The carriage took a very long way before finally reaching the mountain behind the bamboo grove that Li Xiangyi had mentioned. The bamboo gradually grew thicker, and the carriage could go no further.
Before Yun Qingyue could say anything, Li Xiangyi lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out with fluid, effortless movements. Yun Qingyue asked him in astonishment, "Are all you martial artists this amazing? Don't you feel any pain? What if your wounds open up?"
Li Xiangyi smiled and explained, "Miss Yun's medicine is very effective. The wounds have basically scabbed over by now!"
Looking at the handsome smile before her, Yun Qingyue inexplicably read the hidden meaning: *Don't worry, I'll keep your secret.* She scratched her head without answering and changed the subject: "Um, I don't know how to unhitch the carriage. Come help me unhitch the horses, I need to put the carriage away!"
With that, she stood beside the carriage without daring to raise her head, waiting for Li Xiangyi to act!
Leading a horse each, Li Xiangyi took the lead, and the two walked for the time it takes to steep a cup of tea before turning the corner of the mountain. Sure enough, not far away was a narrow river, and on the opposite bank lay a half-concealed, semi-open-air canyon.
The two finally reached the canyon, which was sheltered beneath an overhanging mountain cliff about five stories high—completely adequate for their needs!
After surveying the terrain, Yun Qingyue told Li Xiangyi to step back. With a flick of her small hand, she retrieved her super luxurious, palace-like three-story RV from her System Backpack and placed it right beneath the cliff.
At this sight, even the usually calm and unflappable Li Xiangyi was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at this strange, colossal object that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, raised a trembling hand, and pointed at the thing before him as he asked, "What... what... what... what is this?"
Yun Qingyue lifted her chin proudly and introduced it with delight, "This is a custom-made RV I ordered, and it cost me a fortune! Come inside quickly, and I'll show you around. We're going to be living here from now on!"
Li Xiangyi lifted his foot and cautiously followed behind Yun Qingyue, looking at this object that completely defied his understanding!
"Look, on the ground floor here, the left side has the parlor, the kitchen, the storage room, and the bathroom, while the right side is the driver's cab. The stairs are all the way at the back. On the second floor, the middle room is my bedroom, the left one is the study, and the room on the right happens to be empty, so you can have that one. Right next to your room is the laundry room, where you can wash and dry clothes. Every room has a bathroom for washing up. The third floor is semi-open; the indoor part has an entertainment room, a bathroom, and a bar counter that connects to the outside. The outdoor platform is great for hanging out and growing flowers, though I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet!"
Li Xiangyi followed behind in complete silence, utterly unable to describe what his eyes were seeing with mere words. Aside from shock, he felt entirely at a loss. This young woman, whose background was already a mystery to begin with, had just become even more enigmatic.
Yet he was also all the more certain that the person before him meant him no harm. Given her abilities and possessions, she certainly wouldn't covet anything of his.
If she wanted to harm him, she wouldn't have gone to such great lengths. As for his master's affairs, he would still need to find an opportunity to go back and check on them!
Having introduced the general uses of the RV, Yun Qingyue opened the empty room, went inside, and began taking things out of her System Backpack.
She took out several sets of bedding, both thin and thick. She also took out multiple bedsheets and several curtains. She had chosen all the colors from the videos she used to watch—shades deep and light, she took them all!
Toiletries, towels, bath towels, undershorts, and briefs—she needed all of them! Only the clothes were a bit troublesome; she hadn't prepared any men's traditional robes. The outfit she had bought that matched Li Xiangyi's style was probably something he wouldn't want to wear right now.
She did have some modern clothes she had prepared back when she was stockpiling supplies, so she pulled out some martial arts training wear and ancient-style garments for him to make do with for now until they could buy more outside.
She would just take them in her father's size, assuming their builds were roughly similar. Her father was a bit sturdier than him, but that should be fine, right? Never mind, if they didn't fit, she could just swap them for him later!
