Dong Fengwu waved a hand. "Xiao Chai may be a little headstrong, but she's straightforward and frank.
"Since you two cleared things up that day, she's naturally put the matter behind her.
"All right, enough chatter. I've got plenty on my hands right now. I'll take you to see Xiao Chai first."
About an incense stick's worth of time later, Dong Fengwu led Chen Shi'an into a quiet, secluded courtyard with its own entrance.
However, a strong, acrid smell of burning permeated the courtyard.
Chen Shi'an was very familiar with this smell. It often wafted out of the alchemy rooms in the Earth Pill Sect.
Ruined pills or scorched medicinal plants and spirit herbs would give off this smell.
As soon as Dong Fengwu entered the courtyard, he frowned, shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "Looks like that girl failed again today."
At that, he raised his voice and called deeper into the courtyard, "Girl, where are you? Your second uncle's here."
Immediately afterward, a clear, angry voice came from the depths of the courtyard. "Second Uncle, where did you get all these lousy spirit herbs? They've made me fail three more times today..."
Before she finished speaking, a slender, petite figure hurried through the courtyard doorway and appeared before Chen Shi'an and Dong Fengwu. It was Dong Xiaochai.
However, Dong Xiaochai looked entirely different from her usual lovely self.
She was wearing a loose white robe that had clearly been worn for some days, with conspicuous black grease stains around its collar and sleeves.
Her beautiful black hair had not been properly tended either. It was merely gathered into a casual bun and secured with a jade hairpin, looking quite disheveled.
There were also several smudges of black ash on her face, making her look