It was dusk, and the backyard became cool.
There were only Xu Buling and a few girls living in the house. There were no maids or servants in the temporary residence, so it was especially quiet. Only the 'da da' sounds of medicine being pounded could be heard.
In a war, medicine was life. It would be too late to prepare it when it was time to use it.
The Marshal's Residence was filled with drying medicinal herbs. Zhongli Jiujiu took advantage of the free time before the next battle to prepare a large batch of Golden Sore Powder in the courtyard. Outside the residence, she found more than a dozen medical apprentices to boil and grind the medicine, causing the entire residence to be filled with a medicinal fragrance.
Zhong Li Jiujiu's research on medicine was the best in the world. She could even raise the Dragon Lock Parasite. It was obviously a waste to make basic Golden Sore Powder.
Zhongli Chuchu was helping out in the makeshift pharmacy. Her face was covered with a red veil, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes. She weighed the powder leisurely and said,
"Master, you are the concubine of the Crown Prince of the Central Plains. In Nanyue, you are more respected than the Imperial Concubine. In the past, I heard that the Imperial Concubine and the Empress were all wearing gold and jade. Ordinary people had to kneel on the ground and look at their boots. But you, you worked so hard to become a concubine. Not only did you not enjoy your life, it is even more tiring than in the village. You start making medicine as soon as you wake up, and you have to serve men at night. They don't even give you money … "
The little sparrow stood on the table and knocked on the pine nuts. It nodded its little head when it heard this. "Chirp chirp —" It seemed to be saying that it had to be ordered around like a carrier pigeon. Not to mention a spouse, it didn't even have a golden cage.
Zhong Li Jiujiu was also wearing a veil. She carefully mixed the various medicinal powders with a small spoon and said softly,
"We are at war now and everyone is busy. Xu Buling is also busy from morning to night. He leads by example and basks in the sun with the soldiers. We are just hiding in the house to enjoy the cool. What's so tiring about it?"
Zhongli Chuchu was just bored and wanted to find something to talk about; however, her hands were still helping out in a serious manner.
…
A faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the courtyard. It was the quietest in the west room. Even the sound of pounding medicine could not be heard.
The room was clean and elegant. On the embroidered bed, Ning Qing Ye was covered with a thin blanket. She opened her eyes.
During the last siege, Qing Ye had been following Xu Buling. They advanced and retreated together. She fainted and ran to the top of the city wall when she woke up.
As a woman, her martial arts skills were not as good as Ning Yuhe's. It was easy to imagine how much energy it took to force herself to use martial arts. After the battle, Ning Qingye lay down and recuperated in the house for nearly ten days before she recovered.
It was dim outside and it was hard to tell whether it was morning or evening.
Ning Qing Ye sat up and rubbed her sore arms. She put on her embroidered shoes and walked to the window to open it. She looked at the lotus leaves outside and sighed softly.
Although she was a little tired, Qing Ye was quite satisfied. At least in the eyes of the Xiliang Army, she was no longer a woman of the Crown Prince. She was a swordswoman who was not inferior to men.
Although there wasn't much difference in reality, Ning Qingye was an independent and straightforward person. She would definitely take revenge for any enmity and repay any kindness. She didn't like to become a man's vassal like ordinary women. Even if she was Xu Buring's lover, she wouldn't stand behind Xu Buring or the entire army just because of this identity.
Ning Qing Ye stood by the window and rested for a while. Her body was a little sore after lying for so long. Ning Qing Ye walked out of the room and walked along the corridor to relax. When she came to the courtyard, she found that Chu Chu and Jiujiu were busy preparing medicine. She did not disturb them and went straight to the kitchen in the back.
She lived in Nanyang for a while and was surrounded by Jianghu women. There was no kitchen maid in the house and everything was done by herself. The kitchen in the back of the house was smoking. Ning Yuhe, who was wearing an apron, was busy cutting vegetables and washing rice. In the past, it was a Taoist taboo to eat. Now that he had been with Xu Buling for a long time, he naturally did not care about it anymore. Chicken, duck, fish and meat were all available.
Ning Qing Ye stood in the corridor and glanced around. She found that everyone was busy and she was the only one resting. She felt a little embarrassed and walked into the kitchen. She came to the back of the earthen stove and helped to light the fire like she did when she was young.
