That was a memory from a long time ago.
A valley filled with peach blossoms, pink petals raining down, swirling and dancing, carrying a intoxicating fragrance.
He rode his horse alongside his father, leading the procession, when suddenly a red-tasseled spear descended from the sky, blocking their path.
The red-tasseled spear was planted diagonally in the ground, its tassels still fluttering in the wind.
A graceful figure descended with the peach blossoms, ethereal and graceful, her robes flowing, like a celestial maiden from the nine heavens.
She landed with a gentle touch of her toes, spinning lightly.
Despite her stunning beauty, her words were cold.
"Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my Medicine King Valley?"
Now, the movement and force of the person before him were exactly the same as in his memory.
He was becoming increasingly suspicious of the other person's identity.
Rong Zhi did not notice Xia Yun Ting's gaze. Annoyed by her inability to improve her strength, she felt a knot of frustration in her chest, an overwhelming urge to release it, and the best way to do so was through martial arts.
She wielded no weapon, relying solely on her body to shift and change, her speed so great it was almost imperceptible.
Every movement, seemingly gentle, was imbued with killing intent, and each strike was subtly woven into her dance-like steps.
If Rong Zhi were to undertake an assassination mission, her target would likely still be indulging in wine and revelry, already dispatched silently by Rong Zhi.
With her movements, the air around her stirred with sharp gusts of wind. The Ghost Fly Grass on the surrounding courtyard walls began to tremble, some leaves torn away, falling to the ground.
A gust of wind swept through, and the sandy soil beneath Rong Zhi's feet seemed to come alive, forming whirlwinds around her, shifting with her every move.
Rong Zhi tapped her toes on the ground, leaped, and suddenly soared high into the air. She flipped mid-air and struck the ground with a palm.
With a *bang*, a deep pit appeared on the ground.
Rong Zhi pushed herself up with one hand, leaped to the side, and landed steadily on her feet.
She let out a long sigh, and the knot in her heart gradually dissipated.
Suddenly sensing a gaze upon her, Rong Zhi looked towards the room. Xia Yun Ting was still lying in bed, seemingly fast asleep.
She frowned, dismissing it as her own misperception, and thought no more of it.
The next day, Rong Zhi followed her usual routine of detoxifying Xia Yun Ting.
With the experience of the previous day, Xia Yun Ting was clearly better prepared. Although the process was still as painful, he was now able to circulate his internal energy when the two poisons counteracted each other, and he could easily control the intensity, accelerating the detoxification while minimizing his suffering.
Rong Zhi watched from the side, surprised by this development.
She hadn't expected him to master the detoxification technique so quickly, nor to adapt to such great pain.
He was indeed a general who had fought on battlefields for many years.
An hour later, Xia Yun Ting opened his eyes, his gaze filled with joy.
"Xiao Mo."
"I saw."
Rong Zhi was truly impressed by him.
"At this pace, your poison will be resolved within seven days. However, remember, too much is as bad as too little. Pursuing speed too aggressively could have the opposite effect."
"Rest assured."
Xia Yun Ting nodded.
Rong Zhi's prediction was accurate. Each subsequent day, Xia Yun Ting's condition improved visibly.
On the third day, the detoxification time was reduced by the length of an incense stick. On the fourth day, Xia Yun Ting's face showed little sign of pain. By the fifth day, Xia Yun Ting could even converse with her during the detoxification. Until... the sixth day.
"Xiao Mo, I feel like my body is fine now. My poison is likely resolved."
Rong Zhi glanced at Xia Yun Ting. His complexion had become ruddy, his eyes clear and sharp, and he had regained his vitality, truly showing no signs of poisoning. Nevertheless, it was always best to be cautious.
"Give me your hand."
Xia Yun Ting obediently extended his hand.
Rong Zhi turned his wrist and examined it, surprised to find that there was indeed no trace of poison in his meridians!
His physique was that good?
"Well, am I better?"
Rong Zhi had to admit the facts: "You are better. However, for the sake of safety, you still need to take a medicinal bath."
"Yes."
The medicinal herbs were Yun Lin flowers, which protected the meridians and were naturally harmless. Xia Yun Ting did not refuse.
Steam filled the kitchen. Xia Yun Ting flexed his hands, feeling a surge of power in his meridians.
"Xiao Mo, I feel..."
"Young lady, hurry out! Young lady!"
An anxious voice called from outside.
"Uncle Yu?"
Rong Zhi immediately went out and found that the Ghost Fly Grass on the wall was beginning to yellow, a pile of leaves had fallen to the ground, and the odor in the courtyard was no longer as pungent as before.
Yu Cheng stood at the door, frowning as he looked inside.
"Young lady, they've come again, and this time it looks like they have a warrant!"
"I'm sorry, young lady. I really couldn't find out why they were looking for you."
Yu Cheng spoke in haste.
"Young lady, perhaps you should run quickly..."
Before he could finish, a group of people approached from a distance. They were dressed as constables, but wore masks, completely covered, like bandits.
As they arrived, they saw Yu Cheng and Rong Zhi. One of the constables immediately grabbed Yu Cheng.
"You said there was no one here. Do you know that deceiving officials is punishable by flogging!"
Yu Cheng's face showed panic: "I didn't know anyone was here! What does it have to do with me?"
"If you didn't know, what were you doing here?"
