Tao Mian originally wanted to knock on Little Rong Zheng's head to stop her from talking nonsense.

But someone else took care of it.

A tall, slender woman strode out from the house, dressed in a dark-colored guard uniform, her expression stern and unapproachable.

This must be the "Shi Fu" that Rong Zheng often mentioned.

Upon hearing the sound of the bowl breaking, the woman's brow never relaxed. She questioned Rong Zheng with her hands behind her back.

"Instead of reflecting quietly, what mischief are you up to now?"

"No, Shi Fu, a dead person came back to life—"

"Where is the dead person?"

Following Rong Zheng's words, the Shi Fu looked around, but there was nothing.

Tao Mian had long since disappeared.

The Shi Fu's face darkened as she turned around. Rong Zheng, being a clever little thing, noticed her displeasure and tilted her head, closing her eyes.

The few remaining pieces of the broken bowl on her head couldn't be saved and fell with a clatter.

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"I'm dead, Shi Fu, it's me who's dead."

"......"

The result was another hour of punishment from the Shi Fu.

Little Rong Zheng stood facing the wall, tearless and regretful, this time not allowed to face the courtyard.

With the bowl gone and the Shi Fu not asking for a replacement, Rong Zheng leaned her head against the wall to save some energy.

A large patch of light was blocked, and Rong Zheng looked up to see Tao Mian sitting on the wall, smiling faintly.

"Do you always climb over the wall instead of using the front door..."

"You guessed right."

"......"

The child grimaced, her shoulders and neck sore, her legs trembling.

Tao Mian was among the softer-hearted of the Shi Fus. He casually cast an illusion, creating another little Rong Zheng banging her head against the wall beside her, allowing the real one to rest.

At this point, Rong Zheng had never seen such magic and found it wondrous.

"Father, I didn't know you were so skilled."

"......I'm not your father."

"I don't know your name, so I just called you something."

"My name is Tao Mian, and I'm an Immortal."

Tao Mian introduced himself, suddenly recalling the instructions from his disciple when he was awake during the day.

"I see you have extraordinary talent and will achieve great things in the future. But before that, I must test you. Pass it, and you will attain immortality."

"......" Rong Zheng didn't show the expected excitement; instead, she was skeptical. "Little Tao, how many kids have you told this to? If you're not good at lying, I can teach you."

"Someone told me that if I said this to you, you would believe it."

"Impossible, who would believe that? The person who told you this must be a fool."

"......"

To be honest, Little Tao Immortal, in all his years, had never seen someone so persistently self-deprecating.

According to Little Rong Zheng's recollection, she had buried her father four times to gain entry into the residence, and when she looked back, the straw mat was empty.

Du Yi asked her what happened, and she said her father was relieved to see she had a place to go and turned to ash without regret.

"You really are bold. Du Yi seems smart, yet you can lie so easily."

"Of course. It's all about having the skills to back it up."

Little Rong Zheng was proud.

This time, Tao Mian stayed in the dream longer than before. He accompanied Little Rong Zheng, watching her practice swordplay, get into trouble, be punished, get into trouble again, and be punished again...

Tao Mian watched Rong Zheng, once again carrying a bucket with a bowl on her head, looking defiant, and didn't know what to say.

"Being able to repeatedly make the same mistake is a skill in itself."

"Praising me? Then I should be proud."

"You... never mind."

Tao Mian stayed with Rong Zheng until she was twelve. Time in the dream passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the moment in Rong Zheng's memory when she first met Du Hong.