Chapter 722: Chapter 369: The Truth Revealed, Embarrassed and Angry, The Lady’s Wrath, Another Loss to Li Xian!
Nangong Xuanming coughed lightly and said, "I originally traveled by boat, but who would have thought the boat was destroyed, and the island was shrouded in dense fog, with whirlpools of chaotic currents now and then. Left with no other choice, I had to endure on the island, waiting for rescue."
Bian Bianyun continued, "When we couldn’t find Miss Zhao, we first borrowed the divine bird’s power to escape the predicament and leave the Water Altar. We then gathered heroes from Jianghu for help. Everyone feared you might have met with an accident. But the Jingyao Divine Bird sensed that your life wasn’t in danger. Therefore, we never gave up and kept searching diligently. Fortunately, heaven rewards those who persist, and today the Jingyao Divine Bird suddenly flew towards a place. We immediately followed in the boat and soon saw you coming on a boat."
Understanding the details, Zhao Ranran, amidst her embarrassment and anger, felt a touch of relief and said, "So that’s how it is."
Taishu Yuzhu said, "Junior Sister, you previously mentioned... matters of family and marriage alliance, how did this arise?"
Zhao Ranran said, "This matter, too, has a mystery. I entered the lake to catch the Flower Thief and suddenly stumbled upon a strange lake area. I saw the Mother Tree of Ten Thousand Slumbers and nearly fell into eternal sleep in the lake. Luckily, I encountered the Ghost Doctor senior."
Su Lanfeng asked, "Is it the ninth on the ’Divine Physician List,’ the Ghost Face Bodhisattva?" Nangong Wuyang said, "The Ghost Doctor lineage, passed down solely, all are divine physicians. They rank second, sixth, ninth, and thirteenth on the Divine Physician List... The medical skills of this lineage form a unique school, like ghosts and gods, hard to fathom. Those with chronic diseases for decades were inexplicably cured after just a few words with the Ghost Doctor. Their methods are magical, and the lineage’s trait is clear—it cannot be practiced by those with a pleasant appearance. They always demand compensation for healing and never volunteer to rescue. Eccentric by nature, but they can be called benevolent doctors."
Zhao Ranran said, "Right. It was the Ghost Face Bodhisattva Su Fugou. I sought treatment before sleeping. The senior was mindful of my Jade Girl body and gave me a ’Frozen Cocoon,’ allowing me to sleep peacefully. I entered the Frozen Cocoon, unable to resist the drowsiness, and closed my eyes to sleep."
Nangong Xuanming asked, "What does this have to do with the rumors?"
Zhao Ranran, thinking of the hateful person, gritted her teeth and said, "Naturally, it’s related." She could no longer remain calm; her voice carried resentment. "When I awoke, Ghost Doctor Su Fugou was gone, and there was a young man wearing a Hui Grass Mask. I had just awoken from a lengthy sleep of over a month. Upon waking up, there was no sense of time or the outside world."
"He called himself the Ghost Doctor, saying that Ghost Doctor Su Fugou had passed his skills on to him."
"Having slept so long, I asked him about time, and he deceived me, claiming I had slumbered for three years, during which the world had changed drastically. He spoke grandly of Jianghu tales and Court upheavals, which sounded plausible at first. But in hindsight, it was all nonsense."
Everyone looked over; typically untouched by vulgarity, the pure Jade Girl had unexpectedly cursed. Zhao Ranran was startled, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Sorry, I’ll stabilize my emotions."
She continued, "It was this man who fabricated rumors, saying you were punished by your family because of me, guarding the lake for three years, and then experiencing dramatic changes, leading to mutual sympathy and further connection. When I awoke, I devised ways to compensate. Though inexperienced in affairs of the heart, I had heard from elders that lovers must become family, so I sought ways to facilitate it."
Bian Qiaoqiao angrily said, "Sister Ranran, this is not your fault. Why is this new Ghost Doctor so peculiar, toying with us without reason and spreading such slander about women?"
Nangong Xuanming saw the misunderstanding resolved and breathed a sigh of relief. Still, considering the status of the "Ghost Doctor," he dared not criticize but rather said, "The Ghost Doctor is rumored to always have an eccentric nature. It seems this Ghost Doctor is no different."
Bian Bianyun said, "Perhaps... this is the compensation for treatment?" Zhao Ranran suddenly exclaimed, "Hmph! Let me encounter him again, and I’ll get to the bottom of it. Ah... please, take me swiftly to Fool’s Town, Stupid Pig Lane... ah!"
She stamped her feet in anger, her eyes fierce. She suddenly realized that "Fool’s Town" and "Stupid Pig Lane" were mocking her as stupid, a fool being tricked without knowing it.
Su Lanfeng said, "Junior Sister, what’s wrong? What Fool’s Town, Stupid Pig Lane... do these places truly exist?"
Zhao Ranran gritted her teeth and said, "When Little Jing found me, it trembled inexplicably. I sought help from that Ghost Doctor, and he claimed he couldn’t help, telling me to seek treatment at Fool’s Town and Stupid Pig Lane. In retrospect, he was definitely mocking me again!" Stamping in anger, she angrily said, "How can there be such detestable, annoying, utterly frustrating people in the world! Even insulting from a distance, shameful and despicable!"
Bian Qiaoqiao denounced, "That Ghost Doctor is too wicked! Sister Ranran, let’s settle the score with him!"
Zhao Ranran said, "The urgent matter now is about Little Jing," Su Lanfeng said, "How strange, the Jingyao Divine Bird has been soaring in the Nine Heavens, seeking your trace. It has never shown persistent trembling."
Zhao Ranran sensed something weird: "Little Jing also said it had no strange illness, just pure fear. But how could a dignified Jingyao Divine Bird, favored by the heavens, suddenly feel fear?"
She gradually gained clarity, grasping the key point. The Jingyao Divine Bird chirped twice. Zhao Ranran gravely asked, "Little Jing, are you saying you fear the gaze? There’s a gaze... piercing you, making you tremble continuously?"
Nangong Xuanming said, "Could it be a frightened bird from a bow?"
Taishu Yuzhu asked, "A frightened bird from a bow? The Jingyao Divine Bird soars in the Nine Heavens, unattainable by the mundane, unreachable by ordinary bows and gazes. Who has the ability to shoot down the Jingyao Divine Bird, and how could it become a scared bird?"
Nangong Xuanming said, "The unbelievable part lies right here. The day it entered the lake, the Jingyao Divine Bird was shot down."
Everyone exclaimed in unison, "What?" When they saw the divine bird again, its wounds had healed, so they knew nothing of this secret incident.
Zhao Ranran gently stroked the bird’s feathers, her eyes gleaming sharply as events became clearer: "When I first awoke, my mind was muddled, and many things had not been thoroughly considered before my emotions were stirred by this person’s slick words, preventing a moment of calm thought. Hence the many oddities were clearly before my eyes, yet I never noticed. Looking back now, indeed, there were many flaws."
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