After dinner, the night descended like thick ink, quietly shrouding the entire city. But this didn't mean the city had fallen silent; on the contrary, it was lighting up inch by inch in another form. The halos of streetlamps, the ribbons of car headlights, the neon lights of shopping districts, the warm yellow glows of residential buildings, the lanterns of street vendors... These lights did not intrude upon one another, yet they intertwined, merging and colliding in the night, redrawing the city's outline clearly and distinctly. For Chen Yuanchu and Xuanmo, who had lived in the mountains for so long, this scenery still carried a sense of novelty. The man and the cat came to the rooftop terrace, gazing down at the prosperous city nightscape from above. The floorboards, having baked in the sun all day, still radiated some residual warmth, but fortunately, the evening breeze carried a pleasant coolness that dispelled the heat as soon as it rose. Faint footsteps were heard on the stairs, followed by the rooftop's iron door being gently pushed open. Chen Yuanchu and the cat turned to see Su Wanyin coming up to collect the bedsheets. "Are those bedsheets of yours, Wanyin-jie?" Chen Yuanchu asked with a smile, watching Su Wanyin take the sheets off the clothesline. "Yeah, the rooftop is considered a common area, and my own balcony is too small to dry things properly, so I bring them up here." Su Wanyin hugged the sun-dried sheets and took a deep breath—the dry, fresh scent mixed with laundry detergent and the smell of sunshine, which she loved most. She then looked up at Chen Yuanchu standing by the parapet and the black cat perched on the wall, curious. "What are you two doing up here?" "Nothing much, just looking around." "The scenery here must be quite different from what you see in the mountains, right?" "Yeah, very different." "Alright then, I'll go back and take a shower first. Do you want to go first?" "Wanyin-jie go ahead, I still need to go out and buy some things later, and get a haircut on the way." "Sure, I'll head back then." Chen Yuanchu gently patted the cat's butt, and Xuanmo lightly leaped down from the parapet, running to Su Wanyin's feet, following her back inside. Su Wanyin was utterly amazed—this was the first time she'd ever seen such an intelligent cat. Not only was it unafraid of unfamiliar environments, but it even knew how to use the litter box by itself and could follow along like a dog. Those amber-colored, lively eyes seemed to understand human speech! Unfortunately, this aloof cat wasn't as approachable as Chen Yuanchu. Every time she wanted to reach out and pet it, it always managed to slip away with an agile maneuver. While Su Wanyin was still walking down the stairs, Xuanmo had already darted ahead, sitting upright in front of the door of Room 901, waiting for her to open it. "Meow." "Alright, alright, I'll open the door for you, I'll open it..." When Su Wanyin opened the door, Xuanmo strutted inside, jumped onto the sofa, and settled comfortably into a corner. If one were to ask Xuanmo what it liked most about the city, it would probably be this sofa—so soft and comfortable! The residential complex wasn't particularly tall, still far from being able to overlook the entire city. Coming down from the rooftop and returning to ground level, this visual limitation became even more apparent. The view was almost blocked by the intricate network of streets and the forest of tall buildings, forcing every ordinary person living in this city to focus only on what was immediately before them. Nothing else mattered; the present moment was life itself. When Chen Yuanchu was on the mountain, he rarely concerned himself with material matters—not because he didn't lack things, but simply because in different environments, people develop different mindsets. Now that he had descended to enter the secular world, even this young Taoist priest had to start considering the trivial matters of food, clothing, and daily necessities. Chen Yuanchu walked into a barbershop near the entrance of the residential complex, planning to get a haircut first. Pushing open the glass door, the cool air inside greeted him. It was the start of the school term, and the barbershop had quite a few customers. As Chen Yuanchu in his Taoist robe pushed open the door, all the customers waiting for haircuts and the busy barbers turned their heads to look at him. "Little Taoist priest, are you here to..." "Get a haircut." "Oh! It might take a while if there are many customers. Would you like to come wash your hair first?" "Sure." The price list for haircuts was posted on the