Inside the jolting bus compartment, the backpack in Chen Yuanchu's arms shifted slightly. A cat, pitch-black as ink, quietly poked its head out. Its amber eyes were half-open and half-closed in the dim crevice, seemingly annoyed by the noisy human voices around it, yet it lay there languidly, making no move to retreat.
Its entire body was jet-black, blending almost perfectly with the color of the backpack. If not for the occasional glint of light in its eyes, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to notice a living creature hidden there.
The girl sitting beside Chen Yuanchu was talking a mile a minute, her curiosity boundless as she asked about everything from the material of the Daoist robe to the uses of ritual implements, chattering away like a tireless sparrow. Chen Yuanchu didn't find this noise annoying in the least. Since his Master left, this long journey had been far too silent; having a voice buzzing in his ear actually gave him a long-lost sense of the hustle and bustle of the mortal world.
It wasn't until the girl paused for breath and her gaze inadvertently swept across Chen Yuanchu's waist that she suddenly discovered that dark, shadowy lump.
"What is this..." She subconsciously leaned closer, squinting to get a better look.
Just then, the black cat lazily lifted its eyelids, meeting her gaze head-on.
"...Ah!" The girl cried out in surprise, jerking backward. But once she realized it was a moving ball of fur, her terror instantly transformed into delight, her eyes shining frighteningly bright. "A kitty?!" "You brought a cat?" "It's so black! If its eyes hadn't moved just now, I wouldn't have even seen it!" "It's so fat..."
Xuan Mo: '?'
Clearly, the girl was a die-hard cat lover. Upon discovering the black cat, her attention was instantly and completely captured. Although this cat lacked the flamboyance of a Ragdoll, its coat of ink-black fur exuded a profound aloofness. Its amber pupils held a hint of disdain, yet they were spirited enough to seem almost human.
Lin Zhixia liked it more the more she looked at it. Her hands itched terribly, but she restrained herself from reaching out directly, asking instead with eager eyes: "Can I pet it? I really love kitties!"
"Not a good idea. It doesn't like strangers; it'll scratch you," Chen Yuanchu warned.
"Okay..." Lin Zhixia said, her face full of regret.
The cat, however, seemed to do it on purpose. Seeing the girl wanting to touch it but not daring to, it actually stretched, striking a pose as if preening, driving Lin Zhixia crazy with desire yet leaving her helpless.
Hmph, call me fat. Suffer!
...
As the journey passed the halfway mark, the temperature inside the bus gradually climbed.
In the slowly moving bus, complaints began to rise one after another: "Driver, do you have the AC on? Why is it so hot in the back? The heat woke me up!" "Yeah, yeah, there's no air coming from this vent at all..." "On a day this hot, surely you can't just have the AC on in the front..."
Hearing the dissatisfaction of the passengers in the middle and back, the driver was helpless too. He explained through the rearview mirror: "The AC in the back is broken. Just bear with it, there's nothing I can do." "It's the middle of summer! Without AC, we'll die of heat!"
Hearing this, Lin Zhixia belatedly noticed the situation in the middle and rear. She turned her head to look around; most of the surrounding passengers had flushed faces and looked sweltering, yet she didn't feel the slightest discomfort.
"Is the AC not blowing on our side either?" the girl asked the young Daoist sitting by the window.
"Mm, probably broken here too." Chen Yuanchu nodded faintly.
"Aren't you hot? Your robe doesn't look very cool, and you're sitting in the corner..."
"No. A calm heart cools the body. Are you hot?"
"Nope. I'm usually most afraid of the heat, but I don't feel hot right now either."
Although her name was Zhixia (Knowing Summer), the girl was usually terrified of the heat. At this moment, everyone around her was suffering from the heat, yet she alone felt cool. It felt quite magical to her.
Could it be that "a calm heart cools the body" really works?
Lin Zhixia knew she wasn't the type who could sit still. Perhaps it was the warm, comfortable atmosphere she felt while chatting with the young Daoist beside her.
