Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

Qiao Jingjing really didn't expect to run into Xuan Yi again in the same spot in the mountains.

However, he was accompanied by five other people this time. Qiao Jingjing glanced discreetly at the group about ten meters away. The young man surrounded by the others was clearly their leader, given their protective stance. From a distance of more than ten meters, her features were obscured, but her face appeared somewhat pale.

"What a coincidence, are you here to deliver my consultation fee?" Qiao Jingjing was just teasing, but to her surprise, the other party nodded seriously. "I should have delivered the consultation fee I owed you a long time ago, but I haven't been able to find the time. I didn't expect to meet you here. Please wait a moment."

The Lin siblings were startled by the swords at the waists of the men. Although they didn't seem like bad people, being in the mountains and always on high alert, encountering someone who knew martial arts was still somewhat frightening. Qiao Jingjing smiled at them and reassured them that it was alright.

Xuan Yi, who had turned back, was at that moment borrowing money from his master, Tantai Zhou, the seventh prince of the Great Liang Dynasty.

"Master, she is Miss Qiao who saved me. The medicine she gave me is very effective. I promised to pay for the medicine, but I left in a hurry today and didn't bring any money. Could you lend me some money, Master? Hehehe." His expression was as obsequious as could be.

Tantai Zhou was speechless inside, but showed it on his face. He parted his thin lips slightly and said, "Shen Qing."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the signal, Shen Qing took out a silver note from his person and handed it to Xuan Yi. "Remember, deduct it from his salary when you get back."

Xuan Yi happily ran over to give the silver note to Qiao Jingjing.

"This is too much." Qiao Jingjing looked at the silver notes in her hand, which had a face value of one thousand taels. "I don't have change."

"No need to look anymore." Xuan Yi scratched his head. "Consider it a token of gratitude for the young lady saving my life."

"How can this be?" Qiao Jingjing stuffed the silver notes back into Xuan Yi's hand. "I only accept what I should accept, and it was just a small favor for me. How can I accept so much silver?"

“But…” Xuan Yi wanted to persuade him further.

"If you think it's too much, how about I give you some more hemostatic powder? It works very well."

Seeing this, Qiao Jingjing couldn't refuse any longer. "Then thank you very much. But I didn't bring the medicine powder with me today. How about this, my house will have its roof beams raised on the 28th. You can come and join in the fun, and I'll give you the medicine then."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Qiao Jingjing didn't ask them why they were there or where they were going. Frankly, what did it have to do with her? She probably would never cross paths with them in this lifetime.

Watching their departing figures, Qiao Jingjing couldn't help but wonder, what exactly were these people?

Back home, Lin Zhijie helped pry open the shells, while Qiao Jingjing taught Lin Xiuli how to organize the herbs. None of the three mentioned the silver notes; they were more concerned about what to eat for lunch.

The group of six in the mountains spent the entire morning searching but still couldn't find the hidden path in the valley that Xuan Yi had discovered. Due to his injuries, his memory was somewhat fragmented; he only vaguely remembered it being in this area. Logically, given Tantai Zhou's noble status, he shouldn't be here accompanying them in their search. However, recent assassination attempts had triggered a relapse of the Seventh Prince's old ailment, forcing him to find a place to hide first.

There was a traitor within the military camp, so he could only take his trusted confidants to a newly discovered location to hide for a while. At least until Xuan Wu returned with his father's reply, he would temporarily avoid danger.

The current emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanjing, Tantai Lie, did not have many children, but seven sons grew up successfully. His favorite son was Tantai Zhou, born to Consort Zhao. Tantai Zhou resembled him greatly in temperament, appearance, and even cunning and shrewdness when he was young.

He began his formal education at the age of three, could compose poetry at five, and was well-versed in the Four Books by eight. At twelve, he joined the army for training, and just three years later, he achieved great merit by recapturing the border city of Tongcheng.

The talented and skilled Tantai Zhou was a dashing figure. Even under the blazing sun, as he galloped on horseback, spear in hand, his billowing cloak was awe-inspiring. The Emperor had intended to bypass his ministers and announce the Seventh Prince as Crown Prince upon his return to the capital, but the news leaked for some reason. Soon after, news arrived that the Seventh Prince had been injured and poisoned at Tongguan. The poison was cured, but he was left with a heart ailment, unable to use his internal energy.

The emperor knew perfectly well that his own favoritism had harmed his beloved son. To lower the guard of those behind the scenes and to allow Tantai Zhou to recuperate in peace, he issued an edict designating Runan County as his fiefdom, forbidding the seventh prince from returning to the capital without imperial decree. He secretly dispatched the Xuanjin Army to protect him closely, and the father and son communicated only through letters.

Military power was not taken back, but 6 men were nominally transferred away under the pretext of reduction, leaving Tantai Zhou with 4 soldiers. A prince with only 4 men, whose fiefdom was not a wealthy place like Jiangnan, and who was also plagued by old illnesses, was still a cause for concern, and people repeatedly tried to kill him.

Because Nanling County under Runan Commandery was closer to the capital and had many mountains, Tantai Zhou chose this county to garrison his troops when he arrived at his fiefdom. He instructed his soldiers to appear lazy and indolent, and then petitioned the emperor again to reduce the number of soldiers by another 2.

Standing still and taking a beating wasn't in Tantai Zhou's nature. He decided to secretly train a team, giving him an extra layer of protection for the future. He didn't tell the emperor about his plans and arrangements for the people he dismissed, not because he didn't trust his father, but because he was worried about the news leaking out.

A total of 80,000 soldiers were laid off, and 60,000 of them were reassigned to other mountain peaks. The valley that Xuan Yi found this time was in Daqingshan, which could accommodate 20,000 people.

"Your Highness, please rest for a while. Your health is really not suited to overexertion."

"Doctor Feng is absolutely right. Your Highness, please rest for a while. I'll go hunting to find some food."

These were all seasoned martial arts masters, skilled in hunting, but Tantai Zhou had little appetite. These men knew how to hunt but not how to cook; the food they roasted came out charred black, making his already bitter mouth even less inclined to eat. He thought to himself, "Even a dog wouldn't eat this."

"Your Highness, please eat, it tastes quite good."

Tantai Zhou: "..."

Qiao Jingjing didn't know what had become of these six people; they were currently having a family meal. After thinking for a long time, Qiao Jingjing finally decided what to eat: hot pot and a large stew would be perfect for a large group. She didn't want to make hot pot yet; she'd wait until it got cold. A large stew in an iron pot would be just right now.

I killed a chicken, stir-fried it, poured in well water, brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned it to medium-low heat. I added potatoes, chestnuts, greens, sweet potato noodles, tofu, and all the vegetables I could eat at home. Luckily, the big iron pot was large enough; it wouldn't have fit in a modern kitchen.

Qiao Jingjing thought of the famous Northeastern dish—iron pot stewed goose—and decided she should raise some ducklings and goslings next time.

Qiao Jingjing ladled out a bowl, covered it with a plate, and had Qiao Wanjun take it to Qiao Zhengguo. She had been quite pleased with the elderly couple's behavior lately and was intentionally trying to build a closer relationship. Most importantly, she needed to ask Qiao Zhengguo and his wife to do things for her; after all, she felt obligated to help them, and things would be easier later.

The members of the second branch of the family stared at Qiao Wanjun with eyes that seemed to want to pierce through him, seeing the bowl in his hand. Qiao Wanshi stared at Qiao Wanjun with a gloomy face, and Qiao Wanjun sighed inwardly.

Sigh, you're hopeless.