Chapter 250: The Goose-Avoiding Grass Does Not Eat the Grass in the Field

Xin Yi carried the bamboo basket on his back and followed Lingxiang the entire way; he truly did not know what Lingxiang was actually planning.

After previously treating Liu Cishi, the courtyard had been cleared of servants and was no longer strictly guarded, yet it still did not allow many people to enter or exit; they only requested two maidservants to go in, and there were no other instructions.

Not long after, Lingxiang came out from inside, asked Liu Yaoshi for a bamboo basket, and called for Xin Yi to follow her all the way into these fields, yet she never mentioned what it was for.

He once suspected that Lingxiang just wanted someone to carry things and help out; this was her consistent style.

This season was exactly when the fields were lush and green; Lingxiang wandered in the fields for a long time, just keeping her head down and not knowing what she was searching for, occasionally picking up some wild grass to stare at it—her actions were truly baffling.

Just as Xin Yi was filled with doubt, he heard Lingxiang suddenly cry out: "Ah! Found it!"

Lingxiang was seen squatting down and digging into the ground; Xin Yi curiously stepped forward to look, and she was actually digging up the wild grass in the field.

"You... what are you doing?" Xin Yi was very confused, squatting down to watch Lingxiang digging nimbly.

"This is coriander; old farmers often call it 'goose-avoiding grass,' and it is a major pest in the fields," Lingxiang said, putting a handful of goose-avoiding grass into the bamboo basket in Xin Yi's hand.

"Since it is a major pest, what are you doing this for?" Xin Yi was very confused, yet he also helped Lingxiang cut the grass.

But Lingxiang glanced at Xin Yi and laughed: "If your Old Ancestor knew you were using a family heirloom blade to dig up wild vegetables, I fear he wouldn't even be able to keep his coffin lid down."

Xin Yi smiled helplessly: "Isn't a blade meant for people to use?"

Indeed, a blade is meant for people to use.

"Although this goose-avoiding grass is a pest in the fields, in my eyes, it is a treasure," Lingxiang changed the subject and said: "Look at these leaves, do they look like goose feet?"

Hearing this, Xin Yi looked carefully; they did indeed look somewhat like them, only much smaller, and among the clusters of goose-foot leaves were little white flowers scattered here and there, which were actually quite pretty.

"This grass, even E Daoren cannot eat it!" Lingxiang looked very proud, "For Liu Cishi's whooping cough, boil these grass leaves into a juice for internal consumption, and in less than a month, he will be fully recovered. It's just that..."

Just that?

"It's just that the taste is not very pleasant to take!"

"What? Miss Lingxiang asked you to impersonate my sister?" Liu Xia was greatly shocked upon hearing this and nearly shouted out loud, completely forgetting the awkwardness between the two of them just a moment ago, "When did this happen? You two have met before?"

But Banxia still felt her face burning; fortunately, it was dark at night, and Liu Xia could not see, otherwise she would have been truly at a loss.

This Liu Xia is really something, talking such nonsense in the middle of the night!

"Keep your voice down! Don't attract your maidservants again!" Banxia whispered a reminder to Liu Xia; she wanted to cover his mouth again, but upon thinking of what just happened, she hurriedly stopped her hand and just listened carefully to the movement outside.

After confirming that no servants had been attracted, Banxia then carefully recounted how she came to Cangzhou City and how she met Lingxiang.

But after listening, Liu Xia asked: "You were worried about me?"

This question stumped Banxia; if she said she wasn't worried, they were fellow disciples after all, and saying it so bluntly would hurt their fellowship, wouldn't it? But if she said she was worried, she had truly only come because she had no other choice!

"Uh... after all... everyone on this journey... could be considered to have shared life and death, right..."

Banxia hesitated for a long time and finally thought of an excuse, though it was very reluctant. But hearing it, Liu Xia felt that Banxia was just shy, which was why she was so tongue-tied.

Forget it, forget it; a young girl shouldn't be pursued too closely, as pushing too hard would be counterproductive.

Thinking this, Liu Xia changed the subject and asked: "Are you saying Lingxiang thinks that Chen Sheng's arrival is suspicious?"

