The Hidden Immortal Leisurely Life

The girl sipped her tea slowly, savoring the warmth, while her eyes flickered toward Shen Xu with a quiet, unreadable amusement. She held the porcelain cup delicately, as if she were a noble lady taking part in an elegant ceremony, despite the dust on her robes and the faint traces of exhaustion beneath her calm facade.

Xu said nothing, merely watching. The village was quiet at this hour, the occasional chirping of birds the only sound accompanying the rustling leaves. The breeze toyed with the loose strands of her hair, but she paid it no mind.

"You didn't ask for my name," she finally said, her voice carrying the same practiced sweetness as before.

Xu refilled his cup, his expression unreadable. "Would you have given me a real one?"

She chuckled, setting down her cup. "That depends. Would you have believed me?"

He didn't answer. She was testing him, gauging his patience, measuring how much she could get away with. The way she carried herself, the way she smiled despite her predicament she was the kind of person who thrived in the cracks of society, slipping through the spaces between rules, never quite belonging anywhere.

A stray cat, indeed.

She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "Shen Xu, was it?"

His fingers stilled against the teapot. She had not asked, nor had he told her. He looked at her now, really looked at her. Beneath the mischief in her eyes, there was sharpness. This was no helpless girl.

"Who sent you?" he asked, his voice steady.

Her laughter was soft, musical, but there was something dangerous in it. "If I were sent, you'd be dead already."

Xu studied her for a long moment. Her words weren't a threat, but a simple statement of fact. Either she was telling the truth, or she was confident enough to bluff without hesitation, but either way he doesn't care much since he..

Finally, he sighed and poured her another cup of tea. "And if I tell you to leave?"

She tilted her head, watching the steam rise from her cup. "Then I'll sleep under your roof without asking permission."

Xu's lips twitched. Bold. She was far too bold for someone who had come here seeking refuge.

He exhaled slowly, leaning back against the wooden pillar of his porch. "I live simply. I sell tea. I don't ask questions, and I don't take in trouble."

She smiled, slow and knowing. "Then it's a good thing I'm not trouble."

Lies, all of it. But Xu found himself allowing it.

He should have turned her away. Should have let her wander off into the village and become someone else's problem. Instead, he stood, stretching slightly before glancing toward the side room of the teahouse.

"There's an empty room," he said. "Don't touch anything that isn't yours."

Her smile deepened. "Of course."

Lies, again. But for some reason, he let it slide.

As the evening air grew cooler and the lanterns outside flickered to life.