“Yao Nu, where’s the guest in this room?”
Early in the morning, after washing up, Nangong Yunhan went to Meng Xiaoyu’s room to invite her for breakfast, but found it empty.
So, she asked Yao Nu, who was organizing herbs in the garden.
“Miss, that Miss Meng is practicing swordplay on the open field to the southwest!”
The middle-aged man, Yao Nu, dressed in simple clothes, replied respectfully to Nangong Yunhan’s question.
After receiving Yao Nu’s answer, Nangong Yunhan nodded slightly and walked in the direction he indicated.
After passing through the herb garden, she saw a figure in light yellow not far ahead, holding a long sword and practicing with a serious expression.
Approaching the figure quietly, Nangong Yunhan didn’t disturb her, just stood nearby watching silently.
It wasn’t until Meng Xiaoyu finished a set of sword moves and noticed Nangong Yunhan that she smiled and greeted her.
“Eh? Sister Yunhan, what are you doing here?”
After practicing the sword techniques taught by the old man and the Han sisters several times, Meng Xiaoyu finally stopped.
She was surprised to see Nangong Yunhan watching her and asked curiously.
“Hehe, I went to your room to wake you for breakfast, but you weren’t there.
After asking Yao Nu, I found out you were practicing here, so I came over.”
Seeing the sweat on Meng Xiaoyu’s forehead from practicing, Nangong Yunhan took out her handkerchief and gently wiped it for her, speaking softly.
“Oh! How long have you been here, Sister Yunhan?”
Meng Xiaoyu wanted to refuse the help but didn’t know how, so she blushed and asked.
“For a while now, but seeing you so focused on practicing, I didn’t want to interrupt!”
After wiping Meng Xiaoyu’s sweat and putting away the handkerchief, she asked, “Are you done practicing now?”
“Yes,” Meng Xiaoyu nodded, not knowing why Nangong Yunhan asked.
“Hehe, since you’re done, let’s go back for breakfast!
You must be hungry after practicing for so long!”
Without waiting for Meng Xiaoyu to respond, Nangong Yunhan took her hand and started walking back to their residence, Qingzhu Courtyard.
“Uh! Sister Yunhan…”
Meng Xiaoyu tried to pull her hand away but couldn’t.
So she called out to Nangong Yunhan, hoping she would let go.
“Hmm?
What’s wrong?”
Nangong Yunhan felt Meng Xiaoyu’s intention and tightened her grip slightly, not letting her hand go.
She smiled and looked at Meng Xiaoyu, pretending not to know.
“Nothing…
I just wanted to ask what’s for breakfast today.”
Originally, Meng Xiaoyu wanted to ask Nangong Yunhan to let go of her hand, but seeing her smile, she suddenly felt a bit scared and changed her words.
“Hehe, there’s nothing special in the countryside, just some simple porridge and wild vegetables.
You don’t mind, do you, Xiaoyu?”
Nangong Yunhan chuckled at Meng Xiaoyu’s change of words.
“Haha, I don’t mind, not at all.
If it weren’t for Sister Yunhan, I might not even have porridge and wild vegetables to eat!”
Meng Xiaoyu scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.
Nangong Yunhan laughed lightly at Meng Xiaoyu’s words and continued holding her hand as they walked.
Soon, they returned to Qingzhu Courtyard, entered the central bamboo house, and sat down at the table with steaming breakfast.
“Sister Yunhan, why is this porridge green?”
Meng Xiaoyu asked, pointing at the steaming, oddly colored porridge in front of her.
“This is medicinal porridge, good for replenishing energy and blood.
I noticed you looked pale yesterday, likely due to a deficiency, so I had Yao Nu make this porridge.”
Nangong Yunhan explained while sipping her own porridge.
“Oh!”
Meng Xiaoyu didn’t ask further after the explanation and started eating the porridge voraciously.
“Eat slowly, eating breakfast too fast isn’t good for you.”
Nangong Yunhan frowned slightly at Meng Xiaoyu’s eating speed, thinking to herself, “Is this child that hungry?”
Eating so fast isn’t good for her health.”
