Free Web NovelChapter 57: Chapter 57: An Honored Guest in Yangzhou
In the shadows, Lu Chao kept his eyes on Doctor Liu...
’Since the City Lord’s Mansion received news that my father-in-law poisoned himself and jumped into the lake, Doctor Liu can’t say he cured him, or they’ll take their anger out on him.’
Then, Doctor Liu continued, "I didn’t dare to treat him, either."
The moment he finished speaking, Wu Xin raised an eyebrow, her gaze turning cold...
In the next instant, a sharp female voice called out from behind Wu Xin. "You, Liu! Do you take me for a fool? You think I don’t know how close you are with Cheng Chuming? You wouldn’t dare treat him?"
In the tree, murderous intent flared in Lu Chao’s eyes. The speaker was none other than Bai Xin.
After speaking, she stepped out from the ranks of the knights, flanked by a middle-aged man. Behind them was Cheng Yunxiang.
’That middle-aged man had to be Bai Xin’s lover, Lu Mi.’
’They actually came, too.’
When Doctor Liu saw Bai Xin, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes for a split second.
But he immediately recovered and asked, "Madam Cheng, are you here to check on Cheng Chuming’s condition? I’m afraid his chances are slim."
Hearing the two words "Madam Cheng," a glint of coldness flashed in the eyes of both Lu Mi and Bai Xin.
They despised that form of address.
Doctor Liu’s words implied that it was only natural for Bai Xin, as Cheng Chuming’s wife, to be concerned about his life.
He was pretending to be completely unaware of the situation within the Cheng Mansion.
"Doctor Liu, stop playing dumb."
"You would have done everything in your power to save Cheng Chuming. Tell Miss Wu Xin right now, when did they leave?"
As Cheng Chuming’s wife, Bai Xin was well aware of the relationship between the doctor and her husband.
She dropped the pretense and barked her questions.
But Doctor Liu’s expression remained unchanged as he replied in a low voice, "They left quite a while ago. But I did hear them say they were going to find some Master Fan to see if there was any hope..."
Doctor Liu, of course, knew of Fan Jinhua’s existence; he had attended Lu Chao’s wedding, after all.
That was how he’d come up with this excuse.
A chilling silence fell over the entrance to the clinic at his words.
Wu Xin frowned. She suddenly waved her hand, and two knights drew their blades, pressing them cruelly against Doctor Liu’s neck.
Then, Wu Xin leaned in close. "Look me in the eye and say that again."
Up in the tree, Lu Chao had already raised his sword. If Wu Xin saw through the lie—or even if she didn’t, but still decided to harm Doctor Liu—he would take her hostage.
’No matter what, I have to save Doctor Liu.’
Stared down by Wu Xin, even Doctor Liu felt his scalp tingle with fear. He gritted his teeth and repeated, "I couldn’t cure him, so they left."
The scene in front of the clinic froze.
Just as Wu Xin was about to press him further, the sudden sound of hooves echoed.
A lone rider galloped over. It was a knight from the City Lord’s Mansion. He reported loudly, "Young Miss, the City Lord orders you to return immediately! A distinguished guest is about to arrive in Yangzhou City, and you must go out to welcome them at once."
Hearing this, Wu Xin abruptly pulled her gaze away from Doctor Liu, her face full of doubt. "A distinguished guest? This late at night?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Doctor Liu again...
"If I find out you cured that little bitch Cheng’s father, I’ll have your head."
Leaping onto her horse, Wu Xin looked to Han Shu beside her and asked softly, "Master Han, my father’s summons are so urgent. I fear this guest is no ordinary person. Would you care to join me in meeting them?"
Han Shu, his eyes cold, nodded and mounted his horse as well.
In the blink of an eye, Wu Xin and her several hundred riders vanished from before Doctor Liu’s clinic.
As for the two from the Lu Family, as well as Bai Xin and her son, they were of course left behind. Without an invitation, they wouldn’t dare follow.
Watching Wu Xin leave, Bai Xin’s face was a mask of resentment...
She strode forward, glaring at Doctor Liu, and demanded, "What exactly is going on? Is Cheng Chuming dead or not?"
