In order to avoid keeping the other person waiting too long, Zhou Song didn’t even bother pouring the water into the vat when he got home. He just left it by the door and prepared to head out immediately.

However, just as he was about to step out, he paused, lifted a hand to touch his face, and realized it was covered in sweat. He raised his arm and gave it a sniff—there was definitely a sweaty smell.

Retracting his foot, he went back inside, scooped up some water, and washed his face. He even used soapwort, which he typically avoided when washing up.

If it weren’t for not wanting to keep someone waiting, he might have even changed his clothes. In hindsight, he wished he hadn’t spent the morning tidying up the yard—now he was all sweaty and stinky from the hard work.

While washing his face, he ran his hand over his slightly prickly chin and furrowed his brow, clicking his tongue. He realized he hadn’t shaved today.

With plenty of self-criticism and dissatisfaction, Zhou Song tidied himself up as best he could. Then, he left the house, hurriedly walking towards his destination.

As he neared the person’s door, his pace slowed. He took a moment to calm his breathing, checked that his clothes were in order, and smoothed out the collar and cuffs before finally raising his hand to knock. He knocked lightly, as if afraid to disturb the person too much.

Fortunately, Shen Qingzhu was already in the courtyard and heard the knock. He walked over, opened the door slightly, and upon seeing it was Zhou Song, opened it fully.

Zhou Song watched him step out and immediately took a step back, lowering his gaze. “Let’s go.”

Shen Qingzhu turned to close the courtyard door and, hearing Zhou Song’s words, nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Zhou Song responded softly.

It was the second time he had heard Shen Qingzhu say that, and this time Shen Qingzhu just smiled, not bothering with any more polite words.

They walked side by side, keeping a person’s width between them—a space Zhou Song had purposefully created to avoid getting too close and causing any gossip.

Shen Qingzhu noticed this small gesture. He glanced sideways at the stoic man, feeling his opinion of Zhou Song improve just a little.

Unlike those pretentious Qian Yuan in the capital, who wore the guise of a gentleman but showed their true intentions in every word and action, always trying to get closer. It was disgusting.

He took the initiative to ask, “I see the village is surrounded by mountains. Do the villagers often go into the mountains?”

Zhou Song, walking stiffly beside him, heard the question and tilted his head slightly, though not enough to meet Shen Qingzhu’s gaze directly. “Mm, aside from working in the fields, people will sometimes go into the mountains to gather wild goods to sell and make extra money.”

Not everyone who went into the mountains was like him, hunting. The mountains also had plenty of wild mushrooms and medicinal herbs that could be gathered. Besides using them at home, people could also sell them.

However, the outer mountains mostly had common items. The really valuable things were deep in the mountains, where wild beasts roamed. Few dared to venture there.

“Aren’t there tigers or wolves?” Shen Qingzhu asked.

“There are. That’s why the villagers usually stay in the outer mountains,” Zhou Song explained, pausing for a moment. Then, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he added, “But I can go into the deep mountains.”

Shen Qingzhu’s curiosity was piqued. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I hunt,” Zhou Song straightened his back instinctively as Shen Qingzhu looked at him. “I’ve killed wild boars and wolves.”

“All by yourself?” Shen Qingzhu raised an eyebrow, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over Zhou Song’s body.

In the capital, the Qian Yuan often organized hunting events, but those pampered individuals were mostly incompetent, always surrounded by servants and guards. They would corner the prey, letting the master fire a single arrow, and then boast about it as if they had accomplished something great.

Under Shen Qingzhu’s scrutinizing gaze, Zhou Song’s body tensed even more with each passing second. He awkwardly curled his fingers. “Mm.”

“Well, you’re truly impressive,” Shen Qingzhu genuinely complimented.

Although Qian Yuan were naturally stronger than others, with keener senses, not everyone dared to hunt alone in the deep mountains.

