There was silence in the room for a moment.

Xue Ren saw Jing Li come in and shut up at the right time.

Qin Zhao pressed his brows and finally understood what the man was saying: "Sir, you misunderstood. We didn't—"

"You don't have to say more. I understand everything." Xue Ren said considerately, "The medicine is still simmering on the stove. I'll be out first. You might feel a little sleepy after drinking this medicine, so lie down for a while. If you don't have a fever tonight, the medicine will take effect. I'll make the rest of the medicine into pills for you. They'll last you a month."

Qin Zhao's explanation was fruitless, so he stood up and said, "Thank you, sir."

After sending Xue Ren out, he closed the door and turned to look at Jing Li who was standing by the door: "Mr. Xue...I misunderstood, don't take it to heart."

"Huh?" Jing Li blinked and came back to his senses. "No, I didn't take it to heart."

"Don't walk around anymore. Go back and lie down. Doctor Xue said you need to rest more."

Jing Li walked over to Qin Zhao and helped him up, walking towards the bedroom. He helped him back onto the bed and tucked the quilt in tightly. After a moment's thought, he said seriously, "Don't overthink it. I like you no matter what. It doesn't matter."

Qin Zhao: "..."

Qin Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but the effect of the medicine soon made his head dizzy, so he had to give up explaining.

He fell asleep unknowingly, and when he woke up again, it was already dark.

The lights in the room were dim. Qin Zhao raised his hand and touched his forehead. It was no longer hot and there was no obvious discomfort in his body.

He sat up and saw the figure sitting at the desk. Jing Li was hunched over the desk, with a lot of books under him, and had fallen asleep.

"..." Qin Zhao walked over and called softly, "Xiaoyu? Go back to bed. You'll catch a cold here."

The young boy was sleeping soundly. He didn't wake up even when Qin Zhao called him. He just moved around in a daze: "Don't make any noise..."

As he moved, his arm moved slightly, revealing the booklet that was resting on his head.

Qin Zhao saw a few lines of text: "...Transforming into a human form consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. If the consumption is too great, the original form will be revealed from time to time... Do not slack off in your cultivation, otherwise, the spiritual energy will be exhausted and you will revert to your original form, never to be able to recover..."

Is this what Xiaoyu brought back a few days ago?

Qin Zhao frowned slightly and was about to pull it out to take a closer look when Jing Li suddenly yawned and opened his eyes.

"Hey, you're awake..." Jing Li rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Are you hungry? There's porridge cooking in the kitchen. I'll bring it to you."

Qin Zhao slept for the entire afternoon and night without drinking any water or eating anything, so he must be hungry now.

Jing Li was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyes. He stood up unsteadily, but sat down again when he lost his balance.

Qin Zhao smiled softly: "I'll be fine. Go wash your face and then have something to eat with me."

Jing Li nodded: "Okay."

Qin Zhao had slept too long, and it was almost midnight. Mr. Xue and Ayi had already left. The kitchen was piled high with unfinished pills, and a pot of porridge was simmering on the stove, still warm.

Qin Zhao took out two earthenware bowls, cracked an egg into one, and ladled the hot porridge in, stirring it evenly. The eggs in the village had no fishy smell, and when they were added to the porridge, there was only a rich eggy aroma.

After making the egg porridge, Qin Zhao picked up some pickled vegetables sent by the village chief and took them back to the house.

Qin Zhao put the porridge on the table and glanced at the desk in the room.

The table was empty; the book had been put away.

Jing Li didn't show any signs of abnormality. He had just washed his face, and his temples were slightly damp, with unwiped drops of water trickling down his chin. He sat quietly in the room, waiting. His eyes lit up at the aroma of the egg porridge.

"Didn't you have dinner?" Qin Zhao asked with a smile.

"I've eaten." Jing Li bit the spoon and whispered, "But I'm hungry again after a nap."

Qin Zhao was silent for a moment, then reminded: "Don't eat too much at night, or you won't be able to sleep."

"Yeah, I see..."

Jing Li agreed readily, and then... asked Qin Zhao to add more porridge to his bowl three times.

After finishing his meal, Jing Li rubbed his bulging belly and walked around the house.