Seeing Old Gu Six wake up, Chang'an hugged him and cried so hard she hiccuped. Her merits hadn’t been lost—what a relief.
Old Gu Six lowered his eyes slightly, gently patting Chang'an’s back. How wonderful, they were still intact.
This was the daughter he had gone to great lengths to obtain, someone more precious to him than his own life.
"Awwoo!" Two wolf howls interrupted the tender moment between father and daughter.
Old Gu Six’s hand, still patting Chang'an’s back, momentarily lost control, landing a bit too hard.
Chang'an: "..."
Her earlier tears now felt a bit unnecessary.
"Sweetheart, listen to my excuse—no, my explanation! I didn’t mean to. I was just startled by Big White and Little Silver."
With that, he marched over and gave the two wolves a thorough beating, leaving them yelping pitifully.
Chang'an, thinking Old Gu Six had suffered enough, pulled out a pile of delicious snacks from her space to feed him.
Even the usually rationed grilled shrimp got an extra packet.
She generously handed him two packs of spicy strips too.
Old Gu Six sat cross-legged on the deck, happily munching on the treats. Same old Six, as always.
Chang'an felt reassured. For a moment when he first woke up, she’d felt like he was a different person—probably just her nerves playing tricks on her.
"Dad, we’ve lost our direction again."
Old Gu Six promptly kicked the silver wolf. "You tell me—which way should we sail?"
Silver Wolf: "Have some decency! This is the open sea, not the mountains. How would I know?"
Chang'an: "So unreliable. Better call Old Master."
"Old Master! Old Master! Come in, Old Master!"
...
"Old Master? Old Master? Are you still there?"
...
What’s going on?
Chang'an grew worried, recalling recent events. Had something happened to him?
Meanwhile, the Old Master she was calling was currently being chased and beaten by a group of old men, with Purple Extreme cowering nearby like a quail.
It wasn’t that Old Master couldn’t fight back—he just felt guilty, so he let them vent their anger first.
Wait, why was he the guilty one?
Wasn’t this Old Gu Six and Purple Extreme’s mess?
"Stop, stop! This wasn’t my doing. Why are you all chasing me?"
The old men skidded to a halt, exchanging glances. Oops, wrong target.
They promptly turned and cornered Purple Extreme before it could flee, giving it a sound thrashing.
Hearing Chang'an’s summons, Old Master rushed over. The way she was wailing, you’d think her father had died—only to find out she was just lost again.
[I’m here, I’m here! Must you scream like that? I nearly called a suona player for your funeral.]
"Save it for your own."
[You paying?]
"Sure, but first, point me in the right direction."
[Pah! Keep the money for your dad. No need to turn back—you’re closer to that little island you wanted to reach.]
"Seriously? We’re almost there after just one morning? How’d that happen?"
[What, want a repeat performance?]
"Hard pass."
[Sail west. You’ll arrive in eight or nine days. I left the puppet bird in your space—just drip a bit of blood on it to control it.]
"Got it. Oh, and if you could, check where the mines are for me?"
[What for?]
"Waste not, want not."
[...Find them yourself. No cheating.]
"Then how about moving the mines from the island to our side? I won’t hoard them for myself."
"And anything else useful while you’re at it?"
[This realm isn’t under my jurisdiction. I’ll negotiate for you.]
"Perfect! Old Master, you’re the best! Next life, I’ll repay you as your loyal servant."
[Why not this life?]
"Can’t. I’m kinda busy living it."
[...Truly the universe’s most filial child.]
After bickering with Old Master, Chang'an relayed the sailing direction to her father.
"Dad, let’s go grow mushrooms."
"Do we need to go somewhere else for that?"
"Yep. Only that place is suitable."
"Then let’s go."
After adjusting the ship’s course, the two went about their own business.
Not that there was much to do. Her dad seemed a bit... off. While others meditated with an air of transcendence, Old Gu Six sat cross-legged shrouded in dark mist. Should she hire an exorcist?
Had he bumped into something sinister when he fell into the sea?
When Old Gu Six opened his eyes, he found Chang'an squatting in front of him, studying him thoughtfully. His gaze flickered, and he instinctively tilted his head—a nervous habit around her.
Chang'an narrowed her eyes, leaning closer. "Dad," she asked ominously, "are you hiding something from me?"
"Nope," he replied obediently, shaking his head with wide, innocent eyes.
Chang'an stared at him for a long moment but found nothing amiss. Satisfied, she nodded.
Maybe it was just because her dad was a sneaky, morally questionable old trickster that he emitted black smoke?
Old Gu Six grinned goofily. His daughter looked a bit... disheveled.
Pulling out a small wooden comb, he gently smoothed Chang'an’s wild, frizzy hair. Then, from his sleeve, he produced two red hair ribbons with tassels, tying her hair into two little buns—just like Nezha’s.
"Dad, when did you buy these?" Chang'an shook her head, and the tassels smacked her face. Tassels were overrated.
Old Gu Six’s hand paused briefly before he replied casually, "Bought them a while ago. Forgot to give them to you."
"Next time, get ones without tassels. These keep hitting me."
"Got it." He put away the comb and patted her head. "Go play."
Reassured, Chang'an happily retreated into her space to farm.
She still had cucumber and broccoli seeds lying around—might as well plant them.
Then she pulled a watermelon from the fridge, planning to save the seeds for planting.
Except... it was seedless.
Oops, wrong one. She plopped a spoon into the mutilated watermelon and tossed it out to Old Gu Six—her throw eerily reminiscent of how farmers feed pigs.
Catching it outside, Old Gu Six frowned. Something felt off... but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Shrugging, he dug in with the spoon, dismissing the thought.
Chang'an grabbed another watermelon—this one with seeds. A bit tedious to eat, but better than nothing.
She usually swallowed the seeds, only picking out the visible ones. The rest would... exit naturally later.
Not sure if chilled seeds would sprout, but no harm trying. If they failed, she’d just bother Old Master again.
Just as Old Gu Six finished his watermelon, another one came flying—this one even more mangled.
He didn’t complain, happily devouring it.
Then Chang'an wondered: Would all that icy watermelon give him a stomachache?
