Chapter 40

Huo Junda was beaten multiple times with a bamboo pole, and Huo Jianzhang even slapped him several times, leaving his face swollen. Huo Jianzhang was furious, gritting his teeth as he said, “Get out! Get out of the Huo family!”

Thinking about how his second son’s leg was crippled because of this guy and how heartlessly he treated his brother, he truly wanted to beat him to death.

Huo Junda held his swollen cheek, pitifully looking at Huo Jianzhang. “Dad, I’m your son! I’m your eldest son! I’ll be the one to take care of you in your old age. If I leave, who will take care of you? Who will…”

“Take care of me? You, of all people? I’m afraid you’d leech off me instead! Get out of here, now!” Huo Jianzhang shouted, raising the bamboo pole again, ready to hit him.

Huo Junda quickly dodged, pleading, “Dad, stop hitting me! If you hit me again, you’ll really beat me to death!”

Yao Guizhi angrily scolded, “If we beat you to death, so be it!”

Huo Junda: “…” His parents were so ruthless!

Huo Junda was eventually driven out of the courtyard, along with his two children, Huo Tianbao and Huo Tianhe. At this point, Yao Guizhi didn’t bother with the two grandchildren. Her heart and mind were entirely consumed with thoughts of her second son.

Her poor second son—why had he been so foolish? Why hadn’t he explained how his leg was injured? Why had he hidden such an important matter?

Huo Jianzhang, however, knew his second son’s thoughts. Earlier, he had gone to ask Huo Junli about it.

Huo Junli had initially intended to reveal the truth but hesitated, knowing it would cause a big uproar with the eldest branch of the family, potentially even leading to the family splitting apart.

He knew his parents’ greatest wish was for the family to live together harmoniously. He knew they didn’t want the family to scatter, so he held back the truth.

Later, when the eldest branch bullied his wife, he wanted to speak up but was threatened by his older brother.

His brother warned him that if he revealed the truth, he would retaliate, harm his wife, and even go after their child, Miao Miao.

Though furious, he was also afraid. His eldest brother was truly shameless and despicable. If such a person got desperate, he might really harm his wife and child. After much deliberation, Huo Junli decided to keep silent.

And so, he endured until now.

“Junli, my poor Junli!” Yao Guizhi cried as she ran toward Huo Junli’s room. The thought of her son suffering so much pain made her heart ache.

Huo Jianzhang’s eyes turned red again as he followed, heading toward Huo Junli’s room.

During dinner, Huo Junda stood outside the courtyard gate with his children, trying to come in for food.

But Yao Guizhi closed the gate. She didn’t even want to look at her eldest son. Just seeing his face made her furious.

Huo Junda tried to use his children as leverage, saying they were hungry and wanted to eat dinner. But this time, Yao Guizhi didn’t soften.

She glared at the gate and shouted for Huo Junda to leave.

Huo Junda stood outside the gate, feeling a chill in his heart. His mother was too heartless! How could she not care about Tianbao and Tianhe? They were her grandchildren!

Late at night, Huo Junda climbed over the courtyard wall with his children. Lan Yun’er, hearing noises inside the house, let out a cold laugh.

That troublemaker Huo Junda couldn’t hold back and finally climbed in.

After struggling to get in, Huo Junda headed straight for the kitchen to look for food. But the kitchen was empty—nothing was left.

Seeing the cold stove and barren pantry, Huo Junda’s face darkened.

His parents had done this on purpose. They deliberately ate everything, leaving nothing behind. Were they trying to starve him and his children to death?

He wanted to cook something, but there wasn’t even a single grain of rice in the kitchen. His idea of cooking was just wishful thinking.

In the end, he had no choice but to return to his room with his hungry children. Fortunately, there was still some food left from what he had bought in town earlier, though not much—just enough for Huo Tianbao and Huo Tianhe to eat.

The two children ate until they were half full, but Huo Junda ate nothing.

Lying on the bed, Huo Junda’s stomach growled. Staring into the darkness, he spat bitterly, blaming his younger brothers. “Just you wait, Junli and Junhe, you two brats!”

The next morning, the Huo family courtyard was chaotic again.

Yao Guizhi chased Huo Junda around with a bamboo pole, while he cried for mercy.

She had known about him climbing over the wall last night but hadn’t confronted him then. Seeing him in the courtyard this morning, she was immediately furious and grabbed the pole to hit him.

Huo Jianzhang stood nearby, watching coldly. If his health hadn’t been poor and if he hadn’t strained himself chasing Huo Junda yesterday, he would have joined in the beating.

Like Yao Guizhi, just seeing Huo Junda’s face made him want to hit someone.

After another morning beating, Yao Guizhi forbade Huo Junda from eating, not even letting him near the table.

After breakfast, she stormed into his room, rummaging through his belongings.

Huo Junda tried to stop her. “Mom, what are you doing? What are you looking for?”

Yao Guizhi shoved him aside, glaring without answering, and continued searching.

When Huo Jianzhang entered, he blocked Huo Junda with the bamboo pole, leaving him too afraid to intervene.

Despite his unruliness, Huo Junda wouldn’t dare fight his parents. After all, the house belonged to them. If he pushed them too far, they might really kick him out.

Eventually, Yao Guizhi found over fifty yuan in his room.

