Shen Wei was momentarily stunned, his gaze involuntarily meeting Li Yue Shu's.
His fingers, hanging by his side, gently rubbed together, yet his face remained calm.
Was she testing him?
After a moment of silence, Li Yue Shu suddenly tilted her head, a wild smile curving her lips. "See? This is my magic."
The light in Shen Wei's eyes grew brighter, seemingly full of pleasant surprise. "This is what Ah Shu conjured?"
He appeared completely oblivious to what it meant to have a gun pointed at his head, reaching out to touch it.
But Li Yue Shu withdrew her hand first, storing the gun into her spatial dimension. "Aren't you curious why I have magic?"
Shen Wei blinked, looking at her blankly. "Why?"
Li Yue Shu met his gaze, a smile playing on her lips, and slowly walked forward. "Because... I'm a demon who cultivates by eating people."
She deliberately lowered her voice, imbuing it with an eerie quality.
Shen Wei blinked again, his gaze unwavering. "Ah Shu wouldn't eat me."
Li Yue Shu paused. "Why do you think that?"
Shen Wei pondered seriously, then nodded firmly. "I just know Ah Shu wouldn't."
This was true. For no reason, he just knew she wouldn't.
Li Yue Shu looked at him for a long time, then burst into laughter.
Under Shen Wei's bewildered gaze, she suddenly raised her hand and stroked his head. "Just kidding, I don't eat people."
Shen Wei was accustomed to her patting his head, but her sudden change of attitude caught him off guard.
Li Yue Shu's smile made her flustered appearance take on a unique beauty.
She looked at Shen Wei with a faint smile. "I can't tell anyone that I have magic, not even Ah Yu, understand?"
Shen Wei looked confused. "Why?"
Li Yue Shu rubbed her chin. "Because... if people knew I had magic, I would disappear and never be able to appear again."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wei was startled and quickly grabbed her hand. "I won't tell anyone! Ah Shu, please don't disappear!"
Seeing his panicked expression, Li Yue Shu reached out and patted his head, looking no different than before.
However, as she turned away, the smile on her face instantly turned cold.
The two said no more, slowly heading back in their dilapidated carriage.
...
When Li Yue Shu and Shen Wei returned, covered in blood, everyone panicked. Even the passing villagers turned pale.
Li Yue Shu soothed the crowd, saying they had encountered bandits on the road.
"Heavens, bandits are too brazen these days, daring to rob people in broad daylight!"
Listening to the villagers' exclamations, Li Yue Shu's lips twitched. She quickly changed the subject. "Everyone, I'm still injured. I need to go back and get my wounds bandaged first."
Seeing her blood-soaked arm, everyone quickly made way, no longer pestering her with questions.
Back home, the courtyard, which was usually bustling with people, was now empty except for a few Wei family guards.
Today was the day Liu Lan Lan's husband was scheduled for surgery, so everyone had gone to Heng De Pharmacy to wait. Only Li Yue Shu, who had to manage the pharmaceutical factory, would arrive later.
Seeing their disheveled state, the Wei family guards immediately surrounded them with concern.
Hearing they had encountered bandits, without Li Yue Shu needing to say anything, someone immediately offered to report it to the county yamen for follow-up, while others rushed to Heng De Pharmacy to inform everyone.
Li Yue Shu herself was a doctor, so dealing with wounds was naturally not a problem.
However, with injuries to both her right palm and left arm, she was somewhat inconvenienced.
Just taking out the necessary medicines made Li Yue Shu's entire face contort in pain.
Seeing this, Shen Wei couldn't help but frown and stepped forward. "Ah Shu, let me apply the medicine for you!"
This woman, who usually acted decisively, would frown for a long time over even minor injuries.
She seemed to be very afraid of pain but hid it in front of others.
Seeing Shen Wei reach for the medicine, Li Yue Shu instinctively raised her hand to refuse.
But as she moved her hand, the pain made her frown even more tightly.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Yue Shu silently withdrew her hand.
With her guidance, there was no need to worry about Shen Wei applying the wrong medicine. "First, clean the area around the wound, here..."
Shen Wei's movements were careful but not stiff, yet the wound still hurt.
Sensing Li Yue Shu's stiffness, Shen Wei suddenly lowered his head and gently blew on it.
The cool breeze on the wound felt like it blew into her heart, causing Li Yue Shu to tremble involuntarily.
She had always thought of Shen Wei as a child, like Ah Yu and the others.
Yet, at times, he behaved as reliably as an adult, actively stepping in front of her when there was danger.
She could feel his sincerity, but...
Li Yue Shu suddenly came back to her senses, only to see Shen Wei already bandaging the wound.
Watching his proficient movements, Li Yue Shu instinctively asked, "When did you learn to bandage wounds?"
Shen Wei looked up at her, blinking innocently. "Ah Shu taught me!"
Li Yue Shu looked bewildered.
She couldn't recall ever teaching him this.
Shen Wei tilted his head, his expression earnest. "Ah Shu always explained things very clearly when she taught Ah Yi, so I remembered it all."
Li Yue Shu was surprised, clearly not expecting such an answer.
She looked at Shen Wei deeply and slowly said, "You are truly so smart."
Upon hearing her praise, Shen Wei raised his head, looking very pleased.
Li Yue Shu said no more, but her lowered gaze seemed to hide other emotions.
...
The Wei family guards were swift. After delivering the news to Heng De Pharmacy, everyone rushed back.
Even Doctor Chen and Shen Tan hurried over, carrying their medicine boxes.
Seeing that Li Yue Shu had already treated her wounds, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But Aunt Liu almost fainted when she saw Li Yue Shu's discarded clothes. "These damned bandits! They... they are too brazen!"
Seeing that she was about to cry, Li Yue Shu quickly asked Mother Mo to take the clothes away for cleaning.
Everyone crowded around, and Shen Wei was momentarily pushed out.
He glanced at the house, which was almost full, frowned slightly, then quietly left.
While everyone else squeezed into the room to care for Li Yue Shu, Wei Zi Miao and Ji Mo Bai did not rush in.
"Go investigate what exactly happened."
In a corner, Wei Zi Miao instructed the guard beside him.
There were several villages nearby. Even if the bandits had the courage of a bear, they wouldn't dare to rob in broad daylight in this area.
Moreover, with Shen Wei accompanying them, how skilled would those "bandits" have to be to injure Li Yue Shu?
Ji Mo Bai didn't enter the room because he wouldn't be able to see even if he did.
However, after everyone came out, he entered the room with Man Xing's support, holding a small porcelain bottle.