Uncle Nine, where are you running to?

Although Lin Jiu is not interested in women, he has a very sharp mind.

Once the excuses he made for himself were exposed, the feeling of excitement was laid bare before him.

Next, how should I interact with her? Should I accept her... or not? That is the question.

Lin Jiu no longer had the heart to write any mantras to purify his mind. Since his mind was truly in turmoil, writing them would only be deceiving himself.

He lay on the bed at an angle without taking off his coat, and many thoughts flooded into his mind like a tide.

He thought, no matter how sudden her love was, she... liked him, right?

He stared at the white tent ceiling, and as he looked, the look in her eyes as she looked at him seemed to emerge in the void.

Every time she saw him, her beautiful oval cat-shaped eyes would sparkle with concentration and tenderness, often holding a hint of hope that he would respond to her.

Lin Jiu suddenly closed his eyes, and his eyes suddenly disappeared, but his heartbeat became more and more violent.

He raised his hand to cover his heart. This unfamiliar feeling made him feel a little overwhelmed.

For a moment, he wanted to follow his heart and agree to her.

However, the patience and rationality he had acquired through years of practicing Taoism pulled him out of the whirlpool of emotions.

After all, what stands between them is not just race, but more importantly, lifespan.

Jingzhi... She doesn't care whether she is a demon or the spirit cat she calls.

He had studied Taoism for many years and knew very well that spiritual creatures like her, which fed on spiritual energy and were born and raised by nature, could live for hundreds of years. What's more, for those with high cultivation, it was possible for them to live for thousands of years.

Although she looks a bit weak, she can at least live for hundreds of years.

The human lifespan is only a few decades, not to mention that he is almost fifty years old.

So, how could he, a man with one foot in the coffin, still accept... her love?

Catching ghosts and summoning corpses are his daily routine.

If one day, he unfortunately died on the road of fighting demons and defending the way, then leaving her alone, sad and upset, and even having to endure this pain for the next long years, wouldn't that be even more selfish?

Lin Jiu sighed deeply, suppressed the strong reluctance in his heart, and made a decision immediately.

Since I can't reject her directly and can't drive her away, I'll just control my inappropriate emotions and treat her as my apprentice like Qiu Sheng.

Maybe one day she would figure it out and leave on her own...

Thinking of this, his eyebrows jumped, and he flicked his fingers to extinguish the candle on the table, letting darkness cover the entire room.

He instantly turned his back, the bright moonlight streaming through the window onto his profile. His deep eyes were hidden in the darkness, and it was hard to tell what emotion was in them. His cheek was moving slowly as he gritted his teeth, his jaw tense...

……

Through the wall.

Jingzhi didn't expect that not only did the sickly Erdi think a lot, but old man Lin was no less thoughtful, and even thought more deeply.

She heard a soft "puff" sound from next door and knew that he had put out the candle.

At this time, she had no intention of practicing.

The civet's ears are the most sensitive.

There were two things that bothered her.

One is the two "junior sisters" mentioned by Simu.

That’s right, Wencai said he is 42 years old. How could she be the only one who discovered his good qualities?

Time has passed, and since he didn't accept those two people before and is still alone now, there is nothing much for her to say.

What concerned her more was that he asked Simu to open his eyes and look at him.

He suspected that she was casting a spell on him.

Does this mean that he... is moved?

Jingzhi's mouth corners became more and more stretched.

She had very good night vision and had never had the habit of turning on lights at night. At this moment, the cat's pupils in the dark were as bright as two light bulbs, and slowly turned into a curved arc.

In the silent space, she suddenly let out a low laugh of joy that she couldn't suppress.

……

Two different moods separated by a wall.

One person has a sweet dream, while the other one remains awake.

……

Jingzhi slept well. Although she got up several times in the middle of the night to change the hot water for Wencai, she did not stay in bed in the morning.

At daybreak, she threw off the quilt and took off, with a smile on her lips.

The good mood from last night continued into this morning.

In the past, as soon as I opened the door, I could see Lin Jiu practicing Tai Chi in the yard. Today, the yard was empty, except for a corner outside the kitchen where the wood that Qiu Sheng had collected last night was piled up.

