Zhiyan was lost in thought, suddenly aware that a gaze had fixed on her. She looked up to find that Ouyang Peng had woken up at some point and was staring intently at her, with a relaxed smile playing on his warm, handsome features.
"Yanyan, what's making you so happy?" Ouyang Peng pulled Zhiyan closer into his embrace and playfully stroked her delicate nose with his forefinger.
"I'm thinking about delicious food!" Zhiyan stuck out her tongue, flashing a mischievous smile. Indeed, she was thinking about tasty things—ginseng, snow lotus, lingzhi… any of those would be wonderful.
"Let's hear it then; maybe Daddy can satisfy your wish!" Ouyang Peng's interest was fully piqued. The little girl seemed weak but was actually quite stubborn. Whatever caught her fancy must be extraordinary.
"Ahem, Zhiyan was thinking of preparing some delicious food to nourish Daddy's health!" Zhiyan's voice suddenly dropped. Ouyang Peng's health indeed needed attention. The medicine prepared last time was a temporary solution, not a remedy. A true cure would require further observation over time.
"Haha, with Yanyan's words, Daddy is happier than if he ate anything else. As long as Yanyan is fine, everything is fine for Daddy!" Ouyang Peng laughed heartily. They say daughters are their parents' little cotton-padded jackets, and it truly is so.
"Daddy, don't you want to ask me some questions?" After hesitating for a moment, Ouyang Zhiyan finally gathered her courage to speak.
Ouyang Peng treated her well, but she didn't know where his boundaries lay. All this time, he had cared for her as a loving father. If he discovered she was not the original Ouyang Zhiyan, would he still treat her the same?
"For example?" Ouyang Peng raised an eyebrow. This little girl's mood was like changing weather, her expressions shifting faster than flipping through a book. What was bothering her so much?
"Daddy got sick, and Yanyan saved you. Aren't you the least bit suspicious?" Zhiyan blinked her big eyes, her watery pupils clear and brimming, leaving nothing hidden, looking up at the man above her with utmost seriousness. She wasn't foolish but rather clever; she knew that once some matters were exposed, there was no going back to how things were before. Yet, sometimes she cared a lot about the truth.
"Yanyan being good to Daddy is all that matters. The rest is not important. Remember, no matter what happens, Daddy will always stand by your side!" Ouyang Peng smiled softly, gently stroking Zhiyan's little head to comfort her.
"No, Yanyan wants to tell Daddy; I learned all of these things from a mysterious person. He said that medical skills could heal people and save lives, and that one could gain respect even without spiritual power!" Zhiyan looked at Ouyang Peng half seriously, half playfully as she spoke.
Medical skills could save lives, and the so-called mysterious person was just the soul body that had taken over her body. The former Ouyang Zhiyan had no spiritual power and was famously known within the Ouyang Family as a cultivation idiot, often facing discrimination and ridicule for it. Furthermore, with her status as an illegitimate child, her standing in the family was more lowly than that of a servant. Thus, this explanation seemed reasonable.
After listening to Zhiyan's words, Ouyang Peng felt a pang in his heart, as if something was stuck in his throat, making him uncomfortable, "Someday, introduce Daddy properly to that expert..."
"Alright!" Ouyang Zhiyan nodded obediently and then got dressed and out of bed with the help of Ouyang Peng.
Lunch was sumptuous, including not only rich meats and fish but also Zhiyan's favorite bamboo shoots and osmanthus cakes, although it was still far from what she had requested.
Ouyang Jin didn't glance at Zhiyan from the beginning to the end, sitting at the table like a block of ice, absorbed in his own meal.
"Daddy, Yanyan wants Brother Jin to accompany me to the medicine room!" Zhiyan swung her little legs, coquettishly pleading with child-like innocence.
"What are you up to now!" Ouyang Jin paused in his meal, narrowed his eyes, and asked dangerously.
"Yanyan just wants to find some medicine to help daddy strengthen his body!" Blinking her eyes, she fearlessly met someone's gaze.
"You really think too highly of yourself, what do you need to replenish, and how to replenish it, we don't need your meddling!" Ouyang Jin sneered, burying his head back into his meal, to him the incident last time was nothing but a fluke for a nine-year-old child.
"Our Yanyan received the teachings of a master, she indeed has some skills, you mustn't underestimate her in the future, go with her later!" Ouyang Peng waved his hand decisively, making the decision and not giving Ouyang Jin a chance to retort, the certain lady succeeded in her scheme, her face rippling with a triumphant smile.
"This one, this one, and this one, pack them all up for me!"
"Hmm, go over there, go over there, brother hurry up!"
"Ha, these are nice, pick some of the bigger ones!"
After a round, Zhiyan was quite pleased with her substantial harvest of herbs, which piled up like a small mountain, while Ouyang Jin kept a cold face, letting her command him around like an emotionless machine.
"Brother, smiling more is good for your health, if you keep your face stiff every day, be careful of muscle necrosis, you might end up with facial paralysis!" Ouyang Zhiyan reminded him with concern, her innocent big eyes wide open. The man's expression subtly changed, the dark pupils flickering with two flames, but the next second, his thin lips slightly curled, revealing an amused smile.
"Don't try to provoke me; you can't afford the consequences!" Ouyang Jin said right beside Zhiyan's ear, his voice icy, each word dripping with irony, as if he saw her small tricks as nothing more than a little dog that couldn't win its master's favor.
Zhiyan shivered, and her previous smugness swiftly retreated, seeing the full cold indifference in his eyes, she came to realize her ignorance!
To stand amongst the many Ouyang scions as a young master of the Ouyang Family, and to successfully catch Ouyang Feng's attention, he surely wasn't a simple character. It was a pity that she had always treated him as a child until this moment when she truly grasped the danger he posed.
"Yanyan just wanted to interact more with brother Jin, but since brother doesn't like it, I won't bother you in the future!" Ouyang Zhiyan hung her head low, and with a feeling of loss, she walked out. Being in another world, she didn't have the privilege to be wilful, apart from Ouyang Peng, everyone else could be a reason for her demise, hence she couldn't afford to provoke them for the time being.
Ouyang Jin watched her retreating figure, feeling a complex mixture of emotions. He had expected her to argue, but had not anticipated such an ending. Was there another trick up her sleeve?
Back in the Southern Gardens, Zhiyan dashed straight for the flowers and lazily lay on the ground, letting the sunlight spill on her face, the Yang Energy inside her body circulated on its own, quietly absorbing the energy around her, her thoughts still lingering on the medicinal materials.
Though the Ouyang Residence had plenty of medicinal herbs, they were not very precious; most were common and easy to find. To obtain more potent materials, she would have to venture out.
"Although you can't perform alchemy, you can still prepare medicine. Here is the method for concocting Primordial Essence Liquid, its effects will absolutely surpass your expectations!" Just as Zhiyan felt discontent and irritable, old Fei's voice suddenly floated in, and a long list of medicinal names appeared in her mind.
Primordial Essence Liquid, a foundational medicinal liquid for strengthening and cultivating the essence, its effectiveness only second to Vitality Nourishing Pill, is one of the basic medicinals for replenishing the body.
"What's the difference between this and alchemy?" Zhiyan asked curiously while sorting out the information about medicine preparation in her mind.
"Essentially, alchemy and medicine preparation are the same, but alchemy is more demanding, requiring attention to various factors. Medicine preparation only needs knowledge of herbs and control of fire. With your current Cultivation Base, it would be just manageable!"