The Henggong Fish fat was finally acquired by Shopkeeper Xue at a record-breaking price.

On the carriage ride back, the royal blue satin box they brought from the Thousand Lantern Tower lay open before them, revealing the lustrous and precious fish fat.

Tao Mian studied it for a while.

"Such a small, inconspicuous thing almost cost this Immortal one of my shops."

Opposite him, Xue Han was leisurely brewing tea.

"Be content. It's a blessing that you weren't the one lost. Shen Bozhou won't let this go easily."

"Why? Just because I took something he wanted?"

"He's not interested in the fish fat. What truly intrigues him is your identity," Xue Han paused, "Did he say anything strange to you during the Lantern Collision?"

Tao Mian thought carefully, and the only odd thing he could recall was Shen Bozhou exposing his Immortal identity in their conversation.

"He recognized me as a human Immortal."

"Oh?"

Xue Han raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.

After being tormented by the Soul Return for three days, Little Tao Immortal shouldn't have any trace of Immortal aura detectable by any demon or monster. Xue Han was confident in the incense he used, which was the most authentic.

Unless Shen Bozhou discovered his disguise through other means.

"Could it be because you naturally look like an Immortal?"

"...What do you mean by looking like an Immortal," Tao Mian was equally puzzled but decided to let it go for now, "Anyway, let's hope we don't meet him again."

"By saying that, you might just run into him tomorrow."

"Please, no," every fiber of Tao Mian's being resisted the idea, but he suddenly remembered something else, "Speaking of which, Xue Han, you actually know martial arts?"

Tao Mian had clearly seen Xue Han block Shen Bozhou's attack. He wasn't a novice; he could gauge the power of that strike at a glance. Xue Han always maintained the image of a gentle and refined businessman, and Tao Mian had no memory of him practicing any cultivation techniques.

As the topic turned to himself, Shopkeeper Xue relaxed, leaning against the cushion.

"When you're out and about, there are always things money can't solve."

His fingers idly played with the tassels of his fan, smiling.

"......"

"You seem very surprised."

"I'm not; my face just looks like this."

"Did you never imagine that someone who wasn't taken in as your disciple could still throw a few punches and kicks?"

"What's so good about joining my Peach Blossom Mountain? You'd just suffer poverty with me."

"You say that," Xue Han sighed, "but you never truly believe it. Peach Blossom Mountain is your sanctuary; you're forever tied to it.

I've figured it out. Your disciples are just passing through; only the mountain remains."

For many years, Xue Han was troubled by one question: why did Tao Mian decide to save him back then but refused to take him back to Peach Blossom Mountain?

At that time, Little Tao Immortal was poor, but he was still an Immortal who had lived for over a thousand years. Providing for two children wasn't an issue. Peach Blossom Mountain was vast and bountiful; just leaving him a set of utensils and a bed would suffice, or even the bed could be spared.

He didn't ask for much.

Life at the Xue residence was far more affluent and comfortable than that remote Peach Blossom Mountain, and his adoptive parents treated him with care and affection. The former Xue Han once persuaded himself to let go of his longing. What was there to desire in that little broken mountain? There were no exquisite dishes, no fine teas or wines, and certainly no rare antiques for him to admire.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

...Let alone finding someone to serve him; the reality was more likely that he'd be serving the lazy Tao Mian.

This self-consolation worked for a while, and Xue Han thought he was over it, that Peach Blossom Mountain was no longer his concern.

But one day, as a young boy, he wandered through the courtyard. When the first leaf fell, heralding the arrival of autumn, he realized he still longed for that mountain.

Many things require the courage to speak of as time passes. Twenty years after Gu Yuan, Tao Mian's first disciple, passed away, Xue Han casually brought up the matter with him.

Reflecting on his age at the time, he was still relatively young. If it were today's Shopkeeper Xue, with no reservations, he might even resort to tying someone up to force a confession.

But back then, Xue Han could only present his long-held obsession as a joke.

