Qinghe followed Qirong to the backyard, where the spiritual energy was even more abundant than in the front yard, and a thin mist even gathered in the air.
Qi Rong led her through the thin mist to the source of the most abundant spiritual energy, which turned out to be a whole Jade Mushroom from the Cold Land.
The jade mushroom is a deep blue-white color. Its roots are buried deep underground, and the surrounding soil begins to turn white due to the influence of the jade mushroom. Water droplets fall from the surface of the mushroom and disappear instantly when they hit the soil.
The Jade Fungus of Cold Regions grows in extremely cold places, and ordinary soil and climate simply cannot sustain it. Qi Rong must have used some method to make it grow to such a level.
Qinghe, bathed in the ocean of spiritual energy, looked at Qirong with new respect once again.
"Just how many treasures do you still have?"
Qi Rong smiled and waved her fan, "If I told you this early, there would be no more surprises later."
Qinghe simply said "Oh" and didn't ask him any more questions.
Qi Rong: "The environment here is good for your injuries. Before, because the spiritual energy was too strong, bringing you here rashly would have backfired. Now it's just right."
Qinghe nodded and simply sat down to meditate and heal his injuries, forgetting even about eating.
Seeing that she was almost in a meditative state, Qi Rong stopped disturbing her and silently left.
When she opened her eyes again, it was almost evening. Qi Rong had set up a stone table and benches nearby and was sitting on one of them, leaning on the table and staring intently at her.
A light meal was laid out on the table, steaming hot.
Qinghe got up, stretched her arms and legs, sat down opposite him, looked at the extremely vegetarian food in front of her, and immediately lost her appetite. She pouted and said, "Is there no meat?"
Qi Rong said, "You're injured, you can't eat anything too greasy." She pushed the rice bowl in front of her, "This is just right."
Qinghe, however unwilling, had to admit that he was right. After struggling for a long time, he finally picked up his chopsticks and slowly began to eat.
"By the way, when does that pearl appreciation event start?"
Qi Rong: "Tomorrow."
Qinghe swallowed a mouthful of vegetables. "Did Ding Zhaoshan invite you?"
Qi Rong: "Of course."
Qinghe pointed to herself, "Then what about me?"
Qi Rong couldn't help but chuckle: "I'll take you there."
Qinghe expressed his delight and took another bite of vegetables. "I really want to see how Ding Zhaoshan cleans up this mess. A fake is a fake. When he slips up, the scene will definitely be quite lively."
Qi Rong: "He lost so much money, he definitely won't let it go, and he might cause trouble for the charity."
Qinghe scoffed, "It's still greed at play. There are too many people who covet the divine pearl, and he's just one of them. He's only better than the others because he has more money."
She put down her chopsticks. "But I always feel that this matter is not so simple. Since Yichang has already obtained the Divine Pearl, why must it be auctioned off? Doing so will not benefit them at all."
Qi Rong: "You mean they deliberately instigated the unrest?"
“That’s possible, but what would be the purpose?” Qinghe tapped her fingertips on the table, a little habit she had when she was thinking. “Could it be that Yichang already knew the Divine Pearl was fake, and Ding Zhaoshan had colluded with them beforehand?”
Qi Rong gave a mocking smile, "He doesn't have that kind of brain."
Qing was surprised to find that he was right, given his sharp words.
After thinking about it for a long time without any ideas, Qinghe decided to stop thinking about it. Remembering that she hadn't properly explored the mansion yet, she stood up and gestured for Qirong to act as her guide and lead her around.
Ke Qirong seemed not to understand her gaze, and remained seated, glancing occasionally at the remaining food on the table, her eyes hinting at something.
Qinghe had no choice but to sit down again, pick up her chopsticks, and ask hesitantly, "Do I really have to finish it all?"
Qi Rong nodded.
Qinghe, clinging to a sliver of hope, asked, "Is there no room for negotiation?"
Qi Rong shook her head, her attitude leaving no room for doubt.
Qinghe finally resigned herself to her fate: "Okay, I'll eat it."
As Qinghe struggled to swallow, Qi Rong told her another shocking piece of news: "You will stay with me for the next few days, and I will supervise you. You must not eat meat for any of your three meals a day, and you must come here to meditate and heal your wounds at this time every day. I will be with you at all times."
Upon hearing this devastating news, Qinghe was stunned into silence. The food in her mouth felt like poison, not food. She swore that if she could beat him, she would jump up and shove the poison into his mouth, demanding to know what grudge he held against her and why he was so cruel to her.
Unfortunately, fantasy can never become reality. Qing mechanically swallowed the last bite of food, his whole being devoid of life.
Qi Rong put away the bowl with satisfaction and instructed the servants to take it away.
The courtyard was beautiful. With such a beautiful view in front of her, Qinghe temporarily put aside the unpleasantness of the meal and began to seriously appreciate the scenery.
But as she looked at him, her gaze drifted back to Qi Rong's face.
Qi Rong felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze. "What's wrong?"
Qinghe: "I suddenly remembered something."
Qi Rong's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that his affair with the vixen had been exposed? He casually probed, "What is it?"
“I heard you arguing at the inn earlier,” she stopped in one spot, no longer walking forward, “What were you arguing about?”
Qi Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It was Li Jiang. He was very angry when he found out that you went to the Crane Shrine on your own. He blamed you for not informing him. He felt that he was partly responsible for your injury."
Qinghe nodded: "That night was just a test, no one expected an accident to happen, he doesn't need to blame himself."
After a long silence, Qinghe looked at Qirong and saw him staring intently at her.
Putting aside her playful and flamboyant demeanor, Qi Rong said earnestly, "I hope that in the future, no matter what happens, you can tell me, and we can solve it together."
Qinghe raised an eyebrow: "Under what pretext?"
Qi Rong: "In the name of...friends."
Qinghe let out an "Oh," her voice high-pitched at the end, clear and captivating like flowing water. "So, you only wanted to be friends with me."
Qi Rong was so aroused by her unbridled teasing that his thin lips moved slightly, and he almost blurted out "No".
Qinghe stopped listening to him and turned to leave first, leaving Qirong standing there stunned.
After walking quite a distance, Qinghe turned back to look, a smirk still on his face.
But they didn't see that red figure.
Qinghe searched around and then returned to the original spot to look for Qi Rong, but Qi Rong was indeed gone.
"So easily teased?" Qinghe muttered to himself, standing there. "Could it be that she's hiding away because she's shy?"
He sighed to himself at how shy the handsome man was, and stopped looking for him. Instead, he wandered around the courtyard, admiring the scenery.
Hiding in the shadows, Qi Rong watched the figure gradually disappear into the distance. Thinking of her words, a smile crept onto his lips. Suddenly, his expression changed, he raised his hand to his chest, and in the next instant, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His eyes suddenly turned cold as he slowly wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, his movements calm and deliberate, showing no sign that he was seriously injured.
He took out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it. A moment later, his pale, bloodless face slowly turned rosy. He glanced at Qinghe's receding figure, then turned and disappeared from the spot.
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