50 on the way
◎Lifting clothes to apply medicine and personally feeding medicine are all flirting techniques.◎
It takes seven days for a carriage to travel from Wanze City to Liulijing, but if Du Zhijin were to travel alone on his sword, the journey could be shortened to two days.
However, given that Zhao Zhonggan brought a lot of things, no one mentioned the option of flying on a sword.
On the first day after leaving Wanze City, as dusk approached, Zhao Zhonggan suggested resting by the water and having dinner. Du Zhijin was shocked to see him directing the driver to take out a pile of pots, pans, and even a whole carcass of pork from the carriage that was specially used for carrying things: "He actually brought so much stuff? No wonder he had to set aside a carriage for it."
In contrast, she and Ying Jianhua had a much better diet since they started traveling together. Every meal consisted of three dishes, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and occasionally they could even have a roasted chicken or fish, depending on whether she caught one. Sleeping at night was no longer just about lying down on a large, lush tree trunk; instead, they had small tents, all kept clean and dry, making it easy to sleep soundly until dawn.
She was already quite satisfied, never expecting that there were always people more capable than herself, and compared to Zhao Zhonggan's demeanor, they were nothing more than small fry.
The riverbank was covered with lush green grass, the sunset glow painted the river water, and distant mountains appeared and disappeared like dark eyebrows. Zhao Zhonggan was reluctant to leave this beautiful scenery, but he also found the uneven ground uncomfortable to sit on, so he laid out a long carpet with very delicate patterns.
Ying Jianhua told her that he had seen this style in a fabric store; it was a Persian carpet that was priceless.
A bolt of cloth worth a thousand taels of gold was casually spread out in the wilderness by Zhao Zhonggan, without any concern for it being scratched or torn. In addition, servants brought out three Boshan incense burners that were half a person tall. As the fragrance wafted out, wisps of smoke rose slowly from among the carved mountain-shaped patterns, creating a misty haze.
Three carriages and three drivers were now being completely controlled by Zhao Zhonggan. Du Zhijin wanted to help, but after watching for a long time, he couldn't understand what was going on. In the end, he only helped start a fire once, and then awkwardly sat down next to Ying Jianhua, describing his experience to him: "What is 'eggplant dish'? Is it eggplant stir-fried with turtle? Will these two things taste good together?"
Originally, Jianhua was savoring the Lao Jun Mei tea that Zhao Zhonggan had given her, and had just tasted a slightly bitter and refreshing flavor on her tongue when she heard her words. Uncharacteristically, she lost her composure and spat out the tea.
He glared at her angrily, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and explained, "What eggplant stir-fried with turtle? Eggplant casserole is a famous dish that emphasizes 'using vegetarian ingredients to imitate meat.' It's complicated to make and tastes exquisite."
Du Zhijin: "What's the point of using vegetarian food to imitate meat? If you want to eat meat, just eat it. It's not like you can't afford it."
Ying Jianhua, who also came from a poor background, expressed her incomprehension: "This is what I read in a book, and that's how it's written in the book."
So at the following dinner, the two of them, with a strange sense of respect, each tasted a piece of eggplant casserole.
As for the taste...
Du Zhijin asked in a low voice, "Amo, doesn't the book say it tastes amazing?"
Ying Jianhua carefully considered his words and said, "Perhaps I am clumsy with words and cannot appreciate the deliciousness within."
She nodded, and said mysteriously, "I can taste it."
He asked, "What?"
She blinked and chuckled, "The smell of money."
After dinner, Zhao Zhonggan, as usual, came to Du Zhijin to practice swordsmanship. Ying Jianhua picked up a book and began to read it by the bright candlelight that the coachmen were washing.
Once he had confirmed that Zhao Zhong was within his field of vision, Du Zhijin drew his Drunken Mist Sword and, as usual, exchanged a few moves with him to test his skill.
As expected, Zhao Zhonggan was utterly defeated after just three moves.