Ning Yuhe was cutting vegetables. When he saw Qing Ye suddenly stand up and run over, he quickly wiped his hands and walked over.
"Qing Ye, why are you up? That damned woman said you need to rest for half a month. It's not the day yet. What if you get sick? "
Martial artists relied on their bodies to make a living. After years of practicing martial arts, even if there were no illnesses or disasters, if they did not take good care of themselves, they would still be sick in old age. Although Ning Yuhe did not get along with Jiujiu, he still cared about Jiujiu's medical advice.
Ning Qing Ye was pulled up. She smiled and said, "Master, I'm fine. I'm just tired for a day. It's not like I'm injured. There's no need to lie down for half a month. Besides, Ye Jiu said it would be ten days to half a month. It's already been ten days. If I lie down any longer, I'll suffocate to death. "
Ning Yuhe looked at her seriously and felt Qing Ye's meridians. It seemed that there were no major problems and he nodded gently. She knew Qing Ye's character. She was very practical and could not sit still when she saw others working. She said,
"There's no need for two people to cook. I can do it alone. If you can't sit still, you can just sweep the floor."
The kitchen was not big and two people could not move around. Ning Qing Ye turned to the door and picked up the broom to sweep the vegetables in the yard.
Ning Yuhe returned to the chopping board and continued to cut yam, lamb kidney and other ingredients. He said softly,
"Since you're bored, when Xu Buling comes back, let him take you out for a walk. Although most of the people in Nanyang have fled because of the war, the scenery of Baihe Long Dyke is still very good. Young men and women like to go there … "
Ning Qing Ye looked up at the sky, "It's getting dark. What's there to stroll about? Besides, it's enough to go out for a walk alone. Why let Xu Buling follow? "
"Uh …"
Ning Yuhe thought for a while, "Aren't you a couple? It's normal for young men and women to be together … "
Ning Qing Ye blushed slightly, "I … I just don't think it's interesting to go out together. These days, when he comes back every night, he goes to the room and sits next to me and gossips about 'Fahai Town White Snake'. I grew up in a Taoist temple. Why should I listen to the monk's story? It's not as interesting as Man Zhi's story … "
Although she denied it, Qing Ye never hid her inner thoughts, especially in front of her master.
Ning Yuhe glanced at her and knew that his disciple was being stubborn. He stopped talking and did not say more.
The yard outside the kitchen was not big, so it was finished in two sweeps.
After Ning Qing Ye put down the broom, she saw her and her master's clothes soaking beside the well, so she sat on a small stool and began to wash the clothes.
The master and disciple had depended on each other since they were young. When they were young, Ning Yuhe was the one who washed their clothes. As they grew older, the two of them took turns to wash their clothes. Naturally, they didn't shy away from wearing their underwear. Ning Yuhe didn't stop them.
However, when Ning Qing Ye raised her hand to pick up Ning Yuhe's white nightdress and was about to wash it, she suddenly saw some light red marks on it.
Ning Qingye didn't pay much attention to it at first, thinking that it was some kind of rouge that was accidentally stained somewhere else. But when he rubbed it carefully on his hand for a long time, the faint red marks were still there, just like a little pattern on a pure white cloth.
？
The nightdress was white without any pattern. It was obviously not embroidered.
Ning Qing Ye picked it up and looked at it carefully. The light red marks seemed to be dyed. She picked up the dress and compared it with her body. She found the position of the red marks …
？？
The color of the chastity mark will fade?
Ning Qingye and Qing Quan's eyes were filled with astonishment.
She and her master had depended on each other since childhood. They bathed and slept together. Naturally, she knew that there was a pattern of a flying phoenix on her master's white steamed bun. When she was young, she was curious and thought it was beautiful. She often touched it, and her master even spanked her.
The color of the chastity mark was pink, exactly the same as the color on the cloth …
Thinking of this, Qing Ye was a little confused.
The chastity mark was like a birthmark. It was integrated with the flesh and blood. How could it fade?
The mark on it seemed that the ink was not dry, and it was accidentally printed on it. You could even see some vague outlines …
Ning Qing Ye was puzzled. She looked back at her master's back in the kitchen. Before she could figure out the reason, she heard voices outside the house. Xu Buling and Nightingale were back.
Ning Qingye's train of thought was interrupted, and he returned to his senses. With some doubts, he continued to wash the clothes seriously …
