12:00 midnight

  "Choose what you want to buy yourself."

  Qiu Qiu turned around, and the shopkeeper, carrying a wine jug, walked over with an unsteady gait, his tongue slightly disobedient.

  No wonder I didn't see anyone just now, it turns out they went drinking.

  This afternoon, nothing useful could be asked from his mouth. Now that he has drunk wine, it's even more hopeless. Nevertheless, Qiuqiu still inquired: "Excuse me, do you still remember the painting I bought this afternoon? Where did it come from? Are there any other things?"

  The old man stood there for a while, shook his head somewhat dully: "I don't remember, I'm also taking care of this store for someone else. But if you want to talk about that painting in the afternoon, it was packed in a broken box when it came, and there were some other odds and ends inside, all thrown over there, you can find them yourself."

  Qiu Qiu was overjoyed.

  "Thank you." Qiuqiu looked at the wine jug wrapped in a rattan sleeve that he was carrying, which was heavy and could probably hold three or four kilograms of wine. Fortunately, the wine at this time was all rice wine with low alcohol content. If it were distilled liquor, this old man would surely get himself drunk to death.

  The store was dimly lit, and Qiu Qiu took out a bright pearl to light it up. She didn't even bother to carefully examine or pick through the items, but instead swept away everything in the corner that the shopkeeper had mentioned. Except for the shelves and tables, there was basically nothing left here.

  Qiu Qiu carried her bag full of goodies back home. She thought she should have done this in the afternoon and wouldn't have had to make an extra trip at night. However, when she saw that painting earlier, it was so shocking that everything else was forgotten.

  It was almost the second watch, and Qiu Qiu quickened her pace. When she arrived at the gate, she couldn't help but call out again, and the little servant came over to open the door for her, not showing any impatience, and even smiled and asked: "Did you have fun in town, Shuang Qiu?"

  Qiu Qiu smiled and said: "Rarely come down from the mountain, can't help but want to take a closer look."

  The young servant asked her: "Is your stomach hungry? There is still plain noodles cooking on the stove."

  Qiu Qiu was a bit curious: "Brother Shifu and Zhen Ren don't take the Pi Gu Dan, do they? Or do they usually eat five grains?"

  The young servant said, "That thing is not convenient to take out for a long trip, or it's better not to eat too much of it. Ordinary people say that medicine has three parts poison, and most elixirs have added gold and stone, which are also refined by the crucible fire, so eating them all the time isn't good either."

  Qiu Qiu agreed with this point. However, not everyone in the sect shared the same view.

  Qiu Qiu thanked him for his kindness, but at this moment she didn't have the mood to eat noodles.

  She pushed the door open lightly, and Jean flipped over, but didn't wake up.

  But Jinglan Shizi hasn't come back yet.

  How's their progress today? Talking about romance, the key is in the word "talk". The longer they talk, the more likely it will work out. If two people are together but can't think of anything to say, or if the conversation dies down after just a few words, how can they fall in love?

  Qiu Qiu yawned and lay down after washing her face and taking off her outer clothes. She was really tired today.

  Even the air smells different from the mountain.

  Or rather, the mountain was odorless and spotlessly clean, giving off an empty and chilly feeling. It's different here, though - Autumn's sensitive nose can pick up many scents that others might not notice. The bed must have been lined with a grass mat, which gave off a long-forgotten yet refreshing smell. Before Autumn went to the mountain to become a disciple, she had always slept on such beds at home. The dried grass was woven into mats that were soft, breathable, and elastic, making for a very comfortable sleep. The only drawback was that if the mat was woven too loosely with large gaps, it would make creaking sounds whenever you turned over.

  There is also the smell outside, the smoke of burning hay, the fragrance of medicinal herbs, the smell of green grass...

  Autumn is confused and dazed, while Qīng Fēi's sleeping posture is really difficult to get used to, with no moment of quiet. One moment she rolls over to the left, one moment she rolls over to the right, one moment she flails her arm over, and another moment she kicks over a leg.

  Qiu Qiu was really annoying, and I wanted to slap her awake with a loud smack.

  Not only was she restless, but Jingfei was also grinding her teeth and making a hissing sound with her mouth, the noise made people's scalp feel numb.

  Qiu Qiu sat up with a flip of her body and poked at the girl's forehead.

  Jingfei hummed twice, stretched out her hand and rubbed her forehead randomly, then turned over and fell asleep again.

  Qiu Qiu was both angry and amused, she raised her head and glanced out of the window...

  It's strange, there are three more now? Why hasn't Jinglan Shizi come back yet?

  Qiu Qiu dragged her shoes and walked to the window, pushed it open and looked outside.

  Just then, a sound of the door came from outside, Jingyuan walked into the yard and saw Qiuqiu standing in front of the window.

  "What are you doing standing here so late?"

  Qiu Qiu subconsciously glanced back at him - hadn't Jing Lan returned with him?

  Jing Yuan turned his head along her line of sight and looked around, but there was nothing: "What's wrong?"

  Qiu Qiu felt a bit embarrassed, she was so concerned about the gossip of her seniors, Jing Yuan didn't mind, but Jing Lan was very particular about saving face, don't come back and annoy him.

  Qiu Qiu asked with a smile: "Brother Shifu, haven't you seen Jinglan Shijie?"

  Jing Yuan shook his head: "No, I went to Zhen Ren's place - why isn't Jing Lan in the house?"

  So they didn't go on a date after all?

  Qiu Qiu was quite surprised: "No. Shifu ate dinner and left, didn't say where she was going, I thought she went out with you, Shifu Ge."

  Jing Yuan nodded slightly: "I know, I'll go take a look where she went."

  He took out a message token from his sleeve and folded it twice. The white token floated in the air like a bird, light and agile. He stretched out his finger and flicked it gently, and the message token drifted over the courtyard wall, flying northeast.

  Although it was not Qiuqiu's first time seeing it, and she could even use the transmission symbol, a relatively basic communication device, she still found this world to be very magical.

  The effect of the transmission symbol is also different depending on the production method and material. Qiuqiu has seen high-end goods that can transmit messages thousands of miles away, but Qingyuan doesn't need to use such luxurious things now, and Qinglan must not have gone far. This kind of symbol is effective within dozens of miles around.

  She watched as the spiritual symbol flew far away, then turned her head to say to Qiu Qiu: "You should go to sleep now, it's getting late."

  Qiu Qiu pulled her clothes tighter: "It's okay, I couldn't sleep either. Let's keep Master Brother company for a while."

  Before long, the transmission talisman floated back leisurely. Jing Yuan received it and looked at the message left by Jing Lan on top of it. Smiling, he said: "Your senior sister will be back soon, don't worry. She says she saw a herb, so she's delayed for a bit."

  No harm done.

  But Qiuqiu also felt quite regretful.

  What a great opportunity, but unfortunately, my senior sister didn't seize it. If she had spent the evening alone with our senior brother, they would have definitely talked about many things. But instead, she went to dig up herbs - what a waste!