Help, I’m Being Forced to Marry a Frail and Sickly Immortal Doctor! 23

Chapter 23: Crane Returns to the Green River

“Come, drape my robes for me.”

Ning Ruoque stared blankly, suspecting that Azurefall Creek was price gouging.

She looked around. This place was also unfamiliar to her.

The room was furnished in a simple and elegant style, with green gauze curtains, lotus-patterned window lattices, and a sky-blue glazed incense burner emitting a thin mist of fragrance.

Qingtong was tending to a small red clay stove. Beside her, a girl with a pointed chin and phoenix eyes tilted her head to look over, her face full of curiosity.

Ning Ruoque took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, “Why is it so expensive?”

Qingtong was indifferent. “There’s no why. Can you afford it or not?”

The sword cultivator awkwardly picked at the bedsheets, the roots of her ears turning red.

She couldn’t produce a million, and selling her body was even more impossible!

She silently got out of bed, circulated her cultivation technique, and examined herself.

Her cultivation was at the Dust Cleansing realm, her spiritual veins were unharmed, and her internal injuries were completely healed. It must have been the work of some skilled medical cultivator.

If not now, when was the time to run!

In the blink of an eye, the sword cultivator had darted from the bedside to the window.

As she propped herself up on the windowsill, she spoke quickly, “Wait for me to save enough money, and I’ll come back to repay you.”

After speaking, Ning Ruoque leaped out of the window with a dashing and neat movement. The world was suddenly vast!

A refreshing breeze brushed past her ear. The white crane sleeping by the lotus pond was startled awake and flew towards the vast waters in the distance.

She was stunned. As far as the eye could see, the sky and water were of the same color, with flower docks and orchid banks, and white walls and green tiles dotted in between. There were misty ancient ferries and green mountains in the distance, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and medicine.

Ning Ruoque was no stranger to this scenery.

This was one of the four major immortal sects in the cultivation world, and also the only medical cultivator sect—

Azurefall Creek.

She looked up at the sky. Several streaks of spiritual light flashed past, and the intricate runes within could be vaguely seen.

At the courtyard gate not far away, a round mechanical bird was perched brazenly on the wall, tilting its head and staring at her.

It was very cute, but with the slightest disturbance, it would spit out poisonous mist and flap its wings to create a fierce wind.

The Forging Fire Sect was skilled in refining artifacts and formations, and Azurefall Creek had purchased a large number of highly lethal artifacts and spiritual formations from them for protection.

Azurefall Creek itself was full of hidden sentries and restrictions, providing the medical cultivators with the greatest degree of protection.

Ning Ruoque was in a daze for a while.

After a moment, she silently climbed back in through the window and sat down cross-legged in front of Qingtong.

Qingtong said sarcastically, “Did you think this was Brightlight Pavilion? You can come and go as you please?”

Azurefall Creek was her Little Senior Sister’s territory. A mere sword cultivator couldn’t escape even with wings!

The strange young girl covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents.

A sword cultivator knows when to bend and when to stand tall. Ning Ruoque forced down her embarrassment and cleared her throat.

Then she said with a serious face, “That broken sword…”

Qingtong almost cursed out loud. Why ask about the sword as soon as you come up!

But she still answered patiently, “I returned it to Elder Yan for you. She doesn’t know your identity and even praised your exceptional talent.”

“Yan Lingge—”

Qingtong slammed the table and interrupted directly, “She said she will learn the sword well and asked me to thank you. She also asked me to deliver something.”

She took out a jade bracelet and pushed it to Ning Ruoque.

The texture of the jade bracelet was delicate and looked even warmer in the sunlight. This was the gift of gratitude that Yan Lingge had promised her when they first met.

Ning Ruoque had no choice but to put it away. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again, “How was the matter resolved?”

Qingtong turned her head away, her cheeks puffed up, not wanting to pay any attention to this sword cultivator.

It was the young girl beside her who smiled and spoke softly and slowly for her.

“Apart from a few who were seriously injured, the rest are fine. Xu Chuo has been handed over to the Immortal Alliance for disposal, and Elder Yan has become the new Pavilion Master.”

Ning Ruoque fell silent.

She lowered her eyelids, and the thin light fell on her long lashes, softening her features.

The water in the pot boiled with a gurgling sound. A bird landed on the window lattice and then flew away. Qingtong stared at her with a menacing gaze.

After a long while, Ning Ruoque finally sighed and asked a little uncomfortably, “Then… what about Yin Buran?”

