Early Spring Journey

Chapter Twenty (Part Two) After leaving Qingchuan River, two days had passed. The group first entered the nearest village, borrowing half a courtyard from a local wealthy family to stay. The village was small, with nowhere to buy clothes, so they had to borrow some old ones. After bathing, Chuxi changed into them. Though the dinner was simple rural fare, for Chuxi, it was the most delicious meal she had ever tasted. Outside, the sound of horse hooves approached, and then a young girl entered. It was Bai Xue. After paying her respects to the young master, she turned to scrutinize Chuxi and smiled, “Chuxi, are you well?” The young master had already explained Bai Xue’s identity, and Chuxi didn’t need to think much to understand that the incident at the fabric shop was sanctioned by the young master. Now, if there were any lingering resentments, they would be unnecessary, but Chuxi still felt a mix of emotions, smiling wryly, “Thanks to Miss Bai Xue, nothing major happened.” Bai Xue’s expression stiffened slightly, but she said nothing, only stating, “The young master sent me here in haste, I thought you were seriously injured—” The young master cut her off, “What about Qinglong?” “He’s behind us.” Bai Xue turned to the young master, “You’re injured too?” “Just a flesh wound, nothing to worry about.” Bai Xue smiled slightly, “As a doctor, no one likes to hear ‘nothing to worry about’.” The young master frowned, “Then check if she will have scars on her face.” Bai Xue took Chuxi’s pulse and examined the wound on the back of her head, then with a hint of teasing, said, “You were afraid Chuxi would be scarred, yet you were so ruthless at first.” Her words were somewhat harsh, and the young master’s expression darkened slightly, but Bai Xue continued, “This injury is not a problem. I’ll prescribe some medicine to ensure no scars remain.” She paused, then added meaningfully, “Chuxi, you look quite different now.” Chuxi pursed her lips, responding calmly, “I’m still me, unlike Miss Bai Xue, who has become the Vermilion Bird Envoy in the blink of an eye.” Bai Xue’s eyes widened, about to retort when the young master spoke, “Come with me, my injury is on my back.” After a while, the young master emerged from the inner room, with Bai Xue frowning, “Though it didn’t reach the bone, your negligence has caused you quite some pain.” “I’ve already applied the healing ointment.” “Do you think I can’t see that? You used Xiao Kucao at first, and only recently switched to the healing ointment, right?” Bai Xue said coldly, “What about the Yingyu Peach Blossom Cream I gave you?” If Chuxi wasn’t mistaken, the young master’s expression seemed… momentarily guilty. She paused, recalling the exquisitely crafted porcelain jar—could Bai Xue think the young master had lost the medicine she personally prepared? Chuxi kindly interjected, “Young Master, is the Yingyu Peach Blossom Cream in a small porcelain jar?” Bai Xue nodded, proudly saying, “Yes. Do you know why the wound on the back of your head healed so quickly?” “That medicine is truly miraculous. The leopard, which had such severe sword wounds, got better the next day after the young master applied it.” Chuxi sincerely praised. For some reason, the room fell silent. The young master sighed softly, while Bai Xue’s face turned red and then white, finally asking after a long pause, “You used that medicine… on an animal? To save a leopard?” Her tone was not friendly, and Chuxi wisely kept silent. The young master coughed lightly, “When we were at Qingchuan River, that leopard saved us.” Bai Xue still looked incredulous, “Young Master, did I ever tell you that the Yingyu Peach Blossom only blooms every forty years, making it very hard to collect? Even a small jar of this ointment would fetch bidders with gold worth ten thousand pounds if I auctioned it off?” Chuxi was speechless, “This… is that precious?”