As the crabapple blossoms fell and the wine carried a fragrant dust, Tao Mian and Xue Han sat in the courtyard, drinking together, with a pot of Xifeng wine and two white jade cups.

Tao Mian was slightly tipsy, leaning against the lacquered red railing, pinching a crabapple blossom with pink edges and snowy tips between his fingers, his blinking slowed.

Xue Han held his wine cup, deliberately averting his gaze, afraid he wouldn't be able to speak.

He joked, saying, "Look at Peach Blossom Mountain, a place of outstanding people and abundant resources. Raising ten children wouldn't be a problem. Why did you only save Gu Yuan from the bathtub back then and send me, who was begging in the corner, to someone else?"

Tao Mian responded with a noncommittal "hmm," like a meaningless murmur.

As the evening breeze swept through, dozens of crabapple blossoms fell gracefully. Xue Han thought he wouldn't get an answer.

Then Tao Mian slowly spoke.

"Xue Han... I often say... everyone has their own destiny... everyone has their own path to cultivate.

Just like Gu Yuan became my disciple, and you were adopted by the Xue family."

Xue Han waited expectantly, only to receive a meaningless response.

His hand holding the cup paused slightly.

Forget it.

He assumed Tao Mian was drunk, not in his right mind. Asking him who he was now might not even yield an answer, let alone such a complex and profound question.

But Tao Mian continued.

He twirled the fallen blossom between his fingers, his thoughts drifting to the sky.

He said, "What's so good about being my disciple, Tao Mian? A life full of hardships and wandering.

An Immortal's heart is made of flesh; an Immortal can also feel sorrow, melancholy, and have wild thoughts.

Sometimes the Immortal wonders if it's because the disciples are destined for hardship that they seek him out, or if meeting him brings them misfortune.

If he hadn't taught them the skills to reach the heavens, if they had lived as ordinary people, could they have lived a long and stable life?"

Thinking back, Little Tao Immortal was just over a thousand years old at the time, so being overwhelmed by such thoughts was normal. Gu Yuan was his first disciple, and his death brought him years of lingering pain.

It's undeniable that the appearance of Lu Yuandi, to some extent, saved him. As his disciples grew, he too matured.

He never shared his feelings with anyone, not even Xue Han, whom he had known for many years.

At the time, Xue Han didn't understand; he only felt that Tao Mian was being evasive and rejecting him.

This subtle notion reached an extreme after Lu Yuandi became Tao Mian's disciple. Xue Han grew increasingly perplexed.

Moreover, because the Second Disciple was a girl, Tao Mian was even more concerned.

Originally, they would have a few small gatherings each year, but after Lu Yuandi went up the mountain, Tao Mian always made excuses not to come.

Xue Han had seen Lu Yuandi as a child, her face and hands always covered in dirt, running wild in the mountains every day, a little wild child. She wasn't afraid of strangers, her dirty hands clutching a peach tree, her dark eyes staring at him like a fawn in the woods.

The fact that "Shi Fu has friends" was a shock to her. At that time, she was in her rebellious phase; if Tao Mian wanted her to go east, he had to say, "Er Ya, you should go west."

When Tao Mian went up the mountain to bring her back to cook, she was tucked under the Immortal's arm, kicking and screaming, insisting she wouldn't go.

Then, in the not-so-spacious courtyard of Peach Blossom Temple, Xue Han, Tao Mian, and Lu Yuandi sat at the same table, tasting the Second Disciple's cooking.

Xue Han took a bite and nearly snapped his chopsticks.

Seeing his displeasure, Tao Mian sincerely asked, "Shall I make you another dish?"

Xue Han told him to stop fussing; he didn't come to Peach Blossom Mountain to die.

That day, he took an interest in Lu Yuandi and specifically investigated her background. Discovering that this dirt-covered girl was actually a princess from the previous dynasty, and that Tao Mian had taken such a troublesome figure as a disciple, Xue Han nearly decided to burn down Peach Blossom Mountain.

