A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 394: Cai Yi with a sincere heart

When Si Yao and Xiao Lu returned with the unrecognizable and blinded flower thief, everyone in the Jing'an County Court was stunned and didn't react for a long time. However, they were relieved to see that Si Yao was safe and sound.

"Ahem, this... what is going on?" After the flower thief was arrested and taken away, the Jing'an County Magistrate coughed twice and asked Si Yao curiously.

"Yes, little brother, how did you find Miss Si Yao? And how did that flower thief become like this?" Captain Peng at the side also asked with full of confusion.

Captain Peng remembered that he and his men were following the medicine boy not far behind him. When the screams came, he vaguely saw the medicine boy chasing up the mountain. How come he didn't see a single person when they reached the top of the mountain? And the flower thief was very skilled and cunning, how could he be easily controlled by these two powerless people?

"Captain Peng, I'm sure you heard those screams just now?" Xiaolu smiled at Captain Peng and asked.

"Yes, I led people up the mountain following the sound, but we didn't find any trace of you," Captain Peng nodded without hesitation.

"Captain Peng, you don't know that there is a cave on that mountain, hidden in the cliff and covered with vines. The flower thief is hiding there."

"So that's how it is. No wonder our people couldn't find any trace after searching everywhere. Who would have thought that there was a cave on the cliff?" After hearing Xiaolu's words, Captain Peng slapped his thigh with sudden realization, looked at the Jing'an County Magistrate and sighed.

"But what about the wound on the flower thief's face? How did he become blind? Also, how did you, a little medicine boy, find the cave hidden in the cliff?" The Jing'an County Magistrate was still confused at this time, so he ignored Captain Peng and watched Si Yao and Xiao Lu continue to question.

Then, Si Yao recounted how she was abducted by the flower thief and taken to a cave outside the city, and then rescued by Madam Honghua.

However, she did not reveal the identity of Madam Honghua. She only said that a mysterious lady with superb martial arts skills who came and went without a trace saved her when she saw injustice. The flower thief's eyes were destroyed because her benefactor thought the thief wanted to rob her again and sprinkled poison powder on him in a hurry and accidentally injured him.

After Si Yao finished speaking, Xiaolu also hurriedly told them how he followed the sound and found the cave. Only then did the Jing'an County Magistrate, Constable Peng and others realize that this medicine boy also had skills.

"Good boy, you are such a hidden talent! No wonder you dare to act alone outside the city!" Captain Peng patted Xiaolu's shoulder and smiled, no wonder he showed such murderous intent at that time.

Xiaolu lowered his eyes and bowed to Captain Peng, but just smiled without saying anything.

After explaining the matter clearly, Si Yao and Xiao Lu returned to their residence in the backyard of the county government office. It was already past the second watch at this time. Cai Yi, who had been waiting anxiously in the room, was overjoyed to see Si Yao return safely. She immediately hugged him and cried. She stopped crying only after Si Yao and Xiao Lu comforted her.

It was early summer and the sky got bright early. Because Si Yao and Xiao Lu had made great contributions in catching the flower thief, they were praised by the Jing'an County Magistrate, who asked the chief clerk to prepare a hundred taels of silver as a reward. Si Yao and Xiao Lu gladly accepted it without any hesitation.

When bidding farewell to the magistrate of Jing'an County, Si Yao also left a bottle of ointment for treating burns. Although the flower thief was guilty of a notorious crime, he was still a life after all. The poison in his body had been eliminated, but the burned areas on his face still had to be treated with medicine to prevent ulceration and infection.

After Si Yao and the other three left Jing'an City and headed straight for the mountains several miles away, Madam Honghua had already been sitting in meditation with her eyes closed on the top of the mountain facing the morning sun. She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps halfway up the mountain, and then lay on the rocks in a lazy and charming posture.

"Good morning, Madam." Si Yao, who was the first to reach the top of the mountain, saw Madam Honghua and said calmly without saying anything.

The two people following closely behind Si Yao, one had surprise in his eyes while the other rolled his eyes and turned away.

"It's getting late. Can't you see that the sun is shining on your butt?" Madam Honghua said lazily as she stood up. She curiously came to Caiyi and suddenly hugged her in her arms. She smiled at Si Yao and said, "This sister is smart and lovely, but she looks unfamiliar. Please introduce her to me!"

"This is Caiyi. She is timid. Madam, please don't scare her."

Si Yao was suddenly startled by Madam Honghua's sudden enthusiasm this early in the morning. Seeing that Caiyi was too frightened to move, she quickly stepped forward and pulled her back behind her. She handed a bag of fresh meat buns to Madam Honghua and continued, "I hurried over here and don't know what you like to eat, so I brought these for you to try."