Hearing the praise, a small smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Song’s lips. He almost blurted out an invitation to take Shen Qingzhu into the mountains but luckily regained his senses in time. After all, one was a Qian Yuan, and the other was a Kun Ze. Walking around the village was one thing, but going into the mountains alone together would be a different matter.

As they strolled through the village, Zhou Song introduced various households to Shen Qingzhu—who lived where, who was easy to get along with, and who was best to avoid.

Shen Qingzhu listened intently, finding it fascinating. He had thought Zhou Song, with his seemingly unsociable nature, didn’t interact much with the villagers and wouldn’t know such details. To his surprise, Zhou Song was quite knowledgeable.

Of course, Zhou Song had grown up in the village, after all.

If Zhou Song knew what Shen Qingzhu was thinking, he would have told him that he wasn’t wrong. Zhou Song indeed didn’t interact much with the villagers, aside from a few close families. Most of his knowledge came from Lin Erzhu constantly chattering in his ear.

Lin Erzhu was a talker who loved running around and always knew all the trivial gossip. He would then come to Zhou Song and prattle on, not caring whether Zhou Song was listening or not.

In the past, Zhou Song found him noisy, but now, he was immensely grateful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known what to say to Shen Qingzhu.

Shen Qingzhu listened with interest, occasionally responding or asking questions. Their conversation was quite pleasant.

As they walked through the village, they inevitably ran into other villagers. Most people were more curious about Shen Qingzhu than about why the two were walking together, their gazes lingering on Shen Qingzhu.

After all, since he had arrived in the village, Shen Qingzhu hadn’t left his house. The villagers had only heard rumors. Now, seeing him in person, they couldn’t help but stare in amazement.

Goodness, with that appearance and bearing, he truly looked like an immortal. No wonder he had once been a young master from a wealthy family. He was entirely different from their rural, muddy-booted selves.

In this awe-filled atmosphere, Zhou Song, who usually drew attention as the village’s only Qian Yuan, became almost invisible.

However, not everyone was like that.

Two aunts who had just greeted them, after walking a few steps, turned around to look at their backs. One of them said, “How strange. Zhou Song never interacted with the village girls before, but today, he’s walking with a Kun Ze.”

“Maybe it’s because even though he’s a Kun Ze, he’s still a man,” the other woman guessed.

In a remote place like theirs, almost everyone was of average status. The only Kun Ze they knew of was Li Yuanwai’s daughter from the neighboring village. There were some in the nearby town, but they rarely went there. Even when they did, they would just buy what they needed and leave quickly, not drawing much attention.

Zhou Song was always a loner, so perhaps he just saw Shen Qingzhu as a regular man, not realizing what it really meant. After all, when it came to matters of the heart, he had always been clueless.

“You might be right,” the first woman nodded, then gave her companion a playful pat. “But don’t they look kind of good together?”

“Shh, don’t say nonsense,” the other woman shot her a glance and tugged her away. “We can talk amongst ourselves, but let’s not ruin a Kun Ze’s reputation.”

“Of course, I know better than to say anything.”

As the two women whispered and walked away, Zhou Song and Shen Qingzhu arrived at the river.

Though Qi Shan Village was remote, it had mountains and water, and the scenery was quite beautiful. The river was clear and clean, making it a pleasant spot.

Zhou Song led him to a shaded area by the river, where the cool mist from the water blew over them. Shen Qingzhu, feeling a little warm after the walk, let out a sigh of relief.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then rolled up his sleeves, revealing slender wrists with delicate bones that gave off a graceful appearance.

Zhou Song glanced at him and quickly looked away, his heart skipping a beat.

Shen Qingzhu crouched down and dipped his hands into the cool water, first washing his hands and then bending lower to splash his face.

His ponytail, hanging down behind him, slipped forward with the movement and was about to dip into the river.

Without thinking, Zhou Song stepped forward and grabbed the falling hair. It felt soft and smooth, like the finest silk he had once touched in a fabric shop.

Startled, Shen Qingzhu turned to look at him. His face was still wet with beads of water that trickled down his cheek to his chin before falling back into the river.

