Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

"Surprised?" Guan Xun looked at the person who jumped up from the stool with amusement, thinking that he always made a fuss over nothing.

God!

Dongyang was more than surprised; he was utterly terrified! He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, "This is talent too?!"

"Hmm..." Guan Xun's dark eyes darted around, and he nodded casually, "I guess so."

Being able to cultivate is a good thing, so no one can bully my sister. But the path of a spiritual master is not easy, and many people go astray and suffer from demonic possession during cultivation.

Guan Xun could easily guess what Dongyang was thinking. After all, his thoughts were written all over his face, and his excessive love for his sister inevitably made him a bit sentimental.

She poked the fire with a stick and said casually, "I wonder when the academy will start enrolling students."

"About a month from now, when all the universities will send recruitment teams." Dongyang did some calculations, then hesitated, "...Are you really going?"

"When have I ever joked?"

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Dongyang fell silent. He was not a spiritual master and therefore could not enter the academy. Even if he were, he was already well past the age limit for admission.

If his sister goes to the academy, they will have to live separately. He knew this day would come, but he still couldn't help feeling reluctant.

His sister... was his only remaining family member in the world.

"Xiao Xun, I'll visit you at the academy when I have time." Dong Yang lowered his eyes, his voice low and deep.

Guan Xun wasn't as sentimental as him; in fact, she didn't even know what sentimentality was.

When her mother passed away, she was still in the palace eating fruit and playing with her spirit pet. When someone came to report, she just smiled and let it go.

The fall of a lord simply means that the next lord should take over; nothing more.

"Hmph~" Guan Xun chuckled, flicking a strand of hair behind his ear with interest. "Why are you so mournful? Other academies aren't this strict with admissions, are they?"

“Ah…yes.” Dongyang paused, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. “But I’m not a spirit master, so I can’t enroll.”

"Doesn't the academy have a single course on medicine?" Guan Xun frowned. That seemed unlikely. Were they all self-taught?

These words struck a chord with Dongyang. Yes, he could become a doctor even if he wasn't a spiritual master! He had a great interest in herbs since childhood, and with his high talent for discerning their properties, he could easily get started.

How could he be so slow-witted? He didn't even think of that!

"You're right, I can be a doctor! But I don't know the admission rules."

Dongyang was a little conflicted. He rubbed his hands together, but quickly came to a decision. No matter what, he had to try. If he could get hired, that would be great. If not, he could still become an apprentice at the town's medical clinic.

Guan Xun, too lazy to probe his thoughts, changed the subject and said, "Stop the acquisition office, we don't need to go anymore. We need to go into the Illusion Forest a few times during this period."

“If you recognize medicinal herbs, you can pick some and sell them; the price won’t be lower than what the purchase price would be.”

She knew Dongyang's wages at the purchasing station: 3 coins a month, more than even begging, and he only got an extra meal.

"Okay, I see."

After making up his mind, Dongyang focused on preparing for student recruitment.

… …

The soft light pierced through layers of green leaves, spilling onto the tender green grass and casting a halo around it. The morning mist was thick, and the air was very fresh.

Guan Xun walked ahead, her skirt damp from the dew, clearly indicating that she had been walking in the forest for quite some time.

Dongyang followed behind her, carrying two large burlap sacks under his arms. His eyes darted back and forth through the forest, full of curiosity.

The person in front of her suddenly stopped, and Dongyang almost bumped into her because he wasn't paying attention.

"what happened?"

Guan Xun didn't answer him. Instead, he half-squatted down, reached out and parted the pile of grass at the base of the tree next to him, exposing several different tender yellow plants to the air.

She sniffed the air, turned to look at Dongyang, and pointed at it with her slender finger, saying, "Look at this."

Dongyang bent down, looked in the direction of her fingertip, and shook his head slightly: "No poison."

Huh? Is it really that amazing? Identifying medicine with your eyes?

"And what about the one next to it?"

"It's not poisonous either."

"And this one?"

"It... I think it should belong to the type of herb used to make itching powder or paralyzing agents. Its effects are very weak, and it shouldn't be considered poisonous. I don't know which category it should be classified into." Dongyang pondered to himself.

Guan Xun was quite surprised. Could there really be such a divine person? She was not proficient in medicine and did not know much about herbs, but she could roughly identify them, mainly by her sense of smell.

Talent is a truly wondrous thing; a genius indeed.

"Then you can also distinguish the effects of herbs?" Guan Xun asked, his eyes sparkling.

"How could that be? We'll only know the effects after we try it." Dongyang found it a little funny to see her expectant look. Even a god wouldn't be this amazing, would he? She was giving him far too much credit.

"That's it..."

Guan Xun suddenly realized, turned his gaze and swept it back and forth over the few herbs, then reached out and plucked half a leaf from one of them, turned around and stuffed it into Dong Yang's mouth without hesitation.

Dongyang: ? ? ?

A strong, astringent sensation instantly spread from the tip of his tongue to his entire mouth. His gaze fell on the herb that was missing half a leaf, the one that wasn't considered poisonous.

Shocked and incredulous gazes turned towards Guan Xun. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word, because his entire mouth—no, now his entire face—was numb...

"So, did you taste any of the medicinal effects?" Guan Xun asked with a grin.

Dongyang: ...

Dongyang: "Ah...ah..." (numb)

"Huh? What did you say?" Guan Xunhao shamelessly put his hand behind his ear, pretending to listen carefully to what the other person was saying, which made Dongyang anxiously point to his mouth.

After a while, Guan Xun softly said, "It seems to be the effect of the paralyzing drug."

"You guessed right, thank you for your hard work." She stood up and patted Dongyang's shoulder with rare satisfaction, her previous doubts about him completely dissipating.

"Okay, pack them all up."

A pat on the shoulder to acknowledge someone is a natural gesture, but it looks particularly comical because of their height difference.

She led Dongyang to search for all the medicinal herbs they had noticed during their previous cultivation, picking and collecting them regardless of whether they were poisonous or not.

This process of getting ready took a whole day.

Even so, the large sack was not full.

As the sun sets and night begins to fall, a faint darkness stretches across the horizon.

Whether it was the rustling of leaves or the movement of weeds, there was a constant rustling sound all around.

Dongyang rubbed his cheeks, which were no longer numb, and looked around. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Even though there was no wind, he felt a coldness.

He lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Xun, it seems a bit cold. Shall we go back now?"