"Sister Si Yao is really caring." Smelling the aroma of the fresh meat in the bag, Mrs. Honghua, who had not yet eaten, couldn't help but feel happy. She did not blame the other party for snatching someone from her.

"This is a reward from the Jing'an government for our contribution in capturing the flower thief. Xiaolu and I both think that the main credit goes to you, and we dare not take it for ourselves." Then, Si Yao handed the one hundred taels of silver he had just obtained to Madam Honghua and continued.

"Hmph, this government is really stingy. I don't think much of it. I'll leave it to you for your travel expenses." Madam Honghua leisurely nibbled on a fresh meat bun. She only glanced at the coin bag that Si Yao handed over and snorted coldly.

"I heard from Madam last night that you came to find me because of Miss Huanyu? What happened? Isn't Miss Huanyu with my master?" Seeing that the other party was not accepting the offer, Si Yao had to give up and asked straight to the point.

"I heard that you have some connection with Mr. Zisang, the miracle doctor?" Mrs. Honghua asked, sighing after she finished eating a fresh meat bun.

"Well, I have met Mr. Zisang twice, and Si Yao has received a lot of guidance from him." Although Si Yao was puzzled about where Madam Honghua got the news, she did not ask directly, but talked about the important things first.

"Do you know where he is now? How to find him?" Mrs. Honghua's eyes lit up instantly when she heard this, and she excitedly grabbed Si Yao's hand and continued to ask.

"Although I know where Mr. Zisang lives in Lianzhou, he often travels around the world and is erratic. I am not sure whether he is still in Lianzhou." Si Yao shook his head. Seeing the anxious look on Mrs. Honghua's face, he asked again: "What happened?"

"Well, this is a long story, so I'll just make it short." After hearing Si Yao's words, Madam Honghua's heart turned cold again, so she let go of her hand and sighed again, then said helplessly: "The power-transforming pill that Yan Yu took was mixed with a powerful Western poison, the famous flower bite. This poison can lie dormant in the human body for half a year without breaking out, and as long as it doesn't break out, it will be silent and even a genius doctor can't detect it, but once it breaks out..."

"Wait, the strange poisonous flower from the Western Regions, I seem to have seen it somewhere..." Before Madam Honghua could finish her words, Si Yao suddenly frowned and muttered to herself as if she was thinking about something.

"Have you seen the poison of flower bites?" Mrs. Honghua was overjoyed and asked hurriedly.

"Where have I seen it before..." Si Yao's mind was searching for the memory of the flower bite poison at this moment, so he ignored Madam Honghua's reply, and walked to the side of the path and flipped through the medical book in the bamboo basket.

"Didn't you see Sister Si Yao was looking for the Flower Bite Poison? Madam, please don't make trouble at this time." Seeing that Madam Honghua was about to come over and ask more questions, Xiaolu stood up with his hands on his chest, blocked her in front of him and sneered.

"Hmph, you disrespectful little brat!" Seeing that Si Yao was concentrating on the poison of Xunhua Bite, Madam Honghua didn't bother with Xiaolu. She glared at him and turned around to sit back on the stone, but she couldn't help cursing under her breath.

"Madam, it is best to eat the fresh meat buns while they are hot. Don't let them get cold." Caiyi saw Si Yao busy flipping through the medical book. She couldn't help because she couldn't read. Xiaolu and Madam Honghua seemed to be quarreling again. When she was at a loss, she accidentally glanced at Madam Honghua putting the unfinished fresh meat buns aside, so she smiled and reminded her kindly.

"There are two left, but I can't eat them. Why don't you let Sister Caiyi take them?" Mrs. Honghua was no longer in the mood to eat the buns. When she heard Caiyi say this, she immediately threw the half bag of fresh meat buns to her and said with a smile.

"Then I won't be polite."

Smelling the aroma of fresh meat still wafting out of the bag, Caiyi laughed happily. Although she had already had breakfast in the city, she had consumed a lot of energy climbing to the top of the mountain, so she could still finish two buns. After all, she was a girl from a poor family, and she couldn't bear to see these fresh meat buns wasted like this.

"Ahem, Caiyi, aren't you afraid that this bun is poisonous?"

Just as Caiyi was about to open her mouth to take a bite of the meat bun in her hand, Xiaolu's words made her freeze in place. She didn't know whether to eat it or not.

"Don't worry, girl. Your sister Si Yao is still helping me. I, Honghua, would never be an ungrateful person." Madam Honghua glanced coldly at Xiaolu, and then smiled gently at Caiyi.

For some reason, she couldn't help but feel pity for a sincere child like Caiyi. Perhaps she felt that it was not easy for a sincere child to live well in this world.

Thinking back to when she was just starting out, she was also so honest, but in return she was covered in bruises and almost died in a puddle of mud. So now, while she feels sorry for Caiyi, she also envies this girl for being luckier than herself and having Si Yao protect her.