Yan Aohan felt a surge of joy in his heart. "Ani, can I take this to mean you will never leave me?"
"I never planned to leave you," Zhu Yanyi replied. She looked up at her, her eyes clear. "Of course, if you stop liking me, then I will go."
"Stop liking you?" Yan Aohan suddenly laughed. "Ani, do you want to test if I don't like you? Hmm~" He dragged out the last sound, his voice low and teasing.
Zhu Yanyi’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly said, "No need to test. I trust you." Seeing the dangerous glint in her eyes, she dared not provoke her further.
"You really are something," Yan Aohan said helplessly, tapping the tip of her nose. "Just keep acting up like this. You know I can't do anything about it right now. Just wait. I’ll wait until you are an adult. Let’s see how you try to hide then."
Zhu Yanyi lowered her head, pretending to be a quiet quail. I’ll hide for as long as I can, she thought. I can’t let her remember my faults. Maybe if enough time passes, she will forget.
Yan Aohan glanced at her. Seeing her expression, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Forget? She thinks too much, he mused. I won’t forget. I am just keeping a record now. When she grows up, I will collect the interest bit by bit. Poor Zhu Yanyi didn’t know this yet. She would only understand after becoming an adult that Yan Aohan hadn’t forgotten; he had simply put her on a tab.
Since Zhu Yanyi was unaware of her plans, she quickly moved away from her embrace. "Let’s go. We should find the medicine first."
"You really are looking for medicine? I thought you were just trying to lure someone out," Yan Aohan said with a smile.
"That is part of it," Zhu Yanyi sighed. "Grandpa Yao is gone. I must treat the villagers on the island. I can’t let them suffer. If I hadn’t diagnosed the cause, it would be one thing. But now that I know, it would be wrong not to treat them. It goes against my duty as a doctor. Besides, I have good news. At least Grandpa Yao is safe for now."
"Mm." Yan Aohan was actually very satisfied with Zhu Yanyi’s performance earlier. He could see that the man named Yin Mei was no ordinary person. Yet, Zhu Yanyi had used her wisdom to remove the foundation of their threat, forcing them to retreat. Even if it was only temporary, it was progress for her.
"I thought you would use the Spirit Spring liquid," Yan Aohan said, smiling from the side.
"Yes, I will add the Spirit Spring liquid when making the medicine tomorrow. It will work better. But I won’t give it to them purely. The liquid’s role here is only to strengthen the medicine’s effect. Using it alone would go against my true intentions," she explained. She pulled Yan Aohan toward a group of rocks nearby. "Actually, we can cure them without the liquid. It will just take longer."
The rocks here had been exposed to the sea for many years, allowing moss to grow. Sea moss is rich in nutrients. The most famous type is seaweed, which is a kind of sea moss. However, Zhu Yanyi was not looking for seaweed today. She was looking for a humble, unremarkable moss.
Zhu Yanyi had not been mistaken. This moss had a tomato-red surface and roots that were a deep, blood-red color. When dug up, the whole piece released a faint red juice. Since they had no containers for medicine, Yan Aohan quickly wove a simple basket using nearby vines. Zhu Yanyi placed the moss into the basket.