By the time the carriage came to a stop at the manor gates, the sun had already begun to set.
Xiao Yun jumped down first, then turned and offered Ning Rongrong a hand. She stepped down from the carriage, glanced into the courtyard before she had even steadied herself.
There was no one on the bluestone path or beneath the corridor. She said, "I'm going to find Zhu Qing and Xiang Ling," then quickly crossed the Front Courtyard and went around the screen wall toward the West Courtyard, her steps light as she left before Xiao Yun could respond.
Xiao Yun did not go inside right away. He stood at the entrance for a while and looked over the evening sky.
In the distance, Liu Erlong was speaking with someone beneath the corridor. When she saw him return, she nodded at him from afar but did not come over.
Xiao Yun crossed the courtyard and went to the kitchen, where he casually ate something to fill his stomach before heading to the backyard.
Once the door to the Pill Refining Room closed, the air fell silent.
Xiao Yun sat on a cushion and took out some of the medicinal herbs he had brought back from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, spreading them across the table. He selected several ingredients that needed to be prepared in advance and began processing them one by one in order.
This batch of medicinal herbs was enough to refine quite a few pills, at least enough to carry with him during his upcoming trip.
He chose a mildly nourishing pill and began refining it.
The medicinal herbs melted within the furnace. The heat was kept at a temperature just slightly below optimal, and a faint fragrance gradually spread through the room.
He was in