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

The news of the young mistress's sudden decision to return to the manor spread quickly.

The situation inside the herb garden remains unknown, but shortly after, the First Elder, who had been confined to his own courtyard to recuperate, rushed to the garden in a flurry of activity, his speed astonishing. According to the servants who stopped to watch outside, that evening the First Elder was extremely agitated, questioning the Young Madam about why she was leaving without a word, even going so far as to ask if she still cared about him, her old man…

Leaving without even saying goodbye is indeed somewhat impolite, but the question "Do you still have feelings for him?" is particularly puzzling. If it were a younger man, such a question would be ambiguous and suggestive, but since this man is old enough to be someone's grandfather, it's simply incomprehensible.

As for what the young mistress said at the time, there are all sorts of conflicting accounts—it's obvious she didn't hear clearly and just made it all up.

Half an hour later, the old man came out cursing and swearing, but after taking only a few steps, he went back in a huff. The old man didn't leave the herb garden that night, and it wasn't until early the next morning that Yuan Junfeng, cursing and swearing, escorted him all the way to the mountain gate.

Regardless, these guests from Shengjing did indeed set off and depart.

When the news reached Yu Wanyu's ears, she remained silent for a moment before finally sighing, "It's good that she left, but... she still has no manners, she can't be taught." She didn't even say a word of farewell before leaving, as if she were colder and more indifferent than a stranger.

Yu Wanyu sighed softly, and after a long while, she looked at the maidservant in front of her who was bowing and scraping, and said, "Go and find out something for me."

Nothing happened on the mountain that day; in fact, the mountain regained some of its previously unsettling quietness due to Yuan Ge's departure.

That evening, a conflict broke out in the guest courtyard. According to the servants there, the two young masters of the Murong family had a fierce argument. One insisted that the other's eccentric behavior and arrogant nature had brought shame to the Murong family, while the other said that the other was just putting on an act all day and was actually nothing. Shortly after, Murong Weiming slammed the door and left. Murong Chuan, the peacemaker, worried that his young master might offend someone in his rage, so he quickly chased after him.

As for Old Madam Murong, who had eaten dinner early and retired early, she seemed not to have heard anything at all.

Life on the mountain was inevitably monotonous, and people rested earlier. It was already past midnight, and even the servants had finished their day's work and gone to bed early. Even those who were still awake would walk quickly with their collars wrapped up and heads down, looking rather furtive. After this happened so many times, even the guards rarely went up to question and investigate them when they saw them from afar—although Mount Zhixuan was famous, it wasn't a place so important that one had to sneak in at midnight.

If outsiders can't enter, besides the forbidden area in the back mountain, there's only the secret room left by the young lady. Although the former is forbidden, no one would go there without a reason, and although countless people covet the latter, no one can actually enter. Apart from that, Zhixuan Mountain is no different from the village at its foot.

……

The next day, before dawn, Murong Zhixian arrived at the herb garden to see Feng Qingtan, his former savior.

Compared to the other members of the Murong family, this eldest son of the second branch of the Murong family appeared more gentle and composed. The servant in the medicine garden naturally showed more courtesy, bowing respectfully before saying with lowered eyes, "Reporting to Young Master Murong, my master has been unwell these days and has already instructed that he does not receive guests."

"We mentioned before that the old master was unwell. Has he not improved at all these days? Have you asked any other doctors to come and take a look? They say that a doctor cannot heal himself. The old master is getting on in years, so we cannot be careless." Murong Zhixian asked with a calm and concerned expression, seemingly not suspecting that this was just an excuse from the servant.

The servant seemed a little embarrassed, and with a sheepish smile, he guiltily tried to cover it up, saying, "Yes, yes... I've seen a doctor, and the doctor only said to rest. Don't worry, Young Master Murong, it's nothing serious. He'll probably be fine in a couple of days. You should go back now."

Murong Zhixian didn't leave. After hesitating for a long time, he still insisted, "This young master is still a little worried. How about this, just let me go in and take a look, even if it's just from a distance. I know what I'm doing and will definitely not disturb Elder Feng's rest..."

Seeing that the servant was still hesitant and disagreeing, he rubbed his hands together and smiled apologetically, saying with a helpless expression, "Brother, you see, the person inside is my savior after all. This kindness is greater than heaven. I have kept it in my heart all these years, but I have never had the chance to say thank you. Now that heaven has opened its eyes and given me this opportunity, I naturally must say thank you in person no matter what."

The servant seemed honest, and given the man's refined and reasonable manner, it was hard to put on a stern face. However, the situation of the person inside the room was complicated... The servant said helplessly, "I'm really sorry, Young Master Murong, the old master really instructed that no guests would be received. I really had no choice, especially since the old master hasn't gotten up yet."

Murong Zhixian suddenly sensed something was amiss. If Feng Qingtan truly didn't want to go down the mountain, she should just say so. These people kept coming, trying to build rapport, trying to get close to her, and even that scoundrel Murong Weiming came to cause trouble. But they didn't even exchange a few words, let alone meet her face. It was as if she was... someone who couldn't be seen by others.

Why? Although he didn't know much about what happened back then, if Feng Qingtan really had a grudge against Murong, wouldn't it be better to vent his anger by relying on Zhixuan Mountain's support than to avoid seeing her?

Thinking it over, he felt increasingly that the whole affair was strangely shrouded in mystery. It seemed that he had to meet this person today no matter what. Murong Zhixian smiled even more warmly and kindly, saying, “Brother, I know you're in a difficult position. We only came to Zhixuan Mountain as a passerby, and now that we've stayed for a few days, it's time to leave… but leaving like this would be a regret for me. Brother, how about this: you let me into the courtyard, and I'll just bow and thank you from outside the gate… Elder Feng hasn't woken up yet, so this wouldn't be considered disturbing his rest, right, brother?”

The young man was in an increasingly difficult position. He didn't want to let the person in, as that would disobey his master's orders, but he also couldn't come up with a reason to refuse. Just as he was caught in this dilemma, he heard someone nearby say in a sarcastic tone, "Oh... look, look, who is this? Isn't this the young master of our Murong second branch? What, here to repay his savior again?"