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

"The clothes are here, but they need to be wiped clean first."

"Come on, stand up."

Since I've already seen everything... continuing to cover it up is just deceiving myself, so it's better to be honest.

Having no way to back out, Bai Zhou stopped trying to hide himself and stood up naturally, letting Chu Yu dry him off.

"Then, Sister Chuyu, can you take me to see that old lady?"

Bai Zhou was still preoccupied with what Chu Yu had previously called "more secrets".

"Yes, yes, really. Don't you think the older sister is better than the old lady?"

Chu Yu took Bai Zhou's clothes and handed them to him, muttering to herself with a hint of frustration.

■

The old woman I met during the day was under the moonlight.

When the two arrived, she was sitting in the courtyard with the little fox girl, admiring the moon.

"San'er, it's time to go to sleep."

The old woman gently patted the little fox girl's head, urging her on.

"Okay! Grandma should go to bed early too, she can't stay up so late anymore."

The little fox girl turned her head from the old woman's arms to glance at Bai Zhou, then buried her face in the old woman's arms and whispered her instructions.

"Okay, okay, Grandma remembers."

After handing the little fox girl over to Chu Yu, the old woman finally looked up at Bai Zhou.

"Please sit down, sir. Please forgive me for not being able to get up."

"It's alright. You are the elder, it's not proper for an elder to get up to greet a junior."

Bai Zhou thanked the old woman and sat down in the chair next to her.

A gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying away fallen petals.

"...What do you think of the night?"

Suddenly, Bai Zhou asked.

The old woman leaned back in her chair, her voice trembling slightly.

After all, they are getting on in years, and even though they are wearing thick fur coats, they still feel cold when the wind blows.

"Tonight?"

She tilted her head slightly upwards and looked up at the sky.

"The two moons are bright and radiant, each offering its own unique perspective."

She looked towards the courtyard again.

"Pine, locust, peach, and willow all receive the moon's grace."

"Has your journey, esteemed sir, been filled with sights and sounds, and gained any insights?"

"I have gained profound insights."

During the day, Bai Zhou touched the broken dragon horn, recalling everything that had happened along the way.

Good things and bad things, good people and bad people, were previously only seen on paper or heard from other people.

Now that he has experienced it firsthand, he finds it both novel and enjoyable.

"Grandma, you've lived here all your life, what do you think of this place?"

"People's well-being and happiness are better than ever before."

The old woman had lived in Da Yan for many years, always in peace and contentment, and there had never been any banditry or disasters in the surrounding area.

Perhaps things will continue like this in the future.

"Has the esteemed person considered the extent of their future achievements?"

"We still don't know..."

During the day, he simply wandered around the Great Yan Kingdom with the evening, without any clear destination in mind.

"It doesn't matter that the noble person hasn't yet figured out their true intentions."

The old woman coughed twice, and Bai Zhou hurriedly went to support her, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

The old woman raised her hand and took out a strange piece of shell from her bosom.

"Since I am fortunate enough to meet such a distinguished person today, would you be willing to listen to my ramblings?"

"...You know divination?"

Seeing the objects in the old woman's hands during the day, one could roughly understand why she was so frail.

"I only have a superficial understanding, and I just use it for my own amusement."

"Then... please calculate for me what I am about to do. However, you should also take care of your health."

Bai Zhou did not explicitly state what he was going to do.

Seeing that Bai Zhou agreed, the old woman smiled gently.

"Then, I will perform a divination for you, my esteemed guest..."

The old man simply performed a routine divination.

The hexagram appeared quickly.

[Earth Fire Mingyi]

"The upper trigram is Kun (Earth), the lower trigram is Li (Fire), and the middle trigram is Zhen (Thunder) and Kan (Water). The sun is about to shine, its brilliance is magnificent, its words are like thunder, and its rain is like scattered water. This hexagram has more yin than yang, causing the bright yang energy to be invaded by evil energy. Yin is dominant and yang is weak, unable to stand on its own, and it damages its own brightness. The sun sets on the ground and sinks and is buried. Its brilliance is mine. If a wise person obtains this hexagram, it is the image of Ming Yi (Dawn of Difficulty)."

"This is not a good sign..."

"Um……"

Daylight doesn't understand these things.

The old woman shook her head and sighed softly.

"However... it will succeed."

The old woman looked at the daylight, his figure reflected in her clear eyes.

"As long as the benefactor can stay true to his original aspiration and keep moving forward, he will be able to achieve his wish."

"When the time comes, all obstacles will be removed."

"Your path ahead is long and unobstructed."

"Is that so? Then thank you for your kind words."

Leaning back in his chair, he gazed at a house where the lights were still on during the day.

If only things could go smoothly in this regard.

When the forty tails touch, their hearts are close.

"..."

It seems... a bit too late.

After putting down her paintbrush, Xi slowly got up and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

Tonight, there are two moons again...

Two moons...

Xi leaned against the window, gazing at the two moons that seemed close together in the sky.

Even the moon comes in pairs!

Xi shifted her gaze and stared at the two candles on the table.

"Tsk."

The room was too quiet.

Leaving him alone... isn't that a bad idea?

Xi recalled the pitiful appearance of Bai Zhou before daylight, like a puppy that had been abandoned.

No! That's how it should be!

That old fox has been quite good to him; it's time to keep the brat away from her.

Xi has always been clear about her identity and situation.

She didn't want to wait until they reached Yongning Road, and after meeting his family during the day, to continue walking with him.

That's not good.

It's not good for either of them.

"..."

only……

Xi closed the window, blew out the candle, buried herself in the covers, and forced herself to fall asleep.

She didn't want to think about it anymore.

She was afraid she would act impulsively based on her emotions...

"Well……"

Lying in bed, I couldn't sleep during the day.

It wasn't because I missed Xi, but because...

No matter who has a big white fox sleeping next to them, they can't possibly sleep soundly and snore loudly without a care in the world.

"Whoosh~ Swoosh~(__)..zzZZ"