Chapter 3: Collecting Medicinal Herbs

After the Double Ninth Festival, the atmosphere in Guangming Temple once again returned to its quiet state.

Guangming Temple is located in the outskirts of Kyoto, so there are few incense worshippers. The temple can only hope for more visitors during holidays and festivals, which makes the temple particularly busy during those times. Each monk is busy receiving and accommodating the incense worshippers. In contrast, once the holiday or festival passes, the temple becomes deserted again, and the monks have nothing to do.

Yuli sat in his own room, copying Buddhist scriptures to calm his mind, while also calculating the days. He wanted to return to Yufu ahead of time, and this time, he wanted the people of Yufu to welcome him back like a lucky star!

"Yuli!" Zhixue bounced and skipped to his window, sticking her shiny little head in and playfully looking at him. "You're not fully recovered from your illness yet; how come you've started copying Buddhist scriptures?"

"I've been feeling restless recently, so I thought of copying the 'Heart Sutra' to calm my mind," Yuli said, pausing her pen and letting out a slight sigh.

Ever since you recovered from your illness, you've been acting like an old man." Zhixue perceptively noticed his change, but being young, she couldn't fully grasp it. "Lately, the weather outside has been great. Master wants me to go to the mountains to gather herbs for Huijue Senior Brother. Would you like to come with me?"

After considering for a moment, Yuli said, "Alright, I have nothing better to do anyway." Besides, the temple provides food and drink, so he felt bad just freeloading without doing anything.

"Okay, you go change your clothes. I'll go get the medicine basket," Zhixue said, and left happily.

Yuli couldn't help but laugh and shake her head as she watched his back.

Zhixue grew up in a Buddhist temple from a young age, and can be considered childhood friends with Yuli. He was one year older than Yuli, and when Yuli's wet nurse Zhao Zhoushi was still around, he took good care of Yuli. Now that the wet nurse Zhao Zhoushi is gone, he has become even more attentive towards Yuli. His master is the monk Hui Kong, who is in charge of the temple's rules and regulations. Hui Kong is very strict with other monks, but he has no way of disciplining his own disciples, especially since Zhixue is a very likable person and has a handsome appearance. His pair of eyes give off a spiritual aura, making everyone feel drawn to him. Therefore, as long as Zhixue doesn't commit any serious mistakes in the temple, all the monks there treat him with kindness and respect.

The two of them carried the medicine basket on their backs and headed towards the mountains.

Guangming Temple is located on the mountainside of Zhongming Mountain, so it didn't take long for the two of them to enter the mountains. Guangming Temple needs herbs, on one hand for the monks in the temple, and on the other hand to be exchanged for money at the market. Having accompanied Zhixue to the temple many times, Yuli also became familiar with which herbs were needed and what they looked like. Therefore, quickly, the two of them separated and went their own ways to find the herbs.

Yuli collected herbs while planning in his mind about returning to Yufu. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the sound of gurgling water. Delighted, he knew that he had reached the side of Lingxi Creek. The creek was filled with colorful stones that shimmered under the midday sun, creating a beautiful spectacle. Because of this, the monks of Guangming Temple and the locals referred to it as "Lingxi," meaning "Magical Creek." The creek was surrounded by numerous trees, making it a gathering place for precious herbs. With this in mind, Yuli quickened his pace towards Lingxi, hoping to have some luck.

The closer Yu Li got to Lingxi, the clearer and more melodious the sound of water flowing became. For someone who had long resided in a prestigious mansion, it was truly like heavenly music! He stooped down and carefully made his way through the dense foliage. The forests on both sides of Lingxi were lush and dark, blocking out the sky and sunlight, which only managed to filter through during noon. Therefore, entering required great caution.

Fortunately, the weather has been sunny and bright every day, so it's not very dim by the side of the Ling River. He listened to the sound of the gurgling water and his eyes weren't idle either. Just then, he quickly spotted a plant of Tianqi. His heart filled with joy as he was about to walk over and pick it, but he suddenly heard a cold voice saying, "..."

"Don't move!"

Accompanying this sound, a cold and delicate dagger was placed horizontally next to Yuli's face.

Even the experienced Yuli, who had lived through a lifetime, was startled by this sudden "misfortune" that came flying towards him. However, he quickly composed himself and stopped in his tracks, remaining still as he asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

A person behind him let out a cold snort and said, "However, it is me who will be asking you these two questions. Answer honestly!"

Yuli thought to himself that his identity was not much of a secret, so he replied, "My name is Yuli, and I live in the nearby Guangming Temple. I have come to gather medicinal herbs for the temple." He didn't feel that the person behind him was a bandit, and judging by the exquisite craftsmanship of the dagger, they didn't seem like a villager from the vicinity either. Therefore, he didn't feel any danger in his heart, but rather was more curious about the identity of the person behind him.

Therefore, intentionally asking, "Are you asking for money? I don't have money, only herbal medicine..."

The person behind snorted disdainfully, but quickly set aside the dagger and coldly said, "Go on, keep walking forward, don't look back, do you hear me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man noticed that the previously "obedient" Yuli suddenly turned around and firmly grabbed his hand that was holding the dagger. With his other hand, Yuli pressed against the man's back and intertwined his arms, restraining the man's hand behind his back.

"You!"

