A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

"Brother's here! I'm alright!" Liu Da jumped onto the kang (heated brick bed), wiping away tears with a wide grin. "Yezi, you're awake!"

Liu Ye saw that her brother was all alone, and only then did she relax her tense shoulders.

It was only at this moment that the tearing pain surged through her, causing her to gasp for breath.

"Don't move around." Yang Hu touched her, "It's not healed yet. If you pry it open, you'll have to get another cut."

Liu Ye tilted her head to look at him.

The young doctor in front of me placed his hand on his wrist, his expression indifferent, as if he were assessing the quality of a prey.

"Did you prick me with that needle?"

"Um!"

"How did you do that?" Liu Ye stared at the large wound before her, her brows furrowed. "I've seen few people die from cuts like that. Did you brand it with a hot iron?"

"I cut it open, cleaned out all the dirt, and sewed it up," Yang Hu said succinctly.

Liu Ye was startled.

Her father was an experienced herbalist in the mountains, and she learned a lot about herbs and hunting skills from him. But she had never heard of a method like "cutting with a knife" before.

"Thank you!" she said awkwardly, turning her head away as willow leaves subtly revealed the color in her earlobes.

This girl's stubbornness is about 7 or 8 points similar to the guy who's recovering from an injury in her room.

Yang Hu was secretly pleased, but his expression betrayed his true feelings.

When the village chief heard this, he ran over and saw the mountain girl on the kang (a heated brick bed). He frowned at first.

"Dr. Yang, these Liu brothers are hunters from the mountains. They don't usually interact with us much." He lowered his voice and whispered, "Mountain people are wild and very poor. If they end up here with you, they'll probably just cause you trouble."

The villagers who had been watching the commotion at the entrance also joined in:

"That's right, a wild girl from the mountains, who knows her background..."

"A girl, brandishing a knife like that, looks like she has no manners..."

Liu Ye lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and heard all these words.

She stopped crying, and she stopped arguing. She just bit her lip into a thin line, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.

A mountain dweller's life is always so cheap.

She was about to struggle to her feet and say, "We're leaving."

"She saved her brother's life, fighting three barbarians single-handedly. She's a real hero," Yang Hu said, his voice low but enough to silence everyone in the room. "Why would anyone bother with someone like that? I'd be begging for one."

Liu Ye suddenly turned her head to look at him.

Liu Da looked both surprised and delighted, rubbing his hands together, unsure of what to do.

Others might not understand what it meant, but Yang Hu knew perfectly well that these two siblings were truly suffering.

When he examined her earlier, he had already seen her hands—the hands of a 17-year-old girl, with calluses on her palms thicker than those of a farmer.

Later, Liu Da's incessant chatter added her to the list.

Her brother used to be a well-known herbalist in the area, able to recognize all the plants on the mountain, and was also a good hunter.

But when I went into the mountains to collect herbs two years ago, I could no longer find it. The last thing I found was half a piece of clothing that had been gnawed by wild animals.

My mother died long ago.

From that day on, Liu Dayu and Liu Ye relied on the skills their father had taught them to make a living in the mountains.

Gathering herbs, hunting, trading for food—they braved wind and rain.

In the eyes of the villagers, the mountain people were not much better than beggars. No one wanted them as matchmakers, they were bullied at the market, and Liu Ye, who was skilled in wielding knives and bows, was gossiped about as a widow-killing wild girl.

The brother and sister lived like two stray dogs, but neither of them starved or froze to death.

This girl was able to take down three barbarians all by herself; she wasn't born ruthless.

It's the way of the world that has forced us into this situation.

"Dr. Yang, what you mean is...?" Liu Da rubbed his hands, his eyes red-rimmed, "Our brothers and sisters owe you a life, an unforgettable debt. But we on the mountain can't offer any reward, this debt of gratitude..."

"No need for a thank-you gift." Yang Hu waved his hand and slowly stated his request, as if he had already settled the matter. "My clinic's newly opened herb garden is short of people who can identify herbs and go into the mountains to collect them. Once your sister's injuries heal, if you don't mind, she can stay and help me out. She won't have to worry about food and clothing, and I'll pay her monthly."

He paused again, looking at the willow leaves.

"Of course, your brother's here too. The game they hunt on the mountain doesn't fetch much money. Running errands for me, gathering herbs, and keeping watch at the gate are better than you guys braving the wind and rain!"

