Of course, Fujin couldn't possibly outrun Mu Yang on land.
It didn't take long before Mu Yang caught up to her.
Not daring to linger, he immediately hauled Fujin back to the tea stall.
He knew that Yaojun rarely ever got angry.
But among the four of them, if she truly lost her temper,
she was the most terrifying.
If he dared to leave her behind and slip away alone,
the consequences would be dire.
Better to sacrifice Fujin than himself.
Who told her to stir up such trouble in the first place?
Upon returning to the tea stall,
Mu Yang didn't dare look at Yaojun's expression.
The sheer oppressive aura she radiated
sent a chill down even Fujin's spine.
She quickly scooped up Lingyuan
and bolted home at full speed.
The entire way, she kept repeating in her heart:
'Must not give Yaojun time to react!'
'Must not give Yaojun time to react!'
...
Yaojun grabbed Mu Yang by the collar as he tried to sneak away.
With a gentle smile, she asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
Mu Yang broke out in a cold sweat.
"Uh... I have something to take care of at home..."
"Don't even think about it. Go gather herbs for me!"
And so, Mu Yang spent the entire night as free labor in Yaojun's pharmacy,
sorting medicinal ingredients.
The next afternoon,
Mu Yang saw Lingyuan sneaking into the pharmacy,
wrapped tightly in a blanket.
Well, after last night's mortifying spectacle,
she probably had no face left to show.
But why didn't she just return to the mountains?
Wouldn't that be simpler?
Mu Yang leaned against the counter, watching Lingyuan's antics.
There were no customers in the pharmacy yet,
so he had no idea what she was hiding from.
Deciding to mess with her, he suddenly shouted,
"Thief!"
"I'm not! I didn't do anything!"
Only then did she realize—that familiar voice belonged to Mu Yang!
She glared at him.
"Why did you scare me like that?!"
Mu Yang stepped out from the side.
"You're the one sneaking around like a ghost!"
"No, I... I need to ask Yaojun for help. If she doesn't fix this, I'll never show my face again."
Mu Yang thought to himself,
After what happened yesterday,
you're lucky Yaojun isn't holding you accountable.
'Who's prettier, you or Yaojun?'
What kind of question was that?
Since when did you care about such things?
And now you dare come to her for help?
He told her bluntly,
"If you're too embarrassed to show your face, just go back to the mountains."
"What exactly do you expect Yaojun to do about this?"
Lingyuan whispered,
"Fujin said the festival still has a few days left. I wanted to stay a bit longer."
"She also said Yaojun has a remedy that can help, so I came..."
Mu Yang grew more confused the more he listened.
A remedy? What nonsense is this now?
Does she mean something like a face-changing pill or something?
Since when did Yaojun dabble in such things?
Something felt off.
He probed further, "Why did you suddenly ask me that question yesterday?"
Lingyuan looked puzzled.
"What question?"
"You don't remember anything from yesterday?"
Lingyuan thought for a moment.
"I just remember Fujin giving me a new kind of tea to drink."
"Then I ate a few more tea cakes than usual."
"Not that many, really, just a few."
"After that, I fell asleep."
Mu Yang facepalmed.
So she blacked out.
But that didn't make sense.
If she didn't remember anything,
why was she wrapped in a blanket like this?
He asked directly,
"Tell me the truth. Why did you come to Yaojun?"
Lingyuan hesitated.
"Do I have to say? You can't tell anyone!"
Mu Yang nodded.
Lingyuan lowered her voice.
"Those tea cakes I ate yesterday... made me gain weight..."
Mu Yang: ???
Meow meow meow?!
"You got fat?!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! How can I show my face after getting fat from eating human food?!"
Mu Yang was speechless.
He had already pieced together the truth.
"So... Fujin told you this, didn't she?"
"And she also said Yaojun has a prescription to help you lose weight and 'regulate your body,' right?"
Lingyuan nodded repeatedly.
Mu Yang didn't know how to break the harsh truth to her.
He simply pointed toward the inner room.
"Yaojun's in there."
Lingyuan went in.
Sure enough, moments later,
she stormed out furiously.
"Fujin! You lied to me again! This time, I'll make you pay!"
Mu Yang watched her retreating figure
and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
"Ah... Your body is just a manifestation of adeptal energy."
"How could you possibly gain weight from eating?"
Some time later,
Mu Yang was practicing his swordplay outside his little wooden cabin,
same as always.
He felt like he'd hit a bottleneck.
He didn't know what else to practice.
He just swung his sword randomly, trying whatever moves came to mind,
unsure of his current skill level.
Fujin and Yaojun weren't fond of combat.
Lingyuan could spar with him,
but she didn't use weapons—
she relied on close-quarters combat.
Mu Yang's sword was too sharp,
so their fights often ended up restricted.
"Maybe I should cross the mountains and find someone to test my skills?"
The plan sounded feasible.
Mu Yang began mapping out his journey.
It had been a while since he last saw the Cloud Retainer and the others.
Now that he thought about it, he kinda missed them.
First, I'll head to Mt. Aocang, then to Guili Assembly.
Just as he was about to set off,
Yaojun appeared.
The barefoot beauty in plain robes approached the cabin.
This was a rare visit.
Mu Yang knew she was usually busy—
hadn't he just helped her sort herbs all night not long ago?
Why did she have time to visit today?
Yaojun asked,
"Going somewhere?"
Mu Yang confirmed.
"I'm planning to visit Cloud Retainer and the others."
"And maybe find someone to spar with."
Yaojun nodded.
"I see. That's fine. Send them our regards."
Mu Yang agreed.
Then he asked why she had come today.
"Isn't your pharmacy usually busy?"
Yaojun replied,
"It is, but I have a few apprentices who can handle consultations now."
"I can afford to be away for a few days."
Mu Yang: "I see. Then what's the reason for today—"
Before he could finish,
Fujin and Lingyuan arrived as well.
The two of them crept over mysteriously.
"Yaojun, you didn't tell him in advance, right?"
"We agreed to surprise him together."
"Of course I didn't. If I hadn't stopped him, he'd already be at Mt. Aocang by now."
Now Mu Yang was completely lost.
A surprise?
What's going on this time?
It's not like any of us celebrate birthdays or anything...
Before he could figure it out,
the three of them told him to place his sword on the small wooden table nearby
and turn around.
A moment later,
"Alright, you can turn back now."
Mu Yang turned around
and saw that his sword now had a scabbard.
Now, it looked exactly like its in-game depiction.
The coiled white branches rising along the sheath
were likely formed from adeptal energy.
The three Soul-Soothing Flowers at the guard
were carved from jade.
"Hehe, surprised? This is a gift we've been working on for a long time."
"These three flowers represent the three of us."
"The scabbard protects the blade."
"Just like how we'll always protect you."
Mu Yang's nose tingled.
Hearing those words,
it was impossible not to be moved.
He truly hadn't expected this scabbard to be a symbol of pure friendship.
Fujin teased,
"My idea was great, right? Mu Yang's about to cry from happiness."
The three of them exchanged smiles,
pleased with his reaction.
With such dear friends by his side,
Mu Yang's journey would have to wait.
In a moment like this,
how could he not brew a pot of fine tea
and cherish the company of his friends?
How else could he honor such sincere friendship?