Chapter 86

Han Ying glanced at Xu Mo, "So... you... you also know medicine."

Xu Mo shook his head, "The medicinal properties of this night-blooming grass are quite special, with a particularly strong sedative effect. You don't necessarily need to know medicine to understand that. Try it; you can taste it yourself."

Han Ying responded with an 'oh,' lowered her head, and glanced at the night-blooming grass in her hand. Suddenly, she plucked a leaf and put it in her mouth. The night-blooming grass was related to her mother's illness, and after hearing Xu Mo's words, she was anxious and immediately decided to test the medicine.

Seeing this, Xu Mo quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

Han Ying asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Xu Mo shook his head, "No need to rush. Wait until you get home, and follow the prescription to prepare the medicine, boil it, and then test it. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the combination of herbs, with primary, secondary, and auxiliary ingredients. The entire formula must be used together to be effective. Looking at just one herb usually doesn't show much, and my guess might be wrong." Although he said this, he didn't have much hope in his heart.

Han Ying nodded, but in her heart, she was praying that his guess was wrong.

Geng Yanli suddenly interjected, "Sister Ying, we've collected enough herbs. There are only some seedlings left. If we continue to pick them, the roots will be destroyed. I think it's best to leave these seedlings here so they can grow. You can come back and use them later. Shall we go out now?"

Han Ying agreed, and everyone left the cave together.

Back at the camp, the carp stewed by Geng Yanli was already ready. They didn't rush to break camp, so they took four bowls and each had a bowl.

Xu Mo ate a few bites and then put down his bowl. Geng Yanli's cooking skills were indeed good, but his powerful sense of taste could detect the subtle nuances in various flavors. His mouth had become quite picky from the exquisite flavors he had created himself. Moreover, his sense of taste hadn't yet reached the level of spiritual sensitivity, so he couldn't filter out the flavors he didn't want while eating, leaving only the ones he wanted.

No matter how good Geng Yanli's cooking skills were, they couldn't reach the pinnacle of taste, so the fish tasted only average to Xu Mo.

Geng Yanli, seeing him put down his bowl after just a few bites, frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Is the fish not good?" She was always proud of her cooking skills and thus very concerned about others' opinions.

Xu Mo replied indifferently, "It's okay."

Geng Yanli, hearing his insincere response, clearly felt he was just being polite. She was upset and snatched the bowl from his hand, dumping it back into the pot, and said unhappily, "If you don't like it, don't eat it."

Han Ying, seeing this, put down her chopsticks and asked softly, "Xiaoli, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Geng Yanli was still fuming, glanced at Xu Mo, and said to Han Ying, "He doesn't like the food I cooked, so I told him not to eat it." After a pause, she muttered, "When people come to my house as guests, they always praise my cooking and finish it quickly. I've never seen anyone like him."

Han Ying chuckled, glanced at Xu Mo, and seeing his usual expression, felt relieved. She turned to Geng Yanli and said softly, "Maybe he's not hungry. Why are you so upset?"

Geng Yanli complained, "If he's not hungry, he shouldn't have started eating in the first place. If he doesn't eat, we can each have more." After a pause, she asked Han Ying, "Sister Ying, how does it taste?"

Han Ying smiled, "It's very good. I want to eat more."

Hearing this, Geng Yanli's anger turned to joy, "You see, even Sister Ying thinks it's good. I don't believe you can find such exquisite food in this wilderness." She glared at Xu Mo with a nasty look.

Gong Lei suddenly sniffed and interrupted Geng Yanli, "What's that smell? It's so fragrant!"

Xu Mo took a deep breath and immediately identified it, "Hmm! There's the smell of chicken and rabbit. The monkeys are cooking."

Han Ying and Geng Yanli sniffed the air and both felt the fragrance, exclaiming, "So fragrant! So fragrant!"

Geng Yanli, skilled in cooking, immediately guessed, "Someone is cooking." She glared at Xu Mo and continued, "Hey! Didn't you say there's no one else here besides you? Why is someone cooking?"

