Vol.2-Chapter 31 – Moonlight Dew

When they saw the sea of yellow flowers under the waterfall, Bai Qingqing and Zhao Jiuge’s gazes were immediately attracted by the beautiful scenery. The fragrance of the flowers drifted by and the sound of the waterfall echoed. After the water fell into the lake, it flowed past them. The warm sunlight shined on the creek, and everything was so cozy, making one feel comfortable.

The bumpy path here caused Zhao Jiuge to feel extremely miserable due to the injuries to his meridians. When he saw the scene before him, he ignored the others and lied down in the sea of flowers with his limbs stretched out. He closed his eyes to enjoy this moment.

“It’s really comfortable. I’m exhausted after what happened over the last two days, whether it was meeting the Ghost Wind Spirit Wolf or Bai Zimo.”

The fat Wan Baiwan was already out of breath. When he saw Zhao Jiuge, he copied him, but when he lied down, his body constantly trembled. Bai Qingqing and Liu Yinger chuckled as they looked at him.

“Are you still going to look for the Sulphur Grass?” Seeing Zhao Jiuge enjoying himself, Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but tease Zhao Jiuge. Sure enough, when he heard “Sulphur Grass,” Zhao Jiuge immediately opened his eyes. He immediately propped himself up, and his eyes were beaming.

“Yes, let's go find the Sulphur Grass first. After we find it, we will rest in Fallen Sunset Valley for the night. Tomorrow, we will look for the Lilac Water.” Even though he felt unwell, Zhao Jiuge was still more worried about the herbs. The importance of the sect contributions and his desire for a flying sword still ranked one in his heart.

Bai Qingqing seemed to understand Zhao Jiuge’s thoughts and deliberately teased him. When she saw Zhao Jiuge react exactly as she predicted, the corner of her mouth curved up and she snickered.

Zhao Jiuge stood up with the support of his right hand. He asked Liu Yinger, “Where did you guys pick the Sulphur Grass? Take me there now. I fear if we wait, there will be a chance of meeting either a person or a spirit beast.”

Liu Yinger cutely nodded, and her slender, white finger pointed forward. “It’s there, there are a lot there. We only picked a little, so there are more.” For some unknown reason, when Zhao Jiuge spoke to her, she became inexplicably happy. Her voice became a little shy and her eyes became lively.

After she finished speaking, she was going to begin walking to lead the way. Wang Baiwan, who had just lied down, had just relaxed his tired body. Now that he had to get up and move again, he complained in his heart that she was a lovestruck fool. His face was filled with reluctance as he shook his head, and his fat body trembled as he followed behind Liu Yinger.

Zhao jiuge was only thinking about how after he obtained the Sulphur Grass, he would have six of the herbs and would only need the Lilac Water. There was still plenty of time left, so Zhao Jiuge was confident that he could find it. Zhao Jiuge’s eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation as he secretly hoped there would be no accidents, like all the Sulphur Grass being harvested.

When he saw hundreds of Sulphur Grass clustered together, Zhao Jiuge sighed in relief. The grass was yellow on top and green below. Each blade was like a strand of hair, unlike densely packed normal grass. Each bundle only had four or five strands of yellow grass. It was exactly like the Sulphur Grass the instructor had shown them.

.

Zhao Jiuge could no longer endure the passion in his heart and rushed toward the Sulphur Grass. He first picked one bundle of Sulphur Grass and carefully observed it. Then, under the shocked gazes of Wang Baiwan, Liu Yinger, and Bai Qingqing, he moved like the wind and picked the more than 100 bundles of Sulphur Grass. He stored them all in his storage ring, leaving the three of them speechless.

Zhao Jiuge looked like a miser right now. This made them all question if he was still the aloof and powerful Zhao Jiuge they all knew!

Only when the last bundle of Sulphur Grass was picked did Zhao Jiuge turn his head and look at the three of them. He was somewhat embarrassed as he explained with a pale face, “Might as well pick them all, perhaps they will be of some use later.”

Although these herbs had certain spiritual energy and medical uses, they weren’t particularly ?precious. Among them, several of the herbs only existed here. There were too many strange things here, but the one common point was that they all had spirit force.

The three of them all had extraordinary backgrounds, so they never paid attention to these things. If not for these missions, they would never have paid attention to them, but it was different for Zhao Jiuge. This was the first time Zhao Jiuge had encountered these things, so he would take them all, useful or not, unlike Wang Baiwan and Liu Yinger, who only took what they needed. Others may feel disgust towards what Zhao Jiuge had just done, but the three of them didn’t care.

Bai Qingqing only had a faint smile. After that heart-to-heart, she knew about Zhao Jiuge’s past, so she didn’t find anything wrong. Also, being together for a few days had made their friendship even stronger.