“Hehe, it’s a habit!”
Meng Xiaoyu slowed down her eating, laughing awkwardly at Nangong Yunhan’s words.
“This habit isn’t good, you should change it.
Eating breakfast too fast isn’t good for digestion.”
Nangong Yunhan advised seriously.
“Oh!”
Meng Xiaoyu nodded blankly and continued eating, albeit much slower.
Seeing Meng Xiaoyu obediently slowed down, Nangong Yunhan didn’t say more and quietly drank her porridge.
She didn’t know why she was so strict with Meng Xiaoyu, but she just did it unconsciously.
“Xiaoyu, after breakfast, will you accompany me to gather herbs in the valley behind Juexin Cliff?”
Nangong Yunhan asked after a moment of silence.
“Oh! Sure!”
Meng Xiaoyu replied cheerfully after finishing her porridge.
“I’ll go prepare the tools, wait for me here,” Nangong Yunhan said as she got up from the table.
“Okay,” Meng Xiaoyu replied, serving herself another bowl of porridge.
Half an hour later, Meng Xiaoyu and Nangong Yunhan each carried a basket with tools for gathering herbs.
Holding hands (Nangong Yunhan holding Meng Xiaoyu’s hand), they headed towards the valley behind Juexin Cliff.
“Sister Yunhan, is this really a valley?
Why does it feel like a mountain to me?”
Meng Xiaoyu couldn’t help but ask after entering the valley.
“It is a valley, it just looks like a mountain!”
Nangong Yunhan explained calmly.
“…-_-||| Why not just call it Duanhun Mountain then?”
Meng Xiaoyu asked, feeling speechless.
“I don’t know, maybe because it’s at the bottom of Juexin Cliff.
From the top, it does look like a valley.”
Nangong Yunhan said as she led Meng Xiaoyu forward.
“Oh!
I see!”
Meng Xiaoyu suddenly understood, realizing that the view changes depending on where you stand.
“Meng Xiaoyu, what’s this herb?”
As they walked, they saw Nangong Yunhan suddenly stopped, crouched down, and carefully dig out a plant she had never seen before with a small hoe from her basket.
Curious, Meng Xiaoyu asked.
“It’s Wuhen Grass, with red leaves and yellow flowers, seven petals, and light pink stamens.
It’s a poison, not an herb.
However, if used properly, it can also be a life-saving remedy.
One of the poisons used on your friend yesterday was made from this,” Nangong Yunhan explained, holding the Wuhen Grass up to Meng Xiaoyu.
“Ah?
It’s a poisonous plant!
Is it very toxic?”
Meng Xiaoyu asked curiously, looking at the poisonous plant in Nangong Yunhan’s hand.
“Well…
it’s average,” Nangong Yunhan thought for a moment and concluded.
“Average?”
So it’s not very potent, right?
It can’t kill someone, right?”
Meng Xiaoyu automatically assumed the poison wasn’t strong enough to be lethal after hearing Nangong Yunhan’s words.
“No, if someone accidentally ingests it, just one petal can kill an ordinary person a couple of times over,” Nangong Yunhan said, plucking a petal.
“What?”
And you said it’s average?”
Meng Xiaoyu was shocked and quickly jumped several steps away from Nangong Yunhan, afraid of accidentally touching the poisonous plant and getting poisoned.
“It is average!
I was talking about ordinary people.
If someone has inner strength, they can easily expel the poison.
Plus, this poison is quite common in the mountains, so the antidote is easily available in Jianghu.
So, its toxicity is indeed average,” Nangong Yunhan explained again.
Then she looked at Meng Xiaoyu, who was several steps away, and said, “This poisonous plant won’t poison you unless you eat it, so there’s no need to be so cautious.”
“Oh! I see. That’s a relief,” Meng Xiaoyu said, walking back to Nangong Yunhan’s side.
“Alright, now take this Wuhen Grass and help me dig up some more,” Nangong Yunhan said, handing the Wuhen Grass to Meng Xiaoyu.
Then she turned away, searching for other herbs or poisonous plants, ignoring Meng Xiaoyu.
