Upon waking early in the morning, Bai Fanlu felt that he wasn’t leaning against a tree trunk as he had expected but was half-lying down, with his head and shoulders resting on something soft and warm at Point F. When he moved slightly, he realized it was quite elastic.

He sat up and looked around, realizing that Little Snowflake had its four hooves kneeling in a pillow-like position. Bai Fanlu finally understood that what he had been leaning against was the side of Little Snowflake ‘s belly.

The dignified divine steed, without any expression, shook its head, snorted, and stood up, kicking its legs to stretch.

Bai Fanlu wondered aloud, “How did I end up sleeping against you?”

Little Snowflake lowered its head to chew on some grass roots and glanced at him sideways.

Not expecting an answer, Bai Fanlu heard laughter coming from not far away. He looked over and saw that it was Xiao Liu and the three children running around and playing, with the elderly people watching and smiling happily.

It was strange, though—he had become the last one to wake up. Bai Fanlu quickly tidied up his clothes and walked over to join them.

Just then, he heard a little girl reciting, “Golden hook, silver hook, stretch out your pinky for a hook, hook it once, no quarrels, hook it twice, shake hands, hook it thrice, and we’re all good friends.”

Bai Fanlu paused in his steps, surprised that this world had such a children’s rhyme.

Xiao Liu noticed him at that moment and was about to greet him, but the little girl reciting the rhyme ran over first, grabbing Bai Fanlu’s hand. “Brother Lu, Brother Liu just taught us a poem! Do you like it? I was the quickest to learn it!”

Bai Fanlu looked at Xiao Liu inquisitively, and the young man said, “I was also taught by my brother.”

Bai Fanlu was momentarily stunned, then smiled slightly without saying anything.

The two of them played with the children for a while longer. The morning wind and sand in the Gobi Desert were intense, but this oasis provided some protection. As the sun rose higher and the wind gradually subsided, they began to prepare for their journey south.

Little Snowflake carried two elderly people and two children on its back. The oldest man was carried by Xiao Liu, while Bai Fanlu held the remaining two children.

They could only walk, and not too quickly at that. They had to stop and rest frequently, and it was only by afternoon that they reached the edge of the Gobi Desert.

With the Dragon God freed from the barrier, the snowstorm surrounding Ling City had disappeared. As they left the Gobi Desert and headed further south, the road became easier. By evening, they could see the green outlines of mountain ridges in the distance.

However, this area had been covered by snow, making it barren, with nothing growing around. Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu were fine, but the elderly and children, after a day of travel, were in need of food and rest.

Water was easy to find, with snowmelt forming puddles everywhere, but finding food was a bit more challenging. They had already distributed the dry rations they had brought.

In the end, Xiao Liu came up with a solution. He caught two wild geese flying overhead, cleaned them with a knife, and, without needing to find firewood or sticks, roasted them with a fire spell, creating a meal of roasted meat.

Though it likely didn’t taste great, to those with empty stomachs, having meat to eat was a blessing.

After filling their stomachs, everyone rested, lying down to sleep on the spot.

The newly thawed ground was wet and cold, so Bai Fanlu first dried it with fire and then set up a barrier. But with the place being open and exposed on all sides, he worried about potential dangers at night and said to Xiao Liu, “This place isn’t very hidden. I’ll stay up and watch the barrier tonight.”

“Then I’ll stay up with you,” Xiao Liu immediately offered.

“You’ve just recovered from an injury; you should rest.”

“But you’re injured too!”

“…” Bai Fanlu hadn’t realized Xiao Liu had noticed. The minor injuries he had sustained in the ghost realm were nothing to him, and he thought he had hidden them well.

“Listen to me, I’ll take watch,” Bai Fanlu insisted.

Xiao Liu countered, “Then how about we take turns? You watch the first half of the night, and I’ll watch the second half.”

Bai Fanlu didn’t want Xiao Liu to take a turn at all, as he had just recovered from the cold poison. Even though he seemed energetic, who knew if there would be any lingering effects?

“I’m not tired right now,” Xiao Liu said, and without waiting for Bai Fanlu to respond, he got up to check on the children.

They were huddled together sleeping, with a wolf pelt as a mattress and clothes as blankets, with Zizi curled up with them.

Xiao Liu sat down not far from the children and began to maintain the barrier.

Seeing this, Bai Fanlu knew he couldn’t argue further, so he reluctantly agreed to share the watch.

But he didn’t forget to quietly remind him, “Remember to wake me.”

Xiao Liu smiled mischievously and whispered, “Of course, I’ll wake you in a very special way. You’re sure to wake up.”

“…” Bai Fanlu shot him a glare, but his heart pounded uncontrollably. He thought to himself that he should meditate and not fall asleep, as it would be too dangerous.

