Help, I’m Being Forced to Marry a Frail and Sickly Immortal Doctor! 61

Chapter 61: A Past Dream in the Mortal World

So the one who was sick was actually herself!

Ning Ruoque seemed to have had a very long dream.

In the dream, the sound of clashing weapons and armored horses gradually faded. She suddenly looked up and met a pair of gentle eyes.

The autumn sun was not harsh, and it felt warm on her body. A gentle breeze blew, making one want to stretch.

Yin Buran was sitting by the tea table, her dark hair half-tied up with a flowing cloud hairpin, and she chided, “Ning Man, what are you in a daze for?”

She suddenly frowned and questioned fiercely, “How did you get this injury on your hand? Come here quickly, I’ll apply medicine for you.”

Ning Ruoque subconsciously looked down at her hand.

There was a bloody gash on the back of her hand, not deep, as if it had been accidentally scratched by something.

“……”

She silently sat down opposite Yin Buran and extended her hand to her.

Yin Buran snorted lightly, took out a tube of ointment from the small medicine box she carried with her, and carefully applied it to the wound.

Her serious expression was as if she were treating a beloved treasure.

A gentle breeze brushed past her hair, and the fragrance of tea filled the air. Ning Ruoque was extremely quiet, not even moving much.

Just like that, she listened to Yin Buran grumble that this year’s persimmons were not sweet, complain that there was too much to do at the medical hall, and thank her for the beautiful clothes and jewelry she had given her.

Time seemed to stand still, and the flowing clouds also stopped.

Ning Ruoque kept staring at Yin Buran, at her waterfall-like dark hair, and the tenderness that was about to overflow from her eyes.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Yin Buran suddenly reached out and smoothed her hair behind her ear, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

She asked, half shy and half expectant, “Am I beautiful?”

Ning Ruoque paused for a moment, her expression complicated. “You—”

Yin Buran looked at her without blinking.

But she didn’t expect Ning Ruoque to actually close her eyes, her tone a little heavy. “Can you not talk to me with this face?”

Yin Buran was stunned on the spot. “What?”

Ning Ruoque turned her head and explained in a small voice, “…It’s a little hard to strike.”

Ning Ruoque remembered very clearly.

In the final battle, in order to reduce the casualties of the common people, she had assembled a small team and raided the enemy camp at night.

In the end, she had cut off the deposed emperor’s head with one sword strike, and she herself had fallen off a cliff.

She was tough and did not die on the spot, but she was on the verge of death.

That night, there was a red moon in the sky, and every breath was filled with the smell of blood, so strange that it did not seem of this world.

Then, an immortal holding a wine gourd had appeared before her. As if finding it interesting, she had asked with a smile, “Do you want to live?”

Of course, Ning Man wanted to live.

She actually hadn’t had many full meals.

She wasn’t worried that no one would take care of Yin Buran, but she was afraid that she would be so sad for her that she wouldn’t eat or sleep well, and the flesh she had finally gained would be lost.

She had also promised Yin Buran that she would spend the winter with her and eat roasted persimmon cakes together. She had rarely broken her promises in her life…

So Ning Man had used the last of her strength and had forcefully grabbed the immortal’s sleeve.

The immortal had said, “Water overflows when it is full, and the moon wanes when it is full. The word ‘Man’ is not suitable for you. From now on, you will be called Ning Ruoque.”

So she was now Ning Ruoque, not Ning Man.

As early as when Ning Man had put down that sachet, Ning Ruoque had already woken up.

It was also at that time that she clearly realized that everything she had experienced was not an illusion, but her own forgotten memories.

The process of sinking into the illusionary realm, which she had thought it to be, was actually being forced to “read” her own sea of consciousness.

Yin Buran had not lied to her.

She might have really forgotten a lot of things.

Ning Ruoque’s mood at this moment was really a mix of emotions, so she had not immediately refused “Yin Buran’s” invitation at first.

She still closed her eyes and sighed.

It was as if there were many things she wanted to say stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken, and unable to be let go.

In the end, she only said, “Yin Buran, she’s not like that.”

Ning Ruoque’s tone was serious. “She wouldn’t directly say thank you to me.”

“She thinks that those vine balls, grass grasshoppers, new clothes, and jewelry are all what she deserves. They are my apologies for not being able to fulfill my promise.”

“Yin Buran’s” pupils shrank, but Ning Ruoque was still rambling on.

“She also wouldn’t show such a gentle expression when she’s treating my injuries.”

“She’s angry that I don’t take good care of myself, so she will definitely throw a little tantrum.”

But Yin Buran’s hand was always very steady. Being angry was one thing, and wanting to heal her was another.

Ning Ruoque paused again, and when she spoke again, her voice became even more hoarse.

“I don’t know why her hair turned white, but it’s very beautiful, like snow under the moonlight.”

“She’s also thinner than before…”

Even because her health was not good, she was even thinner than when the Yin family had fallen. Even though the food at Azurefall Creek was countless times better than in the military camp.

Ning Ruoque knew that the person before her was not Yin Buran. This was the real illusion that wanted to trap, and even kill her.

Even so, it was difficult for her to strike at this face that belonged to Yin Buran.

The two years they had spent together, after wiping away the dust of time, were so clear.

Ning Ruoque’s heart was immediately drowned by a surge of emotions, and it beat slowly.

“Yin Buran” seemed to be flustered and hurriedly grabbed her sleeve. “Ning Man, what nonsense are you talking about? You… you don’t want me anymore…”

Her tears dripped onto Ning Ruoque’s hand, scalding hot.

