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

How could the artist not know the little thoughts in his heart?

"can."

The little guy needs more practice in coming up with reasons.

The painter raised his arm and took his hand as they walked together.

■

Because of its proximity to Tianyue Mountain, Chuyun Town has become increasingly prosperous thanks to the investment and assistance of many literati, scholars, and wise rulers.

As a result, the town attracts many tourists, and the mingling of various ethnic groups has given rise to a variety of colorful flowers on the tree of life.

But these things had nothing to do with the daytime; he was currently protecting the painter while taking her to the restaurant he had chosen a few days ago.

Once inside the restaurant, he found a good spot and ordered a plate of perch during the day. He also ordered one of each of the other dishes that matched the tastes of the painter he remembered.

Seeing that Bai Zhou had ordered so many dishes again, even the quiet painter couldn't help but speak up to stop him.

Ultimately, with the artist's firm decision, the two only ate four dishes and a soup for the meal.

"Sir, are you full? Would you like another serving of rice noodle rolls?"

"No, I'm already full. If I eat any more, I'll throw up."

"Sir, they're selling candied hawthorns over there. Let me buy you a skewer; it's good for digestion."

"Don't buy it, don't waste money, I don't want to eat anything."

"Sir...sir, please don't be angry. You shouldn't have strong emotions after eating. Besides, this isn't food. Look, it's a shadow puppet show."

"Hmm... let's go take a look."

Nowadays, as long as it's not about food, artists are willing to take a look at anything.

And it's shadow puppetry! She quite likes this kind of interesting little trick, just like painting, it's both a tradition and an innovation.

However, the stories performed in shadow puppetry are the same ones that the people love to hear, which is somewhat cliché.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Under the protection of daylight, the artist successfully reached the front row of the crowd and next to the theater, thus having a better viewing experience.

As she expected, the story of this shadow puppet show was once again about Xi'e flying to the moon.

Those girls are responsible for the fact that that mess is still remembered to this day.

Despite the clichéd plot, the artist still watched it obediently.

Bai Zhou wasn't particularly interested in shadow puppetry, and he had already heard the story and seen the shadow puppet show before. So while the onlookers were focused on the puppets, Bai Zhou concentrated his attention on the painter in his arms.

To be more precise, Bai Zhou's attention was entirely focused on her tail.

The white-blue Yuu-o is still as long and alluring as ever, but it seems to lack some roundness and plumpness in both the tail.

I should have found my husband sooner; look, he's gotten so thin.

Yuu-o is currently nestled against Byakuya's leg, occasionally bobbing up and down as if intently watching the show.

"Ugh... Stop fooling around, focus on the show."

The artist gently patted the hand on his waist and softly scolded Bai Zhou for his mischievous behavior.

"Yes, I'll do as you say, sir."

Bai Zhou gently tightened his arms around her, his tail slowly swaying, and while whispering a reply, he pulled her into his embrace.

I never get tired of holding this tiny, soft little Xi, no matter how long I hold her during the day.

Back to living with my husband at age 55

"it is good!"

"Great!"

"Let's do it again!"

A shadow puppet show drew countless cheers.

"So noisy..."

The artist, being at the forefront of the crowd, had a better viewing experience but also encountered more noise.

Noise is one of the factors that artists dislike the most.

"Sir, is this more comfortable?"

The dragon gently covered the painter's ear with its hand, but the painter gave it a slightly disdainful look in response to the dragon's concerned greeting.

"Fool, this way I won't be able to hear your voice anymore."

"gentlemen……"

Before Bai Zhou could express his gratitude, the painter had already grabbed his hand and led him out of the crowd.

"Are you tired, sir? Shall we go back and rest?"

"Hmm... I am indeed a bit tired. Movies are good, but there are no seats. The storytellers in the teahouse are much more relaxing."

The artist's legs were a little weak from standing for the whole show; if someone could massage them, they would probably recover faster.

The painter thought to herself, following Bai Zhou step by step. When she came to her senses, she realized that Bai Zhou had taken her to the inn where he was staying.

