After returning to the Zongzhu Peak to report, Wén Bǎi Zhōu made a trip to the outer sect.

He was already familiar with the path to the disciples’ residence in the outer sect. After dropping down from mid-air at a distance, he walked along the path that no longer had petals, and soon saw the brightly lit house at the end.

Sure enough, it was here.

Entering the yard filled with vegetables, herbs, and flowers, he stepped up the stairs and knocked on the door twice.

The two knocks were neither too light nor too heavy, enough for the person inside to hear. But today was different; a faint sound of knocking could be heard from inside, one after another, not very clear, just enough to cover the sound of his knocking.

Light seeped through the crack at the bottom of the door, flickering slightly, but no one answered.

After standing in front of the door for a while, Wén Bǎi Zhōu turned and walked around the side of the yard.

The flowers and plants facing the window were growing even better, bathed in the warm yellow light filtering in from the window, swaying gently in the quiet breeze.

Standing by the window, he saw a figure inside the room.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, with sleeves rolled up and long hair cascading down, the person was holding a hammer and striking something vigorously, their brows and eyes focused intently.

As if noticing him, the person turned their head, glanced over, and then paused.

The frown that had unconsciously formed from the effort relaxed, and their expression changed instantly, a smile forming that made their eyes curve up. They put down the hammer and waved in surprise, “Big Brother is back?”

It looked like they wanted to come over, but when they prepared to stand up, they saw something precariously wobbling in their hand, so they stopped in time.

Lín Zhú Shēng was making his third box and truly felt that if he left, the box would definitely fall apart. He looked around and finally pointed at the window, saying, “I can’t get away, I can’t open the main door, you can come in through here.”

With plenty of experience in climbing through windows, Lín nodded confidently and said, “This is quick and convenient.”

“……”

Thus, the big brother, under the clear sky, made his first-ever window entry, supporting himself on the windowsill and leaping into the room.

Once inside, the sound of hammering instantly multiplied several times, clanging continuously. He slightly raised his head and looked at a talisman above the windowsill.

“That’s a sound-dampening talisman my friend gave me,” Lín Zhú Shēng explained, noticing what he was looking at. “It can prevent sounds from escaping the room, very useful.”

Like a diode, it only allowed sound to come in from outside, while sounds from inside, except for human voices, couldn’t go out. It was the latest creation from his neighbor, Zhāng Jìng, and he had traded several snacks for it, making it perfect for someone like him who, despite being clumsy, loved to do some woodworking in the house.

He also proudly introduced the shabby but nearly completed wooden box 3.0 he was working on.

Seemingly impressed by his labor, the big brother fell silent for a moment, then praised him, saying it was clear he had put in effort, and asked, “Do you need help?”

The box was likely to fall apart if he let go, so Master Lín could only do it all by himself, shaking his head and saying no.

As he moved, his hair, which was in a messy state akin to just waking up, swayed and slipped from his shoulders, blocking his view.

Gently placing his long sword aside, Wén Bǎi Zhōu bent down and asked, “Do you need help tying your hair?”

With hair blocking his view, the big brother offered a helping hand, and Lín had no reason to refuse. He nodded and thanked him.

The blue and white clip hidden in his hair was removed, and his long hair cascaded down, slipping through his fingers.

The big brother was very gentle while tying his hair, it didn’t hurt at all. After Lín Zhú Shēng expressed his thanks, he didn’t pay much attention and focused on hammering away, boldly asking, “How did you come back so quickly, big brother?”

【You have obtained: Extreme Ice Cloud Ribbon (Red Grade) x1】

“?”

In the midst of his busy work, a message popped up, causing diligent Master Lín to pause and turn in confusion.

“The matter of returning to Guī Yù City isn’t complicated, so I came back early.”

The big brother’s hand had already left his head, and the newly added ice blue ribbon blended into his hair, cascading down smoothly. “This is a gift; wearing it can clear your mind and brighten your eyes.”

Guī Yù City is the number one city in the world, filled with strong individuals and many rare treasures. As long as you want something, you can find it if you look.

Before he could even give his gift, he received another one, which unexpectedly boosted his favorability. Master Lín habitually thanked him, but then realized something was off.

Red Grade!

Although the big brother described its effects as quite ordinary, if the system wasn’t mistaken, this was indeed a genuine Red Grade item.

He couldn’t accept this; his heart raced as he reached out to grab it.

He could accept small gifts, but not something too valuable. At this stage, he couldn’t return the favor; if something came into his possession, he couldn’t give an equivalent in return, which was no different from robbery.

His hand was pressed down by the big brother, and he looked up to meet a pair of lowered eyes.

No words were spoken, but the meaning was clear.

“Mainly, I don’t have anything to give you.”

Master Lín scratched his head, feeling a bit bold, his gaze darting to the broken wooden box and then quickly away. He pulled out a Lán Jūn flower that he always carried with him, tentatively glancing up at the big brother.

