The next day.
When she opened her eyes again.
She stared blankly at the familiar roof beams, familiar cobwebs, familiar dust.
Everything was so familiar.
This was her room, her home, the unchanging home she had lived in for thirteen years.
And everything from yesterday.
Was like an illusory dream.
She had merely taken a light nap.
And dreamt a long dream.
Now, the dream was over.
Everything had returned to its original state.
She slowly sat up, rubbing her head.
Recalling everything from yesterday.
"Even if everything yesterday was dreamlike and illusory, like a dream."
"But I can be sure, this was definitely not a dream, but genuine!"
"I truly went to the immortal realm of the Changbai Mountains."
"And I truly met Lady Azure Spirit and the White Dragon Fairy."
"All of this was real... absolutely not fake."
As for why she woke up back in her home...
She thought it was probably because Lady Azure Spirit felt her injuries had fully healed, and feared she might get lost or encounter danger when descending the mountain.
So, she directly used her boundless magic to quietly send her back home.
Thinking of this, Zhou Chuxue gradually found the answer in her heart.
She slowly got up, walked into the courtyard, and looked up at the distant Changbai Mountains.
Gazing at the pristine white snow on the peak, and the hazy clouds shrouding it.
In a trance, she seemed to see a small hut and a Heaven Lake on the mountaintop...
As she watched, Zhou Chuxue suddenly smiled, then respectfully bowed towards the distant mountain, saying:
"This mortal woman thanks Lady Azure Spirit for saving my life, and thanks Lady Azure Spirit for sending this mortal woman home! After the Daoist temple is built, this mortal woman will definitely go to offer incense to you."
After bowing.
Zhou Chuxue sighed again.
Now, returning from that 'immortal realm,' she would once again face her harsh life.
What was worse.
Both her basket and her sickle.
Were gone, lost in that fall into the water.
And the half-basket of herbs she had painstakingly gathered was also gone.
"What am I thinking? Being able to return alive is already the greatest fortune. I can weave a new basket, borrow a sickle, and gather more herbs. As long as... I'm alive, everything will be fine."
"What if it's hard? As long as I'm alive, there's still hope for everything."
Zhou Chuxue patted her little face, then regained her spirits.
She walked into the living room, looked at the spirit tablets of her parents, and bowed again.
Just as she bowed, the corner of her eye seemed to catch sight of a basket in the corner of the living room.
She paused, then stood up and looked towards it.
Indeed, there was a basket.
She hurried over and saw that inside the basket, besides a book, there were several herbs, a clean dress, a brand new sickle, and a coil of rope.
She stared at the contents of the basket for a long time.
A moment later, she couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh...
"How can I repay this kindness owed to an immortal?"
Zhou Chuxue shook her head, feeling both happy and melancholic.
But soon, she accepted it all, because these items were truly very important to her.
Without these...
Her life for the next period would likely be quite difficult.
She pondered for a moment, then, puzzled, took out the book from inside.
She could understand the other items...
But this book, she truly didn't know what it was for.
She opened the book, and the first page was covered in dense writing.
She couldn't understand any of it... so she selectively skipped past it.
She turned to the second page.
And this time, she could finally understand what was on it.
This was a medical book documenting various herbs...
Although this book couldn't make her a doctor, it would be of great help to her in gathering herbs.
The only pity was...
She was illiterate and didn't know the names of the herbs.
But it didn't matter if she was illiterate, as long as she could recognize the pictures.
Matching them to pictures would always be correct.
After a long while, she put away the book.
Then she took out the clothes, placed them in a wooden box, and locked it securely.
She might never wear these clothes in her lifetime, but she would absolutely not sell these items given to her by an immortal.
As for the herbs...
These, she would sell.
After all... if she didn't sell them, she would starve.
After Zhou Chuxue had tidied up everything in her home.
She also took the herbs to the medical hall.
"Grandpa Gu, Grandpa Gu!"
This was the medical hall Zhou Chuxue visited most often.
Because the owner here was familiar with her, and the prices for herbs were the most reasonable, she was happy to bring her gathered herbs to this medical hall first.