The willow leaf opened its mouth.

She had lived to be seventeen and was used to being treated like a wild child and looked down upon. This was the first time someone had spoken to her: "I wouldn't even dare to ask for someone like that."

These words were hotter than the scar from before, so hot they made my eyes sting.

"I'm not a freeloader." She straightened her neck. "I can gather herbs, hunt, and guard the house. I've passed down my skills from my father; I recognize about seven or eight kinds of herbs in this whole mountain area."

"Oh?" Yang Hu's interest was piqued, and he casually grabbed a handful of dried grass roots from the medicine basket. "You still recognize this?"

"Angelica pubescens is used to treat rheumatism and bone pain; it needs to be dried in the shade." Without even thinking, she said, "You picked this plant too early; its medicinal properties are insufficient."

Yang Hu picked up another dried flower.

"Angelica dahurica," she answered quickly, "There's some on the shady cliff behind the mountain. The ones with white flowers are the good stuff. The ones you planted are much worse than the wild ones."

Yang Hu became interested and pointed directly to the patch of seedlings that had just sprouted in the herb garden in the yard.

"Then yours is less?"

Liu Ye propped herself up on her unbroken arm and glanced outside.

"You're missing Paris polyphylla, which treats snake and insect bites and tumors. This plant is in the damp rock crevices of Eagle's Beak Cliff to the west." She paused for a moment. "There's also Dragon Bone Phoenix and Bone-Penetrating Grass, which grow in places where people don't go. Ordinary people don't dare to pick them because it's too steep there, and there are wolves around from time to time."

Yang Hu raised an eyebrow and asked no more questions.

This girl really knows how to have fun.

His dilapidated courtyard lacks several kinds of medicinal herbs, all of which grow deep in the mountains and on rocky cliffs where ordinary people rarely go. He's worried that no one will be able to harvest them!

Fine!

I got another freebie.

He built this dilapidated house purely for feng shui.

The curtains inside the room were lifted.

"Willow Leaf!" Qin Ying walked out, touching the door frame. She glanced at Willow Leaf, and her usually cold expression finally showed some appreciation!

"Taking down three barbarians all by herself, that's quite a feat; she's clearly a trained fighter," she said calmly. "Girl, what's your name?"

"Willow leaf!"

"What a nice name." Qin Ying nodded, then didn't say anything else, but the implication was clear: she accepted this little sister who could fight!

"Auntie, Liu Da, go to the kitchen for a drink of water. You're not afraid of stewing or making porridge!" Lu Yan said with a smile, inviting Liu Ye to join in. Liu Da, feeling very comfortable, rubbed his hands together and waved them repeatedly, "No, no, I wouldn't dare!"

Lu Rou was quick and efficient at this moment, and had already helped Liu Ye lie down on a relatively soft kang (heated brick bed). She was still muttering, "Oh, sister, go to sleep. I'll help you with any needlework. I've also cleaned your bow and hung it on the wall. Nobody has touched it."

Only when she heard the last word "bow" did Liu Ye's wary gaze relax.

There was a group of people in the room, and not one of them treated her and Liu Da as outsiders.

No one thought they were dirty, no one thought they were wild. Even the hunting bow they used for wielding knives and bows was neatly hung on the wall, and no one touched it.

Lying in bed, Liu Ye inhaled the aroma of medicine and listened to the words outside that she never expected to hear.

My nose tingled, and I couldn't help but shed two tears.

This place is more comfortable than the 17 years she has lived here!

Yang Hu didn't expose her, and he turned around to tidy up the medicine shelf, pondering in his heart.

With willow leaves, and knowing the way and understanding these herbs, there was finally a way to gather the good things in the deep mountains.

With the medicinal herb garden, Jirentang will be able to sell more finished medicines!

Just as I was pondering this, the village chief ran over with a look that said, "Something big is about to happen."

"Dr. Yang, there's something else. Manager Sun from town just came to see us, saying he has something to discuss."

"There's a very prominent and prestigious family in town. The master has been ill for a long time, and despite consulting many good doctors, they haven't been able to cure him. Manager Sun would like to introduce you to them. Would you be willing to go and take a look?"

Yang Hu paused for a moment after tidying up the medicine shelf.

A city? A prestigious family? A strange disease for which there is no cure?

The wind he wanted really did blow into the city.