The tightly embraced An Bing Qing tried to look around in the hopes of finding a clue but couldn't see much, she only knew they were about twenty meters away from her pill cauldron.
Starting to feel out of breath, she couldn't endure it anymore and uttered, "Zi Hui, I'm out of breath. Could you free me?"
The slight struggle he felt and gasping words make him startled awake. He pushed her.
"Whoosh", she was sent out flying a couple of meters away. She was shocked but was able to react in time; she mobilized the little elemental energy she was left with after the refinement and put to work her agility skill. She stopped few steps before a tree; thank goodness the woods were at some distance from where they were.
She looked at him with open wide eyes and stammered with unbelief, "Y-you... you... do you want to kill me, or what?"
His pair of purple eyes was high and mighty, he replied coldly as he supressed a baffling sense of guiltiness and worry, "So what if I want to?!"
She chuckled with anger; she was obviously jesting around but this guy... However, before blurting out a rebuke, her mind recalled her that this wasn't the past. She watched him carefully and saw his haughtiness and clear rejection, she wryly said, "Oh, this miss didn't know his Lordship was a sadist that liked to have his enjoyment after saving the damsel".
As he understood her sarcasm, his coldness increased and replied, "It was only because you failed, if not..."
"Oh, right!" She didn't let him finish his sentence and ran towards her pill cauldron; she had completely forgotten this issue.
Xue Zi Hui felt wind passing by his side and anger arose within him; he was left with his words on the tip of his tongue. He turned around and saw the little white figure swiftly reaching the flat stone and then jumping on it. He heaved a sigh and dragged himself towards that place.
The flat rock was wreaked around the unexpectedly complete pill cauldron; An Bing Qing was flabbergasted at this sight, the outburst before had been so thundering that she though the pill cauldron had turned to debris. But this makes sense; if not, Xue Zi Hui couldn't possibly be unaffected.
"Ugh", she saw some of the herbs totally ruined. She approached to them, as she surveyed them, she thought, "Well, things can't be that good and this is my fault. Tch, it seems that I didn't actually learn anything from my past life, so silly of me; or was it me being overconfident? Whatever, one way or another is the same at the end. I can only thank to heavens the Blood Bud Roots were at an appropriate distance and weren't affected, or else, refine the pill will be nearly impossible for me to make". She squatted down and picked the ones were in good shape.
A purple figure came to her quietly; as he saw the little mess, he couldn't help but praise, "A good pill cauldron" Then, he frowned and was about to speak but was left again in place.
She only needed his words of praise to call herself an idiot again; she went to her pill cauldron, thinking, "I was so worried about not being able to refine the pill that I forgot to check the pill cauldron as it seemed good. Sigh, am I really that useless?" She shook her head several times and soon stopped before the pill cauldron. What she discovered shocked her very much that she went back to Xue Zi Hui; she took his hand and pulled him towards it, asking, "How many crescent moon-shaped slits do you see?"
He freed his hand and flapped his long sleeve before replying, "Three". When he said so, he remembered there was only one before; he was surprised but didn't show it on his face, it was cold as always.
"So, I'm not seeing things", she walked around the pill cauldron. She recalled all the books she had read before, but there was no information regarding such a cauldron. Time quietly passed; at length, she blinked and looked towards Xue Zi Hui who was coldly watching her. She ignored his icy attitude and asked, "Has you heard about a pill cauldron that suddenly have more slits?"
"No but..." He didn't continue but thought, "... but such a cauldron obviously is a rare treasure, shouldn't she be more careful?"
"But, what?" She asked.
"Nothing", he said and added after a slight pause, "Now, shouldn't you be preparing yourself to refine again?"
Seeing him changing topics, she answered with a mocking tone, "His Lordship, Am I your slave?" She noted the environment got heavy but she still said, "No, I'm not; and I'm hungry and sleepy now". She harrumphed and sat down on the ground as she waved her sleeve to collect the pill cauldron into her qiankun bag.
"Heh..." He chuckled dangerously and said, "Little girl, this Lord thinks you are getting things wrong. You..."
While he was speaking, An Bing Qing suddenly jumped to her feet; she patted her forehead and said, "My...! I need to go back. Eldest brother must be worried to death!" She had been so happy about seeing Xue Zi Hui again after so many years and later so worried about his well-being that forgot why she has come here for.
Xue Zi Hui who had been interrupted yet again, grew displeased but there was also a good amount of surprise at her audacity, "This little girl can truly make someone lose its patience, how has she survived until now? No, wait. Why am I even letting her...?"
"Zi Hui..." He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard her voice. He saw her coming to him.
An Bing Qing soles stopped one step before him. She stretched out her hand to take his as she usually did in the past but Xue Zi Hui side-stepped, avoiding her move.
"Oh", she took back her hand and said, "Cough, I can't stay here; I need to go back with my clansmen. Therefore, you are coming with me". She didn't ask him but emphatically stated.