Yuli had already speculated in her heart that the other party was pointing a dagger at her. She was only trying to confirm whether her actions would be detrimental to him. However, a person with martial arts skills or agility would not be afraid of any harm from her. The only possibility was that the other party was not as strong as herself or had been injured! And just now, with the way the other party spoke, Yuli became even more certain of her thoughts. She also knew that the other party didn't want her to see him, so she immediately fought back when he least expected it, and sure enough, she succeeded!

He glanced at the person in front of him and noticed that the person was a head taller than himself. It should be a young man, dressed in luxurious and exquisite clothing. However, there were many places that were torn and ripped, as if they had been scratched by tree branches while trying to escape. There was also a profusely bleeding wound on his right thigh, as if he had been stabbed with a knife or sword. He looked quite disheveled.

Based on Yu Li's past experience, these clothes and this dagger don't seem like something an ordinary wealthy family could afford. This person must be a noble's descendant who is currently hiding from pursuers.

Yu Li released her grip on his hand and chuckled, teasing him, "Why are you being so fierce after taming the tiger in Pingyang?"

The other person turned his head in annoyance and glared at him. As soon as Yu Li saw it, he froze—

Just now, this person had his back turned towards him, so he couldn't see his appearance clearly. But when he turned his head around, he realized that this person is really good-looking!

The young boy, barely fourteen or fifteen years old, had fair and porcelain-like skin. Beneath his arched eyebrows, a pair of bright and distinct phoenix eyes shone with black and white. His brow bone was high, his nose straight, and his philtrum well-defined. His delicate and rosy lips had a beautiful shape. Due to annoyance, a faint tinge of anger flushed his face, making him even more handsome and captivating. Truly, he was a more attractive and charming young man than Pan An, Wei Jie, and Gao Changgong!

Moreover, being so handsome at the age of fourteen or fifteen, if he were to grow up to be eighteen or nineteen, wouldn't all the ladies in the capital go crazy for him?

Yuli suddenly realized that she seemed to have seen this person's appearance somewhere before, but for a moment, she couldn't remember where it was.

The other person saw him stunned, couldn't help but snort and said, "If it wasn't for me running all day and getting injured, how could I lose to a little girl like you?"

Yu Li was stunned, finding it both amusing and exasperating. He knew that he had a somewhat effeminate appearance, with a male face that had a touch of feminine beauty. However, he dressed like a normal man, so how did this boy in front of him mistake him for a girl?

He explained, "I am a male, and besides, I have no intention of competing with you in terms of winning or losing. You're so young, why bother caring about winning or losing?"

The other person was momentarily stunned, then pointed at him and said, "You're clearly younger than me. What right do you have to lecture me?"

Yuli thought for a moment and realized that he was only thirteen years old in this lifetime. He had always considered himself to be nineteen. He glanced at the wound on the other person's thigh and ignored him, pushing him to the ground instead. He made the person lean against the tree trunk and then reached out to unbutton his pants. The other person grew even more anxious and grabbed his hand, their face turning cold.

What are you doing?!

Yuli found his pretending-to-be-calm expression quite cute, and said with a smile, "Let me take care of your wound, otherwise you might bleed to death before your rescuers arrive."

The other party was stunned for a moment, but then gradually released their grip on his hand.

Yuli took off his undershorts a bit, revealing a hideous wound. The wound looked like it had been stabbed by a sword, and it was quite deep. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be poisoned. However, if it were someone else with such a wound, they would probably not be able to endure it for even a moment. The young man in front of him, on the other hand, could silently endure and wait for reinforcements, while attentively watching his surroundings. It was evident that this person's perseverance and determination were unmatched.

He had seen monks deal with wounds at Guangming Temple, so he also had a basic understanding. He chewed up the Tianqi he had picked earlier, along with some other herbs that could stop bleeding and reduce swelling. While tearing two pieces of cloth from his own clothes, he used one as a handkerchief to wipe the blood around the wound with the water from Lingxi Stream. Then, he applied the chewed herbs onto the wound and used the other torn piece of cloth as a bandage, tightly wrapping it around his thigh.

Finally, after finishing everything, she helped him tidy up his clothes before walking to the edge of Lingxi to wash her hands.

Seeing him like this, the young man couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to ask who I am?"

"I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me to know your identity," Yuli said as he washed his hands, looking up at him. "But there's nothing inconvenient about my identity. I'm called Yuli, remember?"

Yu Li emphasized that there was actually a hint of selfishness in her name as well. Since the other party was a noble descendant, she hoped that they would remember this small favor she had done today. If she encountered any difficulties in the future, she could also lend a helping hand.

The other party nodded, a faint smile appearing on their handsome face. "You're a clever person."

"Of course." Having already died once and not learned their lesson, wouldn't it be pointless to have suffered all that hardship in vain? Yuli stood up and looked down on him from a higher vantage point, saying, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

The young man nodded and said, "Thank you." After speaking, his face no longer smiled and returned to its previous state of alertness.

Yuli turned and left when she saw that he no longer needed her help.

As he walked a long distance, he had already bumped into Zhi Xue who had come to meet him, before he remembered where he had seen that face before.

During a grand feast in the palace, he had the rare opportunity to attend alongside Xiao Jinyan. It was the only time in his life that he set foot in the palace. He saw the emperor, the empress, and even the emperor's seven sons. Among them, the most eye-catching and handsome was the Ninth Prince, His Highness Yuanheng. His appearance bore some resemblance to the young man Yu Li had seen today, but...

The Ninth Prince, Yuanyu, is mute!