She recalled his skills when he fought the Illusion Demon and asked curiously, "When I first met you, you held your own against the Illusion Demon for quite a while. Why have you regressed to this point? Did you suffer internal injuries?"
People usually treat others with new respect after three days of separation, but why is he so blind to it?
Zhao Zhonggan got up from the ground, dusted off the dirt and grass clippings on his body, and looked blankly at the words: "Huh? I'm not injured."
"I don't know why, but the Illusion Demon seemed weaker than I had imagined that day."
Du Zhijin frowned. Impossible. The Illusion Demon was incredibly powerful. If Elder Jun hadn't activated "Sea Stabilization," she would have been trapped in the illusion, leading to another fierce battle. This was a powerful demon on Master's map; even she would have to fight with all her might. Why did Zhao Zhonggan seem so relaxed?
Could it be that he possesses some extraordinary qualities that I haven't yet discovered?
Under her probing gaze, Zhao Zhonggan unconsciously straightened his back and presented his best self.
Suddenly, Du Zhijin's gaze fell on the jade hairpin that bound his hair, as if waking from a dream.
Amo's poisoned hairpin fell to the ground during the fight, and the evaporation of the poison would indeed hinder the Illusion Demon's movements.
So that's how it is. With one worry resolved, Du Zhijin felt he had gained a deeper understanding of Zhao Zhonggan's abilities, and acted swiftly and ruthlessly.
"Aww!"
After being knocked to the ground by her bare hands for who knows how many times, Zhao Zhonggan looked at the person sitting on him and said aggrievedly, "Senior sister, it hurts."
"It's supposed to hurt, there are hardly any people on the mountain who don't feel pain, you'll get used to it." Du Zhijin turned over and stood up, holding out his hand to him, "Again."
Zhao Zhonggan tried to sit up, but failed. He fell heavily onto the uncarpeted floor, his shoulder blade hitting a stone with a crisp "thud".
"Ugh..."
Hearing his cry of pain, she quickly knelt down to check. Lifting his shirt, she saw a shocking red mark against the backdrop of white.
She poked him with her finger, and Zhao Zhonggan's face immediately contorted, his voice trembling slightly: "Don't, don't touch me..."
"I'll go find a doctor," Du Zhijin said.
She turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed her hand: "Senior Sister!"
Seeing her about to leave, Zhao Zhonggan instinctively tried to stop her. Realizing what he had done, he hurriedly withdrew his hand, his face flushed, and said, "It's alright! No need to call a doctor, I can get up! Look!"
He said "I'm fine," but in reality, he was struggling to walk and move with difficulty. As soon as he stood up, a gust of wind blew, and he swayed and almost fell into the water.
Du Zhijin quickly steadied the person and warned, "Be careful."
He thanked him in a low voice, and when the wind stopped, he leaned on his Hengqiu sword and limped back.
Du Zhijin lagged half a step behind him, afraid he would fall again. Looking at his back, she hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Actually, it's already too late for you to start cultivating at your age."
She went up the mountain at the age of six, and her fellow disciples were about the same age. However, Zhao Zhonggan's physical constitution was already formed and difficult to change.
Upon hearing this, the person walking ahead stopped, turned around with difficulty, leaning on his sword, and gave her a relieved smile: "Phew—that was close. Senior sister, I thought you were going to advise me to give up too."
Wasn't she trying to persuade him to give up?
She voiced her question. Zhao Zhonggan shook his head: "It's different. The excuses they gave me for giving up were all about family and clan. They said that others seek immortality because they have no hope in life and can only rely on the gods. I was born into a life of luxury and have everything, so why should I abandon my promising future to pursue the illusory 'Tao'?"
"Senior sister, I was so afraid you'd say the same thing. You're the only genuine cultivator I know. If even you try to persuade me to stay, I really don't know what to do..."
"It's as if my arduous pursuit was a joke."
"But thankfully, thankfully you didn't say that." He smiled, revealing two small dimples at the corners of his mouth, barely noticeable, only showing when he was genuinely happy. "You meant I'm too old."
