"I gave you the pill from your storage space. It wasn't a very good pill, but it should be sufficient to help you regain your strength. That doesn't mean you're healthy, though. After all, it's not common for pregnant women to faint like that," Smile said.
"You are much weaker than before. Unlike others, your poor lifestyle, combined with pregnancy and severe injuries, is a dangerous mix. You should tell your friend to take care of you, or if you continue down this path, it won't be long or pleasant," Smile added unexpectedly, as if he knew everything.
Yu Lan felt terrible hearing Smile's words. Unlike Mei Lin, she struggled to care for herself, and attempting something entirely new was a daunting challenge.
"M-Mei Lin can't take care of me," Yu Lan stammered. Smile looked at her, surprised.
"Then why do you even have a sister if she can't take care of someone as beaten up and pregnant as you?" he asked.
Yu Lan didn't answer and turned away from Smile, hiding her face. She felt as if she could bury herself deep underground to escape everyone's gaze.
Reading Yu Lan's mood, Smile started laughing. "Did your sister try to help you and damage your lungs?"
"Y-Yes…" Yu Lan confirmed sadly, unsure why the old man was giggling.
"Your sister is truly foolish. What was she thinking when she tried to heal you? She could have killed your baby! Did no one tell her it's dangerous to heal someone without medical expertise? Non-cultivators can't be healed by infusing natural energy into their bodies. You were lucky she didn't kill you when she used her natural energy. Your child absorbed some of it, which would normally have been fatal."
Yu Lan was confused by Smile's words, unsure whether to believe him. Smile placed a plate of food on the bed, and Yu Lan felt an invisible force gently turning her to face him. The force vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Rice rose from the plate in small pieces, floating in a straight line toward Yu Lan's mouth. She was delighted that Smile could make the rice levitate as he fed her, and she began to eat. After days without food, the rice seemed to dissolve in her mouth, its normally bland taste now delighting her senses.
After finishing the bowl, Yu Lan rested briefly, then stood and followed Smile to a table where he was seated.
"Thank you for helping me," Yu Lan said, unsure what else to say as Smile poured tea for both of them. After he sipped his tea, Yu Lan drank hers and felt a sweet fragrance spread through her body, slowly numbing her senses.
Yu Lan felt blissful and asked, "Could you tell me what kind of tea this is?" She was curious, knowing that such high-quality tea, which could stimulate the mind and taste divine, must cost a fortune in spirit stones for non-cultivators.
"I brewed this tea myself. It can heal and calm the mind. Few people have the chance to drink my tea, especially non-cultivators," Smile replied. Yu Lan felt as though she had unwittingly indebted herself.
Sensing her discomfort, Smile reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't make you pay for the tea. But you will owe me a favor once you're better. I studied your drawing and found something interesting about it."
Yu Lan smiled brightly, as drawing was her passion, and it seemed a small price to pay for her recovery. "Once I'm better, I'll come and draw for you."
Smile nodded lightly. Before Yu Lan could respond further, her vision blurred, and she found herself on the first floor of an auction house, holding a piece of milky white jade.
Yu Lan couldn't discern what was inside the jade, but since Smile had given it to her, it likely contained information about the auction. Smiling, she quickly left the auction house, unaware that two people had begun tailing her. Instead, she ducked into the first inn she saw as she exited.
Compared to the auction house, the inn looked much shabbier, but Yu Lan managed to buy food anyway and then headed toward the cave wall.
*****
Before Yu Lan entered the cave, the sun outside was nearly gone, so she felt that dinner would be a good apology for once and quickly stepped inside.
Upon entering the cave, Yu Lan saw Mei Lin in bed in a completely cleaned interior, with no signs of the earlier mess everything tidy and orderly.
"Hello, Mei Lin, I'm here," Yu Lan said, but Mei Lin completely ignored her.
Mei Lin wasn't looking at her, as she was slowly processing what had happened during her cultivation and the fact that, as soon as she stopped, she was greeted with the mess that had been their temporary home.
Yu Lan knew Mei Lin was angry, so she placed two bowls on the table and pulled down her clothes, exposing herself to Mei Lin so she could see her.
Unbeknownst to Yu Lan, her body was nearly fully healed, leaving only a small bruise on her stomach.
"The pill you gave me was very good," Yu Lan said. Showing herself to Mei Lin no longer crossed her mind as she waited to see what would happen.
"Did that friend of yours heal you?"
"Yes."
"And what did he want for it?"
Yu Lan was surprised. "How did she figure out that Smile wants something from me?" Not wanting to lie to Mei Lin, she answered, "He wants me to draw for him after I get better. It's really strange, right?"
Yu Lan didn't want to dwell on something as simple as painting for Smile anymore, but Mei Lin felt that something so trivial surely had a deeper meaning she couldn't yet understand or uncover without more clues, which Yu Lan didn't seem to possess.
"Well, I hope nothing bad will happen," Mei Lin concluded, ending the unimportant conversation as Yu Lan placed the food on the table, ready to eat. Yu Lan began eating as if there were no tomorrow, opening a jar of wine.
Mei Lin could see at a glance that Yu Lan hadn't brought any spirit fruit, so she didn't join the dinner and only watched as Yu Lan quickly devoured everything, wasting no energy before getting herself drunk.
*****