Meilian is in deep meditation and Mr. Gu is dressing the tiny wound on the young disciple's neck from the purification. The sect leader walks in along with the young master Meilian bumped into before. Sect leader looks over at the boy, "How is he doing, Dr. Gu?"
Mr. Gu greets them, "The poison inside his body has been removed. He will recover fast, but I will give him a prescription he has to follow for a week to make sure he recovers properly"
"Thank you, Dr. Gu" the sect leader was thankful.
The young master that had been quiet since walking in, noticed Meilian on the bed meditating. He is annoyed he had to see her again. He is staring at her, and that's when Meilian finishes her meditation and is opening her eyes. They both lock their eyes and look at each other for a few seconds before the young master breaks their eye contact.
Meilian is shocked to see him, and she starts panicking because she remembers their earlier interaction and she is ashamed. She quickly gets out of bed and is about to walk over to him and apologize for her clumsiness, but her father walks over to her.
"Do you feel better, Lian'er?" he asks her so only she hears.
She nods her head and her father is relieved. She turns to look at the young master, but he had long left the place. Meilian felt a little disappointed, but she was optimistic. She hoped they would meet again so she could sincerely apologize to him.
"Here is the prescription," Mr. Gu told the sect leader.
A servant by his side took the prescription and left to get the items.
"Then we will take our leave," he said and he and his daughter both left the sleeping quarters.
Back at the cottage, Meilian is watering her flower plants but she is in deep thought. How could she apologize to the young master? What could she do and how would she meet him again? Meilian couldn't walk through the gates of Heaven's Sword Sect uninvited. Maybe pretend she forgot something when she and her father visited them? She shook her head. It wouldn't work, because if she had missed something she was sure the sect would have come to her with the found item. She was desperate to apologize or her conscience wouldn't let her sleep in peace.
Meilian wasn't aware that she had a visitor. They had been watching her while she was in deep thought and didn't want to interrupt her mind thinking. It was when Meilian turned around to put down the water hose that she saw her childhood friend before her, his arms crossed.
"Jun Zhi!" she said excitedly. "You are back"
She walked closer to him and greeted him. Jun Zhi is the second son of the lord in Fuzhou Kingdom. His family comes from a generation of warriors that have protected the kingdom. As the second son, Jun Zhi was given the freedom to do what his heart desired because he has an older brother who will inherit the position after their father. Jun Zhi has had interests in medicine too only because of Meilian. He wasn't great at it, because he had different abilities. He is really good at finding premium plants and herbs that some people would miss.
Premium herbs and plants sell for a good price because it's difficult for people to find them, moreover, people don't know where to look. Before he knew it, Jun Zhi had become an expert but he wasn't aware of it himself.
"Of course," Jun Zhi said. "I came to visit as soon as I returned. I heard from your father he said you had that nightmare again"
Meilian sighed. As expected, her father can't hide anything from Jun Zhi. He had become like a second child to him because he would visit their home every day when they were children. This meant he also knew about her secret. They are so close that it wouldn't be impossible for the second young lord to know about her situation. That's why he has been helping her find a way to make it easier for her.
"Is the lavender incense working?" he asks her.
"The incense has worked very well since using it," she replies. "Hadn't it been for the rain last night I would have been well rested today"
She is pouting and this makes the second young lord laugh. He is relieved that his hard work paid off. Jun Zhi and Mr. Gu had tried to find solutions for her sleep problem because she was getting less of it and she was hurting herself. That's when they remembered lavender. They read it helped with sleep and they made it into incense and it worked.
"I'll help you Xiao Lian," he reassures her.
Meilian was happy to hear that but at the same time she was giving up on the idea. The lavender incense was working well for her. She didn't want to burden her friend with finding a solution. She is grateful for this and she is going to repay him for his kindness.
"I'm happy that you have stayed by my side through all this," she says. "But you don't have to continue the search anymore"
Jun Zhi is disappointed to hear her say it, but he understands her. He knew it himself, there wasn't anything they could do to ease her condition. In his mind, he vowed to himself that he was going to find a way without letting her know anything about it.
Meilian turns around to put the protective shield around her plants and Jun Zhi watches her, admiring his crush.
Meilian is tossing and turning around in bed, unable to fall asleep. Whenever she closes her eyes and falls asleep, the same dream returns. The same couple is swordfight-dancing in the air and then suddenly people appear and corner the couple. All of their faces are unclear to Meilian, almost foggy. However, this dream was different. The man's face, of the pair, seemed clearer than before, but still foggy.
The next morning, she gets ready to start the new day and the second young lord is at the cottage, waiting for her. He was talking with Mr. Gu and Meilian didn't know that they were talking about her and her condition. They came to the conclusion she might just be like her mother. Soon as they saw her coming, they changed topics.
"Lord Lin," she said to her friend. "What are you doing here so early?"
Jun Zhi looks at her disappointedly. He walks up to her and flicks her forehead. Meilian quickly puts her hand on the stinging area of her forehead and rubs it. The flicked part of her forehead turned pink.
"I've told you before Xiao Lian," he said while he crossed his arms. "Don't address me so formally"
Meilian laughed, she was only joking when she addressed him formally. She was told by him to address him as a friend and not by his title. Meilian enjoyed teasing him to see his reactions every time.
"So?" she waits for him to respond.
"I know you have never left the cottage before," he started. "That's why I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with me to town"
Mr. Gu was shocked. He even felt a little uneasy when Jun Zhi said it. He had given Meilian the excuse that the town is not good for her because bad people lurk around.
Of course, Meilian thought her dad was being over-protective of her so she went along with it. She isn't a child anymore so she was excited that her friend suggested such an idea.
"You can't go," her father said in a stern tone.
Meilian was surprised. Her father never sounded like that. It was as if her father was preventing her from living her life and not allowing her to explore the world. She is upset at her father.
Mr. Gu had his reasons for not allowing his only child to venture into the world. His main reason is her mother. her father hadn't told her she resembles her mother to a tea, but Meilian knows she shares some features with her mother. Her mother is well known in Fuzhou Kingdom and people would recognize her if they still remembered who she was.
Meilian's father feared his daughter would be recognized and trouble would follow. He feared "those" people would see her. Mr. Gu sighs.
"I'll allow you to leave the cottage," he began. "Only if you wear a disguise"
Meilian was too happy that her father let her go that she didn't mind dressing up. She runs up to her father and gives him a hug. Mr. Gu's expression turns from consent to fear as he holds his daughter. He already lost his dear wife and he didn't want to lose his world. He then lets go of Meilian and looks at Jun Zhi.
"Please take care of my dear daughter," he said. "If anything happens to her..."
"Don't worry uncle," Jun Zhi says. "I'll keep her safe"
Jun Zhi promises Meilian's father her safety. Mr. Gu is letting Meilian go with a heavy heart.