She was already worried about Yin Buran’s health, but she always felt that it would be too abrupt to ask about it right away.

“…”

Qingtong glared at Ning Ruoque. “You, come with me. Qieyu, you can go back and find Senior Sister.”

The young girl called “Qieyu” nodded and quickly left.

And Ning Ruoque obediently followed behind Qingtong, leaving the courtyard and heading up the mountain.

The long green stone steps wound their way up, but the higher they went, the warmer it became.

Green bamboo forests, light pink peach blossoms, and all kinds of strange spiritual plants were everywhere. Uniquely shaped gardens and waterfalls were even more common, countless times more luxurious than Brightlight Pavilion.

The entire mountain was filled with the thick scent of money.

Without Qingtong’s introduction, Ning Ruoque already knew where this was.

Qingtong lifted her chin and introduced with a dignified and serious expression, “Since you’ve entered my Azurefall Creek’s Suwen Peak, you must abide by the rules here.”

Ning Ruoque retorted in a second, “I didn’t say I was going to sell my body…”

Not to mention becoming Dao companions with Yin Buran.

A certain person consciously ignored her protest, ascended the last stone step, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

“My Little Senior Sister sleeps for a few hours every day. You need to burn incense before she sleeps, and in the morning, you have to dress her and comb her hair.”

Ning Ruoque walked in the winding covered corridor, and after hearing this, she really wanted to fly away on her sword.

After finally reaching a building with exquisite glazed tiles and intricate carvings under the eaves, she quickly changed the subject.

“Are we here?”

Qingtong let out a sneer. “This is the kitchen.”

She pushed the door open and introduced it to Ning Ruoque one by one.

“The tea Little Senior Sister drinks can only be the best first-spring spirit tea of the year, brewed with the freshest spiritual dew from jade bamboo and white plums. The food, of course, must also be exquisite.”

Displayed before Ning Ruoque were all kinds of ingredients preserved by special methods.

The rare Kunshan snow lotus seeds, the precious and scarce royal jelly, the spirit-rich pearl rice, and so on, were countless.

In Ning Ruoque’s dazed eyes, Qingtong walked to the stove and added some fire to it.

Then she sat down directly. “Let me see your skills.”

“…”

Although Ning Ruoque liked this kitchen, she didn’t want to cook right now. She just wanted to see Yin Buran.

But seeing Qingtong’s insistence, she had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and pick and choose among the countless precious ingredients. In the end, she still chose the most ordinary-looking glutinous rice, sugar, milk, and osmanthus.

She cultivated while nonchalantly making sweet cakes.

Mixing the ingredients, putting them into molds, and steaming them in a pot were all the simplest of steps.

The kitchen was filled with the sweet scent of osmanthus.

In the end, she brought out a basket of flower-shaped sweet cakes, cooled them with spiritual energy, and they were just right to eat.

Turning around, Qingtong was staring at her intently.

Ning Ruoque found it a little amusing. This girl really wasn’t bored.

Seeing that the sweet cakes were ready, Qingtong came over and reached out to take one.

Unexpectedly, the latter sidestepped and easily avoided her, clearly not wanting her to touch them.

Qingtong’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You ate so many of my plum blossom cakes for free. How can you be so stingy with this little bit?”

Ning Ruoque jumped, her head lowered sheepishly. “Sorry.”

It was purely a subconscious act of protecting her food.

If others touched her food, she would feel uncomfortable all over, even anxious.

Seeing that Qingtong was about to puff up into a fat pufferfish, Ning Ruoque reluctantly broke off a piece and handed it to her, then immediately put the rest into her storage bag.

Qingtong snorted coldly with a straight face and swallowed it in one bite.

She chewed, and frowned.

After a few more chews, even her almond eyes became round, and she exclaimed in disbelief, “It’s delicious!”

Soft, glutinous, and sweet, the fragrance of osmanthus and glutinous rice was perfectly blended, and even the aftertaste was mouth-watering.

Qingtong smacked her lips and quickly came to her senses, realizing that her behavior was really “improper.”

She faked a few coughs and glanced at Ning Ruoque with a red face. “Not bad. You do have some redeeming qualities.”

Her gaze swept over, only to find that the other’s hands were already empty.

Stingy sword cultivator! I should really let Little Senior Sister see her true colors!

Qingtong left with a huff and led Ning Ruoque further in.

“Little Senior Sister is picky. She doesn’t like greasy or spicy food, nor does she like sour or bitter. It can’t be too hard or too dry. If you cook for her, you have to follow this standard.”

