The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Shen Cao propped herself up with her hands and looked down to see the man who had been unconscious slowly waking up.

The man's face was covered in dried blood and grime, making it impossible to see his features.

Shen Cao could only tell that the man must be very tall, as he looked very long even when he was lying down.

She was tall and strong, unlike her older brother who was a scholar. She looked very robust overall. Although she was about the same height as her brother, she was much stronger.

Shen Cao went back and asked her elder brother. There was no war going on in the Great Xia Kingdom recently, and she was very curious about this person's identity.

Could he be a member of the martial arts world?

Seeing that the man was about to wake up, Shen Cao immediately put down the medicine and gauze in her hand, got up and prepared to pour him a glass of water.

She helped the man sit up and handed him the water.

The man didn't take it, but instead looked Shen Cao up and down.

"This..." Shen Cao didn't know how to address the person in front of her.

"This brother."

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I'm not a bad person."

"The only reason I'm helping you is because you're in my kitchen right now."

"Cough! Cough!" Ji Lingfeng coughed twice, clutching his chest, before taking the water from Shen Cao's hand, taking a sip, and putting it on the ground.

"Don't get agitated, or you'll reopen the wound," Shen Cao kindly reminded her.

Ji Lingfeng: [Heh, that's better than being literally rubbed off by you.]

Shen Cao pointed to the medicinal wine and gauze on the ground, "Look, I applied the medicine for you while you were asleep."

Ji Lingfeng looked down at the wounds on his body.

Shen Cao cut large gashes into every part of her body that had a wound, especially the two on her chest.

Shen Cao noticed that the man was staring at the opening she had just made for him. Perhaps it was the first time a stranger had seen it, and he seemed a little embarrassed.

"But this is a special case!"

Ji Lingfeng gritted his teeth, "Then I should thank you even more, brother."

He forced a smile.

He secretly wished he could strangle Shen Cao, but outwardly he had to maintain the dignity of an adult.

He's the one who needs their help now.

Seeing that the other party was quite easy to talk to, Shen Cao immediately put on a smiling face and waved his hand, "Brother, you're too kind. It was nothing, just a small favor."

"Ah!" Shen Cao suddenly shouted, startling Ji Lingfeng so much that the bowl he was holding trembled, and the water in the bowl spilled all over him.

Ji Lingfeng stared at Shen Cao. What's wrong now?

Shen Cao pointed at Ji Lingfeng's wounds, "Look at you, didn't I tell you to be careful? Look, your wounds have reopened."

Ji Lingfeng took several deep breaths to suppress his anger. "Brother, isn't this your doing?"

He gritted his teeth, "It's nothing! I won't die."

"Oh!"

"Then I'll continue applying the medicine to your wound, otherwise it's easy for it to get infected." Shen Cao pretended to reach for the medicinal wine and gauze on the ground.

Ji Lingfeng quickly grabbed her hand, "No need, I can do it myself in a bit."

Huh! His wrists are so thin, it feels like he could crush them with a little force. How come this man seems so weak that he can't lift anything?

Ji Lingfeng held Shen Cao in utter contempt.

"Oh right, I haven't asked this brother's name yet. My name is Shen Chen," Shen Cao introduced himself first.

To avoid trouble from the other party, she had no choice but to use her older brother's name.

"Monsoon".

“You look older than me, so I’ll call you Brother Ji. You can just call me by my name.”

"Ah."

"By the way, you just woke up, you must be hungry."

Shen Cao got up, took out the chicken soup she had brought, and ladled out a bowl.

Knowing that he was a patient and couldn't eat greasy food, Shen Cao skimmed off the chicken oil from the surface of the chicken soup early on.

The chicken soup looked very clear and light.

Ji Lingfeng has been leading troops in battle for many years and has a strong palate; he dislikes bland food the most.

He looked at the thin, watery chicken soup in front of him and was about to refuse when he smelled the aroma of chicken soup wafting into his nostrils.

Fine, he'll just have a small taste out of respect for the other party.

He picked up the chicken soup, scooped up a small spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

The chicken soup may look light, but once you take a sip, the umami flavor of the chicken soup fills your mouth.

After swallowing, there was a lingering aftertaste in the mouth, which was milder than the previous taste but had a touch more sweetness.

It seems that besides chicken soup, he can taste other umami flavors.

He put down his spoon and drank the chicken soup straight from the bowl.

After finishing the drink, he even let out a burp.

"Hiccup!" Perhaps because it was the first time he had done this in front of a stranger, he was a little embarrassed, and Shen Cao even saw that the man's ears turned red.

"Um... could you have some more?" This was the first time Ji Lingfeng had ever tasted such delicious chicken soup.

Seeing that the other person had an appetite, Shen Cao served him a bowl of chicken soup, a chicken leg, and a porcini mushroom.

Ji Lingfeng looked at the ingredients in the bowl. It turned out that the other umami flavor in the soup came from these mushrooms. This person looked weak and frail, and was utterly useless.

I didn't expect the chicken soup I brought to be so delicious.

"Where did you buy this chicken soup?" Ji Lingfeng thought he could ask He Yu to buy some for him later.

"I brought this from home; you can't find it on the market."

Ji Lingfeng was a little disappointed. He hadn't expected that this was something his family had made. It seemed he wouldn't be able to drink it again.

He Yu watched his master eating chicken legs and drinking chicken soup from above, and he felt a little hungry.

The aroma of the chicken soup had already reached his nose. His master always had a strong palate, and this was the first time he had ever seen him eat such a light meal with such relish.

He hasn't eaten properly for several days.

Seeing that the other person had finished eating, Shen Cao started chatting with them casually.

"Brother Ji, how did you get these injuries?" Shen Cao asked curiously, gesturing and pointing to the injuries on Ji Lingfeng's body.

"He accidentally fell off the mountain while hunting."

You're lying. This isn't a scratch; it's clearly caused by a weapon.

Shen Cao was all too familiar with the injuries he sustained from falling down the mountain.

"Oh! Brother Ji makes a living by hunting?"

"Ok!"

Haha, keep lying. A hunter can afford to wear clothes made of silk.

"Then how did you get into our kitchen?"

“I walked along the foot of the mountain until I reached your house. When I saw that no one was inside, I came in.”

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you."

"Hey, it's nothing. I thought you were a martial arts expert hiding in my kitchen because you were being chased by your enemies."

Upon hearing about the pursuit, Ji Lingfeng's eyes immediately darkened, but only for a moment before returning to normal.

Shen Cao pretended not to notice.

"Brother Ji, don't worry about recuperating at my house. My family has moved to the county town and I rarely come back."

"Thank you very much."

"Brother Ji, you're too kind."

"By the way, Brother Ji, should I call a doctor to take a look at you tomorrow? You might have some internal injuries among all these injuries."

"No need. You know that hunting often involves danger. I'm used to it. I'll be fine in a few days. There's no need to call a doctor. Besides, I can't afford one."

"All right!"

Shen Cao talked with Ji Lingfeng for a while before leaving.

As soon as she left, He Yu climbed down from the roof beam.

"Master, how is it?"

"He's just a simple, unassuming farmer."

As soon as Shen Cao stepped out, she put away her previously clear and innocent eyes and revealed her true self.

She was right; the other person must have some kind of identity.