Doctor Liu calmly swept his gaze over the four of them...
"He probably won’t make it. The poison is too potent. Unless that Master Fan is an expert in medicine or has a Destiny Bone for curing poisons, not even someone in the Transformation Realm could save him."
Hearing this, the Patriarch of the Lu Family, Lu Dingxuan, stepped forward lightly.
"If I saw correctly at the wedding, Fan Jinhua should have a Heavenly Destiny Tiger Roar Bone, which has nothing to do with medicine or curing poison."
Speaking to this point, Lu Dingxuan added, "Bai Xin, just go back to the Cheng Mansion and check for yourself."
"I’ll be taking my leave now. It seems the City Lord’s Mansion has a major guest. I must go and see who this important figure is."
And with that, Lu Dingxuan hurried away.
Doctor Liu then looked at the three people before him and said, "You three, if there’s nothing else, my clinic is closing for the night."
After speaking, Doctor Liu slammed the door shut, ignoring the trio.
Back in the tree, Lu Chao slowly sheathed his sword, then flashed back to the side of Cheng Yunsu and Cheng Chuming.
Seeing the extremely nervous Cheng Yunsu, Lu Chao said quickly, "Doctor Liu is fine. Let’s take Father-in-law back to the clinic to rest. Then I’ll take you to see one of the secrets I uncovered at the Cheng Mansion tonight."
And so, the three of them returned to the clinic once more.
After profusely thanking Doctor Liu, they laid Cheng Chuming down to rest in one of the rooms.
Then, Lu Chao pulled Cheng Yunsu along and flashed out of the clinic again. They landed in a large tree by the shore of Yangyu Lake.
At this moment, Cheng Yunsu was still utterly bewildered.
’Doctor Liu just went through such a terrifying ordeal. Why did Lu Chao bring us back here? And what secret is he talking about?’
Just then, Lu Chao pointed toward the lakeshore. "Xiao Su’er, look over there. Who is that?"
Following Lu Chao’s finger, Cheng Yunsu spotted three figures by the lakeshore in the dark of night.
She said in surprise, "Bai Xin, Yunxiang, and Lu Mi from the Lu Family... What are the three of them doing together?"
’That combination of people looks strange no matter how you look at it.’
At that moment, Lu Chao took Cheng Yunsu and, with a slight flicker, moved closer to Bai Xin’s group. freewebnøvel.com
As they landed without a sound, they happened to overhear Bai Xin saying, "Cheng Chuming really did kill himself. That spineless bastard. To think he’d throw his life away for that damn little bitch."
She spoke through gritted teeth, her voice filled with hatred...
Earlier, she had learned that Cheng Chuming had run out of the house with poisoned wine, and she also knew that Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu were out searching for him.
The more Bai Xin thought about it at the time, the more panicked she became, feeling that something terrible was about to happen. She then took Cheng Yunxiang and fled the Cheng Mansion. She figured Cheng Chuming would most likely go to Doctor Liu to ask about an antidote for the poison.
So, she prepared to go find Doctor Liu herself...
But before she even reached the clinic, she heard news by Yangyu Lake that someone had jumped in.
At that, Bai Xin was almost certain it was Cheng Chuming.
She had also heard, of course, that someone had taken Cheng Chuming to Doctor Liu for treatment—that had to be Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu. That’s why she didn’t dare go look herself. In her panic, she thought of her lover... Lu Mi.
Finally, she sent a message to Bai Heng, who was still at the Cheng Mansion, and then took Cheng Yunxiang and ran to the Lu Mansion.
Once at the Lu Mansion, she told Lu Mi everything.
Afterward, Lu Mi and Patriarch Lu devised a plan. They went to the City Lord’s Mansion, found Wu Xin, and told her that Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu had likely left the protection of Fan Jinhua at the Cheng Mansion and were at Doctor Liu’s clinic.
The moment Wu Xin heard this, she immediately took several hundred knights and came charging over.
In other words, the reason Wu Xin had descended upon Doctor Liu’s clinic so quickly was all Bai Xin’s doing.
