Rong Zhi returned to Medicine King Valley a month later.
Time flew by, and thirteen years passed in the blink of an eye. She had expected her disciples to have changed drastically, but to her surprise, they looked the same as before, only more mature and steady.
There were also many new faces. When they met her, they politely addressed her as "Miss Lin." Rong Zhi would respond with a smile, and they would then return to their busy tasks.
"Why didn't you return here under your real identity?" Liu Yunxi asked, perplexed. "You could have returned openly, but you chose to use the alias 'Lin Mo'."
Rong Zhi replied, "A person who has been dead for many years suddenly reappearing would be hard for anyone to accept, wouldn't they? Tianque Kingdom revealing my identity was to sow chaos. It's better for me to live as Lin Mo to avoid trouble. By the way, explain this clearly to Bailu and the others. Keep your mouths shut and don't let anything slip."
"Don't worry, they'll never say a word. However, this way, many old friends won't be able to see you."
"It's better to remember than to meet. Think about it, if you've been mourning someone for years, and she suddenly appears before you, wouldn't you be startled?"
Liu Yunxi: "..."
To be fair, he had indeed mourned someone for a long time.
He admitted that there would be a moment of discomfort upon seeing her initially, but it would soon be overshadowed by the joy of reunion.
However, this joy… was something only he could enjoy.
The two walked on, passing through a peach forest. In winter, it was desolate, with no peach blossoms in sight. Only the rustling sound of their footsteps could be heard.
Rong Zhi sighed as she passed by, "It was here that General Xia entered Medicine King Valley and sought my help. I never expected there to be so many conspiracies behind it."
Liu Yunxi sneered, "I always said those royal family members were all rotten to the core. That emperor is useless, but the Empress Dowager is cunning and devious. She came up with this idea to bring you back to life in Tianque Kingdom. What a brilliant plan! As for Cheng Yichen, if he hadn't broken the formation outside Medicine King Valley and helped us, I would have beaten him into a pig's head."
"He's already in seclusion, repenting. It's a pity that those who died can never return..."
Rong Zhi sighed.
They walked for a while, arriving at a house at the end of the peach forest. A medicinal aroma wafted from afar, and they could hear an argument.
"Do you have any conscience? I injured my foot escorting you, and you won't even apply medicine for me?"
"Your Highness, please be mindful. Men and women should not be too intimate."
"I think you're deliberately targeting me!"
The two voices clashed. Rong Zhi lifted the curtain and entered, saying loudly, "Your Highness, don't waste your energy. His illness isn't cured yet."
Xiao Yao, who had been bickering with Chu Qingze, snorted upon hearing this. He then grabbed Chu Qingze's hand and held it up for display.
"See? His illness is cured, and I cured it."
Chu Qingze's lips twitched, and he withdrew his hand.
"Your Highness, you seem lively and well. I don't think you're seriously injured. Please return once your foot is healed."
"Are you trying to burn the bridge after crossing it? I fell off a cliff protecting you!"
"You pushed me! We fell down together!"
"And in the end, wasn't it me who carried you back up injured?"
As they spoke, they started arguing again. Rong Zhi and Liu Yunxi quietly retreated.
She had intended to discuss Chu Yuheng with Chu Qingze. Chu Yuheng had done many bad things after taking over Medicine King Valley, and Rong Zhi was determined not to let him off the hook. However, he was Chu Qingze's master. Now that Chu Qingze had returned to Medicine King Valley, it was only right to discuss it with him. But judging by the situation, it would be better to discuss it another day!
After coming out, Liu Yunxi kept looking back, curiously asking, "Your grand-disciple's condition is truly strange. He can't touch women. But this princess is quite formidable, actually curing his illness."
Rong Zhi recalled Xiao Yao fainting by the cliff, unconscious, and Chu Qingze's anxious demeanor. Her memory then returned to Changping County, when Zhang Yajing almost died, and his condition had also improved significantly.
It seemed that only when subjected to great emotional stimulation would he forget the shadows of the past.
Or perhaps, a greater shadow before him had overshadowed the past ones.
There was a treatment plan, but with this method, Chu Qingze would have to suffer.
Never mind, it didn't require her intervention anyway.
"I heard there's no candidate for the new Valley Master yet. Do you have any thoughts?" Liu Yunxi changed the subject when she didn't answer.
"Let them choose for themselves. I'm no longer the Valley Master. I just want to rest well, have some fun, and find a handsome husband."
Despite her words, Liu Yunxi knew she was a hardworking person who couldn't stay idle, so he smiled without comment.
A horse's whinny echoed from a distant mountain. Rong Zhi's expression changed.
Liu Yunxi pointed at the mountain, squinting, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be where you grow your medicinal herbs."
"My herbs!" Rong Zhi exclaimed in alarm and flew over using her Qinggong.
Liu Yunxi, watching from behind, was amazed, "This is probably the fastest she's ever flown. Her Wind Control Art must have reached the ninth level."
Rong Zhi arrived at the mountain and found Xiao Hei's front hooves deeply embedded in the ground, struggling hard. Xia Yunting had jumped onto a nearby large rock and watched coldly, seemingly disappointed with Xiao Hei's performance.
"Xia Yunting, why are you stepping on my medicinal herbs?" Rong Zhi stepped forward and grabbed Xia Yunting's ear. Xia Yunting was forced to bend over, pretending to be in pain.
"I was just riding past here when my horse fell. Besides, where are the medicinal herbs? This is clearly a patch of wasteland."
"I just scattered the seeds two days ago, and your horse's hooves dug them all out! You must replant them properly!"