Yet, in the end, Bai Fanlu inexplicably slept soundly, not only failing to wake up in the middle of the night but also finding that Xiao Liu hadn’t woken him. Xiao Liu had stayed up all night, keeping an eye on Bai Fanlu the whole time.

Not far from Xiao Liu, Little Snowflake was again forced to serve after Bai Fanlu fell asleep, staying awake with its master all night. With a pair of resentful eyes, it looked at both of them, feeling helpless but dutifully serving as a horse-shaped pillow.

The next day, when Bai Fanlu realized he had been tricked, his face darkened to the point where it could almost drip ink. He didn’t speak to Xiao Liu for the entire journey.

It wasn’t until they reached the northern foothills of Mount Ercang and found a shepherd’s home where they could rest that Xiao Liu finally had the chance to pull Bai Fanlu aside and ask, “Why are you angry?”

Bai Fanlu glanced sideways with a look that said, “What do you think?”

“Did my lie really make you this angry?” Xiao Liu asked cautiously, as if testing something.

Bai Fanlu had actually calmed down long ago, but he didn’t want to encourage Xiao Liu’s habit of deceiving him, so he pretended to be annoyed and asked, “What do you think?”

“…” Xiao Liu fell silent, not responding.

Bai Fanlu thought he would say something else—he was waiting for it—but Xiao Liu only stared at him for a moment, his bright eyes dimming slightly, a hint of hurt flashing through them.

“I understand,” Xiao Liu said, lowering his head.

Bai Fanlu suddenly felt a bit flustered. He grabbed Xiao Liu as he was about to turn away and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Liu didn’t look at Bai Fanlu, but he squeezed his hand gently and said softly, “Nothing. It was my fault. I’m sorry.”

Then he let go and went to talk to the shepherd.

Bai Fanlu stood there in a daze. Xiao Liu had never spoken to him in such a tone before. He was always lively and playful, even in life-and-death situations, he would still tease him.

But just now, that Xiao Liu felt unfamiliar…and made his heart ache for some reason.

Had he been too harsh with his words? Xiao Liu was only trying to help him get more rest, but had he overreacted like someone picking a fight over nothing?

Bai Fanlu walked over, wanting to say something to make amends, but Xiao Liu was already chatting and laughing with the shepherd, as if nothing had happened.

So Bai Fanlu became unsure again.

“Brother, come here,” Xiao Liu called out to Bai Fanlu. “I’ve talked with the uncle. We can build a wooden house nearby and cultivate some land, so the children can live here in the future.”

“Yes, yes!” The enthusiastic shepherd uncle agreed. “There aren’t many people around here, and now with so many kids, my own child will finally have playmates!”

The shepherd’s courtyard was filled with laughter, the children running around without a care in the world.

Xiao Liu watched them, his smile bright and clear. Bai Fanlu looked at his sunny profile, thinking that what had just happened must have been an illusion. Xiao Liu, with his personality, wouldn’t hold a grudge, right? In fact, Bai Fanlu was the one being petty.

Bai Fanlu smiled and said, “Alright, let’s start building the house!”

Xiao Liu rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work. “I’ll listen to you, brother. Just tell me what to do!”

“Cheeky,” Bai Fanlu replied. “We should listen to the uncle and see what needs to be done. He can teach us the steps.”

There was plenty of wood in the mountains, and they could use their immortal techniques to build the house quickly. Bai Fanlu thought it should be easy once they figured it out.

But for some reason, he felt that a house built with immortal techniques might not be reliable enough. Since they had already brought these people to a safe place, there was no need to rush on their journey.

He reasoned with himself that it was better to stay and help them finish building the house, even if it took a few more days.

This thought provided him with a sense of peace, though he overlooked the fact that this mindset was quite different from his original intention to advance the storyline as quickly as possible.

Previously, aside from the main plot, he never engaged in side quests purely without any ulterior motive. But this time, staying behind to build the house was neither part of the main plot nor a side quest, yet deep down, he was unwilling to compare it as such.

So, each day while the shepherd went up the mountain to herd cattle and sheep, Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu would head into the mountains to cut down trees and bring them back, first gathering enough wood.

After roughly processing the wood, they had to carve out connection grooves with knives and axes since, in ancient times, there were no nails, and houses could only be constructed using mortise and tenon joints.

Both of them were novices in this area, initially relying solely on hand tools to carve the wood. Later, after mastering the techniques, they began to secretly use their immortal powers to speed up the process.

Once they started using immortal powers, the atmosphere changed.

“Brother, this groove isn’t in the right spot; it should be here!”

“I know, I know. I can still fix it.”

No one knew who had the better skills, but Xiao Liu’s accuracy was far superior to Bai Fanlu’s.

“… Are you sure you can still use it after you’ve fixed it?”

“If it can’t be used for the roof, we can always make it into a bed!”

In any case, it would be put to use somehow, so it wouldn’t go to waste.

