Upon returning from Dieling Pass, Li Wuya immediately shared the footwork Ye Mo taught her with her siblings Li Sanlang, Li Erya, and Li Qilang, and they all began practising.
A month later, at the foot of the Tian Shan Mountains, Li Wuya moved like a graceful dragonfly, her feet lightly touching the leaves as she swiftly disappeared into the lush woods of the mountains.
Previously, it took her almost half an hour to venture deep into the Tian Shan Mountains, but now, in about ten minutes, she could traverse two or three mountain passes.
"Indeed, no matter what you learn, having a mentor is crucial."
Although many things could be self-taught, stumbling alone, even for the brightest minds, could be wasteful and even lead to dead ends. With a mentor, these issues could be avoided.
Thinking about delivering the constitution-enhancing elixir to Li Changsen the next day, Li Wuya didn't linger in the mountains. She gathered the necessary herbs, absorbed some medicinal plants, caught a couple of wild chickens, and then headed out of the mountains.
Back at Tianling Camp, instead of going straight home, Li Wuya took a detour to Ye Mo's place.
Ye Mo's residence was remote and rarely visited by others, which was convenient for Li Wuya and her siblings. Whenever they caught a game, they would process it here instead of bringing it back to their own home.
After cleaning one of the wild chickens, Li Wuya added some Qi-enhancing herbs and stewed a medicinal broth.
With the broth ready, Li Wuya returned home to call Li Erya and Li Qilang. However, upon arriving home, she couldn't find them.
"It's almost dinner time. Why haven't they returned?"
After searching around, Li Wuya finally spotted the two siblings practising their martial arts outside the military camp.
Perhaps feeling spurred by her rapid progress, Li Erya and Li Qilang were putting immense effort into their training now.
"Five sisters, just wait, I'll definitely catch up to you." Li Qilang, upon seeing Li Wuya, immediately made a bold declaration.
Li Wuya smiled, "Sure thing, I'll be waiting for you to surpass me."
Her rapid progress wasn't due to exceptional talent; rather, as her healing ability improved, her body became more robust, making her martial arts training much more effective.
She corrected a few mistakes in Li Erya's and Li Qilang's techniques, practised with them for a while, and only when the sun had set did the three siblings head to Ye Mo's residence.
Setting aside a portion for Jin Yue'e, they divided the remaining chicken soup and meat among themselves.
"I wish we could live separately from Grandpa and Grandma, so we wouldn't have to sneak around to eat meat." Li Qilang, satisfied, sipped the chicken soup and talked about his aspirations for the future.
"Today, Grandma scolded me again. Second sister, fifth sister, do you think if Dad gets promoted, we'll become powerful and be able to live separately from Grandpa and Grandma?"
Li Erya, considering their family's blood-sucking trait and military household registration, found it quite challenging to break away from them.
"Let's eat quickly, go home, and sleep. We still have to visit Dad tomorrow."
When they last visited Dieling Pass, Li Wuya had made a promise to Li Changsen that they would come to see him every 15th day of the month.
On the 15th day of May, early in the morning while it was still dark, Li Erya led Li Wuya and Li Qilang out of the house, heading straight for Ye Mo's place.
As the sky grew lighter, Li Wuya prepared the constitution-enhancing elixir, while Li Erya finished cooking the leftover wild chicken and the previously set aside wild rabbit.
Once everything was packed, the three of them set off toward Dieling Pass.
Along the way, Li Wuya alternated between speeding up and slowing down, leading Li Erya and Li Qilang in a continuous chase.
"Sister, Qilang, you need to work harder!" Watching Li Wuya leave them in the dust once again, Li Erya and Li Qilang wore determined expressions, clenching their teeth as they chased after her.
In this manner, the three siblings raced, with Li Wuya always a step ahead, until they reached Dieling Pass in about half an hour.
"Dad!"
Li Changsen, seeing his children, was pleasantly surprised. "You really came!"
Li Qilang puffed out his chest, "Of course, we keep our promises."
Soon, Li Changsen led the three children into the shed.
"Why did you bring so much meat again?" A stewed chicken and two roasted rabbits.
Li Erya laughed, "Dad, we have plenty of meat at home now." With the improvement in their lightness skills, they could now catch wild rabbits as well.
Li Changsen looked at his three children with a contented expression. He was truly fortunate; now he could enjoy his children's company.
Li Wuya, with a beaming smile, walked behind Li Changsen and without hesitation, started massaging him. "Dad, you should drink the medicinal broth first."
Having experienced the benefits of the medicinal broth, Li Changsen didn't say anything. He tilted his head back and drank down most of it.
