"Ani, if what you say is true and Xie Jingyun’s flower gu is cured, won’t those people come after us?" A Yun looked at A Na with worry.
A Na bit her lip. "A Yun, we must leave here immediately."
Her hometown was safer. If she hadn’t come to this big city, she wouldn’t have met those people. She wouldn’t have cast the gu out of pride, and she wouldn’t be suffering now. Leaving was the most important thing.
A Yun nodded. "I’ll help you walk."
They needed to leave. They couldn’t let anyone know they had failed.
An hour later, a car stopped at the door. Someone rushed into the room.
"Miss, they’re gone," the person reported to a young woman in the car.
"Search," the woman ordered coldly. "I don’t believe they can run far. Get the token back for me."
Zhu Yanyi confirmed Xie Jingyun was safe, left a prescription, and left the Xie house with Zhang Yan and Wang Ye.
"What happened to the young lady?" Wang Ye asked urgently.
"I need to find the person who cast the flower gu. She can’t be murdered," Zhu Yanyi said calmly. She took out a bottle, poured out a small white insect, and blew gently on it. The insect flew up. They followed it.
After an hour and a half, they saw two girls supporting each other. By their clothes, Zhu Yanyi knew they were not Han Chinese.
Zhu Yanyi glanced at the white insect, drove over, and blocked the girls.
"What are you doing?" A Yun’s face changed when she saw the three of them.
Zhu Yanyi looked through the window and smiled faintly. "Get in the car."
A Yun and A Na were stunned. They looked at each other, unsure what to do.
"Get in if you don’t want to die. If you want to die, wait here. The people chasing you should be arriving soon," Zhu Yanyi said indifferently. It didn’t matter if it was true or a bluff.
A Yun and A Na looked at each other again. They were in a dead end. They couldn’t be caught, and they had to protect the token. But could they trust Zhu Yanyi?
"I’ll count to three. If you don’t want to, we leave. I don’t have time to play," Zhu Yanyi said coldly. "Three, two."
"We’ll get in," A Na said. She knew they had to take the risk. At worst, they would die. Maybe they could get through.
A Yun helped A Na into the car. Zhu Yanyi ignored them and told Wang Ye to drive to her residence.
"Miss, you’re back," Li Yang said as they parked.
Zhu Yanyi got out, nodded to Li Yang and Qin Tianxiang, then said to A Na and A Yun, "Come in."
She walked ahead first. She wasn’t worried they wouldn’t follow.
A Na and A Yun felt uneasy but had to follow. Once inside, they knew they couldn’t escape. They wanted to see who this person was.
Inside, Zhu Yanyi had already brewed tea. "Sit down, have some tea, and let’s talk," she said as they entered.
A Na and A Yun didn’t know Zhu Yanyi. They sat carefully, watching her, trying to read her face.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t look up. She focused on brewing tea, poured cups for them, and took a sip from her own cup. "Which flower doctor’s descendants are you?"
"You know we are flower doctors’ descendants?" A Na was surprised.
"Flower doctors learn to identify, taste, and understand flowers from birth. They grow up in flower seas. So, as adults, they have a special floral scent. That’s why early flower doctors were mostly women.
Later, a man named Hua Ying appeared. He liked flowers and became a flower doctor. He created scents of trees, grass, and bamboo for male flower doctors. Is that correct?"
Zhu Yanyi didn’t force an answer. She smelled the tea, took a sip, and closed her eyes, enjoying the peace.
A Na and A Yun were surprised someone knew so much. They nodded slightly. "We are from Hua Family Village. Our ancestor is Hua Ying. I am Hua Na. This is my clan sister, Hua Yun."
Hua Na looked at Zhu Yanyi. "May I ask your name?"
Zhu Yanyi opened her eyes, put down her cup, poured herself another, and said slowly, "My surname is Zhu. I am Zhu Yanyi."
"From the Zhu family in Zhu City?" Hua Na asked impulsively.
"No. The Zhu family in Zhu City has nothing to do with me," Zhu Yanyi said calmly. "It’s just a coincidence we share the surname."
She looked at Hua Na and Hua Yun. "Did you cause trouble here? Do you have any connection with the Zhu family in Zhu City?"
"No. We have no connection with them. They just visited our village once to seek medicine for someone with broken limbs," Hua Na shook her head quickly.
"Zhu Xiangyao," Zhu Yanyi understood. So Hua doctors helped her recover. She looked at them with clear eyes. "What did you two do in Shanghai?"
"We did nothing. We were just traveling here," Hua Na lied.
"Traveling? What a good reason," Zhu Yanyi took another sip. "Traveling can damage your vitality. Traveling can cause backlash from the flower gu. Truly a fine trip."
"How do you know?" Hua Na’s face changed. She didn’t know who this girl was. How could she see her condition at a glance? She felt a pressure from Zhu Yanyi that made it hard to breathe. She didn’t know what to say. She just watched Zhu Yanyi, trying to figure out who she was.