Xu Mo replied calmly, "Who's there? Just a few monkeys."

"Rubbish, how can monkeys cook?"

"How can monkeys cook so fragrantly?"

...

Everyone looked at each other, clearly finding Xu Mo's words hard to believe.

Geng Yanli was convinced that the cook must be a person and that Xu Mo was lying. She was always proud of her cooking skills, but the smell made her feel a bit discouraged. She then consoled herself: "Maybe the food just smells good but doesn't taste good."

She looked at everyone and suggested, "Let's go see."

Xu Mo inwardly smiled bitterly, and no one objected. They followed the fragrance into the mango grove and soon arrived at Xu Mo's residence.

The monkeys, hearing the commotion, came out to greet them, surrounding them. With Xu Mo there, they weren't particularly afraid of strangers.

Watermelon climbed onto Xu Mo's shoulder, looking down at everyone with his lively eyes, very curious.

Han Ying, seeing its cute appearance, couldn't help but touch its head. Watermelon reached out to her, and Han Ying smiled and shook hands with it, then asked Xu Mo, "Are they yours?"

Xu Mo corrected her, "No, they are my friends."

Han Ying nodded.

Geng Yanli's face turned sour, thinking, "So it really is monkeys cooking." She glanced at Xu Mo and thought, "These monkeys are his, and he must have taught them to cook. The food cooked by monkeys is already so fragrant, his cooking skills must be... must be..."

Xu Mo introduced the monkeys one by one. When the meat broth was ready, he shared it with everyone. As for the homemade wine, after the incidents with the two men surnamed Chu and Wei, he didn't bring it out.

He trusted Han Ying, and although Gong Lei and Geng Yanli had no ill intentions, if they drank his wine and left the valley, they might boast about it to others. If people with ulterior motives found out, it could cause him trouble.

Geng Yanli, originally with a competitive mindset, was speechless after tasting the broth. Her cooking skills were good, but she could never have imagined such delicious food in her wildest dreams.

Han Ying took a sip of the soup and couldn't help but whisper to Xu Mo, "Your cooking skills are so good, you really kept us in the dark."

Xu Mo, feeling guilty, said, "This... I actually don't know how to cook very well."

He wasn't lying. He was skilled in seasoning, and his soup and roasted meat were decent, but his skills in frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying were much worse, not to mention more advanced knife skills and temperature control.

Han Ying, of course, didn't believe him and smiled, "Too modest."

Xu Mo smiled bitterly.

After the meal, Han Ying, worried about her mother's health, was eager to return and started to break camp. Xu Mo had to help.

Han Ying glanced at him, suddenly thought of something, and couldn't help but ask Xu Mo, "Are you going to live here for the rest of your life? When do you plan to leave?"

Xu Mo hesitated. His tactile sense had already reached the spiritual level, and the foundation was already laid. The other senses—taste, smell, sight, and hearing—just needed diligent practice to break through. Thinking of the outside world, he was tempted, but...

Seeing his expression, Han Ying couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is there something difficult? Why not tell me?"

Xu Mo hesitated for a moment, and with her gentle and caring gaze, he felt warm and decided not to hide it, "I have killed someone, I'm afraid..."

He spoke very softly, and only Han Ying could hear.

"What?" Han Ying was startled, and her voice was a bit louder. Gong Lei and Geng Yanli both heard and couldn't help but look over. Geng Yanli, concerned, asked, "What's wrong, Sister Ying?"

"Nothing," Han Ying replied, covering for Xu Mo, then pulled him aside and whispered, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Xu Mo recalled and recounted the details of killing Liu Guohua.

Han Ying listened quietly, then fell silent for a long time before saying, "If it's really as you said, Liu Guohua deserved it." After a pause, she asked, "Are you worried about the police catching you?"

"Um!" Xu Mo nodded.

Han Ying thought for a moment and continued, "You were so careful at the time; the police might not know it was you. I have some acquaintances in the police department. I'll call them now to ask about the case and see if you are wanted."

"Thank you!" Xu Mo was grateful and thanked her.

