Yu Lan didn't know how to respond. Uncertain of what exactly Smile expected from her, she still felt it was a fair deal. As she prepared to stand, her vision blurred. When she blinked, she was back in the chair where she had fallen asleep earlier.
The strange shift felt almost normal after the turmoil of the past month, so it didn't unsettle Yu Lan. Before anyone could notice her, she decided to leave the auction house. The streets outside were lit by street lanterns, with people wandering through them.
Merchants were selling food, weapons, and trinkets as Yu Lan returned home. Along the route, she noticed more and more vendors offering wine, so she decided to buy a few bottles before continuing. On her way back, Yu Lan intentionally stopped by the house where Bei Mo had first helped her and went inside to look for her.
The house was crowded, but Yu Lan couldn't find Bei Mo anywhere. Disappointed that Bei Mo wasn't there, she lost interest and decided to return to the cave wall. As she headed back, a young man ran out of the house and stopped her before she disappeared into the crowd.
"Excuse me, miss. Disciple Bei Mo left something for you. She said it's for your injuries," the boy said, pulling a wooden box from his sleeve and handing it to Yu Lan without further explanation.
Yu Lan opened the box and found a red pill with small cracks covering its surface. "What kind of pill is this? I've never seen such a pill. I thought healing pills were green, not red."
The boy was surprised by her question, but, as a cultivator with years of experience, he could easily sense the strong essence of healing herbs from the pill. "I don't know its exact effect, but it's certainly a healing pill. The cracks suggest it's an imperfect third-tier pill made by a master alchemist, which is rare despite its flaws."
Yu Lan was astonished that Bei Mo would give her such a pill and felt it reflected Bei Mo's kind heart. Despite her lack of cultivation experience gained only from observing Xin Ming, his pills were never of this grade and were hard to obtain.
"But it's strange that Senior Bei Mo had such a pill. She's only a quasi-master alchemist. Only master alchemists can create third-tier pills, and none would let such a pill circulate freely in the city. Disciple Bei Lin recently became a quasi-master alchemist, and it takes far more to reach master status, not to mention she'd need to be a Qi Condensation cultivator to craft such rare pills," Yu Lan mused.
After pondering the pill for a moment, she left with the box, hurrying back to the cave.
It was early evening when Yu Lan returned to the cave. As she opened the door, Mei Lin opened her eyes, having been cultivating. "How was your day?" Mei Lin asked as Yu Lan went straight to the bed, dropping her upper robe and collapsing onto it, covered only in bandages.
Mei Lin stopped her cultivation for the day, and after both had settled into bed, Yu Lan felt embarrassed as Mei Lin joined her. To ease the tension, Yu Lan began caressing Mei Lin's long white hair, which nearly covered the upper part of her body.
"I managed to find Disciple Bei Mo from the sect, who examined my injuries and healed me. But when I tried to find her today, she wasn't there. While I was looking for her, someone gave me this healing pill. An attendant said it's from her and that it's a very rare pill—something even Bei Mo shouldn't be able to acquire for herself," Yu Lan explained, looking into Mei Lin's eyes for a reaction. Mei Lin remained silent.
"Did Bei Mo or Smile tell you what kind of pill you need to heal?" Mei Lin asked.
Yu Lan paused before replying, "I didn't find out yet, but I will sooner or later. I think the pill from Bei Mo might be the one that can help me."
Mei Lin considered this, aware that such a pill wasn't something given away lightly. Knowing it might bring more trouble, she decided to address the situation. "Are you sure what he said is true?"
"Yes, he's intimidating, but he helped me, and I need to go back there," Yu Lan said, deliberately omitting her near-death experience with the drawing and the bleeding.
"I'll visit him tomorrow and ask about the pill. What do you want to buy at the auction? I need to tell Smile so he can guide us to the right one," Mei Lin said.
"We need a large house or mansion in the Green Zone. I'd also like cultivation supplies. And we should get some pills in case something unexpected happens or we need to leave the city quickly," Yu Lan replied.
After a moment of silence, Mei Lin buried her face in Yu Lan's chest, finding the warmth comforting. Yu Lan, however, felt something entirely different. Being so close, Mei Lin murmured, "You must be careful outside. When the auction starts, we'll go together, buy a new home, then find Xia so she can live with us, open a tea house, and search for a master." Mei Lin's words were muffled against Yu Lan's chest, her hair unintentionally arousing Yu Lan, whose face flushed. 'Mei Lin, please don't touch me—I can't…'
Yu Lan's breathing grew increasingly irregular, and her heart pounded harder with each passing moment. "What's happening? Are you injured anywhere?" Mei Lin asked, placing her hand on Yu Lan's forehead. "You have a fever."
"No! I don't have a fever. I… I'm all right. You don't need to worry. I just need to sleep—I'm exhausted from the day," Yu Lan replied, pulling away from Mei Lin. Mei Lin didn't understand why Yu Lan was resisting and failed to realize that Yu Lan didn't want to be examined, even though Mei Lin only intended to help.
"No, you're probably injured. Let me check if you have a fever or any wounds," Mei Lin insisted.
Yu Lan tried to sit up, but as she did, she accidentally pushed herself up by grabbing Mei Lin's chest. Yu Lan felt Mei Lin's delicate, small hand squeeze her breast as she attempted to rise, only to lose balance and fall back onto Yu Lan.
"Ohhh," Yu Lan gasped as the air was forced from her lungs by Mei Lin's unexpected weight, who couldn't stop herself from collapsing onto her.