"I'm telling you, catching fish is all about being quick, accurate, and ruthless!" Yaoxi declared, even though she hadn't caught a single fish yet. She was still trying to impart her nonexistent expertise to the boy.
"Mm." The boy nodded earnestly, taking her words to heart. He then hovered his hands over the water, intently watching the fish swimming by.
*Splash!*
A huge splash erupted from the water. Yaoxi turned her head, ready to comfort the boy with some cliché about failure being the mother of success. But to her surprise, she saw the boy beaming at her, holding a fish the size of his palm in his hands.
This… Yaoxi felt somewhat insulted by the fish. How could this scrawny boy with his thin arms and legs manage to catch a fish while she couldn't? She glared at the fish swimming freely in the stream, as if they were mocking her.
"You better not make me get serious!" she muttered, frustrated. In truth, now that she had escaped from the Heavenly Court, it was best for her not to use any of her cultivation powers if she didn't want to be found. Any surge of spiritual energy could give away her location. Using her powers just to catch a fish would be infuriating.
*Plop!*
Yaoxi focused on a fish, determined to apply her quick, accurate, and ruthless method. But she only managed to grab the tail, and the fish quickly slipped away.
"Damn it!" she cursed, slapping the water in frustration.
Meanwhile, the boy had already caught a second fish, his face glowing with joy. Yaoxi's frustration grew. How was she supposed to save face if this continued?
She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it toward the boy. The boy froze in place, his expression blank. He wondered if he had somehow upset Yaoxi. But when he saw the mischievous look on her face, he realized what was happening.
After tossing his fish onto the bank, he scooped up water and splashed it back at her.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to fight back, Daizi!" Yaoxi exclaimed, surprised. Just yesterday, this boy had endured bullying without a word of protest, and today he was showing this kind of spirit?
But this change was exactly what she wanted to see. After all, there would come a day when she would have to leave, and she didn't want him to be helpless against bullies once she was gone.
So, let him fight back even harder!
Yaoxi gave up on catching fish, not wanting to keep failing and embarrassing herself.
"Come on, then! Show me what you've got, Daizi!" she taunted, splashing more water at him, though her face was lit with a playful smile.
The boy didn't back down, splashing water right back at her.
What started as a fishing session quickly turned into a water fight. It wasn't until the boy shivered and sneezed that they decided to call it quits.
By the fire, Yaoxi roasted the two small fish the boy had caught. The boy sat nearby, shivering and sneezing, his clothes drenched.
Yaoxi looked at him with concern. With his frail body, if he didn't change out of those wet clothes soon, he'd likely fall seriously ill. But she didn't have any clothes that would fit him in her storage bag.
After a moment of thought, a sly smile crept onto Yaoxi's face. She reached into her storage bag and pulled out a pink dress.
Holding the dress, Yaoxi walked over to the boy, smiling sweetly. "Daizi, go change into these dry clothes in the reeds over there, or you'll catch a cold."
The boy reached out to take the dress, but when he saw it was a dress, his hand froze in midair.
"Yaoxi… Sister… isn't there… any other… clothes?" he asked, his voice hesitant and awkward.
"Hmm?" Yaoxi raised an eyebrow. "Already getting picky after just one good day? If you don't want to catch a cold, change into this."
She stared at him sternly, though the corners of her mouth twitched with barely concealed amusement.
The boy, afraid of upsetting Yaoxi, bit his lip, grabbed the dress, and hurried into the reeds to change.
Watching him go, Yaoxi grinned, pleased with her little victory.
A short while later, the boy emerged from the reeds, awkwardly wearing the pink dress.
"See? Doesn't it fit perfectly?" Yaoxi teased.
The boy turned his head away, his face flushed with embarrassment, unable to meet her eyes. All he wanted was to dry his own clothes as quickly as possible.
After eating the roasted fish and drying his clothes, the boy finally sighed with relief as he changed back into his own garments.
Once everything was packed up, Yaoxi stood up, pointing ahead. "Let's go!"
"Yaoxi… Sister, where… are we going?" The boy asked, leading the little red horse and following closely behind her.
"The world is vast—wherever we want to go!" Yaoxi declared boldly. "But let's start with a small goal: tasting all the delicious food in the world!"
With that, she mounted the little red horse and extended her hand to the boy. "Come on."
The boy didn't hesitate, climbing onto the horse and settling into Yaoxi's embrace.
Six years passed in a flash.
The boy, once a scrawny child, had grown into a tall, handsome young man. Over the years, he and Yaoxi had traveled to countless famous cities and sampled countless delicacies.
Their next destination was the legendary Peach Blossom Valley, renowned for its exquisite cuisine.
Yaoxi, riding the little red horse, looked quizzically at the young man beside her. He was wearing a mask and leading the horse on foot. Whenever they were around others, he always wore a mask.
But what puzzled Yaoxi was why he had suddenly stopped riding with her.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Yaoxi finally asked him why.
The young man remained silent for a long moment before responding slowly, "I'm afraid… Little Red… will get… too tired."
Before Yaoxi could say anything, Little Red neighed in protest, pawing the ground indignantly. It was clear the horse felt insulted.
"See? You're overthinking things," Yaoxi said, extending her hand to the young man again. "Come on, don't delay our journey!"
But the young man remained still, his voice firm. "You two… go ahead. I'll… run."
Yaoxi was speechless. After a moment, she patted Little Red and said with a smirk, "Little Red, let's go. Let's see if this fool can keep up!"
"Let's see if this fool can catch up with us!"
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8