He wasn’t blessed with brilliance, his nature was too straightforward, and he always had a single-track mind. With limited abilities and a closed mindset, he could only do what was within his reach, relying on the most primitive method, one footprint after another, trekking all the way from Taihang Town to Qingfeng Prefecture here.
He even thought that if he couldn’t find the person in Qingfeng Prefecture, he would continue to search in other prefectures.
But seemingly fate rewards the diligent, not long ago, he learned from someone that there was a young girl who used to carry an unsightly little basket to the market to sell medicinal herbs; she seemed to be living up on Qingfeng Mountain. He wasn’t sure if she was the one he was looking for, and he knew that Qingfeng Mountain was notorious as Poisonous Mountain in Qingfeng Prefecture, a place fraught with danger. Yet, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, he was determined to grasp it tightly.
Perhaps no one knew how much he regretted it after that woman left.
He used to call her a stinking woman, initially harboring deep resentment and prejudice against her, always scolding her, always yelling at her. But after she was gone, he still wanted to yell, except now, he wanted to berate the him from the past who didn’t cherish her.
Why hadn’t he treated her better before she left?
He vaguely understood that the reason she left was because of Yixuan... there must have been some issues between the two of them. He could also tell that Yixuan held a special place in her heart; perhaps it was not romantic love, but certainly, it was exceptional. And if the reason had to be examined, it was probably because... Yixuan was, openly, the kindest to her in the family.
Yixuan was gentle, tender, not like himself who was always scowling.
Yixuan was very kind to her; no matter what he truly thought, at least outwardly, he was attentively kind to her.
He even thought that if he could have been a little nicer to her, not always scolding her, not being so rash and impulsive, not always disparaging her with his words, but instead, following his heart... when he received her care, he should have sincerely thanked her, not always be sullen over trivial things, not always use hurtful tones to mask his true feelings.
Then, even if she had been hurt by Yixuan in the beginning, would she have felt a tinge of reluctance to leave?
And if there was reluctance, might she have stayed?
But even after realizing all this, even though he had thought it through over and over, it was futile since she was gone.
Liang Yuening saw three unfamiliar faces, one of which was a slightly older man with the appearance of a coachman, carrying a water flask. Another, a youth who looked to be a few years younger than Yixuan, was propping up his upper body, and then there was the woman, clutching a dagger.
There was a bit of pain in his ankle. If it had been his old temper, he would have attacked unthinkingly, but four long months had passed, he had traveled to many places, experienced the warmth and coldness of the world, his initial restlessness was smoothed out, and the sharp edges on him had gradually worn off, allowing him to calm down and patiently assess the situation.
Were these people saving him?
Suddenly, he saw the woman take out a small bottle and scoop out some milky paste, the cool balm was applied near his ankle, carrying an extremely pleasant fragrance, which could penetrate the heart even from a distance.
He suddenly widened his eyes and then struggled to sit up, grabbing the woman’s arm.
"Where... where did this come from?"