The reason that Fang Yuan was following her was because he had been given another main quest by the system.
At first, he hadn't understood what the quest was about given that all it said was 'Find out what is wrong with Fan Ru's grandfather.'
Based on this, it appeared that 'Fan Ru' had a sick grandfather. Only Fang Yuan had never heard of her name before, though the system assured him that it would help identify who it was that he was supposed to be helping out so long as he stayed near the healer's tent.
It looked like that healer was unsuccessful- given the morose expression upon her face, and also because he still had the quest to do.
He 'accidentally' bumped into her as she was walking, which was easy enough given how distracted she was.
"Ah- sorry- AH!" she said, initially brushing things off before she realized who she had bumped into.
Fan Ru was a mortal, but she recognized Fang Yuan's student Gu Master uniform instantly. Her somber features were replaced with one of abject apprehension - mortals had been violated and beaten to death for doing far less to offend a Gu Master, sometimes even with no reason other than 'the Gu Master was in a bad mood that day!' She had a face that would be quite appealing normally, but it was now twisted in fear.
Even as she began to cry and bow her head repeatedly, screaming, "I'm sorry! This lowly one was not watching where she was going!" she could still feel the executioner's blade hanging over her neck.
However, Fang Yuan's face was such a tranquil portrait of serenity that she couldn't help but stop as he waved his hand. "It is nothing. It is a small matter. But, I couldn't help but notice that your face is so downcast, as if it was a raincloud about to burst. What seems to be troubling you?"
"Oh, it's nothing," she said, relieved as she wiped her tears on her sleeve. "Nothing that Young Master should be concerned about..."
"I insist," Fang Yuan said.
Her shoulders sagged.
"Is someone in your family having problems?"
"Eh-How did Young Master know that?"
"It's written all over your face that you're under great stress, and I could only wonder what would cause such a beautiful lily's countenance to be stained with tears," Fang Yuan said. "You're clearly fine so it must be someone who you're close with. Oh- unless I'm wrong and your lover broke up with you?" He said the last sentence as if he genuinely didn't know what was going on and only just now considered that other possibility.
"No, Young Master's first guess was correct. It is my grandfather... he is very sick."
"Oh?! Your grandfather?"
"Yes, I thought that the healer from the merchant caravan could help but... we don't have the primeval stones needed to hire him..."
"Hmm... perhaps I can be of help then?"
"Oh? Are you a healing Gu Master?"
Fang Yuan was not, but over the span of 500 years and being a lone cultivator for most of them, there were many times when he had to heal his own injuries. Twice, he had become so sick that he was nearly on the brink of death, alone in the wilderness and isolated from civilization. Those memories were hazy in his mind, though he remembered feeling sore all over and his breath being raggedy as he longed for a bed and the comfort of a friend back in those times. And yet, none of those things came, because he had long since been ejected from his village during that time.
And yet, he had survived both of those times.
There was also the time when he had gone to harvest Black Oil in the Eastern Sea...
His eyes glazed over for barely an instant as he thought of that incident so long ago, but he quickly focused his mind.
Even with his years of experience, he had no healing gu worms. The Doctor Gu could potentially fill out this role in the future, but he would get it at the end of the academy year.
However, he still had some confidence in solving this issue. As it was, the system hadn't given him something as of now that was impossible. And he could not be sure that he could not help at all unless he tried.
At worst, he could simply pay for his treatment, though he wanted to see the situation himself before he spent any primeval stones.
"Yes, I have some experience, don't let my young age fool you," Fang Yuan said.
Fan Ru was still somewhat doubtful- how could a student know anything about healing? She did not dare speak anything like that, of course, and saw no harm in leading Fang Yuan down the mountain and to her village nearby.
She lived in what could most generously be called a rundown shack, and was closer to a pile of wooden rubble at worse.
Her grandfather was lying on a hemp mat in a corner. He looked extremely frail and seemed to be on death's door. There was no fever, but whatever was ailing him was quite serious.
"I don't know what's wrong with him, but he just gets weaker and weaker every day. He keeps vomiting and his diarrhea just won't stop," Fan Ru said.
A putrid odor came from him as Fang Yuan drew close to take his pulse.
He weakly opened his eyes. "Are you the healer?" He must have been quite weak if he couldn't even figure out that Fang Yuan was a student.
"Y...Yes, Grandpa," Fan Ru said, not wanting to take away any hope from him. If he got to know that she hadn't been able to fetch a healer, he might just die of despair! No healer in their village had been able to help him, and none of the Gu Yue clan Gu Masters would help him either. Her last hope had been to try to appeal to the compassion of some of the healing Gu Masters who came when the merchant caravan came, but this had not borne fruit. At best, all she had been able to do was drag Fang Yuan, someone who looked far too young to know what he was doing, to help.
Perhaps, she thought, he might have a Rank 1 gu worm that could help him? She wasn't very clear on the powers of gu worms, being a mortal, but maybe even a Rank 1 gu worm could heal her grandfather? She could not afford the services of a Rank 1 healing Gu Master as it was anyway.
Fang Yuan took a close look at the man's nails as well as his teeth.
There were a few things that this could be, but he didn't have any cure for those. And it would be strange for him to be afflicted with those.
There was one thing, however, that this greatly resembled.
His 500 years of experience came in clutch here, as he felt he had somewhat figured out what was going on.
"What does he eat and drink?"
"Very little, but I try to give him rice water since he finds it hard to chew, and ginseng tea if I can afford it..."
If both of them were eating the rice, that couldn't be the cause. "Do you drink the ginseng tea yourself as well?"
"No, there's barely enough for him. At first, he drank it a good amount, but lately can barely take a few sips. Also, it's very bitter."
"Do you make the tea yourself?"
"Yes."
"Do you collect the ginseng yourself?"
"No, I buy it."
"Call whoever it is you buy it from here," Fang Yuan said.
Fan Ru didn't understand what was going on- why wasn't Fang Yuan doing anything to cure her grandfather or using any kind of gu worm to find out what was wrong? But she complied, and a young boy with freckles and a thin face walked in shortly thereafter.
"Do you sell ginseng to Fan Ru?"
"Y-Yessir," the boy said, immediately tensing up upon seeing Fang Yuan's uniform.
"Show me your hands."
Fang Yuan examined them- confusing both Fan Ru and the boy. Was he trying to read the boy's fortune from his palm?
"As I thought..." Fang Yuan said.
SLAP!
With a swift motion, Fang Yuan smacked the boy across the face. The boy had his arms outstretched, and so was caught by the blow completely unaware.