Chapter 1508: One Wrong Step, Every Step Wrong

Hei Shi asked in surprise, “This involves Zhao Xiongge. Hei Li has probably been drawn into it as well. If we meet him now, could we alert the snake by striking the grass?”

Wu Chang said, “Hei Li has always been watched by several sides. He’s a peripheral figure. I know the man. Even when dealing with the Demonic Sect, he never liked involving himself in trouble. He should have been dragged into this for some reason beyond his control. At a time like this, what else could someone of his identity be doing by rushing into the Sacred Realm and then immediately coming back out?”

Hei Shi was thoughtful. “Could he have gone to treat someone?”

Wu Chang said, “Yin Ji may not be dead! Without seeing him, it will be difficult to learn what happened. He isn’t a meddlesome man, and he doesn’t have much backbone. If he doesn’t know what’s good for him, then we can only make him disappear.”

Hei Shi said, “Understood. I’ll arrange it now.” He quickly left the cavern, found the contact from Medicine Valley again, and gave him whispered instructions.

Once the man understood what was wanted, he nodded and slipped back into the sea.

As the setting sun painted the vast ocean in a wash of color, the man returned. Emerging from the sea with him was the Ghost Doctor.

At the sight of Hei Shi, the Ghost Doctor gave a respectful salute, but inwardly he smiled bitterly. Everything had happened exactly as that man predicted. People from Tianmo Sacred Land truly had come looking for him. He simply had not expected them to come this quickly.

Looked at another way, the man behind the scenes was already leading Tianmo Sacred Land by the nose. No wonder he had managed to topple six of the Nine Saints. The Ghost Doctor could only sigh inwardly in admiration.

Hei Shi waved for his subordinate to stay where he was, then told the Ghost Doctor, “Come with me.”

The Ghost Doctor had no choice but to follow. He entered the island cavern behind Hei Shi and was rather startled when he saw Wu Chang. He had not expected Wu Chang to come in person. He immediately cupped his hands and bowed. “Greetings, Sacred Venerable!”

Wu Chang stared at him, his gaze fixed on the Ghost Doctor’s eyes until the man grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Only then did he speak. “Was the Sacred Realm fun?”

The Ghost Doctor pretended not to understand. “I don’t know what you mean, Sacred Venerable.”

Wu Chang said, “Next time you want to enter the Sacred Realm, you can simply let me know. There’s no need to sneak around. What, have you gotten mixed up with the Demonic Sect again? After the Saintess died, didn’t you say you would have no further dealings with the Demonic Sect?”

The Ghost Doctor lowered his head with an alarmed look. To anyone watching, it was the panic of a man whose secret had been exposed.

Wu Chang said, “Will you explain honestly on your own, or do I need to keep reminding you? After entering the Sacred Realm, where did you go?”

The Ghost Doctor hesitated, looking extremely reluctant to answer.

Wu Chang said, “Tell me honestly and I can let the matter pass.”

Bitterness appeared on the Ghost Doctor’s face. With difficulty, he said, “I went to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands.”

That at least was the truth. Hei Shi glanced at Wu Chang to see his reaction.

Wu Chang gave a soft “oh.” “What did you go to the Desolate Marsh Deadlands for?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “To treat someone.”

Just as expected. A trace of interest appeared on Wu Chang’s face. “Who?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “Sacred Venerable Daluo’s daughter, Luo Fangfei.”

“Luo Fangfei?” Wu Chang was somewhat surprised. He had assumed it was Yin Ji. He only knew Yin Ji had suffered severe injuries and should not have survived, so he had guessed this was about her. He had not expected Luo Fangfei instead. “What is wrong with her?”

The Ghost Doctor shook his head. “You could say the problem is serious, or not serious at all. Either way, I’m helpless.”

Wu Chang said, “There are illnesses even you can’t cure?”

The Ghost Doctor smiled bitterly. “There are many things I can’t cure. Outsiders simply don’t know about them.”

Wu Chang said, “What happened to Luo Fangfei?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “I’m afraid she may never wake for the rest of her life.”