Her voice also had a crying tone. “Please, don’t leave—”

Before she could finish, “Yin Buran’s” eyes widened in disbelief.

A sharp dagger had pierced through her chest, and the person holding the knife had a slight frown, her eyes tightly closed.

Although her expression was one of reluctance, her strike was extremely ruthless. In a flash, she pulled out the dagger and stabbed her in the throat again.

“Yin Buran” let out a piercing and out-of-tune scream, “Ning Ruoque!”

Her face changed rapidly.

Hair grew on her face, and a pair of pointed ears grew on her head. A fluffy tail swept from under her clothes, and a half-human-sized fox immediately jumped out.

It bit at Ning Ruoque’s neck in a fit of anger, and the latter spun around and dodged.

But it had forgotten that this was an illusionary realm. After the illusionary realm was seen through, it naturally ceased to exist.

The surrounding scene shattered like glass.

The moment before the light and shadow completely dissipated, a familiar force came.

Like a sea wave, it suddenly swept Ning Ruoque into it and rushed away.

The fox bit a mouthful of air, could only grind its teeth in hatred, and then also disappeared.

Ning Ruoque was carried along by the “sea wave” all the way, and only when the force disappeared was she thrown out not so gently.

Seeing that she was about to land face first, she quickly adjusted her posture.

With a tap of her toes, before she could stand firm, she was stunned.

Under her feet was not land, but a material like glass, reflecting the leisurely white clouds, as if the sky were just a mirror away.

And when she looked up, what lay before her was an endless, deep blue sea.

“Ying—”

A strange cry brought Ning Ruoque’s attention back.

She looked in the direction of the sound, and under the waves, a giant Kun suddenly leaped out of the water.

The water it brought out directly drenched Ning Ruoque.

Ning Ruoque shook her head, and before she could react, she was thrown onto the giant Kun’s back.

Her face was full of bewilderment. “Wait, where are you taking me!”

The Kun let out a long cry, and its huge tail slapped hard, and it swam back into the sea.

*

On a formation eye of the Mirage Sea Realm, it was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden change.

Especially after that strand of sword qi had cut through the nine-tailed fox phantom and blasted a large pit in the formation patterns, the aftershock could actually ripple out for several miles.

If it weren’t for Si Mingyue and Chu Xuan setting up a barrier in time, even this group of them would probably have been affected.

Chu Xuan’s eyes were dazed. “Ah?”

If she hadn’t had a sudden fit of hysteria, the sword qi from just now should have come from her good friend, the Sword Venerable.

So the one who was sick was actually herself!

Si Mingyue hugged her staff with a bewildered expression, really wanting to knock on Chu Xuan’s head to see if she was still not awake.

The rest of the people had shallow experience and had never seen such a scene, so they were directly dumbfounded.

In the end, the one who reacted the fastest was actually Qingtong.

She rushed up anxiously and grabbed Yin Buran’s hand. “Little Senior Sister, don’t move. I’ll treat you.”

Yin Buran did not speak.

In fact, she didn’t even have the strength to speak and could only lean on Qingtong’s shoulder with a pale face to regulate her breathing.

The Mirage Sea Realm had stopped operating. Although the exit was still covered by seawater and Ning Ruoque had not yet been found, at least the immediate crisis had been resolved.

Chu Xuan and Si Mingyue walked up, their faces filled with undisguised worry.

Yin Buran looked at them with a blank expression.

The corners of Chu Xuan’s mouth turned down. “Oh my, my ancestor, you should rest first. I’ll go and find Ning Ruoque.”

Yin Buran wanted to move, but Si Mingyue pounced over and hugged her, coaxing her softly, “Don’t worry. Ah Chu will bring her back to you.”

Yin Buran’s face darkened, and Si Mingyue acted even more pitiful, like a wronged big dog.

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, a whale’s cry suddenly sounded from above.

A light rain began to fall from the sky. Before everyone could figure out where this rain came from, a giant Kun suddenly descended from the sky!

It hovered in mid-air, its huge shadow almost covering the entire small island, and the breath it exhaled created a storm.

Some people were instantly flustered and wanted to escape from this small island.

But Yin Buran saw it clearly.

A black figure flipped down from above and landed lightly like a swallow. She seemed to be fine, just that her steps were a little hurried.

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow and turned to say to Yin Buran, “Now you can rest assured.”

In the time it took to say a sentence, Ning Ruoque had already walked up to them. “There’s a nine-tailed fox demon in here. Have you—”

She had wanted to ask if Yin Buran was injured.

But the person before her’s bloodless lips and the large patch of blood on her sleeve all told her the answer.

Ning Ruoque’s words got stuck.

She sized her up carefully and naturally found that something was missing from the other’s wrist.

And the lingering aura on the scene felt very familiar to her.

Yin Buran raised her chin, her small expression very disdainful. “No illusionary realm can trap me. Cough, cough—”

Even back then, when they had killed the nine-tailed fox together, Yin Buran was the first to wake up from the illusionary realm.

Her dao heart had always been very firm. She walked on the medical dao she had determined, was not deluded by external things, and had never had any regrets.

Qingtong quickly soothed Yin Buran’s back, and a continuous stream of spiritual energy was passed into Yin Buran’s body, and she finally managed to stop her cough.

Ning Ruoque’s lips moved, her face full of hesitation.

Her hand was on the hilt of her sword, and the bone-chilling cold drilled into her palm, reminding her that what she had just experienced was not an illusionary realm.

She finally sighed softly, “Miss Qingtong, may I have a moment of your time? I have something I want to confirm.”