As Rong Zheng mentioned, Shen Qinglin truly has a good temperament. In this land where one feels embarrassed to step outside without committing some heinous act against the natural order, the young master of the Illusionary Truth Pavilion stands out as a beacon of integrity.

Rumor has it that Shen Bozhou isn't particularly polite to his elder brother. Now that he's lost his wits, Shen Qinglin still willingly follows behind him to clean up his messes.

Even Tao Mian, the professional mess-cleaner, couldn't understand it.

Speaking of which, Shen Bozhou actually did knock his head silly...

Can a person who has committed countless misdeeds become a pure-hearted good person after losing all their memories?

This profound question, touching on the innate goodness or evilness of human nature, left Tao Mian momentarily unsure.

Shen Bozhou was verbally reprimanded by his elder brother, hanging his head without retorting, yet still feeling unconvinced.

After scolding his brother, Shen Qinglin turned to apologize to Tao Mian.

Tao Mian shook his head.

"This young master Shen saved me from the fire; I haven't even had the chance to thank him."

Shen Qinglin raised an eyebrow, hardly able to believe it, utterly astonished.

"Who? Bozhou, you actually learned to save people?"

Shen Bozhou was displeased.

"Brother, I told you. No matter how I was in the past, I'm changing now."

"Weren't you the one who used to say your strength was recognizing mistakes and correcting them, and your weakness was correcting them only to repeat them? How come you've suddenly changed your nature?"

"…"

This left both Shen Bozhou and Tao Mian silent.

The flames behind them lingered for a long time, and Tao Mian, worried about his disciple, decided not to delay any further.

"Gentlemen, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Shen Bozhou stepped forward, but was stopped by Shen Qinglin.

Shen Qinglin cupped his hands to Tao Mian, said some polite words, and the three bid farewell.

Shen Bozhou was ushered into the carriage by his brother. Shen Qinglin held the curtain with one hand, gave a courteous smile to Tao Mian, and entered as well.

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As Tao Mian turned to leave, the Shen family's coachman suddenly called out to him from behind.

"Young master, please wait. Our pavilion master has a gift for you, and hopes you will accept it with a smile."

Despite not being related, Shen Qinglin still had something to give him.

The gift was covered with a clean cloth. After thanking the coachman, Tao Mian accepted it.

Only after the coachman left did he uncover the cloth in his hand.

A hollowed-out golden incense ball rolled half a turn in the soft handkerchief, releasing a faint fragrance that could be sensed even without leaning in to sniff.

What was this for?

Tao Mian hooked the chain with his finger, lifting it up to examine.

At that moment, someone patted him on the shoulder from behind—it was Rong Zheng.

"Little Tao! What are you daydreaming about?"

Rong Zheng's fair face had accidentally smeared two or three patches of soot, likely from wiping with her sleeve, which only spread it more evenly, making her look like a mischievous little cat.

Tao Mian extended his fingers, along with the incense ball, in front of her.

"What on earth is this? Oh no, Du Hong's men have caught up! Let's go, let's go—"

Before Tao Mian could say anything, Rong Zheng pushed him to run.

Their ability to cause trouble was top-notch, and their talent for escaping was equally impressive.

The Shadow Guards of the Floating Pavilion watched as the two of them darted into the bustling long street.

The street was lined with open shops, soft red lanterns hanging thirty meters high, dragon and phoenix lanterns swaying, shadows flickering. Tao Mian and Rong Zheng slipped into the crowd like two fish merging into the sea, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The air was filled with a subtle fragrance, and young demons not yet of age frolicked and chased each other, while masked revelers roamed everywhere.

The leader of the group glanced around, spotting a tall male and female figure turning into an alley on the southeast side, and gestured for his men to follow.

Just as they passed by, two "youths" at a nearby mask stall removed their red demon masks, exchanged sly glances, and burst into laughter.

"We can't go back to the mountain now. If they can't find us here, they'll definitely stake out there," Tao Mian leisurely paid for the masks, giving them to his disciple to play with. "Come, Shi Fu will take you to have some fun elsewhere."

True to his word, Tao Mian took his fifth disciple on an indulgent half-month journey before returning to the mountain.

They traveled through mountains and waters, even visiting shops run by immortals in the mortal world.

Rong Zheng, who had been tirelessly working for the Floating Pavilion year-round, never had the time to appreciate the beautiful landscapes.

Now, with her body injured and away from the Floating Pavilion, she had the leisure to explore and enjoy.

Following Tao Mian, Rong Zheng was truly enlightened.

She had previously thought Little Tao Immortal was dirt poor and wondered what they would do to sustain themselves if they exhausted the resources of Peach Blossom Mountain.

But then Tao Mian took her to visit his villa, his tavern, his teahouse, and his pawnshop and fabric store.

Rong Zheng's mouth didn't close the entire tour.

She wanted to ask Tao Mian how he managed it, but she realized that Tao Mian seemed even more surprised than she was.

"…Could it be this is the first time you've realized how wealthy you are?"

"Ahem," Tao Mian cleared his throat, putting on airs. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. I've lived for so many years, of course, I have some savings. Besides, your senior brothers and sisters are all very capable. They care about my well-being and occasionally gift me a few shops or villas. Over time, it adds up to quite a bit."

Rong Zheng listened in shock the entire time, and couldn't help but reflect on herself.

"Little Tao, I can't leave you anything."

"Indeed, you are the poorest disciple I've ever taken."

"…"

"Don't worry, Shi Fu doesn't hold grudges."

"…………"

After touring Tao Mian's assets, it was about time to return to Peach Blossom Mountain.

Mainly because staying outside for too long was tiring, and it was better to return to the mountain.

Whether the Shadow Guards of the Floating Pavilion were still foolishly surrounding Peach Blossom Mountain didn't matter.

If they dared to surround the mountain, Tao Mian dared to surround them.

Rong Zheng returned to the mountain with a large bundle of local specialties. The mountain was still the same, unchanged.

There were traces of intruders, but they hadn't gone too far.

Noble Consort Xin routinely flapped its wings to welcome Tao Mian.

It was now willing to acknowledge Rong Zheng, probably familiar with her presence.

Ever since Tao Mian said Noble Consort Xin couldn't be eaten, Rong Zheng set her sights on the yellow chicken.

She eagerly opened her bundle in front of the yellow chicken.

"Senior Brother Huang, these are the specialties I brought for you."

Wrapped in burlap were star anise, cinnamon, and angelica.

The yellow chicken didn't make a sound, flapped its claws, and fled.

Tao Mian sat in a rattan chair in the courtyard, smiling as he watched his fifth disciple chase the yellow chicken around.

Noble Consort Xin lay curled up on his right, its dark eyes fixed on Tao Mian, as if trying to etch him into its memory.

Tao Mian noticed from the corner of his eye, turned his head, and smiled warmly.

He reached out to stroke the phoenix's neck, which had become much rounder. Its old wounds were slowly healing, now invisible from the outside.

The phoenix closed its eyes comfortably, listening to the immortal speak beside it.

"Don't worry about me. When you want to leave, just go. Return to your kin.

This time, don't linger elsewhere. Fly away, fly high."