The old man’s eyes rolled in their sunken sockets as he chuckled. “Of course I know. I live in the town just ahead. This is the middle of nowhere, even without wild beasts, you’ll freeze to death. If you don’t mind, follow me.”
Xu Songhe glanced at Qi Wuyang, her expression hesitant. When he didn’t react, she found herself at a loss. As a transmigrated soul who didn’t know the plot, she was aware of the countless hidden dangers in this place.
She had no way of guessing who to trust and who wanted her dead.
“We would be grateful if you would lead the way,” Qi Wuyang said first.
His voice held a hint of a smile, though his face remained expressionless as he brushed past her.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Xu Songhe called out.
She hesitated for a moment before following. “System,” she whispered, “can you check if he has an aura of danger?”
The System emitted a soft blue glow before replying, [Host, rest assured. He is neither a monster nor a member of the Flowing Cloud Sect.]
Xu Songhe breathed a sigh of relief, immediately followed by a wave of guilt.
The old man was trying to help them, yet she had still suspected him of ulterior motives.
The old man’s name was Yu Baisui. Every few steps, he would turn back with a smile. “I’m the shopkeeper of a pharmacy in town. My surname is Yu, so you can call me Shopkeeper Yu.”
Only after boarding the carriage did Xu Songhe finally stretch her legs, the exhaustion of the journey washing over her.
Earlier, she had tried to decline the ride, thinking it unfair for the old man to ride a horse and tire himself out. But Shopkeeper Yu had simply waved her off, his smile warm and kind.
“How could I let my guests do the work?” he had said. “Just relax and sit. I may look old, but my arms and legs are still strong!”
Still feeling guilty, Xu Songhe smiled and held out the remaining herbs. “Since you said you run a pharmacy, I wondered if you could use these?”
Shopkeeper Yu laughed heartily. “You’re a thoughtful girl, refusing to take advantage of others. Very well, I’ll accept them. You can hold onto them for me.”
The carriage felt stifling, and Xu Songhe fidgeted restlessly. Ever since she had arrived here, she hadn’t known a single day of peace. Only the system’s real-time confirmation that there were no monsters nearby could soothe her anxiety.
Snow fell outside, making it impossible to draw back the curtains. Xu Songhe’s gaze wandered restlessly within the carriage, repeatedly drifting to the young man sitting across from her with his eyes closed.
Did he fall asleep?
She stroked the rabbit in her arms, which had finally stopped trembling, and began to think about how to win him over.
Initially, she had found him incredibly difficult to approach. It felt as if his world revolved entirely around himself, leaving no room for anyone else. But just now…
Why did his favorability increase? The system had at least given her a clue; otherwise, she would have no idea where to start.
“Is there something on my face?”
The young man had opened his eyes at some point, but he remained in the same posture, calmly meeting her gaze.
Xu Songhe jumped slightly. She hadn’t realized she’d been so lost in thought that she had been staring at him for so long.
“No, there’s nothing.”
His favorability went up so much, though. Surely he doesn’t want to kill me now?
Feeling a bit bolder, Xu Songhe asked, “Young Master, why do you believe he isn’t a bad person?”
“A bad person?”
Qi Wuyang straightened his back lazily, then suddenly leaned in closer.
His eyes held a flicker of amusement as he observed her mix of curiosity and fear. “I’m curious—how do you define a ‘bad person’?”
“I almost killed you just now. Does that make me a bad person?”
Xu Songhe’s hand, which had been stroking the rabbit’s fur, paused.
Without thinking, she blurted out, “Of course not! If you really wanted to kill me, you would have just let those demons attack me.”
She meant it. Her life might be worth very little to Qi Wuyang, but he hadn’t yet brought himself to kill her.
Isn’t that how it always goes in novels? she thought. First he’s too lazy to kill her, then he starts treating her specially, and finally…
“Shopkeeper Yu, do you have a passenger in your carriage?”
The sudden sound of a playful laugh made Xu Songhe lift the curtain and poke her head out.
She froze instantly.
The world outside was no longer a white void of snow. The street was clean and dry, lined with houses. Passersby wore smiles on their faces, looking as if they were in a place completely opposite to the harsh winter.
There were no demons, no one chasing them. This place seemed like a paradise.
But why was the snow here so much lighter than outside?
The horse came to a stop. As Xu Songhe looked up, before she could even take in the road ahead, a fresh, herbal scent washed over her.
A wooden sign hung from the roof. A thin layer of dust covered it, but the large characters were still faintly visible: Yu Family Pharmacy.
“We’ve arrived,” Yu Baisui said, walking over with a gentle smile.
The young woman suddenly bent forward in a deep bow, making him cry out in surprise. “Miss! What are you doing?”
“If you hadn’t helped us today,” Xu Songhe said, keeping her head lowered, “I’m afraid I would have fallen prey to those wild beasts and demons.” She reached out and tentatively tugged the sleeve of the man beside her.
Qi Wuyang glanced at her hand with a deadpan expression. After a few moments, as if finally losing patience, he cupped his hand and bowed in the same gesture.
