"If I had known earlier that he harmed me, my mother, and caused us to lose our two children, and nearly cost me you, I would have cut ties with him ten years ago," He Atu said, filled with infinite guilt toward Juxiu.
She valued relationships deeply, but she would not let her family suffer such hardships just for the sake of loyalty.
Juxiu smiled comfortingly at him. "It’s okay. It’s all in the past. Our family will only get better from now on."
She Atu nodded. She admitted that this was true. Now, the wine gu in her body and the soft gu in her mother’s body were completely gone. Juxiu and the children were safe. Thinking of this, she felt immense gratitude. "We really should thank those divine doctors properly. Unfortunately, our family is in such a difficult situation, and we have nothing valuable to offer."
"It’s fine. I heard that the little divine doctor who treated me loves eating various wild game. When the snow stops, you can look for some. If you find any, just send it over. A small gift carries great affection. I’m sure the doctors will understand our sincerity," Juxiu said with a comforting smile.
She Atu thought about it. For now, this was the only option.
Meanwhile, Wang Xiuliang learned that although He Atu knew Wang was responsible for his suffering, he had no intention of reporting him. Deciding to take the next step, Wang planned to destroy the poppy flower forest.
Wang Xiuliang certainly had the mindset of a formidable leader. He was reluctant to destroy the poppies, but he understood clearly that keeping them would only harm himself. Therefore, they absolutely could not remain.
Relief personnel were gradually arriving. It was impossible to find people to harvest the poppies now, and the season was unsuitable for harvesting anyway. The only option was to destroy them, and the only way to do that was by burning the poppy flowers.
However, saying it was easy, but doing it was not. Burning the poppies was merely a plan. With so many flowers, it was difficult to do so without attracting attention. Therefore, the main concern was how to escape safely once people were alerted.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiuliang did not know that the poppy flowers she cherished had already been destroyed by Zhu Yanyi’s ice-blue power. Even if she went there now, all she would see was an illusion array.
Precisely because Wang Xiuliang was unaware of this, he was caught by Yan Aohan and the others, who were waiting for him like a hunter waiting by a tree stump.
Yan Aohan and his companions, except for Yu Qingyun, were all cultivators. Although snow was flying everywhere outside, and the disaster caused by the heavy snow was severe, it posed no difficulty for them. Yan Aohan, along with Sikong Xuran, Yi Yunfei, and Ouyang Tianyun, took turns guarding the valley entrance.
"This place is wonderful. There are hot springs, so bathing is comfortable, and we don’t have to worry about freezing. Although you say the temperature here is high, for us, it’s nothing," Ouyang Tianyun said with a sigh.
She paused, then announced, "Let’s drink wild vegetable soup for supper tonight." Ouyang Tianyun truly appreciated the unique advantages of this location.
"This place is currently ownerless. I’ve already sent someone to handle the paperwork to register it under Ani’s name, contracting it for seventy years," Yan Aohan said. He also felt it was a pity. He believed it would have been better to buy the mountain, but current regulations prohibited the free buying and selling of land, allowing only contracting. This was especially true for mountainous and forested areas.
"Only seventy years? It will pass in the blink of an eye," Yi Yunfei said with a regretful expression.
Yan Aohan nodded. "If we manage it well, we can renew it later. Besides, even if we can’t own it openly, we can set up arrays secretly. It won’t be easy for others to take this place."
Yan Aohan never felt there was anything wrong with this idea.
Yi Yunfei and the others nodded. They didn’t pay much attention to this. Perhaps because they had been cultivators for so long, such matters seemed very normal to them.
"This place is actually quite good. If we really wanted to live in seclusion here, there’s plenty of room for operation," Sikong Xuran added.
Yan Aohan nodded. "This planet is where Ani was born. So, it’s fine for her to come here occasionally. It’s not bad for this to become her secret resting place in the future."
"I actually think the environment at Daibai Mountain is also nice," Ouyang Tianyun said. "And it’s close to the capital."
Yan Aohan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why do you think a person can only have one place for seclusion? Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone humans. I just want to have several seclusion spots. That way, when Ani returns, we won’t worry about having nowhere for her to stay."
Well, the thoughts of Lord Yan were beyond their understanding. The other three exchanged glances and silently ended the topic.
"I actually think it would be good for Junior Sister to come here too. It would be livelier," Ouyang Tianyun said.
"Are you going to leave Yu Qingyun alone at the He family?" Yi Yunfei disagreed. "After all, Yu Qingyun will be our junior brother in the future. You’re showing too little brotherly affection."
Ouyang Tianyun said helplessly, "I just feel that Junior Sister would be too lonely at the He family."
"She won’t be," Yan Aohan said. "Ani needs to investigate whether someone in that village is secretly cultivating gu poison. If we were all there, some people might not act. Now that we are here, it’s better. Some people will inevitably make a move."
"Is there really someone in that village cultivating gu poison?" Ouyang Tianyun asked. They had no idea about this.
"We just found out. It’s only a guess. We don’t know who this person is yet, nor where they are cultivating the gu poison. Although we could ask the plants, it depends on whether that person likes interacting with plants. So, it’s better to be careful," Yan Aohan said seriously.
"Could it be Wang Xiuliang?" Sikong Xuran guessed.
"Probably not," Yan Aohan said.
"There is no doubt that Wang Xiuliang uses gu poison. He also knows the person who makes it, and they are on good terms. However, you must know that a person who makes gu poison will not leave a quiet place easily. Although I don’t understand medicine, I know this point. Cultivating gu poison in a noisy place is impossible."
"Lord Yan is right. A true maker of gu poison would not choose a noisy place. Wang Xiuliang usually lives in the city. It is said he only comes here once or twice a year. So, this person could be anyone, but Wang Xiuliang is basically not the one making the gu poison," Yi Yunfei said seriously.