"What skills?" The matter of ginseng was simple for A Jiu.
If there was an empty space to settle, she would plant more. At worst, she could store them in her spatial dimension, even soaking them in spiritual spring water.
Wang shi rattled off a string of terms, such as "spiritual energy embracing form," "ten thousand thoughts converging into one," "origin nurturing," "Eight Brocades," "unblocking the body's meridians," or fortune-telling with the Five Elements and Bagua.
A Jiu listened until her ears buzzed, but she felt it was impractical. "Can you transform things?"
"..." Wang shi's mouth twitched. "Transform what?" His tone was clearly impatient.
These skills were just things he had recently unlocked, yet this girl didn't want any of them.
"At least transform a carriage," A Jiu said, very seriously, counting on her fingers. "Dad said there aren't many mountain roads after we cross this mountain; it's all plains. If we had a carriage, maybe we could reach a warm place before winter."
With their current pitiful condition, they would freeze to death on the road.
"A carriage? You might as well ask me to rob one," Wang shi said, turning away in exasperation.
He wondered if his ancestor had sent a girl to help him cultivate to torment him or to assist him.
"Grandpa, is a carriage too big? Can you transform some winter clothes or something?" A Jiu followed closely, still pestering him.
"Clothes?" Wang shi stopped abruptly, rolled his eyes, and said:
"Sowing beans to create soldiers or turning stones into gold is impossible, but illusions are. You go plant some ginseng for me, lots of it, the more the better. Perhaps by winter, I'll have that ability."
"I don't want illusions; I want something that can really keep me warm." When A Jiu heard "illusions," she thought the clothes would be fake, just for show, useless if they couldn't keep her warm.
"Go, go, chattering like a bird. It'll keep you warm, don't worry."
Wang shi wasn't very confident. His current techniques still had many loopholes. Even if he reached the Core Formation stage, he might not be able to transform things; this was a technique that required dedicated cultivation.
The sun slowly rose, and the coolness of the heavy morning dew gradually warmed.
Cai Lihua and Meng Shaode, exhausted from the night, still had some remaining peaches. They leaned against tree trunks, sleeping.
A Jiu seized this time and, with a bite of her teeth, planted over thirty ginseng roots.
Wang shi climbed back into the tree to sit. "I'll watch from up high; you do your thing."
"Okay!" A Jiu obediently agreed.
After planting, she sat under the tree and watched.
A Jiu, in a daze, entered her spatial dimension, perhaps unwilling to give up.
She took out the bamboo ruler again and looked at it. She felt that the seeds and other items in the spatial grids were consumables.
Apart from these, everything else was extraordinary, but the bamboo ruler should have some special function, right?
Turning it over and over, A Jiu had almost memorized the "Rules for Disciples" carved on it, but she couldn't find anything special.
"Meng the fierce doctor?"
A familiar voice called out.
"It really is Meng the doctor."
A Jiu quickly exited her spatial dimension. As she opened her eyes, she saw Guang Wenqiang and the others, looking weary, appearing in the woods.
A Jiu quickly stood up. "Uncle Guang, are you alright?"
She really didn't dare to ask how many brothers had been killed last night; each one had died for their own people.
"We are fine. I was afraid they would bring more people, so I brought the brothers into the mountains to hide."
Guang Wenqiang's eyes clearly held sorrow.
They were all patients who had narrowly escaped death. Seven or eight people had died last night, but he believed they had all died willingly.
Seeing the fierce doctor's family unharmed at this moment, they felt their deaths were worthwhile.
"Why don't we travel together? We're all heading to Lingnan anyway," A Jiu said. She turned to her parents, took the remaining peaches and a watermelon, and gave them to everyone:
"We don't have much left. Please share and eat what you can."
Unexpectedly, Guang Wenqiang's eyes welled up with tears, and he said with a choked voice, full of emotion, "Doctor Meng has saved us several times. To accept your food again makes us feel too indebted."
"Yes, young lady Jiu, please keep it for yourself."
A Jiu's heart sank by half upon hearing this.