"Please have a seat, sir. I'll go get you some water."

Before leaving this morning, Bai Zhou had instructed the waiter to prepare some hot water for him, and now it has come in handy.

"Fetch water...for what purpose?"

The artist sat on the daytime bed, still puzzled.

This is the room where the little guy is staying.

She examined the interior of the room, trying to deduce what Bai Zhou had been doing over the past two days from some small objects.

She took a gentle sniff; the room smelled only of a faint breeze, very fresh, exactly the same scent she had smelled on him during the day.

Hmm, not bad. There's no strange smell in the room, nor the rusty smell that Nian had.

Her rainbow-colored eyes swept over the small table by the window, on which sat only a porcelain bowl half-filled with water and an oil lamp.

There was no oil in the lamp, and the wick was newly replaced and hadn't been burned yet.

Perhaps it's because the little one has a regular sleep schedule, going to bed on time without even needing to turn on the lights.

Or is it……

The artist's eyes narrowed, and a thought flashed through his mind.

The little guy was taken away by a strange person and didn't return all night.

Is this good? No, it's not.

As a semi-guardian of the little guy, she has a responsibility to teach him not to go out with weirdos, especially not the kind of bad behavior that involves staying out all night.

Okay, I'll find an excuse to tell him when he gets back.

The artist then turned his attention to other places, taking in the rooms one by one during the day.

A moment later, the door was pushed open by a gust of wind, and Bai Zhou stepped into the house carrying a wooden basin, then closed the door tightly with his tail.

"Sir, I'm back."

"This is... ugh! What, what are you doing? Let go, let go..."

Seeing the wooden basin filled with water placed in front of him, the painter intended to ask Bai Zhou about the purpose of fetching water, but suddenly he was grabbed by the right foot by the man who squatted down.

"Sir, you've worked hard. Let me help you wash up."

The artist was both delighted and surprised by Bai Zhou's words.

There's no need to elaborate on why he's happy; it's simply because their relationship has become more relaxed and closer.

Why were they so surprised?

"No, I, I can do it myself... Waaah~!"

The artist was too late; the shoes had already been taken off and placed aside.

"Waaah..."

The faint, mosquito-like wail vanished from the painter's lips like smoke, along with the shame.

"It's...it's weird, isn't it..."

The artist watched helplessly as he grasped his own foot and lifted it into the warm water.

Ah, you must have smelled it.

Although they are immortals, they cannot ward off dust and filth without using magic. Therefore, it is inevitable that they will be tainted by the filth of the mortal world when they walk among the immortals.

If she had stayed secluded within her paintings, untouched by worldly affairs, her body would have remained pristine and clean after many days. But tonight, invited by the daylight, she unusually left the painting and stepped into the mundane world, and followed him for half the night. The smell wasn't exactly bad, but it certainly wasn't pleasant…

How embarrassing...

"The scent of ink on you has become much stronger, sir."

I didn't smell anything strange during the day.

Painters are also immortals. Although they have human-like transformations and can sweat and eat like humans, they do not produce dirt as quickly and extensively as humans.

Just like Nian, even if she jumps around, eats spicy food, and fights all day, she still has that faint metallic scent on her body. After washing away the dust left by sweat, she is still a clean and tidy older sister.

The artist was the same; what she feared did not happen. Bai Zhou took off her other shoe and then gently massaged her soft, white feet.

"Woo~"

The fact that she wasn't embarrassed by any strange smell made the artist feel somewhat at ease, but after the massage began during the day, a strange feeling welled up inside her, leaving her both confused and enjoying it.

His slightly thick thumb brushed across the instep, gliding along the smooth skin, touching each toe, brushing between the toes to reach the edge of the little toe, and then returning to the instep along the white and slightly red boundary.

His remaining fingers were not idle either; some held the soles of the feet, gently pressing the soft palms; others hooked the heels, gently rubbing the soft flesh there.

I was just washing my feet, how could this happen?

The artist was puzzled, but if it were him, she wouldn't find the feeling or behavior repulsive.