The heat became unbearable, and many passengers in the back couldn't sit still anymore. They simply left their seats and moved to the front; standing was more comfortable than sitting.
An older woman used her palm as a fan, standing next to Chen Yuanchu and Lin Zhixia's seats. She fanned herself while striking up a conversation with the young Daoist. "Little Master, are you a Daoist?" "I am a Daoist." "I have a few questions I'd like to ask, is that okay?" "Please, go ahead." "It's about my old man. Recently, he always feels a tightness in his throat at night, and his breath is terrible when he wakes up. A few days ago, he went up the mountain with some fellow villagers. Do you think he might have..."
Seeing the woman speaking so seriously, Lin Zhixia perked up her ears too, instantly imagining scenes of ghosts strangling people.
But she saw Chen Yuanchu just nod calmly and say, "It's probably just excessive liver fire. Drink more water usually, and if possible, brew some cooling tea." "He hasn't been afflicted by anything...?" "No, he hasn't."
"Also, my son went along that day too. Recently, he's been listless all day, lethargic and sleepy. His legs get weak when he walks. He's young but already has back pain. The other day I saw him playing games and saying something about a succubus..."
"That state sounds like excessive indulgence."
"Huh? He doesn't have a girlfriend yet!"
The older woman clearly hadn't caught on, but Lin Zhixia, as a modern girl, turned the corner in her mind immediately, covering her mouth and giggling with a slight blush.
Despite his young age, Chen Yuanchu showed no shyness when discussing such topics.
He had long been accustomed to questions like the woman's. Many people misunderstood Daoists, and the questions they asked usually had nothing to do with the true 'Dao.' Things like headaches, fevers, insomnia, and nightmares—when science and medicine couldn't fix it, people sought metaphysical solutions.
It was like being a programmer but always being asked to fix computers. As a Daoist, Chen Yuanchu felt he could practically hang a shingle and work as a half-doctor.
"Later, you can have your son check if it's kidney yang deficiency or kidney yin deficiency. For yang deficiency, use Suoyang Gujing Pills or Guifu Dihuang Pills. For yin deficiency, use Liuwei Dihuang Pills or Zhibai Dihuang Pills. If it's kidney essence deficiency, use some Wuzi Yanzong Pills. Along with the medication, he should exercise more restraint in his daily life."
"Uh... oh, okay. Thank you, Little Master."
Whether the woman believed Chen Yuanchu or continued to believe her son had encountered something dirty, the girl beside them was already impressed beyond words.
"You know so much! Do Daoists study this too?" "Just picked it up through exposure."
Lin Zhixia got interested and turned to face him. "Then... can you take a look at me too?"
"..."
Chen Yuanchu began to size up the teenage girl before him.
He had to admit, the girl was quite beautiful. Paired with her blue and white school uniform, she exuded an invincible sense of youth. Looking at her forehead, it was full and round like a flower bud first blooming in spring—a sign of deep fortune. Looking at her brows and eyes, the eyebrows were soft and relaxed, the tails slightly upturned. Her eyes were distinct in black and white, with large, spirited pupils, revealing intelligence and a cheerful nature.
As Chen Yuanchu read her face, she was also looking at him.
The girl had once spent twenty yuan on the street to have her fortune told. Those fortune tellers were either old men or older women; naturally, they couldn't compare to Chen Yuanchu in terms of appearance.
Perhaps because they were similar in age and Chen Yuanchu was good-looking, after being stared at for a while, Lin Zhixia started to feel shy. She hurriedly spoke up to break the strange mood: "Well? Well? What did you see?" "You..." "I'm warning you, I don't have a partner yet, so no nonsense!" Remembering what Chen Yuanchu had just told the older woman, the girl quickly patched things up.
"Your physiognomy are very good. You will have good relations with all sides, things will go smoothly, and fortune will accompany you. However, you have some internal heat lately. Stay up less late, rest more, and drink more water."
Although she didn't take the young Daoist's words too seriously in her heart, people always love to