Finally, night fell, and lanterns were lit on the main street of Dongchang City, while the other streets sank into darkness. Apart from the high-ranking households that still had lights burning, most ordinary families had already gone to bed with the sunset.

Bai Fanlu waited in the shadows at the corner, while the boy stayed in the open, led by the little monkey as they searched around. The two maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

After about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Zizi started reacting.

It seemed to have found the target, no longer aimlessly jumping around but running in a specific direction.

The boy chased after it, but before he had gone far, a figure suddenly appeared on the previously empty street.

A sharp male voice followed, reaching Bai Fanlu’s ears.

“You brat, you really don’t give up, do you?”

The flower thief? Hmph, just from his voice, you could tell he was lacking in strength, hardly a formidable opponent.

Bai Fanlu hid in the shadows, listening to the boy’s loud voice, “I’ll give up once I catch you today.”

“You? Catch me?” The flower thief sneered, “I spared you out of kindness yesterday, and here you are, delivering yourself to me. Fine, I’ll grant your wish!”

He didn’t draw any weapons but instead raised his hand to strike at the boy. Bai Fanlu sensed a strange disturbance and was startled—this was no ordinary rogue; the man had some cultivation.

The boy had a blade at his side and tried to draw it to block the attack, but a strong force from behind pushed him aside. Bai Fanlu intercepted the strike head-on, opening a wind shield. His figure, as radiant as the moon, leaped high into the air, and with a backhanded slash, he sent a wave of sword energy towards the flower thief’s face.

The flower thief, with some skill of his own, quickly sensed the danger and dodged.

The earlier disturbance, though weakened by distance, was clearly a sign that this was no ordinary person—whether demon or immortal, they carried a unique spiritual power. Even though Bai Fanlu pursued closely, he soon lost the thief.

By the time Bai Fanlu stopped to survey his surroundings, he had already chased the thief far out of the city.

He found himself in a sparse forest. The moonlight was bright, hanging like a silver basin in the sky, even brighter than it had been in the city.

Bai Fanlu sat down cross-legged and decided to meditate for a while, but he didn’t let his guard down. Although his eyes were closed, half of his spiritual awareness remained on alert for any movement around him.

Sure enough, something approached…

He suddenly opened his eyes, and a white shadow darted into view, quickly hiding behind a low bush nearby, leaving only two large, round eyes peeking out, full of fear, as if scared by the killing intent earlier.

It was the little white monkey, Zizi.

“Thank goodness! I finally found you!”

The boy came running after it, supporting himself on his knees as he panted heavily. He plopped down on the ground, taking a long time to catch his breath.

“I’m exhausted!”

The boy sighed heavily, and the little white monkey jumped onto his lap, also panting. The two of them looked quite in sync.

Bai Fanlu quietly withdrew his hand from the hilt of his sword. “Why did you chase after me?”

“Why? I came to help you!”

The boy replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Still catching his breath, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Actually, I was worried about you, but after seeing you fight just now, it seems like you don’t need my help at all.”

The straightforwardness of the boy’s concern caught Bai Fanlu off guard, leaving him momentarily unsure of how to respond.

The boy continued, “No wonder I thought you weren’t an ordinary person when I first saw you. After watching you fight just now…”

His eyes lit up, “Sir, could it be that you’re an immortal?”

Bai Fanlu was slightly surprised, then smiled faintly, shaking his head without confirming or denying it.

“Wow! You must be an immortal!”

The boy seemed to have found some sort of proof, and his earlier exhaustion vanished as he stood up straight, his eyes shining even brighter as he gazed at Bai Fanlu.

“Immortal, are you a hundred years old?”

Bai Fanlu glanced at him, half-joking, “Yes, and no.”

The original owner of this body was 486 years old; as for Bai Fanlu himself, he was 26.

The boy’s eyes brightened even more, as if he wanted to bring the entire moon into his pupils. Once again, Bai Fanlu felt that the boy resembled a large moon more than a small sun.

He was bright, but not overly so.

A light that could dispel the shadows of the long night in the darkness.

The boy, unaware of Bai Fanlu’s thoughts, excitedly said, “Then I’m only sixteen, much younger than you… From now on, can I call you Immortal Brother? Immortal Brother!”

“Immortal Brother?” Bai Fanlu recalled the little beggar and couldn’t help but smile. “You should call me Immortal Grandfather; that might be more appropriate.”

“Grandfather? No way! You’re so good-looking. If I didn’t know you were over a hundred years old, I’d think you were only a little older than me, or maybe even the same age!”

The boy suddenly scooted closer to Bai Fanlu, “Oh, by the way, Immortal Brother, can you be my master?”

He sat there, supporting himself with his hands, smiling as he asked. The expression on his face was like that of a Samoyed begging its owner for food. If he had a big fluffy tail, it would have completed the picture.

Bai Fanlu looked at him, then down at the little monkey on his lap, holding back a laugh as he shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I haven’t even completed my training myself, so how could I take on a disciple?”

Besides, once they caught the flower thief, he would be on his way. This boy was just a fleeting acquaintance, and since Bai Fanlu wasn’t from this world, it was best not to form any lasting connections.

That was also why Bai Fanlu never asked the boy for his name.

“Then I’ll just follow you around until you’ve completed your training and can take me on as a disciple!”

“…Suit yourself.” Bai Fanlu thought, if the boy could keep up with him by then.

“Hey! It’s a deal!”

Whether the boy intentionally ignored Bai Fanlu’s perfunctory tone or genuinely believed him, he seemed quite excited, spreading his arms and lying back on the grass. The little monkey, startled, jumped aside.

It was just a casual remark, yet it made him so happy.

Bai Fanlu decided not to meditate any longer. He leaned slightly against the tree behind him, finding that the tension from the earlier fight had lessened with the boy nearby.

