Yu Lin sat up on the bed as she stared blankly out in front of her. Three days had already passed when she woke up and she felt a lot better than she did before. She was surprised when she found out she had been in a constant sleep for the past five days. She wasn’t strong enough yet to do any difficult physical activities, but her mind wasn’t clouded like it had been. She could think clearly now as she brought her legs up to sit cross legged. She focused on her chi center and when she opened her eyes again she frowned. ‘It’s still there… does this mean I’m still in danger?’ She thought as she rubbed her forehead. ‘This damn bastard…’ She cursed inside of her head.

“Yu Lin?” Yu Lin put her hand down and looked over at the doorway to see Chief Chu standing there with his arms, and hand wrapped in bandages. She jumped up on her feet and bowed her body.

“Thank you. Thank you very much and I’m sorry for all the trouble I have caused. If it wasn’t for you, then I will not be alive right now. Thank you.” She said. She hadn’t seen Chief Chu for the last three days for some reasons and she had been preparing herself mentally for their meeting. Chief Chu let out a heartily laugh as he stepped inside the room.

“Get up Yu Lin, you don’t have to do this. If it wasn’t for you my grandson would’ve died already.” Chief Chu said. Yu Lin looked up and raised her eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” She asked as a sweat bead slowly trickled down the side of her face. ‘Don’t tell me, he knew it was me who healed him.’ She thought.

“He Lan told me all about it. About how you came up with the plan to escape, and about how you stayed behind to help him. That boy was really worried about you.”

“Where is he?”

“As punishment for what he, and the other kids, try to do you, I sent them out to collect some herbs with Tang Tang.”

“I see… but, who is that doctor/healer that has been taking care of me these past few days? I keep asking him but he won’t tell me his name.” Yu Lin made an annoyed face. Chief Chu let out another laugh.

“That man? I wonder why he won’t tell you his name…” Chief Chu touched his chin as he looked up.

“That’s right… I wonder why too.” Yu Lin nodded her head. Chief Chu just shrugged his shoulder.

“If he won’t tell you, then I’m sorry to say that I can’t tell you either.”

“Grandpa!” Yu Lin complained but Chief Chu just shook his head.

“Anyways, rest while you can. When you’re better your training is going to be tripled.”

“What?! Why?” Yu Lin almost yelled.

“I told you not to fall asleep, but you fell asleep anyways. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

“But that wasn’t something I could control! If a person is tired, a person will eventually fall asleep.”

“Shhh, shh, shh. You still went against my word, so enjoy this time while you still have it.”

“I’m going to tell my parents!”

“Your parents are the ones who entrusted your training to me.” Chief Chu smiled at Yu Lin. Yu Lin let out a groan as she thought about her future training. She was already training now until she dropped, but it seemed like Chief Chu wanted to train until she died. ‘I escaped death twice, just to die by training? Why?’ She thought as she let out a deep sigh, but then she suddenly looked back up at Chief Chu.

“Talking about my parents, where is my mother?” Yu Lin asked with worried eyes.

“Your mother is still in the other village right now. She wanted to come straight here and see you but she stayed behind to help rebuild the village instead after hearing that you were alright.”

“Heard that I was alright? How?”

“I sent a message to Sen Feng through a bird messenger. Don’t worry, she will be back soon.” Chief Chu gave Yu Lin a reassuring smile. Yu Lin nodded her head. “Anyways, I have to head back to attend to some matters. You try to get as much rest as you can alright?”

“Yes. Again, thank you very much.” Yu Lin gave him another bow. Chief Chu turned around and began walking out the door, but paused.

“By the way Yu Lin, did you… feel a presence inside of you or feel anything try to take you over?” Chief Chu carefully asked. Yu Lin’s eyes widened as she swallowed.

“N-n-no. I don’t really remember after I got hurt by the witch.” Yu Lin answered. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Chief Chu about Chang Sheng Huo, but decided that she would rather take care of that matter herself.

“Is that so? I see then… well I will see you later then.” Chief Chu pondered for a second before walking away. Yu Lin let out a sigh before going back and sitting on the bed. She thought about what had happened the past few days and thought how lucky it was for her to be alive. She also thought about the dreams she had had and a distant look appeared in her eyes.

