35 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 35 of the Novel: Half Summer "Senior Sister, wait a moment. I'll knock on the door." Yan Zhu Guang quickly walked over to the door of the Qiu Ming Alchemy Hall and knocked, asking, "Is anyone there?" The sound from inside was hollow, suggesting that the place might have been vacated. Yan Zhu Guang knocked twice more, but there was still no response. "It seems the owner might have left urgently," Yun Mi Xue said, standing beside Yan Zhu Guang. She didn't let Yan Zhu Guang approach alone, but instead, followed closely behind. Yan Zhu Guang turned back, "Something might have happened. When I arrived, the hall was operating normally. They left just as I arrived, which seems unusual." Yun Mi Xue replied, "They've already left, and we don't know where to find them." If Yun Mi Xue had met the people they sought, she could have tried using her spiritual sense to search for them. Unfortunately, she only knew of their existence and had come to investigate. Yan Zhu Guang pondered, "If Miss Su is still with them, I might have a way to find them." "Oh, Miss Su?" Yun Mi Xue inquired. Yan Zhu Guang explained, "She is the person the young master of the alchemy hall tasked me with protecting." To be precise, it was a task given to her by the young master's servant. Yan Zhu Guang recounted how she had coincidentally encountered Su Qian Er and her group being hunted by demonic beasts on the road. After killing the beasts, she was hired by an elderly servant to escort Su Qian Er safely to Qiu Ming Alchemy Hall. Yun Mi Xue listened intently. "I see." "Miss Su wished to repay my kindness. Although I initially refused, she insisted, so I gave her one of the Jade Dew Pills Senior Sister gifted me." "The pill bottle should still carry some traces of energy. Unless she has stored it in a spatial ring, even if it's just in a storage pouch, I might be able to track it." When Yan Zhu Guang mentioned "traces," she wasn't referring to her own energy. Being a cautious person, she never let her personal aura linger on things. Anything that passed through her hands had her presence meticulously erased. She claimed to have a way to track because the bottle containing the Jade Dew Pill was from the system. Yan Zhu Guang had run out of spare bottles while repackaging medicinal pills, so she emptied the system’s pills into separate compartments and used the bottle. Items crafted by the system could be tracked unless fully assimilated by the world. Not much time had passed, so it presumably hadn't been assimilated yet. Previously, the system had failed to warn Yan about Senior Sister's intentions, leading to Yan almost jeopardizing a significant trust. Guilt-ridden, the system was now exceptionally proactive, eager to redeem itself by successfully tracking the bottle and proving its reliability. "Senior Sister, would you like me to track it?" Yun Mi Xue considered and replied, "Thank you, Zhu Guang. This concerns the Sect Master and must not be taken lightly." Yan Zhu Guang nodded and began casting a tracking spell, although it was actually the system executing the tracking process. "Found it, host. Not far, just outside Dan Ye City." The direction indicated by the system was not where they missed Su Qian Er, but rather the opposite way, away from Tian Yu City. Yan Zhu Guang pointed in the direction, "Senior Sister, over there, not far." Yun Mi Xue nodded, grasped Yan Zhu Guang's wrist, and with a special footwork technique, they quickly departed in the indicated direction. With her Nascent Soul stage prowess, Yun Mi Xue reached the outskirts in no time. By the time they arrived, the person they were tracking hadn't moved. Upon seeing the situation, Yun Mi Xue couldn't help but release her agitation. A graceful, soft, snow-white ribbon flew out from her wide sleeves, circled once, and returned, bringing back a person. It was Su Qian Er, the one Yan Zhu Guang had tracked. At this moment, Su Qian Er's lips were bloodstained; she looked unwell and was semi-conscious, clutching tightly to the porcelain bottle Yan Zhu Guang had given her, now devoid of pills. Yun Mi Xue placed her palm on Su Qian Er's back. Although Su had taken the Jade Dew Pill, her strength was insufficient, and the pill's superior quality, gifted by Yun Mi Xue to Yan Zhu Guang, was too potent for Su to bear. Yun Mi Xue had to employ external aid to help dissipate its effects. Yan Zhu Guang's face turned icy, as she spoke sharply towards the direction the white ribbon had returned from, "Qiu Shaozhu, what is the meaning of this?" Four people stood there, led by Qiu Qiao, the young master of Qiu Ming Alchemy Hall. Behind him stood a steward from the hall and two elderly servants who had previously escorted Su Qian Er. Lying before them was another individual, also someone Yan Zhu Guang had seen before: one of Su Qian Er's servants. His body was drenched in blood, the ground underneath stained red, the source of his bleeding—a gaping wound on his chest—had already claimed his life. Upon seeing Yan Zhu Guang, Qiu Qiao and his group were visibly startled, blurting out, "What are you doing here?" Yan Zhu Guang smiled slyly, raising an eyebrow, "Why? Shouldn't I be here?" "Could it be that the people ambushing me outside