“Never wake?” Wu Chang’s eyes flickered. Luo Fangfei’s sudden demonic transformation, and the fact that she had been able to confront Lan Daolin head-on, had become a concern lodged in his heart. Now she apparently could not wake. He immediately pressed, “What happened? Don’t make me ask one question at a time. Explain it clearly!”

The Ghost Doctor nodded slightly and sighed. “She was already unconscious when I first saw her. At first I didn’t know what had happened either. Judging by her symptoms, it looked as though she had suffered a severe shock. After I asked, that turned out to be exactly the case. Luo Qiu took her and her husband hostage...” He then recounted in detail everything the Demon Foxes had told him.

Hei Shi, listening from the side, sighed over the story as well. Wu Chang had little interest in the miserable details. But after confirming that Yin Ji was indeed dead, a trace of melancholy showed in his expression.

After recounting what had happened, the Ghost Doctor summarized Luo Fangfei’s condition. “The blows were simply too severe. She refuses to accept reality and has entered a state of self-imposed isolation. She herself does not want to wake, and there is nothing I can do about that.”

Wu Chang asked, “There is no possibility at all that she’ll wake?” That was what concerned him most.

“It isn’t completely impossible...” The Ghost Doctor repeated what he had told the Demon Foxes, then finally shook his head. “The hope of her waking is extremely slim. At least among the cases I’ve encountered before, none ever woke.”

Wu Chang asked, “There are previous cases to compare against?”

The Ghost Doctor nodded. “Yes. I encountered several in the past.”

Wu Chang immediately gave Hei Shi a look.

Hei Shi understood and nodded. The Sacred Venerable wanted him to question the Ghost Doctor afterward and find out where those cases had occurred so they could verify them. Wu Chang was focused on the main point right now and would not waste time on such details.

Wu Chang continued questioning him. “Was Nantian Wufang the one who sent you?”

The Ghost Doctor shook his head. “Before entering the Sacred Realm, I didn’t know who would be taking me inside. If I had known it was Nantian Wufang, I wouldn’t have agreed. The person who made me do this was Lan Ming, son of Sacred Venerable Tianlan.”

“Lan Ming?” Wu Chang hesitated. “In his present circumstances, he could still make you obey him?”

The Ghost Doctor fell into hesitation again.

Wu Chang said in a deep voice, “Speak! As long as you tell the truth, I pardon you. My word stands.”

The Ghost Doctor smiled bitterly. “Sacred Venerable, it’s a complicated story. One wrong step, and every step after it went wrong. But I have never done anything to harm you, Sacred Venerable.”

Wu Chang said, “If it’s complicated, then explain it slowly. I have patience.”

The Ghost Doctor sighed again and again. “This all began with that unfilial disciple of mine. Before my disciple Wuxin entered my tutelage, he had a sweetheart. She is now Shao Liuer, Empress of Qi.”

Hei Shi reminded him, “You’re before the Sacred Venerable. Get to the point.”

They had long since investigated matters like this. They knew Wuxin and Wuxiang’s backgrounds inside and out and did not need a long account.

The Ghost Doctor sighed. “Elder Hei Shi, this is the point. Everything began because of Shao Liuer.”

Wu Chang stopped Hei Shi from interrupting again. “Let him speak.”

The Ghost Doctor bowed slightly, then continued. “After that disciple of mine left the mountain, he went nowhere else. He knew Shao Liuer was in the Qi capital, so he settled there and stayed close to her. Absolutely pathetic. I scolded him many times. If he wanted the woman, then he should get her for himself instead of getting dragged into all those disputes. But he was content simply to watch her from the side like a fool. Later, he even acted repeatedly to solve problems for Shao Liuer. He once purged poison from her husband’s body, which means he saved the life of the present emperor of Qi.”

“I truly don’t know what goes on in that head of his. If not for his astonishing talent for the study of medicine, I would have wanted to throw him aside and stop caring about him altogether.”

“He refused to listen. And what I feared came to pass. Never mind the other troubles he caused. In the end, someone who knew the history between him and Shao Liuer set their sights on him. When the rebel army attacked the Qi capital, someone abducted Shao Liuer. And the person who abducted her was none other than Lan Ming!”

He shook his head as if the past were too painful to recall.