“Shopkeeper Yu truly has a kind heart,” said the man who had spoken earlier.
He clapped his hands and walked over with a grin. “You two should thank him properly. He often takes the carriage out to gather herbs just to see if anyone needs help. Over the years, he’s brought back countess lost souls.”
Yu Baisui just chuckled and waved a hand. “A-Fang, if there’s nothing else, why don’t you take them around? The snow outside is still falling heavily; they won’t be able to leave for a while.”
So that’s how it is…
Xu Songhe felt a wave of emotion wash over her. She watched the old man stoop as he walked into the pharmacy to arrange the herbs.
She thought to herself, In a world where even survival is a struggle for me, I never expected to meet someone so kind and genuine.
“Can you be sure he’s actually a good person?”
The young man trailing behind them finally spoke. Xu Songhe started, then turned to face him.
Meeting her gaze, Qi Wuyang wore an innocent smile, but his words were like a thorn. “You’re so easy to fool. A few kind words are all it takes to touch your heart.”
“Isn’t it normal to be moved by those who help us, or by all the beauty in this world?” Xu Songhe countered instinctively.
She blinked at him, a faint dimple appearing on one cheek. “Young Master, I was also deeply moved when you saved me before, and when you chose to cast aside your suspicions and spare my life.”
She stopped abruptly and skipped a few steps backward, closing the distance until she was right beside him.
Before he could pull away, Xu Songhe stood on tiptoe and whispered softly into his ear, “I know that someone who speaks like you must have gone through a lot. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask. But Young Master, have you heard the saying ‘After the storm, comes the calm’?”
Qi Wuyang frowned slightly and replied curtly, “I don’t know.”
“Back where I come from, people believe in destiny and spiritual laws,” Xu Songhe said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You’ve faced nothing but bad people and bad luck so far, so from now on, you’ll only encounter those who treat you well.”
“Is that so?”
Qi Wuyang’s brow smoothed, and his eyes crinkled in a smile that didn’t reach his gaze. “And when exactly will I meet this person?”
Such a foolish question, he thought.
He should have ignored her, but for some reason, he felt a sudden urge to play along.
“You’ve already met her,” the girl replied, her eyes curving into bright crescents that shimmered with light.
“It’s me. I’m going to treat you well…”
Up ahead, A-Fang had been talking to himself for a long while. When he finally turned back, he realized the two had fallen far behind.
He stopped and asked, “Are you both feeling unwell?”
“Not at all,” Xu Songhe waved her hands quickly, looking embarrassed. “Sorry to trouble you. Thankfully, I’m feeling alright—it would be a real problem if I were actually sick…”
Before she could finish, A-Fang chuckled and waved her off. “What trouble? Our Shopkeeper Yu is all-powerful. There’s no illness he can’t cure. Everyone in this town relies on him to get by.”
“You wouldn’t believe it,” A-Fang said. “Shopkeeper Yu has a secret room where he brews his medicines. He doesn’t let anyone inside—not even me knows where it is.”
Mention of the shopkeeper reminded Xu Songhe of something. “Were the other people he brought back also lost in the snow like we were?”
“Pretty much,” A-Fang replied. “When it snows, everything looks the same. It’s easy to lose your way.”
“Then how did they leave?” Xu Songhe asked, her voice tinged with unease. “Don’t tell me we have to wait for the snow to stop before we can go.”
Winter had only just begun. Who knew how long this snow would last? Even if it stopped for a while, the roads would still be impassable. It felt wrong to stay here and keep troubling others…
“Leave?” A-Fang’s eyes widened.
He shook his head. “That’s exactly what I thought when the Shopkeeper first brought me here. But he took pity on me and offered to let me stay. Now, I just do a few odd jobs to earn my keep. Best of all, I don’t have to worry about getting sick with nowhere to go for treatment.”
He smiled. “I figured this place is so wonderful, why would I ever want to leave? Trust me, once you’ve been here a while, you’ll fall in love with it too.”
“So, you were also brought back by Shopkeeper Yu?” Xu Songhe asked.
As she spoke, she noticed the silent young man trailing behind and paused from time to time to wait for him.
A-Fang nodded, a proud smile on his face. “This is my third year living here with the Shopkeeper. I’ve kept count—at least a dozen others have been brought back just like I was.”
“And none of them ever left?”
“Nope. They all wanted to leave at first,” A-Fang explained. “The Shopkeeper didn’t even try to stop them. But then they fell ill. After he cured them, they were so grateful they decided to stay.”
Xu Songhe wanted to ask what kind of illness it was, but she realized she was prying too much.
She quickly fell silent, offering him a polite smile. “We’ve troubled you and the Shopkeeper enough today. It’s getting late—you should head back. My friend and I will just walk around a bit.”
A-Fang’s eyes twinkled. He pictured the way the two had been walking so close together when he’d called out to them earlier.
A mischievous grin spread across his face. “Friend? If you ask me, he looks more like your husband!”