the city were sent by you?" The Foundation Establishment cultivator they encountered hadn't seemed out of the ordinary. To the untrained, it might have seemed like sheer bad luck to get robbed. But that they targeted Yan Zhu Guang specifically was suspicious in itself. Typically, waylaying involves random targets. Yan Zhu Guang was adept at concealing her aura. Any ordinary looter waiting in ambush wouldn't have sensed her presence. Real bandits, when faced with a sudden display of aura from Yan Zhu Guang, would likely retreat further into hiding or even abandon their plans to attack. After all, by revealing her presence, Yan was clearly indicating awareness of the ambush. Without knowledge of her strengths, few would risk attacking. Losing the element of surprise and attacking someone of unknown power was an endeavor that could lead to failure and unnecessary risk. Unless completely confident in their power, most bandits would opt to bypass a vigilant target and wait for a truly unwary one. The ambushers had clearly intended to target Yan Zhu Guang specifically. Detection by Yan Zhu Guang prompted them to leap from hiding, determined in their assault. The system, known for detecting malice towards Yan Zhu Guang, had sensed the ambush before Yan herself, indicating the attacker's intent beyond mere robbery. It was clear this person was targeting Yan Zhu Guang. Aware that the ambush was no ordinary matter, Yan chose not to probe further, but Qiu Qiao's questioning now linked it all together for her. Sure enough, upon her mention, Qiu Qiao's expression shifted, signalling his involvement despite his denials. "What past grievances does Qiu Shaozhu bear against me to warrant sending a Foundation Establishment Cultivator after me? I must be honored indeed." Even Yun Mi Xue, assisting Su Qian Er, looked on with knitted brows at the group from Qiu Ming Alchemy Hall. She had assumed Yan Zhu Guang was simply unlucky, encountering regular bandits. To discover a calculated ambush intending her harm was unsettling. Knowing Yan had previously saved the fiancée of this Qiu Shaozhu, Yun Mi Xue found it troubling that he had reasons to seek Yan's demise. She looked down at the injured Su Qian Er, pondering what prompted Qiu Shaozhu to inflict such harm on his own fiancée. Qiu Qiao denied, "Miss Yan, please don't make baseless accusations. I've no grudge against you, recent or past, and wouldn't dispatch people to ambush you. If you're dissatisfied with the remuneration, let it be known, but there's no need for such lies." Yan Zhu Guang responded neutrally, "I'm equally curious why Qiu Shaozhu wishes me harm," her gaze shifted to Su Qian Er, "Could it be that in returning someone as I have, I've overstepped boundaries?" Qiu Qiao, with his Foundation Establishment strength, was accompanied by two servants in the ninth stage of Qi Condensation, and a steward at late Foundation Establishment. Normally, Yan Zhu Guang would not be intimidated by such a configuration, but with the enigmatic Yun Mi Xue beside her, whose power was elusive but formidable, they dared not act rashly, seeking instead to smooth things over. "Miss Yan has misunderstood," Qiu Qiao pointed to the bloodied servant, "This man sought to harm Qian Er and flee with her. We chased them here to rescue her, yet he retaliated desperately before perishing, injuring Qian Er. We were about to tend her wounds when you both arrived." He turned to Yun Mi Xue, nodding in gratitude, "Thank you, young lady, for aiding Qian Er. I have concoctions suited to her needs; please, return her to us." When Yan Zhu Guang and Yun Mi Xue arrived, they indeed saw Su Qian Er collapsed, but did not witness Qiu Qiao and his group make any move against her. His explanation was not entirely without merit. However... Yun Mi Xue observed, "The wounds on Miss Qian Er are consistent with those of the deceased. Yet, you claim she was harmed by him." With a sweep of her spiritual sense, Yun Mi Xue could discern the cause of death. The aura of the late Foundation Establishment cultivator was still lingering, making it impossible to hide the truth from her. Upon hearing this, Yan Zhu Guang let out a cold laugh, "How does Young Master Qiu explain this, then? Did that man harm Miss Su and then commit suicide?" The late Foundation Establishment steward's expression hardened as he began to speak, but Qiu Qiao raised a hand to stop him. Qiu Qiao said, "Qian Er is my fiancée. This is a family matter of mine. Is it not overstepping for Miss Yan to dig into it?" Yun Mi Xue hesitated slightly. Yan Zhu Guang sneered, "We saved this woman. How could this matter not involve us? Even if it does, what of it if I insist on intervening?" "Moreover, Miss Su has already paid me in advance. Our employment relationship isn’t concluded yet, and I have a duty to protect my employer." After stating her piece, Yan Zhu Guang whispered to Yun Mi Xue, "Senior Sister, is it alright if we fall out with them?" Having already thrown down the gauntlet, it was a bit late to ask now. Yun Mi Xue shook her head helplessly, "No problem, feel free to argue your case." Emboldened by Yun Mi Xue’s assurance, Yan Zhu Guang turned back, raising her chin in a display of defiance, "We'll see when Miss Su regains consciousness. Hmph."