NOVPUBShen Roujia didn’t deliberately observe anyone; she genuinely just wanted to take a walk and even chose a direction opposite to where others might be.
With this in mind, she felt much more at ease.
As Shen Roujia climbed the mountain, Zhang San couldn’t help but glance around nervously from behind her.
Shen Roujia hummed a cheerful tune, seemingly in a lighter mood than she had been in a long time.
She finally spotted the fruit she had been thinking about for a while.
Raising her hand, she pointed to a tree.
“Is that sour fruit?”
Zhang San was momentarily stunned by her sudden question, then quickly turned to look.
“Yes, Miss. Do you want to pick one to eat?”
Before Zhang San could even raise his hand to pick one, Shen Roujia had already grabbed one herself and casually tossed another one to him.
She wiped the fruit on her dress and, without hesitation, took a bite. The sweet and sour taste filled her mouth.
“Why is it called sour fruit when it’s so sweet?”
As soon as she asked, Zhang San couldn’t help but laugh as he answered, “Because when the sour fruit isn’t ripe, it produces a sour taste to deter birds and insects.”
“The unripe sour fruit also helps repel mosquitoes.”
Hearing this explanation, Shen Roujia looked at the fruit that resembled a small peach and nodded, “I didn’t expect it to have such properties.”
Zhang San took a bite of his fruit too. “This plant is quite resilient. The seeds can sprout just about anywhere they’re tossed.”
He pointed to the tangled branches under the fruit tree, “See, all those messy shoots are new sprouts.”
Shen Roujia admired the resilience of the plant and couldn’t help but feel a bit of awe.
Perhaps all of this was a subtle hint of something deeper.
Shen Roujia sighed softly. When they reached the halfway point up the mountain, they could overlook the entire Divine Doctor’s Valley.
As she stretched, Shen Roujia suddenly caught sight of several dark figures in the distance.
Startled, she gasped.
Zhang San also looked up and saw one of the black-clad men slitting the throat of a young attendant.
Shen Roujia quickly covered Zhang San’s mouth, and the two of them crouched down cautiously.
The hillside wasn’t very high, probably just a few stories tall, but even though they crouched down, someone still caught a glimpse of their faces.
