That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

But as soon as Fang Zhiyi appeared, it twisted and struggled rapidly inside the body, almost as if it were panicking and running for its life.

What exactly is Fang Zhiyi, who can make something as terrifying as the Burning Heart Gu show such fear?

Jiang Jingming paused slightly, looking at her retreating figure in the distance.

A white dress fluttering in the wind, long hair reaching her waist.

The old woman held her hand the whole way, thanking her with tears in her eyes, but she remained silent and composed, always smiling.

It seemed that saving a life was a trivial matter in her eyes.

Jiang Jingming suddenly remembered that day when the two of them sat on the eaves, bathed in the moonlight of Shulan City, and she said with bright eyes:

"Doctors should have a heart to save the world. What they do is to defy fate and change destiny. How can they believe in fate?"

Are these her true feelings, or just a mask she's wearing?

……

Night falls.

The old lady's house was a small courtyard, simple but very clean.

Lu Zhao helped take the man back to his room to rest, and the old lady immediately started preparing dinner for her saviors.

The dining table, made of firewood, was moved into the courtyard. The spring night was slightly cool, and the old lady lavishly lit a bonfire, inviting several people to sit around it.

As Jiang Jingming looked at the flickering flames in the basin, he couldn't help but think of the origin of the Heart-Burning Gu.

"Why is the wind getting stronger? Is it going to rain tonight?"

Lu Zhao had just finished brushing the dust off his body when he plopped down on the ground.

He closed his eyes. So much had happened that day, and he felt so tired he could fall asleep any second.

"It's strange, isn't it said that Fengling City is always shrouded in mist and rain? It's been so many days and it still hasn't rained."

Xie Yunqi thought of the poems that those fame-seeking poets had written for Fengling City.

What a silent, fine rain that fell on the eaves last night, and how the apricot blossoms are now soaked with moisture at dawn!

What do you mean by "Don't say spring rain has no color"? It has dyed Fengling so much that it refuses to return.

Anyway, we have to bring Yu, as if Fengling City wouldn't have so much sorrow and parting without Yu.

"do not know."

Lu Zhao shook his head, then chuckled mischievously and nudged Jiang Jingming's shoulder.

"I heard that the people of Fengling City believe that the arrival of the first spring rain is the most important moment of the year, so they hold a grand 'Rain Festival' on the second or third day after the rain."

"The Festival of Joyful Rain".

Jiang Jingming nodded and repeated it, still unaware of why Lu Zhao was smiling so slyly at the holiday.

"During the Rain Festival, all the beautiful women from noble families are allowed to go out. They will go boating on the river, and the people watching on the bridge will be given a flower to the most beautiful and charming woman. The woman who receives the most flowers is the 'Rain Master' of the year, and people believe that she brought the spring rain that nourishes all things."

Now I understand.

Lu Zhao looked on with longing and fascination, clearly eager to witness the Rain Master's splendor.

Xie Yunqi listened from the side and scoffed:

"It's because you're so lustful that you were bewitched by that dancer's seductive arts! You're a disgrace to the Divine Capital Guard!"

"..."

Lu Zhao, having been hit where it hurt by the young lady, could only pretend not to hear and continue talking to Jiang Jingming:

"It's a pity we can't watch it this year. Several prisoners who escaped from death row will be caught as soon as they enter the city!"

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming smiled, not taking it to heart.

If he were sneaking out to play now, he would definitely be very interested in the Festival of Rain, but unfortunately there are too many things in front of him to be distracted.

"When I moved that uncle back to bed just now, his complexion looked normal, and he seemed to be waking up. He was muttering something, but I couldn't hear him clearly."

Lu Zhao added a piece of firewood to the brazier and spread his hand out to warm it over the fire.

"Recovered so quickly?"

Jiang Jingming subconsciously asked back, glancing at Fang Zhiyi.

"It's just a curse, not an illness. Once the curse is removed, you'll recover naturally."

Fang Zhiyi answered with a casual smile.

Xie Yunqi shrank back, timidly stating:

"I'd rather be sick than be cursed!"

"As far as I know, there are also some types of Gu that can be used to cure diseases. They are raised not to kill, but only to devour the diseased areas."

Fang Zhiyi smiled, the firelight flickering blurrily in her eyes.

Jiang Jingming was slightly taken aback, as if he had been scorched by the flames.

Chapter Ninety: Corpse Demon

This delicate silence was broken by a shout.

"I'm coming!"

After bustling around in the kitchen for a while, the old lady finally came out hurriedly carrying a large bowl.

Before they even saw what was in the bowl, the people waiting at the table could smell the enticing aroma of meat.

"We really didn't prepare anything good at home, and we are truly sorry to have troubled our benefactors."

The old woman placed the bowl in the center of the table and wiped her reddened eyes.

Jiang Jingming propped himself up on his elbow and looked down. Inside the bowl was a steaming bowl of stir-fried garlic sprouts with cured pork.

