Chapter Thirty-Six: The Herb Garden Destroyed

Although no one held Mo Fei responsible, Ning Guodong and his wife’s expressions grew increasingly grim.

Yu Youwei spoke at just the right moment. “There’s no need for anyone else in the medicine garden. Mo Fei and I can handle it. If anything comes up, I can always ask Mother for guidance. Father, you should help track down the missing books.”

Guodong promptly agreed. In truth, he genuinely wished to recover those books himself, to make amends for the mistake his son had made.

Madam Yu quickly stood up. “Big Brother, I’ll take Mo Fei’s wife to the medicine garden.”

“Everyone go,” Lord Ning instructed, “Mother will accompany you as well. We must guard against anyone causing trouble at Yongqing Hall.” With that, he hurried off.

The old lady told her eldest daughter-in-law to stay in the main house with her granddaughters, while she took Yu and the granddaughters-in-law to the medicine garden. Yongqing Hall was the heart of the Ning residence, rarely open to outsiders; even the maids were instructed not to follow.

Moonlight shimmered softly, casting a pale glow over the chaotic medicine garden. Yu Youwei hadn’t expected the little white bear to wreak such thorough destruction; she nearly believed the rumor about an insider colluding with outsiders.

The medicine garden was vast, divided into five regions according to the five elements. Each area had once been draped in lush medicinal plants, spiritual energy thick as a brocade. Centuries-old herbs were everywhere. Now, herbs of even ten years’ age were scarce.

The deeper Yu Youwei went, the more ruthless the little bear seemed, and she grew curious—how had the cub managed all this?

Lord Ning had already dispatched workers to help restore the garden. Yu Youwei didn’t see Ning Mo Fei anywhere. After asking several people, all claimed they hadn’t seen him. Growing anxious, she called out, “Mo Fei, where are you?”

Yu, irritated, replied, “Leave him be. He’ll come out eventually.”

“It’s not Mo Fei’s fault,” Yu Youwei said softly, and without waiting for a reply, ran off to search for Ning Mo Fei. She finally found him nestled among the branches of an ancient tree. When she called his name, he ignored her.

“Kindness and brotherly affection aren’t wrong. What’s wrong is when someone takes advantage of your kindness and deceives you. Mo Fei, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She reached out her hand, speaking lightly, “Come down. Let’s go plant herbs together.”

Ning Mo Fei lounged sullenly in the tree’s crook. “Uncle said the lost books are very precious.”

“If you feel you’ve caused the family harm, come plant a few more herbs with me. We’ll do our best to make up for it.”

“I don’t know how to plant herbs.”

“No one is born knowing. Besides, we have books on spiritual herb cultivation! I’ll urge the seeds to grow; you can read about their habits and plant them in suitable places. We’ll divide the work, all right?”

“Do you think I can?”

“Of course,” Yu Youwei replied, certain. Reading was still a challenge for Mo Fei; he’d only ever matched names to pictures, unable to understand the rest. So she chose a damp patch of woodland, urged the Ghost-Face Cloud mushrooms to sprout, and assigned him to plant them throughout the woods.

When Yu Youwei returned after urging another batch of herbs, Mo Fei had already finished planting the mushrooms. “Not bad, Mo Fei! You did that so quickly!” She smiled warmly, but as he turned to her, she was taken aback.

The shifting moonlight gradually illuminated his handsome face, revealing sharp features, ethereal as an immortal. With his long black hair and crimson robe, there was an air of boldness about him that made her heart flutter. Drawn irresistibly, she leaned in, catching the pleasant scent of grass and wood that wafted from him as he breathed.

Under the night’s embrace, his gaze lost its clarity, becoming cool and deep. In an electrifying instant, a mysterious force made him lower his head. She, soft as water, nestled into his arms, her lips gently parting.

Outside the woods, Sister-in-law Yun called, “Sister, the seeds are almost all planted!” The spell was broken, scattering the pair entwined beneath the branches.

“Coming!” Yu Youwei responded, taking Mo Fei’s hand and speaking gently, “Let’s head out for now.”

Mo Fei pouted unhappily, but followed obediently. Everything Yu Youwei assigned to him, he accomplished quickly and well, surprising everyone. He was afraid of the dark, yet all his tasks required lingering in the shadowy woods or by the water, and he never uttered a word of complaint.

A gentle rain began to fall, and Mo Fei childishly stuck out his tongue to catch a few droplets, which was promptly spotted by his mother, Yu, who exclaimed, “Mo Fei, what are you eating? Don’t just put things in your mouth!”

Mo Fei crouched down silently, continuing to plant Seven-Star Lotus. Beside him were the lotus seeds Yu Youwei had urged to sprout; each one had sharp-edged leaves, slender stems about a foot long, radiating a faint silver glow in the night.

“How come you’re out here alone? Oh heavens, these are Seven-Star Lotus—how could you be allowed to play with them!” Yu hurried forward.

“I’m not playing,” Mo Fei protested, jumping up and spreading his arms to block his mother.

Each Seven-Star Lotus seed sold for thousands of spiritual stones and even then, not all would sprout. The batch Yu Youwei had urged was worth ten thousand spiritual stones in total. Even the wealthy Ning family couldn’t afford to waste them. On any other day, Yu might have been gentler, but Mo Fei had just made a grave mistake. She didn’t want her foolish son to give the other branches gossip fodder. Without hesitation, she cast a binding spell to tie up her son, then planted the lotus seeds herself in the marshy spots among the trees.

“Mo Fei, behave yourself. You’ve already made a serious mistake today. If you ruin these Seven-Star Lotus, even your uncle will have trouble defending you.” Yu released the binding spell, saw that her son neither cried nor fussed, and hurriedly sent him off to rest at Yongqing Hall before leaving the woods herself.

The rain intensified, pouring down by dawn. Everyone in the medicine garden worked beneath magical shields tinted with their elemental colors, so the rain couldn’t wet them, creating a strange spectacle amid the storm.

“It’s been so long—why hasn’t Mo Fei come out yet?” Yu Youwei, having finished urging another batch of seeds from the Treasure Pill Pavilion, was feeling mentally drained and needed a break, so she decided to check on Mo Fei.

“Only now do you remember your husband! The rain’s too heavy—I sent him back to rest,” Yu replied with mild reproach and advised Yu Youwei to return to Yongqing Hall to look after him.

Yu Youwei always felt that the Ning family protected Mo Fei too much. He was only lacking in intelligence, but physically he was an adult. There was no need to care for him as if he were a child. Still, she was glad for the excuse to escape the hard labor. On returning to the bedroom at Yongqing Hall, she found no sign of him but wasn’t concerned. She threw herself onto the bed and, seeing the little white bear curled beside her pillow, complained, “I’m almost exhausted because of you, while you’re so comfortable.”

The little white bear lazily lifted an eyelid, grumbling, “How is it my fault? You’re the one who insisted I do the work.”