Qiao Mulin, lying nearby, was already feeling much better. When he heard Meng Yanjing’s delighted voice, he quickly turned his head and saw that Mr. Chen had woken up. He couldn’t help but say happily, "That’s great, Mr. Chen! You’re awake."

Mr. Chen’s head was still a bit groggy, but he was aware that he had been unconscious after developing a high fever from the bite. ’It must have been my students taking care of me,’ he thought. He nodded and said, "I’m awake. Thank you for all your hard work."

Qiao Mulin quickly said, "Mr. Chen, Zhang Hua and I also came down with fevers. Meng Yanjing was the one taking care of all of us. She even found a comrade who had medicine. Thanks to her medicine, we were able to recover."

"Oh, we really must thank that comrade," Mr. Chen said at once. "Where is she? We need to thank her properly."

Meng Yanjing quickly replied, "She’s in Zhang Hua’s tent. He was also a bit delirious, but since you’re awake now, I figure Zhang Hua should be waking up soon, too."

Meng Yanjing was overjoyed, feeling grateful once again for having met Su Qing.

Thanks to the boost from Su Qing’s green mist, the fevers of all three had quickly subsided. Though they were still a bit weak, they were out of any real danger. The whole group was incredibly grateful to Su Qing for this.

Su Qing smiled. "Your fevers may have broken, but you should still go to a hospital for a check-up. After all, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t diagnose and treat the specific cause."

"Alright." Mr. Chen smiled. Seeing how young she looked, he asked, "Little Su, how old are you?"

"I’ll be seventeen after the New Year," Su Qing replied.

The New Year was just over half a month away. Su Qing did a quick calculation in her head and sighed with emotion. ’Unbelievable. I’ve been in this era for almost half a year already.’

"Seventeen, huh," Mr. Chen said with a smile. "In that case, Little Su, do you have any plans to take the college entrance exam this year? If you do, we’d welcome you at Chuncheng University. You could even apply for our geology program."

From chatting with Su Qing, Mr. Chen had learned she entered the mountains by herself, and he greatly admired her courage. He then heard from Meng Yanjing that Su Qing could scale steep slopes with her bare hands. This convinced Mr. Chen that Su Qing was a prime candidate for the geology program. After all, a geologist needs to be in excellent physical condition. They spend years conducting surveys in mountains and forests, a workload that would be impossible to bear without a strong constitution.

As for the academics, Mr. Chen figured anyone smart enough to get into university would have no trouble with their studies.

"That’s right," Meng Yanjing chimed in with a smile. "You could apply for our geology program. I’m telling you, it’s really fun! You get to go into the mountains all the time. I remember you saying you love being in the mountains."

Su Qing just smiled at their suggestion. "I’ll pass. My grades aren’t that good, so I’m not planning on applying to university."

"What? You’re not applying to university?" Meng Yanjing exclaimed. "Su Qing, you’re still so young! You should be in school. It’s always good to learn more."

"Yeah, that’s right," the usually quiet Zhang Hua chimed in.

Su Qing just smiled and shook her head. ’I already went to university in my past life, so I’m not that interested. In this life, I just want the freedom to do what I love.’

Seeing that Su Qing genuinely had no interest in attending university, Mr. Chen and the others had no choice but to drop the subject. After all, they were little more than strangers who had met by chance. It wouldn’t be right to pressure her into doing something she didn’t want to do, and besides, it wasn’t their place.

Because Qiao Mulin and the others were still weak, they decided to rest for another day before leaving the mountain. Su Qing had nothing urgent to attend to, so since their paths had crossed, she decided to stay with them for the day and leave Da Hu Mountain together.

After leaving Da Hu Mountain, the group found a local village and paid some of the villagers to take them to the hospital in town. Only then did Su Qing bid them farewell.

Unable to immediately repay the immense kindness Su Qing had shown them, Meng Yanjing and the others insisted on exchanging contact information before reluctantly saying their goodbyes.

After parting ways with Meng Yanjing and her friends, Su Qing began her journey home. She had originally made Da Hu Mountain her first target for exploration, but she hadn’t expected it to be so vast. Even after nearly two months, she hadn’t managed to explore the entire mountain. Still, at least she’d found the century-old Chicken Blood Vine.

Just as Su Qing was setting out on the road back to Xiyuan County, Old Mrs. An arrived there as well, accompanied by Mrs. Lin.

"It’s not the same," Old Mrs. An remarked with a sigh, looking at the Xiyuan County she hadn’t seen in decades.

Mrs. Lin said to her, "Old Mrs. An, it’s been decades. Of course it’s changed. That’s only normal."

Old Mrs. An nodded with a sigh. She looked around; so much had changed, and the people she knew were gone. Even the old An Family mansion had long been lost to the tides of time. In Xiyuan County now, she suspected only the older generation would remember their family. The younger people likely had no idea that the An Family was once so renowned here.

"Let’s go. We’ll get a room at the hotel, then come back out for a walk," Old Mrs. An said to Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin looked at her. "Old Mrs. An, aren’t we going to look for the Third Young Master?"

Old Mrs. An shook her head. "I’m afraid the boy won’t be forgiving his grandfather and me anytime soon. Let’s not add to his troubles. I don’t want to ruin his New Year. When our people arrive, have them investigate what those people from Xiangcheng who’ve shown up in Xiyuan County recently have been up to."

"Yes, Old Mrs. An, rest assured. I’ll give the orders as soon as they arrive," Mrs. Lin said quickly. She accompanied Old Mrs. An, appearing on the surface to be nothing more than an old maidservant responsible for her mistress’s daily needs. In reality, however, many of Old Mrs. An’s commands were entrusted to her to carry out. She even had a number of ruthless, loyal subordinates under her command who answered only to Old Mrs. An and herself.

"Good." Old Mrs. An nodded, always confident in Mrs. Lin’s ability to get things done. "It’s almost noon. After we book the room, let’s go eat at the state-owned restaurant. I’d like to see what the food is like here."

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Lin agreed with a smile.

The two of them booked their hotel room and then went to the state-owned restaurant. They ordered two dishes and found a table by the window.

Old Mrs. An paused the moment she took her first bite.

At the same time, Mrs. Lin looked up at Old Mrs. An, puzzled. Their eyes met, both reflecting a hint of surprise.

"Old Mrs. An, this flavor... it’s a little familiar," Mrs. Lin whispered.

Old Mrs. An nodded. Then, in unison, the two women whispered a name: "Old Bones."