"What's wrong?" Ah Jiu turned back.
"Nothing." A rare trace of sadness flickered in Tuoba Yan's eyes.
"Oh, be careful on the road." Ah Jiu opened the door and entered the backyard, without looking back.
Tuoba Yan stared fixedly at the gap in the door until the maid was no longer in sight. "Sister Jiu'er, how can I become someone from the same world as you?"
By the time she entered the room, it was completely dark. Only Liu Cai'er was still looking at her notes by the oil lamp.
"You're back, Jiu'er. Help me see, doesn't the third acupoint in the cochlea correspond to the heart meridian?"
Ah Jiu leaned in to look. "Yes, it corresponds to the heart meridian. But the heart and small intestine are related. This acupoint for the small intestine also needs to be used in conjunction. A single acupoint is only a temporary fix, not a cure."
"Right, how could I forget." Liu Cai'er studied it for a while. "Jiu'er, I've noticed that when I get anxious, I tend to forget these details. The more I try to recall, the more anxious I become. You never forget."
"Because I'm not anxious," Ah Jiu smiled faintly.
"That's true." Liu Cai'er made a mark, closed the thread-bound booklet, and stretched. "You haven't eaten, have you? Our mother left a bowl of porridge. I'll get it for you."
"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law." Ah Jiu grinned and took a swig from her water pouch, then suddenly stared at it.
If the snake venom was a temporary fix, then this water was the fundamental solution.
"Here it comes." With a creak, Liu Cai'er placed a large bowl of congee on the table.
Ah Jiu, lost in thought, picked up the bowl and slowly drank. "Sister-in-law, I don't know much about herbs. How many kinds of herbs can strengthen the foundation and nourish vital energy?"
"Ah? Jiu'er, you want to learn about herbs too? That's my specialty!" Liu Cai'er said enthusiastically.
"There are many herbs that strengthen the foundation and nourish vital energy. The foremost among them are those in the ginseng family. Of course, ginseng is the best. There's also..."
Liu Cai'er listed no less than thirty kinds.
Wow, so many. Ah Jiu couldn't even count them with her toes. "It's so hard to learn."
"Not hard, not hard. With time and accumulation, it will all sink in." Liu Cai'er pointed to her head.
Ah Jiu slurped down her meal and placed the empty bowl on the table. If only she could be like Grandma, then she wouldn't need to remember so many herbs!
"Sister-in-law, you go to sleep first. I need to go to the outhouse." Ah Jiu got up and left.
It was pitch black in the courtyard. Ah Jiu, with her keen eyesight, followed the outline of the courtyard wall and climbed up. Silently, she sat beside her grandmother, imitating his posture and crossing her legs.
"Don't break your legs." Wang Shi mumbled.
Ah Jiu's face fell. "How did you get up there? Doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it go numb? My feet go numb if I squat for too long."
Wang Shi's eyes snapped open and she chuckled. "What, want to learn immortal cultivation from me?"
Seeing her grin, it was clearly mischievous, a look of smug satisfaction.
"I don't want to be an immortal. But I do want to learn your ability to heal people without herbs, Grandma." Ah Jiu said earnestly.
Wang Shi suddenly burst into laughter.
Ah Jiu quickly moved to cover her mouth. "Keep your voice down! My mother gets upset when she sees us together."
"Your mother is short-sighted," Wang Shi batted away the little grubby hand and stared at the small figure beside her with a strange look.
"You're too foolish. You're not suited for immortal cultivation."
"Ah? I'm foolish? Grandma, I think I'm quite smart. Look, at such a young age, I can understand the causes and consequences of the current war and the strategies. How can you say I'm foolish?"
Ah Jiu felt indignant. It was the first time she'd praised herself so smoothly.
"Tell me, and I'll admit you're not foolish." Wang Shi huffed, a hint of smugness in her heart. So you looked down on him for cultivating immortals, did you? Now who's impressed?
Ah Jiu recounted her reasoning in detail.
Wang Shi, with a wise expression, made a gesture of stroking her beard. "Hmm, you see things quite clearly. However, this set of inner cultivation techniques is not taught lightly."
Ah Jiu was stunned. That old scoundrel was so eager to have her cultivate immortals a while ago! Why is he being so pretentious now?
Wang Shi closed her eyes, ignoring Ah Jiu completely.
Ah Jiu had a sudden idea and took out five or six water pouches from her懷. "This should be enough, right?"
Wang Shi opened one eye, smacked her lips in disdain, and fell silent again.
"Then... then this should be enough, right?" Ah Jiu gritted her teeth, took out a ginseng root that had been soaking in the spiritual spring, and placed it on the tile.
Wang Shi's pupils contracted. She took it and held it to her nose.