Pei Yubai stood at the door of the wooden house.
A bronze wind chime hung on the door frame, ringing whenever the wind blew; this was the bronze wind chime that had attracted the guests.
Hearing it make a sound confirmed that they had found the right person.
The door to the house was closed, and no light could see through the crack.
Pei Yubai didn't rush to push open the door to find Qiguan Yuan; instead, he looked down at his fingers.
The translucent red thread on the ring finger was wrapped around the skin, with the end hanging down and draped between the fingers.
Apart from Pei Yubai, no one else present could see the red line. This was a special red line given to Pei Yubai by Qiguan Yuan, so that Pei Yubai would always know which direction Qiguan Yuan was in.
If he wanted, Pei Yubai could find Qiguan Yuan anytime by following the red thread.
As long as the red thread remains unbroken, Qiguan Yuan will always appear on the other end of the red thread.
At this point, the other end of the red line did not extend towards the wooden house.
The line went to the left, through the bamboo forest, and deeper into the woods.
This indicates that Qiguan Yuan is not inside the house at this moment, but outside.
Pei Yubai closed his fingers and glanced at the others. " Yuanyuan isn't here. We'll go in later."
Shen Yuzhou stood behind him, holding an umbrella. Raindrops on the umbrella gathered and streamed down, the rain seeming to be heavier than before. " Brother Yuan isn't here? How did you know?"
Pei Yubai did not answer.
Shen Yuzhou glanced at him, then at the tightly closed wooden door, and asked no more questions.
Cheng Yanqiu stood next to Shen Yuzhou, tilting the umbrella back slightly so that rainwater slid down the edge. "Since Teacher Qiguan isn't here, let's take a stroll around the neighborhood."
She turned her head and glanced at Meng Xu.
Meng Xu was standing under a tree, his umbrella tossed aside, the leaves overhead blocking most of the rain.
He was carrying a small silver box, which he swung slightly as he carried it. "Alright, you guys take your time looking around. I'll set up the signal receiver, and you can interact with the viewers in the live stream while we wait for Teacher Qiguan to return."
The signal in Cloud-Hidden Town is already bad, let alone in this forest.
Therefore, Meng Xu specifically brought along the signal collectors that he had spent money to tinker with.
This episode focuses on Qiguan Yuan; it's still unknown whether he intends to stay in Cloud-Hidden Town indefinitely.
He placed the box on the ground, opened it, and inside was a device about the size of a palm, with an antenna sticking out and a green light on.
Shen Yuzhou folded his umbrella, stood under the shade of a tree, and waved to the camera that was following him.
Cheng Yanqiu stood next to him, chatting happily with her fans in the live stream, and leading them on a casual stroll around the area.
Lin Yanru leaned against the tree trunk, holding the umbrella high. Rainwater slid down the edge of the umbrella and landed at her feet. Under the umbrella, besides herself, Su He'an was holding a video camera.
Su He'an stood beside her, the camera pointed at the distant mountains shrouded in rain and mist.
Taking advantage of the audience's inattention, he turned around and kissed Lin Yanru on the cheek.
Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang stood at the back of the line, sharing an umbrella. The umbrella was large, and Ji Shiyu's hand was slightly turned towards Jiang Wantang, with his shoulder exposed outside the umbrella.
Pei Yubai turned around decisively and walked away, following the direction indicated by the red line into the depths of the bamboo forest.
The raindrops pattered on his umbrella, making a soft, dense sound, like something gently tapping.
His movements were relatively composed, but upon closer inspection, he had walked quite a distance in no time.
The photographer stood still, glanced at Pei Yubai's back, and then at Meng Xu.
Meng Xu waved to him. "Follow him, don't get lost. He must have gone to find his wife; it's good that he's endured this long."
The photographer took a raincoat out of the box, put it on, and chased after them with his equipment.
The number of viewers in Pei Yubai's live stream jumped up the moment he turned to leave.
The Xiao Yuan Grains who were originally quietly waiting in Pei Yubai's live stream room secretly peeked out:
[Did he go to find Yuanyuan?]
I knew he wouldn't wait.
[This can't wait any longer, Pei Yubai, you Yuanyuan! (Of course, I'm Yuanyuan too, so hurry up and find Yuanyuan. I haven't seen Yuanyuan for two months, sob sob sob)]
[Keep up with the camera! Don't lose them!]
The photographer followed them closely.
He was wearing rubber-soled shoes, so he didn't slip on the wet leaves. The rain cover on the camera was very tight, and the rainwater in front of the lens had been wiped clean.
