Yin Wushu stood in the middle of the street, slowly scanning around, listening to various sounds from far and near, and suddenly said, "Indeed, it's noisy."

Xie Bai, with his eyes lowered, raised his head at the words, not understanding why he brought it up all of a sudden.

Yin Wushu squinted his eyes as if reminiscing and said lightly, "I've lived on Guyang Street for many years, I can't even remember how many. The names of these shops, whether there are lanterns hanging at the entrance, whether they are red or white, and the people living here, I never paid attention to before, and it really has nothing to do with me. The reason I live here is simply because I should be living here, not because I like it or dislike it. I rarely have feelings of 'liking' or 'disliking' anything."

Xie Bai responded with a grunt, "The only thing I clearly dislike is dust and dirt."

"You summed it up nicely." Yin Wushu lazily smiled and pointed to the street to the east. "After you moved in, I had the first interest to go out and explore, just to amuse a kid. I never paid attention to the folk activities around here during festivals. The markets and lantern festivals I took you to were actually my first time attending."

Xie Bai was somewhat surprised but then understood—someone like Yin Wushu, who was accustomed to the bustling streets of the Demon Market, wouldn't be interested in folk markets...

Every time Yin Wushu went, it was to amuse him, taking him to lively places and showing him things he hadn't seen before.

"Surprised? It seems like I'm doing a good job of pretending." Yin Wushu chuckled, "I suddenly felt that these dusty streets and alleys of the mortal realm also have their charm. This Guyang Street is quite interesting when it's bustling."

He paused slightly after speaking, squinted his eyes faintly, and continued, "But there are annoying times too... After you moved out, this street became noisier day by day. That couple in the cloth shop, with a combined age of over a hundred, one laughs like a stretched goose, the other squawks like an angry pheasant, it never ends. And that courtyard of Lou Xianyue, whether it's the ones making the liquor or the ones brewing it, they never stop talking from morning till night. Sometimes I really want to summon a cloud and pour a torrential rain over that courtyard and get rid of everyone."

"Fortunately, I haven't reached that level of depravity." Yin Wushu chuckled at his own words, "Back then, I felt that the shops were noisy, the people on the street were noisy, even the wind blowing through the peach and plum trees in the courtyard, rustling the leaves, made my head ache. Later, when I got annoyed, I chopped down all the trees, demolished the house, and rebuilt it without a loft, so the sound of the wind could be a bit quieter..."

Listening to Yin Wushu's words, Xie Bai felt somewhat stunned.

These feelings were exactly the same as when he lived here. It was because of this that he moved out again and moved into an ordinary residential area. He thought that over the past hundred years or so, only he had been trapped in these recurring emotions, but now he realized that he wasn't alone...

Suddenly, most of the emotions that had accumulated in his heart for a hundred years dissipated, and even the noisy voices on the streets and alleys became more pleasant to listen to.

Xie Bai turned to Yin Wushu and said, "How long do you plan to stand on the street? Aren't you going to come in?"

Yin Wushu raised an eyebrow, "I'll come in when you say so. But a suit like mine seems a bit out of place on this street."

Xie Bai glanced at him irritably, "You're so particular, let's go."

With that, he strode toward the courtyard of Tai Xuan Dao.

Xie Bai pushed open the courtyard gate, revealing the blooming peach blossoms inside, the timing was just right. He stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard. Just as he took a few steps, he noticed Yin Wushu standing at the door, not coming in.

"Why aren't you coming in?" Xie Bai turned around and asked him, puzzled.

Yin Wushu replied evasively, "The peach blossoms are just right."

Xie Bai remained expressionless, "They've been just right for a hundred years. Are you being foolish?"

Yin Wushu still showed no intention of entering. He leaned against the door, arms folded, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at him. "Young man, let's discuss something."

Xie Bai: "...... Go on."

"Could you change your outfit temporarily and satisfy this particular and impoverished person?" Yin Wushu scratched his chin.

Xie Bai's mouth twitched, and he glanced at the scenery and objects in the courtyard before reluctantly humming a response from his nose. As soon as the sound fell, his hair had grown extremely long, and his shirt and coat had disappeared, replaced by the same white clothes he used to wear, with wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, just like before.

A hundred years had passed, and the dream had finally awakened.

Yin Wushu quietly watched him for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and knocked on the already open door with a wooden sound. "Knock, knock," the sound echoed, and he spoke, "I've come from a hundred years later. Does the immortal official surnamed Xie under the peach tree have something to ask?"

Xie Bai: "......"

He wanted to say, "Are you crazy?" but upon meeting Yin Wushu's smiling eyes, he held back and after hesitating for a while, he shook his head with some irritation. "No."

"Alright, then I have something to ask you..." Yin Wushu paused for a moment and said slowly, "For the past one hundred and thirty-two years, I have always dreamed of this place, dreaming of you pushing the door from outside, holding wine you got from Lou Xianyue, and telling me that you've come back."

Xie Bai froze.

"I want to ask you... with this hundred years of history in front of us, do you still want to come back home?" Yin Wushu looked at him quietly, the smile in his eyes had disappeared at some point, and for the first time in his life, he seemed so serious.

Everything that had happened in the past hundred years passed before Xie Bai's eyes like falling peach petals, disturbing his gaze.

Then the wind ceased, and the trees grew quiet.

With the dust settled, there was clarity.

The person under the tree still stood under the tree, and the person in front of the door still leaned against the door.

Xie Bai said lightly, "This is my home now."

Yin Wushu immediately responded, "Alright, it's your home. So, are you willing to let me come back home?"

Xie Bai raised his chin slightly and said blandly, "Come in."

Yin Wushu smiled. He straightened up and was about to step over the threshold, just like stepping through the hundred-plus years between them, when Xie Bai added, "The master has changed, so should your role in entering."

"Oh?" Yin Wushu raised an eyebrow, probably the first time he had encountered Xie Bai being so proactive. He asked with great interest, "Changed to what?"

Xie Bai said seriously, "Dad?"

Yin Wushu's foot, which was about to cross the threshold, trembled, almost tripping him and tumbling inside. "..."

Xie Bai pursed his lips, revealing a shallow smile, his eyes curved and bright. It was exactly the same expression as after successfully playing a prank years ago.

With one foot inside the door and one foot outside, Yin Wushu's expression was indescribable. After hesitating for a while, he squeezed out a sentence, "Stop kidding! When you shout like that, I feel like I'm a pervert. Should I come in or not..."

Xie Bai raised his chin. "I think in Aunt Lou's eyes, you already are. People who don't feel comfortable without digging out hearts, who would believe them?"

Yin Wushu: "Young man, I've noticed that you're particularly fierce with your words today."

"You taught me well, it runs in the family." Xie Bai, arms crossed, looked at him calmly. But in the next moment, his vision blurred, and Yin Wushu, who had just been standing at the door, was now in front of him, incredibly close.

He was very tall, and at such close proximity, even Xie Bai had to tilt his head slightly to meet his gaze.

Yin Wushu gently pinched Xie Bai's chin, lowering his gaze. "You make a good point. There's no way I can refuse to come back."

Xie Bai's eyelashes trembled, and he lowered his gaze as well, his voice stiff. "So what about ...?"

"So we'll just have to seal it off..." Yin Wushu lowered his head and lightly rubbed his nose against Xie Bai's, then kissed him. His last words were muffled by their lips, whispered so softly they were barely audible.

 

Translator : DarNan