After spending quite a bit of breath, Tao Bai finally convinced Lin Shuying to accept the fact that he was indeed a "human."
"So that's how it is."
Lin Shuying mimicked Tao Bai's earlier manner, muttering thoughtfully.
Then she looked at him and blinked.
"Mr. Tao, I'm not very familiar with this area. Could you take me around for a look?"
Lin Shuying asked cautiously, her small face blushing slightly.
"Sure."
Tao Bai thought to himself that he hadn't roamed Lanling City in at least ten years, so he readily agreed.
With a shift of his will, the Wind-Devouring Gu resting in the Fengfu acupoint at the base of his skull sensed the connection with its host's spiritual consciousness.
It quickly flew towards the host's face.
Following the image in the host's mind, it used its sharp front claws combined with wood-element spiritual energy to modify Tao Bai's facial features.
After a bout of wriggling on Tao Bai's face, he transformed into the appearance of Bajit.
The resemblance of the eyes, ears, and nose was as high as ninety percent.
The lips had also thinned, though the color wasn't quite dark or purple enough.
Afterwards, the two entered the elevator together.
Once out of the hotel and in a secluded area with few people, Tao Bai seized the opportunity to activate his spiritual energy and revert to his original appearance.
The Wind-Devouring Gu was becoming increasingly proficient in the art of face-changing.
Fast and accurate.
Lin Shuying had her hair in a high ponytail and wore a bright red hooded sweatshirt with a HuaXianese-style mandarin collar shirt underneath.
Paired with tight blue jeans and brown suede ankle boots, she looked both festive and full of vitality.
Beside her, Tao Bai wore a crimson Daoist robe and sported a clean, sharp short haircut, appearing traditional and mysterious yet not lacking in fashion sense.
Walking side by side, anyone who didn't know better would assume they were a couple.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a breakfast shop and ordered two bowls of Old Friend Rice Noodles.
Lin Shuying ordered the two-tael portion of lean meat Old Friend noodles for 2.5 yuan, while Tao Bai ordered the three-tael portion of pork offal Old Friend noodles for 4.5 yuan.
The noodle shop owner took the freshly slaughtered ingredients—lean pork—and tossed them into a hot iron wok over a fierce flame.
He ladled in some oil, salt, and chopped green onions, then tossed the wok to stir-fry them.
Moments later, he added thinly sliced sour bamboo shoots and Yangjiang fermented black beans to the wok.
Finally, he sprinkled in some minced garlic and millet peppers, tossed the wok twice more, and ladled the contents onto a plate.
Smelling the aroma, Lin Shuying's appetite was instantly whetted, her eyes full of anticipation.
Watching the Old Friend Rice Noodles being served, she couldn't wait to grab her chopsticks.
She looked at Tao Bai and said, "Mr. Tao, I'm going to start eating now!"
"Go ahead."
After eating for a while, Lin Shuying began to sweat profusely.
She took out her own tissues from her bag and constantly wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.
"Wow, so spicy, but so delicious!"
Lin Shuying was completely conquered by this bowl of Old Friend Rice Noodles.
Cheap and delicious—why didn't they have this kind of food back home?
Tao Bai watched her eating so intently that she didn't even notice her ID card had fallen to the ground when she pulled out her tissues.
Tao Bai picked up her ID card and glanced at it:
Name: Suying Limsawan
Date of Birth: 14/02/1989
"February 14th? Did you have your birthday last week?"
Tao Bai suddenly asked.
"How did you know?"
Lin Shuying asked in surprise after swallowing a mouthful of noodles.
"Can you calculate that too, Mr. Tao?"
Tao Bai smiled but didn't speak.
After slurping the last strip of sour bamboo shoot into her stomach, Lin Shuying said,
"A master who can calculate someone's birthday...
Looking at the whole of Thailand, there probably aren't many.
You're so amazing;
If you come to develop your career in Thailand, you'll definitely have a boundless future."