In that moment, Zhou Song thought his heart stopped. Then, it started pounding even harder. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, “I…”

“Thank you,” Shen Qingzhu spoke first, the surprise on his face fading as he smiled gently. He didn’t ask Zhou Song to let go of his hair and simply went back to washing his face.

In the capital, Shen Qingzhu had always had servants to help him with his hair and clothing, so he was used to it and didn’t find anything unusual about Zhou Song’s actions.

Zhou Song, meanwhile, stood there stiffly, half-bent over, holding Shen Qingzhu’s hair. He was so tense that he didn’t even dare move his fingers.

Standing this close, he could even catch the faint scent of orchids from Shen Qingzhu’s body.

That was the scent of his trust mark. Zhou Song’s throat moved as he swallowed, his gaze darting around uncomfortably before suddenly freezing.

Shen Qingzhu’s hair was in his hand, and with his head bent down, his collar had slipped, leaving the back of his neck exposed, with a faint pink hue to the skin.

Zhou Song’s eyelashes fluttered. He quickly and awkwardly turned his face to the side, taking a couple of deep, suppressed breaths.

After finishing washing his face, Shen Qingzhu pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his face. As he stood up, his hair slipped out of Zhou Song’s grasp.

Watching the tall man hastily take two steps back, Shen Qingzhu finally realized that Zhou Song wasn’t like the Kun Ze who used to serve him. Zhou Song was a real Qian Yuan.

A Qian Yuan who, if he wished, could sink his teeth into Shen Qingzhu’s neck and form a bond with him, binding him forever.

Shen Qingzhu instinctively raised his hand to touch the back of his neck and looked at Zhou Song, who was avoiding his gaze with a flustered expression. Suddenly, Shen Qingzhu realized that the faint scent of pine in the air wasn’t coming from the nearby trees—it was the scent of Zhou Song’s trust mark.

Realizing that Zhou Song had probably noticed the situation too, a feeling of frustration welled up inside him. Zhou Song, his voice low, apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. It was normal for a Qian Yuan to lose control momentarily when they encountered a Kun Ze’s trust mark and scent glands. In the end, this was his own carelessness.

Mainly, it was because Zhou Song was so respectful and knew his boundaries. Shen Qingzhu had never felt uncomfortable around him, unlike other Qian Yuan he had met before. That was why he had almost forgotten Zhou Song’s true identity.

Now that this situation had occurred, it wasn’t really Zhou Song’s fault either. There was no need for him to be so…

Shen Qingzhu’s thoughts suddenly shifted as he glanced at Zhou Song’s awkward expression and the tips of his ears, which had turned red. In that moment, something clicked, and his eyes narrowed slightly in realization.

He remained silent, and Zhou Song grew even more anxious, nervously stealing glances at Shen Qingzhu but too hesitant to meet his gaze directly. After a long pause, he repeated, “I’m sorry.”

Their first real meeting, and it seemed like he had messed it up.

Though Zhou Song stood straight with his head lowered, Shen Qingzhu could sense his frustration and disappointment, like a scolded puppy with its ears drooping, quietly sitting in place.

Suddenly, Shen Qingzhu felt the urge to laugh. He raised his hand to cover his mouth, straightened his expression, and said softly, “It’s fine. I know it wasn’t intentional.”

Hearing this, Zhou Song finally dared to look up at him. Seeing Shen Qingzhu smiling gently, without a trace of anger, Zhou Song felt the stifling tension in the air dissipate. His tense body finally relaxed a little.

Shen Qingzhu, watching him closely, clearly noticed these changes. His eyes curved into a smile again, and he couldn’t help but think that if Zhou Song were a large dog, his tail would probably be wagging by now.

The earlier instinct to distance himself after sensing Zhou Song’s thoughts had faded somewhat. After all, Zhou Song was just a simple farm boy who had little experience with Kun Ze. A momentary emotional stir was understandable for someone his age. There was no need to take it too seriously.