Being smart is not a bad thing in itself. However, if one is so smart that they discover things others don't want them to know, they can pose a threat to those people.
For Lu Tianxun, staying alive was a simple matter. But for the first time, he came to understand that for some people, merely surviving already takes all their strength.
"I don't mean any harm," Lu Tianxun said. Since he didn't know how to weave thatch, he could only twist tree bark instead.
To twist the rough tree bark into something tough required repeated rubbing. His hands would be covered in tree sap with a strange smell. They would turn red and numb from the rubbing until he could barely feel them.
The three of them would build a thatched cottage there when they were free. Yi Qing had initially intended to perform acupuncture on Xiao Jinghan. However, his body was too weak at the moment. It would be dangerous to perform acupuncture without proper nourishment.
The crucial thing was that she couldn't show that she cared too much. If Wu Min became suspicious, things would get troublesome later on.
Wu Peng didn't return until five days later. When he came back, he carried a large bag of medicinal herbs on his back. He was surprised to see the thatched cottage they had built.
"Hey, so many herbs. Are you feeding a cow?" Wu Peng was exhausted.
"These are just for temporary use," Yi Qing said as she gave Wu Peng a booklet. "Buy the herbs listed in this booklet as well as the things I need."
"Ah?" Wu Peng looked at the booklet. "I'm starting to suspect that you're using me to buy herbs."
"You don't have to buy them if you don't want to," Yi Qing said, spreading her hands.
"I'll buy them!" Wu Peng wondered what kind of situation he had gotten himself into.
Yi Qing inspected several medicine jars. "In addition, go to the potter and ask them to make two small stoves like this."
"What can such a small stove do?" Wu Peng looked at the drawing.
"It should be quite a long way from here to the forbidden area, and it's cold down there. By the time the medicine is brewed here and taken there, it will have already cooled down. I need a small stove to carry it over," Yi Qing explained.
"There's no open fire allowed in the Wu Gorge. I've told you this several times," Wu Peng thought Yi Qing was being too meticulous.
They had known each other for some time, and Yi Qing had always been carefree. He didn't expect her to be so detailed.
Yi Qing thought for a moment, then turned around and drew a container. The lid and the body of the container could be fastened together with a screw cap. "Tell Zisu to order the porcelain master to fire it as quickly as possible."
Wu Peng took a look. "This container is quite good. I can use it to raise gu worms in the future."
Yi Qing gave Wu Peng a glare.
"Miss, could you at least let me rest for a while? I've been on the go non - stop for the past few days," Wu Peng complained.
"Or do you want to tell your junior sister like this?" Yi Qing raised her eyebrows.
"I'll go. I'll go right away," Wu Peng wondered why he had to get involved in such a mess. Both of them were like demanding ladies.
Yi Qing wrote down some more things. She wrote down everything she could think of for the time being.
Wu Peng showed the list of things Yi Qing had written for him to prepare to his junior sister. It was ultimately up to his junior sister to decide what could be brought into the Wu Gorge.
Wu Min didn't see anything wrong with it. "Don't you think she's being too concerned about this person?"
"His life is in your hands. Of course, she has to be concerned," Wu Peng murmured softly.
Wu Min gave Wu Peng a sidelong glance.
"I mean, she is a doctor with a kind heart. She is very thorough in her work. It's just that you don't know her well enough, junior sister," Wu Peng said with wide - open eyes, telling lies without a trace of hesitation.
Wu Min wondered if she was overthinking things. However, the other person hadn't even mentioned the consultation fee and was even planning to stay in the Wu Gorge for a long - term treatment. This seemed quite abnormal no matter how she thought about it.
"Really?" Wu Min knew that her senior brother never cared about anything other than gu worms. It was easy for him to make up an excuse. "Actually, even if the empress destroys the Wu Gorge, I can still escape."
Wu Peng was stunned. "Junior sister, you can't think like this. After all, you grew up in the Wu Gorge."
