After the pale smoke cleared, Hua Gu retrieved a small vial from her bosom and respectfully presented it to the old woman. The elder tipped the porcelain bottle over the small vial, slowly pouring out the contents—a thick, black viscous fluid that oozed into the smaller container.

Finally, the old woman sealed the little bottle and handed it to me, saying, "The smoke has gone ahead to suppress the Gu poison. You must ensure she drinks what is in this bottle within seven hours. The favor you promised me must be repaid within three days."

I accepted the vial with profuse thanks, though I had no idea what task she had set for me. I wanted to ask for details, but time was short, and we had to leave immediately. It took eight hours to drive from here to Xiangcheng; with only seven hours remaining, we would have to push relentlessly to make it on time.

The village chief had already arranged for someone to bring the tractor to the doorway; our luggage was packed and secured on the vehicle. The moment we stepped out of the old woman's courtyard gate, Wang Jue and I immediately climbed onto the tractor, bouncing down the gravel road toward the edge of the village.

There is scenery on the way in, but only necessity on the way out. This saying perfectly described the state of mind of Wang Jue and me at that moment. My thoughts were entirely fixed on my elder sister; I was burning with impatience to return. He, on the other hand, was wholly consumed by thoughts of Hua Gu, his sorrow of parting heavy.

I patted his shoulder and offered comfort, "Don't worry too much. We'll be back in three days."

He nodded, gazing silently at the surrounding mountains.

The tractor dropped us off beside our car, which was now covered in bird droppings and dust. Wang Jue retrieved a rag from the trunk and scrubbed the bird guano off the windshield, then spent a good while running the wipers to clean it further.

After bidding farewell to the driver, we got into our own vehicle. Wang Jue took the wheel again, and we sped toward Xiangcheng.

The return journey was significantly smoother than the arrival. Following the tractor driver's directions, we bypassed the winding mountain roads and headed straight for the expressway, which promised a direct route. Apparently, taking the highway would cut the travel time to Xiangcheng down to five hours.

Wang Jue drove without a word; I knew his heart still lingered in the village. So, I deliberately tried to engage him: "Who do you think Hua Gu resembles?"

"Hua Gu?" Wang Jue asked curiously. "Who do I think? She looks a bit like some movie star, actually."

Some topics are eternally classic; as soon as they are brought up, they immediately capture intense attention. I chuckled inwardly, "She looks exactly like my elder sister when she was younger."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed!" Wang Jue laughed. "Your sister's big, voluminous hair certainly has a distinct flavor of that era. I figured that was always her style."

"Sigh!" I let out a breath. "If life were only like the first meeting, she was as innocent as Hua Gu when she was young. After our parents left, it was I who polished away all that youthful innocence and tenderness she possessed."

"That’s not entirely fair," he countered. "People have to grow up. Experience brings maturity; remaining utterly innocent at thirty is rather pitiable. Don't feel too guilty; who hasn't done something in their youth to hurt their family?"

"Hahaha, a word from you is better than ten years of studying!" So, the saying that one becomes like those one associates with has its merits. After spending these few days with Wang Jue, I've become quite eloquent myself.

As we were chatting, traffic ahead began to slow. Cars were bumper-to-bumper near the expressway entrance, barely inching forward. My heart sank. Surely we weren't running into gridlock?