‘I wonder how if he was really awake then, or if he was just awake in my dream… would he have reconciled with me if I was still alive, or would he still continue to be stubborn? What choice would he have made if I didn’t die the next day?’ Yu Lin quickly rubbed her eyes as she felt tears were coming.

“What are you doing?” A low voice suddenly called out and Yu Lin jumped startled. She looked at the doorway to see the physician walking in with a bowl of brewed medicine.

“It’s just you.” Yu Lin said nonchalantly.

“It’s just me?! Did you already forget that I saved your life? If I haven’t opened your meridian points to lower your temperature then you would be dead by now.” The man set the tray down and handed the bowl to Yu Lin.

“Thank you.” Yu Lin took the bowl and gulped it down in one shot. She grimaced when she was done and handed the bowl back to the man. The man chuckled before taking it and setting it back on the tray.

“Taste good?” He teased as he moved one of the chairs close to the bed and sat down. Yu Lin made a face at the man before smiling.

“Yes sir, it tastes so good I would love to drink it for the rest of my life!” Yu Lin said and then made a face at him. “Are you kidding me?” The man laughed as he picked up Yu Lin’s wrist and put two of his fingers down on it to feel her pulse.

“You’re a funny one.” The man said before moving his fingers away and placing it on Yu Lin’s forehead.

“Well, they do say the bitter the medicine is, the better it is for you.” Yu Lin shrugged her shoulders. “By the way, what do you use to brew my medicine sir?” The man put his hand down and raised his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

“Just… I’m curious.” Yu Lin replied with an awkward smile. She was actually quite interested as she knew what she would prescribe herself, however when she smelt and taste the medicine given to her, it seemed like a different kind of prescription. The man narrowed his eyes at Yu Lin for a bit before nodding his head.

“I see, well since you’re that curious I will tell you.” The man said as he sat straight. Yu Lin nodded and put on a curious face, when she was in fact pretty happy. “What I put in your medicine is four types of roots. The first one is Chunga root, which is commonly used to treat fevers, Soxa root, which is used to calm nerves down, Milin root, which is used to help people go to sleep, and Dois root, which I use to help clean out your system.” Yu Lin’s jaw dropped and she blinked in disbelief.

“D-d-dois root? Are you trying to kill me sir?” Yu Lin yelled as she backed away from the man. The man looked back at her speechless before putting on an amused smile.

“Kill you? What makes you say that?”

“Dois root is known for being toxic. One may not know it at first, but if they continue to consume it, it will harm their health. How can you brew something like that for a patient?!” Yu Lin looked at him suspiciously. The man raised an eyebrow.

“How do you know that Dois roots are toxic?” He asked. Yu Lin swallowed hard before answering.

“I-i-it’s bec-cause I read it in a book somewhere.” She stuttered out. It wasn’t actually a lie as she did read it in a book before, in her past life that is.

“Really?”

“O-of course, how else am I supposed to know that information?” Yu Lin gave him an innocent look. He nodded his head before reaching inside of his pocket and pulling out a bundle of green herbs.

“Do you know what this is?” He held the herbs up. Yu Lin squinted her eyes and then nodded her head.

“It’s Sixing.” Yu Lin answered.

“Do you know what they are used for?”

“They are usually used in foods to add flavoring.”

“What else?”

“Hmm… they can also be used as medicine because they help clean out the liver but they would usually then be brewed with other types of roots.”

“That’s right, but, did you know they are also a detoxifier?” The man asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

“What? A detoxifier? This is the first time I am hearing about this.” Yu Lin cocked her head and furrowed her brows.

“That’s cause I just found out about it three years ago and I’m still trying to spread the word around.”

“Oohh…” Yu Lin nodded her head understanding. “But, how do you get the toxins out of the Dois root? I don’t think it will be as easy as just boiling it together…”

“That’s right. The process takes a couple days. You know how Dois roots are purple at first?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I boiled the Sixing and mix a little bit of salt along with it. Afterwards I completely cover the Dois roots with the boiled Sixing. At first I just did it as an experiment, but after three days the purple color of the Dois roots was completely gone.”

