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

However, at least he regained his smiling face.

My words must have had an effect... probably.

"Sir, cover yourself with a blanket so your feet won't get cold."

The little devil is busy running around again, but I don't know what he's doing.

Let's leave that aside for now; this painting isn't finished yet.

On the way back, I encountered a traveler and first heard of something strange.

"Hmm~ Hmm~"

Humming a tune he'd picked up from who-knows-where, Bai Zhou carried an empty bowl, ready to close the door and enjoy his own portion of carrot porridge.

"Ok?"

Seemingly blinded by the rain, Bai Zhou, who was about to close the door, paused involuntarily when he saw something strange.

Are you seeing things?

He leaned against the door, gazing intently outside. Due to the rain, he could only vaguely make out two indistinct shapes swaying in the darkness, seemingly running…and the direction they were running…it seemed to be this way.

“Something has arrived, sir.”

The artist raised an eyebrow, stopped painting, and looked towards the door following the child's voice.

Indeed, something is running this way.

"It's human."

The travelers, probably trapped by the sudden rain, must have come here by sheer luck.

"You decide what to do."

Instructing the imp in this way, the painter picked up his brush again and began to paint.

The little devil is capable of dealing with two mortals.

"what……"

Bai Zhou scratched his head, then closed the door and turned to take a small lamp from a cabinet.

It was a very simple little oil lamp. During the day, I would add a little oil to it, light it, and then put it into a small round lantern.

"I hope you can see this."

Bai Zhou carried the lantern, which radiated a warm glow, to the door and hung it on the door knocker. After making sure the lantern wouldn't be extinguished by the rain, Bai Zhou silently prayed for the two suffering travelers.

■

During the day, he would sit quietly beside the painter, holding a bowl of porridge, observing the painter's skills.

The painter's skills were superb, and he benefited greatly from watching her paint every day.

Suddenly, loud conversations and the sound of stomping water came from outside.

"Brother Du, you see, I told you there were houses here where we could take shelter from the rain."

The voice sounded somewhat frivolous, and its owner didn't seem very intelligent.

"Silence, I'll go knock on the door."

His companion coldly rebuked him.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, we are new to your area, unfortunately..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door was opened.

They lowered their heads slightly, and a handsome little boy was looking them over.

"If you want to take shelter from the rain, come in, but my master is busy, so please don't make any noise."

During the day, he stepped aside to let the two people through the doorway, and immediately closed the door after they entered.

"Thank you, young man."

The man hurriedly bowed and thanked him.

"call……"

As soon as you step into the house, a warm atmosphere washes over you, dispelling the chill that had gathered around you, making you sigh with relief.

"Gentlemen, go and warm yourself up."

During the day, two bowls of hot water were brought to the two people, and then two small stools were brought to them so that they could sit down by the fire to warm themselves.

After finishing these tasks, Bai Tian did not immediately return to the painter's side, but stood aside watching the two travelers.

This is a strange combination of Film and Pello.

The one who knocked on the door was Pero. He was just holding his bowl and slowly drinking water, not looking around, very reserved, and seemed quite composed.

His companion, Philin, on the other hand, was quite carefree, curiously looking around, showing none of Philin's caution and composure.

"My name is Du Heng, and this is my close friend Meng Li. I thank this young man for taking us in and protecting us from the storm."

Du Heng put down her bowl and quietly thanked Bai Zhou, who was standing beside her.

"Thank you, young man."

The girl named Meng Li, along with Du Heng, immediately thanked Bai Zhou.

"Daytime".

Bai Zhou nodded and gave his name.

After exchanging names, the atmosphere improved somewhat. Bai Zhou thought for a moment, then took two empty bowls and shared the remaining hot porridge with them, which earned him repeated thanks from the two men.

"Where do you two come from, and where are you going?"

Even during the day, he moved a stool and sat here to talk to them.

Meng Li was very outgoing; after only a few words, he and Bai Zhou were already calling each other brothers.

"To be honest, Brother Bai, my brother and I wish to take advantage of our short hundred years of life to experience the customs and culture of this great Yan Dynasty, so that we will have something to boast about to our descendants a hundred years from now."

He proudly shared this ideal.

"We just left Shuangxi Town and then we encountered this rain. If it weren't for Brother Bai and your esteemed master taking us in, we would have definitely caught a cold."

Du Heng described the more specific itinerary, and Bai Zhou felt a sense of resonance with their similar experiences.

"Where do Brother Du and Brother Meng plan to go for their next trip?"

"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, we will go to Wu and Yue, tour the lakes and mountains, and appreciate the beauty of the southeast."

Du Heng made no attempt to hide anything; he was a very honest person.

"We heard that the perch there will be almost cooked, so we'd like to stop by and try the delicious perch sashimi."

Meng Li swallowed hard, as if just hearing the words "perch slices" made his mouth water, and he wished he could fly over immediately for a feast.

"I was fortunate enough to taste the perch slices once, and it truly deserves to be called a unique delicacy of Wu and Yue."

"To make perch sashimi, one must wait until the first frost in August or September. After soaking the perch, wrap it in a cloth to drain the water completely, then spread it out on a plate and arrange it with orange blossoms and leaves. Finely chop the perch and mix it with the sashimi, stirring to ensure even distribution. It should also be served with shiitake mushrooms. This will not only make it taste better but also look more beautiful."

When the two mentioned this, Bai Zhou also recalled the delicious food from the past and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"I never expected that Brother Bai would be so knowledgeable about food. It is truly a fortunate thing to meet Brother Bai here."

"Yes, Brother Bai, your porridge is so delicious. You can make such a delicious dish with the simplest ingredients, and you're still so young. I'm twenty years older, but I can't even steam a proper bun. I'm so ashamed."

"Not at all, not at all. I just did it haphazardly when I had nothing else to do, following what I wrote in a book. It's not something that's considered elegant."

"How can I compare to you two gentlemen, who have set such ambitions at such a young age and are so free and unrestrained? I envy you very much."

The three exchanged glances, surprised to run into a fellow foodie like him here. They immediately beamed with joy and began praising each other.

"..."

The artist glanced at them, and another stain appeared on the paper.

It's so noisy! And why can he chat so easily and happily with strangers?

What if they are wicked? So trusting of others, no wonder they were swindled out of their travel money and thrown into the river.

They have absolutely no memory.

He even said he envied their freedom and carefree life, but was being with her really that boring and dull for him?

"Oh, I've been sitting here for so long and I still don't know your honorable name. It's really impolite of me."

Meng Li looked at Bai Zhou and said this.

"My husband."

It's alright if we don't mention it, but as soon as we do, Bai Zhou immediately perks up.

"This time, it was entirely thanks to my husband's kind heart that he sent me outside to hang a light to guide those who have lost their way."

"I see. Then we should be even more grateful to your esteemed master."

“I do not know what your esteemed lord likes. If my brother has such a thing, he will surely offer it to your esteemed lord to repay your kindness.”

Du Heng and Meng Li each spoke one sentence of these things.

“My husband is a great painter, especially fond of painting strange and interesting stories. You two have been traveling in Dayan for so long, you must have heard a lot of interesting and strange stories.”

He spoke with a squinting smile during the day.

"Strange and interesting stories..."

"What a strange and interesting story!"

The two looked at each other and knew what extraordinary story they should tell in return.

"We do have a strange story to tell..."

Du Heng's expression hardened slightly, then she organized her thoughts and began to recount the so-called strange tale.

Go back to Wushan Temple to paint the walls, fox fairies and ghost girls