The Maid in Green and The Old Lady in Black didn’t fly very far. Henry Foster only felt himself following them atop the clouds, the scenery below flashing by in an instant, everything feeling quite novel. But it seemed The Maid in Green was injured; after traveling like this for a while, her face grew a bit pale. So, after half an hour, they descended from the clouds and stopped at a very secluded manor at the foot of a mountain.

They seemed very familiar with this manor. After entering, The Maid in Green led Henry Foster and the little girl inside, while The Old Lady in Black took out several strange formation flags from her waist pouch and set them up one by one around the manor.

An oil lamp was lit in the room, its light dim. Henry Foster opened his eyes wide, looking around curiously.

The Maid in Green sat on a wooden couch, while the little girl sat on the bed, her eyes sparkling like stars as she curiously observed her surroundings.

When her gaze met Henry Foster’s as they both looked around, she shyly withdrew her eyes.

Henry Foster thought to himself, “This girl is so honest, much easier to bully than Hong Bao’er…”

After a while, The Old Lady in Black came in and said to The Maid in Green, “The surroundings are set up. With the formation I’ve laid, they won’t be able to find us here. But you’re injured and probably can’t travel for long. All the guards we brought are dead, and in this Anzhou territory, who knows how many people harbor ill intentions against us. It’s not safe to leave rashly!”

The Maid in Green opened her eyes and slowly exhaled a breath tinged with the scent of blood, saying, “We’re not the problem, but we can’t risk traveling with Miss. Let’s hide in this little manor and recover, and wait for our family to come fetch us!”

The Old Lady in Black agreed, then looked at the little girl sitting at the corner of the bed, patted her head, and sighed, “Poor child, even coming to pay respects to your mother, you run into these wolves. Miss Li’er, you can’t be so meek in the future. The more honest you are, the more people will bully you. Here, take this Lingxi Pill and take good care of yourself!”

As she spoke, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her waist pouch and poured out a snow-white, fragrant pill for the little girl.

Henry Foster watched enviously from the side, when suddenly the old woman turned and handed him one as well, smiling, “You’re a good child too. That demon wolf was so fierce, yet you dared to help save our young lady. That takes courage. This pill is for you!”

“What a good person…”

Henry Foster cupped the pill in his small hands, his eyes wide with amazement.

He was truly surprised; he hadn’t expected that the pill given to the little girl would also be shared with him.

Back in Niutou Village, when he was little it was fine, but as he grew older, every family disliked him. Although, according to the rules set by the old clan chief, when it was his turn to eat at someone’s house, they didn’t dare refuse him, but if there was something like a chicken leg or a white steamed bun, they’d always keep it for their own family, afraid he’d see it, and would secretly eat it themselves, only giving him some cornmeal porridge or the like.

Henry Foster actually saw all this. Sometimes he’d make a fuss on purpose, but he couldn’t do it every time. Most of the time, he just pretended not to notice.

So now, this old woman actually gave the two pills separately to the little girl and to him, which made Henry Foster overjoyed.

“Th-thank you, Granny!”

This thank you was truly heartfelt.

The Old Woman in Black reached out and patted Henry Foster’s head, clearly seeing how genuinely happy he was, and couldn’t help but smile herself.

She wasn’t unreasonable; she knew that Henry Foster’s so-called “rescue” was actually unnecessary, but for a wild country boy to dare help against those fierce demon wolves raised by evil arts, that took real courage. Plus, Henry Foster was clever and likable, and had learned from a young age how to win people over with a calm demeanor, which made her like him even more.

Henry Foster sneaked a look at how the little girl took the pill. Seeing her just pop it into her mouth, he imitated her and quickly put his own in as well. Having never had anything good since he was little, he knew the importance of eating something good as soon as you got it.

The old woman had meant to tell him to dissolve it in water and take it over several days, but seeing him swallow it in one go, she could only sigh.

After swallowing the pill, Henry Foster felt a burst of fragrance in his mouth and nose. He thought he should say something flattering to coax a few more pills out of her, but before he could, he suddenly felt a warm current rising in his lower abdomen, making him feel cozy and comfortable.

For a moment, his expression turned a bit odd as he just stood there, dazed, feeling the sensation. But unexpectedly, the warmth didn’t fade; instead, it grew stronger and stronger, until it felt almost scalding, like boiling water swirling around in his belly.

He was completely stunned, clutching his stomach and squatting down.

“Silly boy, that’s not how you take a pill!”

The Old Woman in Black had expected this. She scolded him with a laugh, while gently patting Henry Foster on the back.

Henry Foster felt a cool sensation suddenly enter his burning stomach and intestines, suppressing the heat, and then, like silk being drawn out, it was slowly guided away, thread by thread, as if following some route through his body.