He Xiaomei and He Xiaolan were stopped by Yue Qinchun. “May I take a look at your medicinal herbs?”

“To be honest, I’m actually from Yue City, but ever since I met Jiu’er and the others, I’ve become obsessed with herbs.”

“I’d like to see the herbs you gathered yourselves.”

“Of course.” The younger sister, He Xiaolan, set down the basket, lifted the lid, and reached in with both hands, scooping out a handful of herbs.

“Please, take a look.”

Yue Qinchun crouched down, set the papers she was holding on the ground, and reached for the herbs.

The elder sister, He Xiaomei, crouched down as well, gently picking up the papers her sister had set aside, and studied them carefully.

Yue Qinchun picked up an herb that looked like a small piece of wood and brought it to her nose to sniff.

“Not bad! This one’s had enough years to it.” She set the small piece down and picked up another.

“This one’s good too! You two have a good eye!”

Yue Qinchun looked over several more herbs in quick succession. Duan Liuyang walked over as well, crouching down beside them.

“Sister.” He Xiaomei, still holding the papers, looked up at Duan Liuyang.

“What is it?” Duan Liuyang glanced at her, then at the papers in her hand, seeming to understand something.

“Do you want to apply too? I heard you two know how to gather herbs — we’re short on girls just like you.”

“We…” He Xiaomei pressed her lips together. “Could we really?”

Duan Liuyang looked over the herbs inside and around the basket and asked, “Did you really gather these yourselves in the mountains?”

He Xiaomei nodded. “My sister and I have been gathering herbs in the mountains since we were eight.”

“We’re fifteen this year — could we work at your pharmacy?”

Who wouldn’t want a steady income if they could have one? Gathering herbs on their own, with meals uncertain from one day to the next, was no way to spend a lifetime.

Besides, seeing that Yue Qinchun and Duan Liuyang, both so young, had already earned the trust of the city lord, the sisters couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Of course you can.” Yue Qinchun set the herbs back into the basket.

“I’m about to turn sixteen myself, and Sister Liuyang is only seventeen — why couldn’t you?”

“As long as you’re willing to work hard, life will surely get better than it is now.”

“Really?” The younger sister, He Xiaolan, gripped the edge of the basket tightly, nervous. “Then what should we do?”

Yue Qinchun glanced around at everyone and stood up.

The people beside her rose as well.

“If you want to know more, just ask me — if you want to apply, come this way.” Yue Qinchun turned back with a smile.

“Miss Yue, I still don’t quite understand what you said earlier.” Two or three girls stepped forward.

“Yes, could you please explain it again?” another girl chimed in.

“No rush, whatever questions you have, we’ll explain in detail.” Duan Liuyang replied with a smile.

As Duan Liuyang and Yue Qinchun kept talking without pause, more and more women gathered around them.

By the time Feng Jiu’er came out with the He family, the scene was even livelier than before.

Watching all these enthusiastic, earnest, and rather good-looking girls, she wondered — if she kept taking all the girls in the city away like this, what would the men left behind do?

Well, that thought was getting a bit too far ahead of itself.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed. The recruitment quota had filled up — completely full on the very first day. For the next two days, everyone had thrown themselves into developing the antidote.

At noon on the third day, the first batch of antidote pills was ready.

Feng Jiu’er personally retrieved the pills from the alchemy furnace and returned to the main courtyard.

The first batch of medicine numbered three thousand pills. The brothers arranged to take the medicine had already been waiting in the courtyard for a while. Three thousand people was no small number — from the front courtyard to the middle courtyard to the back courtyard, every space was filled with people.

Feng Jiu’er and the brothers of Tianji Hall divided up the pills and distributed them to the men.

No one said a word. As soon as someone received a pill, they swallowed it immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

After taking the medicine, no one left. Some sat on the ground, some stood, and there was talk and laughter among them.

Feng Jiu’er knew the brothers carried some measure of worry, but seeing how resolute each of them remained, her heart felt both gladdened and heavy.

No matter how confident they were, this first batch was still a trial — there was no way it could be without any risk at all.

Feng Jiu’er didn’t leave either. She meant to endure this difficult hour together with the men.

Many of the guards, even those who had followed Feng Jiu’er for a full month, had never exchanged so much as a single word with her — some were only now getting a close look at her for the first time.

No one had expected that this woman, so valiant and heroic on the battlefield, could also be this easy to talk to.

An hour wasn’t long, but for the guards at this particular moment, it felt just a little bit long.

But watching their commander pace around them, mindful of their spirits, the time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the hour was gone.

An hour later, the guards lined up, waiting for more than a dozen physicians to check on their condition.

Feng Jiu’er was among them.

She observed the condition of several of the men ahead of her, and the heavy stone in her heart gradually settled.

Toward evening, Feng Jiu’er had everyone prepare together, and the whole group enjoyed a hearty meal.

Early the next morning, Feng Jiu’er could finally leave with a truly easy mind.

Accompanying her, besides the guards who had already taken the medicine, were Qiao Mu, Xiao Yingtao, Xing Zizhou, and the others. Yang Sheng and Shen Rong’er stayed behind to manage the pharmacy’s affairs, while Duan Liuyang, Leng Xuepiao, and Zhao Yusheng all remained as well.

Duan Liuyang and Leng Xuepiao needed to settle the matter of the next batch of medicine, and Zhao Yusheng needed to arrange the refining of sulfur.

Once everything had stabilized, they too could head west and rejoin Feng Jiu’er and the others.

Yongshan City wasn’t very large. The group of several thousand traveled for two days and a night, finally converging with the western army just before nightfall on the second day.

The one who came out to greet them was Feng Jiang. Knowing his wife was coming, he had been too excited to eat or drink all day.

“Qiao Qiao.” The moment Feng Jiang saw Qiao Mu, his eyes lit up.

Qiao Mu merely glanced at him and said nothing.

But beneath her indifferent expression, one could still easily make out her happiness.

“Mm.” Qiao Mu, suppressing all the longing of these past days, gave a slight nod.

Hearing the oddly unnatural flatness in her tone, Feng Jiu’er glanced sideways at Qiao Mu and couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

When had Big Sister Qiao become so bashful? She obviously missed him terribly and still had to put on airs — so unlike her.

Still, how a married couple chose to get along was none of her business. As long as they were happy.

“Jiu’er, I thought you wouldn’t arrive until after the Hour of the Pig, but you got here before the Hour of the Dog even ended.” Feng Jiang looked at Feng Jiu’er with a smile.

Feng Jiu’er looked at him and rubbed her nose. “Third Brother, so you finally noticed me.”

“Here I thought your eyes held only Qiao Mu, and there was no room in them for your little sister.”

Having finally gained an older brother, Feng Jiu’er had been looking forward to acting spoiled with him from now on.

Now it seemed that his simply remembering she existed was already quite something.

“Jiu’er, why would you say that?” The smile at the corners of Feng Jiang’s mouth only deepened. “Come, let’s go in first and talk.”

“You’ve all traveled such a long way and must be hungry too. Let’s eat while we chat.”