Chapter 147: Boiling Medicine

The eastern sky gradually began to show a hint of pale white. Mo Bai finally rushed back. Fortunately, since Mo Bai's departure, Wu Luohua and the others had not encountered any unusual incidents, which finally allowed Mo Bai to set his mind at ease. He then smiled at the Red Wood Woman, who had been keeping company with the other two, and said, "Many thanks for your guidance, Sister Red. I have successfully fulfilled the mission and brought back the Seven-Leaf Lotus." As he spoke, he drew that single leaf of the lotus from his bosom.

A flash crossed the Red Wood Woman's eyes, and with her characteristic smile, she remarked, "To have the Seventh Junior Sister personally descend into the freezing abyss for you, Mo Bai, you surely have a tremendous fortune."

Mo Bai chuckled and said, "You guessed wrong this time, Sister Red. I went to the bottom of the abyss myself this time, and I plucked the Seven-Leaf Lotus with my own hands."

The Red Wood Woman looked at Mo Bai with some astonishment. She was well aware of how monstrous that freezing abyss was. Let alone asking her to go into the water, even that dwelling place was a spot she never wanted to set foot in again for the rest of her life. Yet, she had not expected that Mo Bai, visiting that place for the very first time, would actually descend into the water himself to harvest the Seven-Leaf Lotus. He was truly formidable.

Then Mo Bai stated, "Miss Xiao said she wants to hand this medicine over to Miss Yurou to brew, as she is quite well-versed in the path of pharmacology."

The Red Wood Woman smiled calmly and said, "I didn't expect the Snow Girl to have told you quite a bit of news. Indeed, among our sisters, the Sixth Junior Sister is the most proficient in this domain. I shall go call her over now. Please wait a moment." The Red Wood Woman turned and left the courtyard.

Wu Luohua smiled calmly and easily at Mo Bai, saying, "Big Brother Mo, your guess was indeed correct. This Yihua Sect is indeed undercurrents surging beneath the surface. There is truly a secret battle unfolding between Yuzhi and Yuxiu—one is profound and boundless, while the other is determined to win at all costs. So, Big Brother Mo, alas, we have been innocently dragged into this."

Mo Bai nodded, knowing that Little Hua must have used the time of his absence to have a heart-to-heart discussion with the Red Wood Woman, thereby arriving at this conclusion. He drew the hairpin from his bosom and said, "Perhaps the owner of this hairpin will give us the answer. However, on my way to the freezing abyss just now, I happened to encounter Yurou, who is supposed to brew the medicine shortly. Her hair was all disheveled, and she had lost her proper hairpin. I do not know how to explain this."

"Oh? Such a thing actually happened? How could this Yihua Sect be so bizarre?" Wu Luohua felt somewhat perplexed, because just moments ago he had practically locked his targets onto Yuzhi and Yuxiu. How could a Yurou suddenly and inexplicably emerge? Doubts arose once more in his heart: "Big Brother Mo, when you met Yurou, did you converse with her? What was her expression at the time?" Xiao Hua asked.

"She seemed somewhat shy, as well as somewhat nervous and flustered," Mo Bai said, trusting his intuition. "Why do I feel there is something rather odd about this?"

Xiao Hua laughed knowingly and said, "Big Brother Mo, perhaps you have encountered another stroke of romantic luck, who knows?"

Mo Bai, however, shook his head and said, "I feel that if this matter was truly done by Yurou, then she is the most formidable person of all."

The air seemed to congeal slightly for a brief moment. Wu Luohua narrowed his eyes, picturing the Yurou he had only seen once—a daoist nun who looked as ordinary as ordinary could be. If it were her, what on earth was her purpose?

Nalan Xiner slowly woke up, only to feel a sort of stifling energy obstructing her within her body. Apart from this oppressive feeling, there was no other discomfort. With a single flip, she tumbled off the bed, walked out into the patio courtyard, and smiled, "Oh, good morning, you two! Ah, I slept so soundly." As she spoke, she gave a proper stretch, and the clothing across her chest was nearly split open.

Mo Bai looked at the little enchantress's complexion, which was still quite rosy, indicating that it was just as the Red Wood Woman had said—only that one particular internal injury. Only then did he set his mind slightly at ease. Before he could speak, the Red Wood Woman had already hurried over with Yurou in tow.

Yurou carried various jars and bottles with her, clearly in preparation for boiling the medicine shortly. Nalan Xiner asked with puzzlement, "Oh, what delicious treats are we making so early in the morning?"

Wu Luohua gave a bitter smile and replied, "Yes, the very first batch made will be fed to you. These are the ingredients Big Brother Mo spent half the night hunting down yesterday."

"Junior Sister, I leave this place to you. I still have some matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first," the Red Wood Woman instructed Yurou, nodded to Mo Bai and the others, and then turned away. The chief senior disciple of the Yihua Sect was not as leisurely and carefree as she appeared on the surface.

"I must trouble you with this, Miss Yurou," Mo Bai said courteously, handing the Seven-Leaf Lotus to Yurou. Yet, at the very moment their hands touched, Mo Bai did not sense any emotional ripple between Yurou and himself.

Only then did Yurou softly say, "Great Hero Mo, please stay behind to assist me. Young Master Wu and Miss Nalan, please go inside the room and rest."

