"Xiao Mo, what you said is exactly what she said back then."
Xia Yunting restrained his recent sadness, a meaningful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
That smile landed on Rong Zhi, as if it could see through everything, making Rong Zhi suddenly a little uncomfortable.
"Is that so? So, even though I haven't met the Valley Mistress, I've inherited her true teachings."
This Xia Yunting was actually testing her, and she had been moved just now! Truly a sieve for a pot lid, full of schemes.
"Perhaps. In fact, you look very much alike, about seventy percent. The first time I saw you, I thought you were her daughter."
"What a coincidence." Rong Zhi touched her face. "The world is vast and full of wonders. People who look exactly alike exist. If I am fortunate enough to resemble the Valley Mistress of Medicine King Valley, it means I will surely be as exceptional in medicine and renowned throughout the land as she was."
Rong Zhi pretended to be ignorant, knowing that even if he suspected her, he had no proof. Rebirth was something that might not be believed even if spoken aloud.
Seeing this, Xia Yunting decided to be direct.
"Xiao Mo, you should understand what I mean. Is your mother really the former Valley Mistress?"
Rong Zhi was a little surprised that he would ask directly.
This was a case of concern overriding reason. She had been full of schemes just now, and now she could ask such a thoughtless and illogical question.
She smiled. "If you suspect me, you need some basis. The Valley Mistress of Medicine King Valley has always been solitary. When have you ever heard of her having a husband or a daughter?"
"It's not impossible for the Valley Mistress to travel far and wide, find a suitable husband somewhere, fall in love, and have children."
"Medicine King Valley was once the most famous sect in the martial world. If the Valley Mistress truly had a daughter, it would likely be known throughout the land by now."
In fact, Rong Zhi had considered impersonating her own daughter from her previous life, especially after gradually noticing her resemblance to her past self. However, she had been concerned about this very issue. Moreover, in her previous life, she had traveled extensively and had many grievances. If she were to use this identity, she might incur a lot of trouble.
Xia Yunting wanted to say more, but seeing Rong Zhi's open and honest demeanor, which didn't seem like she was lying, he stopped, realizing further questioning would be pointless.
"If only you were. That Valley Mistress once did me a great favor. By the time I had the ability to repay her, she was no longer around." Xia Yunting's voice was filled with regret.
His expression didn't seem fake. Rong Zhi raised her hand to touch his head, but considering their height difference, her raised hand landed on his shoulder.
"If you truly feel so indebted, then repay me by treating me as her daughter."
It was all the same anyway.
Suddenly, her hand was held by a larger one. Xia Yunting grabbed her, half-jokingly asking, "If I offer myself in marriage, does that count as repayment?"
A slight smile played on his lips, and his deep eyes were like an ancient well, capable of drawing one in, making Rong Zhi's heart race.
But for some reason, a scene suddenly flashed through Rong Zhi's mind: years ago, Xia Yunting was still a child shorter than her, crying himself to sleep, snot and tears everywhere.
The moment she remembered that the person before her was once a crying snot-nosed kid, all romantic thoughts vanished from Rong Zhi.
She quickly pulled her hand back and emphasized, "Don't beat around the bush. Your repayment to me is to send me back to Medicine King Valley. Don't think of using anything else to get away with it." Charm wouldn't work either.
This sudden rejection made Xia Yunting's heart ache.
"But Xiao Mo, we officially held a wedding ceremony, we are married, and now we live together, considered legitimate husband and wife."
"Don't play dumb with me," Rong Zhi poked his arm.
"I took Xing Jiahui's place. Although we had a wedding ceremony and were married, in the eyes of outsiders, those were things Xing Jiahui was supposed to do. Now that you are here and we spend every day together, once we return to the imperial city, Xing Jiahui will still be your officially wedded first wife. Do you dare defy the emperor's decree of marriage?"
This was the first time she had formally addressed the relationship between herself and Xia Yunting. Regardless of what had happened before, whether it was for detoxification or helping Xia Yunting resolve the matter of Swallow Mountain, their cooperation might have led to some ambiguity in their interactions. However, she had always been clear that there could never be any relationship between her and Xia Yunting beyond cooperation, openly speaking.
And after she asked this question, Xia Yunting's conflicted expression confirmed this thought.
"The emperor's will is hard to defy. You people in court are so troublesome. If you were a martial artist, I might consider it."
Returning to Medicine King Valley as a husband, she thought, sounded quite good.
"I'm thirsty, I'm going to get some water." Rong Zhi didn't argue with him anymore, waving to Gu Xinlan in the kitchen. "Xinlan, pour me a bowl too."
Saying that, she entered the kitchen.
Behind her, Xia Yunting began to ponder seriously.
Currently, he couldn't afford to fall out with Xing Jie. Upon his return, Xing Jiahui would have to be brought back to the General's mansion. This marriage was bestowed by the emperor, and he naturally could not refuse it.
He hadn't expected Rong Zhi to be so astute, to have figured out the pros and cons so quickly, and not to have been swept up in it all because of their time together, forgetting her original goal.
Hmm... this little woman is not easily fooled.
As night fell, the entire village slept. It should have been a time of absolute silence, but unexpectedly, a wind suddenly rose in the middle of the night, howling like ghosts. Streaks of white light flashed across the sky, indicating that it was about to rain.
Xia Yunting turned over and saw Rong Zhi curled up with her back to him. He guessed she was probably scared, so he put his arm through her armpits and hugged her.