"Here's your ID card."
Tao Bai smiled and handed her ID back to her.
"Huh?"
Lin Shuying was shocked,
"Why is my ID in your hand? You know magic tricks like this, too?"
"What are you thinking?
Your ID fell on the floor.
I picked it up for you."
Tao Bai said, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Oh! So that's it!"
Lin Shuying suddenly realized.
"Last Friday was my birthday, the ninth day of the first lunar month."
"Lunar birthday?"
"Yes.
My family celebrates according to the Gregorian calendar.
But in my country, some people celebrate the Gregorian birthday;
Some celebrate the Buddhist calendar birthday.
And some people celebrate two or three birthdays a year..."
As Lin Shuying was speaking, Tao Bai's pork offal Old Friend noodles were served.
Looking at the fresh pork liver, intestines, and kidneys, Lin Shuying couldn't help but swallow her saliva again.
Tao Bai noticed this and said, "Oh my, ordering three taels of noodles seems a bit too much.
Would you be willing to help me share some?"
"I'd be very happy to!"
Lin Shuying replied without hesitation.
Tao Bai moved his plate next to hers and said,
"See how much you can handle and take as much as you want.
I don't seem to be very hungry."
Lin Shuying used her chopsticks to transfer about one tael of noodles over to her plate.
Then, she began to slurp away again.
After finishing eating, she drank a cup of soy milk before leaving the place with satisfaction.
Not long after walking out, she stopped by the roadside again.
She stared at a street stall selling suanye (pickled fruits and vegetables), unable to move her feet.
Finally, she only agreed to leave after buying some street-side pickles.
Eating as they walked, the two arrived at the "Back Garden" of Lanling people—Qingxiu Peak.
They climbed the Dragon Elephant Pagoda and strolled through the Cycad Garden.
Since Tao Bai refused to be on camera, Lin Shuying had to ask him to hold her phone and take dozens of photos of her as travel souvenirs.
Then, spending thirty yuan, the two took the cable car to Nanhu Lake.
There were many koi in the lake.
They each bought a pack of fish food and scattered it onto the water, attracting a large number of koi to fight for the food, causing ripples of shimmering light across the lake's surface.
In the afternoon, the two visited a relic from the previous dynasty—the Zhenling Fort.
In the evening, they spent an hour or two wandering the crowded Xiguan Road Night Market.
Lin Shuying ate a lot of barbecue and snacks, praising the snacks and barbecue in HuaXia as being better than back home.
She bought several pieces of clothing at the street stalls, simply because the clothes here were cheap!
After wandering around all day, the two didn't return to the hotel room until nine in the evening.
As soon as they arrived in the room, Tao Bai switched back to his original appearance.
Lin Shuying asked Tao Bai if he wanted to shower, but Tao Bai shook his head.
Twenty minutes later, she came out of the bathroom fully dressed, holding a roll of changed clothes in her hand.
Wearing the hotel slippers, she walked to the bedside, opened her suitcase, and put the dirty clothes into a black plastic bag.
While Lin Shuying was showering, Tao Bai had been chatting with Gui Nianqiu on QQ.
The gist of it was:
[Setting off for Thailand tomorrow, unknown when I will return.]
Gui Nianqiu replied:
[No matter when, I will wait for your return in Nancheng.]
Tao Bai read this and was preparing to exit QQ and open the Lao Dao Dictionary to study Thai when Lin Shuying asked,
"Mr. Tao, were you chatting with a friend just now? What software are you using?"
"QQ. Have you never seen it where you are?"
Lin Shuying shook her head, indicating she hadn't seen it.
In Thailand, most people use Hi5. She then asked Tao Bai if he could help her download QQ as well.
Lin Shuying's phone's default language was English, which posed no reading barrier for Tao Bai.
He took it and quickly helped her download and register for a QQ account.
Lin Shuying said happily, "Then can I add you as a friend?"
"Sure thing." Tao Bai replied.