“Great kindness needs no thanks,” An Jiu said.

Wei Yuzhi replied coolly, “I saved you this time with conditions. There’s no kindness to speak of.”

The room fell silent again.

Mo Sigui couldn’t help but say, “If you have nothing more to say, hurry back and rest.”

An Jiu wanted to offer future help if needed, but after hesitating, she ultimately made no promises.

Wei Yuzhi watched her leave, his gaze lingering on her slender figure as it faded into the glaring snow. Their communication had become silent and slow, carrying an indescribable bond and a vague, dull pain.

Before the incident at Baohua Gate, Wei Yuzhi was undoubtedly An Jiu’s enemy. Now, she didn’t know how to face him.

An Jiu saw Chu Dingjiang standing in the corridor and quickly walked over.

“Chu Dingjiang…”

Chu Dingjiang grasped her cold hand, smiling. “You shouldn’t always call me by my full name. It sounds like you’re scolding me.”

In the Song Dynasty and earlier, using someone’s full name was considered disrespectful.

“Then what should I call you?” An Jiu recalled that couples usually called each other by name or “dear,” but she found “dear” awkward in Chinese, and calling him “Dingjiang” felt even stranger.

“How did others address you before?” An Jiu asked, seeking inspiration.

Chu Dingjiang leaned in and whispered, “Hua Rongjian, Gongsung Rongjian, Jizi.”

An Jiu paused, remembering his previous life as Hua Rongjian. “What does Jizi mean?”

Chu Dingjiang cleared his throat. “It means the youngest son.”

An Jiu stared at his face seriously for a moment. “With your weathered look, I can’t bring myself to call you ‘little darling.'”

After all, wasn’t the youngest son essentially a little darling?

“Never mind, there’s no rush. After we marry, you can call me husband,” Chu Dingjiang had hoped for a private term of endearment but realized he’d trapped himself. He shouldn’t have had any expectations in this area.

“Marriage?” An Jiu’s voice rose slightly.

Chu Dingjiang thought, “Oh no.” This girl had many quirks, especially an aversion to marriage. “You can call me that even without marriage,” he quickly added.

“Hmm,” An Jiu responded ambiguously.

After everything they’d been through, she understood Chu Dingjiang better now. The idea of marriage no longer repulsed her as before. She saw that Chu Dingjiang was different from her father – he was responsible and dependable, making her feel secure.

Seeing her mild reaction, Chu Dingjiang felt relieved. Heaven truly rewards those who persevere!

Lost in thought, An Jiu suddenly felt someone watching her. She turned to find the source.

Only Mo Sigui’s room was nearby, with shadowy figures behind the latticed window.

Inside, wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner.

By the window, a figure in green clothes with white hair seemed to gaze through the paper at the two talking outside.

Noticing An Jiu looking over, Wei Yuzhi lowered his eyes.

Mo Sigui was still grinding medicines. After a while, he looked up and said, “They’ve gone back inside! I don’t understand why you people are always caught up in romance. An Jiu has her eye on you. If you like her, just be open about it. Why all this peeping?”

“I proposed to her the first time I saw her,” Wei Yuzhi said. Though his heart had skipped a beat, it wasn’t love at first sight. Perhaps due to his usual approach, he didn’t want to waste too much time and energy on this. Or maybe his powerful spiritual sense gave him keen intuition – he knew that even if he wasn’t deeply in love now, he would grow to like her more and more in the future.

“Oh? Is that so?” Mo Sigui couldn’t help but sympathize. “She must have mocked you terribly!”

Mo Sigui figured that given An Jiu’s usual sharp tongue, she must have been merciless in such a situation.

Unexpectedly, Wei Yuzhi shook his head. “Not at all. In all our interactions, we’ve rarely clashed verbally.”

Every time they met, it was a matter of life and death – either she was fleeing or he was in trouble, either he captured her, or she captured him. Someone always had to suffer.

Mo Sigui was a bit surprised.

Wei Yuzhi didn’t let him inquire further, changing to a topic he knew Mo Sigui couldn’t ignore. “I admire how the divine physician would go through fire and water for Miss Lou.”

“What’s the use of going through fire and water? She’s just a stubborn mule who won’t stop until she hits a wall,” Mo Sigui began to worry at the mention of this, no longer interested in gossiping about others.

Wei Yuzhi slowly walked back to lie on the bed. “Extremes lead to reversal; deep emotions don’t last. Perhaps this world can’t tolerate extreme things, so they become especially painful. The divine physician should try to relax.”

Whether love or hate, emotions that run too deep don’t last long, or they lead to destruction. Wei Yuzhi closed his eyes, realizing these words were meant more for himself than for Mo Sigui.

Mo Sigui seemed to understand his meaning. To ease the gloom, he dug out some medicinal smoke from the pile of herbs. “This is my latest formula, ‘Immortal’s Delight.’ Want to try it?”