Xiao Fei saw that Doctor Huang recognized the fruit and knew its name, so he immediately forced it into Doctor Huang's mouth without any further ado.
Then he helped Doctor Huang up and placed him on a bed, with Li Da Er Duo attending to him.
Xiao Fei then turned and cleared out all the refugees in the mansion, killing some and driving away others.
After this great calamity, only three of the Huang family's more than thirty members remained.
The woman saved by Xiao Fei was one, another climbed out of the well, and then there was Doctor Huang himself.
Since eating a Qi Ling Fruit, Doctor Huang's body had been recovering day by day, and he was no longer in critical condition.
The refugees in Qingyang Town only caused trouble for three days before being slaughtered by an army of less than a hundred soldiers sent from the county town, resulting in a river of blood.
One day, Xiao Fei found Doctor Huang.
"Doctor Huang, I've come to bid farewell. Before I leave, I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"I'd like to ask, what do you know about the Qi Ling Fruit?"
Although Xiao Fei had eaten three Qi Ling Fruits and had a sapling planted in his space, he knew almost nothing about them.
He had stayed here precisely to wait for Doctor Huang's injuries to recover.
"Regarding the Qi Ling Fruit, this old man saw it in a medical book passed down from my ancestors."
"The Qi Ling Fruit is a spiritual fruit, extremely rare, and generally grows in places with rich spiritual energy, often surrounded by powerful demonic beasts."
Hearing this, Xiao Fei's expression changed. It seemed this Doctor Huang was not simple and knew quite a lot.
"Can Doctor Huang tell me about spiritual energy and spiritual fruits?"
Doctor Huang glanced at Xiao Fei, recalling the methods he had used to kill the six refugees earlier, and seemed to have guessed something.
"I saw these in my ancestral medical book. Why don't I lend it to you to read yourself? Please wait here for me a moment."
As Doctor Huang spoke, he walked into the study alone.
He closed the door and walked to a bookshelf, pushed it open, and removed a floorboard beneath it, revealing a hidden compartment about a foot square.
Several items were placed inside the hidden compartment, but none of them were gold or silver.
The bald man's torture of Doctor Huang earlier must have been because he heard some rumors from somewhere and came for these items.
Doctor Huang took out an oilcloth package and then restored everything to its original state.
"This is my family's ancestral medical book. You can copy it, but do not show it to others easily, as it may easily bring disaster."
Doctor Huang solemnly handed the oilcloth package to Xiao Fei. If not for the repeated contact and his feeling that Xiao Fei was a person of principle who distinguished between kindness and enmity, he would never have revealed a single word.
"Thank you, Doctor Huang, for your kindness!"
Xiao Fei took the oilcloth package and returned to the room where he was temporarily staying.
The oilcloth package was wrapped in several layers. After opening them one by one, he found a booklet inside.
The cover of the booklet was inscribed with the four characters "Bai Cao Ji Zhu" (Collection of Hundred Herbs). The paper of the book felt very comfortable, like leather. Upon opening it, Xiao Fei saw a line of small text on the first page.
"Huang Jingyu, a rogue cultivator from the State of Qi, compiled one hundred commonly used spiritual herbs for his descendants."
This short sentence alone revealed a wealth of information.
Xiao Fei searched his mind for information about the State of Qi but found nothing. He only knew that the place he was currently in was the State of Lu.
What was a rogue cultivator? Xiao Fei wasn't even very familiar with the term "spiritual herb."
Xiao Fei eagerly flipped through the booklet to continue reading.
"Spiritual herbs, that is, any medicinal material that contains the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, can be called spiritual herbs..."
The book first provided a general overview of spiritual herbs. The biggest difference between spiritual herbs and ordinary medicinal materials was that they contained spiritual energy.
Some varieties of spiritual herbs inherently possessed spiritual energy, while others, originally ordinary, became spiritual herbs only because they grew in places rich in spiritual energy and absorbed enough of it.
The Qi Ling Fruit that Xiao Fei obtained belonged to the former category and was a relatively widely used spiritual herb in the cultivation world.
Qi Ling Fruit could strengthen the body, prolong life, and aid in the cultivation of cultivators.
Among the one hundred spiritual herbs collected, the Qi Ling Fruit appeared quite ordinary. Many other spiritual herbs were even rarer and more potent than the Qi Ling Fruit.
Yet, for such an ordinary Qi Ling Fruit tree, Zhu Yu had schemed for dozens of lives, only to end up with nothing.
One could imagine how rare the other spiritual herbs were.
After quickly reading the book, Xiao Fei couldn't help but become curious about Doctor Huang's ancestor.
His ancestor, named Huang Jingyu, should have been a legendary immortal master with great divine powers.
However, Doctor Huang was just an ordinary person, perhaps due to the decline of his family.
At the same time, he was also suspicious of Doctor Huang's motives for giving him such a great gift.
Xiao Fei felt that it was more than just saving him and giving him a Qi Ling Fruit; there might be other purposes.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Xiao Fei opened it to find the woman he had saved from the refugees a few days prior.
