When that familiar figure stood beneath the Moon Gate, gazing at her from afar, Li Yuer’s heart, which had nearly sunk to the bottom of the lake, seemed to be suddenly pulled by something.
“Mister!!”
Xiao Jing turned around in surprise toward the courtyard gate. Seeing the figure dressed in a blue long robe, she was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Xu Ping’an sighed, then stepped forward and tapped the little girl’s forehead with his index finger.
“You, you—stop making up stories about Mister behind his back. Sooner or later, I’ll have to deal with you.”
A flush immediately rose to her cheeks. The embarrassment of having her thoughts exposed made her instinctively lower her head.
Without looking at Xiao Jing again, Xu Ping’an came to Li Yuer’s side.
Looking at her now thin face, it was hard to imagine that half a month ago, she was still in good spirits and health.
“You… why put yourself through this?”
Xu Ping’an wasn’t foolish. Though he lacked the perverse ability of mind-reading, he could still understand some of the little tricks girls play.
During the past half month, Li Yuer had been avoiding him entirely, not even coming to seek treatment for her illness.
At first, he thought she simply didn’t want to disturb him and Pei Qingxuan during their brief newlywed separation.
But unexpectedly, this girl was taking it out on him instead.
“It’s not bitter. Since Mister is here… all those hardships turn sweet.”
Perhaps these days had made her more mature.
They said emotions make people grow up, and for a girl with a Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, this feeling was like fertilizer, quickly nurturing the growth of her tender thoughts.
The beauty smiled bitterly, her figure like a swallow from the royal family.
“Ah!”
What a torment!
Although he had mentioned this more than once, he still felt like he had collided with some strange fate this year.
Why was he surrounded by so many peach blossom misfortunes?
“Put out your hand.” “Mister?”
Li Yuer was stunned for a moment, but seeing the seriousness in front of her, she instinctively stretched out her delicate hand.
“Because you don’t eat properly!”
“Here!”
The folding fan snapped shut, striking the girl’s palm. The sudden pain caused her slender body to tremble.
“You don’t take care of yourself properly!” Smack!
After all, she was a girl, and the beauty was like water—though it didn’t hurt much, the tears still couldn’t be held back.
Li Yuer wasn’t sure whether her tears now were from the pain in her palm or from the joy of Mister’s arrival.
Her complicated emotions almost filled her exquisite Seven Apertures, leaving her at a loss as to how to respond.
“Understand the pain now? If you understand, then next time, don’t use this way to be stubborn with yourself. What good does it do? Besides making your parents worry themselves sick, what do you gain?”
“Mister, but… what can Yuer do?”
“But what do you gain by doing this? Facing problems by being hard on yourself—does the world have people this foolish? And you’re supposed to have a Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart. Where has your heart gone?”
Looking at the thin beauty before him, Xu Ping’an was full of frustration.
This girl didn’t take good care of herself at all.
Watching Li Yuer dazed and lost in thought, Xu Ping’an sighed deeply.
“Ah! Today, Mister will teach you a lesson. This world is big, everyone has worries. But if you can’t get along with others, don’t get along poorly with yourself. I once heard someone say something, do you want to hear it?”
“Yuer wants to hear.”
“Good. Then Mister will tell you. That person was very straightforward, just one sentence.” “What?”
“You, me, and him… everyone in this world, regardless of wealth or status, has only one life. Why should my life make way for yours? Instead of wronging yourself, it’s better to trouble others!”
“Instead of wronging yourself, it’s better to… trouble others?”
Li Yuer had never heard such selfish words before. Although it sounded wrong, she had to admit there was some truth to it.
Who wasn’t born of parents?
Why should she wrong herself and make way for others?
Each word was plain but cut deep into her heart.
Who was she?
Born with a Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, her thoughts were clear and sharp. Even just this one line sparked countless chains of thought in her exquisite heart.
What she associated with those thoughts, no one knew. Her previously expressionless eyes gradually gained a spark of vitality.
“Mister… I understand now!”
Huh?
Understand what?
Xu Ping’an was stunned. He hadn’t expected his words to awaken something in the girl.
“You… understand what?”
“Mister, thank you.”
Wait, what was she thanking him for?
Xu Ping’an frowned deeply. He felt this girl had awakened some strange thing.
Her entire aura seemed to have shifted.
Could it be that his words had a problem?
He thought it over carefully, confirming there was nothing wrong.
Looking at the girl again, she didn’t seem to have any issues either.
Forget it. Since there’s no problem, he wouldn’t get worked up with himself.
“Alright, as long as you understand. Put out your hand.”
“Ah? Mister, are you going to hit again? Yuer… Yuer’s hand hurts~”
Seeing Li Yuer’s pitiful expression, Xu Ping’an rolled his eyes.
