He looked at the medicine bag at Jing Li's feet and asked with a smile, "Young Master, who did you buy these medicines for?"

"I..." Jing Li hesitated for a moment, tilted her head and whispered, "My husband."

His ears turned red after he finished speaking, but the old man didn't notice. Instead, he continued, "Your husband's illness... I'm afraid it's been a while, right?"

Jing Li was startled: "You..."

The old man said slowly, "South Star Seed, Ghost Tooth Grass, Yellow Vine, Du Gui... Do you want me to continue?"

What he said were all the medicines Jingli bought today.

Jing Li asked, "Are you following me?"

"Nonsense, who's following you?" the old man said disdainfully, "I can smell these herbs of yours, why would I need to follow you?"

Jing Li fell silent.

The old man looked at his expression and said slowly, "Young Master, although I don't know where you got this prescription from, please forgive me for being frank. Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's best not to take this medicine."

Jing Li: "Why?"

"Although this recipe uses some common herbs, when combined together, it becomes a... slow-acting poison."

.

When Qin Zhao woke up, Jing Li was not in the room.

The yard was silent. Qin Zhao pressed his sore brows and sat up.

You just went to buy some medicine, why haven’t you come back yet?

Qin Zhao took the clothes hanging beside the bed and put them on. Just as he was about to go out to look for someone, he saw several medicine bags piled on the table.

It was indeed the herbal medicine he needed to take.

Qin Zhao frowned and pushed the door open and walked out.

The courtyard the magistrate had given them was quite large, divided into an inner and outer courtyard. The outer courtyard contained a study and a main hall for receiving guests, while the inner courtyard housed the bedrooms, kitchen, and other essential living areas. Opening the bedroom door revealed a small garden.

There are rockery, green trees and a lotus pond in the yard.

Qin Zhao stood in front of the house and called softly, "Xiaoyu?"

A bubble appeared on the calm surface of the pond.

Qin Zhao: "..."

He walked to the edge of the pond, squatted down, and saw the bright red koi hiding at the bottom of the lotus leaves: "What are you doing hiding here?"

The little koi fish wagged its tail, but instead of coming out, it hid further inside.

Qin Zhao: "Come out quickly! There's mud at the bottom of the water. Don't you hate getting dirty?"

No response.

After a while, a small head popped out from between the lotus leaves and uttered human words: "...I'm thinking about something."

Qin Zhao asked: "What are you thinking about?"

"I can't tell you for now." The little koi wiggled its fins and whispered, "I need to think it through first."

Qin Zhao smiled helplessly, still very patient: "Then can you come out and think about it?"

"cannot."

Qin Zhao continued, "Then... can you tell me so I can think about it with you?"

“No.”

Quite stubborn.

Qin Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and didn't ask any more questions. He went to the inner room, brought out a chair, picked up a book, and sat down by the pond. "Then I'll stay here with you until you've made up your mind, then come out again, okay?"

The little koi didn't answer. Its bright red tail slapped the water surface, then it turned its head and dived back into the water.

Qin Zhao really stopped asking questions and opened the book.

Jing Li looked at him quietly through the water.

Qin Zhao's complexion still looked very bad, even the hand holding the book was pale and thin, as if he was very weak.

Jing Li recalled what the old man surnamed Xue had said.

"You don't believe me? Then let me ask you, is your husband's Qi and blood deficient, and is he physically exhausted? And does he need to take medicine every day? Otherwise, he will inevitably have a high fever and weakness in his limbs?"

"All medicines are toxic. Even ordinary tonics will leave toxic residues in the body after years of use, let alone this medicine."

"If you ask me, it's better to stop taking the medicine as soon as possible, so that the poison doesn't enter the lungs and become incurable."

…

Jing Li didn't know whether he should believe that person.