Ruan Qiuping hadn't fully recovered from the minor injury he received in the mortal realm, so after exiting the Gate of Dust Observation and removing his bracelet, the first thing he did was sit down on some steps to tend to his wound.
As he unwrapped the bandage, Ruan Qiuping frowned. Although the wound had stopped bleeding, it still looked gruesome, not much different from when he first got injured.
"How did you get hurt?"
Qi Yue suddenly appeared silently, startling Ruan Qiuping.
"Just a small accident," Ruan Qiuping said, giving Qi Yue a strange look.
Why was this person suddenly so concerned about him?
Ruan Qiuping remembered a time during an outdoor class when a three-headed bird suddenly went berserk, snatched him into the sky, and then dropped him. He ended up covered in blood mixed with dust, in so much pain he nearly passed out. It was a terrifying scene. While the other classmates at least looked at him with a mix of curiosity and shock, only Qi Yue remained completely unfazed, as if he hadn't even noticed Ruan Qiuping's existence.
But now, for such a minor leg injury, he actually came over specifically to ask about it.
Qi Yue took out a small white porcelain bottle from his robes and placed it on the step next to Ruan Qiuping. "This ointment will help with the wound."
With that, he turned and left.
Ruan Qiuping glanced at the ointment, feeling somewhat perplexed.
Could it be poisoned?
... Surely not.
Well, even though he could use magic to heal the wound, having ointment was better than not having any.
Ruan Qiuping picked up the ointment and called out a thank you to Qi Yue.
Qi Yue paused for a moment, then continued walking.
.
The next morning.
Ruan Shengfeng watched his son eating breakfast with his head down, a multitude of questions brewing inside him.
For instance, why was his son so eager to go to school every day? Who was the person delivering things to him daily? Had he finally made a friend, and if so, was it just a regular friend or a girlfriend? Was he dating someone, and if he didn't have a group, who could his dating partner be...
Moreover, Ruan Shengfeng had inquired yesterday and learned that there were only two girls in Qiuping's current class. So which one of them could Qiuping be dating?
"By the way, Dad," Ruan Qiuping suddenly looked up at Ruan Shengfeng mid-meal, his expression curious, "Did you know that men can be together with other men too?"
Ruan Shengfeng: "...Huh?"
In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Ruan Shengfeng's mind. He stammered, "W-why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"No reason, just thought of it," Ruan Qiuping took a couple more bites of food, then looked up again to ask, "So if two male immortals are together, do they need to endure heavenly lightning? If so, how many bolts?"
Ruan Shengfeng felt his hands shaking badly. He put down his chopsticks on the table and tried to maintain his composure as he said, "...Well, I'm not too sure about that... but Dad can look into it for you."
"No need, I was just asking casually," Ruan Qiuping said.
He had just remembered that yesterday he told Yu Huan that two men being together would incur divine punishment.
It was something he had blurted out at the time, but now that he thought about it, he felt it might not be entirely accurate, so he just wanted to verify. It wasn't really an important matter.
"Actually, Dad is more open-minded than you might think..." Ruan Shengfeng said cautiously, "I believe that as long as people like each other... things like identity don't matter... Qiuping, you can talk to Dad about anything..."
"Mm-hmm," Ruan Qiuping glanced at the time and hurriedly finished the soup in his bowl. "I'm off to school."
Ruan Shengfeng: "Eat that plate of spirit mushrooms too, it'll help increase your cultivation!"
"I'm too full, can't eat anymore," Ruan Qiuping said as he left with his backpack.
Ruan Shengfeng watched Ruan Qiuping's retreating figure and sighed wistfully.
It seemed he not only needed to inquire about the female immortals in Qiuping's class but also about the male ones.
.
To avoid the crowds, Ruan Qiuping took a secluded path to school.
Even so, he still encountered the Moonlit Immortal who had slept under a large tree by the roadside all night.
Remembering that the last time he met this Moonlit Immortal, he had been inexplicably pelted with eggs, Ruan Qiuping quickened his pace, wanting to leave the area as soon as possible.
But in the next second, the Moonlit Immortal blocked his path.
"God of Misfortune?"
The Moonlit Immortal had been drinking today as well, though not as heavily drunk as that day.
No matter which way Ruan Qiuping tried to go - left, right, or even flying upwards - the Moonlit Immortal stubbornly blocked his path.
Ruan Qiuping sighed helplessly, "My lord, if you want to throw eggs at me again, could you please do it tonight? I'm in a bit of a hurry right now."
"Ah! Eggs, I remember now!" the Moonlit Immortal suddenly exclaimed, "I threw eggs at you!"
"Thank you for remembering," Ruan Qiuping sighed.
It had been over half a month since the Moonlit Immortal had thrown eggs at him. Ruan Qiuping still remembered that it was the first day he had any interaction with others, and a stranger had given him the God of Fortune's jade pendant. All in all, it had been a very lucky day.
The Moonlit Immortal seemed to have sobered up a bit. He scratched the back of his head, appearing quite embarrassed. "I'm really sorry, I was drunk at the time... How about I give you a free love fortune reading as compensation?"
"You don't need to compensate me, you just need to step aside and let me pass," Ruan Qiuping said.