Liu Yinger just smiled. She didn’t know why just a gaze, a word, or any action from Zhao Jiuge would make her intoxicated. Perhaps that dazzling moment when he erupted his power on the stairs had conquered her heart.

Compared to the two women, Wang Baiwan was a bit more calm as he meaningfully looked at Zhao Jiuge as he thought of his own things. Although Wang Baiwan was honest and straightforward, that didn’t mean he was stupid. He grew up being influenced by his family environment since he was little, so his mind and vision were not comparable to those of his peers. His thoughts were a bit more complicated. Seeing Zhao Jiuge’s unpretentious and straightforward side made Wang Baiwan think about how to use his family’s resources to win him over. After all, a big family had many heirs, and Wang Baiwan was merely just one of them. He couldn’t let go of the chance to seize a high position.

After an awkward smile, Zhao Jiuge used his usual trick: changing the subject. He brushed back his hair and looked at the three of them with a smile. “Let’s go, now we can relax for a bit. The little creek over there is pretty good. It's getting dark, we can set off tomorrow.”

Of course, Liu Yinger had no problem with Zhao Jiuge’s words, and Wang Baiwan was easy-going, so he nodded. Originally, Bai Qingqing was a bit unwilling, but she decided to let them be.

Wang Baiwan and Zhao Jiuge lied down on the grass beside the stream with their hands behind their heads. Bai Qingqing and Liu Yinger sat down crossed legged on the grass. The two spoke for one minute and were silent for the next. Soon, night arrived.

As night fell, stars filled the sky. Zhao Jiuge felt that it was strange, he didn’t know if it was because the environment was good or if it was due to the geographical location, but back in the village, he rarely saw stars.

The environment can always change a person’s emotions and thoughts. Liu Yinger, who had been absent-minded for a long time, suddenly said, “Jiuge, did you have any girls you liked growing up?” After speaking, her face turned red and she bit her red lip. She was nervous and didn’t know what had made her say something so embarrassing. Fortunately, it was too dark to see her blushing.

The three of them were dazed by Liu Yinger’s question. Then Bai Qingqing also curiously looked at Zhao Jiuge, wondering how he would answer. Wang Baiwan was getting sleepy.

Zhao Jiuge was surprised at first, wondering why Liu Yinger had asked this question. However, the surprise on his face turned into a look of infatuation as he sweetly replied, “Yes.”

Liu Yinger felt a sense of loss in her heart after hearing this, as well as a touch of jealousy. “Then can you tell us the story between you two?” After she asked, her gaze was unfocused. No one knew what she was thinking.

“That is a long story.” Zhao Jiuge’s eyes were filled with thoughts as he thought about the days with Su Su, but soon, another cold and noble figure appeared in his heart.

“My meeting with her was very strange. I met her at an unmarked graveyard. Then we spent a long time together. She was a bit coquettish and cute, but also kind-hearted. When we encountered danger, her family appeared and saved us before bringing her back. I don’t know if I like her, but since we separated, I have always been thinking about her.” Speaking about this, his time with Su Su resurfaced in his mind. Her smile, her pampered attitude, and everything about her rushed back to him.

Then Zhao Jiuge’s words continued as he tightly held the half piece of jade Su Su had given him. That was the agreement they made when they parted.

“However, there is someone else in my mind. I had only met her once and I don't even know her name. She was so noble and cold, yet out of reach. If Su Su is a green jade lotus that can’t be stained by mud, then she is a waxberry that blooms in the cold winter. Each has their own merits. I haven’t even figured out my own heart—love is simply too messy and chaotic. Right now, it's not something I can have, so I better focus on cultivation. Once my cultivation is successful, I can pursue love.”

Zhao Jiuge looked at the stars as he lay on the grass. His eyes became unfocused and his heart floated off into the distance.

Even Liu Yinger became a bit silent. When she heard Zhao Jiuge talk about those two women, she felt crestfallen. There was an indescribable feeling in her heart. For a while, Liu Yinger rested her head between her knees as she sat on the grass and let the wind blow through her hair.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be the romantic type and to fall in love with two at once. And one of them you don’t even know the name of and only met once.” All of a sudden, Bai Qingqing became excited as if she had found something interesting.

“You… What do you know?” After hearing Bai Qingqing teasing him, he jumped up and angrily looked at her. “Eh, what's that over there?” Then Zhao Jiuge seemed to see something faintly shining on the other side of the stream. It was like the surface of the water, but it exuded a strange sparkle.

“Don’t try to change the subject again.” Bai Qingqing pouted with disdain. After a while, Bai Qingqing realized that Zhao Jiuge always tried to change the subject to avoid difficult questions.

Then Bai Qingqing also saw the sparkle on the other side of the stream. She squinted and looked seriously for a long time before she suspiciously said, “It looks like Moonlight Dew, but why would that stuff be here?”