The portion was very generous; it was probably all the cured pork that had been smoked and roasted after the Lunar New Year that was stir-fried.

The cured pork was sliced ​​thinly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. The garlic sprouts were probably freshly picked from their own garden, a vibrant green.

The golden, glistening slices of cured pork, still sizzling with the aroma of the wok, were steaming.

"It smells so good!!!"

Xie Yunqi sniffed the air, looking as hungry as a kitten.

The old woman smiled and brought out another bucket of rice, which was made by cooking white rice with a little bit of sweet potato.

Xie Yunqi took the bowl and immediately picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.

The young lady usually doesn't eat fatty meat, but she was too hungry today to be picky.

The pan-fried pork belly wasn't greasy at all; all that remained was a salty and savory flavor.

"Delicious!"

Xie Yunqi slammed his hand on the table, giving the highest praise.

"Auntie, with your cooking skills, you could be a chef at the Yellow Crane Tower!"

Xie Yunqi had never eaten cured meat before, so he was naturally amazed when he tasted this rustic flavor for the first time.

Of course, she didn't know that cured meat was invented because families here slaughtered a pig once a year, which basically provided them with all the meat for the year.

In order to eat the meat from the beginning of the year until the second pig is slaughtered at the end of the year, it is necessary to use the methods of marinating and smoking to preserve such precious meat.

“Girl, you’re joking. My husband often teases me about my cooking skills, saying they’re not as good as his.”

The old woman quietly wiped away her tears, then smiled and waved her hand:

"I'm glad the guests don't mind. Please eat more, please eat more!"

After she finished speaking, she continued to serve rice to the group, pressing the rice firmly into each person's bowl with a wooden spoon.

Jiang Jingming reached out and took it, nodding his head in thanks.

The white rice was cooked to a wonderful aroma, mixed with the sweet fragrance of sweet potatoes. Perhaps it was because they were worried that cooking only rice wouldn't be enough, but it unexpectedly made the rice even more delicious.

After tasting a piece of meat, he realized that Xie Yunqi's performance just now was not exaggerated.

It feels like it's been a long time since I've sat down for a proper meal. Eating this simple home-style stir-fry makes even the finest delicacies seem insignificant.

"Auntie, sit down and eat with us!"

Xie Yunqi chewed on a sweet potato, his words mumbled indistinctly.

"I'm not going to eat yet. I'm going to go find Aunt Li next door to buy an old hen and make some chicken soup so we can all drink it together."

The old woman took out a few coins from her pocket and showed them to the people who were eating.

Jiang Jingming originally wanted to say no need to trouble herself, but then she thought that the chicken soup must have been made for her husband who had just been given a second chance at life, so she withdrew her polite refusal.

Just then, a cough came from behind the wooden door, and the man, supporting himself on the door frame, slowly moved out.

"Heavens above! Please, just shut up!"

The old woman cried out in surprise and rushed back to help him.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now."

The man waved his hand, looking somewhat tired and weak, but his spirits had recovered.

"Who was the girl who saved me today?"

"is her."

Xie Yunqi put down his chopsticks amidst his busy schedule, pointed at Fang Zhiyi, and looked proud.

Fang Zhiyi had just picked up a piece of sweet potato when she had no choice but to put down her chopsticks and nod in acknowledgment.

The man walked slowly into the courtyard with a stern face, and then knelt down with a thud.

"Thank you so much, young lady! I can never repay your kindness in this life, so I will serve you like a cow or a horse in the next!"

"There's no need for that."

Fang Zhiyi shook her head and quickly passed the hot potato to someone else.

"It was this young hero who insisted on saving you."

"what?"

Jiang Jingming was eating rice when he looked up with a blank expression.

The man turned the direction of his kowtow and shouted again:

"Thank you so much, young hero!"

"There's no need for that."

Jiang Jingming had no choice but to get up and help him up:

"You just had a brush with death, be extra careful, don't do that again."

"Thank you, young hero."

The man finally calmed down, and the old woman chased after him and stuffed a wooden stake under his buttocks. He sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.

His chest was still open, and the bloody wounds from earlier had all healed, leaving only small, burn-like marks.

Jiang Jingming observed for a while before asking:

"Uncle, how did you get this deadly stuff?"

"Young hero, this is a long story."

The man coughed and moved the wooden stake closer to the fire, as if trying to drive away the chill in his heart.

His surname is Zhou, and everyone in the village calls him Old Zhou. He has been married to the old lady for many years and they have a son and a daughter.

My daughter married far away, and I rarely hear from her throughout the year. My son went to Fengling City to do small business, and he's currently busy finding a wife.

The woman he's to marry comes from a well-off family, so the dowry is naturally quite high, and Old Zhou has been very worried about this lately.

So when Tiezhu from the same village came to him, although he also felt that the matter was very strange, he still decided to give it a try.

“My old life isn’t worth much even if I sold it, but if this goes through, my son will get married in style, and my wife and I will never have to rely on that little plot of land again.”