I accidentally Married the Leader of the Noble Path - Chapter 3

Shangguan Rouyue accepted the bowl but didn’t drink the medicine immediately. She eyed the dark, thick liquid inside with suspicion.

When she asked Qin Nan what kind of medicine it was, he only said it was something that would make her better and didn’t explain further.

If not for the fact that she’d run out of all her pills, Shangguan Rouyue would never consider drinking this. Its appearance was so unappealing it looked like it had been scooped out of mud. But she had no other choice and could only treat it as a desperate remedy.

She raised the bowl and downed it in one go. Her face twisted in discomfort—it was unbearably bitter.

“I’ll add some sugar next time,” Qin Nan remarked.

There’s still a next time? Shangguan Rouyue’s eyelid twitched. The thought was unsettling.

Not long after, Shangguan Rouyue noticed something strange. A warm sensation spread through her body, and the injuries to her internal organs and broken meridians seemed to be healing.

Although the process was slow—almost imperceptible without close observation—it was undeniably happening.

The effect was far inferior to that of medicinal pills, but Shangguan Rouyue was stunned that something concocted by an ordinary person could heal the injuries of a cultivator.

Her gaze toward Qin Nan grew more complex.

As it grew late, Shangguan Rouyue stayed in the room to sleep while Qin Nan moved to the medicine room to rest.

This medicine room had originally been his parents’ room. After their death and the recovery of his past life memories, Qin Nan converted it into a medicine room for concocting medicines and discreetly growing stronger.

The medicine room had no bed, so Qin Nan spread a mat on the floor and made do.

The Next Morning

“I need to… relieve myself,” Shangguan Rouyue said, her face tinged with red.

Qin Nan nodded and walked over to help her up.

Their bodies were close, skin touching, and the faint fragrance unique to a young maiden filled the air.

Thanks to the prior day’s experience, the two were less awkward when they reached the restroom this time.

However, when the sound of water echoed, Shangguan Rouyue’s fair face still flushed.

Qin Nan, on the other hand, acted as if nothing was amiss.

After helping Shangguan Rouyue back to her room to rest, he returned to preparing more healing medicine.

An hour later, Qin Nan brought another bowl of medicine, now sweetened with cane sugar, for her to drink.

This time, Shangguan Rouyue’s expression wasn’t as grim, and she reluctantly accepted it.

Qin Nan had other tasks to attend to and left. By evening, he returned to change her medicinal paste.

He undid her bandages, cleaned off the old paste, and applied fresh ointment.

Once again, awkwardness loomed between them.

The new paste had a fresher scent, though it was unclear what had been added.

…

Over the next week, Shangguan Rouyue drank medicinal thrice daily and had her paste changed once daily. By then, her injuries had improved significantly. She could get out of bed and move around freely as long as she avoided strenuous activities.

Though scars remained on her body, they were faint and seemed likely to fade over time.

Finally, Shangguan Rouyue could bathe.

The sticky, grimy sensation of her unwashed body had long become unbearable. Worse still was the idea of someone else noticing her sweat odor.

Though Qin Nan never mentioned it, Shangguan Rouyue was acutely aware that he must have noticed.

In the absence of a proper bathing tub or bathhouse in the village, Qin Nan boiled water, poured it into a wooden basin, and provided a rough towel. There wasn’t even soap.

He left her in the room to clean herself.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t bathing but merely wiping down her body.

Still, for Shangguan Rouyue, it felt like rain after a long drought.

After wiping herself clean and wringing out her long hair, she changed into fresh clothes. She looked stunning—a fleeting glimpse of beauty.

Qin Nan couldn’t help but stare.

Noticing his reaction, Shangguan Rouyue wasn’t angry but rather a little pleased.

Since they’d met, Qin Nan’s behavior had been calm and steady, as if he had seen everything before.

Seeing him finally show an expression befitting his age was amusing.

…

With her injuries mostly healed, Shangguan Rouyue no longer needed constant care. Early the next morning, Qin Nan slung a basket over his back and went up the mountain to gather herbs.

He hadn’t had time to forage for days due to caring for her. The supplies he’d used to concoct medicine had left him almost entirely out of stock.

The mountain paths were rough, but Qin Nan navigated them effortlessly. His familiarity with the terrain and his experience in gathering herbs were evident.

Furthermore, Qin Nan had been secretly cultivating, and his abilities had grown steadily. With his current strength, even encountering wild beasts posed no serious threat.

Perhaps because it had rained recently or because he hadn’t been to the mountains for a few days, the herb yield was unexpectedly abundant.

In addition, Qin Nan had previously noted the locations of some immature medicinal herbs, and now they had all matured.

He was so absorbed in herb gathering that he lost track of time, and before he knew it, the sky had already darkened.

Qin Nan continued to linger in the mountains and forests collecting herbs, and his basket was nearly full, a bountiful harvest.

Suddenly, a graceful figure descended before him.

It was Shangguan Rouyue, much to his surprise, not knowing why she was here.

“What are you doing here?” Qin Nan asked.

“Are you ok?” she replied.

“Ok? Why wouldn’t I be ok?” Qin Nan asked, puzzled.

“It’s good as long as there’s nothing wrong. It’s getting late. Let’s head back.” she said.

Qin Nan realized she must have been concerned about his safety, seeing how late it was.

His heart felt a touch of warmth.

Qin Nan had rescued Shangguan Rouyue not purely out of kindness or the inability to ignore someone in need.

He wanted to establish a connection with Shangguan Rouyue to make it easier for him to cultivate in the future.

Although he wasn’t clear about Shangguan Rouyue’s background, the fact that she was a cultivator with considerable strength was unquestionable.

Qin Nan possessed memories from his past life, so he wasn’t lacking in cultivation techniques, martial arts, or spells. What he lacked were cultivation locations and resources.

However, as someone from a village with no background, Qin Nan couldn’t easily access the cultivation world.

When Shangguan Rouyue appeared, Qin Nan saw an opportunity to connect with the cultivation world by saving her.

He even considered joining her sect, which would eliminate his worries about resources.

Qin Nan had indeed come to his senses and let go of many things, but that didn’t mean he was without desires.”

“Don’t move. I’ll fly you back,” Shangguan Rouyue said as she lifted him effortlessly into the air.

Carrying him face-to-face due to the basket on his back, the two flew toward the village.

Though they were close, the prior week’s experiences had rendered such situations less awkward.

As Qin Nan had guessed, Shangguan Rouyue was worried about his safety, so she came to find him.

Not long ago, Shangguan Rouyue had learned from a neighbor that Qin Nan’s parents had both been killed by a tiger while gathering herbs.

It wasn’t just Qin Nan’s parents; every year, there were always a couple of unlucky people in the village who died in the mountains while gathering herbs, for various reasons.

Aside from the giant insects, there were other fierce wild animals, or people who fell off cliffs and disappeared.

As the sky grew darker, Shangguan Rouyue noticed that Qin Nan still hadn’t returned and began to worry that something might have happened to him.

She hadn’t repaid her debt of gratitude yet. How could she let her savior die for no reason?

Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm.