Prepare
Bu Jiu covered his mouth, his whole face scrunched up, and his eyes instantly filled with tears brought on by bitterness. Even his fox ears tilted back slightly in discomfort.
He almost pleaded for help as he shrank back toward Ji Wang beside him, a muffled sob escaping his throat as if questioning this undeserved calamity: "Huaiqing, I... have I done something wrong lately?"
His voice, muffled by the palm of his hand, was indistinct and aggrieved, bearing no trace of the Ghost King.
Ji Wang found his reaction both amusing and heartbreaking. She quickly reached out and pulled him closer, patting his back to soothe him, and coaxed him softly, "Good medicine tastes bitter. Huaiqing is doing this for your own good. Just bear with it."
As he spoke, he casually picked up a candied fruit that had been prepared beforehand and carefully offered it to his lips: "Eat one to calm your nerves."
Bu Jiu eagerly put the candied fruit in his mouth using Ji Wang's hand, which diluted some of the terrible bitterness and allowed him to catch his breath a little. However, his brows were still furrowed, and he leaned on Ji Wang's shoulder with pale lips and a depressed expression.
Huaiqing stood to the side, taking in the natural interaction between the two: "...Hehe."
The laughter was soft, but enough for Bu Jiu, with his keen ears, to catch it.
He immediately lifted his face from Ji Wang's shoulder, glancing at Huai Qing with a hint of embarrassment and anger, only to be silenced by the other's still gentle and innocent expression, as if he were merely pleased that the medicine had worked well.
As Ji Wang continued to pat Bu Jiu's back, he looked up at Huai Qing with a hint of helpless apology in his eyes, as if to say, "Look how bitter he is," but he also understood that the medicine was probably unavoidable.
Huaiqing watched quietly for a while, and the faint smile in her gentle eyes gradually faded, turning into a sigh: "Sometimes, I really admire you."
Ji Wang was looking down to check if Bu Jiu had recovered when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then looked up at Huai Qing.
Huaiqing stood up and continued selecting herbs from the table: "Back then, I was buried in ancient books and medicine furnaces all day long, either identifying ancient prescriptions or deducing formations. I was only thinking about how to improve my medical skills and how to set up more secure defenses. I was so busy that I rarely even had time to look up at the stars..."
His gaze returned to the two people in front of him: "But when I turned around, I realized that you two seemed to have unknowingly talked about and said everything you should have talked about and said about love."
He tilted his head slightly, as if confirming the fact: "While I was busy distinguishing the differences between the medicinal herbs, you had already... well, become what you are now."
Ji Wang's ears felt a little hot, but he didn't feel offended.
Huaiqing sighed, a sigh filled with pure admiration, perhaps tinged with a hint of regret for her own drastically different choices in the past: "What's most infuriating is that nothing was delayed. She shouldered the responsibilities she was supposed to bear, endured the injuries she was supposed to suffer, and fought the battles she was supposed to fight..."
His gaze finally returned to their clasped hands: "They've even quietly made almost all the preparations for their lifelong happiness."
His words contained no jealousy or bitterness, but only the heartfelt sentiments and recognition of a close friend who had witnessed it for many years.
Upon hearing this, a thought suddenly flashed through Ji Wang's mind.
He cleared his throat: "Huaiqing—"
Huaiqing's hands didn't stop moving: "Hmm?"
Ji Wang's eyes sparkled, as if he was plotting something: "Since you've put it that way, then when we actually do it..." He shook his clasped hands with Bu Jiu's, "aren't you going to give a gift?"
The question was asked with a confident tone, yet it also carried a childish urgency.
Bu Jiu suddenly raised his head, and said incredulously in a low voice, "Ji Wang! You..."
How can you ask for a gift so directly!
Huai Qing was also visibly taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head. He turned around completely to face the two of them, his gentle and peaceful expression unchanged, as if he had already expected Ji Wang to ask this question, or perhaps he had thought about it a thousand times over.
"Give a gift?" Huaiqing repeated.
He looked at Ji Wang's expectant eyes, and then at Bu Jiu's embarrassed and helpless expression.
“If you really do it,” he said seriously, “I will not only handle everything perfectly for you from beginning to end, from venue setup to guest list, from etiquette procedures to banquet dishes… but I will also definitely give you a generous gift.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang's playful expression gradually faded. He knew that Huai Qing never made promises lightly, and once she did, she would always do her utmost.
This promise of "care" and "generous gifts" is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.
Seeing that Ji Wang's expression had become serious, Huai Qing stopped talking about the topic.
He picked up the Moonflower Grass again, which required careful separation of its roots: "Alright, the gift has been delivered, it's time to get down to business. Sect Leader Ji, if you don't go soon, Xun Jing might have to come and invite you in person."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang stood up and said, "I'll go right away!"
He turned to Bu Jiu, his voice softening: "Rest here for a while, I'll come find you after I've finished my business."
Bu Jiu nodded without saying anything, but urged him to hurry up with his eyes.
As Ji Wang walked to the door, he couldn't help but turn back and add loudly, "That gift list—I'm really looking forward to it!"
Huaiqing didn't even look up, just casually waved the hand holding the medicine scissors towards the door, too lazy to even give an "um," signaling him to disappear quickly.
Bu Jiu watched the direction Ji Wang left in until his figure completely disappeared into the corner of the corridor before slowly turning his gaze away.
He silently walked to the basin of water next to him, carefully washed his hands, dried them with a soft cloth, then rolled up his somewhat loose sleeves, walked to another low stool next to Huaiqing, sat down, and reached out to take a handful of mixed dried herbs.
“…Thank you.” Bu Jiu said softly.
Huaiqing was using a small silver knife to remove a tiny blemish from the root of the Moonflower Grass, her hands moving without stopping: "It's only right—"
Before he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that Bu Jiu was about to throw a small piece of slightly curled dried leaf into a bamboo basket labeled "Tranquilizing Additive".
With a flick of his wrist, Huaiqing used the back of his blade to deflect the leaf just before it fell, while simultaneously reaching out with his other hand to catch it steadily.
"—You threw it in the wrong place." He finished speaking, put the leaf back into the pile of herbs in front of Bu Jiu, and pointed to another similar-looking stalk of dried grass next to him with his fingertip. "A small amount of this can relieve pain, but it has a pungent smell. If mixed with the calming powder, it will probably give people a night of bizarre and fantastical dreams."
Bu Jiu gave an "Oh," then lowered his head again to examine the details more carefully.
The medicine shed fell silent again, with only the faint rustling sound of herbs being sorted.
Bu Jiu silently sorted through the items for a while, then suddenly spoke again: "Huai Qing."
"Um?"
"...Don't worry too much about us."
Huaiqing paused slightly as she sorted the medicinal herbs.
"Hmm," he replied, without saying anything more.
Ji Wang walked through several corridors and arrived at the place where he had arranged to meet Xun Jing.
Xun Jing was already waiting in the hall, with several maps and a list of supplies spread out in front of him. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he was tapping the table lightly with his knuckles, clearly having been deep in thought for a long time.
Upon seeing Ji Wang enter, Xun Jing stood up and said, "Sect Leader Ji."
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ji Wang walked to the table and glanced at the detailed annotations. "How did the discussions with them go? About the trip to the far north."
Xun Jing skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the point, pointing his finger at the area specifically highlighted on the map: "Regarding the personnel arrangements, I think we still need to reconsider. Is it too risky for you, Lord Bujiu, and Mr. Huaiqing to go ahead?"
He raised his head, his eyes filled with undisguised worry: "The far north is no ordinary place, its environment is unpredictable, and there's the possibility that Ling Gu or even his men are lurking nearby..."
Ji Wang listened and waited until he finished speaking before slowly saying, "I know you're worried. But the primary purpose of this trip is reconnaissance, which must be carried out secretly. Too many people will only make it easier to be exposed."
Xun Jing frowned: "Even so, at least let me come along. More fighting force, more support."
