The morning mist enveloped the mountain forest like a soft veil, the mist resembling milk pouring down, weaving gently and drifting leisurely through the valleys.
In the mountains over twenty miles away from Yanhe City, a group of figures carrying bamboo baskets slowly made their way through the forest shrouded in mist.
"Achoo!" Liou Yuan, at the front of the group, was a bit allergic to the dampness in the mist, and his nose itched intolerably, forcing him to stop and sneeze.
The group of about seven or eight people behind him also halted due to Liou Yuan's pause.
Looking back, following closely behind Liou Yuan was his mother, Bai Xin.
Further back were some rough-skinned men and women who appeared to be rural farmers.
"I told you before, you shouldn't have come. The humidity in Kuiyin Gully is the heaviest, and you've never tolerated it since you were a child." Bai Xin's calm voice rang out from behind, revealing no emotions.
She wasn't good at expressing herself; her words of concern always came out differently.
Liou Yuan was used to it, not taking it to heart. Instead, he laughed cheerfully and said, "It's a small issue. These mountains are treacherous, even without an Evil Star, there are still wild beasts and spirits. By following you, I can at least ensure safety."
This group was a team of herb gatherers hired by Kong Dasheng, the owner of Xuanhu Clinic, to collect herbs.
Recently, Yanhe City experienced an epidemic that wasn't too severe. Although the death rate wasn't high, those infected suffered from severe vomiting and diarrhea, making it difficult to get out of bed.
In the West City alone, over a thousand households were affected.
The medicine supplies at Xuanhu Clinic were running low, or rather, the whole city was lacking enough medicine.
There was a medicine for treating the epidemic that could only be found in Kuiyin Gully, and Bai Xin, despite Liou Yuan's objections, insisted on coming in person.
Liou Yuan couldn't stop her, so he could only accompany her.
After rubbing his nose, Liou Yuan felt a bit better and continued on the path obscured by the mist.
The stationary team set off once again.
The sunlight grew brighter.
The overwhelming mist in Kuiyin Gully finally dispersed by midday.
And Liou Yuan and the others reached the herb gathering site, halfway up the mountain in Kuiyin Gully.
The herb gatherers hired by Kong Dasheng took out their tools and descended with ropes to begin collecting herbs from the mountainside.
Bai Xin originally wanted to go down as well, but Liou Yuan pulled her back, refusing to let her go.
"Mother, I've already compromised by coming out this time. If you go down there, don't say your son is being disobedient," Liou Yuan said, full of smiles as he tightly held Bai Xin's arm.
Ignoring Bai Xin's stern gaze, he refused to let go.
Bai Xin, usually assertive by nature, ultimately had no choice but to agree to wait at the edge of the cliff.
"For the Haiyin Grass, only take the stalks, be careful not to damage the roots, so they can grow again next year." Although she did not go down, Bai Xin stood seriously at the edge, supervising the gatherers' actions.
Meanwhile, Liou Yuan found a slightly flat spot behind Bai Xin to lie down, crossing his legs.
He grumbled, "Kong Dasheng is so stingy. I don't know why you stay at Xuanhu Clinic. With your medical skills, you could start your own practice."
Liou Yuan said it casually.
Unexpectedly, Bai Xin glanced at him and told a story.
"Do you think I was born with these medical skills?"
"The year your father died, we were so poor we could hardly eat, and that stingy Kong Dasheng you mentioned was the one who supported the three of us, allowing you two to grow up."
Liou Yuan, who originally had some criticism of Kong Dasheng, was stunned.
He never imagined that the notorious penny-pincher could be so generous.
Instead, he sensed something fishy and cursed inwardly, "Damn, that fat guy better not have any unwholesome intentions towards mom. I'll beat him up when we get back!"
It wasn't surprising Liou Yuan was suspicious.
In his memory, ever since his short-lived father died, there were always people harassing Bai Xin.
Back then, Bai Xin was quite attractive.
The situation only improved after Liou Zhen grew up.
When Liou Zhen's impressive aptitude was discovered, the harassment completely stopped.
"Anyway, we've repaid the debt of gratitude these years." Liou Yuan still believed Kong Dasheng had ill intentions, and his muttered words suggested Bai Xin should leave Xuanhu Clinic.
Liou Yuan thought Bai Xin would be upset.
Unexpectedly, she smiled with deep meaning and said, "The debt is repaid, but some things can't be sorted out."
"Like your arranged marriage with Kong Yi."
"What marriage!" Liou Yuan jumped up, startled.
He came to persuade Bai Xin to leave Xuanhu Clinic, and somehow the conversation veered towards his own marriage, with Kong Yi no less.
He never heard a whisper of this before.
"Kong Yi is your father's and Kong Dasheng's child bride arrangement."
"Why else do you think he supported us?" Bai Xin's smile was no longer concealed.
"You never mentioned this before," Liou Yuan said softly, his expression subtle.
Not that he had a bias against Kong Yi, but as a modern person, he was unimpressed with the concept of arranged marriages.
Besides, he's not Liou Yuan from the engagement, but Liou Yuan himself.
"I've taken over Liou Yuan's body, I can't possibly take his wife too?" Liou Yuan thought mischievously.
"Grown with abilities, and you look down on Kong Yi now?"
"When our family was in decline, Kong Dasheng never brought up calling off the engagement. Now that you've grown wings, you want to call it off? What would people think of our family?"
Bai Xin narrowed her eyes, a sign she was about to get angry.
Liou Yuan dared not meet her gaze, understanding Bai Xin's concerns.
Bai Xin was conscientious. She felt indebted to the Kong Family for their kindness and thus took the matter seriously.
Bai Xin didn't know the person in front of her was no longer her son, and continued earnestly, "Kong Yi excels in looks and character, her family well-off, yet she still studied medicine with me from a young age. Her diligence surpasses many men."
"She's more than a match for you."
She added, "You've grown up with your own ideas, and I can't and won't interfere with other matters. But your marriage, unless the Kong Family calls it off, we can't say a word."
This sentence finally silenced Liou Yuan's complaints.
He opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word.
"Sigh." Liou Yuan sighed deeply and sat back down, feeling a headache.
He couldn't possibly tell Bai Xin he wasn't her son.
Bai Xin, thinking about Liou Yuan's future difficulty in returning home after training, seriously suggested, "Don't worry, Kong Yi is still young, your marriage can be postponed, but it can't be called off."
"If we call off the marriage, people in Yanhe City will gossip about the Liou Family."
When she said this, Bai Xin's tone was unusually cold, definitely not joking.
It made Liou Yuan scratch his head.
The logic was sound, but he was not Liou Yuan.
No wonder Kong Dasheng hired high-priced gatherers.
These gatherers worked swiftly, filling their baskets to the brim before sunset.
After Bai Xin checked the harvest, she smiled and softly thanked them for their hard work several times.
Then, with Liou Yuan in the lead, the team headed back towards the sunset.
Judging by the time, they should reach Yanhe City before nightfall.