025 Exposed

The moment he realized what he had dreamt, shame, anger, and a touch of sweetness flooded his mind. He avoided everyone, changed his clothes and sheets, and then quietly went to the laundry room to wash them himself.

She was still eating, her chubby cheeks making her mouth appear small and full.

Yuan Chongjing unconsciously pouted, then quickly pulled his lips back and pretended to scoop up a mouthful of soup and drink it.

It was so embarrassing. Luckily, Li Yang didn't find out, otherwise she would have laughed at him for it.

After waiting for a long time, Li Yang finally put down her chopsticks, still wanting more: "I'm full, let's go."

Yuan Chongjing instinctively stood up and walked out with her, but when they reached the door, he seemed to suddenly realize something and asked, "Where are you going?"

“Where else can we go? We can go to Young Master Song’s place for acupuncture,” Li Yang said.

Bei Hai had already brought the carriage and was waiting at the gate of the mansion. Seeing them come out, he quickly put down the footstool: "Second Young Master, Young Madam, let's go."

Seeing that he was standing still, Li Yang got into the carriage first. After she was seated, she still hadn't seen Yuan Chongjing. She lifted the curtain and saw that Yuan Chongjing was still standing at the door. She said, "What are you standing there for? Come on in."

Yuan Chongjing glanced at her, hurriedly got into the car, and found a seat furthest away from her. He then pulled his coat over his thighs, placed his hands on his lap, and sat more obediently than Xiao Taozi.

Li Yang chuckled mockingly, her heart filled with mixed feelings. They had only met yesterday, and not only had she dreamt of him that night, but today she was also expected to remain chaste.

She felt that her efforts over the past five years were a joke. She was only concerned with her own self-pity, but she didn't know that Yuan Chongjing's heart was like a cold stone, and she, Li Yang, could never warm it.

So you see, just one glance at Xu Biyun had a greater impact on him than five years of her companionship.

Or maybe we should just let it go and wait until things settle down before carefully considering our relationship.

The two, each lost in their own thoughts, arrived in silence at the gate of Song Xi's residence. Bei Hai stopped the car and, while they were getting out, knocked on the gate.

The door was opened from the inside with a bang, as if the person opening it had been waiting for them.

Li Yang got out of the car first. When she saw Qiu Qiu with red eyes, she asked, "Qiu Qiu, what's wrong? Is Young Master Song back?"

Qiuqiu nodded, then shook her head: "No, Master hasn't come back."

He only opened the door a crack and then stood in the middle, seemingly not intending to let them in.

Li Yang asked, "What's wrong? Are you crying?"

"No!" Qiuqiu immediately retorted loudly, and then said, "Master said that the acupuncture can be done this afternoon, and asked you two to go and collect some herbs first. This herb is for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and it is necessary for acupuncture. Moreover, it must be taken while it is fresh after being collected, so the two of you have to go and collect it yourselves."

His words were halting and stammering, tinged with a hint of bluffing born of unease.

Li Yang nodded: "Okay, what's the name of that herb, and what are its characteristics?"

Qiuqiu paused for a moment, then thought carefully: "It's called 'Snowflakes Falling Everywhere.' It's about five or six inches tall, with relatively large and thin leaves that are bluish in color. The flowers are small and dense, like snowflakes falling everywhere, and they're white. It prefers places with wind and sunshine, like hillsides and cliffs."

“Okay.” Li Yang confirmed with him again: “Then you go in first, Jing Ge and I will go to Xishan first.”

Nishiyama was once the imperial medicinal mountain, where many rare and precious medicinal herbs were grown. Later, the imperial pharmacy discovered the more fertile soil of Kitayama in the north of the city, and gradually abandoned the cultivation on Nishiyama. Over time, Nishiyama became the most frequented medicinal herb gathering place for pharmacies and doctors near Kyoto.

Qiuqiu nodded, and as if being chased, quickly closed the door.

Li Yang glanced at Bei Hai, signaling him to stay where he was, and then said to Yuan Chongjing, "Let's go."

Yuan Chongjing had been looking for some time alone with Li Yang, as he couldn't find an opportunity at home. Now, with the perfect excuse for the two of them to gather herbs alone, he didn't even ask where Beihai was going, and followed her there with a delighted expression.

Li Yang didn't have time to observe his emotional changes; she was preoccupied with Qiu Qiu's performance today.

That's too obvious.

He knew that if the two went out to find medicine, they would definitely go to West Mountain, so he was doing this to lead them there. Was someone waiting for them there?

Hearing Yuan Chongjing's light footsteps, Li Yang hesitated. If this trip to Xishan was dangerous, could she and Yuan Chongjing escape safely? Most importantly, she wasn't entirely confident she could guarantee Yuan Chongjing's safety.

