Chapter 13: Harvest

By the time the work in the dispensary finally came to a pause, the sky was already nearing dusk.

Steward Liu checked over the sorted medicinal herbs and gave a nod, which counted as approval of the day’s work.

Only then were the others allowed to disperse, each dragging away their tired bodies as they left.

Qingyun did not leave at once. She deliberately lingered behind, and only when Huzi had finished tidying up and was preparing to leave as well did she casually move closer.

In truth, her mind had long since sunk into the system panel within her consciousness.

【Name: Qingyun】

【Bone Age: 14】

【Cultivation Realm: Mortal (initial qi-guiding)】

【Spirit Root Aptitude: Mutated dual ice-lightning attribute】

【Innate Foundation and Comprehension: Outstanding natural talent】

【Cultivation Method: Longevity Art (initiated)】

【Owned Magic Treasure: None】

【Spirit Source: 126】

Looking at those three clear digits—“126”—displayed after 【Spirit Source】, Qingyun was practically blooming with delight inside.

Although she did not yet know exactly what this number meant, or which functions of the system it might be enough to unlock, this was a real, tangible gain!

This was the reward brought by an entire afternoon of her “hard work.”

Compared with the pitifully thin wisp of spiritual qi she had managed to absorb only after sitting cross-legged for so long last night, this method of obtaining Spirit Source by absorbing the essence of medicinal herbs was plainly far more efficient. It was practically an unexpected windfall!

She felt full of energy from head to toe. Even the Bai Residence in the evening gloom seemed a little more pleasing to the eye.

At that moment, Huzi, walking ahead of her, let out a huge yawn and rubbed the back of his aching neck. Fatigue showed plainly between his brows.

After several continuous hours of hauling, sorting, and checking, the physical toll on a boy his age was no small one.

Seeing this, Qingyun hurried two steps forward until she was walking beside him, then took the initiative to speak.

“Hey, Huzi, let me ask you something.”

Hearing her voice, Huzi turned his head.

The afterglow of the sunset had coated her profile in a layer of soft warm light. There was no sign of weariness on her face. Her eyes shone brightly, and she looked far more spirited than he did.

Huzi could not help freezing for a moment before a simple, honest smile appeared on his face. “Mm? What do you want to ask?”

“It is just...” Qingyun asked in an offhand tone, though her heart was a little tense. “Work like today’s herb-sorting—how often does the dispensary usually have that sort of thing?”

Huzi thought for a moment, then answered,

“Well... that is hard to say. It mainly depends on the consumption from the storeroom, and on how much needs to be supplied to the Eldest Young Master, the Master, and the other courtyards.”

After a pause, he continued,

“Generally speaking, a new batch comes in every three or four days. Sometimes, if things are busy, there may even be new stock every other day. But a situation like today, where several big bundles arrive all at once, is not especially common.”

“Then...” Qingyun’s eyes brightened even more as she looked at Huzi with obvious anticipation. “If there is work like this again next time, and there are not enough hands, could I come help again?”

“Huh?” This time, Huzi was truly stunned. He even thought for a moment that he had heard her wrongly.

He studied her expression carefully. She did not look as though she were joking.

The work of sorting medicinal herbs, while not physically heavy, was extremely draining on the eyes and mind. One had to keep identifying and classifying things without pause. It was dull and exhausting.

Usually, the servants brought in temporarily to help could barely endure it once. In private, they would all grumble about it, and if the same task came up again, they would avoid it if they could.

Someone like Qingyun, who was actually asking to come back and do it again, was the first of her kind he had ever seen.

“Qingyun, this kind of work... is actually quite grinding,” Huzi reminded her kindly.

“If today’s shipment had not been especially large, and if Steward Liu had not needed it urgently, Steward Huang would not have temporarily transferred someone over from elsewhere. Under normal circumstances, it is always handled by the few fixed people in the dispensary.”

“It is all right, it is all right,” Qingyun quickly waved her hands, and the sincerity of her smile was so genuine that Huzi felt momentarily dazzled.

“I rather like dealing with these herbs and flowers, and I find sorting them into categories quite interesting. Truly, I do not mind the trouble at all.”

What she was thinking in her heart was:

This is a stable, cost-free source of Spirit Source! Even if the amount gained each time is not much, little by little it will accumulate. Only a fool would let it slip away! As for being tired—

After cultivating 《Longevity Art》, her mental endurance seemed much stronger than before. After an entire afternoon of work, she genuinely did not feel all that exhausted.

“...”

Huzi looked at Qingyun’s eyes, clear and bright under the sunset, and at the undisguised hope on her face. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

All at once, he felt that this girl called Qingyun seemed a little different from when he had first met her yesterday.

She clearly still had that same face, dotted with freckles and not particularly beautiful to begin with, yet somehow... she looked more pleasing to the eye. She even seemed a little... pretty?

That thought made the tips of his ears grow faintly warm. He quickly turned his face away, not daring to keep looking into Qingyun’s eyes, and his voice lowered as well.

“All right... all right then. If things are too busy next time, I will mention it to Steward Huang and see whether he can call you over again.”

“That is wonderful! Thank you, Huzi!” Qingyun thanked him happily, her smile growing even brighter.

This joy came straight from the heart, not only because of the source of energy, but also because this honest young boy was willing to help her.

The orange-red light of the setting sun happened to spill across her upturned face, dyeing that sincere smile in a layer of warm radiance.

A few loose strands of hair were lifted by the breeze, and the entire person seemed full of life beneath the fading evening sky.

Looking at that smile, Huzi’s heart suddenly began thumping faster for no reason at all, and his face grew even hotter. In some fluster, he only gave a vague “Mm,” then stammered,

“N-no need to thank me... Well, I-I am going back first!”

The moment he finished speaking, he nearly broke into a hasty stride, awkward to the point of stumbling over his own feet, as he fled toward the area where the servants lived. His retreating figure looked distinctly hurried.

Qingyun remained where she was, blinking somewhat blankly as she watched Huzi’s back, which could almost be described as “fleeing in panic.”

“Why is he walking so fast? Is he that tired?” she muttered, feeling puzzled, but did not think deeply about it.

She had transmigrated into this world, and the mode of thinking from her previous life as a male programmer still influenced her.

On top of that, in this life, she had never once been doted on as some delicate young girl in her adoptive parents’ house. There truly was a lack in her character of the refinement and sensitivity common to girls of this era.

As for that slight stirring in Huzi’s youthful heart, brought on by the subtle change in her bearing after cultivation and the sight of her smiling in the sunset, she was utterly oblivious.

Her thoughts had long since flown to those 126 points of Spirit Source, and to the hope of coming back to the dispensary to “help” again next time.

“Hm-hm, hm-hm...”

She hummed a tuneless little melody under her breath, her steps light as she made her way toward that secluded courtyard belonging to Yueli.

Night slowly descended, gradually swallowing her into the deepening dusk.