Chapter 18

After receiving her new name, Xiao Xihe officially became a disciple of Medicine God Valley. Having saved the ‘Eldest Senior Sister’ even before formally joining, the previously tearful young girl was now exceptionally warm toward her.

“Starting today, you’ll be sharing a room with me. I’m Liu An’an, sixteen years old… You must be a few years older than me, right?” the girl asked curiously.

Xiao Xihe nodded. “Yes, I’m a few years older.”

“Then I’m still your senior sister since I joined before you,” Liu An’an blinked playfully.

Xiao Xihe chuckled. “Yes, Second Senior Sister.”

Liu An’an had expected her to be displeased but was surprised by how quickly she accepted the title of junior sister. Satisfied, she continued, “That old man earlier—your master—is Liu Jiang, my biological father. My mother is Xin Yue, whom you’ve also met. As for Senior Sister Lian’er, no need for introductions. We also have an eldest senior brother, but he’s currently traveling and won’t be back for a while. I’ll introduce you when he returns.”

Xiao Xihe agreed with a smile and followed her around.

Despite it being summer, Medicine God Valley had a pleasant climate, with gentle breezes rustling through the mountain forests. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Xihe felt genuine joy at the thought of spending her retirement-like days here in the future.

When Liu An’an turned around and saw her smiling eyes, she couldn’t help but grin too. “Junior Sister, you may not be conventionally pretty, but your smile is really lovely.”

She paused, belatedly realizing how backhanded the compliment sounded, and awkwardly added, “I meant it as praise…”

“I know,” Xiao Xihe waved her off, signaling no need for further explanation.

Liu An’an laughed sheepishly. “As long as you don’t mind. I tend to speak without thinking. If I ever offend you in the future, please tell me—I’ll definitely change.”

“Being straightforward is good too,” Xiao Xihe affirmed.

“Mm!” Liu An’an, carefree as ever, brightened again.

After touring the valley together, they visited the Eldest Senior Sister’s cave.

Having rested for an hour, Lian’er had mostly recovered her strength. Upon seeing them, she snorted a few times and nudged a piglet toward Xiao Xihe.

“Senior Sister is thanking you,” Liu An’an explained. “She also wants you to be the piglet’s godmother.”

“…We’re already fellow disciples—family, really. There’s no need for formal godparent titles,” Xiao Xihe said awkwardly, pausing when she met the piglet’s large, dark eyes. “But if you’d like, I can give it a name.”

Lian’er snorted in agreement.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Xihe declared solemnly, “Let’s call it A Ye.”

“A Ye… That’s a lovely name,” Liu An’an exclaimed in delight before growing suspicious. “You didn’t name it that just because its father was a wild boar, did you?”

“…Of course not. The name simply suits it,” Xiao Xihe replied guiltily, stroking the piglet twice. “So plump and delicious.”

“That doesn’t sound like praise for a child,” Liu An’an remarked with a strange expression.

…Occupational hazard. Xiao Xihe coughed and abruptly changed the subject. “Why did Master take Senior Sister Lian’er as his disciple back then?”

Liu An’an’s attention shifted instantly. “Ah, it was out of spite.”

“Spite?” Xiao Xihe grew curious.

Liu An’an nodded: “Lian’er was originally my mother’s pet, but in recent years, people often used apprenticeship as a pretext to treat Medicine God Valley as a stepping stone to other Immortal Sects. After my father got tricked several times in a row, he got so angry that he directly took Lian’er as his disciple. Though those cultivators were opportunistic and selfish, they still had some sense of shame. When they heard they’d have to call Lian’er ‘senior sister’ if they entered Medicine God Valley, they all left, and only then did the valley regain its peace.”

Xiao Xihe suddenly understood why Liu Jiang became so irritable whenever someone came to seek apprenticeship. If she had to painstakingly teach disciples who were never sincere from the start, she’d be irritable too.

“So Sister A Si, did you come to Medicine God Valley with genuine intentions to learn?” Liu An’an asked.

Xiao Xihe looked up and felt a pang of guilt when meeting the girl’s earnest gaze: “I… did have ulterior motives at first, but after arriving, I’ve truly come to love Medicine God Valley and want to stay here forever.”

A place that could treat a pig so well would surely treat people just as kindly. With its excellent environment, simple-hearted people, and powerful backing, it was practically perfect.

“As long as Master doesn’t drive me away, I could stay here my whole life,” Xiao Xihe said with complete seriousness.

Liu An’an giggled: “Medicine God Valley is short-handed. If you’re willing to stay, my father definitely won’t want to send you away.”

“Oink oink…” Lian’er expressed agreement.

