A peach tree in the courtyard

Qi Gu returned to Floating Mist Temple.

Floating Mist Temple had been assembled by Qi Gu's master from timber joined with mortise-and-tenon joints. It was a very, very small temple, occupying only fifty or sixty square meters, with just one main hall. The Three Pure Ones were enshrined in the hall, flanked by the God of Wealth and the three immortals of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity.

In temples without people around, even the divine statues easily deteriorated and lost their color.

The statues, which had still retained some color before his master's death, had now turned gray and white, their paint flaking away. Of course, it was also possible that his old master had skimped when choosing the pigments and bought ones that did not last.

In the overgrown courtyard behind the main hall stood two little wooden huts. There had originally been only one, but after Qi Gu grew up, it became two.

His room contained only a bed, a table, and a chair. It was extremely bare, but this was where Qi Gu had lived, with someone to shelter him from the wind and rain until he turned eighteen.

A gnarled peach tree grew in the courtyard. Back when he had envied the children down the mountain for having homegrown peaches to eat, his master had personally transplanted it there.

But clearly, neither master nor disciple had much talent for farming. The peach tree had looked sickly ever since it was planted, and even its blossoms were sparse. Naturally, it never produced any sweet peaches.

Yet in the year his master died, when Qi Gu returned to arrange the funeral, he saw that the tree had actually produced a rare peach. Its tip was bright red, and it looked ripe.

Qi Gu picked the peach. At his very first bite, the sour, astringent taste filled his nose and eyes, and the rain came pouring down.

It was the first time he had cried since he was eight.

He had long since grown used to bad luck. Whatever happened, he could face it calmly, without tears.

But that day, the peach had been far too sour, sour enough to reach his heart.

Qi Gu reached out and touched the peach tree, then applied some of the fertilizer he had deliberately hauled up from the foot of the mountain.

Before long, the construction crew from Lücheng arrived.

Dozens of workers carried enormous new logs and all the necessary equipment up to Floating Mist Temple. Upon seeing Qi Gu, the foreman hurriedly put on an ingratiating smile. "You must be Mr. Qi. I'm Xiao Lü from Lücheng Real Estate, in charge of renovating your temple. If you have any new requests or suggestions, you can tell me directly."

Qi Gu nodded. "For now, just what we discussed before."

Xiao Lü took the workers off to get busy.

Qi Gu had work of his own to do. The workers could repair the temple's courtyard walls and buildings, but they could not restore the damaged divine statues. Qi Gu would have to do that himself.

For three days straight, Qi Gu rose early, drew cool water from the well to wash, then went to the main hall. Using newly purchased clay and pigments, he repaired and repainted the statues' faded features and clothing.

As he worked, his expression was earnest and reverent, like a pilgrim's.

At first, the workers would exchange a few words with him, but seeing how focused he was, they all quietly stopped talking.

After restoring all the divine statues, Qi Gu asked a carpenter to make him a small wooden shrine. Inside, he placed a little wooden figure carved in his master's likeness, with a compassionate face and thin cheeks.

After all, his master could be considered the founding patriarch of Floating Mist Temple. Putting up a statue of him was hardly excessive.

After some consideration, Qi Gu finally decided to place his master's shrine beneath the eaves outside the main hall's entrance. That way... his master could also see the flourishing stream of worshippers Floating Mist Temple would have in the future.

People on Weibo urged Qi Gu to hurry up and finish renovating Floating Mist Temple every day, saying they were still waiting to offer incense. Naturally, Qi Gu knew most of them were simply joining in the excitement and calling out along with everyone else. At most, only one or two in ten would actually come.

But even that would be quite a few.

In any case, his master had never seen such a flourishing scene while he was alive.

Who knew how happy he would be to see it now.

While Qi Gu was busy with matters at Floating Mist Temple, Lin Hanzhi once drove over and then climbed the mountain to bring him snacks.

Lin Hanzhi said he was bringing the snacks to thank Qi Gu for taking care of him at the clinic. Qi Gu felt it would be ungracious to refuse, but had only asked him to buy the things and send them to the parcel station in the village at the foot of the mountain. He had not expected Lin Hanzhi to be so earnest that he would climb the mountain himself, one step at a time.

Qi Gu got a fright when he saw Lin Hanzhi at Floating Mist Temple's entrance, his face white as paper, cold sweat beading at his temples, his breathing so faint that he looked as though he might pass out at any moment.

He nearly thought Lin Hanzhi was going to die at the entrance of his temple before it had even opened for business.

Qi Gu did not know whether he was imagining it, but he kept feeling that Lin Hanzhi seemed to breathe a little harder upon seeing him, and even the look he gave him seemed pitifully aggrieved.

Qi Gu hurriedly half-carried, half-dragged him back to his room and had him lie down for a while. He also poured him a cup of tea brewed with mountain spring water so he could take his time recovering.

Only after resting for quite a while did Lin Hanzhi say weakly, "Your mountain didn't look that high from the bottom. I thought I could climb it. I didn't expect to nearly cause you trouble. I'm really sorry."

"...Oh, right, the snacks I brought you are still by the entrance. Sorry for the trouble, but you'll have to bring them in yourself." Lin Hanzhi had a tall, slender build, and even reclining on Qi Gu's simple bed, his posture remained elegant and pleasing to the eye.

Qi Gu pointed at the suitcase in the corner, his expression complicated. "I brought everything in."

It was full of snacks he liked, in a wide variety. A few were old brands he had casually written down but that had long since become unavailable, yet somehow Lin Hanzhi had managed to buy even those.

Who knew how he had rummaged around to find them in whatever obscure corners they had been tucked away in.

In any case... watching Lin Hanzhi's chest rise and fall as he still gave him a reassuring look that said, "I really am fine," Qi Gu genuinely did not know what to say for a moment.

It was his first time meeting such a "talent," someone who had nearly lost his life repaying a favor.

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you pour me another cup of water?" Lin Hanzhi's beautiful, peach-blossom eyes curved as he raised the enamel mug in his hand toward him.

The enamel mug was the sort commonly seen in the village. Almost every household had one, and its design was tacky too.

But held in Lin Hanzhi's hands, with their long, slender fingers and the slightly raised veins on their backs that made them look so sexy, it was genuinely hard not to think it was some expensive new release from a major fashion brand.

It was just like the impression Lin Hanzhi himself gave Qi Gu: precious, fragile, and possessed of an indescribable, vivid beauty.