Seeing the money, she became furious.

Her eldest son had been crying poverty every day, borrowing money from his younger brother, yet he clearly had money hidden away! His shamelessness was outrageous!

Glaring at him, Yao Guizhi snatched the money and walked out quickly.

Watching his money disappear, Huo Junda felt like his heart was bleeding.

“Mom, leave me some! That’s my hard-earned money! I was saving it for Tianbao’s school fees!” he called after her.

Yao Guizhi turned back; her expression icy. “Your hard-earned money? Isn’t this Junhe’s money? You’ve been lazing around and skipping work—where would you get hard-earned money? You’ve borrowed so much from Junhe this year. This money must be his!”

Huo Junda: “…” He was left speechless, helplessly glaring in frustration.

Taking the money, Yao Guizhi and the third branch accompanied Huo Junli to the county hospital to treat his leg.

Lan Yun’er had wanted to go too, but Yao Guizhi insisted she stay home to guard the house.

Although Huo Junda and his two children were still home, Yao Guizhi no longer trusted Huo Junda.

After they left, Lan Yun’er didn’t stay home either. She packed her basket and headed into the mountains.

But before leaving, she found “help” to guard the house.

After the last incident with the stolen pork, she wasn’t taking any chances. If she wasn’t home, she had to leave someone reliable in charge.

Otherwise, what if things got stolen again?

Lan Yun’er entered the mountains and first searched for some medicinal herbs, then headed to the heart of the forest. There, she put down her basket and sat on the ground, gazing at the tree spirit.

“Old Tree, I heard you know medicine, right? Can you heal a crippled leg?”

She didn’t trust the medical skills of this era’s hospitals and felt the county doctors probably couldn’t cure Huo Junli. She thought the tree spirit might be more reliable.

The tree spirit replied, “Someone in your family has a crippled leg?”

Lan Yun’er nodded. “Yes, my husband’s second brother has a crippled leg.”

She then explained Huo Junli’s situation in detail.

After listening, the tree spirit said slowly, “From your description, your second brother-in-law’s leg is very severe. Ordinary doctors likely can’t treat it.”

Lan Yun’er didn’t panic upon hearing this. Instead, she raised an eyebrow slightly, “Then you can heal it, right?”

“Yes, I can,” the tree spirit said with a slightly proud tone, “My medical skills are unparalleled. Of course, I can heal it.”

Lan Yun’er: “…”

A tree that truly knows how to boast about itself!

“Can you help me heal him?” Lan Yun’er smiled slightly and asked eagerly.

The tree spirit paused, not responding immediately. After a few seconds, it said, “I can help, but I… have a condition.”

“A condition?” Lan Yun’er’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the tree’s thick trunk, “What do you want? Speak plainly. If it’s something I can manage, I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

The tree spirit chuckled, “My condition is simple. I want you to learn medicine from me.”

“What?” Lan Yun’er thought she had misheard because it seemed the tree spirit wanted her to study medicine from it.

“I’m most proud of my medical skills in this life. Sadly, for so many years, I haven’t found a disciple to inherit my knowledge. So now, I want you to learn medicine from me.

“Rest assured, if you become my disciple, I will teach you everything I know without holding back,” the tree spirit said with a serious and solemn tone.

Lan Yun’er’s mouth twitched. She, a thousand-year-old demon with over a millennium of cultivation, was being asked to learn medicine from a tree spirit with only a few centuries of cultivation? If word got out, others would laugh at her!

“Ask for another condition. I don’t like being someone’s apprentice, and I’m not interested in learning medicine.” Lan Yun’er’s face turned cold as she refused firmly.

The tree spirit: “I have only one condition.

“If you don’t agree, then I won’t help you save anyone.”

Lan Yun’er: “…”

This tree spirit was truly exasperating!

Lan Yun’er stood up from the ground, brushed off the grass sticking to her clothes, and said, “Think it over. Life is long, and you’re bound to want something else. Once you figure out what it is, you can make another request.”

The tree spirit chuckled, “No need to think. I just want you as my disciple.”

Lan Yun’er: “…”

This conversation was going nowhere.

She took the herbs from her basket, washed them at a nearby small pond, and then took out her alchemy furnace to refine some pills, ignoring the tree spirit entirely. After refining the pills and meditating for a while, she slung her basket over her shoulder and prepared to descend the mountain.

At that moment, the tree spirit tried to persuade her again, “Miss, though becoming my apprentice might seem beneath you, what I’m offering is my life’s knowledge of medicine.

“Learning my medical skills can only benefit you. This is a blessing, like a pie falling from the sky! Why wouldn’t you take it?”

Lan Yun’er sneered internally. A pie falling from the sky? More like a trap falling from the sky.

For her, a thousand-year-old demon, to learn medicine from a spirit with a mere few centuries of cultivation—wouldn’t that be humiliating?

Her expression darkened, and without responding, she pushed off the ground with her toes and sped down the mountain.

The tree spirit watched her leave: “…”

Heartbroken. Why wouldn’t she agree? Learning its advanced medical skills was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Lan Yun’er returned home.

All the way back, she kept thinking about the tree spirit’s unreasonable condition, which left her in a bad mood.

When she entered her yard, she planned to head inside and rest, but the sight in the courtyard left her momentarily stunned.