The next morning.
Jiang Fu'an carried a medicine pot and once again arrived at the secluded courtyard halfway up the mountain.
The moment he pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw Zhao Lintang already standing beneath the eaves before the house, as though she had been waiting for quite some time.
Seeing Jiang Fu'an enter, she stepped forward to greet him. Then her expression turned solemn, and she respectfully bowed to him. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Jiang, for always keeping Lintang's injuries in your heart.
"Even after I left, you still spent so much time and effort improving the prescription.
"Lintang has no way to repay you, so I can only offer three thousand Spirit Stones as a small token of my gratitude."
With that, she raised a hand and lightly tapped the Storage Pouch at her waist.
At once, streams of light flew one after another from the pouch's opening, quietly hovering in midair.
As the light scattered, it transformed into gleaming, translucent Spirit Stones.
Watching her series of actions, Jiang Fu'an felt a trace of confusion arise in his heart.
She had shown no particular reaction yesterday. Why had her attitude become so grateful after only one night?
Could it be that the medicinal meal had already taken effect?
He did not hurry to collect the Spirit Stones. Instead, he asked with concern, "Fairy Zhao, did the medicinal meal have any effect after you took it yesterday?"
"It did!"
Zhao Lintang immediately nodded, delight blooming across her brows and eyes. "And the effects were quite remarkable. At this rate, the residual poison should be completely cleared in about two months."
After answering, she did not look away. Instead, her bright gaze remained fixed upon Jiang Fu'an's face as she suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, when you went to