Chapter 19

The cold wind howled, and the temperature dropped sharply after nightfall. Unconsciously, winter had already arrived.

In the house, Meier tightened the blanket, her face showing a slight flush, as if seeking warmth. She moved a couple of times and pressed herself tightly against Jiang Xingchen.

"This girl!" Jiang Xingchen smiled gently and gently lifted the blanket from the other side, preparing to get up.

"Ah!" Before his body left the warm blanket, Jiang Xingchen shivered and got goosebumps.

"The temperature has dropped, it's so cold, no wonder the little girl pressed against me!" After adapting for a moment, he slowly got up and quickly put on his outer clothes.

"Fortunately, I bought a fur coat, otherwise, I would definitely be freezing today!" He muttered to himself, turned around, and gently covered the little girl with the blanket before heading out.

Quietly opening the door, Jiang Xingchen felt a cold draft rush in and quickly stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"So cold!" Jiang Xingchen exhaled a puff of white mist, rubbed his hands, and ran into the kitchen to light the stove and boil water.

The stove fire ignited, releasing heat, and he finally felt a bit of warmth. From the pile of things he bought yesterday, he found a few items.

A knife, an awl, tough and fine thread made from animal tendons... and two small wooden sticks, along with some pig bristles he found at the butcher's.

Today, he was going to make two toothbrushes. He was tired of rinsing his mouth with salt water every day, always feeling that his mouth was not clean, and that food had no taste.

He slowly started to whittle the wooden sticks with the knife. At first, the speed was very slow, but as time passed, his speed unconsciously increased, and wood chips flew off one after another. At this moment, he suddenly had a new discovery: his use of the knife was always just right, and his skill was as if a craftsman had practiced it for thousands of times. His wrists and fingers also became more agile.

The swishing sound continued, and before long, the shape of a toothbrush was formed.

"Hmm? Is this also the effect of the sensitivity array?" Jiang Xingchen smiled. At this point, he roughly understood the effect of the array. Sensitivity and agility not only helped avoid danger but could also be used in manual skills, improving proficiency. With his rough craftsmanship from making wooden toy guns as a child, he managed to make a toothbrush in such a short time, which was a clear indication of his skill.

"With this skill, where should I apply it...?" Jiang Xingchen thought as he took out the awl and started drilling holes in the toothbrush head.

This was not something that could be solved by being dexterous; it required strength.

He put all his strength into drilling the holes, and before long, he was sweating. His thoughts were temporarily forgotten.

After much effort, he finally finished drilling the holes. Seeing that the water had boiled, he threw the bristles into the pot to boil and then threaded the animal tendon thread through the needle.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Xingchen wiped the sweat from his forehead and examined the toothbrush with a smile: "This skill is top-notch. Look at how finely the thread is tied... I should make a big doll for Meier... But it doesn't seem to have much to do with making money! Unless I do embroidery and make clothes..."

Thinking of this, Jiang Xingchen shivered, remembering a skilled person named Dongfang Bubai. He shook his head vigorously: "I'll think about making money later. I'm not short of money now, so let's brush our teeth!"

He took a mouthful of warm water, swished it around, and spat it out. He dipped the toothbrush in some salt and put it in his mouth.

"This feels so good!" The soft bristles rubbing against his teeth and gums made him feel incredibly comfortable, and he hummed a little tune.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm... Mmm, zuna, zuna, zuna..." Humming "so good, so good," Jiang Xingchen's right foot tapped to the rhythm, his body shivering with pleasure, and a clear trail of saliva flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Creak!" The kitchen door opened, and Meier, hugging her arms and exhaling cold air, walked in, looking groggy from just waking up.

"Brother!" But the moment she saw Jiang Xingchen, the groggy look on her face disappeared, and a hint of panic appeared. She darted over and kicked him in the knee.

Jiang Xingchen saw Meier come in but didn't have time to greet her. The little girl had already pounced on him, and he was completely stunned, not even thinking to dodge. His agility was useless. He felt a force hit his knee and fell to the ground with a thud.

Immediately, his hand holding the toothbrush was yanked down, and a black object was forcefully stuffed into his mouth.

"Ugh!" Jiang Xingchen, with the toothbrush in his right hand and a bowl in his left, could only shake his head vigorously.

But Meier looked tense, her left hand grabbing the hair at the back of his head and pulling him into her chest, while her right thumb pressed hard on his philtrum.

Pain! Jiang Xingchen's facial muscles twitched, and he struggled to stand up.

Meier, however, glared, released his hair with her left hand, raised it high, and slapped his face.

Fortunately, at this moment, Jiang Xingchen's leg strength finally kicked in. He thrust his body backward, tilting his head to avoid the slap.

"Little girl, are you crazy?" Jiang Xingchen spat out the black object in his mouth, a piece of charcoal falling to the ground.

Jiang Xingchen's eyes twitched, and he lowered his head, making a series of "phew" sounds.

"Phew!" The little girl's tense expression relaxed, and she said with a sob, "Brother, you're finally okay! I was so scared just now!"

"Huh!" Jiang Xingchen was stunned, staring at Meier with a puzzled look.

"Didn't you know? You were having a seizure, poking your mouth with wood, shivering all over, and making strange noises... You even drooled!"