“Enough pretending. I want your wrist, not your palm. I’m going to take your pulse. It’s been over half a month and you haven’t come to see Mister once. Now I have to come to you personally? You’re really too proud.”
Hearing this, Li Yuer cautiously stretched out her hand.
Xu Ping’an looked at the red palm and felt a little uneasy but didn’t think much of it. He placed his hand over her pulse point, carefully feeling.
“Hmm… your condition hasn’t worsened. Maybe because your mind has been calmer these days. But your body is indeed much weaker. Xiao Jing, I’m giving you a chance. Starting today, watch over your young lady’s meals closely. If even one dish is missing, come straight to me and I’ll scold her.”
“Yes, Mister!”
Xiao Jing agreed quickly, while Li Yuer smiled wryly and shook her head.
“Mister, what do you mean by this?”
“What do I mean? Who told you not to eat properly? Because of your tantrum this time, your treatment period is extended by at least half! You think your weak foundation can withstand so many days without proper food and drink? It’s your Tiger Demon Inner Core holding you up!”
She was clearly a mortal, unable to even circulate her own Qi and Blood, yet she had been fasting?
Normally, her inner core could replenish its Yang energy from food, but now it was consuming the core’s vitality directly. This inner core wouldn’t last much longer.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that it was the inner core of a shape-transforming great demon.
But this thing has different usage methods.
Inside a shape-transforming great demon, one unit of strength could produce ten times the power.
But inside her, even exhausting all her strength, this Tiger Demon Inner Core could barely maintain the Yin-Yang balance.
At least it could provide some support, right?
But she hadn’t been eating, cutting off external energy. The Tiger Demon Inner Core, already pushed to its limit, was now overdrawn on its source.
Unfortunately, this inner core’s source energy couldn’t be replenished from the outside.
It was equivalent to consuming the maximum lifespan directly!
This meant the Tiger Demon Inner Core would last much shorter than he had previously estimated.
The shortened lifespan would cause fluctuations in Li Yuer’s Yin-Yang balance for some time.
Naturally, this would extend the treatment period.
This troubled Xu Ping’an deeply.
Healing the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart was never easy, and now she was doing this to herself. As a doctor, how could he not be angry?
“Mister… I’m sorry.”
Seeing the anger on Xu Ping’an’s face, Li Yuer lowered her head in shame.
The girl who once took stubbornness out on herself was beginning to understand.
Smart people were like that. Once they understood one thing, they understood everything that followed.
“Alright, that’s enough. This time I accept your apology, but if it happens again, don’t blame Mister for being harsh. Understand?”
“Mm~”
Li Yuer obediently nodded.
Before Xu Ping’an, she truly couldn’t act like a superior.
“Enough said. Open the medicine box.”
Xu Ping’an opened the medicine box and took out a porcelain bottle, pouring out a single Golden Core pill.
“What’s this?”
“Hmm?”
Xu Ping’an shot Li Yuer a glance. She seemed to understand immediately and spoke before he could.
“I know. This is Mister’s sugar pill for Yuer~”
“Mm~”
Xu Ping’an nodded with satisfaction.
Finally, he had taught this little girl properly.
Wait?
Why did he subconsciously say ‘taught’?
That wasn’t right.
Li Yuer smiled mischievously and winked at Xu Ping’an.
“Having followed Mister for so long, I’ve at least learned some of Mister’s rules. Did Yuer do well? Should Mister do something?”
Seeing Li Yuer tilt her head, leaning halfway over with a teasing smile and a hint of shyness, her moist eyes filled with a little expectation, even Xu Ping’an wasn’t so foolish as to not know what she was thinking.
Fine, fine.
After all, she was his patient. He’d just treat it as comforting a patient.
His large hand gently covered the girl’s head. The soft hair slid playfully beneath his palm.
“Yuer did very well. Mister is very happy.”
Li Yuer’s mischievous expression instantly broke, rosy color creeping to her ears as she shyly lowered her head.
But the side profile of the beauty, with the corner of her mouth harder to suppress than an AK, betrayed the thoughts racing through this little girl’s mind.
She truly was a candied radish—sweet inside!
“All right, finish your medicine first. Mister still has to enter the palace later. Prepare yourself these days. In a while, we’ll go to the Liuyun Sect together.”
“Ah? Yuer’s going too?”
This surprised Li Yuer so much that her eyes widened. She looked at Xu Ping’an incredulously.
“Or else? Leaving you here, in a couple of months you’ll be coming out for your funeral.”
Xu Ping’an scolded irritably. Just as he was about to put down the medicine bottle, Li Yuer suddenly parted her red lips, the petite vermilion tongue darting about like a small snake in ripples.
“Mister, ah~~~”
Seeing Li Yuer’s expectant expression, continuously giving him ‘feed me’ eyes directed at the medicine bottle in his hand, Xu Ping’an was dumbfounded.
Is… is this really okay?
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