One sect leader's orphan was gone, and now a princess from the previous dynasty had arrived.

Xue Han sneered, "Impressive."

He unilaterally decided not to get involved in the affairs of Peach Blossom Mountain anymore, wanting to see what fate awaited this Second Disciple. After all, he had plenty of time.

Later, the dirt-covered girl left Peach Blossom Mountain and transformed into a golden phoenix. She ascended the throne, proclaimed herself emperor, and sat aloof on the dragon throne, overlooking all beings.

The path to the heights grows narrower with each step, leaving no room for anyone else. Even she had to stand on tiptoe to tread the precarious heavenly ladder.

The Peach Blossom Immortal and Peach Blossom Mountain were not meant to be part of this journey.

With Lu Yuandi gone, Tao Mian resumed their few annual gatherings. Under the familiar crabapple tree at the Xue residence, Xue Han asked Tao Mian if he felt lonely.

The First Disciple was leaving, and the Second Disciple was leaving too. People came and went, but he remained, guarding the vibrant peach blossoms, year after year.

Tao Mian's alcohol tolerance had slightly improved over the years; he was no longer a one-cup wonder and could handle half a cup more.

He took a small sip, smiling as he glanced at the master of the residence.

"Recently, my memory hasn't been great; I can't quite recall the embarrassment of our first meeting."

Xue Han said that bringing up such old, trivial matters was a buzzkill; it was something from so many years ago.

"Yes, it's been many years," Tao Mian sighed, "The child I carried half-dead into the clinic back then is now one of my few close friends."

Mountains and rivers are not as important as the rarity of meeting and finding a true friend.

Hearing this, Xue Han forgot to savor the wine at his lips, his mind momentarily blank.

When he came to, he was slightly annoyed, muttering a low curse.

He was scolding himself for being so easily relieved.

That one accidental glance and a moment of soft-heartedness led the Immortal to forge a bond outside Peach Blossom Mountain.

A disciple's bond is a disciple's bond; a friend's bond is a friend's bond.

Tao Mian understood the distinction. He never considered taking Xue Han as a disciple, thinking they would have no further interaction.

But Xue Han came to the mountain, and this accidental bond bore good fruit.

The tangled mess in Xue Han's heart, which had persisted for years, was cut through by the Immortal's simple words. As he gazed at the moonlit courtyard, he found himself smiling.

He thought that the distant, obsessive emperor would eventually understand that an Immortal is always an Immortal, like the moon in the mountain, casting its clear light over the world but never shining for anyone alone.

Rather than chasing the moon, it's better to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and raise a cup to drink with the moon.

...

Of course, Shopkeeper Xue's "enlightenment" was intermittent. Occasionally, when he was with Tao Mian, he still wanted to bind the Immortal to the mortal world.

But the Immortal always found a way to escape, once or twice, ten times, a hundred times, and it became their unique way of interacting.

After acquiring the Henggong Fish fat, Tao Mian naturally intended to return to Peach Blossom Mountain.

Xue Han wasn't in a hurry; he said the formula was with him, and he could handle it himself.

Then the bank's staff witnessed the chief manager being forced to assist the deputy manager for three consecutive days.

The chief manager was furious but couldn't speak up, overturning seven or eight tables, only to have to obediently set them back up each time.

The experience was so painful that when Xue Han finally let Tao Mian return to the mountain, with the prepared medicine packets in his arms, the sound of the abacus beads still echoed in his ears.

The Immortal returned to Peach Blossom Mountain, dizzy and with ringing ears, greeted only by Chu Liuxue.

Chu Liuxue circled the foot of the mountain every day, and finally, she saw the familiar corner of a robe appear around the bend.

She couldn't help but feel delighted, yet she restrained herself, simply saying she had a premonition last night, and it came true today.

Tao Mian didn't expose her, smiling as he patted her head.

"San Tu has waited long enough. Rest assured, Shi Fu is here now."