Help, I’m Being Forced to Marry a Frail and Sickly Immortal Doctor! 16

Chapter 16: A Sword’s Startling Appearance

“Well? Do you remember now?”

Ning Ruoque slowed her breathing.

With the help of the Mirage Pearl and her own concealment technique, she acted as a shadow guard, silently following by Yin Buran’s side.

The light inside Brightlight Tower was dim, and the air was filled with a thick scent of sandalwood, making one’s chest feel tight.

The cultivators in charge of guarding only stood outside. The higher they went, the fewer people there were.

By the time they reached the top floor, only the few of them remained.

The candlelight stretched their shadows long and thin. Ning Ruoque stood in the shadows, warily observing her surroundings.

There were traces of formations having been burned on the floor and walls. Layers of curtains concealed a large bed, and only the figure of a person lying down could be seen.

With such a setup, Ning Ruoque would have believed it if someone told her this was the lair of a demonic cultivator.

Xu Chuo calmly pulled back the curtains and introduced the situation to Qingtong.

“Ever since the Pavilion Master returned from subduing a demon last time, he seems to have gone mad, often attacking others without reason. The Medicine Pavilion is at a loss.”

Lying on the bed was a thin old man, his cheeks so sunken that only a layer of skin remained. Yet his eyeballs protruded, looking very much like a hungry ghost from a demon scroll.

Only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still alive.

A bitter smile appeared on Xu Chuo’s face. “It’s only been these past two days that the Pavilion Master has finally quieted down.”

Qingtong frowned and gently placed her fingers on the old man’s pulse.

After about half a cup of tea’s time, Yin Buran’s voice, like shattered jade in a clear spring, sounded, “What do you make of this person?”

Qingtong quickly stood up and answered obediently like a student being tested, “His symptoms seem to be caused by a backlash from his cultivation technique. His meridians are damaged, his internal organs are failing, and his vital essence has been exhausted.”

Yin Buran nodded slightly and said no more.

Xu Chuo interjected at the right moment, “Is there any room for recovery?”

Qingtong subconsciously looked at Yin Buran, whose expression was indifferent, as if she were only here to check on her homework and would not interfere with anything else.

So she told the truth, “I’m not sure. I need to think about it. I can only give you an answer tomorrow.”

“Alright, thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist.” Xu Chuo drew the curtains and led everyone out.

From beginning to end, she did not show much concern or care for the Pavilion Master’s condition. Even her pace was unhurried.

It was unknown how this Brightlight Tower was built. There was not a hint of wind inside, which made the scent of sandalwood even thicker.

Ning Ruoque was so irritated by the scent that she had to hold her breath and focus, hoping to get out quickly.

But Xu Chuo just had to stop and speak with a smile.

“I have one more question. I wonder which of my fellow sect members was so filial as to invite the two of you on behalf of the Pavilion Master?”

Qingtong frowned.

No wonder Xu Chuo had been so evasive when they arrived. It was only after Little Senior Sister had insisted on seeing the old Pavilion Master that she had let them in.

So it wasn’t her who had sent the letter at all!

But that made sense. Who would cause trouble for themselves while doing something bad?

Yin Buran was always too lazy to answer such questions. At this moment, her gaze was vacant, looking at who knows where.

So Qingtong said meaningfully, “We only received three urgent letters with Brightlight Pavilion’s seal, along with five thousand spirit stones. I suppose it must be a kind person who doesn’t like to leave their name when doing good deeds.”

In fact, they really didn’t know the other party’s identity and could only guess that there was a disagreement within Brightlight Pavilion.

Xu Chuo maintained her gentle and elegant smile and continued to walk. Just as they were about to leave the tower, she suddenly stopped.

With a “thud,” the aftershock of spiritual energy made the candlelight flicker violently.

The hair on Qingtong’s neck stood on end. She turned around and saw Ning Ruoque holding Xu Chuo’s wrist.

The sword cultivator’s face was half-hidden in the darkness, seeming exceptionally gloomy. Like a sword with blood not yet dried, she would attack any enemy she identified.

And behind her, Yin Buran was still as nonchalant as ever.

Qingtong’s eyes widened for a moment. She still didn’t know what had happened. She was not the type of medical cultivator who was good at fighting.

By the time she came to her senses, Ning Ruoque had already let go and was standing in front of Yin Buran again.

The expression on her face was the same as before, as dull as an ox, as if everything just now had been an illusion caused by the light and shadow.

Xu Chuo rubbed her reddened wrist and said with a faint smile, “Isn’t fellow Daoist Ning the venerable one’s patient? Why are you here?”

Ning Ruoque said with a straightforward face, “I can’t afford the consultation fee, so I’m working as her shadow guard to pay off the debt.”

