64 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 64 On the way back to Fenghua Immortal Sect, Yan Zhuguang couldn't help but ask the system, "Is there really no character named Su Qian'er in the storyline?" Yun Mixue originally intended for Yan Zhuguang to stay behind since the journey from Danye City to Fenghua Immortal Sect wasn't short, and she didn't want her to endure the long trip back and forth. However, Yan Zhuguang had no plans to stay. She had originally left the sect for Yun Mixue, and with nothing else pressing on her agenda, naturally, she would follow Yun Mixue. Moreover, she wasn’t at ease letting Yun Mixue travel alone with Su Qian'er. Before the "Save the White Moonlight" mission was thoroughly completed, any suspicious individuals around Yun Mixue had to be guarded against. Even though Su Qian'er was without cultivation, Yan Zhuguang didn't let her guard down. Yun Mixue didn’t know Yan Zhuguang’s train of thought, only assumed she was unwilling to leave her side. After a couple of sputtered words and seeing her decision was firm, she let her come along. Now, the three of them were flying on a cloud towards the Fenghua Immortal Sect. "No," the system replied, "There isn’t any mention of her in the storyline." The system continued, "The Qiao family appears in the storyline, but it only mentions the main family, not the branch families." "That’s not surprising," Yan Zhuguang noted. "This branch has already been wiped out. How could a non-existent branch appear in the storyline?" "Yes," the system agreed, "Could it be in the original storyline, Su Qian'er died when the branch family was exterminated, or even before that?" "Impossible," Yan Zhuguang countered, "To acquire the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed, one must break the Yuanfeng Array, which requires handing the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed to Su Qian'er. Unless the lotus seed in Gu Chen’s hand in the storyline isn't the one from the secret realm, Su Qian'er couldn't have died in the extermination of the Qiao family branch." "I cracked the secret realm as fast as possible to retrieve the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed. Even then, the Qiao family branch had already been eradicated by the time I handed the seed to Su Qian'er. If she died during the extermination, the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed couldn't have ended up with Gu Chen." "That does make sense..." the system pondered. The oath of the Yuanfeng Array was immutable; if Su Qian'er were dead, the oath couldn't be fulfilled, and the Yuanfeng Array would never be broken. However, the system still found it odd, "But Su Qian’er, as the previous sect leader’s daughter, assuming she is, as the host speculates, the offspring of the former sect leader and a devil cultivator, such a crucial character couldn't just be glossed over in the storyline, right?" "Indeed," Yan Zhuguang agreed, "That's the strange part. Su Qian'er has interacted with eldest senior sister, and if she goes to Fenghua Immortal Sect, she will come into contact with Gu Chen. How can such a distinct character be entirely omitted from the storyline?" The system suggested, "But the storyline does indeed not mention her. Could it be she disappears or dies for some reason after reaching Fenghua Immortal Sect?" "Don’t we still not know the origin of the feud between Fenghua Immortal Sect and the Blood Dripping Demon Domain? Could it be related to her?" Yan Zhuguang neither confirmed nor denied. Yan Zhuguang wasn't overly interested in what happens to Su Qian'er afterward. After noticing Su Qian'er's peculiar expression earlier, she became more intrigued by Su Qian'er's possible "rebirth." After a moment of silence, Yan Zhuguang told the system, "Earlier, when the eldest senior sister mentioned Gu Chen, I noticed Su Qian'er’s expression changed. She seemed surprised at the description, and there was a hint of disdain or disagreement. I think she definitely knows Gu Chen." "Did she?" The system was focused on its host, eldest senior sister, and those possibly targeting her, and didn't care much for others, hence didn't observe Su Qian'er’s reactions. "That seems problematic," the system reconsidered, "Although the male lead is the senior brother of Fenghua Immortal Sect, his fame was less than the eldest senior sister before becoming the sect leader. With Su Qian'er’s status and her physical condition, it shouldn’t be possible for her to know the male lead, right?" "Yes, so it can't just be a case of rebirth with amnesia," Yan Zhuguang concluded. Su Qian'er clearly didn’t remember her name or anything about "Su Qian'er," yet she remembered Gu Chen, and was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao as the real Su Qian'er... Even Yan Zhuguang found it a bit perplexing. The system too was baffled by Yan Zhuguang’s deduction. Trying to think through all possibilities, it suddenly had an epiphany, "Host, could it be that Su Qian'er experienced two rebirths? The first being into another body, losing her memory and living as someone else for a time, then retaining that memory upon rebirth into her original body?" "If that's the case, it would explain why her soul is the same but her memories differ." Yan Zhuguang hadn’t considered such a scenario and was impressed with the system, "If that’s so, it could solve all mysteries. How did you think of that?" "Hehe," the system was thrilled to have its very capable host regard it highly, "Read enough novels, and you know all the plot twists." "Plot twists?" Yan Zhuguang latched onto the term. The system was about to explain, but Yan Zhuguang casually dismissed it, "Could she have reborn into a storyline character?" The system paused, and after a moment, it responded, "That seems unlikely. Most major characters in the storyline are already born, except for the female lead; Su Qian'er wouldn’t have the opportunity to rebirth into them." "The female lead?" Yan Zhuguang