After they all left, Jiang Lu trotted over and stopped about one zhang away from the bed.
Her round, wide eyes stared fixedly at the weak figure on the bed.
She could only watch quietly, unable to do anything. She couldn't ease her pain or make her injuries heal instantly; she could only look on helplessly as she remained in grave danger.
A deep sense of powerlessness wrapped around her heart, making her chest feel suffocatingly tight.
No! It wasn't completely hopeless!
Jiang Lu suddenly perked up her ears. Her small head snapped toward the dark mountain forest outside the tent, and a glimmer of hope instantly lit up her eyes.
She vaguely recalled hearing the peach tree spirit gossiping earlier. In Peach Blossom County, which was only a few dozen li away in a straight line, there lived a legendary divine physician who had secluded himself from the world.
With divine medical skills, they specialized in treating severe injuries and chronic illnesses; ordinary blade wounds and life-threatening high fevers were easily resolved.
Saving her was what mattered most.
Making up her mind in an instant, Jiang Lu turned around and dashed out of the central command tent without looking back.
Her tiny figure plunged headfirst into the vast mountain forest.
If she took a shortcut, she could arrive before the sun went down.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult, covered in loose gravel and thorns, but she did not dare to rest for even a moment.
It would be a terrible shame to let a woman like Bai Rou die just like this.
Standing behind her were thousands upon thousands of women.
Racing desperately against time, she finally reached the boundaries of Peach Blossom County before the last rays of the setting sun faded away.
Seeing the peach tree spirit poking out a branch with leaves, her exhaustion instantly vanished.
She trotted inside. The once-bustling Peach Blossom County, where doors were never closed at night and prosperity thrived, was now completely devoid of its former peace and liveliness.
Affected by the surrounding war, the streets and alleys were currently empty.
The entire main street was desolate, with only a few scattered pedestrians walking in a hurry, their faces filled with panic.
Jiang Lu had no time for sentimentality and headed straight for the thousand-year-old peach tree.
But when Jiang Lu held her breath and used her remaining weak divine sense to perceive her surroundings, the hope in her heart instantly cooled.
She could not sense the peach tree's spiritual consciousness.
If that was the case, how was she supposed to ask about the divine physician's whereabouts?
Jiang Lu paced back and forth anxiously.
Ordinary residences and marketplace courtyards had no distinct smell, but a divine physician's secluded home would surely involve processing herbs and brewing ointments daily. The courtyard was bound to be filled with a rich, unique fragrance of herbal medicine.
At this thought, Jiang Lu hesitated no longer. She immediately started running on her short legs, weaving through the quiet streets and alleys, carefully distinguishing the scents house by house, searching and checking one courtyard after another.
“Meow—”
Just as she was hurriedly scrambling over a wall, she bumped into someone.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes widening into perfect circles. Her entire body froze instantly, her breath catching in her throat.
It was Liu Qingqing.
Dressed like an ordinary woman, she looked serene and peaceful. There wasn't the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy around her; she seemed entirely gentle and tranquil.
The impact of their collision had overturned the vegetable basket in her hand, scattering fresh greens and wild vegetables all over the ground.
Liu Qingqing was slightly startled, but she quickly knelt down and carefully gathered the scattered ingredients, her movements gentle and leisurely.
Once she finished tidying up, she looked up and saw the snowy-white kitten standing blankly on the spot, staring at her without blinking. Its eyes were innocent and dazed, as if it were completely mesmerized.
Liu Qingqing's heart softened for some reason, finding the kitten's facial features strangely familiar.
She patted Jiang Lu's head and said in a gentle voice, “You little kitten, why are you so careless? Are you hurt?”
“It's getting late. I need to go home and cook.”
Liu Qingqing withdrew her hand, smiled faintly, and softly advised,
“You should head home quickly too. The streets aren't safe at night, so don't run around anymore.”
With that, she picked up her vegetable basket and walked away with an elegant, leisurely stride.
Jiang Lu remained standing there in a daze, a tumultuous wave crashing through her heart that could not be calmed for a long time.
She had never expected to run into Senior Sister Liu here. If she was here, then her two senior brothers must also still be in this world.
She just didn't know what they looked like now.
But!
Why hadn't they turned into little animals like she did?!
Boohoo~
She didn't want to be a little kitten either; she wanted her long legs back!
Jiang Lu did not dare to hesitate. She quickly reined in her thoughts, took quiet little steps, and stealthily followed right behind Liu Qingqing.
Upon arriving at a familiar-looking courtyard, she leaped up and perched on the boundary wall.
Inside, the voices of Liu Qingqing and her grandmother drifted over.
“Grandma, did I keep you waiting? Dinner will be ready soon.”
“You silly girl, don't go running outside these next couple of days. The war has broken out, and it's too dangerous.”
“I know, Grandma. With my two brothers around, you have nothing to worry about.”
“How could I not worry? Are they doing well?”
“Rest assured, Grandma, they're doing great. The yamen is short-handed right now, so they definitely won't lack food or drink.”
“I heard the imperial city sent troops to suppress the rebellion, so it should be over soon.”
“That's good, that's good.”
“...”
After listening to their conversation, Jiang Lu slowly wandered around the courtyard, her round eyes carefully scanning her surroundings.
The wild vegetables on the stone table, the ordinary herbs planted in the corner, the books by the window—every corner bore traces of Liu Qingqing's life here.
Following her memory to the yamen, she indeed saw the figures of Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Xi.
Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Xi were dressed in simple mortal clothing, yet their postures remained as upright as ever.
They looked no different from ordinary mortal youths.
Standing on top of the wall, Jiang Lu stared blankly at the two of them, her heart filled with bewilderment and confusion.
For a moment, she couldn't tell if what she was seeing was real or fake.
Was it a long dream she had fallen into due to overdrawing her spiritual energy?
Or had the four of them assumed mortal identities, descending into the mortal world to experience its trials and tribulations?
Countless doubts swirled in her mind, causing her brow to furrow deeply as a solemn expression took over her tiny cat face.
But after a brief moment, she gradually smoothed her brow and suppressed her chaotic thoughts.
No matter the reason, and whether this was a dream or a trial in the mortal world, none of it mattered anymore.
Right now, saving Bai Rou's life was the absolute priority.
After searching around, she finally found the divine physician in a house about one li outside the county. To her surprise, the physician was actually a female doctor.
This was perfect!
Jiang Lu ran over in excitement.
“Meow—”
“Meow—”
Jiang Lu cried out to her urgently.
She gestured anxiously with her paws.
“Where did this beautiful little kitten come from?” the female doctor's voice sounded, her bright eyes filled with confusion.
Judging by its appearance, it seemed to have an owner.
“Meow~”
Jiang Lu kept gesturing. Seeing that the woman didn't understand, she hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and leaping into her arms.
She tapped her paws against her own chest, gesturing.
Seeing this, the female doctor thought to herself that this cat was remarkably intelligent. She asked tentatively,
“Did you come here to ask for medicine?”
Jiang Lu nodded immediately.
“Is your owner injured?”
“Are they bleeding?”
“Do they need to stop the bleeding?”
“Do they have a fever?”
“Do you need me to go and save their life?”
“...”
With every question she asked, Jiang Lu either nodded or shook her head. Very quickly, the doctor understood what Jiang Lu wanted.
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