The owner of the medical hall heard the voice and looked up from his medical book.
Seeing it was Zhou Chuxue, he couldn't help but say, "Little Zhou? Haven't seen you in days, have you been gathering herbs in the mountains again?"
"Yes! Haven't I come to bring Grandpa some herbs? Grandpa Gu, could you please help me see how much these herbs are worth?" Zhou Chuxue said with a smile.
Then, standing on tiptoes, she placed the wrapped herbs on the medical hall's counter.
"Alright, let me take a look." Boss Gu said, chuckling.
He thought to himself that even if he lost a little money, he would still buy the child's herbs.
Boss Gu also felt some pity for this child in his heart.
After all, the child had lost her father when she was young, and her mother had passed away a few days ago.
Now, with no one to rely on, anyone who saw her would pity her.
But she was exceptionally strong; even when burying her mother, she didn't cry like an ordinary little girl, shedding tears like falling pear blossoms.
Boss Gu slowly uncovered the tattered cloth wrapping the herbs, picked up one, and examined it carefully.
Gradually, his originally relaxed and pleasant expression suddenly turned solemn.
He couldn't help but ask with a serious expression, "Girl, where exactly did you bring these herbs back from?"
Zhou Chuxue was startled, and quickly asked:
"I brought these back from the Changbai Mountains! I went very deep to find these herbs. Grandpa Gu, is there something wrong with them?"
Zhou Chuxue naturally dared not tell Boss Gu directly that these were parting gifts from Lady Azure Spirit.
She feared that if she told him, it would displease Lady Azure Spirit.
And the next time she went into the mountains, the Lady might not bless her with safety.
Boss Gu shook his head slightly, saying:
"These herbs are fine... just extremely rare. Although they are common Codonopsis, their age is surprisingly ancient... I'd say they're about a hundred years old."
"It's a pity though, this is just a Codonopsis root. If it were ginseng, it would surely be even more precious."
Saying this, Boss Gu looked at the other herbs.
He found that each of these herbs was at least a hundred years old, with some possibly two to three hundred years old.
This made Boss Gu exclaim in wonder.
Although these herbs were relatively common, each one was incredibly old.
Even though he had run a medical hall and pharmacy his entire life, he had never seen herbs grow to such an age.
It truly opened his eyes.
"Phew, so it's just old? I thought I had gathered weeds!" Zhou Chuxue breathed a sigh of relief, saying with a smile.
Boss Gu shook his head slightly, saying, "You've been gathering herbs for so many years, how could you be mistaken? But it truly is an eye-opener! To think there are herbs of such age deep within the Changbai Mountains!"
"Yes... I never would have imagined it either." Zhou Chuxue nodded.
Boss Gu put down the herbs and said:
"But girl, don't blame me for talking too much. This time you were lucky, going deep into the Changbai Mountains and returning safely with herbs, but next time you might not be so fortunate."
"So, try not to go so deep into the Changbai Mountains next time."
"The deeper you go, the more unimaginable places there are for mortals. Losing your life for a few taels of silver is not worth it."
Hearing this, Zhou Chuxue quickly nodded, saying, "I, I understand! I definitely won't dare to go deep again next time!"
"Good, that's good."
Boss Gu said:
"As for these herbs, I'll take them. However, their price is hard to determine, so I'll give you what I think is fair. If you don't like it, you can take them to another medical hall to sell."
"I'll listen to Grandpa Gu completely. When it comes to prices, no one is fairer than Grandpa Gu."
"Hahaha, it's good that you trust me so much."
Boss Gu laughed, saying:
"Here, take these ten taels of silver. It's a pity though, if this Codonopsis were ginseng, the price would probably quadruple."
"Chuxue is already satisfied with this."
"Indeed, contentment is a blessing." Boss Gu nodded, saying, "Ten taels of silver is no small sum, you must keep it safe and not lose it."
"Don't worry, Grandpa Gu, I will keep it safe."
Zhou Chuxue nodded, then said:
"Then I'll head back. I wish Grandpa Gu prosperous business."
"Hahaha, I'll take your auspicious words."
