Once the water receded, I finally saw that a thick wooden beam, resembling a doorframe, was pressing down on the old woman's legs. No wonder she couldn't stand or move.

  He strode forward quickly, instructing me to pick up the baby from the wooden tub.

  As I carefully lifted the crying child, he crouched down, shifted the beam off the old woman's legs, and pulled her out from beneath the precariously teetering roof beam.

  The old woman, having barely escaped death, was still in shock. Only after confirming that both she and the child were truly safe did she hurriedly bow her head to the ground in gratitude.

  "Thank you, brave warriors, for saving us! Thank you, kind benefactors! No, no—thank you, immortals! Thank you, immortals!"

  Her words tumbled out incoherently, and from them, I could tell that she merely saw us as ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Mortals loved to speak of immortals all the time, but when one truly appeared before them, how many would actually believe it?

  “There’s no need to thank us, madam.” He gently helped the old woman to her feet and asked, “When did the unrelenting rain over Daizhou City begin?”

  Still overwhelmed with gratitude, the old woman took the wailing infant from my arms and replied bitterly, “Our Daizhou City has always had fair weather, but this time… I don't know if it's heaven turning a blind eye or if some yaokais have brought disaster upon us. Since the eighth day of st month, torrential rain has been pouring down in the city, while raging winds have howled outside. In just ten days, the entire city has been nearly destroyed. Such misfortune…”

  “What about the other people in the city?” I couldn't help but interrupt. Thinking back on our journey so far, apart from this elderly woman and the child, we hadn't seen a single soul.

  “The ones who could walk, the young and able-bodied, those with families to protect—they all fled. But many others… many lost their lives, drowned, or were crushed under falling debris…” The old woman shook her head and let out a deep sigh before breaking into heart-wrenching sobs. “My poor son and daughter-in-w… I don't even know if theystill alive… Before the disaster, they left the city to gather herbs, and we haven't heard a word from them since. All that's left is this old woman, struggling to care for my little grandson. I didn't dare leave home, afraid they'd come back and not find me. If not for the immortals’ help today,’d have already met the King of Hell…”

  “…Unforgivable.” A low, almost growling murmur rumbled from his throat.

  Just two short words—I knew he was angry.

  The old woman stifled her sobs, wiped her eyes, and continued, “I heard people say there's a yaokai outside the city. Some even cim they saw it flying into the city at midnight, causing destruction. Many homes were crushed because of it. I don't know if it's true, but if there really is a yaokai, please, immortal, you must subdue it. That wretched creature has taken so many lives.”

  He said nothing. Instead, he casually plucked a leaf from a fallen tree nearby, breathed on it, and pced it on the ground.

  The deep green leaf spun in the air and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a small boat.

  “This boat will take you and your grandson safely out of Daizhou City,” he said, helping the wide-eyed old woman onto it and making sure she was seated securely.

  “Wait until the rain stops before returning.”

  The old woman was speechless, only nodding fervently.

  “Oh, one more thing,” he said just before sending them off. “Is there a ke somewhere on the outskirts of the city?”

  “Yes, yes! Just outside the east gate, less than a mile away. It’s called Duan Lake,” she said, pointing ahead.

  He nodded, pced his hand on the side of the boat, and gave it a gentle push. “Take care on your journey!”

  As if guided by an unseen force, the small boat skillfully avoided every obstacle in its path, gliding steadily and swiftly toward the outskirts of the city.

  I looked up at the sky. The storm clouds, gathering from all directions, had merged into one vast, unbroken mass overhead, pouring down even heavier torrents of rain upon the city without restraint.

  “We’re going to Duan Lake.”

  Before I could respond, he firmly took my hand and pulled me upward. Instantly, my body felt weightless, lifting off the ground—along with my heart, which leapt straight to my throat.

  I wasn't used to soaring through the air—not yet, at least.

  “Don’t be afraid. We won't need to ride the clouds this time.”

  Even as he spoke, we were already flying forward at an astonishing speed, hovering just three feet above the ground. Wherever we passed, the rushing waters parted on their own, respectfully clearing a smooth path ahead.

  I let out a quiet breath of relief. This height—I could handle.

  The invisible barrier he created shielded us from the fierce headwinds, allowing me to keep my eyes wide open and fully experience the sensation of flight as I followed behind him. I no longer had to worry about being blown off course by the howling gusts.

  So this is what it feels like to move without using my feet—like a wisp of smoke, carried effortlessly by an unseen force. Without expending the slightest bit of energy, I was gliding smoothly toward our destination. It was an indescribable sense of ease and freedom.

  I had to admit, even after witnessing the devastation in Daizhou City, my sense of adventure had not diminished in the slightest. I still viewed everything around me with curiosity and excitement, even though this was now a lifeless, desote city.

  Retracting my wandering gaze, I focused on him instead.

  His long, jet-bck hair, reaching past his waist, swayed gently before me, obscuring every possible angle from which I could see his face.

  Why had he been so angry just now? I pondered silently.

  I had spent a considerable amount of time with him, and throughout our journey, I had made plenty of mistakes—some of which surely gave him quite a headache. Yet, no matter how serious my blunders were, his face was always adorned with a gentle, forgiving smile more than any other expression. Over time, I came to believe that he was an immortal who would never grow angry, someone so kind-hearted that he could unconditionally tolerate everything.

  But ever since we arrived in Daizhou City, he had surprised me.

  Before I could make sense of it, we had already flown past the northern city gate.

  The farther north we went, the heavier the rain became.