“Just because the color was gone, doesn’t mean it wasn’t toxic anymore.”

“That’s true, but I ran some tests.”

“What? Tests? On what?”

“Myself. I brewed and drank the Dois roots.” The man said with a smile. Yu Lin sat there speechless for a couple seconds.

“You… are you crazy?” Yu Lin genuinely asked. The man let out another laugh.

“Of course not… do you think Ho- I mean Chief Chu would let me treat a patient if I was crazy?”

“Then…”

“If I wanted to know how well it worked then I should be the one taking it myself. Don’t worry about it, I’ve been taking it for three years already. I’m perfectly, and actually my digestive system is better than it was three years ago. So don’t worry, and go to sleep.” The man reached over and patted Yu Lin’s head. “Trust me.” He gave Yu Lin a reassuring smile. Yu Lin shook his hand off and made another face at him.

“How can I trust a person who won’t even tell me his own name?” Yu Lin barked back. The man let out another laugh before getting up and placing the chair back to its original position.

“I will tell you when the time comes.” The man said as he picked up the tray.

“Why don’t you just tell me now?”

“I have my own reasons.”

“How annoying.”

“Hey! Don’t say that the person who saved your life!”

“I understand. I’m so sorry, please forgive me… but what type of physician are you? A doctor or a healer?” Yu Lin raised an eyebrow. The man gave her a smile before turning around.

“Go to sleep. I will come look at you again tomorrow so rest.” He said before walking out, and closing the doors.

“Hey! Don’t ignore my question! Hey!” Yu Lin watched as he kept walking not even turning around to give her another glance. Yu Lin let out a sigh as she fell backwards onto the bed. ‘That person… what is he?’ Yu Lin thought as she tossed and turned in her bed. ‘Doctors are people who don’t have the ability to heal but they can prescribe medicine and use acupuncture. They also rely heavily on herbs to fix a wound. Healers are people who do have the ability to heal and they can prescribe medicine as well, however they get paid a lot more since healing is harder to do. They also do not believe in the use of acupuncture… just what is he? Agh! So annoying!’ Yu Lin kicked her feet up and down before closing her eyes. ‘Whatever, I’ll find out later… so tired… the medicine must be kicking in already…’

---------------

“Yu Lin!” Yu Lin opened her eyes and laid up as she heard someone screaming her name. She rubbed her eyes and looked up to see He Lan burst into her room. “Yu Lin! Are you alright?” He Lan ran up to her and grabbed one of her arms.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so loud?” Yu Lin yawned.

“I’m sorry.” He Lan said as he looked down apologetically. Yu Lin side-eyed him and smiled. ‘This kid… changed for the better I guess. I thought he was going to revert to his old self after we got back, but I thought wrong.’ Yu Lin thought. She had seen many people’s personalities changed before based on where they were.

“It’s okay.” She said as He Lan looked up at her. “Anyways, what are you doing here?”

“A-a-ah, just… I heard you woke up so I just… wanted to see how you were doing.” He Lan tried to play it off cooly.

“Oh, I see… but, when are you going to let go?” Yu Lin raised her hand that He Lan was holding. He Lan’s face turned a bright red, matching his hair, before he quickly let go causing Yu Lin to let out a small laugh.

“Se-seeing you like this, I guess you’re do-doing fine then.” He Lan averted his eyes away as he put his hands behind his back.

“Yes, I am doing fine. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I may not be here right now.” Yu Lin gave him another smile. He Lan turned to look at Yu Lin’s face and a smile started creeping up on his face before he coughed it away.

“It’s alright, if it weren’t for you, then I wouldn’t be here either. So… thank you too.” He Lan looked down into Yu Lin’s red eyes. The smile he coughed away gradually reappeared. The two of them stood in each other's eyes in silence as seconds tick by. Yu Lin cocked her head before raising an eyebrow.

“How long are you going to stay here?” She asked.