“Brother Lu, you’re making a huge bed! We can all sleep together on it, right?”

Seeing Bai Fanlu seriously working on a bed, the children gathered around, pleading with him while acting cute.

Xiao Liu snorted disdainfully and continued sharpening his tools.

This had become their daily routine, more regular than their three meals.

But even so, producing enough materials to build a large house was a challenging task.

By the fifth day, they had only completed half of the materials. During their midday break, the children competed to bring them tea and water.

Just as they were swamped by the children’s attention, the shepherd uncle pushed open the courtyard gate, returning with some freshly picked wild fruits from the mountains and two wild rabbits he had unexpectedly caught.

His original intention was to treat everyone to some meat, but as soon as the rabbits were brought back, they immediately caught the children’s attention. They begged not to kill the rabbits, wanting to keep them as pets instead.

“Let’s give the bunnies names, okay?”

“Should we call one Little Grey and the other Little White?”

“Or how about Little Seven and Little Eight, to follow after Brother Liu, haha!”

One mischievous child even started making jokes about Xiao Liu.

Hearing this, Bai Fanlu found some old childhood memories resurfacing, with faint echoes of similar words he had heard somewhere, sparking a sense of nostalgia.

“Brother? … Brother?”

Hearing Xiao Liu’s voice, Bai Fanlu snapped back to reality, abruptly interrupting the distant conversation playing in his mind. Only then did he realize it had been a long time since he had so vividly remembered those early days.

The clarity of the words and the vividness of the memories made it feel like it had just happened yesterday.

“What were you thinking about, so lost in thought?” Xiao Liu asked.

With a touch of sentimentality, Bai Fanlu sighed, “I was thinking about when I was a child. I guess… being a child really is better.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Liu followed his gaze towards the children, their innocence and lack of worries truly enviable. “I used to think that way too, but not anymore.”

“Not anymore?” Bai Fanlu withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu was staring at Bai Fanlu, his eyes deep and meaningful as he said, “Only when you grow up can you become strong enough to protect those you want to protect. If you never grow up, it’s just self-deception.”

There it was again—that serious look, as if he was secretly competing with someone. It made Bai Fanlu feel a bit guilty, so he awkwardly smiled and lowered his head to continue working on the wood.

Meanwhile, the children had decided on names for the rabbits, ultimately voting for “Little Grey” and “Little White”—simple and easy to remember.

Xiao Liu also resumed his work, carefully smoothing down the surface of a log. This log was meant to be a support beam, and he wanted it to be perfect.

After finishing, Xiao Liu carefully inspected it from all angles, pretending to look for flaws. In reality, he quickly carved a few words into the end of the wood when no one was looking.

Satisfied with the characters he had carved, Xiao Liu glanced at Bai Fanlu, smiled contentedly, and then casually muttered, “We should build the house a bit bigger. It’ll be more comfortable, with more rooms. That way, when we come back, we’ll still have a place to stay.”

Bai Fanlu remained silent, pretending not to hear, but his hand paused for a moment.

After a while, hearing Xiao Liu resume his work with a clattering sound, Bai Fanlu finally glanced up.

At that moment, the young man was fully absorbed in his task, his rolled-up sleeves revealing muscular forearms. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his neatly tied hair was clean and orderly. A smile lingered on his lips, as if he was genuinely enjoying what he was doing.

Just for these few days, Bai Fanlu thought, he would help build the house and settle the elderly and children.

Then he would deliver the Snow Lingzhi, and after that, he would go find Xiang Wanyi.

As for what came after that… he hadn’t decided yet.

In truth, there was no need to decide. After leaving Ling City, the original plot would enter a crucial turning point where the protagonist would transform from an immortal to a demon, pushing the storyline into its second half.

Bai Fanlu should have been happy. Now that he had no connection to Yun Zhan, there was no longer a reason for him to turn into a demon, let alone become corrupted. As long as he held on, the further the plot progressed, the closer he would be to returning home.

His goal was to return home, wasn’t it?

Bai Fanlu had always been the type to set goals for himself, whether in the original world or here. His long-term goal was to earn a lot of money, and his short-term goal was to finish post-production on a radio drama.

But now, his long-term goal in this world felt like a mirage—achievable, yet something he hesitated to confront.

So he had to rely on setting small, achievable short-term goals to give himself direction.

Yet, even these small goals were not something he would have the chance to complete personally.

On the seventh day after arriving at the northern foothills of Mount Ercang, they finally finished preparing all the wood. The house was about to take shape, but that night, a signal flare suddenly exploded in the sky, forcing Bai Fanlu to stop everything he was doing.

When he hurried to the location where the signal was launched, he saw two disciples from the Tianxu Sect.

As soon as they saw Bai Fanlu, they urgently said, “Senior Brother! We finally found you! Something major has happened at Chengying Sect. The master has ordered you to return immediately!”