I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

■

"Three steamed buns for a mere nine coins!"

He took the bag of buns, but when he reached for his money, he found nothing.

"..."

The painter, dressed in blue, stood frozen in place.

"What? You didn't bring any money?"

The steamed bun vendor looked at the person standing motionless and silent in front of him and twitched his lips speechlessly.

"How about we trade one painting for it?"

"draw?"

The shopkeeper looked at her and then extended his hand.

"No way."

"..."

Walking empty-handed down the street, the painter stomped angrily on the stone bricks beneath his feet.

"Damn it, it's just a cheap steamed bun! Do you know how amazing my painting is? I wouldn't trade it for three steamed buns! I curse you to sell steamed buns for the rest of your life! (o｀ε'o)"

“Damn mortals…”

I touched my stomach; the empty feeling wasn't pleasant.

Although she could fill her stomach with paintings, she would rather eat food with the warmth of cooking than the things taken from paintings.

She looked at the bustling and noisy streets, but felt unbearably lonely.

"Silly Ah Xi...where did you run off to?"

She wanted to go back.

He traveled across half the Dao Domain, searching through five or six cities and more than a dozen towns, but found no trace of him.

"None of the guys I contacted replied. No, one did, but it was as if he said nothing at all. What do you mean by 'don't tell,' and 'if we just keep going, we'll definitely find it'..."

The artist knew that his relationship with his siblings wasn't strained, but it wasn't very close either, so getting their help was basically hopeless.

However, relying on herself, her chances of finding him in the vast Great Yan Dynasty were equally slim.

"...No, we shouldn't look for it this way."

She calmed herself down and brought herself to her senses.

"You have to think about how he would come looking for you if it were him."

"What would Silly Ah Xi do..."

She frowned, deep in thought.

She knew how powerful her ability to hide was, so to find her, besides the help of those who shared her origins, one would need to use something related to her as a guide.

And the things related to her in the Great Yan Dynasty...

Silly Ah Xi probably wouldn't use that pen...

It seemed like an accident, or perhaps it was just a fleeting thought of a long-held doubt in her heart.

Perhaps... he has already forgotten that pen?

No, no!

The artist quickly dismissed this bad idea.

The reply implies that he still remembers his past. Therefore, he must be reluctant to use it.

Yes, that must be it.

She immediately changed her perspective and continued to speculate.

Aside from the only pen, the easiest things to find are the casual sketches she left behind.

The other party should also think of this, and will probably search for information about the painting, continuing their investigation.

Then she can also deduce the past based on this.

With such good news, the artist no longer cared about not being able to buy the steamed buns, and instead focused on recalling where he had left his paintings.

She gave up very quickly.

"..."

LOL, I never would have guessed that.

In those years, she wandered all over Dayan, sketching a picture whether she was in a good mood or a bad one. As time went by, the number of sketches she left behind became countless, and she couldn't remember where she left them, just as she couldn't remember how many steamed buns she had eaten.

"..."

The good news is gone, and so is the good mood.

"or……"

She thought about it and came up with a rather unreliable idea.

It depends on her luck.

The artist took out a fine brush, tossed it into the air, and prepared to search for it based on the direction of the brush tip after it landed.

"The North..."

She frowned as she picked up the pen.

Will he go to the north?

What famous places in the North did she visit?

"The closest one to here is... Dongyue, isn't it?"

Will he be in Dongyue?

Not necessarily, but we should still go and see, even if the chances are slim.

The artist composed himself, left the town, and headed north.

"Hmm, after we get to Chongshan, where does Xiaobai want to go?"

Should we first go to Mount Dongyue to erect the tripod, or should we first go to the Ji River to erect the tripod?

"Dongyue, please."

During the day, he planned to first erect the tripods on these three mountains, then go to the Northern Peak to erect the tripod on the farthest and most unconventional one, and then cross the river southward.

Besides wanting to deal with the troublesome pulse point first, Bai Zhou also plans to focus on the southern region where Xi might be.

This way, it will be easier to find Xi after you ascend to heaven.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Nian munched on an apple, not interfering much with his daytime schedule.

"Maybe Ben Shiyi is waiting for you in Dongyue. After all, she loves traveling around the world. The chances of running into her in famous mountains and rivers are probably greater than in rural villages."

"That's true."

Bai Zhou agreed with Nian's words, but he didn't want to continue the topic.

Women will only affect his willpower.

"Little Bai, if you really ran into Stupid Eleven, what would be the first thing you'd say to her after such a long time apart?"

The topic was raised again that year.

"say what……"

This seems to be a very serious problem.

Bai Zhou fell into deep thought.

If I just say a normal greeting... I feel like my husband will rub me in the ground and then complain that he doesn't care about me.

But if he said something that might stir up emotions, he might get tied up and hung from a tree, then be called too effeminate. Well, that hanging-up incident happened shortly after he started traveling with Xi; it was the first time Xi couldn't stand his words anymore. She took a rope and hung him up, letting him swing around like a bird. Of course, she only kept him there for a short while before putting him down.

The man didn't keep him hanging on; the man had him in his heart!

Thinking of this, Bai Zhou chuckled, then continued to worry about it.

Ah, talking after reuniting is indeed both important and troublesome.

I feel that using words to act is better than using them to speak.

When dealing with a man, actions speak louder than words.

Thinking about this, Bai Zhou had a general idea in mind.

But there is one more thing he needs to be aware of.

That is, after being separated for so long, will Xi recognize what he looks like now?

After all, people change a lot as they grow up; they are basically two different people when they are children and when they grow up.

He was somewhat worried that Xi might not recognize him after their reunion.

"Yeah, I feel like if I weren't with her, Stupid Eleven might really miss it. Don't worry, if she doesn't acknowledge you, I'll beat her until she does... just kidding. I'll talk to her nicely."

The year's words successfully relieved Bai Zhou.

With such a reliable older sister helping him, he believed he would be able to reunite with his husband soon.

"Then let's prepare the shapes for the next few cauldrons."

Year after year, he greeted Bai Zhou and together they consulted the design of the cauldron used for pulse diagnosis.

Professional customization is a rare find with her.

So, you silly newbie, you need to learn to cherish it!

Thirty years ago: My birthday is important too!

"Click~"