The deputy general had followed Gongxi Chou since he was still under Tang Guo's command. After all these years, he had trained himself to have a keen eye, able to accurately read the meaning behind every subtle expression his general made. When he noticed a flicker in Gongxi Chou's eyes, he leaned closer.
He asked softly, "Head of the Household, do you recognize these herbs?"
They looked like the kind of weeds and tree roots you could find anywhere in the Deep Mountain Forest.
Gongxi Chou ignored him, but the middle-aged man they had rescued had sharp ears. He gently set down the day's harvest and turned to give the rude deputy general a sidelong glance. The deputy general was caught off guard, and nearly jumped at the man's terrifying look. Once he'd calmed down and realized how badly he'd embarrassed himself, he tried to regain a little dignity. "Are you an herb gatherer from around here? You've got an interesting face, with the look of an eagle and the gaze of a wolf."
The herb gatherer's voice was low and displeased. "You young fellows all call this old man an herb gatherer, so why are you calling these weeds? Hmph, you don't know a thing about them."
The deputy general looked sheepish.
He realized he'd upset the man with his poor choice of words.
He'd wanted to dig in his heels, but then he thought of how badly they'd gotten lost. They might still need the herb gatherer to show them the way, so he followed the survival principle that a wise man knew when to bend. He immediately softened his tone, putting on a wide grin as he apologized. "You're right, old sir. I really don't know what I'm looking at. Please don't take offense; don't hold it