Chen Baoxiang had no particular intentions at all — she only wanted to smell whether there was any trace of aromatic fish pastry on him.

But as fate would have it, the carriage chose precisely that moment to move. She was half-bent forward, leaning in close to his face — caught entirely off guard, she tumbled straight into him.

Soft, warm lips pressed against his for one fleeting instant before pulling away just as quickly. Someone’s pupils contracted sharply, and his heart missed a full beat.

Chen Baoxiang pulled back. She steadied herself against the carriage wall but did not apologize, only staring blankly for a long moment.

Then she clenched her fist in indignation: “Lucky me — what a bargain I got!”

Zhang Zhixu: “……”

He raised a hand and touched the corner of his mouth, somewhat dazed, then lowered his gaze. “If you want aromatic fish pastries, I can have Jiuquan turn the carriage around and go back.”

“That’s not what I want.”

“Then you’re deliberately trying to take liberties with me?”

“No, no, no — I just didn’t keep my footing earlier. I have no other intentions toward you whatsoever.”

Zhang Zhixu’s elegant brows drew together. “Not only do you take liberties with me — after taking liberties, you have no intentions toward me.”

Who was he insulting?

“That’s not it, I… you…” Chen Baoxiang waved her hands frantically, trying to explain — but then suddenly realized that there truly was no scent of aromatic fish pastry near his lips.

She buried her face in her hands. “What on earth is going on? Don’t tell me those two were actually right.”

Back when the Great Immortal had lived in her body, he was always goading and teasing her — one moment calling her worse than the pigs in the East Market, the next mocking her terrible taste.

But now that he had become a living, breathing man, he seemed to have grown considerate, his every gesture subtly carrying a thread of ambiguity she could not quite name.

What was she supposed to do about that?

It took Zhang Zhixu a good while to pull his thoughts back together.

He glanced across at her — Chen Baoxiang’s expression was swinging between brightness and furrowed brows, as though she were about to worry herself to death.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly extended his hand toward her.

“What are you doing?” She instinctively drew herself in.

Zhang Zhixu gave a disgruntled scoff and opened his palm. “What else would I be doing? The banknotes — I worked so hard standing up for you, and you took that whole pile of silver without giving me even two notes?”

What kind of hero rescues a beauty and then asks for money?

Chen Baoxiang’s eyes went wide, and she clutched her purse fiercely. “It’s not as if you’re short on money.”

“Whether I’m short on money is one matter. Whether you should give me some is another.” He forcibly snatched the purse and pulled out two notes. “Even brothers must keep clear accounts with each other — and you and I are only friends.”

Friends?

The tight furrow in Chen Baoxiang’s brows relaxed.

So that was all it was — the Great Immortal only thought of her as a friend. She had already gone from wondering whether an immortal and a mortal could fall in love all the way to imagining what their children would be — would they be human or immortal?

Hmph!

But then again, it was only because the Great Immortal was so good to her that others could so easily get the wrong impression.

Such a wonderful Great Immortal — she ought to be better to him in return, besides just offering incense.

She gave a quiet nod to herself and settled back against the carriage wall.

Zhang Zhixu watched her reaction out of the corner of his eye and let out a soft, measured huff.

It would be hard to find anyone in this world more obtuse than she was.

Yet this person was obtuse without even knowing it — and still turned around to worry about him. “Are the injuries on your body no longer bothering you?”

“They still bother me.” He replied without warmth. “If you’d stay away from Pei Ruheng, they’d bother me considerably less.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the awkwardness himself. He scrambled to recover his footing. “The people around him are all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. You only end up causing trouble for me to clean up.”

“Is the Great Immortal talking about Lu Qingrong?” Chen Baoxiang tilted her head, smiling with guileless innocence. “She watches me make a fool of myself — I watch her make a fool of herself. She lost so much silver tonight. I imagine she’ll have quite a hard time explaining herself when she gets home.”

“Someone who can purchase Wanbao Tower outright — would she really struggle to explain a sum like this?” Zhang Zhixu said, then found himself genuinely puzzled.

He had never been able to understand how Lu Shouhuai, a mere commander, could have accumulated such tremendous wealth. Now watching how Lu Qingrong conducted herself — beyond simply being wealthy, she had an air of fearlessness, as though she had backing.

Thinking of the relationship between Lu Shouhuai and Cheng Huaili, Zhang Zhixu’s brow furrowed slightly.

Chen Baoxiang, unaware of any of this, was still chattering away enthusiastically. “Pei Ruheng and Miss Cen have both come to the Bureau of Industry as officials. They’re reporting for duty tomorrow — we might even run into each other.”

He already knew that Cen Xuanyue had entered the Pharmaceutical Division, but when had Pei Ruheng gotten himself into the Bureau of Industry?

Zhang Zhixu pulled back the carriage curtain and glanced at Ningsu.

Ningsu stiffened immediately and clasped his hands in a bow. “This subordinate also only just received word. It was not Lord Zhang’s arrangement — it went through the procedures of the Brewing Division.”

The Bureau of Industry governed four divisions and twenty-six departments, with a large staff and complex connections. Inserting one or two people was not unusual in itself — but anyone granted an official rank should have gone through the chief official’s review procedures.

He had been ill for too long. He had let others reach their hands this far into his domain without noticing.

“Great Immortal — what’s wrong?” Chen Baoxiang studied his expression. “You don’t want Pei Ruheng in the Bureau of Industry?”

“It’s not that I don’t want him there — he doesn’t qualify.” Zhang Zhixu lowered his gaze. “Every official in the Brewing Division must first be posted to the rural countryside for three years — to learn farming, understand the five grains, and know the people’s livelihoods. Only then can they truly serve the purpose of the office. Pei Ruheng hasn’t been posted anywhere. I doubt he’s even seen what a stalk of rice looks like.”

“Furthermore — his civil examination focused on criminal law, and the Ministry of Justice had already made plans for him. Why would they suddenly send him to the Bureau of Industry instead?”

Even as he asked the question aloud, the answer had already quietly taken shape in his mind.

Cheng Huaili had been deeply displeased with his decision not to punish Chen Baoxiang but rather to promote her. He intended to use Pei Ruheng’s irregular entry into the Bureau of Industry as a way to put pressure on him.

But for the sake of such a petty dispute, he would gamble with his most favored nephew’s entire official career?

Zhang Zhixu gave a slight shake of his head and turned to Chen Baoxiang with a grave look. “You must take great care tomorrow.”

He feared these people might still have some trick in reserve — and would once again pick Chen Baoxiang as the soft target to press.

“Great Immortal, trust me — I’ll definitely make you proud!”

“I don’t need pride. Just don’t cause trouble.”

“Of course, Great Immortal! Absolutely, Great Immortal!”

She answered lightly, as though she hadn’t quite taken it to heart.

Zhang Zhixu was not reassured. He wanted to say a few more words of warning — but she had already pulled him into recounting other things she had seen and heard at the banquet, her face animated and her spirits high, and he could not bring himself to interrupt.

So be it.

Zhang Zhixu propped his chin in his hand, listening while his thoughts wandered elsewhere. In any case, as long as he was here — even if Chen Baoxiang managed to poke a hole in the sky itself, he would be down below ready to catch it.