Ning Ruoque listened helplessly. She knew her own limits. She only knew how to make simple food, which probably wouldn’t catch Yin Buran’s eye.

After that, Qingtong’s steps became much lighter, and she took her to see the central formation of Suwen Peak.

“She can’t stand the heat in summer and is afraid of the cold in winter. The Medicine King used the Heavenly Weather Grand Formation to make Suwen Peak like spring all year round. You can come and visit when you have time and replace the damaged spirit stones.”

The high-grade spirit stones embedded in the walls shone brightly, providing a continuous stream of spiritual energy for the grand formation. The Medicine King’s doting on Yin Buran was evident.

Although she had long known that Suwen Peak was extravagant, Ning Ruoque was still secretly amazed.

Just by prying off a single spirit stone from the wall, it would be enough for her to eat and drink for a month.

Then they wandered to the three-story-high library.

“Little Senior Sister loves to read. These are all her precious collections,” Qingtong pointed at the sword cultivator without any reservation. “You’d better be more mindful. When Little Senior Sister is bored, take a book and read it to her.”

Ning Ruoque inadvertently caught a glimpse of a book that seemed to be called “Sword Sleeps in the Green River.”

She asked casually, “Yin Buran also collects sword manuals?”

Qingtong paused, standing in the backlight, her face full of profound meaning.

“You’ll know in the future.”

So mysterious. Ning Ruoque gave up the idea of taking a look. It probably wasn’t anything good.

She followed Qingtong absent-mindedly and suddenly smelled a familiar clear fragrance.

Looking up again, a huge white crabapple tree came into view.

The branches of the crabapple tree were lush, as if piled with ice and snow. When the wind blew, a sky full of white danced.

It was exactly as Ning Ruoque remembered.

For some reason, her heart suddenly beat half a beat faster.

Ning Ruoque quickly attributed this to the nervousness of seeing Yin Buran soon. So she quickly averted her gaze and followed Qingtong in.

The moment she stepped into the house, Ning Ruoque put her hands behind her back and didn’t dare to touch anything.

In Yin Buran’s room, many of the decorations were priceless, one-of-a-kind items. If she broke one, she couldn’t afford to pay for it.

Not to mention that she was now shouldering a huge debt and could only work for Yin Buran to pay it off.

Qingtong lifted the gauze curtain, her movements as light as a feather.

Ning Ruoque’s gaze shifted to the bed, as if she had been hit by a petrifying spell. Even her eyeballs couldn’t move.

Yin Buran.

On such a large bed, she was nestled in the soft fabric, curled up in a ball, only occupying the foot of the bed against the wall.

Her white hair had lost its usual luster and was messy. Her lips were pale, but her cheeks had a sickly flush.

Her beautiful brows were slightly furrowed, and she was not sleeping peacefully.

Ning Ruoque heard her ragged breathing, like a trapped little sparrow that could only flutter in panic.

Even Ning Ruoque held her breath along with her.

“Little Senior Sister consumed too much spiritual energy this time, and her condition has worsened.”

Qingtong’s eyes were red with heartache as she tucked Yin Buran in.

The latter quickly buried her head in the quilt and shrank into the corner of the bed.

She was helpless and said in a muffled voice, “My master gave her a very strong medicine. She might feel uncomfortable. You remember to coax her.”

“She’s actually most afraid of pain.”

Qingtong was an orphan and had entered Azurefall Creek since she was young. Apart from her master, the ones she had the most contact with were her two senior sisters.

To this day, she had long regarded them as her own sisters.

Most children were clingy, but Senior Sister Qin Jiangli was very scary when she spoke. At that time, she preferred to follow Yin Buran.

In Qingtong’s heart, Yin Buran’s medical skills were superb, she was patient and meticulous with her juniors, answered all their questions, and often protected them. She was the best Little Senior Sister.

She hoped that Yin Buran could be safe and healthy.

Therefore, the more she looked at Ning Ruoque, the more she felt that she was slow-witted. Every time she thought that Yin Buran would actually have a good impression of a dull-witted sword cultivator, she would slap her thigh hard.

The dog Ah Wang from the next mountain was better at coaxing people than Ning Ruoque!

For example, at this moment, Ning Ruoque was asking with a dazed face, “Why me?”

Qingtong gritted her teeth in anger, wanting to shout, but was concerned about Yin Buran, so she could only make some distorted, hoarse sounds.

“Because you’ve already sold your body to Azurefall Creek! You do what you’re told. Where do all these ‘whys’ come from?”

