Chapter 10

"Wow! Was that an illusion?"

Lin Ling looked on in amazement, circling the two of them and inspecting them from every angle before finally settling his gaze on the white figure beside them.

"Changyuan?" Lin Ling leaned closer and called out softly, testing the waters.

Shi Changyuan knew Lin Ling had recognized him. Pleased, he gently pinched Lin Ling's approaching cheek. "Clever, aren't you?"

"Come on, let's visit your temple fair." As Shi Changyuan walked, he instructed him, "Change into something more inconspicuous. We only have two hours."

"Yay!"

The unexpected delight hit Lin Ling all at once, and he danced with joy.

Shi Changyuan immediately pressed him down and carefully explained, "Besides that, we'll need false identities."

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

Lin Ling struggled with the uncomfortable clothes while nodding to show he had no objections. Then he obediently and sweetly called out, "Brother."

Shi Changyuan's breath caught.

He stared fixedly at the youth before him, his gaze unconsciously falling on those lips. Only after a long while did he speak.

"Say it again."

Chapter 10

When the two appeared on the streets in plain clothes, their extraordinary bearing still drew plenty of looks from both men and women.

Especially when Shi Changyuan noticed that most of those gazes were fixed on Lin Ling's exquisite face, he suddenly felt they were not being inconspicuous enough.

This Little Mushroom was far too eye-catching.

Once Shi Changyuan realized that, the first thought that sprang to mind was—I want to hide him away.

Before he could dwell on that thought, Lin Ling grabbed Shi Changyuan's sleeve and pulled him into the even more crowded throng.

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

"Sugar paintings. Would this young master like one?" The vendor skillfully drew a beautiful peacock.

Lin Ling was a little embarrassed. "I don't have any money."

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

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

The vendor froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting such a well-dressed young master to have no money.

But Lin Ling looked bashful and timid, not like some spoiled young lord who liked to throw his weight around. The vendor waved a hand magnanimously and said cheerfully, "No matter, I'll give you one! Things have been better these past few years, so I can spare a little sugar."

The vendor was clearly talkative. Once he got going, he simply could not stop.

"Really? Then I'd like a little mushroom. It doesn't need to be big—just a tiny one."

Lin Ling crouched before the stall, his expression intent. No matter what the vendor said, he responded enthusiastically, occasionally praising his craftsmanship in all sorts of ways until the vendor was overjoyed.

When Lin Ling reached out to take the sugar painting, a figure appeared behind him. His temperament was cool and distant, yet he held a very out-of-place candied haw skewer in his hand.

Lin Ling's eyes lit up when he saw Shi Changyuan. He held out the golden mushroom candy in his hand 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 wandering around alone without a single coin."

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

"Why were you running around?" Shi Changyuan brought Lin Ling into a less crowded alley, his tone unpleasant.

"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 come find me."

Lin Ling sounded so pitiful and well-behaved that Shi Changyuan could do nothing with him. He reached out and took hold of Lin Ling's palm.

"Then we'll do this." Shi Changyuan said it as if it were only natural. "That way, we won't get separated."

Lin Ling looked at the hand firmly gripping his own and struggled a little, but it would not budge. Then he proactively wrapped his hand around Shi Changyuan's fingers as well.

"Just like before is enough," Lin Ling reminded him. "I can't get away anyway."

"You seem to be squeezing too hard now. It hurts a little."

Shi Changyuan lowered his eyes. Lin Ling's hand had already been kneaded red. He loosened his grip slightly, then tightened it again, before finally adjusting it to a suitable pressure.

"Alright, don't be mad. 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 bite.

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

Shi Changyuan asked the question, 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 bring himself to bite off Little Mushroom's head in one mouthful.

Lin Ling could not bear to bite off the mushroom's head either, so he decided to put it away properly and bring it with him into the wilderness after moving.

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

"What things?"

"He said life has gotten much better these past few years." Lin Ling recalled around his candied haw skewer.

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

Shi Changyuan listened to Mushroom's retelling. Mushroom remembered every word in some places, while the parts Mushroom did not remember became utterly strange. It was rather amusing. "Why tell me all that?"