Gu Ruizhe carefully examined the blade in her hand, his expression serious. He touched it repeatedly. The thing didn’t seem to be made of iron—instead, it looked like it was made of stone. When he tapped it with his finger, it didn’t produce the crisp sound of a metal blade; instead, it gave off a dull, muted tone.
“What kind of knife is this?” he asked.
“A ceramic knife,” she replied.
“What is it made of?”
“Ceramic.”
“What is its main use?”
They ended up in a rapid question-and-answer exchange. The last question almost made Mu Jianxi spit out blood internally—what is it used for? Isn’t it obvious I’m using it right now?!
She looked at him like he was an idiot and asked back, “What do you think I’m using it for right now?”
He choked on his words, realizing how foolish his question was, and stopped talking. Instead, he quickly focused on cutting the matsutake.
Not long after, the Eldest Princess and the consort also arrived. Seeing that the food was being cooked on a stone slab instead of in a pot, they found it novel and interesting.
Mu Jianxi placed a piece of butter on the hot stone slab. A faint milky aroma spread out as it melted. Using chopsticks, she placed the slices of matsutake onto the slab one by one to grill them. Once both sides turned golden, she sprinkled a little salt and transferred them onto a plate.
They could no longer resist and immediately picked up a piece each with their chopsticks and put it into their mouths. The aroma was rich, carrying a distinct pine fragrance. The texture was somewhat like meat, but even more delicate and refined.
The consort kept praising it. “Delicious—truly delicious! Absolutely delicious!”
On the roof, someone had been watching them the entire time, drawn in by the aroma of the grilled matsutake. He kept swallowing his saliva while observing them eat, planning to sneak down after they finished.
“Whoosh—”
A chopstick shot straight into his hair bun. Startled, he was about to run, but was immediately restrained by two people.
“I am not here to harm you,” he quickly said. “I just came because the smell was too tempting, so I couldn’t help but look from the roof.”
At that moment, Gu Ruizhe had already sensed someone watching from afar. Without hesitation, he grabbed a chopstick and threw it toward the direction of the gaze. The others immediately reacted. Night Feng and Night Yu set down their bowls and used lightness skill to leap up, capturing the man and bringing him down.
Only then did they see he was an elderly man—but there was something faintly sinister about him.
The consort sternly questioned him, “Why were you spying on us from up there?”
The old man calmly introduced himself. “This old man is Zhao Fuhua. I happened to pass by the princess’s residence and smelled a very special aroma. Out of curiosity, I climbed onto the roof to take a look and satisfy my craving.”
Upon hearing his name, the consort immediately showed admiration.
“Zhao Fuhua… you are that legendary ‘dual poison-and-medicine genius’ Zhao Fuhua! Your whereabouts have always been unknown. Countless nobles have spent fortunes trying to find you for treatment, but none succeeded. It is said you only treat those with fate destined—truly admirable, truly admirable!”
Everyone’s gaze turned respectful—except Mu Jianxi.
She even tugged at Gu Ruizhe’s sleeve and asked, “Is this old man really that famous?”
Her voice wasn’t particularly quiet, and Zhao Fuhua heard her clearly. He looked at her in surprise.
“Girl, you’ve never heard of my name?”
She looked at him sincerely and replied, “Should I know? Even if I did, what does it have to do with me? Am I supposed to burn incense for you every day and worship you?”
Zhao Fuhua was instantly choked speechless. It was the first time someone had ever said such a thing to him.
The others’ expressions twitched violently.
The four secret guards lowered their heads, biting their lips, shoulders trembling as they tried not to laugh. They all felt like worshipping Mu Jianxi as a master—her ability to deliver emotionally precise verbal strikes with an innocent expression was unmatched. Even the targets themselves didn’t know how to respond.
The consort quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Since the divine doctor Zhao has come to our residence, we will naturally treat you with hospitality. There is still plenty of matsutake—please join us.”
Zhao Fuhua nodded, glanced deeply at Mu Jianxi, then sat down. Han Yan brought him a clean set of utensils. He did not stand on ceremony and immediately tasted a slice of matsutake. His expression softened into obvious satisfaction—it clearly suited his taste very well.
At sunrise the next morning, Mu Jianxi instinctively lay on her recliner to bask in the morning sun. She had Bao Bao bring her a bag of the beef jerky she made yesterday and chewed slowly, crackling and tearing it apart as a way to pass time.
Someone walked behind her, placed another recliner beside hers, and sat down. Without asking, he reached into her bag, took a piece of jerky, and ate it.
“Has Your Highness finished your work? When are we going back?” she asked.
“Tomorrow,” he replied.
“This thing is good. When we return, give me a bag.”
“No problem.”
Suddenly, a hand snatched the jerky from Gu Ruizhe’s hand. He turned and saw it was Zhao Fuhua. The old man casually reached in, took a piece, and ate it, nodding repeatedly in approval.
He smiled at Mu Jianxi and said, “Girl, from what I hear, you’re leaving tomorrow. How about this—this old man will follow you from now on. If there are difficult illnesses, I’ll treat them for free. As long as I get a share of your food whenever I want, that’s enough.”
“You’re supposed to be elusive—why follow me instead? I can’t afford to support a freeloader,” she teased.
He answered matter-of-factly, “At my age, I can’t run around anymore. Following you means I get good food. Besides, I’m not useless—I can even take a disciple. When you two have a child, I’ll take him as my student and pass on everything I know.”
She immediately shot back, “Which part of me and him looks like we’re a couple? If your eyesight is bad, go get it treated before you embarrass yourself in public.”
Zhao Fuhua’s enthusiasm deflated slightly.
Then she added, “Following me is fine—but you must do whatever I tell you. No laziness, no slacking off.”
“Agreed!”
“And remember to pay rent. I don’t keep people for free.”
Zhao Fuhua happily agreed and left.
Only then did Gu Ruizhe ask, “Why did you agree to let him follow you?”
“I’m about to open a shop. I definitely can’t manage everything alone. I’ll need more people anyway. As for him—he’s a dual poison-and-medicine expert. Who knows, one day he might be useful. A free divine doctor is better than hiring an ordinary one and spending money.”
Hearing this, Gu Ruizhe couldn’t help but look at her in a new light. She might seem carefree and casual, but when serious, she was extremely sharp and calculating—truly not someone to be underestimated.