Yao Yuerou lowered her head and thought for a moment before asking, "Once you're in there, how will we know if you're all right?"
Xiao Yun said, "How about this? I'll leave a soul tablet at the manor. As long as it remains intact, that means I'm still alive. You don't need to send anyone to find me, and don't tell anyone else where I've gone."
The four women asked no more questions. After all, they knew they could not change Xiao Yun's decision.
After confirming that he would stay a while longer, Liu Erlong moved the purchasing trip originally scheduled for next month forward by half a month.
Tang Yuehua began sorting out the division of household duties at the manor, putting Shui Ruoyan in charge of allocating supplies and Yao Yuerou in charge of coordinating personnel.
Shui Ruoyan and Yao Yuerou also began making more detailed plans for their respective responsibilities.
Over the next few days, Xiao Yun did not go out. He spent most of his time in the Pill Refining Room, refining various pills in batches over several stages and storing them separately according to grade and purpose, ensuring that the supplies would last a considerable time after his departure.
In the final days of the month, the manor grew quieter than usual.
Everyone already knew that Xiao Yun would leave at the end of the month. No one tried to talk him out of it to his face anymore, but each person saw him off in their own way.
The evening before his departure, Liu Erlong pressed a new storage soul tool into his hand, saying it contained newly arrived ore samples for him to examine on the road.
Tang Yuehua said little. She merely stood in the courtyard for a while, watching him pack.