"Not bad, not bad at all..." Xing'er and Xiao Shu said in unison. Hearing each other's voices, the aunt and niece glanced at one another, then burst into laughter. This time, Yingzi shed none of her prior reserve, immediately using her lollipop stick to tap Xing'er and Xiao Shu on the head, sending them scrambling away, clutching their heads, until they found refuge beside Sister Xiaoyu, who was helping Old He prepare his medicines.

Seeing how cheerful they were, Sister Xiaoyu gladly took on the role of protector. "Enough, enough, they were just teasing you! If you took them seriously and got angry, you’d be upset for the rest of your life."

At her words, Yingzi instantly reverted to her ladylike demeanor, sitting neatly by the tent flap. She asked softly, "You must have encountered a great deal of danger on your journey, right?"

"Mm," Xiao Shu nodded, choosing not to divulge the details to prevent the two women at home from worrying needlessly. "But I returned safely, a close call all the same."

"A close call, you say! If it hadn't been for that little girl under Xiao Hao’s command coming back for aid, you and that monkey would probably be two piles of white bones by now. I’d be setting up a memorial tablet for you and making offerings..." Yingzi trailed off mid-sentence, realizing she had gone too far. She abruptly shut her mouth, took a sip of Xing'er's lollipop, and dropped the subject.

Xiao Shu managed a wry smile. "It wouldn't have ended like that. Even if only the last breath remained, I would have crawled back... Ending my life so abruptly isn't my style. There is at least one important thing that must be done before I die."

"What is it? I'll do it for you," Yingzi said earnestly. Xiao Shu just offered her a gentle smile and said no more, watching as Sister Xiaoyu busily snipped the large roll of gauze into smaller pieces, arranging them on a tray, mixing various external tinctures, and then picking up the tray to walk out.

Seeing Sister Xiaoyu's apparent indifference toward her, Xiao Shu suddenly felt something was amiss! Xiao Hao had explicitly said that she wanted to see her, yet here, Sister Xiaoyu hadn't even given her a proper look! There must be something hidden in this—either Xiao Hao was lying, or something had changed in Sister Xiaoyu's heart.

Thus, Xiao Shu excused herself from Yingzi, helped Sister Xiaoyu lift the tent flap, and followed her into Old He's tent. The two walked one behind the other until they reached a secluded spot. Only then did Sister Xiaoyu turn around and say to Xiao Shu, "I know about Xiaoyu's situation."

Xiao Shu scratched the back of her head, feeling deeply apologetic. She murmured softly, "I'm sorry. I got separated from him midway; I couldn't bring him back." She expected her apology would soothe Sister Xiaoyu, but instead, the moment the subject was broached, tears immediately welled up and spilled from the older woman's eyes. She sobbed brokenly, "You must bring him out safely. We depended on each other since childhood; if anything happens to him, I don't know how I'll go on living."

"I will bring him back," Xiao Shu affirmed with a nod. However, suddenly recalling the words of the few living dead who claimed Xiaoyu was the heir, and remembering Xiao Hao’s mention of the Sea of Spirits and the Fountain of Youth being guarded by two families, she cautiously inquired, "Sister, do you know anything about your family's history?"

"History?" Sister Xiaoyu shook her head. "We never had our parents around since we were young. Even if there was a history, no one ever told us. Although Xiaoyu said our mother is still alive. Until we find her, Xiaoyu is my only kin in this world, so..." Scalding tears fell drop by drop, and Sister Xiaoyu wept too hard to speak further. Xiao Shu could only take the tray from her hands and accompany her to change Old He's dressings.