The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#201 - Stay overnight

Along the way, Lu Jing carefully surveyed the scenery.

He found that most places were not much different from what he had seen before.

For example, the cliffs on both sides of the river valley, the direction of the river's bends... However, in terms of details, there were many differences. The flowers, plants, and trees along the way seemed to have become more lush, and small paths trodden by firewood gatherers and herb collectors could be seen from time to time in the river valley.

These were not there before. In addition, the nightingales in Nightingale Valley were gone, making it much quieter.

Instead, there were various small animals commonly seen in the forest.

After walking for a while, Lu Jing spoke to Jing Xiang, who was leading the way, "Brother Jing, are you from the Department of Celestial Observation?"

Jing Xiang paused slightly, then turned his head and said, "Why does Little Xia ask that?"

"Little brother thinks that Brother Jing's previous remarks showed a good understanding of both the Department of Celestial Observation and the academy. Moreover, you were keenly observant and made clear deductions about the fledgling bird. I was wondering if Brother Jing had ever been an inspector?"

Hearing this, the smile on Jing Xiang's face gradually faded, and his originally amiable gaze turned cold. He didn't answer immediately, but walked forward a few steps before saying faintly, "What, are you saying that only your Department of Celestial Observation has smart people?"

"I didn't mean that."

Lu Jing didn't know why Jing Xiang's attitude suddenly changed when he brought up this question, but seeing that the atmosphere was a bit off, he took the initiative to change the subject and began chatting with Jing Xiang about his family.

The herb collector's face then softened a little.

He introduced his wife and daughter to Xia Huai and Lu Jing.

It could be seen that Jing Xiang loved his wife and daughter very much, and his family lived a very happy and harmonious life.

In Jing Xiang's own words, he had no other desires in life now, and he would have no regrets even if he died immediately.

When talking about the village where he lived, Jing Xiang praised it to the skies, exaggerating it as a paradise, and assuring Lu Jing and Xia Huai that they would definitely not be disappointed when they arrived at the village.

This aroused Lu Jing and Xia Huai's curiosity.

The three of them chatted idly as they walked to Jing Xiang's village.

The houses were neatly arranged, and the paths crisscrossed. The hospitable villagers didn't know them, but they would wave to greet them from afar.

From the gray-haired elders to the young children, everyone's face was filled with smiles, and their demeanor was proper, with a hint of ancient style, indicating that education had always been emphasized in the village.

Seeing Jing Xiang return, a middle-aged beauty actually ran out of the house without even putting down her weaving shuttle to help Jing Xiang unload the bamboo basket behind him.

"Little Xia, Miss Lu, this is my wife, Wen."

After Jing Xiang finished speaking, he pulled the middle-aged beauty's hand and said softly to her, "These two friends are from the academy and will be staying in the village overnight."

"Another group from the academy?" Wen was slightly surprised, but quickly said happily, "That's great, I'll go tell the village chief and have them prepare more food and wine tonight."

"No need to go to so much trouble, we're just borrowing a place to stay, not eating," Lu Jing said quickly.

However, Wen couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, as if she had heard similar words many times. In the end, she didn't say much, only covering her mouth and saying, "It's the village's custom to prepare a banquet when guests arrive, not only to entertain the guests, but also to give everyone a chance to gather together and have some fun."

Hearing her say this, Lu Jing didn't feel right about stopping her again.

Moreover, as messengers, he, Xia Huai, and Yang Tao had left early in the morning and hadn't eaten anything yet. Although martial artists were more resistant to hunger than ordinary people, the two of them had been protesting all the way.

Lu Jing was still unsure whether the food here would have any hidden secrets, and was about to remind the girl.

Turning his head, he saw that Xia Huai seemed to be absent-minded.

She had been looking in a certain direction ever since entering the village.

So Lu Jing asked, "What are you looking at?"

"I don't know," Xia Huai seemed unsure, her brow furrowed slightly, "I feel like I saw a familiar face."

"What familiar face?"

"Never mind, I guess I must have been seeing things," Xia Huai retracted her gaze, then couldn't help but sigh, "This place really is a treasure. I used to think that the secret energy within the academy was already very strong, but coming here, I realized that the secret energy here is ten times stronger than the academy's."

"Secret energy?" Lu Jing also tried to feel it, but couldn't sense anything.

However, along the way, he could see that the trees, flowers, and plants were quite extraordinary, and this small village gave people a sense of outstanding people and a blessed land.

So he believed Xia Huai's words.

The two then followed Jing Xiang to his home, saw Jing Xiang's daughter, and found the fledgling bird that Jing Xiang had picked up, which was being taken care of very well.

Not only was it wrapped in cotton cloth to keep warm, but the little girl had also caught insects from the fields to feed it.

Hearing that Lu Jing wanted to take it away, Jing Xiang's daughter was a little reluctant, but she didn't act spoiled at all, obediently giving the fledgling bird, along with the cotton cloth on its body, to Lu Jing.

Things went smoother than Lu Jing expected.

It seemed that they only needed to stay here for one night and could return to the academy early the next morning.

Lu Jing's messenger was also settled. Although it would probably be forty or fifty days before this bird could fly, Lu Jing could afford to wait that long.

Well, perhaps the only downside was that he would probably be punished when he returned.

After all, they had agreed with Yang Tao to return before sunset. If Yang Tao didn't see them return before sunset, he would tell the academy's professor.

But Lu Jing always felt that things wouldn't be so simple. As the most ancient and mysterious of the Eight Views, and listed by the academy as a forbidden area for newcomers, how could it be so peaceful from beginning to end, without encountering any trouble?

If that were the case, why did everyone who left here keep silent about everything that happened inside?

Lu Jing vaguely had a premonition that perhaps the answer to all of this could be found at the banquet tonight.

But he didn't just wait idly. Seeing that there was still time, Lu Jing called Xia Huai from the next room and decided to take a stroll around the village to see if they could discover anything.

The two spent about three incense sticks' worth of time walking from the beginning of the village to the end, when Xia Huai suddenly stopped in front of a small courtyard and began to stare blankly again.

This time, Lu Jing finally saw the person who was making Xia Huai so distracted.

It was a boy, about four, five, or six years old, who was playing by the well.