In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
Mo Lixia had transformed from a ragged little child into a stunning young maiden. Though she wasn't a seductive beauty, her features were exquisite—brows like paintings and eyes as clear as crystal. She radiated an ethereal, otherworldly aura, like a fairy untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
Over these years, Qian Chuan often took her to treat patients in the surrounding areas. Seeing his clean, decisive methods—snatching lives back from the King of Hell—Mo Lixia grew to admire her master deeply.
In the modern world, his skills would have made him a titan of the medical field.
Mo Lixia was no slouch either. She had mastered the "Qian Family Acupuncture" to the point of surpassing her master. Now, unless the patient was too far away, Mo Lixia handled the house calls herself.
Qian Chuan's only regret was that while his disciple inherited his medical skills, she had absolutely zero talent for martial arts.
A total tragedy!
Whenever Qian Chuan looked at her with that resentful gaze, Mo Lixia would hide far away. It wasn't her fault! She loved the idea of flying through the air like a hero, but she simply lacked the aptitude. After two months of training, every session ended with her face-planting into the mud.
"Master, are you trying to kill your only disciple?" she had complained.
Eventually, Qian Chuan had no choice but to give up on teaching her martial arts, focusing solely on medicine. He didn't want to accidentally kill his heir before she even grew up.
It was a crisp morning. Sunlight bathed the mountains, and golden leaves carpeted the ground. Beside a crystal-clear pool, dew clung to rare medicinal herbs.
A girl of thirteen or fourteen stood there, her long hair cascading down her back, dancing in the autumn breeze. She wore a wreath of wildflowers on her head. Her skin was as smooth and white as milk curds, and her very presence seemed to release a fresh, floral fragrance into the air.
Today, Mo Lixia wore a white cotton top with a lock-button collar paired with a flowing red pleated skirt.
She had made these clothes herself. In this era, ready-made clothes were expensive, and the styles were often too complex and cumbersome. Since Qian Chuan was a man and useless with a needle, Mo Lixia had learned needlework from Aunt Shen in the village to make her own practical, modified designs.
Since accepting Mo Lixia, Qian Chuan spent his free time writing letters to his junior brother, bragging about his pride and joy.
Once, Mo Lixia peeked at a letter. The contents were so exaggerated—describing her as an omnipotent divine doctor—that she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Disciples are meant to be shown off," Qian Chuan had argued shamelessly. "If I don't brag about you, how will people know how amazing I am?"
Mo Lixia could only roll her eyes again in silence.
Mo Lixia was currently gathering herbs for common colds and fevers.
Qian Chuan had a peculiar rule for fees: he treated villagers for free but charged the wealthy whatever he felt like at the moment. True experts often had eccentric tempers.
Mo Lixia had studied his medical texts and realized they contained treatments long lost in the modern world. There were also herbs here that she had never seen before.
Specifically, the "Ma Shen Fruit."
In this era, it was considered a forbidden poison that paralyzed the body. Mo Lixia, however, knew it was an excellent anesthetic. Five years ago, she had secretly planted three seeds in Mount Pei. Today, she checked on them—the trees were thick and ready to bear fruit this year.
After checking the trees, Mo Lixia wandered deeper into the forest, picking mushrooms. She stumbled upon a patch of shepherd's purse and happily dug them up, planning to make dumplings for Qian Chuan.
Just as she packed her bamboo basket to leave, a streak of white flashed before her eyes.
Did I stand up too fast? Am I dizzy? she wondered.
"Squeak, squeak."
She looked towards the sound. There stood a creature with a white body, black ears, the head of a mouse, the body of a rabbit, and a fluffy tail like a squirrel. It stared at her with large, round eyes.
A Chinchilla? Mo Lixia thought, delighted. But it's much larger than a normal one—bigger than a rabbit.
It was undeniably cute. This creature, often called a "Dragon Cat" in her past life, seemed to be an ancient spiritual variant.
She squatted down and waved. The creature squeaked and backed away warily. It seemed intelligent and guarded.
Mo Lixia smiled and rummaged through her basket, pulling out a few crabapples she had just picked.
"Here, have one." She tossed a fruit gently.
In a blur, the creature snatched it and devoured it clean. It looked at her with greedy, thieving eyes.
Amused, Mo Lixia placed another fruit near her feet. "Here."
The little creature leaped onto her shoulder, circled twice, grabbed the fruit, and vanished into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Mo Lixia looked at the empty spot, feeling a twinge of regret.
"Oh well," she sighed. "It belongs to the wild. I cannot force it."