After staying in the cave for a while, Liu An’an prepared to take her to the dormitory. The two girls had grown much closer after their brief time together and walked hand in hand. As they neared the living quarters, Liu Jiang’s voice suddenly came from the flower grove nearby: “Sister Xin Yue, I didn’t mean to lose my temper with you, please don’t be angry~~~”

The drawn-out tremolo on the word “angry” made Xiao Xihe break out in goosebumps. She turned to vaguely see two familiar figures among the trees.

Liu An’an, completely unfazed, pulled her along as they ran back to the dormitory. Only after closing the door did she exhale in relief: “My father cares about his dignity. If he finds out we saw him acting cute, he’ll definitely throw a tantrum. If you ever encounter this in the future, remember to run away immediately—never stay to watch the show.”

Xiao Xihe looked conflicted: “Master… can act cute?”

“Oh, he’s an expert at it. He does this every time he upsets my mother,” Liu An’an remarked.

Xiao Xihe rubbed her arms, then suddenly remembered something: “He just called your mother… sister?”

“Ah, my father is a few years younger than my mother,” Liu An’an explained, then laughed at Xiao Xihe’s shocked expression. “Hard to tell, right? Actually, he could maintain a youthful appearance, but he thinks patients feel more at ease with an older doctor, so he’s always presented himself as a man in his sixties or seventies.”

Xiao Xihe pictured the old man’s face and had to admit that an older doctor did inspire more confidence… though she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her mistress, having to witness an old man acting cute every day. How much tolerance must it take not to divorce him on the spot!

“This will be our room. You can sleep on this bed from now on,” Liu An’an said, walking over to one of the beds and patting it.

Xiao Xihe paused at this, only then taking a proper look around at their surroundings.

The small bedroom was bright and clean, with two narrow beds placed against the wall. The one beside Liu An’an’s was still bare without bedding. Each bed had its own wardrobe nearby, and a dressing table stood in the corner. At the center of the room was a table adorned with several small sachets. Though the furnishings were sparse, it somehow felt complete.

Xiao Xihe took a deep breath, as if seeing a future of happiness and stability walking toward her.

“Why do you look like that?” Liu An’an asked curiously.

Xiao Xihe sniffled. “I’m just so happy.” Six months! Finally, she no longer had to live in fear—finally, she could settle into a peaceful life!

“…Why are you happy?” Liu An’an pressed.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Xihe decided on a diplomatic answer: “Having the honor to join the renowned Medicine God Valley and become the fourth direct disciple of our master is an immense privilege. Of course I’m happy.”

Liu An’an pondered for a moment before replying earnestly, “You’re celebrating too soon.”

Xiao Xihe: “?”

The next morning, she understood Liu An’an’s meaning—

“You can’t even tell gardenia from hawthorn—do you have eyes on the back of your head? With skills like yours, why bother studying medicine? Go tend to Lian’er in the mountain cave while she recovers from childbirth!”

“I thought you had at least some medical knowledge before wanting to join Medicine God Valley, but at your age, you don’t even grasp the basics of observation, listening, questioning, and pulse diagnosis! Did you suddenly decide to study medicine just to speed up patients’ deaths? Anyone who falls into your hands must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes!”

“Dantian! You don’t even know where your Dantian is? How did you even reach Foundation Establishment—by sheer luck?!”

“Please, withdraw from the sect voluntarily. My shallow knowledge truly can’t teach you anything. Let’s spare each other the misery…”

Xiao Xihe: “…”

From dawn till dusk, Xiao Xihe endured a full day of scolding. By the time the first day’s lessons ended, her mind was a muddled mess as she stumbled back to the bedroom.

Liu An’an kindly handed her a cup of honey water. “Don’t feel too bad. He’ll be even harsher tomorrow.”

Xiao Xihe: “…Thanks for the comfort.”

Liu An’an grinned. “You’ll get used to it. I still get scolded too.”

Xiao Xihe sighed. “Is he like this with everyone?”

“Not really. He’s much kinder to our senior brother because he’s talented,” Liu An’an admitted.

Xiao Xihe despaired. “Then I’m doomed. I have zero talent—I’ll be scolded forever.”

“It’s only the first day. Talent isn’t obvious yet. There are people worse than you,” Liu An’an reassured her.

Xiao Xihe perked up. “Master must have taught many disciples. Has anyone been scolded more than me?”

Liu An’an: “…”

“…I see.”

Sure enough, the scolding resumed the next day.

Xiao Xihe was like a university student who suddenly switched majors mid-degree—from humanities to STEM—facing piles of herbs that looked and smelled alike, like staring at advanced mathematics she’d never studied. Effort alone wasn’t enough.

And so, every day that followed brought inventive reprimands. Occasionally, the berating made her question her entire existence, even tempting her to turn herself in to Xie Zhaixing. Fortunately, she always managed to regain her composure at the last moment.