“Huh?” He Lan looked dumbfounded for a moment before blushing red. “I should get going. Sorry for waking you up. See you tomorrow.” He said stiffly before waving his hand, turning around, and stumbled out of the room, shutting the doors behind him. Yu Lin let out small laugh as she watched him before lying back down.

“How funny.” She said before closing her eyes. A moment passed as she tossed and turned. ‘Go to sleep… go to sleep… go to sleep…’ She said in her head however now she was awake, it was difficult going back to sleep. She frowned as she laid back up. “That brat… now I can’t go to sleep.” She said, annoyed. She kicked her blankets off of her as she turned her body to get out of bed. “A walk wouldn’t hurt.” She said to herself as she grabbed an outer robe and pulled it on.

She opened her doors and immediately felt the chilly air touch her face. She closed her eyes before taking in a deep breath. ‘It feels so nice…’ She thought. She smiled before closing her doors and started walking around the premises.

Yu Lin stopped when she was near the kitchen as her nose caught onto a sweet scent. ‘It smells good.’ She thought as she started heading there. When she reached the kitchen she saw a plump, middle age lady pouring some liquid into a teapot. ‘That lady… who is she? I’m pretty sure I saw here before… ah that’s right, Zheng Jiao.’ Yu Lin thought. She remembered their first time meeting when He Lan first attacked her and let out a small chuckle. Yu Lin had not seen the woman around anymore so she did not remember her name. The woman set the teapot, and cups on the tray before turning around. When she looked up to see Yu Lin she let out a small scream and jumped, dropping the tray. Yu Lin stepped forward as fast as she could, catching the tray in her hands.

“I’m sorry, for startling you like this.” Yu Lin quickly apologized as she handed the tray back to Zheng Jiao. Zheng Jiao took the tray and bowed her head.

“N-no, it’s alright… but what is the young lady doing here at this time of night?” She asked politely.

“I couldn’t sleep so I just came out for a walk. Is that Chunga tea you just brewed? It smells really good.” Yu Lin looked at the teapot on the tray. Zheng Jiao eyes widened as she was shocked Yu Lin could guess what she was brewing at such a young age.

“That’s right. Young master just came from the mountains, so I wanted to give him something to warm up his body during the chilly night.” Zheng Jiao answered.

“You chose a good choice then. Chunga leaves is known for warming up and relaxing the body, but they are quite expensive for they are only found in the Sun continent. He Lan is lucky tonight.” Yu Lin let out a small laugh as she looked enviously at the teapot. Zheng Jiao was shocked again that Yu Lin could describe the benefits of the Chunga leaves. ‘It’s just as the other servants has said… she is smart beyond her age.’ Zheng Jiao’s thoughts about Yu Lin had changed.

Because of their first encounter Zheng Jiao had tried to avoid meeting Yu Lin as much as possible for she felt embarrassed at what she did. She was also the main servant to He Lan which gave her even much more reason for not wanting to meet Yu Lin. She had grown a strong dislike towards Yu Lin for punishing He Lan by making He Lan sew back her robe. She thought that sewing was strictly just for a woman so she felt furious when she heard about it. He Lan had also complained to her about Yu Lin before making her believe that Yu Lin was just a cocky, troublesome child however ever since He Lan got back, all he has been talking about was Yu Lin. Zheng Jiao also found out that Yu Lin was the only one who stayed behind to help He Lan during the troll attack and her opinion of Yu Lin began to change. She also felt a little bit grateful towards Yu Lin because she treated He Lan just like her grandson and when she found out he was lost her heart was broken.

“Would young lady like some?” She asked. Yu Lin looked up and quickly shook her head.

“No. It’s fine. I’m still recovering from my fever, so Chunga tea may not be the best choice for me. Thank you for offering though.”

“Is that so? I’m sorry. I did not know that you were recovering from a fever.”

“It’s alright, don’t apologize.” Yu Lin shook her hands. Zheng Jiao gave her a small smile.

“Is there something I can help young lady with?”

“No it’s fine I wi- actually,” Yu Lin thought for a moment, “is there a library here?”

“A library? Yes, we do have a library. Should I lead young lady there?”

“Yes please.”

