As soon as he entered the small cottage, Song Jing’an caught the scent of medicinal herbs—a unique, refreshing blend of various herbs that filled the air.  

He was a little surprised. He knew Bai Zhizhi had been tinkering with herbs lately, but he hadn’t expected her to have collected so many.  

Of course, Bai Zhizhi had never left the house during this time. Instead, members of the Bai family would pick anything that looked like herbs while in the mountains and bring them back for her to identify. If they were usable, she kept them; if not, they were fed to the geese.  

Besides that, Uncle Lin often brought herbs over to teach Bai Zhizhi how to process them. Unknowingly, the cottage had accumulated quite a stock of medicinal materials.  

Bai Zhizhi’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the herbs. Though they were all common varieties, they were her treasures.  

“What did you want to give me?” She still remembered that Song Jing’an had something for her.  

Song Jing’an smiled and handed her a small pouch. “This.”  

When Bai Zhizhi opened it, she was astonished to find a wild ginseng inside, still covered in soil. It looked freshly dug up, with every single root intact—proof of the careful hands that had unearthed and wrapped it.  

She gingerly took out the wild ginseng and examined it closely. The moment she touched it, her eyes widened in surprise.  

“Where did you find this?”  

Song Jing’an didn’t hide it. “In the mountains.”  

He had stumbled upon this wild ginseng not long after entering the mountains and immediately thought of digging it up for Bai Zhizhi, knowing it would make her happy.  

Bai Zhizhi was even more astonished. She couldn’t help but glance through the window toward Jin Mountain. It wasn’t strange for wild ginseng to grow there—after all, back when she was still a little hedgehog, she had eaten who knows how many of them.  

But a wild ginseng with such strong spiritual energy was rare.  

Perhaps her expression was too peculiar, because Song Jing’an couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Is there something off about this ginseng?”  

Had he misidentified it?  

Bai Zhizhi shook her head. “This wild ginseng should be about twenty years old, but its quality is exceptional—far more potent than ordinary ginseng of the same age.”  

Then she handed it back to Song Jing’an.  

Song Jing’an refused. “I gave it to you. Why are you giving it back?”  

“This is worth a lot of money,” Bai Zhizhi emphasized, widening her eyes. She was starting to think this unlucky guy might actually be a little foolish.  

During this time, she had learned a great deal and had a basic understanding of human societal rules—she definitely knew the value of a wild ginseng.  

Song Jing’an didn’t seem bothered. “I don’t need money. Besides, I don’t know how to preserve it. If it stays with me, it might just go bad at some point.”  

Hearing this, Bai Zhizhi instinctively hugged the ginseng closer.  

Noticing her reaction, Song Jing’an’s eyes curved with amusement. He continued, “So it’s better off with you. Only you can make the most of it.”  

This time, Bai Zhizhi didn’t refuse. She solemnly put it away and assured him, “I’ll keep it safe for now. If you ever need it, just come to me.”  

Then she added, “And if you ever get sick, I can help treat you too.”  

This unlucky guy was actually pretty nice.  

Song Jing’an’s lips twitched. If he didn’t know what she meant, he might’ve thought she was cursing him to fall ill.  

But his gaze darkened slightly. In the future, he might really need Bai Zhizhi’s help to cure an illness.  

…

“Sis, let’s go play in the mountains.”

After just one day at home, Bai Junyu was already restless. He wanted to go out and play but didn’t want to be apart from his sister, so he tried to drag Bai Zhizhi along.

Bai Zhizhi took a few steps back and shook her head. “I’m not going. You go by yourself.”

She didn’t want to leave the house.

“But if you do go up the mountain, could you dig up some herbs for me?”

She looked at Bai Junyu with hopeful eyes—a gaze no one could refuse.

But Bai Junyu forced himself to look away and refused. “But I don’t know how to recognize herbs! Come with me, and you can point them out. I’ll dig them up.”

Bai Zhizhi still shook her head. When she looked at the world beyond the courtyard, deep in her eyes was resistance—and a trace of fear.

Even though she was now human, Bai Zhizhi still carried some hedgehog instincts. She disliked crowded places, especially strangers—they made her uneasy.

“Come on, let’s go!” Bai Junyu tugged at her arm. “Sis, once I go back to school, I won’t have another chance. Have some pity on me and come with me, just this once!”

Bai Zhizhi wavered slightly but still refused. The thought of going out and being stared at made her want to curl up into a ball.

Bai Junyu fell silent for a moment. Ever since he returned home, he had noticed that although his sister had recovered, she refused to go outside—she was afraid of the world beyond.

The whole family had noticed and was deeply worried. So, Bai Junyu had been given an important task: to try and coax Bai Zhizhi out of the house.

“We won’t go where there are people. We can take a deserted path up the mountain,” Bai Junyu pressed on. “I’ve heard there are a lot of rare herbs up there. It’s a shame I don’t recognize them. If you don’t come, it’ll be such a waste.”

He even sighed dramatically.

Bai Zhizhi’s heart raced with temptation—especially when she remembered that the spiritual wild ginseng Song Jing’an had given her was dug up from the mountain.

Seeing her hesitation, Bai Junyu gently pulled her forward, step by step. Bai Zhizhi half-resisted but eventually stepped past the courtyard gate.

Bai Junyu kept a close eye on her expression. When he saw she wasn’t resisting, he relaxed and kept walking—but then Bai Zhizhi stopped again.

“Sis?”

“We didn’t bring a basket.”

Realizing his mistake, Bai Junyu quickly said, “I’ll go get it!”

Left alone outside the courtyard, Bai Zhizhi suddenly felt the fear creeping up from deep inside her. Being away from her safe, familiar environment left her disoriented and panicked.

Remembering she had a little companion, she immediately called out, “Da Bai (Big White)!”

“Gah!”

With a loud honk, the goose flapped its wings and ran over, tilting its head as if asking, What did you call me for?

Bai Zhizhi immediately smiled, crouching down to hug the goose’s neck affectionately. “Let’s go to the mountain together.”

“Gah!” Da Bai responded enthusiastically.

Just then, Bai Junyu came running out with a basket on his back. “Sis, let’s go!”

With Bai Junyu leading the way and Da Bai strutting proudly beside her, Bai Zhizhi’s fear gradually faded. She began to look forward to finding spiritual herbs in the mountains.

Mindful of Bai Zhizhi’s discomfort, Bai Junyu deliberately chose a secluded path up the mountain. Whenever they encountered people, he made sure to steer her far away in advance.

So Bai Zhizhi remained calm, sticking close behind Bai Junyu. But once they entered the mountain, she was like a fish back in water—dashing around freely with Da Bai.

Bai Junyu watched his sister, who was now skipping around happily, and felt relieved. But soon—

“Sis, wait for me!”

Bai Zhizhi’s figure was nearly out of sight.

Under her guidance, Bai Junyu scrambled up and down the mountain, picking wild fruits and digging up herbs. Unfortunately, they didn’t find any spiritual herbs, but their baskets were still full.

Even Da Bai had eaten his fill.

They had so much fun that on the way back, they forgot to take the secluded path. By the time they reached a crowded area, Bai Junyu suddenly realized his mistake.

He turned to check on his sister—only to find that Bai Zhizhi, who had been right behind him, had vanished without a trace.

Bai Junyu’s face instantly turned deathly pale.