Wu Chang said, “And he used that to force you into doing what you just did?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “No. I was in the Qi capital at the time as well, looking for a suitable eye for transplanting into Sacred Venerable Dayuan. There had just been a great battle in the Qi capital, so there were many people newly dead and it was easier to find one. Lan Ming must have known about that. He captured Shao Liuer to threaten Wuxin. To put it plainly, the fault was mine for caring too much about that disciple. In truth, Lan Ming was aiming at me.”

“I had always been telling Wuxin to return to Medicine Valley so I could pass on everything I’ve learned, but for the sake of one woman he simply refused to come back. I was furious!”

“When Shao Liuer was captured that time, he had no other option. He came running to beg me. He promised that he would return to Medicine Valley if I agreed to Lan Ming’s demand.”

“Sacred Venerable, I’m old. I don’t have many years left to live. That was the only reason I began thinking about finding someone to inherit my learning. This disciple’s talent truly delighted me.”

Wu Chang said indifferently, “The feeling of not wanting everything you learned in a lifetime to die with you is understandable. Did this have something to do with Yuan Se?”

The Ghost Doctor said, “In truth, I knew that if I agreed, I would be setting one foot onto a road with no return. But... I also knew that once they had set their sights on us, refusing would probably endanger not only Shao Liuer, but my disciple as well. I lost my judgment for a moment and agreed.”

“The problem was that what Lan Ming wanted me to do wasn’t difficult for me. He wasn’t asking me to do anything directly to Sacred Venerable Dayuan. His real target was Consort Yuan.”

Hei Shi was surprised. “Consort Yuan’s eye? So it wasn’t that only Consort Yuan’s eye would do. You manipulated the matter?”

With a helpless expression, the Ghost Doctor nodded. “Yes. In truth, I had already found a suitable eye for transplantation in the Qi capital. Consort Yuan’s eye was not actually suitable for Sacred Venerable Dayuan. After I removed Consort Yuan’s eye, the eye I used on Sacred Venerable Dayuan was not hers.”

“After I restored Sacred Venerable Dayuan’s eye, Consort Yuan often came to me, hoping I could find a suitable eye for her as soon as possible. At that point, Lan Ming found me again and instructed me to hint to Consort Yuan that the eye truly best suited for transplantation into her was actually her own—the one now sitting in Sacred Venerable Dayuan’s eye socket.”

Hei Shi was thoughtful. Wu Chang said, “He wanted to sow discord between Yuan Se and Consort Yuan.”

The Ghost Doctor sighed. “I could see that too. But after taking one wrong step, there was no road back. Otherwise Dayuan Sacred Land would never let me go. I could only obey. Later, Lan Ming came to me again. He ordered me to leave Medicine Valley and travel to a certain place. He told me that someone would abduct me along the way, and instructed me to tell my captors about what I had done concerning Consort Yuan. Everything happened exactly as he said. On the road, Sha Rulai abducted my disciples, me, and the others...”

Afterward, he had told Sha Rulai about what had been done to Consort Yuan, then met Luo Qiu and told the story once more.

Then he was taken to the vicinity of Nanzhou Prefectural Capital, where Consort Yuan was lured out. Luo Qiu met Consort Yuan, though the Ghost Doctor did not know what the two of them discussed.

After that came the sudden upheaval inside Nanzhou Prefectural Capital, followed by Yuan Se’s disappearance.

Later still, the Ghost Doctor saw the poisoned Luo Fangfei and treated her poison.

By the time he finished this account, both Wu Chang and Hei Shi were deeply shaken. They could roughly trace the line of a scheme directed against Yuan Se. The person behind it had truly laid an intricate trap. Several things that had not made sense before had now been filled in. At last they understood: Consort Yuan, right at Yuan Se’s side, must already have been turned against him.

Luo Qiu had thought he was using Consort Yuan to attack Yuan Se from within and without. Little had he known that he himself was inside someone else’s trap and had been used until the day he died without ever realizing it.

Hei Shi cupped his hands toward Wu Chang. “Sacred Venerable, from what I know of Lan Ming, he’s barely any better than an idiot. There is no chance he has a mind capable of arranging something like this.”

[End of Chapter 1508]