86 - Little Peasant Wife

Jing Aoxue was taken aback, but her memories from... Wait a minute... Just then, Shen Lüman came over with a plate of fried small fish and said, "Indeed, this year Liuer is five." Jing Aoxue frowned as she calculated the time. Liuer was indeed born four years ago. However, the age reckoning in this world was different from her previous world; it was similar to ancient times, counting age by nominal years. With this in mind, Liuer's actual age was four, but according to this world's convention, she was already five. She patted her forehead, just about to admit she had miscalculated, when she noticed Shen Lüman and Liuer looking at her with strange expressions. Liuer appeared a bit hurt, while Shen Lüman seemed annoyed. She dimly realized she might have upset the two treasures of her family. After all, as a mother who forgot her daughter's age and as a spouse who forgot when her wife bore a child, it was rather embarrassing... Yet, she felt wronged. She had transmigrated halfway through their lives; even with the original owner's memories, she couldn't quite get everything straight immediately. Pouting in grievance, she said, "It's not that I neglect you two intentionally; I'm just bad at math." Knowing her old ways, Shen Lüman easily forgave her. Liuer, looking aggrieved, gazed up at her and said, "Mother, promise to celebrate the next birthday with us together." Jing Aoxue naturally agreed at once, and the crisis was thus averted. After brunch, Liuer closely followed Jing Aoxue, watching her sort through herbs in the pharmacy. Seeing her curiosity, Jing Aoxue took the opportunity to teach her how to identify the herbs. With her wood-based powers, it was easy and quick for her to learn, while Liuer was earnest in her studies, eager to make medicine to help Xiao Hui recover quickly. Seeing her so dedicated, Jing Aoxue thought she genuinely liked medicine, and teased, "Liuer could become a doctor and save lives in the future." Liuer shook her head, "I want to be a chef." "A chef..." Jing Aoxue was puzzled for a moment, but then thought that being a chef would be quite good too. At least they wouldn't go hungry, and a good chef can find delicious eats wherever they go—what bliss! With this thought, she happily began discussing delicacies with Liuer. Sitting in the main hall, Shen Lüman listened to their conversation and couldn't help but smile wryly. She believed in the prophecy of the White Horse Priest. Even if it wasn't entirely accurate, destiny had its course. It was foretold that Liuer would become a significant figure, beyond just a simple profession like a chef or a doctor. She sighed inwardly and thought: She had to find a chance to visit the White Horse Priest deep in the mountains. She had made her plan, but life often outpaces planning. That very afternoon, Wu Zhiyong, whom they hadn't seen in a month, knocked urgently on their door. The mighty General Qin, who had achieved many battlefield victories, finally arrived in this secluded and tranquil village. ### Chapter 53: Gu Worms When Wu Zhiyong came knocking, Shen Lüman was infusing spiritual energy into jade stones in the main hall, while Jing Aoxue, with Liuer, was in the pharmacy crafting more potent medicinal pills. Jing Aoxue was using herbs that had matured for several decades. While purifying impurities from these herbs, she intermittently utilized her wood-based powers and wood spirit energy. Shen Lüman offered to help, but Jing Aoxue wanted to experiment to see the efficacy of pills she crafted on her own. Shen Lüman didn't insist, observing Jing Aoxue as she explained to Liuer how things were done. After a while, she quietly left to give them space. She hadn't been seated long before Wu Zhiyong arrived. The courtyard gate was open during the day, so Shen Lüman immediately noticed his tall and straight figure. She paused her work with the jade stones and approached, saying, "It's been a while since you were last here. Please, come in and have a seat." Wu Zhiyong scratched his head and replied, "Madam Jing, I'm here to see Jing Aoxue for an urgent matter. Is she home right now?" Shen Lüman had a rough idea of what he might need, so she nodded. "She is home. Please wait here for a moment; I'll call her from the pharmacy." Wu Zhiyong smiled and thanked her, waiting patiently at the door. He had been away for more than half a month, nearly wearing his tongue out persuading General Qin to accompany him here. Much of the credit went to Miss Gu from the Gu family. To his embarrassment, the closer he got to the village, the more nervous he became that the General might leave empty-handed. If that were to happen, he could only imagine what the General might do next... Ah, no use dwelling on it; he should have more faith in Jing Aoxue. Shen Lüman informed Jing Aoxue about the situation in the pharmacy. Jing Aoxue replied, "I'm at a crucial point and can't leave right now. How about this: ask him to head back first. I'll finish up here soon and bring the finished pills over to his place, and we can test their efficacy on General Qin as well." The pills she was refining were an upgraded version of the ones she made when she was initially injured. Besides using herbs of more significant age, she also infused them with a third-level wood-based ability and abundant wood spirit energy. While Shen Lüman had previously assisted by providing wood