After a moment’s thought, Qin Feng mixed a dye himself. He stained Yun Ying’s face a sallow yellow, then coated her neck and hands as well. He had her change into his roughspun clothes and restyled her hair. Seeing that she looked just like a rowdy young boy, he finally nodded in satisfaction.

Yun Ying was delighted after looking at herself in the bronze mirror. She bid farewell to Master Yun and, ignoring his sullen expression, set off on the journey with Qin Feng. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Seeing that Qin Feng trusted her enough to let her visit Juhua, and how meticulously he cared for her on the road, Yun Ying began to think her recent worries were just her imagination. ’He must like me,’ she thought. ’How could he possibly fall for some ugly country girl?’

And so, with her worries temporarily set aside, she journeyed with the man she adored. They traveled by day and rested by night, taking boats or carriages, always seen as a pair. Happy as a lark, she chattered with Qin Feng all day long, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

「Six days later.」

Having traveled from Yunzhou to Yu State, it was time for the two to part ways. Qin Feng would head east toward Donglin State, while Yun Ying needed to go south toward Huzhou.

Qin Feng began by giving Yun Ying a long list of instructions, mostly about being careful. He rambled on, telling her how to get to Qinghui County, how to get from Qinghui County to Xiatang Market, and how to get from Xiatang Market to Qingnan Village.

Though reluctant to part with him, Yun Ying was also getting tired of his rambling. She cut him off, "Senior Brother, shouldn’t you be giving me the medicine now? After all these instructions, if you don’t give me the items, won’t this whole trip have been for nothing?"

Qin Feng couldn’t help but laugh. He quickly grabbed the package, pointing out each medicine to her and explaining in detail how to use them.

But when he picked up the last sealed box and looked at Yun Ying, his face flushed slightly, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

The box contained medicine for Juhua’s condition—it was meant to prevent future problems with childbirth. But even though Yun Ying was also a doctor, she was still an unmarried young woman. The thought of having to explain matters like Juhua’s menstrual period, conception, and childbirth to her face-to-face made him blush with embarrassment.

’In any case, the medicine just needs to be taken on schedule and in the correct dosage,’ he reasoned. ’I’ve already written the instructions and placed them inside. Qingmu is literate, so I don’t need to worry about Juhua not understanding.’ Thus, he said to Yun Ying, "Just give this directly to Juhua. I’ve included a letter inside; she’ll understand after she reads it."

Seeing the faint blush on Qin Feng’s cheeks, Yun Ying’s heart sank. The joy of the past few days washed away like a river, gone and never to return.

She stared at the sealed wooden box. It was just under a foot long, its dark reddish lid intricately carved with a classical pattern.

’What’s inside?’ she wondered. ’Could it be a token of his love?’

’He won’t even tell me what it is, yet he wrote a special letter for *that* Juhua. Can she even read?’

Seeing Yun Ying staring intently at the box, Qin Feng worried her curiosity would get the best of her and she’d start prying. "Alright, it’s nothing valuable, so stop staring," he said quickly. "Just remember to give it to her, okay?"

Seeing his evasive manner, a wave of anger and sorrow washed over Yun Ying. ’The antidote, the beauty cream, the Clear Condensing Dew... I can let those slide. But he won’t even tell me what’s in this wooden box? Is that Juhua really so important to him?’

’What does he take me for?’

’Just his junior sister?’

’He’s never truly cared about me, has he?’

Qin Feng, however, didn’t notice the change in Yun Ying’s demeanor. His instructions complete, he hurried out to get a horse ready for her.

’Since I won’t be by her side, it’s better if she has a horse,’ he thought. ’She’ll get there sooner that way. Once she reaches Qingnan Village, she’ll be safe. The villagers there are very kind and simple.’

Yun Ying watched Qin Feng’s departing figure and began to pack the items numbly. She no longer felt the slightest bit of excitement for the trip to Qingnan Village.

’But if I don’t go,’ she thought, ’am I supposed to let him personally deliver these things into that Juhua’s hands?’

She pressed her lips together tightly, decisively slung the package over her shoulder, and turned to walk out of the inn.

As they were about to part, Qin Feng gave her another round of reminders, telling her not to dally on the road, but that she could stay for a few extra days once she arrived in Qingnan Village.

"Juhua is a wonderful person; you’ll definitely like her," Qin Feng said. "You can stay at her home for a few days, maybe even exchange some cooking tips with her!"

Yun Ying vaulted onto her horse, forced a smile at Qin Feng, then cracked her whip and galloped away. As the horse’s hooves churned up the dust, a few tears fell, vanishing without a trace into the rising cloud.

’Juhua is a wonderful person, but why should I have to like her?’ Yun Ying thought, weeping as she rode.