The Moonlit Immortal ignored Ruan Qiuping's request and stood in front of him, pretending to examine him up and down, left and right. After a while, he said, "Your love line is very thick. You're going to meet your lover now, aren't you!"
Ruan Qiuping: "...I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. I'm going to school."
Everyone in the celestial realm knew that although the Moonlit Immortal was in charge of matchmaking, he only managed the love affairs of mortals. He had never accurately predicted the romantic fate of immortals.
The Moonlit Immortal also felt that he must have made a mistake - how could the God of Misfortune have any romantic prospects?
Realizing this, he felt even more guilty and quickly began to search his pockets, seemingly wanting to offer some material compensation to this pitiful God of Misfortune.
He patted himself from top to bottom, but apart from an empty wine bottle, all he had left was a ball of red string.
"Here you go! Use it well! We're even now! Let's pretend I never hit you!" The Moonlit Immortal, seemingly afraid that Ruan Qiuping might change his mind, tossed the ball of red string to him and hurriedly ran off.
Ruan Qiuping sighed, carelessly stuffed the red string into his pocket, and sprinted towards the Gate of Vanity.
Not only was this red string useless for immortals, but even if it did work, who could he, Ruan Qiuping, tie it to? Who would want to be associated with the God of Misfortune?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Ruan Qiuping's mind.
Although the red string was useless for him, it could be useful for Yu Huan.
With this red string, surely Yu Huan would be able to find a partner?
He hadn't even had time to feel happy about this idea when he suddenly remembered Yu Huan's intense reaction yesterday after he tried to set him up with someone.
Although Yu Huan had said that night that he wasn't angry with him, when Ruan Qiuping woke up the next morning, he saw that Yu Huan was sleeping with his back turned to him, trying to keep as far away as possible, clearly still sulking.
Ruan Qiuping sighed, glanced at the red string in his pocket, his expression conflicted.
.
After descending to the mortal realm, Ruan Qiuping found himself at the school's sports field, where it seemed the winter school sports meet was being held. The place was packed with people, cheers filling the air.
Even so, Ruan Qiuping spotted Yu Huan in the crowd at first glance.
Yu Huan was wearing a white tracksuit, running on the field.
He seemed to be participating in a long-distance race, as Ruan Qiuping heard many classmates counting for him, currently at the seventeenth lap.
Yu Huan's running form was graceful, the white track pants accentuating his long legs. He had been running for a long time, sweat constantly dripping from his forehead, yet his pace hadn't slowed at all.
Ruan Qiuping had never seen Yu Huan like this before. He looked determined and handsome, his eyes clear and relaxed, as if he wasn't tired at all.
This was in stark contrast to the few participants behind him who were panting, exhausted, and looking dejected.
Everyone's attention was drawn to this young man, including Ruan Qiuping's.
Ruan Qiuping watched Yu Huan run two laps before suddenly realizing he had forgotten to remove his invisibility.
After becoming visible, Ruan Qiuping returned to the crowd and asked a girl next to him, "How many laps are left?"
Ruan Qiuping realized after speaking that his words lacked a subject and were ambiguous. He was about to rephrase his question: "Yu—"
"Last lap, it's the last lap! Yu God is on his final lap!" A girl screamed, excitedly slapping her companion's shoulder. "Yu God is two laps ahead of second place! And second place is from the track and field team!!!"
Ruan Qiuping: "..."
At that moment, the judges had already stretched out the red ribbon at the finish line. Many girls rushed forward, crowding near the finish line with various items in their hands.
Amidst the throng of people, Ruan Qiuping found himself unconsciously swept along with the crowd to the finish line.
However, he was surrounded almost entirely by excited young girls, their hands full of towels, water bottles, fans, and other items. Ruan Qiuping, being male, stood out enough, but having brought nothing with him made him look even more out of place, as if he were just there to make up the numbers.
"Ahhhhh! Yu God is speeding up, he's sprinting!"
The girls' screams around him left Ruan Qiuping's ears ringing. He instinctively looked up to see Yu Huan, only to find their eyes meeting.
The moment Yu Huan saw Ruan Qiuping, it was as if light suddenly flooded into his dark eyes, instantly brightening them. A dazzling smile spread across his face.
Another wave of screams erupted from the crowd.
The young man's speed increased more and more, as if he couldn't wait to race over. In his final step, he took a great leap with his long legs and crossed the finish line.
The crowd exploded into enthusiastic cheers and screams. Countless towels and water bottles were raised at the end of the buffer zone, with people shouting the young man's name.
Amidst the gazes of countless onlookers and their cheers, the young man ran through the crowd, past the raised water bottles and towels, straight towards Ruan Qiuping. He reached out and pulled him into an embrace.
The young man's face was brimming with an overflowing smile. Breathing heavily, he pressed his burning face against Ruan Qiuping's neck.
Having just finished the long-distance race, the young man's entire body radiated intense heat. His breathing was heavy and rapid, his heartbeat as violent as a beating drum.
That scorching heat, like the blazing winter sun, enveloped Ruan Qiuping completely, making his head spin and leaving him unsure where to put his hands and feet.
Thump, thump, thump.
In the air that felt as hot as being surrounded by a furnace, all Ruan Qiuping could hear was the young man's breathing and heartbeat.
The sound was so loud it seemed to occupy his entire world.
Even his own heart began to beat violently in response.