Liu Chuan had been cooped up in the house for a full three months to heal before Tao Mian allowed him to leave the Taoist Temple.
"Don't blame Shi Fu for being hard on you. If your wound accidentally splits open and you faint somewhere, I'll have to carry you back."
After taking care of him day and night for three months, Tao Mian had also become noticeably thinner.
Of course, it might also be because he had been cooking for himself every day during those three months.
When Rong Zheng was on the mountain, she was the one who cooked.
After the Fifth Disciple left the mountain, Tao Mian mostly ate whatever he could find. Occasionally, the village chief would invite him to the village for a good meal to improve his living conditions.
But with an injured person in the temple, Tao Mian couldn't wander around freely and spent his days tending to the Sixth Disciple, not having the heart to think about food.
Finally, Shen Bozhou's external injuries had mostly healed, and his internal recovery was about seventy to eighty percent complete.
The Immortal allowed the Sixth Disciple to take short walks around the Taoist Temple but not to go far.
For the first time, Shen Bozhou, in a conscious state, appreciated the serene elegance of the Peach Blossom Temple. The temple wasn't very large; half a day was enough to circle it two or three times.
But the scenery here was irreplaceable.
Tao Mian didn't covet a large place to worship him. He never sought external things, only focused on taking care of this small world.
The Immortal loved flowers and plants, with shrubs and flower beds everywhere, and fresh flowers decorated with various vases.
Even in a corner where a crack had appeared, the Immortal had placed a slender vase in the wall's wound, with a branch of narcissus or lily inside.
Shen Bozhou's habit was to walk along the wall, circling inside once, then outside once.
The yellow chicken ignored him, and he smiled, greeting it with "Hello, Senior Brother."
When he reached the east side of the temple's outer wall, he discovered an empty pen.
It was clean inside, not looking abandoned. It seemed that some poultry had been kept there before, and they appeared to be quite large.
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He didn't understand why the Immortal hadn't dismantled it.
When Shen Bozhou had circled about one and a half times, Little Tao Immortal, who had been freeloading in the village, returned.
He not only ate for himself but also brought food for his disciple.
"Little Liu, come on, it's time to eat."
Although Tao Mian named him Liu Chuan, he always called him Little Liu. Shen Bozhou responded smoothly.
The Immortal was a vegetarian, so Shen Bozhou followed suit. The table was full of green vegetables, which he ate slowly and without complaint.
During the meal, Shen Bozhou asked Tao Mian a question.
"Immortal Master, I've been here at Peach Blossom Mountain for three months now, so why... have I never seen any other senior brothers or sisters?"
The Little Immortal, who was drinking tea and playing with birds, suddenly paused, making Shen Bozhou think something was wrong.
"Did I ask... something I shouldn't have?"
Tao Mian released the gray mountain sparrow, letting it fly away, and sighed.
"It's about time you asked that question. How about this, once your body is in better shape, I'll take you to see your senior brothers and sisters."
Shen Bozhou agreed.
Tao Mian's standard for "better shape" was another month later.
If it were the impatient Fifth Disciple, she would probably be clamoring every day for Little Tao to take her quickly.
But Shen Bozhou was very patient.
Tao Mian remembered a piece of background information given by the Golden Finger, saying that Shen Bozhou had once accidentally fallen into the water from a painted boat and had a serious illness.
This illness had burned away his previously arrogant and domineering personality, leaving only the overly straightforward young man before him.
Tao Mian thought that after a few months of getting along, it was an appropriate time for this question to be asked.
"Little Liu, has anyone ever told you... that you're very different from how you used to be?"
The way he asked was practically a philosophical question.
Shen Bozhou understood what he was referring to. He didn't ask how Tao Mian knew but chose to answer truthfully.
"Some things, even though I was there, I can't quite explain. That day I fell into the water, and when I woke up, I had lost a portion of my memory. It was my... eldest brother and other servants and maids from the Illusionary Truth Pavilion who told me."
"So, you're actually still in a state of amnesia. The things that happened in the past were filled in by others?"
"Yes," Shen Bozhou pursed his lips, "I know I used to have a very bad personality."
Indeed, it was quite bad.
"Have you ever thought that if you fell into the water again, or bumped your head on a door frame or something..." Tao Mian deliberately mentioned bizarre things, "your memory might come back again?"
"I..."
"If you did regain your memory, would you choose to be the old Shen Bozhou or the reformed version of yourself?"
This question left Shen Bozhou bewildered.
"Do I have to... make a decision now?"
The Immortal's clear eyes quietly observed his Sixth Disciple.
"I don't want to hide it from you, but we did have a small conflict before. Although you didn't gain any advantage, Liu Chuan, you did harbor hostility towards me."
"How could that be..."
Shen Bozhou opened his mouth, speechless.
"With Immortal Master being so good, how could I possibly..."
"Well, you might want to ask your past self about that."
Shen Bozhou felt uneasy.
He knew that the "Shen Bozhou" from before had done many bad things, but those were all in the Demonic Realm.
This was the mortal Peach Blossom Mountain, and Tao Mian was a reclusive Immortal here.
He hadn't expected that the evils of his past could be connected to the Immortal of Peach Blossom Mountain.
So how should he conduct himself now that Tao Mian had taken him as a disciple?
The Immortal remained silent, watching as the Sixth Disciple's expression shifted from surprise to panic, and now to sitting as if on pins and needles.
The Immortal smiled and handed him a cup of hot tea.
"Don't worry. I, Tao Mian, take disciples not for their goodness but for fate. Our fate has brought us here, and if I were to refuse, it would only invite disaster."
Shen Bozhou had almost never contradicted his master's words, but this time, he retorted.
"But if this disaster is brought by me, wouldn't that mean, Immortal Master, you're inviting trouble upon yourself?"
Tao Mian remained silent, suddenly standing up.
Shen Bozhou thought he was going to say something like "that's my own fate."
Instead, Tao Mian said—
"Where's my Peach Branch? You're right, I should prevent trouble before it starts and nip the evil little flame in the bud."
The evil little flame, Shen Bozhou: ...
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