Chen Niang's eyes were red, her gaze fixed on Feng Ninghe. "Divine Doctor, thank you so much. You are the savior of our Chen family!"
She picked up the few remaining chicken legs and placed them in Feng Ninghe's bowl.
"Divine Doctor, eat more. We don't have anything expensive or valuable at home, so this is all we can offer."
Chen Niang busied herself again, placing a large piece of fish into Feng Ninghe's bowl.
Feng Ninghe ate the chicken legs generously. The chicken was crispy and tender, melting in her mouth.
The chicken legs tasted ordinary, yet the meal felt exceptionally warm.
After the meal, Chen Niang tidied up the dishes efficiently and then looked at everyone. "I have a clean room here. If you don't mind, I'll clean it up, and you can stay here. Tonight, Xiao Yi and I will share a bed, and the child's father and Xiao Jie will share one."
Aunt Chen said without hesitation, "You should stay at my place. No one lives there, and it's very spacious."
The group did not refuse Aunt Chen's kind offer.
After a simple farewell, they left with Aunt Chen.
Tears streamed down Chen Niang's face at this moment, and she choked out, "Our Chen family must have had ancestors blessed by heaven to receive help from such noble individuals!"
Chen Yi held her hand and comforted her, "Mother, the noble ones have helped us immensely. We must host them well."
Chen Yi casually removed the jade hairpin from her head. "Mother, pawn this jade hairpin."
"This..."
Chen Niang looked at the jade hairpin with slight hesitation. "This was left to you by your grandmother as part of your dowry. We didn't even bear to part with it when your brother had his accident."
Understanding Chen Niang's concern, Chen Yi flashed a bright smile. "Mother, being alive is the most important thing. Everything else comes later. Pretending to be married for me is a risk, and this is what we should do."
The woman who married the celestial god vanished without a trace from the moment of her wedding.
The only one who returned alive, Xiao Ya, became a walking corpse. There was no hope of survival for those who married the celestial god.
Upon learning that she was to marry the celestial god, Chen Yi fell into despair and even contemplated suicide.
Now that someone was taking her place, she could live safely. Such kindness must be repaid.
Only then did Chen Niang accept the jade hairpin. "You are right. This is a great kindness. Our Chen family must repay it no matter what!"
That night.
The simple moon hung silently in the sky.
In a clean and tidy room, Feng Ninghe and the others sat quietly.
Feng Ninghe spoke softly, "Xiao Zhao is my spirit beast. I can sense his location, but for safety, we must follow him secretly when he 'marries'."
Although the marriage was a pretense.
When the topic of his impending marriage was brought up, Xiao Zhao felt a little awkward and let out a soft hum. "I want to see if this so-called priest is fortunate enough to marry me. If he annoys me, I will slap him to death."
He was an ancient Qilin, not human, but the king of beasts. He was not to be trifled with by ordinary individuals.
"That won't do."
Ren Shen Miao jumped out and onto Xiao Zhao, with two tender leaves clasped around his chest. "We are counting on this person to find those young and beautiful girls. If you slap him to death, we won't get any more clues."
Xiao Zhao rubbed his fists and hummed arrogantly, "Then I'll bear with it for now. I'll tie him up first, and then decide how to deal with him."
*Bang bang—*
The door was gently knocked.
Axi, who had been missing for half a day, appeared.
Axi's presence was not strong. Even though he had been missing for half a day, no one had noticed.
It was only when he appeared that everyone belatedly remembered he was gone.
"Uncle Xi."
Si Xinxin blinked her bright eyes and turned her gaze to Axi. "Where did you go? I feel like I haven't seen you for a while."
Facing the question, Axi said indifferently, "I didn't go anywhere, just went to investigate something."
He specifically looked at Si Jianye, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.
Understanding his thoughts, Si Jianye nodded calmly, indicating his agreement.
Axi then spoke, "I followed the High Priest out of Chen Family Village. When he reached a forest, he suddenly disappeared. I investigated carefully, but the forest had a formation. I didn't dare to approach, so I came back to tell you."
"There's a formation?"
Bai Niannian raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with a hint of anger. "I knew this so-called High Priest was just putting on a show! Now he's even set up a formation!"
Bai Niannian specifically looked at Xiao Zhao and quietly instructed, "You must open your eyes wide and take a good look then, see what's inside the formation!"
Xiao Zhao readily agreed, his sapphire eyes filled with a hint of anger. "This great me will definitely find the person behind this! I want to see who dares to act so mysteriously."
Feng Ninghe did not say much, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the table.
The crisp sound echoed slowly.
Her gaze, however, deepened at this moment.
Perhaps this matter was not as simple as they imagined...
In the following days, Feng Ninghe visited Chen Jie daily to treat him and check on his condition.
Chen Jie had been paralyzed for six years, and it was indeed difficult for him to stand and walk.
However, the treatment over the past few days had shown clear results, and his complexion had improved significantly.
"Master."
As Feng Ninghe left the room, Bai Niannian subtly approached her, seemingly holding something in her hand.
Seeing her secretive demeanor, Feng Ninghe asked, "What happened?"
There was no one around, so it was a good time to talk.
Bai Niannian handed over a small jade hairpin she was holding. "Master, I saw Chen Niang pawn this jade hairpin, so I specifically went to inquire. It turns out Chen Niang pawned the jade hairpin to buy us food. I heard this hairpin was a dowry from Chen Yi's grandmother."
As soon as she said this, Feng Ninghe inexplicably felt the hairpin in her hand was hot.
The jade hairpin was ordinary jade, not particularly valuable.
But for the Chen family, it was the most valuable item they possessed.
She couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the jade hairpin, saying unhurriedly, "This is the Chen family's way of thanking us. Tomorrow is the day of the wedding. I will find an opportunity to return the jade hairpin to her."
They were not short of money, nor should they be treated with such effort.
The Chen family was willing to sell their jade hairpin to entertain them; such kindness made them feel guilty.
In the past few days, Chen Niang had brought all sorts of delicious food, even making pastries herself.
They saw the Chen family's thoughtfulness.
Bai Niannian nodded repeatedly. "Master is right. Before we leave, I'll give Chen Yi some clothes and things for women. I have plenty of these; my spatial bag is almost full."
"Let A Xing bring a few more cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks. I imagine they will need these too," Feng Ninghe readily agreed.
Giving the Chen family money directly might not be accepted. It was better to give them practical items.