“Immortal Brother, I still don’t know your name,” the boy said, chewing on a blade of grass, while the monkey lay on his forehead, trying to reach it.

Bai Fanlu thought for two seconds, “Lu Fan.”

“Oh…” The boy frowned slightly.

Bai Fanlu guessed that the name didn’t sound as immortal-like as he expected.

But the boy grinned and said, “I’m called Xiao Liu!”

“Xiao… Liu?” Bai Fanlu was momentarily taken aback. No surname?

The boy seemed to sense what Bai Fanlu was thinking. “My parents were gone when I was born, but I’m said to be the sixth child in the family, so everyone calls me ‘Xiao Liu.’”

The boy explained with a cheerful smile, as if completely unaware of sorrow.

But Bai Fanlu, trying to steady his suddenly racing heart, felt bitterness in his mouth as he looked at that smile. “…I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing! Immortal Brother, you don’t need to apologize. Look at me now; I’m doing just fine, aren’t I?”

Bai Fanlu was at a loss for words. His hands, resting on his knees, trembled slightly. He stared at the boy’s lively face, and the emotions he had buried deep within were finally stirred up.

It wasn’t pity for the boy’s unfortunate background—there were countless others more pitiful in the world. Wasn’t the little beggar more deserving of sympathy?

But the boy’s story overlapped so much with Bai Fanlu’s memories. Both were the sixth child, both called “Xiao Liu,” and both had eyes that always shone with a light clearer and brighter than the moon.

He finally realized where that strange sense of familiarity had come from when he first saw the boy.

Could it be that by entering this world, he had brought along his own past?

Bai Fanlu wasn’t sure, as there was no such character in the original novel.

And from what he could tell, this character didn’t seem significant enough to influence the major plotline of vanquishing demons and upholding justice. He was just a minor background character.

So, what purpose did this boy in front of him serve?

Bai Fanlu’s hand moved slightly, intending to confirm whether this boy named Xiao Liu was truly just an ordinary person.

But before he could reach out, Xiao Liu suddenly turned, reaching to his waist and pulling out a leather water flask.

Having run all the way here, he was very thirsty and quickly drank the water in big gulps.

After shaking it to get the last drop, he said

, “Immortal Brother, wait here. I’ll go fetch some water.”

Bai Fanlu nodded, subtly placing his hand back on his knee.

“Do you want some too? I’ll get more.”

“I don’t need any.”

Bai Fanlu watched him from a distance. There was a river nearby, and Xiao Liu first fetched water from it, then ran into the woods, returning later with something in his hands.

When he came back, he was holding over ten fresh-looking crabapple fruits.

“My clothes might not be very clean, so don’t mind that, Immortal Brother.”

Xiao Liu had wrapped the fruits in his outer garment, and now he spread the garment on the ground, carefully placing the fruits on it. After doing so, he sat down and scratched his head.

Bai Fanlu now understood that scratching his head was probably a reflex action the boy had when he was shy or nervous.

He should have worried whether the fruits were poisonous, but seeing Xiao Liu’s embarrassed, flushed face, Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but pick up one of the fruits. After a brief assessment, he took a small bite under Xiao Liu’s expectant gaze.

The fruit was sweet and juicy, with a pleasant taste.

Xiao Liu also grabbed one and started eating energetically, while Zizi had already hoarded three fruits, stuffing two into its cheeks before gnawing on the third.

Watching Zizi’s cheeks puff out like little red balls, Bai Fanlu guessed that the “peach-stealing monkey” trick Xiao Liu mentioned yesterday probably involved hiding the peach in the little monkey’s mouth.

Seeing Bai Fanlu watching Zizi, Xiao Liu chuckled, “I raised him since he was little. Though he’s a troublemaker, he’s really smart.”

Since he raised it from a young age, their bond must be deep. No wonder the monkey was so human-like, Bai Fanlu thought.

The crabapples were small, and the ten or so fruits were quickly finished. Xiao Liu playfully fought Zizi for the last one, though he only half-heartedly tried to take it back before the monkey grabbed it and took a big bite.

Seeing this, Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but smile slightly. Xiao Liu, who had been playing with Zizi, noticed his smile and suddenly said, “I think you’re different from the Immortals I imagined.”

“In what way?”

“Other than being good-looking, you’re different in every other way.”

Bai Fanlu smirked slightly, “And yet, you still want to be my disciple?”

“Of course! I don’t know about others, but I only like Immortal Brother, just the way you are.”

Bai Fanlu was tempted to grab a ruler and slap Xiao Liu’s hand. Such disrespect towards an elder, teasing a teacher—it was a serious offense, even if he hadn’t actually agreed to be his master.

“Can Zizi still track down the flower thief?” Bai Fanlu changed the subject, focusing on the task at hand.

“I doubt it. Look at this lazy little monkey.”

Xiao Liu gestured towards Zizi, who, after eating its fill, was sprawled out on the grass, belly up, fast asleep with bubbles forming from its snores.

Bai Fanlu felt a twinge of worry; they had been too unprepared and overconfident. Tomorrow, before taking action, he would need to set up a barrier to prevent the thief from escaping.

But after tonight’s events, would the thief show himself again so easily?

Should they come up with a plan to lure him out?

“What kind of women does the flower thief usually target?”

“I don’t know, but any beautiful woman is in danger.”

“If only we could figure out his next target,” Bai Fanlu mused, thinking it would allow them to set a trap in advance.

Xiao Liu stared at Bai Fanlu’s serious expression, then suddenly said, “If I were the flower thief, I’d choose my next target right now.”

“Who?” Bai Fanlu’s attention was piqued.

Xiao Liu grinned, “You, of course!”