After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

Xu Chengjin naturally also discovered the luxuriant plant that had been dug up.

Feng Qingtan has his own medicinal garden, and he hired villagers from the mountain to take care of it. Most of the things in this garden are rare and precious. The old man treasures them very much and takes good care of them himself. He can't wait to count them every day and tell someone about those "coincidences".

Coincidentally, the old man had very few people he could influence, and even counting them on one hand would be too many—one Yuan Ge, one Xu Chengjin. Consequently, over the years, Xu Chengjin knew all the treasures in the medicine garden like the back of his hand.

What's more, at this critical juncture, the absence of a lush plant is too obvious.

But according to what was said in the previous book, Wei Rui is used to make poison, and Wei Rui fruit is used to detoxify. The old man's Wei Rui is so precious that even if it is used to detoxify, only the fruit is needed, and there is no need to uproot it.

There had to be a reason for the unusual. The only reason the old man could pull out his beloved was because of someone even more precious to him. As he pondered this, he kept recalling the old man's evasive, yet desperate look at the gate of the medicine garden... This musing only made him realize something was amiss. He was so preoccupied with his worries that upon hearing the news of Yuan Ge's awakening, he felt a sudden sense of bewilderment, as if he were standing alone on a foggy sea. The cold, long winter night passed, the sun slowly rose, the fog dissipated, and he realized he was still facing the endless sea.

It's vast, beautiful, and also daunting.

Xu Chengjin stood on the sea for a long time, until the fog cleared and the sunlight stung his eyes. He finally seemed to wake up, slowly lowered his head, straightened his clothes, and then went out. He first went to find Song Wenyuan, and after about an incense stick of time, he came out. After returning, he didn't rush to visit Yuan Ge. Instead, he asked Song Wenyuan for two guards and went into the mountains.

……

At nightfall, Yuan Ge, having drunk another bowl of medicine, felt much better. Holding the bowl with only one mouthful left, he suggested to Feng Qingtan that the deer blood be removed from the recipe, as it was too fishy. Feng Qingtan, however, said that deer blood was a crucial ingredient in the antidote and could not be omitted.

Yuan Ge sighed lightly, but did not insist. He turned around and asked Grandma Dou to prepare more candied fruits.

Grandma Dou said hello repeatedly, her smile radiant, wrinkles forming around her eyes, like a gentle Buddha, benevolent and compassionate. She said, "Just now, Master Nanyin—oh, yes, now we're going to call Master Xu… Master Xu sent someone to ask about it. He said he went to the forest to hunt some rabbits and a deer. If you're up for barbecue, he'll arrange for you to have a drink tonight in his yard. What do you think?"

Yuan Ge looked up at Feng Qingtan, and when he saw the old man nod helplessly, he happily agreed, "Teacher, go too, and Grandma Dou should go too. Now everything is ready, except for the herbs. Just leave one person here to look after it, and everyone should have a good rest...Teacher, why are you still so pale?"

Feng Qingtan was stunned and touched his cheek, "Really? It's all because of you, you dead girl! I'm at my age and haven't had a good sleep for days. It's strange that I look good! Do you really think I'm made of iron?" After saying that, he rolled his eyes and glared at Yuan Ge, blaming him.

Yuan Ge didn't laugh.

She had noticed the old man's pale complexion before, and she had accepted his explanation at the time. But now, as the day went by, his face had become even more pale... This wasn't normal, but she couldn't really put her finger on what was wrong. So she just nodded and gently instructed, "Then you should go to bed early tonight. I'll have Jianshu and the steward take care of Grandfather. Don't worry."

The old man patted Yuan Ge gently, his brows and eyes smiling gently. As soon as the smile appeared, he ruffled Yuan Ge's hair almost roughly and said with a smile, "Little girl, why are you trying to act like an adult... Come on, let's go, aren't we going to eat meat and drink? You just woke up, so don't be greedy, understand?"

"I know I know..."

However, the person who kept saying "I know" had her eyes light up when she just walked outside the yard and smelled the fragrance coming out - it was obvious that she had completely forgotten the old man's instructions. She took three or two steps into the yard and laughed, "It smells so good! I've been hungry for many days, and just smelling this makes me salivate!" She laughed like a proud and soft cat.

Although she still looked a little weak, her overall condition had recovered quite well. Xu Chengjin looked her up and down, finally breathing a sigh of relief. He smiled and waved, "It really is true that arriving early is worse than arriving at the right time... It's just been baked, and you're here. Teacher, come and sit down. You've been tired these past few days, so you must have a few more drinks today!"

There were two fragrant rabbits on the grill in the yard, and two guards were looking after one each. Xu Chengjin was busy arranging dishes and pouring wine at the table. He rolled up his sleeves and looked up to greet everyone, and his enthusiasm was a little too much.

Yuan Ge, who had expected a good scolding, suddenly felt a little uncomfortable with this unexpected enthusiasm. He smiled awkwardly and looked around, "Where's Song Wenyuan? Why hasn't he come yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he received the expected roll of the eyes, followed by a sarcastic emphasis, "Him? My dear lady, if I don't mention it, you will really forget what you have done? You put yourself in danger, acted first and reported later, and didn't even send a single word to him. Not to mention you, even I, who was left with a letter, have been avoiding him these past two days, fearing that he would be retaliated against! And you, you still have the nerve to ask..."

"Come, come, come..." He walked around the table and pressed Yuan Ge into place. He placed his hand on her pulse and asked as he felt it, "Let me ask you, have you seen him since you woke up? Or have you asked anyone to look for him?"

...Yuan Ge choked, really not.

She had been in a daze most of the day, her mind full of scenes from her dream. She couldn't figure it out, but she didn't dare ask for clarification, so she was indecisive all day. Now she couldn't even remember what she had eaten for lunch, so how could she think of Song Wenyuan... She touched her nose, her eyes evasive in the twilight, "How about asking someone to invite him? Where's Lin Mu?"

Xu Chengjin had no idea where Lin Mu was. He just thought this little girl was asking for trouble. She'd been spoiled by Song Wenyuan himself, and now she was completely overconfident. He didn't bother to pay attention, so he let go and turned to Feng Qingtan, teasing, "Look, look... not even a hint of apology. Luckily, I hunted a deer and had it carefully prepared, thinking I'd give this damn girl a good treat... Never mind, I can't redeem myself from my conscience anyway! Eat more later, don't leave any for her!"