"I'm not joking." Liu Jing felt heavy with guilt. If it weren't for her, Ye Lanshan's eyes wouldn't have been affected.
Ye Lanshan solemnly took her own pulse and let out a long breath. She smiled and said, "It's fine. There's just a blood clot in my brain blocking things up. Once it disperses, my vision will naturally return. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you during this time."
"No trouble at all. It's the least I can do." Liu Jing felt a sudden relief upon hearing that Ye Lanshan's eyes could still be saved. Ye Lanshan's blindness was her fault in the first place—how could she possibly find it troublesome? Even if she had to take care of Ye Lanshan for the rest of her life, she wouldn't mind.
In her space, Ye Lanshan had Huntian hand her a slightly unusual bottle of medicine. She fumbled to open the lid, sniffed it to confirm it was the right one, and then took the medicine with confidence.
After a short period of meditation, she asked Liu Jing to take her for a walk nearby. She wouldn't return to school until her eyesight was restored.
Just as they left, Ye Yutian and Chu Liuxiang arrived. Ye Yutian surveyed the chaotic scene without speaking, instead meticulously examining the bodies on the ground.
These corpses didn't look like puppets. Puppets would have blank expressions, not like these—fear still lingering in their eyes. And the killing method closely resembled Ye Lanshan's.
He then moved to the scarred patch of earth and indeed found several puppet corpses there. But there was no sign of Ye Lanshan or Zhou Haiming's bodies.
Ye Yutian's mood was neither good nor bad at the moment. Though he hadn't found their bodies, it suggested Ye Lanshan might still be alive.
He said to Chu Liuxiang in a low voice, "Don't let a second person know about this."
Chu Liuxiang shuddered at his words and quickly whispered, "Understood." Then the two returned to school.
Meanwhile, unaware that Ye Yutian was searching frantically for her, Ye Lanshan was leisurely eating in a nearby town.
"Lanshan, try this. It's amazing. I've never had such delicious buns. Absolutely incredible." Liu Jing grabbed one despite the heat, eating while also picking one up for Ye Lanshan.
Ye Lanshan bit into the thin-skinned bun. The flavor was indeed excellent. With one bite, the broth burst out, instantly flooding her taste buds. The filling was soft and perfectly seasoned, not greasy at all.
"Mm, it's really good." Ye Lanshan nodded in satisfaction.
"See? I wasn't lying." Liu Jing ladled soup for Ye Lanshan as she spoke. "Here, try this soup too. It's a masterpiece."
Ye Lanshan took a sip. At first, it had a faint sweetness, then transformed into a savory flavor as she swallowed. After it went down, a unique fragrance filled her entire mouth.
"What kind of soup is this?" Ye Lanshan had never tasted anything so delicious yet so peculiar.
"It's black chicken soup. What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?" Liu Jing quickly ladled herself a bowl, tasted it, and froze.
She waved to call the waiter over. The sharp-witted waiter immediately rushed to them. "Ladies, any further requests?"
"Is this really black chicken soup?" Liu Jing pointed at the soup.
"You two must be from out of town, right?" the waiter explained. "It is indeed black chicken soup, but we've added some special ingredients."
"Oh? What ingredients?" Liu Jing was clearly intrigued.
"One is hundred-flower honey, and the other is Lisu spice." Though neither was particularly famous, hundred-flower honey nourished the meridians, while Lisu spice was excellent for enhancing flavor and aroma.
"I see. You may go." Liu Jing showed little reaction after hearing this. But when Ye Lanshan heard that hundred-flower honey could nourish meridians, her fingers twitched slightly, though she said nothing.
After dismissing the waiter, Liu Jing turned and asked, "Lanshan, is there something you want to ask?"
Ye Lanshan paused before replying, "No."
After the meal, Liu Jing took Ye Lanshan upstairs to rest.
"Ah..." After a night of recovery, Ye Lanshan's eyes could finally make out blurry figures. They sat by the window, gently opening it to enjoy the breeze from outside.
Just as Ye Lanshan was completely relaxed, a sudden knock at the door shattered her good mood. Annoyed, she went to open it.
The moment she opened the door, a lecherous voice reached her ears: "Pretty little thing, I've had my eye on you for a while. How about coming inside with me for a little game?"
Ye Lanshan stood there silently. Onlookers shook their heads in pity, but no one dared to intervene. The man harassing Ye Lanshan was someone they couldn't afford to cross.
He was Yun Di, the son of Cloud Town's mayor. In this town, he did whatever he pleased. Someone had once tried to defend a girl he was harassing, only to be found dead in the woods near town the next day.
Since then, no one dared to provoke this young master. Now, the crowd could only shake their heads, lamenting another good girl about to be ruined.
"Get out." Though said calmly, everyone could feel the chill in her voice.
"A cold beauty, huh? Just my type." Yun Di rubbed his hands together, his grin growing more lecherous.
Ye Lanshan frowned in irritation. She was still injured and not in a position to fight. Suddenly, an idea struck her—Yan Hu! Right, she'd forgotten about him.
Just as Yun Di's hands were about to touch her, Ye Lanshan slapped him and quickly retreated a few steps, summoning Yan Hu.
"Damn it, you bitch! You dare hit me? Get her!" Yun Di clutched his slapped cheek and pointed viciously at several men.
Ye Lanshan had no interest in dealing with these small fries. She said to Yan Hu, "Kill them." Then she fell silent.
Liu Jing had been out shopping. When she returned to the inn, she heard an angry shout: "Just wait! My father won't let you off!" followed by someone scrambling away, bumping into her as they fled.
A sense of dread washed over Liu Jing. She rushed upstairs to find several corpses lying outside Ye Lanshan's door, but the room was empty.
She grabbed someone and asked, "Did you see the girl who was in this room?"
The person replied dazedly, "I don't know. I just saw a flash of white light, and then she was gone."