"I just came to see..."
A trace of suspicion flashed across Li Zhao's face.
They had only seen this person running towards this direction in a flustered manner, but they didn't know what he was here for. From their previous vantage point, they could only see Yu Cheng, not Rong Zhi who was speaking to him.
Upon closer inspection, they saw two people standing together. After Yu Cheng's explanation, Li Zhao's suspicion lessened. He then turned his gaze to Rong Zhi and was instantly stunned.
Rong Zhi stood calmly, allowing him to scrutinize her.
"Give me the portrait."
Li Zhao reached out to someone beside him.
The person handed him a portrait. Rong Zhi was surprised to see that it had writing on it.
"A reward of one hundred taels for finding this person."
They actually considered her a fugitive?
"It's her. Take her away."
Li Zhao ordered the people beside him, and several individuals moved to apprehend Rong Zhi.
"Wait a moment."
Rong Zhi stopped them with a gesture and asked unhurriedly, "Why are you arresting me? There must be a reason. When catching an adulterer, one needs proof; when catching a thief, one needs evidence. You cannot arrest someone without cause."
"That's right, constable. She's..."
"Shut up!"
Li Zhao knew they were supposed to "invite" this young lady back respectfully. However, the young lady had instructed them not to reveal anything about Divine Doctor Chu. Moreover, for the past two days, because they hadn't found this supposedly skilled young lady promptly, their superior had beaten them several times. He had lost all patience.
"Stop the nonsense. You are to come with us. It's not a bad thing. Don't refuse a toast and insist on a penalty drink!"
It seemed these people were not here with good intentions...
Could she really be in league with those assassins?
However, Rong Zhi was not one to be easily bullied.
"Release this elder first, and I will go with you."
Li Zhao hesitated for a moment and signaled to a constable beside him. The constable released Yu Cheng.
"Young lady..."
"Elder, please go home now."
"Alas..."
Yu Cheng also realized he would only be in the way here and quickly left.
"Now, can you come with us?"
"Wait a moment. I need to inform my household."
Rong Zhi said, observing the reactions of the constables.
Seeing their impatient expressions, with no hint of expectation, as if they were simply there to find her and unaware of the other person inside, Rong Zhi became puzzled. Had she guessed wrong?
She returned to the kitchen and found Xia Yun Ting fully dressed, looking much more energetic than before.
Rong Zhi asked, "Xia Yun Ting, have you regained your memory?"
Xia Yun Ting paused, then shook his head.
The hand at Rong Zhi's side tightened. She suddenly felt agitated.
Was he feigning amnesia due to mistrust, or did he have other intentions?
Rong Zhi suddenly remembered a saying: "An old horse knows the way."
It was Xiao Hei who had led them here initially. But even if Xiao Hei were clever, it couldn't have reached a place it had never been before with such specific intent.
Unless he had other matters to attend to here, and those matters were inconvenient for her to know.
She had already detoxified him from the Seven-Day Yin Poison. Wasn't that enough to prove her sincerity? Why wasn't he telling her anything?
In the end, he was still wary of her.
"Xiao Mo, what's that noise outside?"
Xia Yun Ting interrupted Rong Zhi's thoughts.
Rong Zhi snapped back to attention and had to explain what had just happened.
She took out the token that Xia Yun Ting had given her earlier.
"You gave this to me at the General's mansion. You are a general, after all. Can we use this to prove your identity to the county magistrate and have him help you contact your subordinates so we can return to the imperial city as soon as possible?"
Xia Yun Ting took the token, looked at it, and then shook his head. "This can be forged. The county magistrate may not believe us."
Understood. This meant it was useless.
"Xiao Mo, I still want to wait until my memory is restored."
A flicker of understanding appeared in Rong Zhi's eyes, confirming her previous suspicion. Xia Yun Ting had other matters to attend to here, which were simply inconvenient to tell her.
"I understand. I will do my best to help you regain your memory quickly."
"Thank you."
Xia Yun Ting offered a smile.
"The constables are still waiting outside. I'll go see what their purpose is."
"I'll go with you."
Rong Zhi hesitated.
"I have recovered. I can protect you."
Xia Yun Ting said with sincerity, his eyes shining almost blindingly.
"...Alright. Then let me disguise you first."
Outside, the constables were growing impatient.
"Hurry up, stop dawdling!"
Li Zhao was getting restless and was about to storm in when a constable behind him covered his mouth.
"Constable, when is this young lady coming out? We can't stand it much longer."
"Yes, constable, it's so incredibly smelly here."
Even though they had covered their faces with black cloth, it was still so stinky!
Li Zhao glanced dismissively at the others. "You can't even stand a little smell, what kind of men are you? Look at me, I'm perfectly fine!"
Despite saying this, his voice had a strong nasal tone, and when he spoke, the black cloth in front of his face was blown up, revealing two cotton plugs in his nostrils.
The others had no choice but to frown and step back a few paces. Only Li Zhao looked curiously at the Ghost Fly Grass on the wall.
"What kind of grass is this that smells so bad?"
Li Zhao, relying on his double protection, stepped forward to take a closer look. He saw patches of round, green leaves. As he was about to examine them more closely, his eyes went wide, and he immediately collapsed to the side.
When Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting emerged, they saw everyone gathered around Li Zhao, mourning his condition.