After half a month of continuous scolding, even Liu Jiang, the one doing the scolding, grew exasperated. “How can you be so utterly unteachable?”

Xiao Xihe hung her head in shame, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

Liu Jiang rubbed his temples in frustration. “A person must be good at something in life. What exactly are you good at?”

Xiao Xihe’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly looked at him.

Liu Jiang: “?”

Half an hour later, she placed the final dish on the table. Liu An’an and Xin Yue stared at the spread in stunned silence, unable to speak for a long while. Liu Jiang was equally at a loss for words.

“I suppose… I’m quite good at this,” Xiao Xihe said modestly.

Liu Jiang’s lips twitched as he sat down stiffly at the table. He casually picked up a piece of crispy, fragrant fish-flavored eggplant. “Then you should have been a cook. Why insist on becoming a healer—”

Before he could finish, the eggplant entered his mouth. The crisp sweetness, the tender interior, and the explosion of flavor on his tongue silenced him instantly.

Seeing Liu Jiang’s reaction, Liu An’an couldn’t help but swallow hard. “How is it?”

Liu Jiang glanced at her but didn’t answer.

Liu An’an eagerly grabbed her chopsticks and zeroed in on the green pepper beef strips.

“It’s spicy… but so delicious! Little Junior Sister, you’re amazing!” Liu An’an exclaimed with admiration.

Xin Yue couldn’t help but laugh. “Is it really that good? Let me try some too.”

As she spoke, she took a sip of the pig’s trotter soup beside her and immediately widened her eyes in surprise.

“Is it delicious?!” Liu An’an asked excitedly.

Xin Yue swallowed. “…Indeed, it’s a flavor I’ve never tasted before.”

“You flatter me, Shiniang. Pig’s trotter soup is good for beauty and health—you should have more,” Xiao Xihe said, watching the satisfied expressions of the mother and daughter. Her wavering confidence over the past few days finally regained some footing.

Liu Jiang snorted at the scene and finished his earlier thought. “What’s the use of being good at cooking? Can it save lives?”

Before the words fully left his mouth, the sound of wind chimes rang out, and everyone turned toward the door.

“Someone’s here.”

Xin Yue went out and returned a quarter of an hour later, followed by an elderly woman and a gaunt child of about seven. Liu Jiang’s expression darkened the moment he saw them—clearly, he already knew them.

“Valley Master Liu, please save my grandson!” The woman immediately knelt upon seeing Liu Jiang.

Liu Jiang was impatient. “I’ve done all I can. He rejects medicine—even if you force it down, he vomits it right back up. He doesn’t cooperate at all. What more can I do? Go home.”

“Valley Master Liu, he’s my only grandson. Please, save him!” The woman wept bitterly. Beside her, the child was emaciated, his eyes vacant, as if indifferent to her tears.

Or perhaps he was too ill to muster any extra emotion.

Xiao Xihe was moved but powerless to help.

Under the woman’s pleas, Liu Jiang’s expression grew even grimmer. Just as he was about to lose his temper, the child suddenly spoke weakly, “It smells good…”

Everyone froze, then watched as he stared fixedly at the dishes on the table.

Xiao Xihe had an idea. “Shifu, why not mix his medicine into the food?”

“That’s right! He rejects medicine because it’s too bitter, right? Mixing it into food might help!” Liu An’an said, pulling a pill from her Cosmos Sack. Just as she was about to toss it into the pig’s trotter soup, Liu Jiang stopped her.

“He’s too weak for tonics right now. Feeding him supplements would kill him—is that what you want?”

Liu An’an immediately backed down.

The woman looked at Liu Jiang pleadingly.

The child continued staring at the food. Liu Jiang glanced at him, then after a moment of silence, asked the woman, “Do you still have the medicine I gave you before?”

“Yes, yes, yes…” The old woman said hurriedly as she took out the medicine.

Liu Jiang grabbed a pill to toss into the soup, but Xiao Xihe quickly interjected, “Don’t put too much at once, or the bitterness will overpower the soup’s flavor, and he’ll definitely vomit again.”

Liu Jiang paused, reluctantly broke off a quarter of the pill, stirred it into the soup, and handed it to the child. “Drink it.”

The child looked dazed but wasn’t foolish—having seen him add medicine to the bowl, he naturally refused to drink.

Noticing this, Xiao Xihe comforted him, “Go on, it’s very fragrant.”

“Good child, please drink it,” the old woman pleaded.

After a moment of hesitation, the child finally took the bowl. Though Liu Jiang pretended not to care, his eyes kept flickering toward the child. When he saw the child tentatively take a sip before suddenly gulping it all down, his expression instantly relaxed.

