Chapter 10

"Wow! Is that an illusion?"

Lin Ling was utterly amazed. He circled the two of them, looking left and right, before his gaze finally landed on the white figure beside them.

"Changyuan?" Lin Ling leaned closer and tested softly.

Shi Changyuan knew Lin Ling had recognized him. In high spirits, he gently pinched Lin Ling's approaching cheek. "You're quite clever."

"Come on, let's go to your temple fair." As Shi Changyuan walked, he instructed, "Go change into something more low-key. We only have one shichen."

"Yay!"

Struck by this sudden surprise, Lin Ling was so delighted that he waved his arms and danced around.

Shi Changyuan immediately pressed Lin Ling down and carefully explained, "Besides that, we need false identities."

He casually picked up a fan and lightly tapped Lin Ling's forehead with its ribs. "We are now merchant brothers delivering goods to the capital. Remember that?"

While struggling with the clothes that felt rather uncomfortable on him, Lin Ling nodded to show he had no objections. Then, obedient and soft, he called, "Brother."

Shi Changyuan's breath caught.

He stared fixedly at the youth before him, his gaze unconsciously falling upon the other's lips. Only after a long while did he speak.

"Call me that again."

Chapter 10

When the two appeared on the streets in plain clothes, their extraordinary bearing still drew the gazes of many men and women.

Especially when Shi Changyuan realized that most of those eyes had fallen on Lin Ling's exquisite face, he suddenly felt they were not being low-key enough.

This Little Mushroom was simply too eye-catching.

Once Shi Changyuan realized that, the first thought that sprang into his mind was—he wanted to hide him away.

Before he could dwell on that thought, Lin Ling grabbed Shi Changyuan's sleeve and dragged him into the denser crowd.

"What is this?" Lin Ling ran up to a vendor and asked the owner eagerly.

"It's sugar painting. Would you like one, young master?" The vendor skillfully drew a beautiful peacock.

Lin Ling felt a little embarrassed and said quietly, "I don't have any money."

Mushroom knew that humans needed currency to buy things, but Mushroom had none.

Lin Ling was a little shy. If he had known earlier, he would have asked Old Turtle for some of his Wish Copper Coins.

The vendor froze for a moment, apparently not expecting such a richly dressed young master to have no money.

But Lin Ling looked reserved and bashful, not at all like some spoiled young master fond of bullying and plundering others. The vendor waved a hand generously and said with a hearty laugh, "It's fine, I'll give you one! Things have been better these past few years. I can spare a little sugar painting."

The vendor was clearly a talkative man. Once he started, he chatted endlessly.

"Really? Then I want a Little Mushroom. It doesn't need to be big, just a tiny one."

Lin Ling squatted before the little stall, his expression intent. No matter what the vendor said, he responded with great enthusiasm, praising the man's craftsmanship in all sorts of ways from time to time until the vendor beamed with delight.

As Lin Ling reached out to take the sugar painting, a figure appeared behind him. His bearing was cool and aloof, yet he held a decidedly incongruous candied hawthorn skewer.

When Lin Ling saw Shi Changyuan, his eyes lit up. He held the golden Mushroom candy out to him and happily shared, "You're here? Look, the owner gave me this sugar painting."

Shi Changyuan looked at the candy in Lin Ling's hand, then at the vendor, and deftly took out money to pay.

"Oh, so you were waiting for your older brother. I was wondering how such a handsome young master could be all alone without a penny."

The vendor scratched his head in embarrassment, but when he saw the silver Shi Changyuan tossed out, he was immediately shocked. He hurriedly said it was far too much, yet when he looked up, the two had already vanished.

"Why were you running around?" Shi Changyuan led Lin Ling into an alley with fewer people, his tone displeased.

"I wasn't running around." Lin Ling defended himself. "I was waiting for you where I was, but the crowd pushed me away all at once."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shi Changyuan and continued, "But I found a little stall and waited for you to find me."

Lin Ling sounded both pitiful and obedient, leaving Shi Changyuan utterly helpless against him. He reached out and took hold of Lin Ling's palm.

"If that's the case, then we'll do this." Shi Changyuan said righteously, "Then we won't get separated."

Lin Ling looked at his hand, which was firmly held. He struggled once, but it did not budge. Then he proactively wrapped his hand around Shi Changyuan's fingers as well.

"Just holding hands like before is enough." Lin Ling reminded him. "I can't pull away."

"You seem to be using too much force now. It hurts a little."

Shi Changyuan lowered his eyes. Lin Ling's hand had already been rubbed red. He loosened his grip slightly, then tightened it again, before finally settling on an appropriate amount of force.

"Alright, don't be angry anymore. You can have the first bite of the Mushroom candy." Lin Ling held the sugar painting out before Shi Changyuan.

The sugar painting was only palm-sized. Even a child could bite off half the Mushroom cap in one mouthful.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me...?"

Shi Changyuan asked with his lips, but his gaze remained fixed on Lin Ling.

"Of course." Lin Ling held the sugar painting even closer.

Shi Changyuan pondered for a long time, but in the end, he could not bear to bite off Little Mushroom's head in one bite.

Lin Ling could not bear to bite off Mushroom's head either, so he decided to put it away safely and bring it to the mountains and wilderness with him after they moved.

"Oh, right, that uncle told me lots of things just now." Held by Shi Changyuan, Lin Ling followed closely behind him and shared what he had seen and heard.

"What did he say?"

"He said life has gotten much better in recent years." Lin Ling recalled around his candied hawthorn skewer.

"He also said today's temple fair was very lively. Although it was rare to see one, we would definitely get to see many more in the future."

As Shi Changyuan listened to Mushroom's retelling, Mushroom repeated every word of what he remembered, while the parts he did not remember turned strange and muddled. Shi Changyuan found it rather amusing. "Why tell me all this?"