Jiang Xingchen's face turned black, and he was speechless. His lips, stained black by the charcoal, opened, and he felt an urge to bang his head against the wall: "What's going on..."

After Jiang Xingchen explained in detail, Meier finally understood what had happened.

"Brother! I'm sorry, I didn't know..." The little girl pouted and cooed, gently shaking his arm.

Jiang Xingchen, of course, knew the little girl wasn't intentional and was even moved by her concern. His stern expression eased.

However, as soon as he showed he wasn't angry, the little girl revealed her true colors and snatched the toothbrush from his hand.

"Let me try this thing!" She said, and started scrubbing her mouth with the toothbrush.

"This is the one I used..." Jiang Xingchen reached out, but stopped halfway, as Meier's actions were faster than his words.

"Ah!" He shook his head in exasperation and stepped forward, gently holding Meier's hand: "That's not right, let me teach you..."

A few minutes later, Meier was beaming, puffing her cheeks, and feeling incredibly refreshed, far better than just rinsing her mouth.

After claiming the toothbrush for herself, Meier pushed Jiang Xingchen back into the house and prepared hot water for washing her face.

Jiang Xingchen noticed that the little girl's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were a bit dull, not as clear as usual.

Ignoring Meier's request, Jiang Xingchen touched her forehead and asked, "Meier, do you feel cold? Do you feel tight all over?"

"It's so cold today, of course... But I don't feel tight all over! What's wrong?" Meier asked, puzzled.

"Oh! Then it's fine!" Jiang Xingchen was relieved. He felt her forehead, and she wasn't running a fever, probably just a bit chilled.

"Stay still, I'll prepare everything. Go back to the room and don't go out today. Stay in bed all day, and I'll prepare water and food for you!" He pushed Meier out without waiting for a response.

He prepared hot water, kneaded dough, made pancakes, and stewed the last pound of swordback pork, which took about an hour.

Outside, the sky was already bright, but it was overcast and felt cold.

He prepared a charcoal brazier in a slightly ventilated spot near the bedroom door, put the hot water and food in jars, and placed them in the room, instructing Meier to heat them if they got cold. Then he set off for the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Jiang Xingchen saw the carriage from yesterday parked at the gate, blocking most of the dirt road.

"Master Jiang, Master Sun asked us to take you to the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group. We've been waiting for a while!" The two ruffians from yesterday were driving the carriage.

"Thank you both!" Jiang Xingchen thanked them and got into the carriage without hesitation. He had already made friends with Sun Sanqiang yesterday and wouldn't refuse their arrangement. Besides, the journey to the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group was not short, and walking would take too much time.

The carriage wheels rolled, and the carriage swayed on the dirt road, slowly moving away...

After about half an hour, the carriage arrived at the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group, and the two ruffians left.

Jiang Xingchen entered and found that Mo Hongxian had not returned yet. In the compound, apart from some civilian workers, only his second brother, fourth brother, and Wanrou were there, along with an unfamiliar tall young man.

"Jiang Ling, you're here!" His second brother and fourth brother came forward to greet him.

"Commander Mo hasn't returned yet?" Jiang Xingchen asked, then greeted Wanrou, acting as if they were old friends, but not overly intimate.

The tall young man looked at Jiang Xingchen with surprise and then showed a worried expression, glancing at the gate from time to time.

"Hongxian has sent a message back, saying she is not far from Hongyuan City and will return in about two months!" Wanrou nodded, and her smile made her classical beauty even more prominent.

Then she asked, "Jiang Ling, I heard from Second Brother that you activated your Yuan Spring!"

"Yes! I'm a bit puzzled. If the medicine was fake, I wouldn't have activated my Yuan Spring yesterday. But if it was real, my cultivation is indeed wasted, and I can't practice martial arts at all. When I exert myself, my head feels like it's going to explode!" Jiang Xingchen redirected the issue to the fake medicine.

Wanrou pondered for a moment and shook her head. "That is indeed strange... By the way, Hongxian will be back in two months. For now, let Second Brother take you to the noble management department for an appraisal!"

"Okay!" Jiang Xingchen immediately nodded, agreeing. He would be idle anyway, so it was better to get his noble status confirmed.

"Let's go! Brother, I'll go with you to see if you really have no cultivation!" Second Brother chuckled, patted Jiang Xingchen's shoulder, and led him out.

---

The carriage wheels rolled, and the carriage swayed on the dirt road, slowly moving away...

After about half an hour, the carriage arrived at the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group, and the two ruffians left.

Jiang Xingchen entered and found that Mo Hongxian had not returned yet. In the compound, apart from some civilian workers, only his second brother, fourth brother, and Wanrou were there, along with an unfamiliar tall young man.

"Jiang Ling, you're here!" His second brother and fourth brother came forward to greet him.

"Commander Mo hasn't returned yet?" Jiang Xingchen asked, then greeted Wanrou, acting as if they were old friends, but not overly intimate.

The tall young man looked at Jiang Xingchen with surprise and then showed a worried expression, glancing at the gate from time to time.

"Hongxian has sent a message back, saying she is not far from Hongyuan City and will return in about two months!" Wanrou