Han Ying nodded and went to make the call. She returned soon and told Xu Mo, "I just asked, and Liu Guohua's death was considered an accident. By the time the fire was extinguished, his body was already burned beyond recognition, so the police didn't even file a case. You were too worried."

Xu Mo felt a great relief, and the burden he had carried for over two years was finally lifted. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Han Ying smiled, "I just found out that you used to live in Huai City, and my family is in Wan City, which is quite close to you."

Wan City?

Xu Mo was taken aback, thinking, "Luo Ci's maternal uncle, Zhou Huaizhong, and the others are from Wan City, right? They were captured by the 'Madam's' people, and I don't know how they are now. Perhaps they have all been turned into zombies and sent to Yuansheng Island to grow tobacco. Unfortunately, I can't save them."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Han Ying, noticing his expression, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Still worried? If you don't want to go back to Huai City, you can come to Wan City with me."

These words were just a guess, and she didn't know what Xu Mo was really thinking.

Xu Mo thought for a moment and said, "I might cause you trouble, and I used to... used to..." He originally wanted to say, "I couldn't find a job," but when the words reached his lips, he realized it was a source of shame and didn't want others to know.

Han Ying looked at him gently and asked softly, "What happened before?"

Xu Mo didn't want to say, but when he met her gentle gaze, he thought, "She won't laugh at me." He finally couldn't help but say, "I used to... couldn't find a job."

He was very embarrassed after finally mustering the courage to say it.

Han Ying, of course, wouldn't laugh at him. She couldn't help but hold his hand and comfort him, "So what? Some people are just not suited to be managed by others. By the way, your cooking is so good. After you go out, you can open a restaurant. How could you starve?"

This reminded Xu Mo, and he thought, "Opening a restaurant might be better than opening a pharmacy or selling medicinal wine."

Han Ying didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing him silent, she thought he was still worried and asked again, "What's wrong? Worried about the capital? Don't worry, I can lend it to you."

Hearing this, Xu Mo finally felt completely at ease. He immediately decided to leave the mountain with Han Ying.

Thinking of the deaths of the men surnamed Chu and Wei, and the possibility that Guiming Island might send people again, he drove the monkeys to the valley where the old monkey's family used to live. Before leaving, he only took two jars of red fruit wine and left the rest of the wine for the monkeys.

Han Ying, seeing that he was willing to leave with her, was overjoyed. She looked at him and said, "It's almost the New Year. It's said that it has been snowing in the north recently. After we go out, we'll buy you some warm clothes so you won't feel cold when we get to the north."

Xu Mo, after cultivating the static breathing technique, was no longer affected by cold or heat. He didn't care about the snow, but it was hard to explain this to Han Ying in a few words, and he didn't want to disappoint her, so he said, "Consider it a loan."

Han Ying smiled slightly and didn't say more.

Xu Mo had no luggage. After settling the monkeys, he returned to the cave and took Xiao Man's photo with him. Over the past two years, living in the valley, this photo had been his companion, reminding him of Xiao Man and alleviating his loneliness.

Han Ying, seeing the photo was slightly yellowed, asked curiously, "This is..."

Xu Mo smiled, "It's my daughter."

Han Ying was surprised, "You're married?"

Xu Mo replied, "I recognized her."

Han Ying 'oh'ed, understanding, and looked at the photo again, praising, "Your daughter is really beautiful."

"Thank you!" Xu Mo thanked her for praising Xiao Man.

Back at the camp by the lake, Gong Lei and Geng Yanli had already packed and were ready to leave.

Xu Mo had lived in the valley for over two years, and he was very familiar with every plant and tree, treating it like his home. Leaving now, he felt a bit empty. The monkeys seemed to know he was leaving and came to see him off, making it hard to part.

After leaving the valley, Han Ying drove them to a nearby city, dropped off Gong Lei and Geng Yanli, and then took Xu Mo to buy clothes and shoes.

They rested in the city for a night. The next morning, after breakfast, Han Ying drove Xu Mo north.

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