Shen Qingyao was deeply shocked. She suddenly bent over and clutched her chest, which was throbbing with pain.
Kong Lin furrowed his brows in confusion and took a nervous step forward. However, seeing her pale complexion, he concluded that her reaction was more likely due to the shock causing her blood to surge, rather than any serious ailment. He remembered the bowl of medicinal soup he had instructed Tu Lan to bring earlier, which was precisely for this situation.
So he calmly sat back down, stroking his beard without urging her, waiting for Shen Qingyao to slowly process the seemingly fantastical news.
After a while, Shen Qingyao finally found her voice. She opened her mouth, her words hoarse as she stammered, “How can you… send someone to another world?”
She still couldn’t quite believe it. Could a person really possess such immense power?
Kong Lin seemed momentarily surprised by her question, then burst into hearty laughter, “Little girl, there are many mysterious things in this world. Just because you don’t know of them, does it mean they are impossible? Besides, if it weren’t for such mystical happenings, how would you be here right now?”
His response was roundabout, seemingly answering the question, yet leaving much to interpretation.
Shen Qingyao’s eyes lit up. She understood. Whether it was transmigrating over or the system in her mind, neither was something ordinary.
Now, with Kong Lin’s blunt revelation, Shen Qingyao felt both shocked and at a loss. Could she and the girl in her dreams really be the same person? Thinking about the awkwardness of the past few days, Shen Qingyao found it somewhat amusing. But beneath the amusement lay a deep sadness.
She suddenly remembered her days in the hospital before she had crossed over. There was a particularly gentle nurse who, seeing her always daydreaming alone in her hospital bed, would often come to chat with her. One day, that nurse came again. After the routine check-up, noticing that no one had come to visit her that day, she couldn’t help but softly ask, “Yaoyao, why don’t your family members come to see you?”
At that moment, Shen Qingyao was taken aback. The word ‘Lu’ almost slipped out of her mouth, but she stopped herself. Lu? Lu who? She didn’t know anyone named Lu. So, she just blinked at the nurse and then shook her head with a smile, not saying anything.
Later, whenever she inadvertently glanced out the window, she would see two children playing under a tree in the yard. When the younger girl fell, the boy following her would help her up and comfort her tenderly. She inexplicably found it familiar and enviable.
Now, Shen Qingyao suddenly understood. Back then, she had wanted to call out for Lu Zhao.
She wanted to tell that nurse, My Elder Brother Lu Zhao will definitely come to see me.
She also wanted to tell herself, You also have a boy who will tenderly comfort you like that…
But she had forgotten then. She had forgotten she was waiting for someone to return and that someone was also waiting for her.
Shen Qingyao pressed her hand tightly against her chest, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face as she cried almost to the point of breathlessness.
In hindsight, even her memories in the modern world didn’t include anything from before she was ten years old. Everything she knew started from when she was ten. In those memories, she was always alone in the hospital awaiting treatment. As for her family, she wasn’t close to them, but there was always a voice in her heart telling her that her parents and older siblings loved her very much. So, Shen Qingyao always looked forward to seeing them. But they were always busy and rarely visited her. When they did, they were always cold.
Shen Qingyao thought that the voice in her heart was just her secret hope. Later, she realized that in modern times, she only had younger siblings, not older ones. But recalling how her parents in the Shen family seemed to want to give her their hearts and how her Eldest Brother and Sisters always protected her here… it turned out those weren’t just her fantasies.
“It was all true…” Shen Qingyao wanted to laugh, but her crying grew louder. Thinking of the scene she saw in her dream, where Lu Zhao stood alone under the moonlight after she left for another world, Shen Qingyao gasped for air, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Little girl? Don’t… don’t cry.” Seeing her crying uncontrollably, Kong Lin began to worry. She was crying too much. Though it wasn’t a big deal, her frail health might be affected by such intense crying. He couldn’t help but stand up and try to console her.
Shen Qingyao was sobbing so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath. She wanted to calm herself, but she just couldn’t control it.
After a long while, Kong Lin let out a long sigh, sat back down, and somewhat resignedly waved the cane beside him. Forget it, how many times in life can one experience such highs and lows? Let her cry if she wants to!
While Shen Qingyao was feeling sad, Princess An Yu was also in agony.
When the matter of the Gu worm came up, Princess An’ya knew that this wouldn’t end well. Her face immediately darkened, and she sternly said, “An’yu! Why are you still using those messy things! Hasn’t Brother already forbidden you from touching them?”
Princess An’yu, with her mouth gagged, couldn’t speak, but she sneered in her heart. These people, all the same, enjoy the benefits of the Gu but avoid the Gu itself like the plague, how hypocritical.
Just then, a sinister voice came from outside the door, “An’yu, what have you touched this time?”
Hearing this voice, both An’ya and An’yu trembled. An’ya slowly turned around and saw that the King of Nanzhao, somehow alerted by the commotion at the inn, was already standing at the door. It was evident from his demeanor that he had heard what she just said and even knew more than she did.
“Brother…” An’ya called out in a trembling voice. The King of Nanzhao ignored her, walked into the room, and sat at the head. Behind him, Princess Yonghe followed closely, her playful gaze sweeping across everyone in the room, her eyes gleaming.
“An’yu, I’m asking you a question.” The King of Nanzhao’s hawk-like deep eyes fixed on An’yu, waiting for her answer, as if he couldn’t see that her mouth was gagged, and no one intended to untie it for her.
Lu Zhao frowned and interrupted impatiently, “King of Nanzhao, if there’s anything within your royal family, you can settle it back at the royal court. For now, I ask both princesses to tell me the whereabouts of my wife.”