Li Yang stopped and turned to Yuan Chongjing, saying, "Why don't we postpone our trip? Xishan is so far away, and you're still not well. Why don't you go to the manor to call some people, or go see Doctor Tao? Maybe he has this 'Flying Snow' medicine in his pharmacy."

Li Yang was convinced that Doctor Tao's ability to learn of Song Xi's return to the capital within half a day, and even his private address, indicated there was a secret behind him. Furthermore, he shared the same goal as Bei Hai: to help Yuan Chongjing regain his memory as quickly as possible.

If Bei Hai is trapped in Song Xi's residence and unable to escape, and something happens to them, having Doctor Tao would be a reliable option.

Yuan Chongjing said, "It's just going to the West Mountain to gather herbs, what could possibly happen? I'm all better now. Doctor Tao told me to move around more, saying it's good for my health. Don't think too much about it, let's go and see him first."

Li Yang found another excuse, but couldn't resist Yuan Chongjing's insistence, so he had no choice but to leave the city with him.

It was still early, and the roads were filled with people going out to do business or out-of-town merchant caravans rushing into the city. The journey was relatively smooth. Li Yang was preoccupied with her own thoughts, and answered Yuan Chongjing's questions in a half-hearted manner, but her eyes were keenly observing her surroundings.

We finally arrived at the foot of West Mountain.

Li Yang began to wonder if she was overthinking things.

Following Qiuqiu's words, she began searching along some hillsides for the medicinal herb he had mentioned. Yuan Chongjing followed behind somewhat listlessly, casually swinging his wooden stick, knocking down the lush wild grass and branches on both sides of the path.

A cool breeze grew, and the sunlight overhead hid behind drifting clouds. After seeing him once again sweep a patch of weeds down with a branch, Li Yang said irritably, "What are you doing?"

Yuan Chongjing said matter-of-factly, "I'm looking for herbs. Didn't Qiuqiu say it was only five inches tall? My back is bad, I can't bend down, so I'll use a stick to move it aside."

Li Yang said with amusement, "When did your back start to hurt? How come I didn't know?"

"Things started going wrong last night. You didn't sleep in the same room as me last night, so of course you didn't know."

"Tch," Li Yang glanced at him contemptuously and said sarcastically, "You're already dreaming about doing 'that' with someone, and you still want me to sleep in the same room with you? What a pipe dream you're having!"

Under her cold yet penetrating gaze, Yuan Chongjing suddenly realized that all his washing of clothes and sheets that morning had been nothing but self-deception. She was certain, no, she had known all along!

His face flushed crimson at a visible speed, and the veins on his forehead even bulged: "You're talking nonsense! Who...who dreamed of doing that kind of thing with you!"

"Of course it wasn't me."

"That's right!"

"It's someone, isn't it? After so many years apart, you finally reunited, and it stirred up those little feelings you'd kept buried deep inside, didn't it? Don't be shy, what young man doesn't have a crush? I understand." Li Yang patted his shoulder, pretending to be normal.

Yuan Chongjing irritably waved her hand away: "You don't understand anything!"

He took two steps to the side, then turned back to warn her, "It's not Biyun! You're not allowed to insult her!"

"I didn't say it was Xu Biyun, Brother Jing, you admitted it yourself~"

Yuan Chongjing was instantly enraged by her mischievous little expression. He didn't want to pay her any more attention and picked up his wooden stick, walking in the opposite direction. But before he'd taken two steps, he heard her shout, "Brother Jing, don't move!"

Yuan Chongjing immediately stopped in his tracks, but snapped at him impatiently, "What are you doing now!"

Li Yang quickly walked over, bent down and squatted beside him, carefully parted a clump of weeds by his legs, pointed to the white patch in the middle, and excitedly said, "Found it!"

Two bluish-green leaves, each about the size of a woman's palm, with tiny, rice-grain-sized, silvery-star-like blossoms in the center. This must be the snow falling from the sky that Qiuqiu was referring to.

Li Yang raised the small shovel in her hand to dig, but stopped abruptly. She looked up at him and said, "Didn't Qiuqiu say that this medicine should be used while it's fresh? Did he say how to use it—crush it, soak it in water, or grind it into juice?"

Yuan Chongjing shook his head: "I didn't hear it."

"I didn't hear anything! I didn't even ask!" Li Yang gritted her teeth in frustration. This medicine was hard to find. They only found this one by sheer luck, and they didn't even know where the next one would be.

She thought for a moment and said, "I'll stay here and watch over things. You go back and ask Qiuqiu how to do it."

Yuan Chongjing immediately refused: "No, we'll go together. Otherwise, if we wait here and don't go back before dark, Beihai will definitely come looking for us."

Li Yang said, "Are you stupid? We still have acupuncture to do today. How long will this take? Go back quickly and come pick me up as soon as possible."