After traveling for two consecutive days, it was time for Wufu to draw blood again. With no other choice, she suggested staying in a village to prevent Ah Jiu from noticing anything unusual. Early the next morning, before Ah Jiu was awake, she cut her finger and let her blood drip into a bowl.

"Miss, that should be enough," Jadeite said with a face full of reluctance, looking at Wufu’s increasingly pale face. "Next time, use another finger."

To prevent Ah Jiu from noticing anything wrong, Wufu always drew blood from the same finger, reopening wounds that hadn’t healed yet. It was gruesome to watch, not to mention unbearably painful.

"Still missing a bit," Wufu noticed the blood was flowing slowly and made another cut with the dagger.

"So that’s where the bloody smell on you was coming from." Without noticing when, Ah Jiu appeared at the doorway and rushed over, grabbing her finger and snatching the cloth from Jadeite’s hand to cover the wound, his eyes wide with shock.

Jadeite felt a bit tense and surprised, glancing at the door, wondering where Mo Lan had gone and why he wasn’t keeping watch, allowing the lord to barge in.

Wufu, however, wasn’t very nervous. She had keen senses and was intelligent; spending time together on the journey every day, he would eventually find out. She just hadn’t expected him to discover it so soon.

"Get out!" Ah Jiu commanded.

Jadeite looked at Wufu: "Miss..."

"Take the blood out and mix it in the soup," Wufu said calmly, looking at the soup bowl on the table.

The atmosphere in the room was chilling. Even with Ah Jiu saying nothing, she felt his towering rage, her legs trembling as she carefully carried the bowl.

Seeing this, Wufu said, "Jadeite, if you spill it, I’ll have to draw more blood, and I’ll suffer for it."

Jadeite felt her heart tighten upon hearing this, taking a deep breath and steadily walking out with the bowl of blood.

The lady is right; the blood cannot be wasted, or else she’ll suffer.

Upon stepping out the door, she saw a group of people kneeling in the courtyard, including Mo Lan. Jadeite sighed and said, "Mo Lan, come help me."

The lord’s anger can only be calmed by the lady.

The room was silent except for the sound of breathing.

Wufu looked at Ah Jiu, seeing his eyes turn red: "How did you find out!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You wouldn’t complain of being tired after just two days on the road." Ah Jiu’s voice was hoarse and shaky. "Have all the soups I’ve had before been mixed with your blood?"

"Didn’t you already guess?" Wufu took the golden sore medicine Jadeite had left, handed it over, and said, "Will you apply the medicine for me?"

Ah Jiu remained still and asked, "What else are you hiding from me? Can you tell me now?"

He stared intently at Wufu, afraid he might miss any further hints.

He blamed himself for being foolish, gullible enough to believe those so-called medicines mixed with deer blood, to trust Xiao Li’s explanation that the bloody smell was due to her menstrual cycle.

They had teamed up to deceive him, and yet he believed them without question; truly foolish.

Ah Jiu watched her unwrap the cloth, seeing both new and old scars on the finger. He felt dizzy, watching her treat the wound as his head buzzed.

"I’m not hiding anymore; it would be impossible to keep it from you anyway." Wufu slowly spoke, smiling at him: "The Saintess came a few days ago and told me about the method for Gu Guiding—which is this..."

Ah Jiu watched her lips move while her voice alternated between soft and loud, entering his ears, making him feel as if he were in a dream.

She nourished the Gu with her own blood, just to save his life!