Du Zhijin was taken aback and corrected him: "You're not old. Besides, my master said that cultivation is not about being early or late. What I just said was narrow-minded."
Cultivating immortality and entering the Dao requires talent, diligence, opportunity, and character. Among these four, character is the most important. She had seen the childlike character in Honghua, and now she saw the resilient character in Zhao Zhonggan.
There are so many like-minded people in this world.
"Then, senior sister, is there any way to make someone stronger in a short time?"
She was stumped by his question and frowned, saying, "This is not the right path; it's easy to go astray and become possessed by evil spirits."
Upon hearing that he might "go into qi deviation," Zhao Zhonggan immediately backed down and tried his best to defend himself: "No, no! I didn't have that kind of intention. I... I just wanted to open my father's eyes and let him see the results of my cultivation."
"That's not difficult," she said. "We'll reach Liuli Capital in six days. As long as you cultivate diligently every day, you'll be able to..."
Zhao Zhonggan excitedly chimed in: "One against ten?"
Du Zhijin: "..."
She didn't speak, so he continued, "One against seven? One against five? One against three?"
Seeing that she remained silent, he also fell silent.
The night wind was bleak and desolate. After a while, Du Zhijin lied with his eyes closed: "With a little effort, it's possible to take on two at once."
For example, two Dr. Yings. I'm sorry, Amo.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhonggan rallied and waved his other hand, which wasn't using a crutch: "One against two isn't bad! At least I can guard the house! Senior Sister, it's settled then, I'll come see you again tomorrow."
"Mm." She nodded, watching him being ushered into the carriage by the servants, and then lifted the curtain to enter her own carriage.
Ying Jianhua wasn't reading outside. There were many insects by the water, and he liked cleanliness, so he had washed up and changed his clothes early and was now drying his hair by the window.
The bleak evening breeze suddenly became gentle, brushing against his temples and revealing a pair of hazy eyes in the night.
Tranquil and serene, gentle as water.
"You're back?" Ying Jianhua frowned and glanced at her. She snapped out of her reverie and answered, then went over and used her spiritual power to dry his hair, thinking to herself.
Thankfully, Amo wasn't wearing that light blue gauze dress...
For some reason, ever since that night in Sai, she always seemed to be inexplicably distracted when she saw him, as if he were under some strange spell.
Could it be that unseen demon in Amo's sea of consciousness causing trouble? If so, she must find out the whereabouts of the senior healer as soon as possible.
Even after leaving Wanze City, no news came from Elder Jun, so Du Zhijin could only pin his hopes on the fact that the senior was in the capital.
As he pondered, he noticed that Yingjianhua's long hair was completely dry. He touched it with satisfaction and sighed, "It's so good to be able to cultivate." Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Why did you take so long tonight?"
Reminded by him, Du Zhijin recalled Zhao Zhonggan's injury and asked, "He's injured. Do you have any wound medicine here?"
"Injured? Where are you injured?" Ying Jianhua asked, her tone carrying a barely perceptible wariness.
She answered truthfully, "My back."
"I understand." He opened his medicine box and soon prepared a topical medicine. Du Zhijin was about to take it when he dodged it.
"? Weren't you supposed to send it over?" Why didn't you give it to her?
Ying Jianhua slowly rose, lifted the carriage curtain, and dismounted: "Yes. I am a doctor; is it not allowed for me to visit patients?"
That makes sense. Du Zhijin, without suspecting anything, retreated back into the carriage.
Seeing that she didn't insist on following, Ying Jianhua breathed a sigh of relief.
He carried the medicine bag, thinking.
He didn't want them, a man and a woman, alone in a room. The books all say that things like lifting clothes to apply medicine or personally feeding medicine are flirting techniques, the easiest ways to create ambiguity.
After explaining his purpose, the servant lifted the curtain and invited him in.
Ying Jianhua looked at Zhao Zhonggan, who was lying on the couch with his entire back exposed, and sneered inwardly.
Thankfully, it was him who came.
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