The herbs were all dug up, and the two continued walking deeper into the mountains.
After walking for a while, they spotted an obvious herb up ahead. It was the last one they needed. Pearl Su immediately lit up with joy and ran over.
Suddenly, a shadow leapt out in front of her. A voice shouted urgently behind her, "Watch out!"
At the same time, a stone flew through the air even faster than the shadow and struck it.
Pearl Su staggered slightly and turned to look. Right in front of her, at a very close distance, was a stunningly handsome face. Her pupils shrank and she shouted, "What are you doing?"
"Miss Su, are you alright?" Alaric Yun's face was full of worry as he asked her.
But when he met her angry expression, he paused, silently let go of her, and stepped back a few steps.
Facing her again, he continued asking with concern, "Miss Su, are you alright?"
Feeling the looseness at her waist, Pearl Su realized that he had actually been holding her just now. She was both furious and embarrassed.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her voice and said, "I'm fine. What just happened?"
"A snake tried to attack you," Alaric Yun replied calmly.
A snake? Oh no. How could she run into such a nasty thing? She looked at Alaric Yun and asked, "Where is it?"
Following his gaze, she saw a brightly colored and rather large snake lying on the ground. Pearl Su looked at him and said, "Can you help me take out its gallbladder?"
"Yes, I can," Alaric Yun smiled gently and added, "Snake soup is actually quite delicious. I wonder if Miss Su likes it."
Who would want to eat that? Pearl Su scoffed and said coldly, "I don't like it."
Alaric Yun smiled again. "Alright. I'll get the gallbladder for you right now."
After removing the gallbladder, the two resumed digging herbs. The last herb was placed in the rattan basket.
Pearl Su cheered inside. The day's task was finally done. She was exhausted. In a good mood, she walked back with him.
"Hey, is that… papaya!" Spotting a papaya tree in the distance, Pearl Su's eyes lit up and she ran over.
Standing under the tree, Pearl Su sighed. The tree was too tall. She turned to Alaric Yun and said, "Sir, could you help me pick a few?"
Alaric Yun looked at the papaya, then at Pearl Su, then his eyes dropped to her chest. His deep, attractive eyes twinkled with amusement as he said, "Alright."
He leapt up.
Noticing where his eyes had landed, Pearl Su gave a cold snort. Disgusting man. All men are pigs. They only think about one thing.
Seeing him pick exactly the papayas she had wanted, she couldn't help but admire him. Smart people could do anything well. He didn't even need her to spell it out.
On the way back, it was already noon. The sun was blazing. Even though she wasn't carrying anything since the annoying man had taken it all, she still couldn't escape the scorching heat above.
By the time they returned to the house, her face was completely red from the sun and her mouth was dry. Pearl Su hurried to the kitchen, poured herself a bowl of cool water, and drank it.
After drinking, she thought for a moment, took another bowl, filled it with cool water, and walked back outside.
She came to Alaric Yun and saw that his fair, jade-like face was also red from the sun. She handed the bowl to him. "Sir, have some water."
Alaric Yun looked at her with a slight smile, took the bowl, and said, "Thank you, Miss Su."
After he finished drinking, Pearl Su took the bowl and turned to leave.
"Wait, Miss Su."
Alaric Yun looked at her flushed little face and said, "Let me cook lunch today. You've worked hard enough."
Pearl Su nodded casually and continued walking to the kitchen. She washed the bowl clean, then went to the basket of herbs and started sorting the ones they had picked today.
After they finished lunch, Pearl Su said to him, "The herbs we picked earlier are already sorted. One portion each time. Drink it after every meal. We can boil the midday dose now."
"Ah, so Miss Su went up the mountain to gather herbs for me today," Alaric Yun said with a pleased smile.
"Yes. Drinking it will help your internal injury heal faster."
"In that case, thank you, Miss Su," Alaric Yun said, his tone carrying a subtle shift.
Pearl Su didn't reply. She turned and went back to her room to rest.
Alaric Yun watched her leave, his expression darkening slightly as thoughts flickered in his eyes.
In the afternoon, Pearl Su stayed at home resting. The day passed quickly.
The next morning, after breakfast, she tidied up everything at home and said to Alaric Yun, "Sir, I'll be going out today. I won't be home for lunch, so don't wait for me."
Hearing this, Alaric Yun said, "Miss Su, let me come with you. It'll be safer on the road."
"No need. I'm just going to the town this time," Pearl Su replied.
Town, huh? With that face of yours going somewhere crowded... letting all those people stare at you? Alaric Yun's eyes darkened for a moment, though his face remained calm and smiling.
"If you're going into town, I might be able to help. Please, let me come with you."
Help? Pearl Su thought for a moment and agreed. She would have to buy a lot of things, so it would be good to have someone help carry them.
"Alright, you can come along."
Pearl Su returned to her room, and when she came back out, her appearance had changed. Her fair face now looked dusty and dull. She looked completely different, ordinary and unnoticeable.
She slung the basket of prepared herbs on her back and went over to Alaric Yun, who was waiting for her.
Alaric Yun looked surprised and chuckled. "Miss Su, your face?"
Pearl Su replied helplessly, "It's just easier to go out like this."
Then she glanced at Alaric Yun's handsome, nearly ethereal face and sighed inwardly. With a face like his, who knows how much attention he'll attract...
She said to him, "Let's go."
Alaric Yun followed her, his eyes full of amusement.
They crossed two mountains and walked along the main road for about half an hour before arriving at the town.
There were crowds of people everywhere, almost all of them men. Some people noticed them and kept glancing over.
Seeing this, Alaric Yun moved a little closer to Pearl Su. She was already used to it. Especially with someone like Alaric Yun, so striking in appearance, it would be strange if people didn't stare.
They headed straight for the town's only medical shop. Inside, the shopkeeper was working with an abacus. Pearl Su stepped forward and greeted him, "Manager Zhou, I'm here to sell more herbs."
The shopkeeper looked up and studied her for a moment, frowning. "And you are?"
"My surname is Su. I sold you herbs before. That ginseng root—remember? That was mine."
The shopkeeper paused to think, then his expression cleared. "Oh, it's you, Miss Su!"
He glanced at her face again and laughed. "You look different. No wonder I didn't recognize you right away."
He remembered her sweet and charming face from last time. Comparing it with how she looked now, he smiled knowingly. "So, what herbs are you selling today?"
Pearl Su smiled. "I brought quite a lot today." She pointed to the basket Alaric Yun was carrying.
"Alright then, Miss Su. Let's go out to the courtyard," said the shopkeeper, leading the way.
Pearl Su and Alaric Yun followed him into the courtyard.