At dusk, the setting sun slanted across Clear Dew Mountain, dyeing it in a warm orange-gold glow.
Jiang Fu'an carried a ceramic medicine pot down the winding mountain path.
Halfway up the mountain, a cluster of scattered residences lay nestled among the spirit bamboo.
These courtyards had originally been left behind by the Wang Family.
The Wang Family had been large. After they moved away, great stretches of empty residences remained on Clear Dew Mountain, scattered sparsely through the woods.
Jiang Fu'an had chosen one such courtyard and settled Zhao Lintang, who had come seeking treatment, within it.
He had just reached the wooden gate when he heard soft footsteps coming from the side path.
Turning his head, he saw Zhao Lintang approaching from the other direction, her skirt hem swaying slightly as though she had just returned from outside.
When Zhao Lintang saw him, her eyes curved faintly as she spoke first. "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I just went over there to look at the workshop that makes talisman paper.
"I never expected that not only were your medical skills so exceptional, but you also managed your lineage's industries with such meticulous order."
As she spoke, her gaze had already fallen upon the medicine pot in Jiang Fu'an's hand.
A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes, and her tone brightened involuntarily. "Fellow Daoist, your efficiency truly is remarkable. The medicine was ready after only an hour?"
Jiang Fu'an pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped aside to let her enter first as he explained, "I have spent the past two years trying to improve this decoction. I usually keep some of the necessary medicinal ingredients prepared, so it was faster."
Zhao Lintang did not seem to pay much attention to his words. The moment she entered the room, she