He kept a few steps behind Pei Yubai, the camera steadily focused on Pei Yubai's back.
The bamboo forest grew denser, and raindrops slid down from the bamboo leaves, pattering against the umbrella surface in a continuous, relentless thud.
Pei Yubai walked for a while, and the light in the woods grew dimmer, changing from grayish-green to dark green.
The trees here seem denser; we're already deep in the forest.
He stopped and looked down at his fingers.
The red line is taut, and the other end is pointing forward; it's not far off.
He turned a corner and passed through a dense cluster of trees.
Then he saw Qiguan Yuan.
The rain and mist rose from the mountains, thin and grayish-white, as if someone had torn a layer of clouds and spread it in the middle of the forest.
Qiguan Yuan stood in front of a patch of bluish-gray rocks, wearing a long, light green robe with the hem hanging down, brushing against the grass at his feet.
Her silver hair seemed to be slightly damp from the rain, clinging to her back, with wet ends and water droplets soaking into dark spots on the hem of her clothes.
He wore a bamboo hat with a low brim that covered his forehead and eyebrows, leaving only his nose and lips exposed.
He held a bunch of purple flowers in his hand; the petals were so small that it was difficult to identify what kind of flower they were from a distance.
Pei Yubai stood in front of the tree, not having a chance to make a move.
Qi Qiguan Yuan straightened up, gathered the weeds into a bamboo basket he was carrying in his other hand, and turned around to look at him, seemingly sensing something.
The face beneath the straw hat was revealed.
A raindrop dripped from the edge of his straw hat onto his brow bone, the corner of his eye, the bridge of his nose, and his lips, landing on his brow bone and running down his eye.
Qiguan Yuan blinked uncomfortably, then looked at Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai saw the corners of his mouth curve up, a slight arc, and his eyes also filled with joy.
Qiguan Yuan approached carrying a bamboo basket, the fresh, damp scent of the surrounding trees suddenly mingled with the unique, slightly cool fragrance emanating from Qiguan Yuan.
It instantly occupied Pei Yubai's mind.
"Long time no see, Pei Yubai." Qiguan Yuan's voice was slightly muffled in the rain, but the ending note still had a slight upward curve, carrying a hint of a smile, "I've missed you."
Pei Yubai raised the umbrella higher, tilting it towards Qiguan Yuan.
Water droplets slid down the edge of the umbrella and landed at Qiguan Yuan's feet.
Pei Yubai took a step forward, closing the distance between them to an arm's length. "I came to pick you up. I missed you too, Yuanyuan."
Two months later, when they met again, Pei Yubai, who was not used to expressing his emotions, couldn't help but express his longing to Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan looked at him.
Pei Yubai's clothes were half-wet in the fine rain, and the fabric on his shoulder was a darker color than the rest.
Qiguan Yuan reached out, his fingertips touching Pei Yubai's shoulder. He pressed his fingertip against Pei's soaked fabric, which instantly dried. "How did you find this place?"
Pei Yubai looked down at his fingers. "Red thread."
Qiguan Yuan followed his gaze and saw the translucent red thread wrapped around Pei Yubai's ring finger.
Qiguan Yuan's fingers moved from Pei Yubai's shoulder to his hand, touching the end of the red thread and gently twisting it. "Our red thread is very obedient, a very dutiful little red thread."
Under Qiguan Yuan's gentle touch, the red thread, which was usually like an inanimate object, seemed to move.
Pei Yubai took his hand and pulled him under the umbrella. Rainwater slid down the edge of the umbrella, drenching the two of them.
Qiguan Yuan was led by him without struggling, and stood next to him. The two were very close, so close that Qiguan Yuan could smell the scent of rain mixed with grass and trees on his clothes.
" Yuanyuan, what are you doing here? It's raining, and the mountain path is difficult to walk on," Pei Yubai said.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at him sideways. "The mountain path doesn't bother me much. I've got nothing else to do, so I'm picking some medicinal herbs to brew wine when I get back."
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a medicinal herb flower. The tiny petals, wet with rainwater, looked very clean after being washed by the rain.
"Plants nourished by rainwater in the mountains have better medicinal properties than those from other places, and since it's June when they bloom, it's a good time to come out and pick them."
Pei Yubai looked at the flower, said nothing, and silently took the bamboo basket from Qiguan Yuan's hand and carried it for him.
His gaze shifted from the weeds to Qiguan Yuan's face.
Water droplets clung to Qiguan Yuan's eyelashes from the slanting drizzle, and rainwater trickled down his nose.
Pei Yubai's gaze lingered unconsciously on his lips for a moment before shifting away.
