“Boss!”
Tang Zhiwu shouted as she arrived, directly pushing aside the rubber curtain at the entrance and stepping inside.
As soon as she entered, a strong herbal scent of traditional Chinese medicine washed over her.
She glanced sideways toward the small stove in the corner, which was continuously emitting steam.
The stove’s flames flickered, and it kept puffing out streams of white mist.
Standing beside the stove was an elderly man with graying hair and beard, wearing a pair of glasses fogged up by the steam, which obscured his vision.
Seeing his startled expression, Tang Zhiwu realized she had given the old man quite a fright.
She rubbed the tip of her nose and chuckled sheepishly, lowering her voice. “Boss, I’m here to get some herbs…”
The boss took a moment to recover, then let out a “heh” and scolded her with a smile. “You little girl, your voice sure carries.”
Putting down the fan in his hand, he slowly walked toward the dark counter near the shop entrance. “What’s bothering you?”
He casually pulled open a drawer, took out a cushion, and waited for Tang Zhiwu to extend her wrist so he could check her pulse.
“It’s not me! It’s my alpaca.” Tang Zhiwu gestured wildly in the air, opened her phone, and handed it to the old man, pointing at the words on the screen. “Can these herbs be used to ward off the cold for pets?”
The old man squinted, adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, glanced at the screen, then set the phone down and stood up to walk toward the back.
Tang Zhiwu’s heart sank, her expression one of shock. “Alpacas can’t eat these?”
Hearing this, the old man didn’t turn around but raised a hand behind him. “The prescription is fine. I’ll go get the herbs for you.”
As he spoke, Tang Zhiwu watched the old man shake his nearly bald head and mutter softly, “Well, I’ve seen it all. In my lifetime, I’ve treated dogs, cats, and cows, but now I’m adding alpacas to the list.”
Tang Zhiwu breathed a sigh of relief. Inside the shop, she was shielded from the cold outside and relaxed beside the bubbling medicinal broth.
She swore to herself that she would never shave the pampered Tie Jun again.
Before long, intermittent sounds came from behind the counter. As Tang Zhiwu glanced over, the old man slowly walked over, holding a package wrapped in yellow Yunlong paper.
He placed the herbs on the counter and pointed to the QR code pasted at the corner of the table. “Fifty yuan. Scan here to pay.”
Tang Zhiwu moved quickly, walking over from the stove in a few steps.
Only when the payment confirmation sound rang out did she cautiously and anxiously ask again, “It’s safe for alpacas to eat, right?”
The old man looked up and glanced at her. “It’s all for clearing heat and warding off the cold. It’s safe to eat.”
The girl, who had been standing there dumbly, grinned foolishly upon hearing this. After hurriedly thanking him a few times, she rushed back out into the cold outside.
The moment the rubber curtain fell completely, the old man, watching the girl’s retreating figure, froze.
An expression of disbelief spread across his wrinkled face.
His hunched back straightened slightly in that instant. He stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and stared at Tang Zhiwu’s receding figure.
Even after Tang Zhiwu had completely disappeared from his sight, the old man remained transfixed, staring at the spot where she had vanished.
“Gurgle, gurgle!”
The sound of the medicinal soup boiling over, causing the lid to rattle from the steam, pulled his thoughts back.
After turning around, he couldn’t help but glance back once more.
“Why would the temporal energy fluctuations suddenly appear…”
Shaking his head, the old man lifted the clay lid from the small stove. After smelling the strong aroma of the medicine, he closed his eyes, his tone tinged with a sense of resignation.
“Never mind, let nature take its course.”
Upon arriving home, Tang Zhiwu’s first task was to turn the air conditioning up several degrees higher.
She patted Tie Jun’s drooping head before carrying the bag into the kitchen.
Filling a large basin with water, she poured the medicinal herbs into it. Watching the flames flicker, Tang Zhiwu leaned against the kitchen counter to catch her breath.
Taking out her phone, she finally replied to Number Brother.
Tie Jun Sister: “I just went to the traditional Chinese medicine shop to get some herbs. They’re simmering in the pot now, but I’m not sure if they’ll help Tie Jun.”
The other person seemed to have been waiting for her reply, responding almost instantly.
123456: “No need to worry. Life and death each have their own fate.”
When Tang Zhiwu saw this cold line of text, the corner of her mouth twitched. After a moment of speechlessness, she couldn’t help but type a reply.
Tie Jun Sister: “Your way of comforting people is quite unique…”
Xu Ge, who was practicing martial arts in the front courtyard of Frost Chill Pavilion, immediately set down his Severed String Blade upon hearing the jade pendant vibrate.
Yes, in order to reply to Tang Zhiwu’s messages promptly, he had ordered Ashu early in the morning to bring a table into the courtyard, complete with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
He claimed it was to explore this unknown dynasty, not for any other reason.
Xu Ge naturally picked up the paper attached to the jade pendant. Seeing the words on it, he wrote down those nine characters without a second thought and placed it back.
When the jade pendant lit up again, he unfolded the paper and studied Tang Zhiwu’s message. After analyzing its meaning for a while, Xu Ge naturally took these words as a compliment.
He immediately picked up his brush and wrote the two characters “Thank you,” placing them on the jade pendant.
Hearing the notification sound, Tang Zhiwu paused her gaze on the screen, then frowned in disdain. “Typical straight guy.”
With that, she lost the desire to continue the conversation. Turning off her phone, she casually placed it on the kitchen cabinet and went out to check on Tie Jun.
Meanwhile, Xu Ge, standing in the courtyard, remained waiting in place, his gaze fixed on the jade pendant.
After waiting for a while, it wasn’t until Ashu approached that he realized the other party wouldn’t reply.
His sword-like brows furrowed, and his narrow eyes quickly glazed over with a layer of ice.
Ashu, who had thought Xu Ge was in a good mood today, was frightened by his sudden displeasure and dared not approach further.
“What is it?”
Knowing Ashu wouldn’t disturb him without reason, Xu Ge tucked the jade pendant from the table into his robe before leisurely asking.
Ashu bowed, lowering his gaze before Xu Ge. “My lord, Prince Chen has arrived.”
Xu Ge turned his head, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “What is he here for?”
Ashu then looked up, his expression serious. “Yesterday, Prince Jing privately requested permission from His Majesty to visit Huicheng.”
With just that one sentence, Xu Ge understood everything.
Huicheng was the hometown of Wei Zichen’s mother, Imperial Consort Shi. Over the years, the Shi family had taken deep root there, becoming the most powerful local force.
Wei Zichen and Wei Zijing had been locked in rivalry for years. Now that Wei Zijing was secretly patrolling Huicheng, it was likely he had uncovered something unsavory about Wei Zichen.