The conversation should have ended there.
A basket had been returned.
Thanks had been exchanged.
There was no reason for two strangers to continue standing beside the stream.
Yet neither left immediately.
The Little Fairy Doctor adjusted the strap of her basket and glanced toward the sun.
“It’ll be dark in a few hours.”
Xiao Feng followed her gaze.
“So it will.”
“You should avoid going deeper today.”
Her tone wasn’t commanding.
It sounded more like habit.
“The western paths become dangerous after sunset.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She gave a small nod.
Whether he listened or not was his decision.
She had said what needed to be said.
Turning around, she started walking along a narrow trail that disappeared between the trees.
Within moments, only the sound of her footsteps remained.
Then even that faded.
Xiao Feng stood where he was for another minute.
“…Western paths.”
He unfolded Xiao Zhan’s old map.
The trail she had taken wasn’t marked.
Neither were most of the smaller routes.
Maps could only show so much.
People who lived here carried an entirely different kind of knowledge.
He folded the map again.
“I suppose listening isn’t a bad idea.”
Instead of heading west, he chose another direction.
The afternoon passed quietly.
He gathered several medicinal herbs he recognized from the memories of his previous life.
Others were unfamiliar.
Those, he left untouched.
Guessing was a poor habit when poisonous plants existed.
Near sunset, Xiao Feng heard movement ahead.
Not beasts.
Voices.
Three mercenaries pushed through the undergrowth carrying a stretcher.
A fourth walked behind them.
His left arm hung limply at his side.
Judging by the blood soaking through the cloth…
The injury wasn’t fresh.
One of the men noticed Xiao Feng.
“You.”
“Have you seen a healer around here?”
“The Little Fairy Doctor?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Feng pointed toward the eastern ridge.
“I crossed paths with her earlier today.”
Relief immediately appeared on the man’s face.
“We’re not too late.”
Without another word, the group hurried away.
Xiao Feng watched them disappear.
“So that’s her life.”
Not fame.
Not wealth.
People searched for her because they needed her.
By the time darkness settled over the forest, Xiao Feng had found another place to spend the night.
A massive tree had fallen years ago, leaving a natural shelter beneath its roots.
It wasn’t comfortable.
But it was dry.
That was enough.
A small fire crackled quietly.
Xiao Feng sat cross-legged beside it.
Instead of cultivating immediately, he opened one of the books he had copied from the system’s inheritances.
Specifically…
A section discussing spiritual herbs.
The Dou Qi Continent contained countless treasures.
Knowing which ones mattered was often more valuable than possessing strength.
Hours passed unnoticed.
Meanwhile…
Several kilometers away…
The Little Fairy Doctor finally returned to her cabin.
The injured mercenary now slept peacefully on a wooden bed.
His breathing had stabilized.
She washed the remaining blood from her hands before sitting outside beneath the night sky.
Only then did she remember the young traveler.
“…Xiao Feng.”
An ordinary name.
An ordinary appearance.
Yet something felt unusual.
Most people she met carried obvious desires.
Some wanted medicine.
Some wanted money.
Others simply wanted to impress her.
Xiao Feng…
Had wanted nothing.
He returned the basket.
Accepted thanks.
Then quietly continued on his way.
She found herself smiling.
“What a strange person.”
Inside the black ring…
Yao Lao slowly closed his eyes.
“A healer…”
“A traveler…”
“Neither knows much about the other.”
He chuckled softly.
“That’s probably for the best.”
Trust built in a single day rarely lasted.
Trust built over time…
Was much harder to break.
Back beneath the fallen tree…
Xiao Feng finally closed his book.
The fire had nearly burned out.
Before resting, he opened the diary.
Diary Entry #9
Today I learned something simple.
Knowledge has many forms.
Books contain one kind.
Experience contains another.
Neither replaces the other.
I also met the Little Fairy Doctor properly.
She’s different from what many rumors suggest.
People usually describe someone’s skill first.
“The best healer.”
“The famous doctor.”
No one mentioned that she listens carefully before speaking.
Or that she treats strangers with the same patience as old friends.
Sometimes reputation only tells half the story.
The mountains are interesting.
Everyone here depends on someone else.
Mercenaries protect herb gatherers.
Herb gatherers save injured mercenaries.
Even magical beasts shape where certain herbs grow.
Nothing exists completely alone.
Perhaps people aren’t so different.
The diary closed.
A moment later…
[Diary Entry Completed.]
Reward Granted.
Heart Observation Art
A passive spiritual technique.
It did not read minds.
Instead, it sharpened Xiao Feng’s perception of subtle changes in expression, breathing, and intent, making it easier to judge sincerity without relying on words alone.
Xiao Feng laughed quietly.
“The system really likes giving me practical techniques.”
He certainly wasn’t complaining.
Far away…
The Little Fairy Doctor finished reading the new entry.
She stared at the final lines for a long time.
Nobody had ever described her that way before.
Not as a famous healer.
Not as a miracle doctor.
Simply…
Someone who listened.
For reasons she couldn’t explain, that small observation stayed with her much longer than grand praise ever would.