spirit energy, the wood energy she produced from her dual-root fire and wood affinity was naturally different from Shen Lüman's multi-root spirit output. Jing Aoxue was uncertain if this approach would yield good or bad results; she remained in an experimental mindset to find out. The root cause was her lack of understanding regarding matters in the cultivation world. She was confident in her wood-based abilities, trusting the pills she refined contained ample vitality. She hoped that after a few doses, General Qin's injuries might show immediate improvement. Upon hearing this, Shen Lüman conveyed the message to Wu Zhiyong. Wu Zhiyong showed a conflicted expression, hesitated briefly, but eventually nodded and returned home. It wasn't until a quarter-hour later that Jing Aoxue finished refining the pills. Upon opening the door, a rich herbal aroma filled the air. Shen Lüman instinctively sniffed, feeling instantly invigorated. "This medicinal fragrance... it's so potent." Jing Aoxue, with a proud smirk, teased, "Naturally, you should know who made them." In her hand, she held a white porcelain bottle and a luminescent green pill in her palm. She toyed with the pill for a moment, then decisively swallowed it. As the pill was absorbed, a dense yet gentle energy circulated through her body, causing her to shiver briefly as the spiritual energy within her dantian grew by a small measure. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she had intended only to test the efficacy and hadn't expected the pill to replenish her spiritual energy. She hurried to Shen Lüman, pouring out a pill for her to try. Seeing Jing Aoxue's excitement, Shen Lüman understood the potency of the pill. Upon ingestion, she felt a subtle increase in her internal spiritual energy, surpassing the results of meditation. Importantly, there were no impurities. In the cultivation world, there were similar pills, each with unique names and formulas for different cultivation levels, but they inherently provided the same benefit: restoring spiritual energy. However, these pills contained pill toxins, which, when accumulated, harmed the body and hindered future cultivation. Cultivators, therefore, used them sparingly, while some avoided them altogether to prevent toxin buildup, notoriously hard to purge. Having crafted pills herself, Shen Lüman knew how persistent pill toxins could be. As a half-demon, she too was affected by these toxins, leading her to sell most of her pills in exchange for spirit stones. Yet the pills Jing Aoxue crafted, not only this batch but previous ones too, contained negligible impurities—almost none. How did she manage it? Pill toxins were an unsolvable issue for pill-crafting sects of the cultivation world, even after thousands of years. Her expression grew complex, and Jing Aoxue, misinterpreting it as a sign of trouble, worriedly asked, "Is there something wrong with my pills? Do they have other issues?" Shen Lüman hesitated before shaking her head. "No, these pills... are perfect." That was precisely the issue—their perfection. Noticing Jing Aoxue's lack of awareness about the pills' potential impact on the cultivation world, Shen Lüman decided to keep it to herself. She shifted the topic, smiling, "Wu Zhiyong is still waiting for you, aren't you going over?" Jing Aoxue patted her forehead. "I nearly forgot. Since you’ve said these pills are fine, I'll take some to test on General Qin. No harm if they're ingested." She took a few steps, turning to lift Liuer into her arms. "Let's go, Liuer, time to visit your little friend." Liuer, clinging to her shoulder and mulling over the refining process, whispered in her ear, "Mother, you're amazing." Jing Aoxue chuckled, "Of course I am, and so will you be, my dear." Blushing, Liuer smiled and added, "Mother, I want to learn pill crafting from you." "Sure," Jing Aoxue readily agreed, indulging her every wish. After informing Shen Lüman of her departure, she headed to Wu Zhiyong's home with Liuer in tow. Along the way, she animatedly continued discussing pill crafting techniques and procedures with Liuer. Upon reaching Wu Zhiyong's door, before she could knock, the door swung open. Having not seen Wu Zhiyong for over half a month, he appeared more weathered, his face lined with a wry smile. Jing Aoxue placed Liuer down, greeting him, "Wu Zhiyong, my wife told me you had returned. I was quite pleased. I was busy with pills earlier and couldn’t meet you right away. Now that they’re done, I took the liberty to come. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Relieved, Wu Zhiyong laughed, "Not at all. I've been eagerly waiting for you." He held the door open as Liuer announced to Jing Aoxue that she was heading to Wu Mengqiu's room to find her. Jing Aoxue followed Wu Zhiyong to a side room. As they approached, she overheard Miss Gu Baiwei from Bai Cao Hall, her voice both familiar and estranged, complaining, "What on earth is Jing Aoxue doing? Why isn't she here yet?" Another voice, cool and slightly weary, replied, "Baiwei, don't be rude." Gu Baiwei snorted, responding, "Who are you to tell me what to do?" A resigned voice continued, "I know I was wrong, Baiwei. You are my fiancée, I..." "Oh, so General Qin remembers I'm his fiancée, huh? Who was it that abandoned me in the capital, disappearing without a trace? Now you want to get close when it suits you. It doesn't work that way!"