The next moment, his hand suddenly hurt, and Rong Zhi sat up abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Xia Yunting was a bit dazed, feeling his hand go numb.
Rong Zhi was a little embarrassed. She shook her head. "It's nothing. It's going to rain soon. Xinlan might be scared sleeping alone, so I'll go sleep with Xinlan!"
Saying that, she got up, crossed over Xia Yunting, and flew out the door like lightning.
Xia Yunting got out of bed with a look of surprise. By the time he reached the door, Rong Zhi had already entered the adjacent side room.
The door of another side room next door opened, and Liu Hong stood at the entrance, staring blankly in the direction of Gu Xinlan's room.
The two men exchanged a bewildered and awkward glance.
Liu Hong had been thinking about the lightning and thunder outside and wondering if he should stay with Gu Xinlan for a while. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Rong Zhi go in, which made him feel a bit redundant.
They both stared blankly for a moment, then shook their heads and went back into their rooms.
Gu Xinlan lay on the bed, somewhat overwhelmed by Rong Zhi's sudden concern.
"It's alright, I'm not scared."
"It's fine, don't be polite. I'll stay with you."
Having said that, Rong Zhi quickly lay down beside her.
"Let's sleep!" She quickly closed her eyes.
Gu Xinlan: "..." She really wasn't scared.
Rong Zhi couldn't sleep for half the night. Ever since they discussed the topic of her and Xia Yunting's feelings during the day, she couldn't shake off the memory of that crying child.
She thought that perhaps even if Xia Yunting hadn't married Xing Jiahui, they wouldn't be able to be together. She hadn't considered this before, but once the thought occurred, it refused to leave.
At the mass grave, after a clap of thunder, the sound of rain began to pour outside. The white light of the lightning obscured the dim candlelight in the room. The wind blew in through the gaps in the window, making the candle flame flicker. Zhang Yajing shielded the flame with her hand, and only after the flame calmed down did she return her gaze to the medical book in her hand.
She was reading a book that documented the various poisons in the world. Her eyes were focused, and a murderous intent and determination appeared in them.
With the human traffickers from Swallow Mountain gone from Changping County, life had become relatively peaceful. The Zhang family, the medicinal herb merchants, began to regroup. However, after this incident, they could no longer maintain their previous monopoly. They had lost more than half of their shops in the county town, which gave other medicinal herb merchants and pharmacies a breathing space.
Zhao Qiancai looked at the increasing number of customers and sighed with emotion, "Business is getting better and better, it's a shame Doctor Chu no longer sends us medicine."
"Doctor Lin hasn't been here for a long time either," An Ping said, putting the money from the received herbs into a jar and exhaling tiredly.
At the same time, the imperial city was in turmoil. Since no one else knew about Xia Yunting's whereabouts in Changping County, there was much speculation in the official circles. Some suspected that Xing Jie and Xia Yunting had a disagreement, and that's why he had secretly orchestrated Xia Yunting's disappearance, especially since the big explosion that day had alarmed the entire imperial city.
With no news of him yet, they didn't know if he was alive or dead.
Xing Jie was furious hearing these rumors. What did this have to do with him? He hadn't known at all that his daughter hadn't married. If something like this had happened, wouldn't his own daughter have been blown up? Had those people used their brains when spreading rumors?
In a bad mood, Xing Jie had no interest in handling official business, so he went to stroll in the back garden to clear his head. Unexpectedly, he ran into his own daughter and felt his anger surge again.
This girl had switched brides without a sound, which had caused all the servants in the Prime Minister's mansion to know about it. Wasn't that embarrassing? Although she had saved her life because of it in the end, Xing Jie still felt resentful. Just as he was about to go up and complain a bit, he suddenly saw a figure stand up in the flower bushes.
"Jiahui, your chrysanthemums still bloom the best. The whole courtyard is fragrant. Poetry says, 'Better to embrace fragrance to death on a branch, than to fall in the north wind,' which refers to these chrysanthemums. Look at so many chrysanthemums swaying in the wind, yet none have fallen. The poem is indeed accurate."
The speaker was Princess Xiao Yao. The Xiao family was one of the few aristocratic families in the Tianque Kingdom with a different surname. Xiao Yao's father was also granted a title of nobility for his military achievements. However, he was now old and recuperating at home. His daughter was raised as a boy from a young age, thus she had also acquired martial arts skills.
Because Xiao Yao was not fond of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and spent her days practicing martial arts, she had little in common with the noble ladies in the imperial city. Only Xing Jiahui had a closer relationship with her.
Seeing Xiao Yao, Xing Jie swallowed the words he was about to say.
Although he was the Prime Minister, in the imperial court, the Xiao family held more sway than his own. Moreover, this Xiao Yao was always outspoken and arrogant. Xing Jie thought about it and turned back to his room.
A fleeting look of disdain flashed in Xing Jiahui's eyes. She smiled and said to Xiao Yao, "I didn't expect you to be able to recite poetry after just a few days. It truly is a case of seeing someone after three days of separation with new eyes."
"Of course! My father said that men nowadays prefer women who can compose poetry and have a scholarly air, so I'm learning properly to get married in the future."
Xiao Yao's brows were full of heroism, and her demeanor was spirited and lively, truly valiant and heroic.
Xing Jiahui sighed, "You still have hope of choosing a suitable husband in the future. As for me, I'm worried to death."