287th time leaving the mountain

After seven days, it was time to part.

The mother-in-law was talking with Xiao Lang and Xiao Qing in the courtyard.

First, he carefully explained the dressing changes and maintenance, and gave Xiao Qing the medicine to apply and the medicine to soak in. Xiao Qing listened carefully and wrote it down on paper, not missing a single detail.

Then they talked about the poison in Xiao Qing's body.

The old woman gave the medicine to Xiao Lang and casually said, "For the first month, use one bowl every seven days to decoct the medicine. For the next two months, use it once every fifteen days. For the next two months, use it once a month. For the next two years, use it once every three months. After that, although the poison can be cured, you still need to take care of yourself."

Looking at their expressions, she added, "Don't blame me for not reminding you, the antidote will take nearly three years, which is quite a long time. But people's hearts are fickle, and if anything goes wrong, the girl's life will be over in no time."

Feeling she had said everything she needed to say, she stood up and urged them to leave. "Go! I know you are all people who do great things. The riches and honors outside are worthless to me. Once you leave, don't mention this place; that will be helping this old woman. This wheelchair is yours to keep."

Xiao Qing tore a button off the old clothes she was wearing when she fell into the water and placed it on the small stone table. She then walked to her mother-in-law and bowed respectfully.

“Since you know the antidote for this poison of the Xiao royal family, you must have a past relationship with them. In any case, since you have helped me without asking for anything in return, I should kowtow to you. If anyone comes to me with this button in the future, or if they come to the current Grand Tutor Fu Mingyi, I will do my best to help them.”

The old woman chuckled to herself. "Young lady, you're honest. I've said it before, I saved him out of respect for my senior brother Li Changting, just to settle a matter on my mind. There's no debt of gratitude involved. But you, because you cured him of his poison, are now weak and sick. If he changes his mind one day, or loses his life early, you'll have little chance of survival. I don't know if you'll blame this old woman for acting this way. There's no debt of gratitude you need to leave a token to repay."

As she spoke, she pinched a small button and with a little force, her fingertips turned to dust.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Xiao Lang bent his back as much as possible and bowed to his grandmother. "Please rest assured, senior, I will visit Li Changting's tombstone every year without fail. I will also live up to your and my sister's expectations and take good care of myself to cure my sister of the remaining poison. Although you do not ask for repayment, Li Changting helped me first, so it is only my duty to collect his remains and erect a tombstone for him. If you wish to do so in the future, I, Xiao Lang, will do my best to fulfill your wish."

He hadn't been thinking deeply about the detoxification process these past few days, but now that he thought about it, his mother-in-law was able to tell that he had been poisoned by the Xiao royal family's secret poison and was familiar with the antidote. Firstly, their ancestors must have been connected to the Xiao royal family, and secondly, she had long seen through the fact that the two of them were members of the Xiao royal family.

Even though this place is isolated from the world, once people leave, it won't be difficult for them to find out about Xiao Lang's name. He should be the one to repay this favor.

After Xiao Qing pushed Xiao Lang away, two young men appeared out of nowhere.

One of them asked with a curious smile, "Madam, the poison doesn't require nearly three years to develop, so why did you tell them it took so long?"

The mother-in-law snorted coldly, "It's just drawing some blood, what's wrong with drawing blood for a few more days?"

The other person laughed too. "You blockhead. The housewife is kind-hearted. Although the two are siblings, they were not close at first. That brother is like a demon, deep in thought and full of hatred. If this knot is not untied, how can he be willing to cure his sister's poison later?"

"Who says I'm a blockhead? Don't forget, my ability to judge people is far superior to yours. The old lady often says that our skills aren't quite there yet, which is why I wanted to ask her if there was any hidden reason. How could I not have thought of what you're saying?"

"You are better than me at judging people, but you can't match me at judging fate. The housewife's secret must be because they bear the fate of the nation. If they are united, the country will be blessed; if they are divided, the people will suffer."

Another rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what that brat Jueyin said? It's a wonder he damaged his cultivation and spirit to make these two soul-suppressing bells. Otherwise, how could he have entered our Floating Life Secret Realm, and how could he have cured that insidious poison?"

The old woman, annoyed by their noise, said, "Alright, if you're bored out of your mind, go practice your skills. Don't give me a headache. Don't inquire about what's happening outside. The young monk has some real skills, and what happens afterward is none of our business. This matter is settled, and this place should not be left in the world again. If you don't learn the real skills, don't even think about leaving in this lifetime. Don't be like your grandmaster, who clamored to leave before mastering the skills. Not only would he not be able to inherit the family business, but he wouldn't even be able to protect his own safety. It would be a disgrace if word got out."

After thinking for a moment, the mother-in-law said, "If you have mastered the skills, when you go out into the world, go and pay your respects in Langzhou."

As the three of them were talking, Xiao Qing pushed Xiao Lang out of the forest following her mother-in-law's directions.

The road was not difficult to travel; on the contrary, it went very smoothly.

But as soon as Xiao Qing stepped out of the woods and looked back, the scene seemed to be different from when she came.

It seemed like everything was the same, yet everything was different. She wanted to examine it carefully, but Xiao Lang pulled her hand and told her to turn around.

"Don't look into it. It's a maze. If you look at it for too long, you'll easily fall into a fantasy, and you might even go crazy or become stupid."

Xiao Qing was startled. But then, thinking about her mother-in-law's abilities, she realized that it was quite normal for such a maze to exist in the world.

Having abandoned her desire to investigate, her gaze fell on the hand Xiao Lang was holding.

Perhaps it was because the poison had been neutralized, but Xiao Lang's temperament was quite different from before.

The Xiao Lang of today is more like her brother from her previous life.

Especially now that he's holding her hand, it's just like when she was a child and her brother would stop her from being naughty, both soft-hearted and firm.

Just as she was about to speak, the shadows of the trees swayed in front of her, and a figure suddenly knelt down in front of her.

Xiao Qing was startled, but upon closer inspection, she was immediately delighted.

"Stars!"

Xingchen looked up, glanced warily at Xiao Lang, and then looked at Xiao Qing with eyes full of self-reproach and guilt. "Your subordinate is incompetent."

He looked extremely disheveled, with an unshaven beard, tattered clothes, and obvious untreated injuries. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant when he spoke.

Xiao Qing shook off Xiao Lang's hand and strode forward to help Xingchen up. "This isn't your fault. I asked you to just follow and not interfere. Besides, this maze is not something an ordinary person can break. Even if you could break it, it wouldn't stop me from doing what I'm doing. This..."

Suddenly, a voice filled with suppressed resentment rang out: "Is this how Your Majesty cherishes yourself?"

Xiao Qing looked up and immediately felt guilty.

I didn't expect Fu Mingyi to find me so quickly.

Looking at Xiao Qing's noticeably thinner and paler appearance, Fu Mingyi felt like he was about to go crazy with anger. "This is utter nonsense!"

Xiao Lang lowered his eyes, slowly pushed the wheelchair forward, took Xiao Qing's hand, and said without revealing any emotion, "Grand Tutor, you seem to know how to defy your superiors."

My sister's hands are so cold; she must have lost too much blood. She needs to be properly nourished.

It's so fierce, what if it scares someone badly?