After leaving the medical hall.
Zhou Chuxue carefully placed the silver in her pocket.
But after only a few steps, she instinctively checked to make sure the money was still in her pocket.
She had never held so much silver at once in her life, so she was naturally extremely worried.
However, even so, Zhou Chuxue was not in a hurry to go home.
Instead, she rushed non-stop to the Daoist temple.
She circled the Daoist temple, hoping to see that familiar figure.
Unfortunately, after searching around, she didn't see Miss Su.
Seeing this, she sighed softly and could only prepare to return home, disappointed.
Just as she was about to leave.
A voice suddenly came from behind her, precisely the voice she had been waiting for.
"Little girl, why are you here? Not going to the mountains to gather herbs today?" Su Qing asked with a smile, looking at her from afar.
Zhou Chuxue heard this, immediately turned around, and said, "Miss Su!? That's great! I finally found you."
Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked in confusion, "Waiting for me? Why are you waiting for me?"
Zhou Chuxue quickly took out the silver, handed it to Su Qing, and said:
"To repay your kindness! Although these ten taels of silver might not be much to you, Miss, it is Chuxue's heartfelt gesture."
Su Qing was startled, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where did you get this silver?"
Su Qing didn't remember leaving anything very valuable for this girl...
Whether it was the medical book or the clothes, they shouldn't have been worth ten taels of silver.
So she couldn't help but wonder where this girl got the money.
Zhou Chuxue heard this, understood Miss Su's confusion, and recounted her day's experiences to Su Qing.
Of course, she still didn't mention that her herbs were given by Lady Azure Spirit...
After all, that was too incredible.
After listening to Zhou Chuxue's account, Su Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.
Those herbs were a hundred, even several hundred years old?
How... how was that possible?
She knew the origin of those herbs all too well.
She had simply pulled them from the herb patch by the courtyard gate.
Although those herbs, being planted near the Bodhi Tree, were affected by spiritual energy and grew much faster than ordinary herbs, even so, they shouldn't have gained a hundred years of medicinal potency in just one or two months, right?
This was a bit too sci-fi.
No, too magical.
She gently rubbed her temples, deciding to investigate the situation slowly after returning, but for now, she would resolve this girl's matter.
Su Qing exhaled and said, "Girl, keep this money yourself, I cannot accept it."
"Wh-why?"
"No reason. These ten taels of silver are your entire fortune. If you give them to me, what will you do for your life afterward?"
"This..."
"You don't know either, do you?"
"I can still go to the mountains to find more! I'm quite good at gathering herbs."
"Silly girl, go back to the mountains, deep into the forest? That's too dangerous!" Su Qing patted the girl's head, saying, "Sometimes, don't be so stubborn."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' Keep this money yourself, whether to repair your house or buy some clothes, whatever you wish."
Su Qing shook her head and said:
"If you truly want to repay my kindness, then wait until these ten taels of silver are no longer valuable in your heart before you do so."
"Also, don't go deep into the Taibai Mountains again. If you get injured again, it's unclear whether Lady Azure Spirit will see you."
Su Qing was speaking the truth.
Saving Zhou Chuxue this time was purely due to her good luck.
If the sparrows hadn't found her, she would probably be a water ghost by now.
Therefore, she didn't want this girl to do anything foolish again.
She didn't want to see this cute little girl suddenly turn into a corpse one day.
And need her help to bury her.
Zhou Chuxue stared blankly at Su Qing, stunned for a long time.
Finally, she nodded and smiled brightly, "Mm, I... I understand."
"That's a good child!" Su Qing nodded and said, "By the way, have you had breakfast yet? There's still some thick porridge left from today, would you like some?"
Zhou Chuxue heard this and obediently followed Su Qing's words, saying, "Not yet..."
"Then come with me! Remember to keep that silver safe." Su Qing said.
"Understood, Miss."
After Su Qing brought Zhou Chuxue to the porridge distribution point.
She found an excuse and left.
And when Zhou Chuxue finished her breakfast.
And wanted to find Su Qing again.
She was nowhere to be found.
Rate on N.U.
