Zhihao was distracted by his surroundings, noticing the woman sitting on the bench. Her face was downcast, as she slept with a book still open on her thighs. The black-haired man smiled widely, stood up from his seat, and approached her.
He leaned over and stroked her shoulder with tenderness. "Sister, wake up!" he whispered. "You'll catch a cold if you remain here."
The crimson strands of hair cascaded, concealing her face, and she stretched her hands upward. Meisha's brown eyes blinked several times until they adjusted to the sight before her.
"Zhihao?" she murmured, still uncertain. "Is that you?"
"I have done it, sister!" Zhihao exclaimed, he looked excited. "I have cultivated!"
Meisha, still sleepy, widened her eyes. "You did?" Her lips parted slightly as she placed the book beside her and hugged her brother. "Of course, you can do it. I never doubted it."
Zhihao felt warmth on this cold night. Fortunately, there was no rain. It wasn't about him getting soaked; he didn't even care since he couldn't feel external senses. Instead, it was Meisha he was concerned about.
"So, do you sense some strength within you?" Meisha, with her friendly demeanor, untied them.
The man observed his hand and clenched it many times. "I'm not sure," he muttered, shrugging. "But I do feel refreshed after that."
He then turned forward, face to face with his sister. "Like I was born again," he continued, making Meisha sit back down.
"True, most of all feel this sensation after being awakened," she then reached for the dish beside her, offering it to Zhihao. "Here, eat it. You must be famished."
"A dumpling?" he took the two remaining dishes. "You don't have to bother making me food, sister."
As Zhihao sat down next to Meisha, she responded, "Who said it was for you?" a sentence that left the man dumbfounded. "I made it for Xinran and Jia who were here hours ago."
Stunned in the spot, Zhihao's face was flat and a look of disappointment etched his face. "No wonder this food is already cold and there are only two left," he mumbled and began to eat it.
"You know how to make one, right?" Meisha savored the food, holding back to wait for her brother to come to his senses.
Meanwhile, Zhihao didn't mind at all. He knew Meisha was occupied with her concoctions, and thanks to her, he could meditate with Xinran when there were many orders coming in.
"Xinran was waiting for you here until I told her to come in," she opened her voice in the middle of the silence. "She still has to go to school, doesn't she?"
Zhihao looks down and feels remorseful. "Did I take too long in meditation?"
"Not quite," Meisha replied and finished the meal. "You must have experienced some wild vision, right?"
"Yeah," he hesitated, "I saw it."
She leaned toward her brother, curious. "Care to share it with me?"
"Well, it's a weird one, to be honest," Zhihao averted his face forward, toward the garden decorated with herbs and some ingredients. "I was at the graveyard and I found..."
Meisha furrowed her brows, astonished that the man stopped, not finishing his sentence. "Found what?"
However, Zhihao was silent. His mind seemed to be searching for something but could not find anything. "I... I forgot."
The night was replaced by bright sunlight, with no sign of rain. Meisha as usual was engaged in her concoction and serving customers, Jia was cooking in the kitchen, while Zhihao was cleaning the floor with a broom.
"Zhihao, come here for a moment!" Meisha's voice called from inside the shop, interrupting his chores.
Setting down the broom, the man, now with his hair tied up in a neat bun, entered the open room. Inside, he found the red-haired woman arranging elixirs inside cardboard. Three organized boxes were set before her.
Zhihao, who had guessed it, exclaimed, "Great! Another shipment!"
"Aren't you excited about it?" she closed the box and tied it with rope. "Your condition has improved, hasn't it? It's light; you won't have any troubles."
Zhihao sighed, although it was true he was a lot better now, the ache in his stomach still had not disappeared. "To where?"
"Jinsao school," she then comes back to the ingredients in the mortar. "To sister Ryusa."
"Ah, that woman," Zhihao approached, picking up three stacked containers that were indeed less heavy than before. "How much are these?"
"Twenty-five bronze," Meisha who looked distracted, made a gesture to move. "Off now, don't waste a time!"
Not forgetting to bid farewell to Jia, Zhihao made his way to the school where Xinran was studying. Several passersby noticed him, inquiring about his health. The news spread to Meisha's neighbors, who scattered in various directions, leaving Zhihao feeling uncomfortable.
Until those two feet had arrived in front of the school entrance, allowed by the master there, and led to the Ryusa work lair. Under the scorching sun, Jinsao's students crowded the front yard, the road, and even some of the wooden houses, once again making Zhihao the center of attention.
"Is this all of them?" Ryusa, the braided brunette was checking the entire contents of the box.
"Yes, all there," with sociable behavior, Zhihao mustered a smile.
"Good, looks excellent," the woman lifted the elixir, taking a detailed look at the bluish liquid. "Your sister sure is a talented alchemist."
"And it becomes apparent that she wants you to follow her trail," she stepped from her table, placing the mixtures somewhere. "How are you, lad? I've come to your house but you were still senseless."
"Oh? I'm... I'm so much better right now," he stammered, new to this information since Meisha hadn't told him at all. "And thank you for the visit."
"The world around us is cruel, isn't it?" she, still stumbling with organizing the ingredients, responded. "As an alchemist out there, you'll be a prime target for their barbaric actions."
"For that, you have to arm yourself," Ryusa turned out to be looking for something there, holding a small bottle, so small that it was the size between her thumb and index finger that was wide open. "This is for you."
Zhihao was stunned and assumed, "Is this..."
"It's unfortunate that Meisha didn't want to teach you how to make poisons," she stood right in front of Zhihao, handing him the lethal concoction. "She is like me, a poison maker."
"I do understand her feelings," with a slight smile, those orange eyes linked with Zhihao's. "But if you want to know about that aspect, I could teach you."