“When Little Senior Sister wakes up, I’ll come again to report on the wedding matters.”

Ning Ruoque was shocked. “Wait, what wedding?”

Qingtong couldn’t be bothered with her, lifted her skirt, and left without looking back, even thoughtfully closing the door.

The room was suddenly left with only Ning Ruoque and the unconscious Yin Buran.

The sword cultivator stiffened, really not knowing what she should do, so she planned to find a place to cultivate and calm down.

She took a fancy to the low couch by the window, but just as she got close, the window was pushed open with a “bang.”

Qingtong’s face appeared outside the window, her expression gloomy. “Don’t think I won’t scold you just because you’re the Sword Venerable. I’ll be watching you!”

Ning Ruoque: “…”

She said she was watching, but she still walked away in a huff.

Ning Ruoque thought for a moment and still decided to go to Yin Buran’s bedside to cultivate. She didn’t need any soft cushions and could start just by sitting on the floor.

But not long after she entered a meditative state, she heard a few suppressed whimpers.

Ning Ruoque opened her eyes and locked onto a slightly trembling figure.

Yin Buran seemed to be in pain, her pale fingers clutching the brocade quilt, pulling out a few tight wrinkles. The tips of her ears that were exposed were flushed a bright red.

Ning Ruoque was instantly at a loss.

Even if Qingtong hadn’t said it, she could guess that it was Yin Buran who had healed her injuries.

Then she couldn’t just leave Yin Buran alone.

But the problem was, when someone was sick, how do you coax them?

She had never been sick since she embarked on the path of immortality, nor did she need anyone to coax her.

And when she was still called “Ning Man,” from as far back as she could remember, she had been in an orphanage.

There were so many children in the orphanage, and the wet nurses would not take care of everyone meticulously. Only when they were sick could they get a moment of favoritism.

Ning Man had also had a fever once. She was delirious and her whole body was burning hot. All she remembered was the wet nurse stroking her head and feeding her a spoonful of sugar water.

After that, she joined the army and hovered on the brink of life and death every day. She didn’t care about small things like getting sick, let alone caring about others.

Ning Ruoque really lacked experience and couldn’t think of a good solution. She couldn’t just stuff the sweet cakes into Yin Buran’s mouth.

After being stunned for a few breaths, she hesitantly lifted Yin Buran’s quilt to her neck.

At the sight of the light, Yin Buran clearly wanted to shrink back into the quilt, but Ning Ruoque held on tightly and wouldn’t let her.

The person before her’s breathing suddenly became rapid. Her temples were soaked with a thin layer of sweat, and the corners of her eyes were also wet, as if she were extremely wronged.

Ning Ruoque quickly learned from her memory and stroked Yin Buran’s head.

Her hair was soft, and her forehead was a little hot.

She nervously stroked it once, twice, and saw that the person under her hand was struggling much less.

On the third stroke, Yin Buran directly grabbed her wrist and pressed half of her face against it, rubbing against it like a pillow. Her hand fumbled outwards for a few times, and finally, she hugged a large ball of quilt.

Still wronged, her brows never relaxed, but she didn’t move around anymore.

Ning Ruoque comically stretched out a hand, her gaze vacant.

Last time it was rubbing, this time it was pressing. What hadn’t changed was the soft touch.

She just felt that her palm was getting hotter and hotter, as if a piece of sweet cake had melted on it, soft and sticky.

Is Yin Buran a sweet cake?

Just then, a warm breeze blew, waking Ning Ruoque up.

She immediately pulled her hand back and silently condemned herself for comparing Yin Buran to food.

She looked at the once again curled up Yin Buran with a complicated mood.

Most of the time, the Divine Pivot Lord of Azurefall Creek was very concerned about her image and would always dress up properly whenever she went out.

Seeing such a fragile and pathetic side of her, would she be silenced?

Soon, Ning Ruoque shook her head, shook the wild thoughts out of her mind, and continued her previous cultivation.

Until a ray of sunlight fell into the house, and the chirping of birds flew under the eaves, did she slowly open her eyes.

And then immediately closed them again.

In the faint morning light, Yin Buran was only wearing a single layer of clothing.

But the clothes were not worn properly, and the ties were not tied properly. The collar was wide open, revealing the small mole on her collarbone and a hint of a full curve.

She leaned against the soft pillow as if she had no bones, yawned, and a watery light appeared in her pair of glassy pupils. In a very lazy manner, she said:

“What are you standing there for? Come, drape my robes for me.”