It seemed it wasn’t yet time for him to like Lán Jūn flowers, as the little flower was still not accepted.

This time, he truly didn’t know what to give. He switched hands to scratch his head and asked, “Does big brother like anything else?”

If it was something more ordinary, he thought he could find a way to get it.

The big brother lowered his head and said, “As long as it’s something I like?”

“Anything is fine,” a currently not-so-wealthy Lín quickly added, “as long as it’s something I can give.”

“You should see…”

He wanted to take the opportunity to promote a small stone he found on a certain mountain that looked like a little bear’s head, but before he could finish, Wén Bǎi Zhōu had already bent down, his head resting loosely against Lín’s shoulder.

“……”

Great, Lín Zhú Shēng didn’t dare to move. Stiffening his neck to maintain his original posture, he let out a small questioning sound, “Big brother?”

Buried in his shoulder, the big brother’s voice sounded a bit muffled, not as cold as usual, “Can I borrow your shoulder for a moment?”

His voice carried a hint of fatigue; the trip to Guī Yù City must not have been as easy as he claimed.

Lín Zhú Shēng thought for a moment and then gently pushed him away.

It wasn’t much force, but the person leaning against him could clearly feel it. The fingers that fell to his side moved slightly, and Wén Bǎi Zhōu opened his eyes, his pupils hidden in the shadow of the backlight, his mouth tightening slightly.

Rejected, he paused for a moment, then straightened up and slowly moved away.

After pushing him away, Lín Zhú Shēng explained, “I’m dirty.”

There were pieces of broken wood at his feet, and he was covered in wood shavings; if they got too close, both of them would be in trouble.

As soon as he said that, the person who had been slowly leaving came back, this time holding him even tighter, wrapping him completely in his arms, the wood shavings flying up with the movement, sticking to the blue and white hem of his clothes.

Now it was fine; there was no need to worry; they were both in trouble.

Since they were already in trouble, Lín Zhú Shēng resigned himself to sit cross-legged in a position that was more convenient for the person to lean against.

Compared to leaning, he felt that the action of holding was perhaps more fitting.

Forget the titles; as long as the big brother was happy, that was what mattered.

A long time ago, he often saw his dad come home and shout at his mom while hugging her, and he had absorbed that experience. Although he hadn’t hugged anyone much, he still understood the process. Not very skillfully, he reached out and gently patted the person in his arms on the back.

As he patted, the person held him even tighter, and he could smell a refreshing scent similar to pine and cypress.

Who would have thought that the big brother, who looked so serious, actually liked to hug people?

He kept patting, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the little cat that had been sleeping in the room get up from its nest, its fur all messy, staring at him and the big brother with its vacant cat eyes.

“……”

After a brief moment of silence, the little cat, with its vacant eyes and messy fur, returned to continue sleeping, pretending it hadn’t seen anything.

The light flickered gently, and the room fell into silence, with only the sound of gentle back-patting remaining. One hand supported him on the ground while the other patted the back; Lín Zhú Shēng watched the flickering light and felt that the candlelight seemed to have burned quite a bit. He turned his head and asked, “Was it tiring this time in… um, that city?”

If he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed they had been hugging for quite a while. How tiring could it be to need such a long rest?

“A bit.”

Wén Bǎi Zhōu didn’t deny it, breathing in the woody fragrance and the faintly bitter scent of herbs that were so close, his closed eyes opened, and his deep pupils were hidden in the darkness. “I kept thinking, if you left during this time, what would I do?”

His voice was soft, and the breath he exhaled brushed against Lín’s neck. A ticklish Lín was completely focused on battling the ticklish sensation, not hearing a word clearly. After holding it in, he could only let out a sound of endurance, “Hmm?”

Tilting his head slightly, the ticklish feeling disappeared, and he made a sound asking the big brother to repeat himself.

The big brother said it was nothing and asked if he had fun during the competition these past few days.

Lín Zhú Shēng rubbed his chin and said, “Was I happy?”

He wasn’t sure if he was happy; he had earned quite a bit.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded and affirmed, “I guess I was happy.”

He had scored high-quality snacks and fruits, and although he almost stabbed a certain young sect master with his sword, the outcome was still good. He made money and leveled up, and his little broken wooden sword had also upgraded to a real sword.

Recalling the new sword he had just obtained, he paused his back-patting, took out the long sword, and began a full-scale demonstration, complete with enthusiastic commentary.

His commentary was filled with genuine emotion, and the big brother couldn’t help but chuckle, taking the sword to examine it more closely.

While the big brother was looking at the sword, Lín Zhú Shēng passionately explained, “…It was quite thrilling at the time; I had just gotten the sword, and I almost stabbed Chén Jǐng Hào. Ah, I have a question; he also has some responsibility for directly charging at the sword.”

Noticing something that had been glossed over, his fingers brushed over the sword and paused.

“……”

The smile in the corners of Wén Bǎi Zhōu’s eyes disappeared as he raised his head, “Who?”