“I don’t…” An’ya, her face pale, shook her head in denial. She truly didn’t know where Shen Qingyao was.
“What? Miss Shen is missing?” Princess Yonghe, behind the King of Nanzhao, covered her mouth and gasped, as if the atmosphere wasn’t tense enough. She then received a cold glance from the King of Nanzhao and reluctantly shut her mouth, though her eyes gleamed with even more amusement.
At this moment, An’yu finally used her tongue to push the cloth gag out of her mouth, spat, and cursed, “She’s missing, what’s that got to do with me! Just because she’s missing, doesn’t mean I kidnapped her! I did plant a Gu in her, but that Gu is already dead!”
Lu Zhao’s face turned terrifyingly dark. The longer Shen Qingyao remained missing, the more anxious and impatient he became.
“Princess says… the Gu is dead?” Suddenly, Shen Qinglin, who had been silent in the corner, spoke up, her gaze as sharp as a knife directed at An Yu. She asked, “Gu worms usually come in pairs. I wonder if the one on the Princess is still alive?”
Despite lying on the ground, Princess An’yu maintained an arrogant demeanor. She snorted, unwilling to answer, but under the oppressive presence of everyone in the room, she finally caved. She glanced towards her waist with her eyes. Shen Qinglin immediately stepped forward to search and indeed found a small golden box on her.
Her face lit up with joy, and she looked up, exclaiming, “I might have a way to find Yaoyao!”
Immediately, Lu Zhao and Shen Yushu focused their attention on her. Shen Qinglin’s eyes sparkled as she suddenly turned to the King of Nanzhao and said, “But I need to borrow one of your guards.”
The King of Nanzhao was taken aback, and the guard beside him stiffened completely.
“Ah Lin, are you sure?” Shen Yushu leaned in, a bit worried but aware that they had no choice but to try anything at this point. Shen Qinglin nodded solemnly and looked at the guard. He was someone Shen Qingyao had mentioned, a person who the system reacted to. If he truly was Lin Yingqiu, they could use his system to find Shen Qingyao. However, she couldn’t explain this method out loud and could only use the dead parasite as a pretext.
The King of Nanzhao glanced at the guard briefly, then smiled and said, “This young lady looks familiar.”
Today, Shen Qinglin was not in disguise and looked quite different from her appearance in the Nanzhao royal court, but she was the same person after all. It was natural for the King of Nanzhao to notice something.
Shen Yushu was a bit nervous. If it were discovered that Shen Qinglin had infiltrated the royal court, it could be seen as planting a spy. Afraid his sister would be in trouble, he quickly said, “This is my Second Sister, my sisters look similar, so Your Majesty must find her familiar.”
In fact, Shen Qinglin did not resemble the other children in the Shen family, but the King of Nanzhao nodded at this explanation without further inquiry. Instead, he turned his head and said, “Since you were specifically requested, go ahead. Helping Young Master Lu find his wife would be a great merit.”
The guard lowered his eyes to hide his emotions and quietly complied.
As the two hurried out, the King of Nanzhao’s cold gaze fell on An’yu again, making it clear he wished he could kill her on the spot. An’yu shuddered, old fears resurfacing from her memories, and she shrank into a corner.
Lu Zhao watched coldly, looking even more imposing than the King of Nanzhao. The room fell silent as everyone waited quietly for news from Shen Qinglin, praying to quickly find any trace of Shen Qingyao.
“Feeling better now?” Kong Lin’s wise and deep eyes mockingly stared at Shen Qingyao, watching the girl who had been crying her heart out now slowly blushing. Although Shen Qingyao’s breathing was still uneven, she was sniffing quietly, showing that while she accepted the situation, her heart was not at peace.
She suddenly wanted to see Lu Zhao.
She hadn’t properly spoken to Lu Zhao in days. In just this short while, she already missed him.
Shen Qingyao kept her head down without speaking, but Tu Lan entered again. Seeing the situation, she immediately knew that Grandpa Kong had been teasing the girl again. She sighed helplessly. The famed miracle doctor Kong Lin, known for his divine skills and wise, sage-like demeanor, was actually a child at heart.
Unable to help herself, she stepped forward and said, “Grandpa Kong, stop teasing the young lady and get to the serious work. Otherwise, if someone comes looking, how will you explain yourself?”
Unexpectedly, Kong Lin glared and blew his beard in anger, “Explain? Explain what? Do I need to explain when treating someone? I don’t even like treating most people!”
Shen Qingyao, feeling light-hearted after releasing her worries, couldn’t help but laugh through her tears at their bickering.
“Alright! Let’s first remove that little Gu in you. It’s not very poisonous, but combined with your heart condition, it has become dangerous.” Kong Lin finally got serious and extended his hand.
Shen Qingyao was stunned. “What parasite?”
“Didn’t you know? You’ve been planted a Gu and didn’t even realize it?” Kong Lin glared at her, turning her wrist over. Shen Qingyao looked down and indeed saw that her wrist was swollen and red again, worse than a few days ago.
A Gu? Shen Qingyao was shocked and was about to ask more when there was a sudden commotion outside. The three in the room turned to look out the window, where the previously peaceful village was now ablaze with light. Outside, there seemed to be many people, and the situation turned chaotic, with the sounds of weapons clashing faintly heard.
“What’s going on?” Tu Lan frowned, opening the door. Before she could look closely, a burly man she had seen earlier stumbled in, covered in blood, and said anxiously, “We need to leave! We’re under attack!”
Attack? Shen Qingyao was confused. Wasn’t this village supposed to have turned over a new leaf?
She exchanged a glance with Tu Lan, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. Shen Qingyao’s heart sank, feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed.
Thanks for the chapters!!!!!