glass door—simple cut: 25 yuan; wash, cut, and blow-dry: 40 yuan. Chen Yuanchu originally only wanted a simple cut, but on second thought, he thought it would be nice to experience having his hair washed. After all, over all these years, only when he was a child had his master ever washed his hair—and what a painful memory that was. His master's hands, rough with calluses, seemed determined to scrub his scalp right off, making him wince and grimace. Unlike the hairstyles commonly seen among modern people, Chen Yuanchu wore the classic Taoist topknot. As the washing assistant unwrapped his topknot, the young man's long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching past his shoulders. Chen Yuanchu was meticulous about hygiene and took care of his appearance daily. His long hair was naturally clean; except when sleeping, he usually tied it up in a topknot. "Your hair quality is really excellent..." The washing assistant couldn't help but compliment him, as few modern people had hair as good as Chen Yuanchu's. The washing assistant brought a dry towel and gently tucked it into Chen Yuanchu's collar to prevent his clothes from getting wet during the shampoo, then guided him to sit in the reclining chair. "Please sit here... Hmm... You're tall, you might need to sit down a bit further... Alright, try lying back." Chen Yuanchu had never washed his hair or gotten a haircut outside before, so he seemed rather awkward at the moment. Fortunately, the washing assistant was experienced and didn't mind Chen Yuanchu's clumsiness—after all, it was her first time washing a Taoist priest's hair! The reclining chair was soft and comfortable, and the angle of his head and neck fit perfectly into the shampoo basin. Chen Yuanchu let out a long, relaxed sigh and couldn't help but close his eyes, listening to the sound of water flowing from the showerhead. The water gently fell onto his scalp, accompanied by the washing assistant's gentle little hands combing through his hair. "How is it, is the water temperature all right?" "Mm, it's fine." "Good." Then the formal hair washing began. The first round used a shampoo focused on cleansing power for a quick clean. The second round switched to a mild, moisturizing shampoo for a thorough wash. In between, there were also special massage techniques—the washing assistant's nimble hands alternately pinched, combed, scratched, and kneaded, giving the young Taoist priest quite an enjoyable and eye-opening experience. Master, Master! This is what real hair washing is! Chen Yuanchu thought to himself that his master surely had never experienced such comfort. This could be considered surpassing his teacher. Occasionally, the washing assistant would make small talk with him, such as asking, "Are you really a Taoist priest?" "Yes." "Hard to tell... You seem to be about my age, and yet you became a Taoist priest so young." "How old are you?" "Nineteen." "Don't you go to school?" "I'm not good at studying. I graduated from a technical secondary school and came out to work." "Where are you from?" "Hehe, Taoist priests ask that too? I'm from Southern Hunan. Have you ever been there?" "Maybe someday." In the midst of casual chatter, time passed quickly. "Is there any part of your scalp that still itches?" "No, thank you." "Then let me rinse your hair?" "Alright." After rinsing the foam out of his hair, the washing assistant dried it to a damp state with a towel, then brought hair clips to pin up his long, flowing hair. "Do you have a specific stylist in mind? A director-level cut costs an extra twenty yuan..." Perhaps because she had a good impression of Chen Yuanchu, after saying this, the assistant lowered her voice and quietly reminded him, "Actually, they're all pretty similar..." Chen Yuanchu smiled. "Then just a regular cut, please." "Alright, please wait a moment, it shouldn't be long." "Thank you." "You're welcome." Chen Yuanchu found a seat to sit down, and the washing assistant poured him a glass of water, then went busy attending to another customer. Even though the washing assistant's job was considered among the lower rungs of society, Chen Yuanchu held no discrimination whatsoever. Everyone worked hard to earn a living with their own two hands—so who was anyone to claim they were more noble than another? After waiting about twenty minutes, it was finally Chen Yuanchu's turn. Under the barber's guidance, he sat in the chair. The barber brought a cape, shook it out, and draped it over him. The barber looked at his reflection in the mirror, and Chen Yuanchu also looked at himself in the mirror. "How would you like your hair cut