mused, "The one most entangled with Gu Chen is the female lead. Based on her reactions earlier to both eldest senior sister and Gu Chen, could she actually be the female lead?" Yan Zhuguang vividly remembered Su Qian’er’s intense reaction when learning eldest senior sister’s identity and her odd demeanor upon hearing the word "sect leader." When Su Qian'er first woke up, she was simply wary of eldest senior sister as a stranger. But after hearing her name, she even tore her clothes. The female lead may never have met eldest senior sister, but given all the trouble caused by the male lead and supporting characters under the name of "eldest senior sister," she was likely her lifelong shadow. Imagining the female lead’s potential reaction upon seeing eldest senior sister, that discomfort seemed plausible. "Host," the system interrupted her reverie, "Su Qian'er couldn't possibly be the female lead. I'm quite familiar with the female lead's soul aura, and it's different from Su Qian'er." "Moreover, the female lead travels physically, not spiritually. Su Qian'er couldn't have reborn into another world, lived there, then journeyed here with that body before returning to her original one." "The book's ending shows the female and male leads living happily together, then ascending to immortality...so no chance for a rebirth." "Is that so?" Yan Zhuguang thought if Su Qian'er were the female lead, maybe the "save the white moonlight" mission could conclude right there. Imagine, the female lead reborn, finding out the once overshadowing eldest senior sister, her future rival in love, didn’t eliminate her promptly before events unfolded. She could approach eldest senior sister using Su Qian'er's identity, and covertly align with the Blood Dripping Demon Domain. Wouldn’t she then have access to the perks of the Northern Ice Snow Marrow, silently poisoning eldest senior sister? The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. "Impossible," the system sighed, "If the 'save the white moonlight' mission were that simple, I wouldn't need twenty-one hosts..." "Did any previous hosts interact with Su Qian'er?" Yan Zhuguang inquired. The system shook its metaphorical head, "I don’t remember..." All past hosts' memories had been blurred, making it impossible to recall. "Alright." Yan Zhuguang reluctantly shelved the possibility for now but hadn’t completely dismissed it. She would find proof to either support or refute this theory. The cloud carriage driven by Yun Mixue traveled quickly, taking nearly a day to return to Fenghua Immortal Sect. During the journey, since Su Qian'er was present, Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang barely exchanged words. Su Qian’er, although not voicing any reluctance to head to Fenghua Immortal Sect, grew visibly unsettled as they neared the sect. Not only did the observant Yan Zhuguang notice this, even Yun Mixue picked up on her visible anxiety. Yun Mixue asked, "What worries you, Miss Su?" Su Qian’er jolted in surprise. Gathering herself, she squeezed her palms to calm down and replied, "I... it's my first time this far from home." "Missing home?" Yan Zhuguang chimed in, "Just consider this a scenic outing. I recall you mentioning that once you're in good health, you wished to travel far and wide. The sights within the Immortal Sect are exceptionally beautiful, why not take this chance for leisure?" Su Qian’er managed a smile and nodded, "Alright." The system, imagining itself with a sweat drop, commented, "Host, you're leading Su Qian'er into a pitfall by exploiting her amnesia." "Pitfall?" Yan Zhuguang retorted, "It's exactly what Su Qian'er once said; when have I ever lied?" "Su Qian'er just expressed envy for your freedom in roaming the cultivation world with a sword..." which is not quite the same as wanting to globe-trot. "Aren’t those the same?" Yan Zhuguang asked, disregarding the system’s remark. Perhaps to show her genuine longing for the "outside world," after listening to Yan Zhuguang's suggestion, Su Qian'er seriously started to "get to know" Fenghua Immortal Sect, taking in the scenery below as they flew. Yun Mixue observed this and nodded with satisfaction. Maybe Gu Chen had arranged things in advance, for even though Yun Mixue brought back a stranger, the elder and disciples guarding the sect’s defenses did not stop them. The three of them made their way to the inner sect's main hall without any obstruction. Gu Chen, along with the elders overseeing the sect during his absence, awaited the arrival of Su Qian'er, the daughter of the previous sect leader. By the time they reached the main hall, Su Qian’er's expression had regained its calm. However, as they stepped down from the cloud onto solid ground, Su Qian'er seemed to stumble slightly. Yun Mixue kindly offered her support, but Su Qian'er quickly pulled away. Yan Zhuguang, witnessing this, smoothed over the situation for the eldest senior sister, saying, "Is it just that Miss Su is not accustomed to riding on clouds? Standing still for a moment might help." Realizing her reaction was excessive, Su Qian'er forced a smile, "I was overreacting. My apologies." Yun Mixue reassured her, "It's alright. The sect leader is in the hall; Zhuguang and I will accompany you inside." "...Okay." Yun Mixue led the way, while Su Qian'er deliberately lagged behind. Noticing this, Yan Zhuguang also slowed her pace to walk alongside Su Qian'er. Su Qian'er glanced at her twice, and Yan Zhuguang returned the looks with what seemed a friendly smile. As the three of them stepped into the hall, they were met by several presiding elders. All the elders who were not in seclusion remained here, with Gu Chen, the current sect leader of Fenghua Immortal Sect, seated at its center. Several gazes fell upon them, with most focusing on Su Qian'er. Yan Zhuguang, who was paying close attention, noticed that upon meeting Gu Chen’s eyes, Su Qian'er was gripping her palms so tightly her nails threatened to dig into her skin.