Through their interactions over the past few days, he had learned that this woman was Huang Feifei, Doctor Huang's granddaughter, who was pure and elegant in appearance.
It was a pity... alas!
At this moment, Huang Feifei's face showed no expression. She held a stack of papers and writing implements in her hands.
"Grandfather asked me to bring some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for young master Xiao. I also know some about ink painting. If you need anything, I can help with illustrations."
Hearing this, a pleased expression appeared on Xiao Fei's face. This "Bai Cao Ji Zhu" contained many illustrations of spiritual herbs.
Copying the text was no problem for him, but drawing was something he was truly bad at. If he forced it, it would be counterproductive.
"Thank you, Miss Feifei. I was just worrying about this."
So, for the next few days, Xiao Fei copied the booklet, leaving blank spaces for Huang Feifei to illustrate.
Huang Feifei's drawing skills were meticulous, and she worked with great care, perfectly restoring the original illustrations.
Seven days later, after their joint efforts, a new booklet was bound.
Huang Feifei's spirits had improved considerably during this time as she shifted her focus, which was perhaps Doctor Huang's true intention in asking her to help with the illustrations.
"Thank you for the booklet, Doctor Huang. I have finished copying it. Here is the original back!"
Xiao Fei re-wrapped the book in oilcloth and returned it to Doctor Huang.
"Young Master Xiao is leaving Qingyang Town, isn't he?" Doctor Huang asked casually as he took the oilcloth package.
"That's right. If I ever return to Qingyang Town in the future, I will definitely come to visit you, Doctor Huang."
In fact, Xiao Fei also knew that transportation and information were inconvenient in this world, and a farewell might mean a permanent separation.
"Young Master Xiao is a hidden dragon. The waters of Qingyang Town are too shallow; it is not a place for someone like you to stay for long."
"If my guess is correct, Young Master Xiao should already be a cultivator."
Xiao Fei was surprised. Doctor Huang had seen through something that he himself had not yet confirmed.
Of course, despite his surprise, he would not kill Doctor Huang to silence him. Doctor Huang's ancestors had produced cultivators, so he would certainly have more knowledge in this area than him.
"This old man has a request for Young Master Xiao!"
Xiao Fei thought to himself, as expected. This old man giving him the "Bai Cao Ji Zhu" must have had some ulterior motive.
"What is it, Doctor Huang? Please, speak freely."
Xiao Fei did not agree immediately, planning to figure things out before making a decision.
"Our Huang family has lived a prosperous life here for several hundred years, relying on the assets left by our ancestors."
"But after this disaster, only this old man, my granddaughter, and an old servant remain of my family."
"I am old now, and life and death are of no consequence. My only concern is this granddaughter."
As Doctor Huang spoke, he turned to look at Huang Feifei. At this moment, Huang Feifei bit her lip tightly, her fingers intertwined, and her eyes occasionally glanced at Xiao Fei, awaiting his reply.
Hearing this, Xiao Fei felt a bit troubled. He hadn't even decided on his future destination, and bringing a woman with him would be quite inconvenient.
At the same time, he could sense Doctor Huang's worry. A family without male heirs like his would be considered an unprotected lineage, and it would be inevitable for them to be exploited and bullied in the future.
When walls fall, everyone pushes; when drums crack, everyone beats. This is how dark people's hearts can be.
Especially in Huang Feifei's situation, she might be more easily bullied.
"Doctor Huang, my future is uncertain. Bringing Miss Feifei with me might be a disservice to her!"
"One always needs someone to look after them when traveling. If Young Master Xiao does not mind her being clumsy, she can stay by your side as a humble maid, serving you tea, cooking, and tending the fire."
"How can this be? Feifei is intelligent, nimble, skillful, and elegant. How can I possibly accept such kindness!"
Doctor Huang's words put Xiao Fei in a difficult position.
Moreover, one cannot accept favors without feeling indebted. The "Bai Cao Ji Zhu" given by Doctor Huang was indeed of great use to him.
"Thank you, Young Master Xiao! I entrust my only concern to you."
Doctor Huang stood up and bowed deeply to Xiao Fei.
The next day, Xiao Fei left Qingyang Town. Huang Feifei, carrying a heavy cloth bundle, followed closely behind him. She had just bid farewell to her grandfather and her eyes were slightly red and swollen from crying.
At the time of their departure, Doctor Huang had sold most of his family property and given it all to Huang Feifei as travel expenses for their journey.
Converted into silver and gold, it amounted to tens of kilograms.
Xiao Fei's first destination was the market where his second sister had been sold.
He had never forgotten the human trafficker who bought his second sister for two strings of cash.
After some trouble, he finally found this human trafficker.
However, this person had trafficked so many people that he had no recollection.
But all the women he had trafficked in recent years had been sold to a brothel called Chunman Lou.
After beating the human trafficker to vent his frustration, Xiao Fei went to find that Chunman Lou.
Human trafficking was legal in this world, with one willing to sell and one willing to buy.
Every year, many poor people, unable to find a way to make a living, could only sell themselves to human traffickers.
Human traffickers were merely intermediaries that people detested.