Ah, right! She needed a dressing table, along with combs, mirrors, hairpins, hair crowns, and some mild skincare products. Since he was so handsome, he ought to be properly groomed.
Once they went outside, she would definitely make him plenty more clothes. She had also bought a lot of fabric, and she could pick some out and make them. She had heard there was a really fun dress-up game, though she had never played it before!
Writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone should also be taken out. Fortunately, when she was preparing supplies, she had taken everything offered and gathered the whole lot. She patted herself on the back for her resourcefulness—she was so smart, haha!
As she grew more and more excited retrieving items, the poor master of this room could only stand alone at the doorway, looking helplessly at the excited young woman.
The shock had already passed, leaving him feeling numb as he watched countless unfamiliar objects continuously appear out of the young woman's hands. He simply had no idea what she was so happy about.
Could it be that she had been too lonely by herself, and now she was happy to have someone keep her company? But didn't she know that men and women should keep their distance? This would affect her reputation!
Yet, seeing her looking so thrilled, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Fortunately, there were only the two of them here; he would just have to be more mindful of his own behavior.
Most importantly, this was her place, and he was counting on the cheerful young woman before him to save his life. Hmm... he would test the waters and drop a gentle hint later, lest he make her feel embarrassed, which wouldn't be nice at all!
When Yun Qingyue finally felt she had gathered almost enough and turned around, she saw that the man was still standing in the doorway. She spoke up: "What are you standing there for? Come over and help! Sort all of these things out yourself. Hmm, just make do with the clothes for now. I don't have clothes like yours here; I'll make you some more once we go outside! Take a look at these things first, and put anything you don't know the use of on the bed—I'll explain them to you in a bit. I'm going to go prepare dinner first; I'm practically starving! Do you have any foods you're allergic to or avoid?"
Li Xiangyi had been too busy staring at the huge pile of items on the bed and the floor. Hearing the question, he answered blankly, "Hmm? Oh, I used to be allergic to peanuts, but I'm not sure anymore!"
Just listen to that reply—what was that supposed to mean, *I'm not sure anymore*?!! Never mind, there was no point arguing with a sick person; she'd better go cook first.
Down in the kitchen on the first floor, Yun Qingyue remembered the video saying that Li Xiangyi loved sweets, so what should she make? Forget it, no need to overthink it; she remembered buying a lot of pre-cooked meals, so she would just pick a few and take them out directly. She was too exhausted today to cook!
In the end, Yun Qingyue selected a portion of braised pork, a plate of spiced beef, a plate of cold tossed bracken fern, a basin of vegetable and fish ball soup, a plate of stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, and a basin of rice.
Four dishes and one soup—that should be enough, right? Well, she might as well add a plate of mushrooms with greens to get a balance of meat and vegetables! With so much food, even a martial artist should have enough, right?
She casually turned on the tea bar machine, found tea leaves and a tea set in the cabinet, remembering how the video said Li Lianhua loved tea. Since Li Xiangyi had suffered from hunger and cold these past few days, they would have black tea today!
Everything was ready, so she went upstairs to find the injured man tidying the room. Why was a wounded patient doing the work himself? Because Yun Qingyue didn't want to do it herself, either! So she had no choice but to make him take care of his own affairs!
Upon entering, she saw that he had actually worked quite quickly. Everything was basically tidied up, and the only things left on the bed were the toiletries and the jewelry box. She glanced at the man who had finished his labor and noticed his ears were still a bit red. What was wrong with him?
Seeing her walk in, Li Xiangyi hurriedly stood up, picked up the jewelry box, and said, "Miss Yun, this is too precious. I can't accept it; please take it back!"
Yun Qingyue's eyes widened in surprise, and she said matter-of-factly, "I took it out for you, so just use it. Where did all this politeness come from? Alright, pick up the rest of those things and come with me. I'll teach you how to use the bathroom. Hurry up, stop dawdling; we're going to eat soon!"
Li Xiangyi was left speechless. How many times had he been scolded today? Yet he couldn't talk back. With no other choice, he followed silently behind Yun Qingyue to the bathroom.