"So, senior brother, you'd better tell me the truth."
What should Wu Peng say?
He struggled for a while. He didn't know why Yi Qing had suddenly become so enthusiastic. "I have a good relationship with her. I helped her out a big time before by refining a gu worm that prevents people from touching the Ruyi Cake."
"A gu worm that prevents people from touching the Ruyi Cake?" Wu Min was surprised.
"You don't know. She can even detoxify the Ruyi Cake. However, even if the Ruyi Cake is detoxified, people will still want to eat it if they crave it. So I refined a gu worm that makes people unable to touch the Ruyi Cake. That way, we don't have to worry about people eating it again," Wu Peng thought this must be the reason. Otherwise, Yi Qing wouldn't have agreed to his junior sister's request so readily.
"I hope so," Wu Min could tell that her senior brother wasn't lying.
Wu Peng let out a sigh of relief. He also began to suspect that Yi Qing was being too meticulous.
Yi Qing thought she had been very careful, but she still made people suspicious.
The Wu Gorge seemed to have only Wu Min in it, but in fact, there were Wu slaves who helped Wu Min with her work. However, Wu Min didn't like having people around, so she didn't allow them to enter the Wu Gorge. She would just ask them to prepare the things she needed and send them over.
The life - sustaining gu worm needed to be fed once every seven days. When Wu Min went to feed the life - sustaining gu worm, she would call Yi Qing over to check Xiao Jinghan's body.
This time, Yi Qing knew what to do without Wu Min's reminder. Although the life - sustaining gu worm would slow down the decline of Xiao Jinghan's physical functions, his body was still gradually deteriorating.
"How is it?" Wu Min saw that Yi Qing's expression was rather solemn.
"Once the medicine arrives, you can retrieve the life - sustaining gu worm," Yi Qing said directly.
"Are you really sure?" Wu Min didn't believe it.
"If I'm not wrong, he's dependent on the life - sustaining gu worm, right?"
Wu Min didn't expect Yi Qing to notice this so quickly. "Yes. The life - sustaining gu worm I raised to sustain his life has connected his life to mine."
Yi Qing's heart sank. Would Xiao Jinghan be connected by life to someone else after she saved him?
"What are you thinking about?" Wu Min looked at Yi Qing warily.
"I'm thinking that raising the life - sustaining gu worm takes a toll on your vital energy. Is it really worth sacrificing so much to save someone?" Yi Qing looked at Wu Min frankly.
Wu Min looked at Xiao Jinghan lying on the ice bed. "I never thought about it."
Although the man was already seriously injured and unconscious when she first met him, he had immediately captured her heart and given purpose to her otherwise boring life.
Yi Qing smiled. "You're really straightforward."
"We're not familiar with each other. Don't try to define me. Go back," Wu Min said without looking at Yi Qing.
Yi Qing turned around and left.
Wu Min watched Yi Qing leave so calmly. She wondered if she was overthinking things. Maybe Yi Qing was just obsessed with medicine and wanted to save someone who seemed impossible to save.
Yi Qing had to suppress a strong urge to remain so calm as she left. Xiao Jinghan couldn't afford any mistakes at the moment, so she had to be patient.
The things Yi Qing had asked Wu Peng to prepare finally arrived. Yi Qing informed Wu Min to get ready. She stayed up all night to brew medicine for Xiao Jinghan. As soon as dawn broke, she put the brewed medicine into the thermos box she had designed.
"Two bowls?" Lu Tianxun looked at Yi Qing curiously. "This is the first time I've seen someone need to drink two bowls of medicine at once."
"This one is for Wu Min to replenish her qi and blood," Yi Qing said, asking Lu Tianxun to carry it. "Raising the life - sustaining gu worm takes a lot of her vital energy."
"I don't think she'll appreciate it," Lu Tianxun thought that if Wu Min didn't want something, she wouldn't even look at it.
"Then I'll have to rely on your silver tongue, Dean Lu," Yi Qing said with a smile.