"Burp"
He drank too quickly, and Li Changsen let out a burp, chuckling, "The water pouch is too large. I'll drink half now and have the rest later."
Li Wuya chimed in, "Drinking half at once is enough. Dad, I'll save the rest for the master."
Li Changsen raised an eyebrow, "Master?". Then he nodded, "Ye Mo? Alright, that makes sense. Give him a roasted rabbit too."
Li Wuya smiled and was about to say something when they heard a horn sound from the town.
Li Changsen immediately stood up upon hearing it, "The North Yan people are provoking again. I need to return to camp." He instructed his children to go home quickly and then hurriedly left with his bag and water pouch.
Li Wuya and her siblings were somewhat worried. They waited outside the town for a while but saw that everything was still orderly inside. Thinking that there shouldn't be a major issue, they finally turned to leave.
Outside the pass, there was another provocation by the North Yan, but fortunately, it was just a minor clash. After confronting the North Yan soldiers for over an hour, the vanguard troops returned to the town.
Li Changsen, thinking about the meat his children brought, hastened to his barracks. When he was about to reach the door, he spotted Ye Mo.
Upon seeing Ye Mo, Li Changsen felt a bit uncomfortable.
In theory, this person was their children's master and deserved respect.
However, Ye Mo had requested that their children not reveal any connection between them.
This left Li Changsen unsure about how to interact with him.
Without exchanging pleasantries, Ye Mo got straight to the point, "Did Li Wuya and the others come to see you today?"
Li Changsen nodded, "Yes, do you have something to tell them?"
Ye Mo fell silent for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to say, "Last time, Li Wuya gave me a type of medicinal broth. Did she bring it for you this time?"
Seeing that Ye Mo had come for the medicinal broth, Li Changsen felt relieved, "Yes, she did. Wait a moment, I'll fetch it for you."
As Li Changsen quickly departed to retrieve the items, Ye Mo's deeply furrowed brow seemed to relax slightly.
He hadn't expected that the broth Li Wuya gave him last time would actually be effective. The water pouch was left with Zhao Jing, and he ended up drinking the medicinal broth inside.
Since then, Zhao Jing's spirit had improved day by day.
Meanwhile, Li Changsen returned to his barracks, took the water pouch, and opened the bag. As he prepared to give Ye Mo a roasted rabbit, he noticed a few packages of powder labelled "Hemostatic Powder". He also took out two packages.
Seeing the extra roasted rabbit and hemostatic powder, Ye Mo was surprised.
"Take these, it's the children's gesture of goodwill."
After handing the items to Ye Mo, Li Changsen turned to leave. After a few steps, he stopped again, "In the future, on the 15th day of each month, the kids will come. Remember to find me."
Ye Mo stood there in silence for a moment, then directly headed to the infirmary.
Inside the ward, although Zhao Jing still appeared pale, his eyes were bright and lively. It was evident that he was in good spirits.
"Quick, drink the medicine."
Zhao Jing didn't mince words and immediately picked up the water pouch, drinking down every drop of the pungent and strange-tasting medicine without hesitation.
After finishing, he even used the remaining water to rinse it out, ensuring no drop was wasted.
"What kind of medicine is this?"
Having consumed the medicine, Zhao Jing looked at Ye Mo.
Shaking his head, Ye Mo replied, "I don't know."
Zhao Jing didn't press for more information, chuckling, "Are we experiencing an unexpected turn of fortune?"
Having been exiled to the border for years, his body had deteriorated significantly. After the last injury, he had prepared for the worst, yet surprisingly, he had received such a pleasant surprise.
Ye Mo looked at the packet of medicine in his hand and remained silent. Written on the packet in charcoal were three crooked characters — Hemostatic Powder.
After a moment of consideration, Ye Mo rolled up his pants and applied the Hemostatic Powder onto the still oozing wound.
Contrary to his expectations, there was no searing pain; instead, a cool and comfortable sensation spread over the wound.
That evening, Ye Mo noticed that the bleeding had stopped from the wound, and there was a faint itch, indicating that it was starting to scab.
Ye Mo's eyes glinted, and he tightly clenched the packet of Hemostatic Powder in his waistband.
Judging by the efficacy, this was an exceptionally rare and excellent hemostatic medicine! Where did that little girl manage to get it?
Lying on the bed, Ye Mo sighed in amazement. He hadn't expected that an apprentice he took in casually would bring him so many unexpected surprises!
From that point on for the next year, Li Erya would bring Li Wuya and Li Qilang to Dieling Pass every month.
Relying on the medicinal broth, hemostatic powder, and later the Golden Wound Medicine they sent, not only did Li Changsen continue to live well, but Ye Mo and Zhao Jing, who were in dire straits, also managed to persevere.