She thought that maybe she was tired from fighting monsters yesterday, so she got up late.

So without thinking too much, I straightened my clothes and walked towards the kitchen.

When passing by Taoist Simu's guest room, he found that his door was wide open.

Weird, don’t you close the door when you sleep?

She stuck her head in and saw that the quilt was neatly made and the house was empty.

There were two pieces of letter paper on the round table, pressed down by a teapot.

She walked over and picked it up to take a look.

There were only two lines of words written on the first one:

It is easy to get priceless treasures, but hard to find a true lover.

Who is it written for, Ajiu or her?

He really has a sharp eye. He's only been here twice, but he can already see that?

She put down the paper and put it under the teapot before reading what was written on the second piece of paper.

As soon as she lowered her eyes, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

I saw it read:

"The food you cook is delicious. When you are free, ask my senior brother to bring you and your two apprentices to visit me."

Although neither piece of paper was signed by anyone, she could tell at once.

Since this picture was written to her, then that poem must have been written to Ajiu.

Jingzhi folded the second piece of letter paper and stuffed it into her sleeve, then strolled to the kitchen to cook in a good mood, even humming a little tune along the way.

She thought that his junior brother would also support her.

……

After dinner, Qiu Sheng rode his bicycle and took Tingting and her grandfather's ashes back home.

Wencai soaked in the water all night until his skin became swollen, and only then did Lin Jiu allow him to come out.

After changing clothes and re-bandaging, the old face that was paler than a ghost last night finally showed some human color.

Just as Jingzhi handed the medicine to him, she heard the sound of wood chopping in the yard.

She walked to the door and leaned her head over the door frame to take a look.

Lin Jiu tucked the hem of his shirt into his waist and was sawing bamboo with his sleeves rolled up.

She asked, "Ajiu, what are you doing?"

Lin Jiu's attitude was calm. He turned around, smiled at her and said:

"A lot of tables and chairs were broken last night, and the windows were rotten too. I'll saw some bamboo to fix them."

He smiled, but Jingzhi's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Not right.

He never smiled at her, and except for the first time they met and when he looked at her, he never dared to look her in the eyes.

what is it today?

She asked tentatively, "Can I help?"

Lin Jiu paused, then slowly began sawing along the bamboo, then raised his chin towards the house next to the morgue and said:

"No, it's almost July 14th. If you have time, you can help me fold some gold ingots. The paper money is in that room."

Jingzhi glanced at him suspiciously, trying to see the look in his eyes. Lin Jiu immediately lowered his eyes, put down the saw, and busily picked up the ink fountain to determine the size.

She pursed her lips and walked towards the house he mentioned with some reluctance.

Halfway through the walk, she suddenly turned around, but caught Lin Jiu's gaze which he had no time to avert.

Gone.

The shame in the look in her eyes before was gone...

What on earth is he thinking about?

Lin Jiu put one hand behind his back and pointed at the red door not far away with the other hand and said:

"Don't know how to fold it? I'll ask Wencai to teach you."

“…No, I will.”

The good mood that lasted all night and early morning was shattered by his look.

She began to not understand him.

Jingzhi's eyes stubbornly stayed on his face, scanning his expression constantly and rapidly, trying to find something, while Lin Jiu smiled slightly, letting her look at him, raised his hand and gestured towards the room and said:

"Don't touch those baby sculptures on the wall. There's a baby spirit living in each sculpture. Be careful—"

Before he finished speaking, Jingzhi seemed to be discouraged, lowered his head, turned around silently, and said in a low voice:

"...I understand. I'll go do something."

"……That's good."

Watching her gradually receding figure, he finally lowered his hands behind his back. When he opened them, the deep crescent marks on his palms were exposed to the sunlight.

Lin Jiu closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and started working again.

It's better this way. One day, she will give up on him.

But why... His heart felt like it was being pulled by a fist and began to ache.

This feeling was too strange, and he didn't dare to think about it too deeply.

At this moment, Lin Jiu still didn't know that love is like a tide. Even if he built a high wall, once that wall broke, the feeling of unrequited love would hit him even more fiercely, until it completely overwhelmed all his rationality...