Ji Wang shook his head: "The valley cannot be lost. You need to be in charge, coordinate the disciples of the three families, maintain the operation of the formation, and guard against any other tricks the other side may have. As for Youhang and Guitiao... their sects also cannot do without their supervision here."
Xun Jing met his gaze for a moment and sensed the decisiveness and weight of his entrustment in his words, knowing that Ji Wang had made up his mind on this matter.
Xun Jing finally stopped trying to dissuade him: "Sect Leader Ji, has anyone ever said that you...?" He carefully chose his words, "...have a rather stubborn temper."
When Ji Wang heard him ask this question, he was not annoyed at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and showed a look of "You just found out?" on his face, even with a hint of pride.
He leaned back slightly, spread his hands, and answered crisply, "You should ask who hasn't said it."
The answer was so smooth and natural that Xun Jing immediately followed up with a question: "Who hasn't said that?"
A sly glint flashed in Ji Wang's eyes, as if he had been waiting for this sentence.
Without hesitation, he quickly gave a name: "Jiujiu".
Xun Jing: "...?"
He didn't react for a moment. The name was clearly not among any of the answers he had expected—neither a highly respected elder nor a close friend.
Seeing Xun Jing's stunned expression, Ji Wang's smile deepened, and he kindly reminded her, "It's the one that Bu Jiu and I picked up in the temple. Now that it's grown up, it always likes to steal the osmanthus cakes I hide in the cupboard."
He gestured as if the furry little creature was right in front of him: "Yellow fur, short legs, and a tail that wags like a windmill. It never says I'm stubborn."
It took Xun Jing some time to connect these two seemingly unrelated things.
“Alright, alright… Jiu Jiu didn’t say.” Xun Jing gave up on dwelling on the issue and explained the details of the last few array nodes and emergency communication one by one. “I will personally supervise the disciples in the temple to maintain the operation of the array. If the sect leader encounters danger in the far north, this array can be forcibly activated twice. Although the exact landing point cannot be determined, it will definitely be able to pull you back to the range of the main array in the temple.”
Ji Wang listened, tracing circles on the edge of the table with her finger: "Oh, oh..."
Xun Jing continued, "All kinds of magical artifacts and talismans have been prepared according to the list provided by Mr. Huaiqing, and will be sent to the medicine shop later for his final review."
Ji Wang's fingertips paused for a moment: "Oh, oh..."
After Xun Jing finished explaining, he closed the dossier in his hand, looked up at Ji Wang who was clearly lost in thought, and was about to ask if there was anything he had missed, but Ji Wang seemed to have just come back to his senses.
“Xun Jing, ah.” Ji leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin. “Look, once this matter is settled, don’t go back to Wuyimen. Just stay here.”
Xun Jing couldn't keep up with this abrupt change of thought: "...?"
Ji Wang nodded to himself, thinking the idea was brilliant: "It's perfect for taking over Huaiqing's job! You're not as talkative as him, and you're proficient in array formations and talismans. I think you're also quite good at managing accounts and things... Well, your medical skills are a bit lacking, but Huaiqing can teach you for a few years first, since he won't be leaving anytime soon anyway."
He spoke more and more fluently, as if he were arranging a perfectly ordinary personnel transfer, and finally patted Xun Jing on the shoulder with an expression that said, "I have high hopes for you."
"How about it? Think about it? The food at Bu Nian Guan is pretty good, and it's spacious. You can bring all your stuff over, and I guarantee no one will complain about it taking up space."
Xun Jing let him pat his shoulder, his face expressionless: "I feel like I'm being sold into servitude. No way."
Ji Wang slumped: "I didn't fool you."
He sighed, a sigh filled with frustration, and then whispered, "It's really sad."
Xun Jing's lips twitched as she looked at his momentary look of disappointment.
He knew that Ji Wang's long-winded blueprint of "succession," "food," and "spaciousness" was at least half improvised nonsense.
Fortunately, I was determined enough not to be led astray.
"If the sect leader has no other important matters to instruct me, I shall take my leave."
Ji Wang waved his hand listlessly, which was taken as agreement.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com