted, so Shen Yuan finally relented and led us back to the inn. As we entered, Shen Yuan kept instructing me, "You have to hold it to sleep tonight. It's the fifth step..."

I cradled Rongrong in my arms, but didn't respond. The moment I stepped inside, I suddenly sensed the atmosphere had transformed dramatically from when we'd departed that morning.

A considerable number of imposing men, each wearing black clothing, leather wrist guards, and swords at their waists, had gathered in the main hall on the first floor. Despite their numbers, silence reigned—not a single one conversing or making noise. Their collective body heat alone rendered the inn considerably more stifling.

They appeared quite formidable... The waiter and the proprietor had vanished.

As Shen Yuan and I entered, they all directed their gazes toward us, either observing or scrutinizing.

Rongrong buried its head against my chest, instinctively retreating from the oppressive atmosphere.

I stood there, patting Rongrong's back, attempting to soothe the puppy, when I felt a hand pat mine from behind—a warm palm. It was Shen Yuan.

I turned to regard him. He smiled warmly and guided me forward, seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere. He continued softly, "The puppy can't bathe often, but it's been running all day. Wipe its feet."

These ordinary words seemed to dissolve some of the unease brought by the unusual atmosphere.

"I know," I agreed, following him through the assembly of imposing men.

They didn't move, but glanced at me before returning to sit quietly, as if awaiting someone.

Shen Yuan and I were ascending the stairs when we suddenly encountered a tall, slender man descending. He was also dressed in black, but unlike the robust men below, he wore his black differently. Despite the late spring weather, he was enveloped in a black fox fur cloak. His fingers, emerging through the wide, silver-trimmed sleeves, were slender and pale, matching his complexion precisely.

I studied him, and meeting his gaze, I found it dull and lifeless, vacant and numb, as though he were regarding a corpse.

Our eyes crossed, neither of us lingering in the other's gaze. As we passed each other, Shen Yuan and I continued our ascent, but he paused in his descent.

"You two..." the man's voice emerged hoarse, as he called softly from behind us, "Wait a minute."

The moment he spoke, the gazes of all the imposing men in the inn turned once more.

This time, the surroundings grew even quieter—even the chirping of insects outside seemed somewhat noisy by comparison.

I paused and turned to regard him, but the man's gaze didn't settle on me. He stared exclusively at Shen Yuan beside me. His lifeless gaze, illuminated by the flickering candlelight in the inn, remained frigid, a chill permeating his expression.

"Excuse me, is this young man a cultivator of immortality?"

As he spoke, I glanced at Shen Yuan beside me. After a moment's silence, he tilted his head slightly and replied to the man in the black fox fur coat with a smile, "Yes or no, what advice do you have?"

"I see your breathing isn't that of an ordinary person, yet there's a faint scent of blood within you, as if harboring the remnants of profound immortal arts..."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

Shen Yuan had been struck by eighty-one celestial thunderbolts and cast down to the mortal realm. Detecting the bloody scent of his injuries was relatively simple, but perceiving the lingering aura of profound immortal arts was far more challenging.

The thunderbolts weren't immortal arts—they were divine arts. Even after considerable time, he could still sense traces of it as we passed...

I assessed him again, this time more meticulously.

I observed that despite his frail frame, wisps of scattered spiritual energy gathered around him. These subtle energies would be invisible to mortals, imperceptible even to the immortal standing beside me. The most delicate forces in the universe are visible only to those of us who have consumed the Mountain and River Fruit and refined it for tens of thousands of years.

The man in the black fox fur, despite his mortal form, could attract such abundant scattered spiritual energy to his vicinity without employing any magic. He must be a formidable immortal cultivator.

So young and so talented. Perhaps he'll ascend to the Ninth Heaven and become a companion to the immortal beside me.

He doesn't seem like a fool who only concerns himself with romance and amorous affairs.

I examined him with satisfaction, and then he declared, "I am Lu Beihan of the Lu Clan of Yanfeng. I have some medical experience. If you need any assistance, I'd be happy to help you."

Could this man truly be so benevolent? I couldn't discern it from his eyes...

"Thank you for your kindness," Shen Yuan politely declined beside me. "No thanks."

He spoke, and with a subtle push from his hand on my back, he gestured for me to continue upward.

I held onto Rongrong, having no desire to linger here any longer.

Regardless of whether this man ascended to the Ninth Heaven in the future, he appeared to be someone dangerous to provoke.

I took a step when Shen Yuan's hand, which had been resting on my back, suddenly shifted in front of me, gently blocking my knee. I didn't advance forward, but settled back on the same step. And at precisely that moment!

With a sharp whoosh!

A short blade, seemingly from some impossibly unpredictable angle, suddenly pierced the step above me, its force so tremendous that the hilt vibrated.

If Shen Yuan hadn't stopped me, the blade would have impaled my big toe!

I was stunned momentarily, then flooded with fear, and finally anger.

I immediately clutched Rongrong and whirled around to scold him: "Your black brush handle is truly bizarre. How can you force someone to accept help just to save their life? It's incomprehensible!"

I erupted suddenly, and the Lu family's Lu Beihan of Yanfeng was stunned by my rebuke. Rongrong in my arms also raised its head and, as if to support me, released a fierce "Ah!" at Lu Beihan.

Shen Yuan, beside me, was also momentarily stunned. After a prolonged moment, he burst into laughter.

I was so incensed I whirled around and glared at him. "What are you laughing at?"

Then he told me honestly what amused him: "Black brush handle..."

Down the stairs, the fur of Lu Beihan's black fox cloak was bunched up around his neck like the bristles of a brush, casting shadows across his face.

"Miss, this matter has nothing to do with you..."

"Oh!" I sneered. "How can you still blame someone else? Who started it? Who stabbed at my foot with that dagger?"

"The young man next to you looks remarkably similar to an old friend that my Lu Sect has been searching for."

"So?"

"That man murdered three hundred seventeen people in my Lu Sect."

I fell silent for a moment, then turned to glance at Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan's smile diminished somewhat, and his half-smile made me feel distinctly uncertain.

He had mentioned before that he used to visit the human world...

"If you have no relationship with him, I hope you will be more discerning." Lu Beihan finished speaking, his eyes frigid. He tilted his head slightly, fixing Shen Yuan with a cold stare, and said icily, "So, young man, today, you cannot refuse my kindness."

As he concluded, a dozen imposing men in black clothing throughout the inn rose in perfect unison.

The collective noise startled the fluffy creature in my arms. It began trembling, tensing its body. It released a low growl as it gazed down the stairs at the Yanfeng Lu Clan members.

I surveyed the scene—a row of imposing men, their expressions grave. At the bottom of the stairs, Lu Beihan blocked the path, his face grim. Beside me...

Shen Yuan, standing beside me, his mask-like smile finally cooled fractionally, but he remained composed and even smoothed his sleeves.

He squinted slightly, glancing at the dagger embedded in the stairs behind him.

The situation was precarious, and I had no notion of what he was planning. I only knew that my golden bell wasn't with me presently, and he had lost all his cultivation after being struck by eighty-one thunderbolts. We had only been here for a day and had been occupied solely with playing with the dog, without practicing any breathing exercises. We would definitely be at a disadvantage if we fought, and perhaps even Rongrong would suffer...

The only option now...

"Butterfly." I deliberately called him by the unique name I'd given him, fearful he truly was their "old friend." "I have an idea."

When Shen Yuan heard me call him, his eyes didn't glance at the dagger behind him. He tilted his head slightly and inclined his ear closer. I leaned close to his ear and righteously proposed this idea:

"Just accept this kindness."

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