Xia Yunting looked at the ground and found that there were indeed many round seeds, about the size of hawthorns, scattered there. His face showed embarrassment.
Rong Zhi gritted her teeth, "Replant! Them!"
Thus, the dignified General began digging and scattering seeds.
"Plant them evenly, not too far apart, not too close. Hurry up, you're a general, yet you're so slow at planting."
Rong Zhi stroked Xiao Hei's mane and pointed out flaws in her usual serious manner.
The General worked diligently and didn't even retort.
After finishing planting, he even carried two buckets of water to water the seeds.
Rong Zhi couldn't help but sigh. This general was quite diligent. It wouldn't be bad to keep him here.
"Hey, Xia Yunting, hasn't your amnesia healed yet?"
A hint of cunning flashed in Xia Yunting's eyes as he shook his head innocently.
"Aren't you a miracle doctor? Haven't you found the cause of your illness yet?"
Rong Zhi's expression stiffened.
"You haven't remembered anything you should have. I can't investigate anything even if I wanted to."
Even stranger, no one knew what Xia Yunting had experienced, not even Xing Jie and Xing Jiahui.
Xia Yunting had sent Xing Jiahui a letter of divorce. To his surprise, Xing Jiahui was overjoyed, indicating she didn't want to marry Xia Yunting either.
The Chen family was dead. It seemed it would take considerable effort to find out how Xia Yunting lost his memory.
At night, as Rong Zhi was about to fall asleep, she suddenly discovered someone already lying on her bed.
"Xia Yunting?" she asked, confused. The figure didn't look like him.
She lit a candle and saw it was Chen An.
"Why are you here?" Rong Zhi instinctively reached for her silver needles.
After their last meeting in the palace, Chen An had disappeared without a trace.
How did he suddenly appear in Medicine King Valley?
Chen An rested his head on the pillow, lounging casually as if he were at home.
"I went on a tour, and I found outside very boring. So, I decided to find a place to settle down. I heard Medicine King Valley has beautiful scenery, so I came to stay for a while."
"What? You don't welcome me? Are you afraid I'll kill you?"
Sensing Rong Zhi's resistance, Chen An got up and walked towards her, spreading his hands.
"See? I'm not carrying any weapons. I killed my father and sister because I hated them, but I don't hate you, so you don't have to worry."
Rong Zhi looked at him hesitantly until she was sure he had no hostile intentions, then she let down her guard.
"Is there something you need from me?"
Before leaving the imperial city, she had heard some things about Chen An when she investigated the Chen manor.
Chen An was the only son of Grand Tutor Chen. He had been forced to practice literature and martial arts since childhood, to a degree of perversion. Before the age of ten, Chen An was the most outstanding among all the young masters of noble families in the imperial city.
However, after the age of ten, Chen An suddenly changed.
At first, Rong Zhi didn't realize it, but Wen Yu mentioned that Grand Tutor Chen, in his ambition to put his son on the throne, had forced him to learn this and that. Chen An, perhaps due to psychological issues stemming from such a strict upbringing, had killed his father.
People like him, driven by a spirit of revenge, would pursue freedom above all else. Why would he want to come to Medicine King Valley? He must need something from her.
Chen An sighed, "You see through everything. Cai Yue's illness is getting worse. I want to bring her to Medicine King Valley."
Cai Yue, Rong Zhi recalled the girl who always sang with a Peking Opera tone.
"I wonder... if it's convenient."
"It's a matter of life and death, why ask about convenience? Bring the person over quickly."
"Thank you then." Chen An smiled, his expression visibly easing.
As he left the room, Chen An added, "Oh, by the way, Xia Yunting's amnesia has long since recovered. He's just tricking you now."
Chen An's figure disappeared into the night, leaving Rong Zhi stunned.
She... had been tricked again?
Xia Yunting!
Speak of the devil, as Rong Zhi came to her senses, she found Xia Yunting standing at the doorway, his expression somewhat awkward, though it was impossible to tell with his cold, aloof mask.
Rong Zhi smiled slightly, a murderous aura emanating from her face.
"How many pieces do you want to be cut into?"
Before she could make a move, she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
Xia Yunting said with a hint of rogue charm, "I don't care. You said you'd take me in, so you can't go back on your word."
Rong Zhi: "..."
She did it for the sake of treating his illness!
Regret filled her!
Regardless, Xia Yunting eventually stayed in Medicine King Valley.
After all, there was no war in Tianque Kingdom at the moment. If Xia Yunting returned, he would only be training soldiers, which could be left to Chen Xing.
Moreover, after the last incident, Jin Jinghong's suspicions grew even stronger. Not only had he reduced the guards in the General's mansion, but he had also deposed the Crown Prince. Xia Yunting's situation would only become more precarious upon his return.
Rong Zhi received a letter from the imperial city. It was from Fang Tianhua, saying that Zhang Yajing had achieved some success and would be no less than a disciple of Medicine King Valley in the future. The letter hinted at a sense of pride.
Furthermore, in the past few days, Baicao Pavilion had been harassed by Yin Xue Pavilion, but they were swiftly eliminated by Xia Yunting's men.
Yin Xue Pavilion had completely disappeared from the martial arts world.
Only then did Rong Zhi realize that Xia Yunting's strength was far greater than she had imagined.
Unbeknownst to her, snow had begun to fall. Rong Zhi curled up in her room, warming herself by the fire, watching the man opposite her solemnly tending to potatoes in the embers.
The crackling sound of the flames made the room incredibly silent, so quiet that one could even hear their breathing.
She suddenly realized that this was the life she had desired in her previous life.