The day grew brighter and brighter as time passed.
After a couple of hours, An Bing Qing couldn't endure it anymore; she stopped and gave a cry from behind, "Zi Hui, stop. I'm truly hungry now; we will continue after having a meal". She didn't wait for his reply and began to look for some firewood in the surroundings.
An annoyed Xue Zi Hui stopped his steps. He pressed his teeth together and turned around, flapping his sleeves.
An Bing Qing piled up the firewood she had found and with long branches made something to roast some mysterious beast's meat; she hadn't used all of it when she made the soup before.
Xue Zi Hui didn't close to her and watched her from five meters apart. He saw her securing the meat to a branch and sprinkling scented coloured powder on it before arousing the flame.
As he was watching her moves, he heard a call, "Zi Hui, you come here". She was waving at him; his frosty face cooled more at such tone, but he still stepped forward.
Right after he closed to her, a little hand pulled him to where An Bing Qing was and her girly voice sounded, "You watch over the food, I need to do another thing". And like that, she walked and stopped few meters before him.
He was dazed but before he could grumble a retort, he saw her taking out her pill cauldron along some precious herbs. He pursed his lips, turned away his sight and stayed in place.
An Bing Qing inspected her cauldron once again, paying attention to the three crescent moon-shaped slits; but as before, her questions reached no answer. She thought, 'Maybe Shu knows about it…' Her heart soon got depressed; even if he knows, she has no way to ask him as he didn't know her in this life.
She shook her head and drifted her focus to the cauldron to warm it up. Then, she took three Blood Bud Roots and began to refine them. She was going to refine a medicinal liquid which was described in the weird black leather book; there, it was stated as a one rank medicine. She didn't understand it at first as many precious herbs were needed to make the liquid; but then, she reached the conclusion that it was because the refinement method used made things pretty easy.
Only tens of minutes were needed for her to refine the Blood Bud Roots as she has plenty of experience with that herb; the blend came a couple of hours later, the another two herbs were quite difficult for her. If it were to be the normal method, she will need to follow an orderly system when mixing them; but she can just threw them together, as long as she maintained the proper temperature, of course.
"Sigh", she took a jade bottle and kept the crystalline liquid; it was clear like spring water but it wafted a strong medicine's scent. She looked up and saw the fire off. Her head wandered but quickly a smile was drawn on her lips; Xue Zi Hui was throwing new firewood and lightning up the fire again. She gave a guilty nod, 'It took me more time than I thought. He must be furious. But it doesn't seem that bad, he is warming the food again. Heh heh'. She waved her sleeves, keeping the pill cauldron into her qiankun bag before walking to him.
She didn't annoy him and swiftly replaced him with the cooking chore.
Xue Zi Hui didn't feel like saying something and took seat by the side.
She served the food and ate happily, but he didn't move his chopsticks at all.
Feeling the mood getting dismal, she blurted out a question, "And… why did you fight the Glacial Green Toad?"
She was met with a pair of sharp eyes that conveyed the none-of-your-business meaning. She shrugged her shoulders and bit a chunk of meat; after swallowing it, she said, "I'm here because…" She told him all she could about her travel and where they were going without reserves.
Wanting to focus in something else, Xue Zi Hui diverted his attention to the food and he finally began to eat; the meat was delicious, he thought to himself. But he still could hear everything she was saying, he got a belly of anger after a while, "Little girl, how can you be so uncaring of yourself?"
She was baffled. She pondered and understood his meaning; she said with a dazzling smile, "Why should I? I know you will never hurt me".
He was speechless at her statement and confidence. 'This girl is simply…'
"Here. This is for you". She placed her last refinement before him. She added, "This is a medicinal liquid known as the Bone Marrow Regenerative Cells Liquid, you need to fill this little cup and drink it every three days".
'Cells?*' He raised a brow.
She guessed his incognita but didn't know how to answer; it was the knowledge she had acquired from the black leather book. She didn't explained and only told him its use in a way for him to understand, "This liquid won't cure you, but it will help your body to replace your ahm… poisoned blood and some damaged places with healthy ones and improve your condition; though the poison will remain, this will lower the stress in your body". She saw he wasn't pleased when she said the last words, she added, "I noted your speed decreased, and I'm sure it wasn't because you were waiting for me to catch up with you; therefore, don't argue back and take it".
She was afraid he would contradict her; thus, she stood up and walked away without bothering to clean up the place.
Xue Zi Hui was getting a little used to her boldness and was only a step slower. He picked up the jade bottle and the little cup; he filled it and drank the medicinal liquid.
Soon, he surpassed her and led the way.
...….
Few kilometres away, as An Bing Qing thought, An Yu Yong was madly looking for her. He had divided his clansmen in nine groups despite the Elders disagreement. The Great Elder along three guards was following him; the former had a pondering look while the later people had admiration. An Yu Yong had created a havoc back then and no one of the Elders could stop him, making all the clansmen revaluate their views of him; he had spread such an imposing and tyrannical grandeur that left all of them dumbstruck.
Shortly after, An Yu Yong suddenly changed directions, speeding up. The Great Elder swayed before keeping with his pace.
Xue Zi Hui who had lowered his rhythm was in deep thought. An Bing Qing saw this and couldn't guess what he was meditating so much about; and because he didn't bother to pay attention to her as he went forward, she couldn't stop to pick up some herbs she had saw in the way. She wanted to tell him, but seeing him musing like that, she decided to not bother him. Still, she thought, 'Hmph, I will keep the count of how many herbs I wasn't able to get'.
"Hmh?!" Xue Zi Hui felt the male's aroma became richer; there were five different scents coming towards them. He didn't tell her anything and continued to go forward.
An Bing Qing who was keeping an eye on him despite counting the many herbs she couldn't harvest saw his change; before she could ask him, she heard a cry, "Little sister!"
She looked up and followed the sound. Soon, she was able to discern her eldest brother's enchanting face; a beautiful smile bloomed like spring on her tender face. She increased her speed, and in no time she was met with a tight embrace. She gasped for breath, "I'm all right. You don't be like this. I'm going to die at this rate".
An Yu Yong released her and walked around her. A couple of minutes later, he nodded. He patted her head and reprimanded, "Y-you this girl. It is good you are fine, but now you are punished. You can't go out from now on".
An Bing Qing was agape, 'Did I heard right? Eldest brother said I'm punished and can't go out'. It wasn't a wonder she would be so amused; in her past life, only her husband had been so audacious as to say such a word, though it was in form of a joke. She regarded his expression carefully, 'He doesn't seem to be jesting around'.
She smirked and was about to complain but the Great Elder asked, "Who is this young man?"
"Oh! Right!" Her attention was diverted; she didn't answer his question but said, "He is coming with us". Yet again, she made a statement.