Chen Sheng was precisely the marriage match the Liu family had arranged for the eldest Miss Liu.

"Yes, he didn't come early or late, but chose to come just when everyone had left the Yunmeng Fairyland; it is somewhat strange, to say the least." Banxia let out a sigh—finally, they were back to the main topic.

Liu Xia fell into deep thought upon hearing this: Although Miss Lingxiang acts eccentrically, she is someone who sees through things clearly; if she feels there is something wrong, then she must have discovered something amiss.

If it is truly as Miss Lingxiang expects, then what is Chen Sheng's background? And what does he intend to do?

Just as Liu Xia was lost in thought, he heard Banxia speak again: "Lingxiang seems to have a plan; you must not go and investigate that person. If you startle the Snake, you will ruin Lingxiang's scheme."

Let it be said that Lingxiang and Xin Yi returned to the Inspector's Mansion with a basket full of goose-avoiding grass, took over the mansion's kitchen, and chased out all the kitchen maids; no one knew what they were tinkering with inside, but it was clattering and banging, which was quite frightening.

After about two hours, when the kitchen door opened, a rolling cloud of dust and smoke suddenly billowed out, so thick and pungent that the onlookers in the courtyard couldn't stop sneezing.

And the smoke and dust seemed endless, spreading across half of the Inspector's Mansion, causing the people inside to think there was a fire somewhere; they all grabbed water buckets and brooms and came searching, only to find Lingxiang and Xin Yi calmly wearing face masks and drying something in the courtyard.

Liu Yaoshi was very surprised to see this and hurriedly asked Lingxiang what she was doing.

Lingxiang just smiled, put down the goose-avoiding grass in her hand, and stepped forward to say: "Madam, do not worry, just listen to me. This is a medicinal herb I gathered from outside, which is exactly the right medicine for Liu Cishi's epidemic cough and can also prevent infection. I imagine Liu Cishi has been ill for some time, and I fear he has had much contact with the people in the mansion; to prevent it from spreading, I performed a small bit of Witchcraft. Everyone just needs to take a whiff, and once you cough out the disease, you will be fine."

Once Liu Yaoshi heard this, she understood: "Miss Lingxiang is kind-hearted, but doing things this way is somewhat frightening; if you had informed me earlier, I would have summoned everyone in the mansion here."

"It was indeed my negligence," Lingxiang said with an apologetic smile, "But Madam, you may not know that epidemic cough can spread; if people are gathered together, in case someone is already infected, it might pass to the entire mansion, which is why I acted this way."

So that was it, Liu Yaoshi realized: "The Immortal's good intentions are deep, it was my own short-sightedness." Saying this, she bowed to apologize.

Lingxiang hurriedly helped her up, saying it was not necessary, but then she sighed. Liu Yaoshi saw this and hurriedly asked why, only to hear Lingxiang say:

"It is only because my skills are not refined and my cultivation is insufficient; the Witchcraft just now could only direct the smoke to the back courtyard but could not reach the front courtyard. I wonder if there are any advisors or students in the house? If there are, I imagine they have had the most contact with Liu Cishi and are the ones who should be most carefully protected."

Liu Yaoshi was immediately alerted upon hearing this; although there were no advisors in the house, there was a student—that was the husband her father-in-law had chosen for the eldest daughter, the future brother-in-law, and in the past few days, her father-in-law had been with him every single day.

Moreover, her own husband was also in the front courtyard, and if no precautions were taken, he often examined the lessons of the young masters in the house.

"It's just that..." Liu Yaoshi looked troubled, "The outer courtyard is full of men; if the Immortal were to go, I fear it would be somewhat improper..."

Hearing this, Lingxiang smiled: "Madam, you worry too much; I am a person from outside the secular world, and I am also a doctor, so I will naturally go in the capacity of a physician and will not overstep the bounds."

Liu Yaoshi deliberated for a moment, saying that one could not ignore the eyes of the world, and for the sake of Lingxiang's reputation, she sent someone to fetch a veil hat before finally agreeing.