Dugu Bo's arrival

As dusk fell, Tai Nuo wiped the charcoal ash from his hands and warmly urged them to stay, "Young Master Lin, Miss Xiao Wu, don't leave! We'll eat in the valley tonight! The kitchen has stewed some meat and freshly opened jars of grain wine; let's have a few drinks!"

He had a loud voice to begin with, and when he shouted it out, several men in the blacksmith's shop who were tidying up their tools chimed in, "Yes, yes, Young Master Lin, why don't you stay and have some before you leave!"

"Tai Nuo for your kindness, Uncle Taino, but I won't stay any longer." Lin Chen shook his head. "I've been out all day; it's time to go back to the academy. Once the samples are ready in a few days, I'll have them delivered to the academy."

"Then I'll see you off!" Tai Long quickly stepped forward.

"No need to be so polite, Brother Tai Long, please stay a while." Lin Chen led Xiao Wu back along the official road at the entrance of the valley.

As dusk settled, the evening breeze, carrying the warmth of spring, swept across the wheat fields by the roadside, causing the wheat to ripple and sway, carrying a faint scent of wheat.

Xiao Wu skipped along beside her, carrying the fresh fruit that Tai Long had given her. She took a bite, and it was sweet, sour, and juicy.

She chewed on some fruit and asked indistinctly, "Brother Lin Chen, how come you know so much about blacksmithing? It feels like you can do everything."

Lin Chen thought for a moment and then smiled, "Actually, it was a dream I had when I was a child."

"A dream?" Xiao Wu became interested, took a few steps to walk in front of him, walked backwards, and stared at his face. "What kind of dream? Did you dream of gods?"

"Pretty much." Lin Chen nodded seriously. "In my dream, there was an old man with a white beard who talked to me all night about the secrets of blacksmithing, like the three changes in heat, the nine hammer techniques, and the seven-tenths quenching. He kept going on and on until my head was spinning. But when I woke up the next morning, hey, I actually remembered it all."

As he spoke, he even gestured with great seriousness. "From then on, I could do it the moment I touched a hammer. Isn't that amazing?"

Xiao Wu was taken aback by his words, blinked, and asked with a hint of disbelief, "Really? An old man with a white beard?"

"It's absolutely true." Lin Chen's expression was calm, with an expression that said, "Believe it or not, I believe it."

Xiao Wu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing, bending over with laughter and almost dropping the wild fruit in her hand. "Hahaha, what a load of bull! Brother Lin Chen, how can you make up such a story! An old man with a white beard! Why don't you just say it was a fairy sister who taught you!"

Lin Chen laughed along, "Fairy sister won't do, only one girl can appear in my dreams."

Xiao Wu suddenly stopped, blinked, and a thin blush slowly rose on Xiao Wu cheeks in the night.

"Who is that...?" Her voice carried a mischievous tone and a hint of anticipation.

Lin Chen didn't reply. He smiled and continued walking forward, as if he had just made a joke and was about to run away.

"Hey! Don't go!" Xiao Wu panicked and chased after him, grabbing his sleeve. "Brother Lin Chen, tell me quickly! Who is it!"

I won't tell you.

"You—" Xiao Wu stomped her foot angrily, "Brother Lin Chen, are you doing this on purpose?!"

She chased after him angrily, hitting him, Lin Chen quickened his pace, dodging with a smile, "Guess!"

"I can't guess! Don't run away!"

In the darkness, Xiao Wu chased after Lin Chen, running a long way along the official road beside the wheat field.

In the end, Xiao Wu really couldn't catch up. She watched helplessly as he ran further and further away, and angrily shouted from behind, "Brother Lin Chen, I'm going to get angry if you run any further!"

Lin Chen turned around, stood a few steps away, looked at her in the moonlight, and smiled gently, "Haha, come here, I'll carry you back."

Xiao Wu paused for a moment, standing still. After a while, she jogged over, muttering, "Who wants you to carry me? I can walk by myself..." But despite saying that, she obediently climbed onto the back of the chair.

Lin Chen bent down and steadily carried her on his back.

Xiao Wu lay on his back, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, feeling the warmth seeping through his thin shirt. The tips of her ears turned a quiet red, but she still mumbled softly, "Put me down... I can walk by myself."

Lin Chen didn't let go. He turned his head, his voice tinged with amusement, and said softly, "Who else could it be but you?"

Xiao Wu's muttering stopped abruptly, and she was just about to reply.

At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly said, "Hold on tight."

Before Xiao Wu could react, Lin Chen suddenly leaped forward, his entire body accelerating rapidly like an arrow released from a bow.

Xiao Wu's long hair was blown backward by the wind, her clothes fluttered, and the wheat fields on both sides rushed past, becoming blurry shadows.

"Wow--"

She couldn't help but cry out, her voice ripped away by the wind behind her. She had never seen Lin Chen travel at full speed before. Now, even though he was carrying someone on his back, every step he took was extremely light, yet he bounced extremely far, with no hesitation or sluggishness between his rises and falls.

"Brother Lin Chen, you're so fast!" Xiao Wu, clinging to his back with the wind whistling in her ears, lifted her face from his shoulder to face the wind, and suddenly spread her arms like a bird with outstretched wings. "I feel like a little bird!"

Lin Chen chuckled, "Then let's fly for a while." He quickened his pace even further.

Moonlight spills across the landscape, fields and roads stretch rapidly beneath our feet, and the wind rushes in from all directions, carrying the intoxicating scent of late spring vegetation.

Xiao Wu wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the wind whistling past her ears. It really felt like flying; it seemed that if she let go, she could be lifted up by the wind.

I wish this road were a little longer.

Unfortunately, the road ended as they were talking.

Lin Chen came to a steady stop in front of the lakeside dormitory.

Xiao Wu was still clinging to his back, a little reluctant to move. After a couple of seconds, she slowly jumped down, stood still, patted her clothes heavily, cleared her throat, and said in a serious tone, "Ahem, you ran pretty fast."

"Yeah, I was just worried you'd be anxious to come back."

"Who's in a hurry!" Xiao Wu glared at him, but couldn't help laughing out loud. "Then... then you'll have to carry me on your back from now on."

"Of course, if you can't walk anymore, I'll carry you on my back."

"Then I'll never be able to walk again."

She realized what she had said as soon as she finished, blushed, and quickly ran to push open the door. "I'll go in first! I still need to pack my clothes!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already opened the door and run inside, leaving only a series of light footsteps behind.

Then, the sound of footsteps abruptly stopped in the courtyard.

Under the moonlight, beside the stone table, a figure in a green robe slowly turned his face.

Xiao Wu froze on the spot, her blush deepening, and she opened her mouth to say, "S-Senior?! What are you doing here!"

Dugu Bo slowly began, "I've been sitting here watching the moon for almost half an hour."

His gaze swept over Xiao Wu from head to toe, then slowly turned to the courtyard gate, as if he could see through the gate and into the view of Lin Chen, who had just put the person down.