Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

As Hu Fei sighed long and heavy, her gaze penetrated the dust of time and locked directly on Lin Zhiruo, her eyes filled with indescribable depth.

"I have something on my mind that I long for your help."

Her words flowed slowly, like a path covered with fallen leaves in autumn, and every step bore the traces of time.

"What worries you so much?"

Lin Zhiruo responded with a faint smile, which was like a flower blooming in spring, and instantly made Hu Fei's frown relax a little.

But this relief was fleeting, and Hu Fei quickly regained his usual composure and continued:

"This may make you unhappy, but are you willing to listen to what I have to say from the bottom of my heart?"

"Speak frankly, I am willing to listen."

Lin Zhiruo's voice was gentle and firm, like a breeze in summer that could blow away all worries and sorrows.

She had long been accustomed to the ups and downs of life, and at certain moments, she even felt that she might be more unruly and presumptuous.

Therefore, she has enough confidence that no matter what kind of storms lie ahead, she can remain calm and unmoved.

"Then, may I kindly ask you to prepare a good meal for one of the maids in the virtuous concubine's palace?"

As soon as Hu Fei finished speaking, Su Su shook violently like a willow branch blown by the spring breeze, and her body leaned forward. The teacup on the table also swayed gracefully, and the tea spilled out like fireworks blooming in the night sky, leaving mottled marks on the table.

"Have you ever thought about the weight behind these words?"

There was a hint of blame and worry in Susu's voice, as if she was reminding Hu Fei, and also as if she was warning herself.

Hu Fei sighed again, his eyes revealing a determination and resoluteness.

She looked straight at Lin Zhiruo and Susu, and Lin Zhiruo read an unusual determination in her eyes.

"You seem to have something to hide. Why don't you just speak frankly?"

Lin Zhiruo's voice was soft and warm, trying to explore the secrets in Hu Fei's heart in her own way.

"Lin Zhiruo!"

There was a hint of displeasure and blame in Susu's tone, as if she was blaming Lin Zhiruo for being too direct.

"Susu, please be patient and let us listen to her thoughts first."

Lin Zhiruo's voice flowed like a brook, gently soothing the turmoil in Susu's heart.

Su Su frowned, reluctantly sat back in the chair, picked up the cooled teacup, took a sip, and tried to calm the throbbing in her heart with the aroma of tea.

"Please tell me what happened in detail. I am willing to share your worries."

Lin Zhiruo's voice was sincere and firm, like a ray of sunshine in winter, warm and bright.

"it is good."

Hu Fei took a deep breath, as if to put all his emotions into this breath, and then slowly began to tell the story.

Su Su frowned as she listened, muttering to herself:

"This matter is of no small importance. I'm afraid it will cause a big uproar."

“It’s really tricky.”

Lin Zhiruo also felt the seriousness of the matter, but she caught a hint of key information from Hu Fei's narration.

Hu Fei revealed that Xianfei, a maid in the palace of Concubine Pinglan, was seriously ill and was now lying in the Glazed Palace, like a withered petal, waiting for the redemption of the spring breeze.

This palace maid frequently visited the laundry yard in the north and had an indissoluble bond with Hu Fei.

She had been coughing incessantly for a while, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, swaying unsteadily.

Hu Fei once advised her to find a chance to rest, but after that she seemed to have disappeared and had not appeared in the laundry for more than five days.

Lin Zhiruo and Susu guessed that she might have changed the laundry place or asked a different palace maid to come.

But Hu Fei shook his head and insisted:

"Even so, you should still go see a doctor."

She thought the palace maid's cough was unusual and serious, like the brightest star in the night sky, attracting attention.

(cough……)

It is said that she started coughing a few days before she stopped coming to the laundry. She was already feeling weak and had a slight fever.

Lin Zhiruo asked why they didn't go to the food shop, and the answer was simple and clear - it was not allowed.

If a palace maid of low status wants to ask for leave, she may face a cold and heartless maid who turns a deaf ear to her request.

Putting these symptoms together, Lin Zhiruo felt an ominous premonition in her heart, like a dark cloud hanging over her heart.

"But does this palace maid really exist?"

There was a hint of doubt and curiosity in Lin Zhiruo's voice.

"I think it's necessary to verify this."

Hu Fei's voice was firm and powerful, as if he was looking for answers to the doubts in Lin Zhiruo's heart.

If this is true, timely treatment is required, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous and may even spread beyond the Glass Palace, as ruthlessly as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Su Su stared at Lin Zhiruo, her eyes full of worry and concern:

"I know you can't just sit back and watch this happen, but that's not an ordinary place. You need permission before going there, and you should understand that. Your occasional impulsive actions are not wise."

"……I see."

There was a hint of helplessness and compromise in Lin Zhiruo's voice.

Although she had a delicate relationship with Concubine Pinglan, that palace was not a place that could be easily entered.

She had just stumbled upon this matter recently.

In short, we need to ask Quan Wushuang to convey the message before we can continue the discussion.

Lin Zhiruo wanted to go there immediately, but was unable to do so due to the constraints of reality.

She could only bury this anxiety and desire deep in her heart, waiting for the arrival of spring like a seed.

(There is no point in being anxious, you can only wait for the right time.)

Just when Lin Zhiruo was about to divert her thoughts and forget her troubles for a while, something suddenly caught her attention.

Lin Zhiruo jumped up lightly like a willow branch blown by the spring breeze and chased after the thing.

She jumped on the ground like a frog, and with great effort, she finally caught the thing.

"Lin Zhiruo! Have you forgotten what I just said? What are you doing?"

Susu's voice sounded like thunder in summer, with a hint of blame and confusion.

Lin Zhiruo gave a wry smile, feeling the subtle presence in her palm, and slowly stood up.

"Sorry, I saw what I was looking for and lost my temper."

"Is it the rare treasure you have been looking for?"

There was a hint of curiosity and confusion in Susu's voice.

“It’s not a rare treasure.”

Lin Zhiruo shook her head in denial.

Moreover, this was not the entity she was looking for.

Unfortunately, the original body escaped, but Lin Zhiruo finally got what she wanted, and it was twisting in her hands.

"Look."

Lin Zhiruo spread out her palms, and a lively lizard tail came into view.

The amazing thing about a lizard is that it can regenerate its tail if it's broken.

(Don't give up easily on anything, just like the tenacity of this lizard's tail.)

I remember a certain immortal once said: If you give up now, everything will end.

If you want to create a new, unknown ingredient, you need to start by experimenting with something that has similar effects.

(I want to develop ingredients that can regenerate food and make the Tree of Life bloom again.)

Therefore, Lin Zhiruo took the moths flying towards the lantern as her target and observed whether there were any lizards living nearby.

"Anyway, I want to experiment first to see the mystery of this broken tail's regeneration."

Lin Zhiruo's voice was filled with excitement and anticipation, but she received no response.

She looked up and saw that Su Su's face was pale, her lips were slightly open, and she fell down like a fallen leaf swept by the autumn wind, unconscious.

Lin Zhiruo had no choice but to wrap the caught tail in a handkerchief, put it in her arms, and then take care of the unconscious Susu, as if guarding a flower that was about to wither.