Qingtong observed for a long while and felt that this person didn’t seem to be acting.

Xu Chuo smiled and spread her hands, looking completely harmless. “A misunderstanding. I just wanted to help the venerable one…”

She walked in front of Yin Buran, her gaze falling on the other’s thin left shoulder, and finished her sentence slowly, “…pat the dust off her shoulder.”

Ning Ruoque followed her gaze and saw that there was indeed a thin layer of dust there, from who knows where.

She reached out without thinking and wiped the dust away, saying in a deep voice, “Don’t trouble yourself.”

“I didn’t expect such a big reaction. I overstepped.” Xu Chuo smiled and saw them out of Brightlight Tower, then bowed to Yin Buran.

“Venerable one, the mountain path is steep. Please be careful.”

*

Walking along the mountain path, Ning Ruoque let out a long breath.

She had been holding it in inside. Now that she could finally breathe fresh air, she felt refreshed.

Yin Buran walked slowly beside her and suddenly spoke, “How’s your hand?”

Ning Ruoque was stunned for a moment before realizing she was asking about her.

When Xu Chuo had suddenly approached Yin Buran earlier, she had acted almost without thinking, directly blocking her.

The two spiritual energies collided, but the stalemate only lasted for a few breaths before Xu Chuo took the initiative to withdraw her hand.

“It’s fine,” Ning Ruoque took the initiative to open her palm for Yin Buran to see. “A little sprained, but it’s already healed.”

Yin Buran really did lean over to look, then suddenly turned her head and sniffed lightly at Ning Ruoque’s neck.

The warm, moist breath landed on her neck, and a large patch of red instantly appeared.

Ning Ruoque was so frightened that she quickly dodged back and questioned in a startled voice, “What are you doing?”

“You have the scent of sandalwood on you. I don’t like it.” Yin Buran frowned slightly and stuffed a sachet into Ning Ruoque’s hand.

It was a dark-colored sachet woven from celestial silkworm silk, emitting a clear and tranquil floral fragrance, identical to the scent on Yin Buran.

It was just that the pattern on this sachet was very strange, consisting of a few inexplicably straight green lines and crooked white lines.

The only thing that was understandable were the two characters for “peace” beside it.

Yin Buran lifted her chin. “I just embroidered it this morning. I gave you one before too.”

“Well? Do you remember now?”

Ning Ruoque: “…”

Not a single bit.

She suspected that Yin Buran was teasing her, but she didn’t dare to question it loudly, so she could only endure it and put the sachet in her bosom and thank her awkwardly.

“I have no impression, but… thank you for the gift.”

Qingtong pouted.

Seeing the two of them getting closer and closer, while she herself seemed out of place, she took the initiative to take on the important task of setting things right.

“Little Senior Sister, do I really have to treat him?”

The person she was talking about was, of course, the old Pavilion Master who looked like he was on his last legs.

Yin Buran asked in return, “Do you know how he got those injuries?”

Qingtong pressed her lips together and thought for a while, then honestly shook her head.

Unable to answer Little Senior Sister’s question, she felt that she deserved to be punished by copying the cultivation mantra three times.

Yin Buran patiently explained to her junior, “His aura is of the same origin as the Fei Zhi. He must have used the Fei Zhi to absorb the cultivation of others for his own use, but unexpectedly, the Fei Zhi was seriously injured, and he suffered a backlash, ending up like this.”

“A damaged physical body can still be treated with a hundred medicines, but a corrupt heart, how can it be cured?”

She came to a conclusion without much struggle. “Find a time to return the consultation fee. Azurefall Creek will consider this case closed.”

Qingtong nodded repeatedly, the admiration in her eyes about to overflow.

“There’s one more thing,” Yin Buran naturally went to tug on Ning Ruoque’s sleeve. “I sensed the aura of a living person in Brightlight Tower, seeming to come from underground.”

“We’ll go later—”

Before she could finish, the mountains seemed to tremble.

What followed was an even more violent shaking. Qingtong’s footing slipped, and the mountain path instantly shattered into dozens of pieces.

Huge rolling stones and mud fell, almost grazing past her.

She summoned a bamboo umbrella to cover her head. After finally regaining her footing, the first thing she did was to look for Yin Buran. “Little Senior Sister!”

But the moment she looked up, she was stunned.

Her revered Little Senior Sister, Azurefall Creek’s “Divine Pivot Lord,” was being held up high by Ning Ruoque like a kitten or a puppy and carefully placed on the only intact section of the road.

The other person seemed to think that wasn’t enough and tried to carry Yin Buran on her shoulder in that position and take her to a safer place.

Qingtong was speechless.

Damn it, this is a sword cultivator!