He can't be unrestrained in his Yuanyuan while the show is being broadcast live.
Ugh, Meng Xu is so annoying.
Qiguan Yuan placed the medicinal herb plant into the bamboo basket that Pei Yubai was carrying.
He took the umbrella handle from Pei Yubai and tilted it slightly towards him, turning the umbrella towards Pei Yubai a little more. "You're getting wet, use it yourself. I have a straw hat, I don't need an umbrella."
With her free hand outstretched, she touched Pei Yubai 'Pei Yubai face with her fingertips. "Although I love you no matter what, Pei Yubai, I still don't really want you to be too thin."
Pei Yubai did not dodge.
Qiguan Yuan's fingers were cool, pressed against his skin. At this moment, he could clearly feel Qiguan Yuan's presence, and the irritation he felt from not seeing Qiguan Yuan had disappeared. "It's for filming. If you don't like it, it won't happen again next time."
Qiguan Yuan withdrew his hand and let it hang at his side. "Then we're done filming."
Pei Yubai nodded. "Filming is finished." Then he glanced at the cameraman who was quietly filming beside him. " Meng Xu brought everyone over; we're going to film this episode first."
Qiguan Yuan nodded; he didn't seem to care much.
Just then, Pei Yubai arrived. He was told to rest for a while and finish up the favor Lu Zhao had asked him to do.
Qiguan Yuan turned around and walked back the way he came.
Pei Yubai followed beside him, and to get closer to Qiguan Yuan, he simply stopped using his umbrella and reached out to hold Qiguan Yuan's hand.
Qiguan Yuan glanced at him sideways and squeezed his little finger. "Open the umbrella."
Pei Yubai had no choice but to open the umbrella again. The two of them, one wearing a straw hat and the other holding an umbrella, walked slowly.
My footsteps made a very soft sound as they trod on the wet, grassy ground.
After walking for a while, Qiguan Yuan Qiguan Yuan casually asked, "When did you arrive?"
Pei Yubai said, "Just now."
Qiguan Yuan asked again, "How long have you been waiting?"
He had been gone for a long time. If Pei Yubai and his group arrived shortly after he left, then they had been waiting for quite some time.
Pei Yubai replied, "I didn't wait long. As soon as I got here, I came to find you."
Qiguan Yuan looked at him and chuckled softly, "Hmm, very good. I'll give you a reward when we get back."
Pei Yubai tightened his grip on Qiguan Yuan's hand slightly. "Okay."
Qiguan Yuan reached out and touched Pei Yubai's hand holding the umbrella handle, gently pressing his fingertips on the back of his hand. "Let's hurry up, it's always impolite to keep our guests waiting."
Then he turned to the photographer who was silently following them. "If we speed up a bit, this gentleman might be able to keep up?"
The photographer nodded vigorously, and after being questioned by Qiguan Yuan, he seemed to have even more strength to lift the camera.
Qiguan Yuan nodded and said, "Then let's hurry."
After saying that, the three of them quickened their pace and walked back.
Ever since Qiguan Yuan Qiguan Yuan appeared, the live stream chat has been buzzing with activity, with everyone's attention focused on her refreshing look.
Fans expressed that it was another day they were Yuanyuan's beautiful appearance.
It seems that every time Yuanyuan appears, she is exceptionally stunning.
Then he thought about the identity of the Yue Lao they had arranged for Yuanyuan.
Yes, that's right. It's normal for immortals to make a stunning appearance every time they appear.
No one noticed that although Qiguan Yuan's clothes were somewhat wet from the raindrops, his shoes remained clean and dry.
There wasn't a speck of mud on my skin, not even a bit.
When Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai, and the photographer returned to the house, the other guests had already left.
Shen Yuzhou squatted on the steps at the entrance of the wooden house, holding a blade of grass in his hand, and was scratching something on the ground.
Cheng Yanqiu stood next to him, holding up her phone to take pictures of what he was swiping at, laughing loudly, "So ugly! Shen Yuzhou, hahahaha."
Everyone else focused their attention on the two who were playing around.
Meng Xu was the first to spot the three approaching. Seeing Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan holding hands, he teased Pei Yubai, "Oh, so you brought your Yuanyuan back?"
After Meng Xu finished speaking, the commotion attracted the attention of others.
The eyes of everyone present instinctively fell on Qiguan Yuan was dressed in light green and wearing a bamboo hat.
Qiguan Yuan appeared in everyone's sight, mostly dressed in red.
Unlike his red robes, Qiguan Yuan in blue, truly resembled a reclusive immortal living in the misty, rain-drenched forest.