I long to return home!

The old man in black robes looked solemn as spiritual energy continuously gathered in the drop of blood, seemingly trying to refine it.

As his spiritual energy was depleted, the old man's face underwent subtle changes, becoming pale and his skin wrinkled.

Before long, he gave a soft shout, and the drop of blood was instantly refined, surging into the old woman's body and immediately radiating a rich vitality.

The aged face regained some elasticity, the gray hair gradually regained its black sheen, and the skin tone returned to normal.

Not only that, but even his long-standing hunchback was cured with the help of that drop of blood.

The old man in black robes looked exhausted. He clutched his chest and coughed lightly, then tried to regulate the restless and lost spiritual energy within his body.

"Your Highness, this old servant has done his best. I thought that if she could extend her life by ten years, she could take some longevity pills or other spiritual medicines in the future, and her lifespan could be extended for several more years."

"However, Your Highness, this old servant forcibly defied the laws of nature, expending his life force and greatly reducing his cultivation. He needs a hundred years to recuperate, and during that time, I fear I will be unable to protect Your Highness's safety." The old man's face was pale as he clutched his chest and sighed.

Hearing this, Murong Shuang was somewhat panicked. To have a Nascent Soul expert expend his life blood to save someone on the verge of death was to go against the laws of heaven and snatch someone from the underworld.

Their cultivation level will definitely be greatly reduced, and their lifespan will also be shortened considerably.

Looking at Shen Lian's thoughtful face, she made a silent resolution: "Your Highness has shown me such great kindness; I fear I am unable to repay it. I can only..."

Shen Lian let out a soft exclamation and gently patted his storage bag, taking out a jade bottle that was bound by layers of shackle spells. As the bottle cap was opened, a rich fragrance of medicinal pills swept out, and Murong Shuang felt that her cultivation had improved just by smelling it.

"Grandpa Zhang, take this pill and find a secluded place to heal your injuries. I will be resting here for a while, so there's no need to worry about my safety," Shen Lian said in a deep voice, handing over the jade bottle.

The old man in black robes was taken aback upon hearing this. The fragrance of the medicine inside the bottle was so strong that even he could smell it, indicating that it was no ordinary medicine. After taking the jade bottle, his expression became even more shocked, and he was so surprised that he could hardly speak: "Your Highness, this...this...this is a seventh-grade Qingyun Pill, and it's a top-grade treasure medicine. This...this old servant absolutely cannot accept it."

After confirming the contents of the pill, the old man hurriedly handed it back, saying, "It is already a great honor for this old servant to be able to help Your Highness with your troubles, but this Qingyun Pill is too precious and valuable, this old servant absolutely cannot accept it."

Shen Lian pushed the jade bottle back, took a deep breath, and spoke in an emperor-like tone: "There is no reason for me to take back what I have given. Grandpa Zhang, your lifespan and cultivation have been greatly reduced, so you can use this pill to heal your injuries. Perhaps you can even break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

The old man in black robes hesitated. This pill was too precious. Once it was refined, it would be snatched up by cultivators from all directions. Its value would be at least several million low-grade spirit stones or dozens of high-grade spirit stones.

Seeing Shen Lian's firm resolve, he had no choice but to accept the gift, cupping his hands in respect and saying, "Your Highness's great kindness will be remembered by this old servant. This old servant will first go to find a suitable place to cultivate in seclusion, and I hope Your Highness will be careful." After saying this, he left with Shen Lian's tacit approval.

After he left, Murong Shuang's expression softened. The value of a single seventh-grade pill was comparable to that of the entire Murong family, especially since it was of superior quality. At most, an entire cultivation family could only scrape together less than a hundred top-grade spirit stones.

"Your Aunt Liu should be fine now. She just needs to rest for a few days to digest that drop of essence blood," Shen Lian said calmly.

Murong Shuang pursed her lips. She was so moved that she didn't know what to do. She even had the idea of ​​being his wife for life.

...

It was almost the end of the day.

The old woman woke up and felt refreshed all over, full of energy. Even her hunchback, which she had suffered from for many years, was cured, though she was a little unaccustomed to it at first.

"Miss?!" She grasped the delicate hand of the woman who was carefully looking after Murong Shuang beside her, feeling quite surprised.

"Aunt Liu, once you're better, Shuang'er will never go back home again. I'll stay here with you." Murong Shuang hugged Aunt Liu, her voice trembling with tears.

Hearing this, the old woman roughly understood what had happened. Her gaze fell on Shen Lian, who was sitting outside. Although she didn't understand cultivation, she knew her own body well and knew that this had definitely cost her a lot.

At this moment, Shen Lian was also deep in thought. Earlier, during the treatment, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the wooden hairpin beside his pillow, which was the same wooden hairpin he had bought when they first met.

A short while later, with Murong Shuang's help, the old woman slowly walked out. After confirming Shen Lian's appearance, she was overjoyed and said gratefully, "Thank you so much, young master, for taking care of the young lady."

Shen Lian quickly stopped the old woman who was about to perform a grand salute, saying, "There's no need for such formalities, old lady. It's only right that we help each other as fellow Daoists."

The old woman smiled brightly, realizing she hadn't mistaken the person. Her gaze fell on Murong Shuang, and seeing the grateful yet slightly shy expression on her face, she immediately realized that her young mistress was smitten.

"If you don't mind, young master, please stay for a meal. This old servant will also need to thank you properly on behalf of my young lady," the old woman said.

Shen Lian couldn't refuse after hearing this, so he gladly accepted.

Time flies. Shen Lian sat quietly on the old wooden chair in the courtyard, watching the two busy in the small kitchen. Perhaps after falling in love with Murong Shuang, he gradually accepted his initial resistance to the dilapidated courtyard.

Before long, one steaming dish after another was served on the small wooden table, and just five or six dishes filled the table.

There were very few meat dishes; one dish might have some connection to meat, but the vast majority were vegetarian.

Shen Lian watched this scene, unsure how to start eating. Looking at the smiling Murong Shuang, he realized that she was no longer a young lady from a noble family, but rather an ordinary woman from this dilapidated courtyard.

"Your Highness, please try these dishes. They were made by Shuang'er herself. I wonder if they suit your taste." Murong Shuang picked up a vegetarian dish with her chopsticks and put it into Liu Ma's bowl, her smile very bright.

"Your Highness? Miss, is this young master His Highness?" Liu Ma was so surprised that she almost dropped the bowl.

"No, no, no, old lady, you've misunderstood. My name is Your Highness," Shen Lian quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over for Murong Shuang.

The old woman was relieved, but still looked at Shen Lian with some doubt. Although she was not very knowledgeable, she could still distinguish the dragon and phoenix patterns. The robes on the man in front of her were clearly not something that a young master from an ordinary noble family could wear.

She didn't think much of it. Perhaps as long as Murong Shuang was happy, nothing else mattered. Whether he was a noble young master or an ordinary boy, it didn't matter.

Shen Lian no longer harbored so many resentments. Perhaps he should truly savor the mundane things to better understand the suffering of the common people.

I picked up my chopsticks, took a simple vegetarian dish, and put it in my mouth. The taste wasn't amazing or delicious, but it wasn't bad either.

Seeing Murong Shuang enjoying her meal, he smiled faintly and tasted all the carefully prepared dishes on the table.

At this moment, he was neither a Taoist nor a royal prince, and Murong Shuang was not a young lady from a noble family. The three of them sitting in this small courtyard was quite comfortable.