"It seems," he said, "that you’ve even brought enough to live on the mountain for over a month."
"No wonder you were so generous with the provisions."
He found it sowhat unbelievable, and then humorous, "You really are well-prepared. Were you planning to stay on the mountain for a while?"
Lu Tong: "Did you think I ca to the mountain to die? Even if I get lost in the mountains, I wouldn’t just drop dead imdiately."
"I can tell," Pei Yunng replied lazily, "you’re very familiar with this place."
Lu Tong was very familiar with the mountain paths.
Her physical strength was far better than he had imagined; she showed no signs of tiredness after a long trek, and despite the rugged and steep terrain, she moved as if she were accustod to it. The last ti they were at Mangming Township Tea Garden, she also walked quickly, like soone who traversed mountain paths regularly, nimble as a graceful little deer.
He casually picked up a twig and drew aimlessly in the snow as if to start a casual conversation, "Have you been here before?"
Cai Fang and Li Wenhu had described Luoi Peak as a desolate mountain, where Chaos Burial Mound often had decaying corpses, and even the flourishing Red Plum seed sowhat bloody and eerie. Su Nan had not seen heavy snowfall for years; the snow covered many traces, making it easy for soone to get lost, but Lu Tong had a clear purpose, obviously not her first visit.
Lu Tong looked towards the distance. The snowy landscape covered by a black cloth wasn’t very clear, vaguely different from what she rembered. She fell silent for a mont, then said, "I used to live here."
He was startled and turned to her, "By yourself?"
"With my master."
Pei Yunng was sowhat surprised.
After pondering for a while, he asked, "So, the first ti we t six years ago, were you already living on Luoi Peak?"
"Yes."
Pei Yunng looked at her, "Then why didn’t you invite to your place back then? We were so close to your ho."
Lu Tong: "..."
She said, "I was afraid you would lose your life."
"How so?" The man raised his eyebrows, "Is your ho a den of thieves, where anyone who enters gets discarded in the wilderness?"
Lu Tong: "Yes, you should be thankful to ."
"You’re speaking much more normally to now," Pei Yunng snorted, "I thought you were really intending to cut all ties with , the way you’ve been avoiding lately."
Lu Tong paused for a mont, instinctively glancing up at him. They could only see each other vaguely through the black cloth, unable to clearly make out expressions, only able to hear voices. But perhaps it was the inability to see the other’s gaze that offered a sense of security that they wouldn’t be exposed.
Holding the dry food tightly, Lu Tong changed the subject: "Why were you at the dical Officer’s residence today?"
"Didn’t I tell you? I suddenly felt unwell last night."
"You’re lying."
Pei Yunng studied the marks the twig had made in the snow and smiled faintly.
Lu Tong was very upset the night Ding Yong died.
She rarely shed tears, and the few tis she did, it was always related to her family. Ever since the Qi Family had fallen, she seed to float through life, adrift. But the tears she shed on his shoulder that night brought Pei Yunng abruptly into contact with a piece of her true heart.
It was like a tightly wrapped object showing a crack, maybe a good thing, yet exceedingly dangerous.
When a heart shows a crack, it becos fragile.
So he had Qingfeng pay extra attention to Lu Tong.
Yesterday evening, Lu Tong had asked for a shovel and also got so dry food from Duan Xiaoyan. She didn’t usually eat much, and she had also refused food sent by Duan Xiaoyan previously, which was unusual behavior. Later, Qingfeng saw her seemingly packing a bundle outside the window and reported it to him.
So he personally ca to keep watch.
Lu Tong was always silent when doing big things, like the ti she went to Shengjing alone for revenge, quietly. He always felt the need to keep a close eye on her, fearing she might do sothing unexpectedly startling again.
As it turned out, he wasn’t wrong.
Pei Yunng picked up a water flask and asked, "What are you doing up in the mountains?"
"Collecting herbs."
"Collecting herbs?"
"In the new prescription for treating the plague, there’s an ingredient called ’Houbian’. The poison of Houbian is not easy to neutralize, but I rember, sowhere on Luoi Peak, not far from the summit, there’s a stream, and on the cliff north of the stream, grows the Chimu vine. The toxicity of the Chimu vine is fierce, similar to Houbian’s, so it might be worth a try."
After Ji Xun told her about the Chimu vine, Lu Tong had been thinking that it might offer a glimr of hope.
But the shipnt had taken too long to arrive from Pingzhou, and Cuicui didn’t have ti.
She might not have ti either.
She rembered there was a place on Luoi Peak where the Chimu vine grew, but that was a long ti ago, and now she could only hope against hope, attempting a desperate search.
After listening, Pei Yunng nodded, "I see." He thought for a mont, then added, "So, you are familiar with this place because you often collect herbs in the mountains?"
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