The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhen stared in disbelief as the woman ate the piping hot duck egg, shell and all. The whole process took only a few blinks of an eye.

If eating a duck egg with its shell on is unexpected but not unacceptable, then eating a duck egg that has just been boiled in boiling water can be described as shocking.

Even when extremely hungry, a person wouldn't do such a thing. Even if forced to eat scalding hot food, the sensation of the mouth touching food exceeding its maximum heat limit would cause excruciating pain—this is the body's self-protective mechanism.

This woman is completely defying common sense. She not only ate the duck eggs, but she even used her bare hands to take them out of the pot. This woman is no ordinary person.

After finishing the duck egg, the woman seemed a little embarrassed and gave Wang Zhenhuan a shy smile. Then she turned to look around the room. Wang Zhenhuan didn't show any unusual reaction.

After suppressing his surprise, he began tidying up the clay pot on the ground, chatting casually with the woman. "Was you from this farm before, madam?" he asked.

Upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, the woman first nodded, then shook her head. Wang Zhenhuan tentatively asked, "Is Madam unable to speak? What was the meaning behind your nodding and shaking your head just now?"

This time, the woman readily nodded, then pointed to her mouth. Wang Zhenhuan understood immediately; the woman was mute. He smiled apologetically at her.

The woman lowered her head shyly, then occasionally glanced at Wang Zhenhuan with her tiny, peanut-sized eyes. He naturally noticed these small actions, but he didn't pay them any mind.

What he was thinking about now was, who exactly was this woman? A mute, yet possessing extraordinary skills. As far as he knew, only those with superb internal energy could swallow a scalding hot duck egg whole.

However, if this woman possessed any protective martial arts skills, she wouldn't have trembled so much upon seeing him at the gate. After all, while protective martial arts skills might not be effective against enemies, they would be more than enough to deal with a young boy like him.

This is somewhat contradictory, so for a moment, Wang Zhen really couldn't figure out where this woman came from. And just now, he had asked her if she was from this manor.

Her actions of first nodding and then shaking her head were quite strange. Nodding naturally meant that she used to live on this estate, but what did shaking her head mean?

Could it be that she later moved out of the villa? The best way to understand someone's thoughts is naturally through verbal communication. But this woman in front of me happens to be mute.

After thinking for a while, Wang Zhen decided against it. Although the other party's behavior was a bit strange, at least they didn't intend to harm him. Otherwise, they could have made a move at the door; there was no need to wait until now.

Besides, he was shirtless, his clothes were tattered, and his hair was disheveled; he didn't look like a wealthy person at all. If someone wanted to rob someone, they wouldn't rob a beggar, would they?

After thinking it through, Wang Zhen nodded to the woman. Then, holding the now-warm duck egg, he walked up to Lin Qingyan and gently stroked her forehead.

The situation was not good. Although Lin Qingyan's face had regained some color, her forehead was burning hot. Her body was beginning to reject the remaining half of the arrow.

We can't wait any longer! Wang Zhenhuan gently stroked the girl's cheek while softly calling her name. After calling a few times, Lin Qingyan opened her eyes, still slightly drowsy.

"Qingyan, how are you feeling? Get up and eat something. I found a nest of duck eggs, look, they're still warm."

He helped Lin Qingyan sit up from the ground, then opened the cotton coat he had been holding, which had already dried. Four duck eggs were neatly arranged in the middle; Wang Zhenhuan reached out and touched them, and they were still a little hot.

He sat behind the girl, letting her lean against him, then carefully peeled the duck egg and held it to Lin Qingyan's lips. The steaming duck egg carried a unique fragrance.

The aroma finally brought Lin Qingyan back to her senses. She looked around, then looked up and saw Wang Zhenhuan before lowering her head in relief and taking a bite of the duck egg.

The woman, also curious, squatted down to the side, watching Wang Zhenhuan feed Lin Qingyan. Although her eyes showed curiosity, there was no greed in them, and Wang Zhenhuan saw all of this.

Although he had already given the woman an egg, if even a trace of greed appeared in her eyes, Wang Zhen would not hesitate to pick up the curved knife beside him.

It wasn't that he was stingy; rather, he had already explained things to the woman before inviting her in. His wife was ill and hadn't eaten for several days, so he could only offer her a duck egg.

Fortunately, it turned out he hadn't misjudged her. This woman, though... well, plain-looking and with a sharp tongue, was kind-hearted; she watched Wang Zhenhuan feed her.

She didn't make a sound, and even her eyes showed sympathy and pity. This showed that the woman was not only kind-hearted but also knew how to conduct herself appropriately. Such a person, no matter how bad, couldn't be truly evil.

"Cough cough—"

It seemed the egg yolk was too dry; Lin Qingyan coughed a few times and spat out a lot of it. Wang Zhenhuan felt a pang of heartache. He looked down and searched around, finding the water bag placed near the fire in the distance.

So he said to the woman, "Madam, I can't leave. Would you please fetch my water bag for me?"

The woman nodded to him upon hearing his words. When she reached the fire, she seemed somewhat frightened. After hesitating for a moment, she squatted down, carefully reached out, took the water bag, and handed it to Wang Zhenhuan.

Wang Zhenhuan was completely focused on Lin Qingyan at the moment, so he didn't notice these details. After taking the water bag, he smiled and nodded to the woman to express his gratitude.

The woman lowered her head shyly again, something Wang Zhen was already used to. He opened the water bag, held it to Lin Qingyan's lips, and fed her a few sips before Lin Qingyan waved her hand.

"Brother, I'm much better, you don't need to worry. Who is this lady? Why is she following us?" After drinking some water, Lin Qingyan seemed to have regained some strength and asked.

"This lady, like us, is a person in distress. She used to live on this farm. I met her at the door and invited her in to warm herself by the fire. She hadn't eaten for several days and was even trying to dig up dirt to eat at the door."

Wang Zhenhuan carefully put the kettle away, then held Lin Qingyan's hand and explained softly. Hearing his words, Lin Qingyan understood that he was someone just like them, suffering a life of hardship.

So he turned and nodded to the woman. Unexpectedly, as she turned her head, the jade pendant around her neck emitted a faint white glow…