The wail rose as the little girl pounced to the ground, reaching for the shattered coarse clay pieces, to see that several Gu Insects were knocked unconscious in the broken pot, while some were pierced to death by the coarse clay shards when the pot had cracked open. She was crying, her little face filled with grief-stricken despair. Yet, observing her expression, Shen Qiuyang found himself inexplicably wanting to laugh for some reason. After the two of them arrived at Shen Qiuyang’s wooden hut, the little girl was fiercely grinding her back molars. She had wanted to refine a Gu King, and everything was ready, but an accident had led to the death of several insects. Now she had to start over! "I need to go out for a while," she said sulkily, looking at Shen Qiuyang, indicating she needed to catch some bugs. Shen Qiuyang took out a set of clean clothes from the cabinet, "These are my clothes, never worn before. When you go out, find a river to bathe and change into these. Don’t continue to be slovenly." The little girl lifted her sleeve to smell herself, then showing her small white teeth, "Okay, I promise to complete the task!" And so, Dong Huiying left with the clothes, deciding to catch bugs first, bathe, and then return clean! Shen Qiuyang stayed in the wooden hut, organizing the luggage Dong Huiying had brought. Seeing that the time was almost noon, she called for Da Bai to find Dong Huiying and bring her back, while she herself washed her hands and got ready to wash some rice and stir-fry a few dishes. But at that moment, "knock, knock, knock," someone was knocking at the door of the wooden hut. Shen Qiuyang opened the door and was taken aback. She saw the man standing outside the door, solitary and solemn, handsome and elegant. Although he was wearing a gray cloth hat, Shen Qiuyang recognized the man’s identity at a glance. "Please come in, come in quickly!" The Benefactor took off his hat, revealing a face that was handsome and elegant. He was dressed in a white cotton robe, clearly in his twenties, yet strangely, there were strands of white hair at both temples... Shen Qiuyang was busy serving tea and water to the man, her face full of smiles. A year ago, if this man hadn’t saved her from near death after falling off a cliff, she might have been reduced to mere bones by now — or perhaps even her corpse would have been consumed by the beasts of the mountain, leaving not even scraps of bones behind. "It’s really rare to have you visit. What brings you here?" The man lifted his right hand, smoothing out the wrinkles on his sleeve. He was as enigmatic as ever, unpredictable, and deep-chested. But his characteristic composure also made him seem like a tall and stately pine, carrying an extraordinary aura of leisurely grace. Suddenly joyful, Shen Qiuyang exclaimed, "Your hand?" She looked at the man’s right hand, a mix of surprise and genuine happiness on her face. The man smiled, "It’s fine now. I’m here mainly to ask for your help with something." "But say no more," she replied. From that one ’you,’ it was clear Shen Qiuyang had genuine respect for the man. "I know you have a group of people under you; I need them to help me do something, to spread a message." He took out a bamboo tube from his sleeve, "Just say... the person in this drawing is from Medicine Valley, from Divine Doctor Yun’s family." Shen Qiuyang picked up the bamboo tube without hesitation, "Rest assured, I will handle this matter properly." The man stood up to take his leave. Shen Qiuyang wanted to invite him for a quick meal, but the man declined, saying he had other matters to attend to and planned to return to Pingchang Prefecture.