“Does… does this mean the child can be saved?” The old woman was so emotional her eyes nearly welled up.

Liu Jiang suppressed the urge to smile, keeping a stern face. “It was never a serious illness. As long as he takes the medicine on time, he’ll recover naturally.”

With that, he turned to Xin Yue. “Take them to settle in. They’ll stay in the valley for treatment for now.”

“Alright,” Xin Yue said with a smile, looking at the old woman. “Follow me.”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

The old woman and the child followed her out, leaving the room in sudden silence.

After a while, Liu An’an spoke softly, “Seems cooking really can heal and save lives.”

Liu Jiang: “…”

Xiao Xihe coughed and asked, “Master, I don’t understand. If the child refused to take the medicine, why didn’t you use Spiritual Power to directly infuse it into his body?”

“Do you think Spiritual Power is omnipotent? Everything has its limits, even Cultivators. Some illnesses can be treated with Spiritual Power, others only with medicine. And,” Liu Jiang shot her a sidelong glance, “don’t try to give me an out. I know it was your doing.”

Xiao Xihe blinked, barely holding back a smile.

Thanks to the sudden visit from the old woman and the child, Xiao Xihe had found her calling in medicine—

Diet therapy.

It was a narrow field, unlikely to have major applications, but after teaching her for two months, Liu Jiang had to admit she truly lacked talent for conventional medicine. So, he let her focus on this one path.

Seasons passed, and before she knew it, another year had gone by.

Early one morning, Xiao Xihe had just opened her eyes when Liu An’an leaned in to congratulate her, leaving her momentarily stunned.

“Your one-year anniversary as a disciple!” Liu An’an reminded her.

Xiao Xihe was surprised. “It’s already been a year?”

“Hurry up and get dressed! My mother cooked a feast to celebrate for you!” Liu An’an urged before dashing out.

Xiao Xihe laughed helplessly but quickly jumped out of bed. Yet as she neared the door, her legs suddenly gave way, and darkness swallowed her vision. By the time she regained her senses, she was already sitting on the floor.

She froze, the smile on her lips stiffening—

The Joy Union Gu seemed to be acting up.

Back then, fearing she’d miss her chance to escape forever, she had left Shady Valley before the Gu Poison was fully cleansed. She’d thought the remaining two or three doses would last her decades, but now, after just a year, it had resurfaced.

The original text had mentioned this scenario—even with minimal residual poison, she had at most three months. If left unresolved, it would be fatal… So, did this mean she had to find another man with a Full Yin constitution within three months?

But does this world have another Full Yin constitution besides Xie Zhaixing?! Xiao Xihe was nearly going mad, but remembering her master’s family was still waiting for her, she forced herself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the courtyard.

Yet the atmosphere in the courtyard seemed even heavier than her mood.

Seeing Liu Jiang and Xin Yue’s grave expressions, Xiao Xihe quietly sidled up to Liu An’an and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“…Someone just came with news. A plague has broken out in South City, and they’re begging my father to go treat the people,” Liu An’an replied in a hushed voice.

Xiao Xihe paused. “But didn’t Master already promise the Sword Mastery Sect’s leader he’d treat his youngest son?”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Liu An’an sighed. “My father always keeps his word—he never goes back on a promise. But the situation in South City is urgent…”

Xiao Xihe roughly understood Liu Jiang’s dilemma now.

As the two whispered, Xin Yue spoke up: “If it comes to it, why not have An’an and A Si go to the Sword Mastery Sect in your place while you head to South City?”

Xiao Xihe’s eyes widened. “…Me?!”

“Is there a problem?” Xin Yue asked, puzzled—clearly having forgotten Xiao Xihe had only come to Medicine God Valley because she’d gotten into trouble.

Xiao Xihe hesitated, unsure how to explain, when Liu Jiang spoke for her: “A Si can’t leave Medicine God Valley, and I wouldn’t feel at ease sending An’an alone.”

“I’m seventeen already, what’s there to worry about?” Liu An’an protested. “I can definitely protect myself.”

Liu Jiang laughed in exasperation. “Do you think I’m worried about your safety? I’m worried about your medical skills! That young master may be male, but with his Full Yin constitution, he’s been frail and sickly since birth, barely clinging to life. I’m afraid you’ll relapse into your habit of overprescribing tonics and end up killing him with over-supplementation!”

Liu An’an pouted. “Then what should we do? We can’t abandon a whole city’s people just for one person, can we? If it really comes down to it—”

“If it really comes down to it, let me go,” Xiao Xihe suddenly interjected.

The three immediately turned to look at her.

Xiao Xihe stood righteous and solemn-faced—but inwardly, she was cheering:

Woohoo, a man! A Full Yin constitution man!