In the dream, she turned into a grass, growing on the top of the green mountain, receiving the essence of the sun and the moon and opening her mind.
A pharmacist went up the mountain to collect medicine. When he saw her, his eyes were filled with joy.
She recognized this person as Bai Zhi.
With a smile on her face, Bai Zhi pulled her out of the soil, put her in a basket and took her away.
Back at the pharmacy, Bai Zhi carefully stuffed her into the stove.
Liu Ruyan looked at the dark medicine stove, with hot steam coming out and a bitter smell filling the room.
Bai Zhi coaxed and lied: "Be good, just take one sip and you'll be fine."
She was so choked by the bitter taste that she immediately slapped her and said, "Drink your sister!"
Liu Ruyan sat up from the bed.
What caught his eye was a bowl of dark medicinal soup.
Shen Yanchu was sitting on the bedside, his eyes still a little confused.
Liu Ruyan rubbed her forehead: "Why did I hear Bai Zhi's voice?"
Shen Yan started to hold the bowl: "He was planning to give you medicine just now. Who knew you were not being honest in your dream?"
She raised her eyes and looked around: "Where is Miss Wan?"
Shen Yanchu's tone was very unkind: "I escaped from the palace and I don't know where I'm going."
She nodded, but the medicine in front of her was too bitter, so she pushed the bowl away with disgust: "What kind of medicine is this? It smells so bad."
Shen Yanchu looked at her: "This bowl of medicine can clear away heat and reduce fire, and can detoxify the poison in your body."
She was quite embarrassed: "Is it okay if I don't drink?"
Shen Yanchu's attitude was firm: "No."
Liu Ruyan tried to change the subject: "I still remember that in the military camp, the Jiangnan Navy used hallucinogenic incense to make people mistakenly think that the commander-in-chief was killed. Come to think of it, the method is exactly the same."
Shen Yanchu recalled: "The Buddhist incense this time is much better than before."
She agreed: "The so-called demons and ghosts are just insanity caused by inhaling Buddhist incense. No one would have expected that this unsolved case was actually the work of a kind-hearted monk."
Ye Xun couldn't help but spoil the story: "The sacred grass from the Western Regions can be used to make medicines or be made into poisons. Excessive use of it can lead to emotional excitement, visual and auditory hallucinations, and even madness."
"I see."
When Shen Yan first heard her talk nonsense, he was almost fooled.
"You know the incense is very poisonous, but you still refuse to drink the medicine?" He stirred the bowl and took a spoonful. "The medicine is mixed with honey. It doesn't taste bitter. If you don't want to drink it, I will feed it to you."
He put the medicine to her mouth.
Liu Ruyan held her breath and took a small mouthful.
He scooped up a second spoonful.
Liu Ruyan opened her mouth to swallow it and asked vaguely: "Why are you so nice to me?"
Shen Yanchu was silent. Along the way, she rescued him from trouble, taught him how to swim, and helped him find his mother-killing enemy.
No matter how much he did, it would never be as good as hers.
"Even if my heart is made of ice, it will be warmed by you when I meet you." His voice was clear and clear.
Liu Ruyan cupped her chin and looked at him. Not only was this man good-looking, but his words were as sweet as honey.
No wonder she was bewitched and fell into the love web he weaved.
Liu Ruyan frowned and moved closer to his lips.
Because she was holding the medicine in both hands, Shen Yanchu was caught off guard and was kissed by her on the lips.
"Sweet." Her eyes were slightly drunk.
After taking the medicine that night, he stayed in her room.
The next day.
The sky was bright and clear, and everyone bid farewell to the king.
Now that the case of evil spirits has been solved, the king's worry finally came to an end. In front of all the civil and military officials, he granted Liu Ruyan and others a wish.
A wish?
The officials looked at each other, and all they could think of was money, power, and the supreme honor.
Liu Ruyan glanced at Shen Yanchu, Bai Zhi, Dong Qingxian, Gong Shuyu, and Jin Buhuan.
After thinking for a moment, she took a step forward and said politely: "I have a friend from Jinling who was separated from his family since he was a child. He has been searching for relatives for many years without success, so I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Lord to grant him a wish."
"In exchange for money, I will find a relative." She said loudly.
Hearing this, Jin Buhuan felt a sourness well up in his chest. He stared at her straight back, showing strong strength in her weakness.
The king looked at Jin Buhuai and nodded: "Okay, I will grant your wish."
"The Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs." The head of the country personally ordered, "From now on, a thorough investigation of all household registrations will be carried out."
"My lord, I obey the order—"
At the same time, the prompt sounded: "The plot character Jin Buhuan, the loyalty value is 90, and the host has successfully formed a concentric contract."
Noon.
The palace guards escorted Liu Ruyan and his party out of the palace gate along the way.
The carriage drove through the streets and then found an inn to stay.
Liu Ruyan changed out of her Bai costume and returned to her original appearance as a man.
When he came out of the room, Gong Shuyu was still looking at him for a moment: "Why are you wearing these clothes again?"
She turned the dagger and inserted it into her girdle: "It's just for convenience."
Bai Zhi had just put the kongjing in place. He walked out of the room and said, "Everyone is hungry. Let's go to the second floor to have a meal."
The inn is located on the bank of the Qinhuai River, with a unique view. There is a verandah on the second floor, which is perfect for viewing the scenery of Jinling.
The riverside is covered with silver, and red lanterns are hung on the branches. It is almost the end of the year.
As soon as Liu Ruyan sat down, a waiter came out to serve tea. She ordered some home-cooked dishes, and the others added a few more special dishes to fill a table.
While waiting for the food, she looked around and saw a clear figure behind the bamboo curtain, who looked like Gu Qing.
The man was drinking alone and looking at the river in trance.
"Guest, the food is served——"
Liu Ruyan sat sideways and asked the waiter to put the dishes away.
Gu Ting heard the sound and looked at it from a distance, and was surprised and happy for a moment.
"Little brother--" he waved.
Liu Ruyan responded with a smile.
Gu Qing came over and said, "I didn't expect to meet an old friend here. What a coincidence. What a coincidence."
Shen Yanchu looked at him: "This is..."
Liu Ruyan explained: "The painter Gu Qing once painted for the king of the country."
Everyone suddenly realized that Gu Qing's name had been heard for a long time.
It was not easy for the guests to just stand around, so Bai Zhi warmly invited: "Since we all know each other, Brother Gu, there is no need to be polite. Come on, come and take a seat."
Gu Qing responded with a smile.
During the dinner, Gu Qing talked more and more.
Although he is polite, he is not formal in his treatment of others after getting to know everyone.
After some conversation, they found that Gu Qing was the oldest and Liu Ruyan was the same age as Gong Shuyu.
Gongshuyu is still fighting: "You were born in August in Huai'an. Where are you, Xiaobing?"
Liu Ruyan: "I am on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month."
Gong Shuyu counted the days: "Isn't it tomorrow?"
She nodded.
Dong Qingxian suggested: "How about hosting a birthday party for Yan'er? What do you think?"
She touched her nose and became cautious: "There's no need to go to such trouble. In addition to eating, the birthday banquet is just drinking. It's a waste of money."
"You don't know this." Jin Buhuan said with great interest, "In addition to eating, drinking and having fun, you can also receive gifts at the birthday banquet. You two have to prepare well."
Giving gifts? Dong Qingxian almost forgot about this.
Jin Buhuan summed it up: "How about this? Tomorrow night I will be the host and go to the best restaurant in Qinhuai River to celebrate Brother Liu's birthday."