The little enchantress still wanted to see what good things were being cooked up, but Wu Luohua grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the room. As he pulled her along, he said, "Miss Yurou's recipe is a closely guarded family secret; we can't have you stealing it."

The little enchantress protested unconvinced, "Then why does Big Brother Mo need to help? I am a girl, you know. Cooking things should be something I do."

"Have you ever cooked anything?" Wu Luohua asked skeptically.

"Th-this... does soaking my feet in hot water count?" Nalan Xiner stammered for a long while before coming up with that single sentence.

Wu Luohua immediately took a grand tumble, but the little enchantress walked into the room as if nothing had happened at all.

Inside the courtyard, after Yurou had arranged all the bottles and jars for boiling the medicine, she set up the fire-starting apparatus Mo Bai had brought, and then began drawing water to brew the medicine.

A small flame slowly brought the clear water to a boil. Yurou was utterly focused. It was not until she dropped the Seven-Leaf Lotus into the medicine pot and a clear, fragrant aroma slowly began to diffuse that Yurou finally began to relax. Yet at that very moment, her pretty face unexpectedly flushed with a delicate crimson.

Mo Bai finally caught the change in her expression, though this change was far too bizarre. Mo Bai could be certain that during the potion-making process, Yurou had definitely not resorted to any tricks, so why did Yurou's expression change at this exact moment?

Just as Mo Bai was speculating, he heard her lower her head and say with a hint of shyness, "Great Hero Mo, may I ask if Young Master Wu has come up the mountain to open his spiritual gateways?"

Mo Bai nodded and replied, "That is indeed the case." He was momentarily dazed, wondering why Yurou had brought up Little Hua the moment she spoke. Perhaps it was just polite conversational small talk to break the ice, but Mo Bai quickly realized otherwise.

Hearing Yurou's voice grow tiny, she asked, "Then how long will Young Master Wu stay on Mount Feng?"

"That will depend on after the morning liturgy of your esteemed sect today, once True Person Yunmeng has examined my brother Little Hua. Only then can it be determined."

Yurou uttered an "oh," and suddenly, as if gathering all her courage, she said, "Great Hero Mo, this humble younger sister has a presumptuous request and would like to ask for your help."

Mo Bai smiled. "Please speak your mind, Miss Yurou." Mo Bai knew that the crux of the truth might well lie in Yurou's next sentence, so he had no reason to refuse.

"I... I want to renounce monasticism, for... for Young Master Wu's sake." By the time Yurou reached this point, she could no longer produce any sound, and the delicate hand holding the medicine fan was trembling slightly.

Mo Bai finally understood the whole picture. So this little daoist nun's heart had been stirred by romantic longing! She had actually taken a fancy to Little Hua. Could it be that last night she had come running over stealthily just to catch a glimpse of Little Hua? And the reason for her disheveled hair could it be—could it be that she wanted to see what she would look like after renouncing monasticism?

"Miss, do you mean to say that you have feelings for Wu Luohua?" Mo Bai probed cautiously.

Yurou gently nodded and said, "If Young Master Luohua does not disdain me, I am willing to beg my revered master to let me cast aside my hairpin and return to the secular world."

The knot in Mo Bai's heart was finally untied to some extent. Relying on his years of experience in dealing with various women, he could now completely perceive that Miss Yurou had fallen deeply into the throes of love. It was just that Little Hua's heart was wholly set on Ganyu; I'm afraid Miss Yurou's chances of success were exceedingly slim. Nevertheless, Mo Bai offered comforting words, saying, "Miss Yurou, rest assured. I understand your meaning. How about this: I can go inside the room shortly and chat with my brother Little Hua, but I fear the young lady's chances are not very high."

Yurou's body instantly seemed drained of all strength. Recalling the playful banter between Wu Luohua and Nalan Xiner from just moments earlier, she felt a piercing bitterness in her heart. Could it be that her very first romance was going to end in nothingness just like that? She didn't even have the opportunity for it to begin.

The fragrant aroma of the Seven-Leaf Lotus began to slowly emerge. Yurou looked at the medicine pot, a wave of poignant emotion stirring in her heart.

Before long, Mo Bai walked out and gave Yurou an apologetic shake of his head. Yurou smiled bitterly, as if she had long anticipated this outcome. With a sorrowful expression, she said, "People's destinies are always so unfair. Some things are simply not within my grasp. Thank you, Great Hero Mo. At least I tried, so I suppose I shall have no regrets in this lifetime." With those words, she poured the medicine, which now filled the courtyard with fragrance, into a porcelain bowl and handed it into Mo Bai's hands.

Mo Bai offered comfort, saying, "Thank you very much, Miss Yurou."

At that moment, the little enchantress could no longer suppress the mouth-watering aroma. She immediately bolted out from the room, ran up to Mo Bai, and said somewhat sheepishly, "Big Brother Mo, is the delicious delicacy ready? I could smell the fragrance. Oh! It's actually a bowl of soup! Ah, Big Brother Mo, was this specially prepared for me?" Nalan Xiner asked with innocent charm.

"Indeed, it is all yours." Mo Bai looked at the little enchantress with a smile.

The little enchantress looked back at Wu Luohua, who made an inviting gesture. Nalan Xiner beamed mischievously and said, "Brother Hua, you've matured." Then, she gleefully took the bowl, took a large gulp, and her pretty face instantly flushed red. "So comforting," Nalan Xiner declared happily.