Listening to her voice, watching her operational demonstration, and learning how to use the items she had brought in, Li Xiangyi inevitably began to blush all the way from his face and ears down to his neck.
At that moment, he felt that being wounded, poisoned, abandoned, and framed didn't even compare to how lively and eventful today had been. Such a clear-eyed little girl, putting on a stern face to lecture him—a little girl who put on a fierce facade but was actually all bark and bite as she scolded him.
She kept conjuring objects out of thin air, all of them things he had never seen or heard of, along with everything else inside this vehicle... and that puppet she had put away...
Never mind, he wouldn't think about it anymore. As Li Xiangyi went out to fetch a change of clothes, he inevitably caught sight of that... cough... item decorated with intimate patterns.
Blushing, he cautiously unpacked the box, pulled one out, and studied it carefully for a moment... All he could say was that a clever person learns everything quickly!
Feeling as though his entire body was burning red, Li Xiangyi put on a set of training clothes and walked awkwardly down to the first floor. Catching the alluring aroma of the food, he stood beside the dining table, tongue-tied and not knowing what to say.
He had never felt so useless in all his days; he couldn't even open his mouth! Yet Yun Qingyue, whose stomach was growling with hunger, paid none of this any mind.
She waved directly and urged, "You're here, Li Xiangyi. Hurry up, I'm about to starve to death. You must be hungry too, come sit down and eat!"
As she spoke, she scooped soup and rice for both of them. Seeing Li Xiangyi sit down, she casually handed them over and called out, "Dig in!"
With that, she lowered her head and ate ravenously, paying no more attention to the person across from her. She was about to starve to death! Having never gone hungry in her life except when hospitalized, Yun Qingyue felt so blissfully happy at that moment she wanted to cry!
Li Xiangyi had no choice but to start eating in silence. Yet what kind of meat was this—sweet yet not greasy, crispy, tender, and meltingly soft? ...And was this beef? It was so delicious! ...What were these red and green stir-fried eggs? It was a flavor he had never tasted before!
This soup was light yet flavorful, simply wonderful! ...This cold dish was also amazingly tasty! And even though this green vegetable had no meat in it, why was it so good when cooked with those mushrooms? The rice was fragrant even without any dishes to go with it!
And so, Li Xiangyi also buried his head and dug in heartily. To be honest, he hadn't had a proper meal in days either. Ever since he walked out of the Sigu Sect, he had been picked up by Monk Wule to have his wounds treated, and the moment he woke up, he had left.
As a result, he had unwittingly returned to that small fishing village where he had climbed ashore. Penniless and needing to eat and survive, he had no choice but to pawn the Sigu Sect token—a token that granted life upon command and death upon decree—for fifty taels of silver.
How ridiculous. A token that countless pugilists yearned for, a token that the people of the Sigu Sect today would betray others just to obtain, was actually worth only fifty taels of silver here!
Yet before he could do anything, the poison had suddenly flared up and caused him to vomit blood, terrifying a young child. With no other option, Li Xiangyi had only wanted to find a place to wait out the toxin flare-up before figuring out how to settle down.
Who could have expected that he would tumble down a slope, lose consciousness, and get rescued by the young girl before him?
Perhaps even the heavens knew he still had unfinished business and wouldn't let him die, so they had sent someone to save him? He snatched a quick glance upward. It was just that this savior of his was a bit too young.
However, since things had come to this, he would take it one step at a time. Surely things couldn't get any worse than they were now! He would just focus on surviving first, and talk about the rest later.
By the time all four dishes and one soup were completely finished, along with half the rice, Yun Qingyue looked in shock at the man across from her and asked, "Are you full, Li Xiangyi? If not, I can get—well, I can make some more?"
Li Xiangyi could swear that this time he had genuinely heard her hastily change her words. So it hadn't been an illusion before! He said with some embarrassment, "No need, I'm full. Sorry for eating a bit much; I've been terribly starved these past few days. Cough, well... I'll clean up and wash the dishes. I can't let you do all the chores by yourself."
