Great Daoist Master was taken aback. His gaze fell on the phone screen in Huang Shan's hands. A video was playing on it—the very moment Huang Huai had rescued someone, recorded by a tourist and uploaded online.
Huang Huai and Great Daoist Master could see it clearly. The video had been filmed quite skillfully, capturing the tense atmosphere of the moment in full.
Most importantly, the person who posted it had even added narration, perfectly presenting the sequence of events.
Great Daoist Master chuckled. "Since it's happened, we'll let things take their course. You should go back and pack, then spend some time with your mother and Shan. It'll also give you a chance to avoid the limelight."
It was easy to imagine that over the next few days, if the video really went viral, their Xunzhen Temple would be swarmed by countless people. As one of the main figures in the cliff-jumping incident, Huang Huai had better leave the temple for now.
Huang Huai answered, then took his leave of Great Daoist Master and headed toward their lodgings with Huang Shan and Mother Huang.
As she browsed the comments, Huang Shan said with a grin, "Brother, do you know what people are saying in the comments?"
Huang Huai was quietly talking with Mother Huang. He glanced at Huang Shan, who looked as delighted as could be, and said, "What else would they say? They're definitely praising how handsome your brother is!"
Huang Shan stuck out her tongue at him and laughed. "They're all saying you're amazing, Brother—that you even managed to talk someone down from jumping off a cliff!"
Then, as if she'd spotted an amusing comment, Huang Shan added, "And someone else said you're one of those legendary hypnotists. One sentence, one gesture, and you can hypnotize someone..."
After reading another comment, Huang Shan stared at Huang Huai as though she'd discovered a whole new world. She chattered, "Brother, could you really be some powerful hypnotist? Come on, hypnotize me so I can see what it feels like!"
Huang Huai grinned and pressed a finger to Huang Shan's forehead, pushing her aside as she leaned toward him. "If I had that kind of skill, I'd hypnotize you into washing my socks every day..."
Huang Shan immediately pulled a disgusted face. "Ew, you're so mean, Brother!"
Mother Huang watched her two children laugh and banter, her face brimming with affection and joy.
Huang Huai's lodgings
Huang Shan sat there looking rather listless as she watched Huang Huai pack. "Brother, are we still going to burn incense for Holy Lord Emperor Guan this year?"
Before Huang Huai could answer, Mother Huang, who was helping him pack, said at once, "Shan, visiting Guanlin to burn incense for Holy Lord Emperor Guan has been something our family has done every year for over a decade. Your father made a vow in front of Old Master Guan back then. He said that if Old Master Guan protected your brother and kept him safe, he'd worship Old Master Guan every year. If your father found out you dared not go, do you think he'd give you a beating?"
Huang Shan shrank her neck, apparently remembering how her father never took no for an answer. And since it concerned her brother, she quickly said, "I never said I wasn't going."
Seeing this, Huang Huai couldn't help laughing. He winked at Huang Shan. "At worst, we'll pay our respects to Old Master Guan at Guanlin, and then I'll take you out to have some fun."
Huang Shan seemed to have been waiting for him to say exactly that. "You promised, so don't go back on it later. Mom, you have to be my witness!"
Watching her daughter rush over and cling to her arm, acting coy, Mother Huang smiled and nodded. "All right, all right. I'll be your witness."
As they were talking, Huang Shan's eyes lit up as if she'd spotted something. She stepped forward and picked up a palm-sized porcelain bottle. "Huh? Brother, what's this? It looks like something for girls. Don't tell me you found me a sister-in-law?"
Huang Huai glanced at the bottle in Huang Shan's hand. It was none other than the Red Face Cream he'd brought back from another world.
A graceful young woman was painted on the porcelain bottle. Judging by its design and appearance, it really didn't look like something meant for a man.
At Huang Shan's words, Mother Huang's eyes lit up too. As a mother, she naturally cared most about her son's love life.
It could be said that ninety-nine out of a hundred mothers, once their sons came of age, wished most of all that their sons would soon give them a grandson to hold.
So Mother Huang's gaze swept over the porcelain bottle in Huang Shan's hand, then turned to Huang Huai.
With his little sister and mother staring at him like that, both wearing such inquisitive expressions, Huang Huai knew that if he didn't explain himself, he couldn't imagine where their minds would wander next.
Well, Huang Shan was one thing, but Mother Huang was already wondering what to name her future grandson and whether he would take after his mother or his father more.
Fortunately, Huang Huai had no idea what his mother was thinking. He hurriedly said, "Mom, what are you two imagining? This is a gift I prepared for you."
Mother Huang's face immediately fell with obvious disappointment. Clearly, she'd been hoping even more that her son would find her a daughter-in-law than she'd been hoping for a gift from him.
Huang Shan, on the other hand, curiously opened the stopper as she said, "Brother, what kind of gift is this? Oh, this fragrance is so fresh and natural! I've never smelled anything like it!"
As Huang Shan pulled out the stopper, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted through the air. Not only did Huang Shan look surprised—even Mother Huang did too.
Given the Huang family's means, Mother Huang's cosmetics were naturally top-of-the-line. She'd seen all kinds of high-end products, yet even she couldn't help being impressed by that delicate fragrance. She reached out and picked up another porcelain bottle from the table.
Huang Huai was brimming with confidence in the Red Face Cream. He'd seen the proprietress demonstrate its effects for him with his own eyes. Saying it could restore youth and keep one's beauty forever was an exaggeration, but after applying it a few times, it could make someone who was getting on in years look a decade or so younger. That shouldn't be a problem.
Of course, for someone like Huang Shan, who was only sixteen or seventeen, the Red Face Cream's main benefit was caring for her skin and slowing the aging process.
Mother Huang held the Red Face Cream and looked at Huang Huai too. He cleared his throat and said with a smile, "It's a beauty cream called Red Face Cream, made from a blend of extremely precious medicinal ingredients. A friend of mine makes it by hand using a secret recipe passed down in his family. They say it nourishes the skin and slows its aging. For someone your age, Mom, one bottle should make you look at least ten years younger."
Huang Shan stared at Huang Huai with wide eyes, then pressed her tender little hand to his forehead. "Brother, you don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense? If you said it nourished the skin, that'd be one thing, but making someone ten years younger? Isn't that exactly what those fake-medicine sellers say to scam people? And you're a college student! How can you believe this? Your friend sounds so unreliable."
Mother Huang rolled her eyes at Huang Huai too. "This time, I'm siding with Shan."
Then Mother Huang glanced at the porcelain bottle. "Well, whatever it does, the fragrance is lovely. If it were used as perfume, it'd be even better than those top-of-the-line perfumes. Why not talk your friend into turning the Red Face Cream into perfume instead?"
Huang Huai could only smile wryly. He really had no way to explain himself, because Huang Shan had a point. Thinking about it now, his whole pitch really did sound like the standard spiel of someone selling fake medicine.
But that was exactly what the proprietress had told him—and she hadn't exaggerated at all. The Red Face Cream really did work just as she'd said.
Before you continue