“Follow me please.” Zheng Jiao said as she walked out of the kitchen with Yu Lin behind her.

After a while of walking Zheng Jiao stopped in front of a room.

“Here is the library.” She said.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Does young lady have any more questions before I go?”

“Can I take out books from the library?”

“Yes, but only three at the maximum. Please sign out your names and the books you took at the front desk. We also ask that you also return all three before taking out any books.”

“I understand. You should go tend to He Lan now, I will take care of myself here. Thank you.” Yu Lin bowed to Zheng Jiao. Zheng Jiao quickly bowed back.

“It’s my pleasure. Anytime you need help, please do not to ask of me young lady.”

“I will keep that in mind.” Yu Lin said. Zheng Jiao gave Yu Lin another bow before leaving her.

Yu Lin entered the library and her jaw dropped. ‘It’s bigger then I expected.’ She thought as she looked at the rows of shelves lined up behind each other. She hadn’t expect much because she thought that Glorious Forest was a rather secluded area thus leading her to be pleasantly surprised. She shook her head to get herself together before heading towards the plants and medicine section. She was glad that the books were arranged in years they were published as she quickly started pulling out books that were published during the last nine years. She skimmed through one to see that new discoveries of plants. She kept that one aside as she skimmed through another about new medicinal practices. ‘Wait.’ She looked up from the page she was reading. ‘Wasn’t there also a book inside the endless bracelet that witch gave me?’ She thought. She set the book down and pulled her sleeve up to reveal a shiny, metallic bracelet. She bit down on her bottom lip, wondering if she should inject her chi energy to activate it as she was still recovering. ‘Should I do it or not? Is it safe or not? Ca-’

“What are you doing?” A low voice called out next to Yu Lin. Yu Lin jumped startled as she looked next to her to see the physician standing there. She let out a relieved sigh before glaring at him.

“Sir! I think you going to kill me before I even fully recover.” She gave him an annoyed look. The man let out a laugh.

“Am I that scary?”

“Yes, I thought there was a ghost next to me!”

“Haha! But, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to rest.” The man narrowed his eyes at Yu Lin. Yu Lin looked away averting her gaze from his.

“It’s just… I woke up and I couldn’t fall asleep so I thought I should do some reading.” She answered.

“In the plants and medicine area?”

“Yea. So? Am I not allowed to?”

“I didn’t say that… but the stuff you are picking out are too advanced for a child like you. Why don’t you start with something easy first?” The man suggested.

“No, it’s fine. I will stick with these.” Yu Lin picked up the two books that she was looking through earlier. The man gave Yu Lin a weird look.

“But you won’t understand a thing.”

“I-I-I will deal with it when it comes.”

“How weird…” The man cocked his head before shrugging his shoulders. “Just, do what you want then I guess.” The man said as he started putting books back on the shelve. Yu Lin swallowed hard as she glanced at the book the man was putting back. One of the books caught her eye.

“Wait!” She said. The man froze and turned to look at her. “What is that book about?” She pointed at the book.

“This?” The man asked. Yu Lin nodded her head. The man pulled the book back out and handed it to Yu Lin. “It’s a book written by a healer in the Sky continent. They wrote about how to fight poison against poison and about how insect venom may be able to help one. It’s a pretty a popular book for doctors and healers these days. I’ve been trying to get my hands on one and was surprised when I found it here. I didn’t expect Ho- I mean, Chief Chu to be owning a copy of the book.” The man said. Yu Lin looked down at the book with trembling lips as she held back tears. ‘This name… this project… they finished it. I can’t believe they finished it.’ She thought as she stroked the cover.

“What did… you think of it, sir?” Yu Lin asked in a quiet voice.

“Me? I… found it fairly interesting and intriguing. I didn’t think I would learn much, but I actually learned a lot, but I think you should learn about basic poisons and how poison affects the body before reading that book.”

“It’s alright. Thank you sir.” Yu Lin bowed to the man before heading to the front desk to sign the books out.

“Hey! Little kid! Are you really going to understand it?” The man yelled however Yu Lin had already left the library as she headed to her room. The man just shook his head and let out a sigh before picking out other books to read.