Yun Qingyue nodded with satisfaction. True enough, what the videos said was right—it was all reference material! When Yun Qingyue finished cleaning the dining table and turned around to see Li Xiangyi at the sink, washing the dishes while experimenting with the ratio of hot and cold water, she smiled without a word.
Yun Qingyue returned to the living room, prepared the tea set, tea leaves, her own fruit-scented tea, and cups, and sat on the sofa waiting for Li Xiangyi to come out.
Li Xiangyi walked over to the coffee table, took a long stride, and sat down in front of the tea tray. With a curious expression, he looked at the tea bar machine that was boiling water, inspected the tea set, picked up the pumpkin-shaped tea canister to sniff the aroma of the leaves, and praised, "Fine tea! Miss Yun's place is truly exquisite in every detail, full of surprises everywhere!"
Yun Qingyue waved her hand dismissively. "You don't need to probe me like this. Besides, in the future, you can just call me Yueyue; my family always called me that. I came here quite by accident and harbor no malice toward you whatsoever—I just want to cure you. I have other things to do and don't know how long I'll stay here, so the detoxification and all that needs to happen as soon as possible!"
"Very well, Miss Yun... um... Yue... Yueyue, how should I cooperate?" Hearing how tongue-tied Li Xiangyi sounded saying her name, she didn't force him.
Who knew how much longer she'd even be called that anyway? Whatever he called her didn't matter! "Tomorrow morning, I'll examine your specific condition and then decide on a treatment method. There are currently two methods. If things go smoothly, the medicine I gave you today should take effect, and after some conditioning and physical rehabilitation, you'll be completely fine. It might even make you even more powerful..."
Listening to Yun Qingyue's unfinished sentence, Li Xiangyi said unconcernedly, "There's no need to worry quite so much."
Brewing tea while he spoke, Li Xiangyi looked gentle and peaceful, not at all like someone suffering from severe poisoning and grievous wounds. No wonder that years later, he could easily trick others—appearances were truly deceptive!
Li Lianhua spoke once more: "Things couldn't possibly get any worse than they are now. At least there's still hope now, isn't there? So, if things don't go smoothly, what are the consequences? Pray speak your mind without reservation!"
If the poisoned man himself was unfazed, Yun Qingyue was even less afraid. After all, she had plenty of trump cards—did she really have to worry about failing to save a single person's life?
She reached out to stop the man who was pouring tea for her, picked up the kettle, and poured hot water into her own cup. "I don't drink tea; it doesn't taste good! I drink this flower tea... If things don't go smoothly, you're going to suffer a bit. The process will take a bit longer and be rather unpleasant. But I can guarantee you'll be completely cured—you can rest assured of that. Just have a good rest today, don't overthink things, and everything will definitely be fine!"
Taking a sip of his tea, Li Lianhua chuckled softly and said, "I trust the young lady! Oh... and... Li Xiangyi already died in the East Sea. From now on, I have changed my name to Li Lianhua. Please make sure not to get it wrong in the future, Miss!"
"Ah! Do you curse yourself so openly just like that? Judging by this, you must be a broad-minded person!" Yun Qingyue's understanding of the person before her was refreshed once again.
Indeed, someone who could be remembered by so many people had undeniable personal charm. Being able to walk out of a dead end meant stepping into a whole new world!
Taken aback by the retort, Li Lianhua put down his tea cup and said helplessly, "I truly couldn't see a way out back then, but that doesn't mean I'm narrow-minded or petty! I've had it so miserably, aren't I even allowed to complain and feel low for a bit?"
"Ah, haha, well... hehe, does this tea go down smoothly? It's not really suitable for you to drink green tea right now, but I'll let you try some other teas later." Yun Qingyue felt rather embarrassed at being snapped back at!
She was a bashful little girl, after all! Li Lianhua picked up his tea cup. "Then let us substitute tea for wine, and I offer my thanks in advance for the young lady's repeated lifesaving graces."