‘Finally finished. I hope Bai Lingfeng can see this and help me find someone from the Discipline Hall.’
Taking advantage of Lin Huanhuan’s distracted glances and the bit of freedom gained from deceiving her earlier, Ye Jinxi successfully sent a message to Bai Lingfeng using the Sound Transmission Stone.
Even a fish thrown onto the shore will struggle to flop back into the water.
At the same time, Dong Yun’er quietly returned to her side, barely drawing anyone’s attention.
“All done,” Dong Yun’er whispered.
Lin Huanhuan nodded. “That’s good.”
This scene did not escape Ye Jinxi’s notice. ‘What did Lin Huanhuan’s maid just go do? Acting all mysterious.’
‘Forget it. Anyway, they’re all trying to deal with me. I’d better keep quiet and let them fight among themselves. The best would be if both sides clashed, and I could slip away in the chaos.’
*****
They arrived at a medical clinic with the sign [Miaoduan Tianxia], where they were greeted by an old man in bizarre, eccentric clothes.
“Young Master Huang, you’ve finally arrived.”
“Sir Li Jiu, sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Huang Luocheng and Li Jiu immediately exchanged pleasantries, even going so far as to flatter each other.
‘So this old man is Li Jiu. They actually invited him to extract the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein? How did Huang Luocheng manage that?’
Lin Huanhuan frowned deeply at the sight of the odd old man.
Although he looked like an ordinary mortal—he was, in fact, just that—his background was far from simple.
According to the original story, Li Jiu was once an heir of Yisheng Valley, but for some unknown violation of the sect rules, he was expelled and has wandered the southern regions ever since.
Lin Huanhuan remembered the book’s description: utterly uninhibited by nature, unconventional in every way, yet with a strange personality, often doing things others could hardly comprehend.
While she pondered, they had already entered the clinic, and Bai Lingfeng and Li Jiu were now discussing the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein.
Li Jiu patted his chest and promised, “Leave the matter of the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein to me, old Li. I guarantee it’ll be extracted perfectly and transplanted to Young Master Huang without the slightest flaw.”
“Many thanks, Senior Huang.”
“Huh? Why are there three girls? Which one are we extracting from? Surely not all three?”
At this point, Li Jiu finally noticed the three women and asked in confusion.
“Hm?” Huang Luocheng’s brow twitched hard, his heart skipping a beat. “Senior, there’s only one with it—can’t you tell who it is? Aren’t you supposed to be very familiar with this sort of thing?”
Li Jiu scratched his head. “When did I ever say I was very familiar with this?”
Huang Luocheng’s eyelid twitched violently; he barely held back the urge to curse. “Senior, didn’t you say you’ve always dealt with the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein? If you’re not familiar, how will you transplant it?”
Li Jiu countered, “Does not being familiar mean I can’t transplant it? Who says you can’t do something you’re not familiar with? No such rule, right?”
He continued solemnly, “I’ve only seen the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein in ancient texts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t transplant it. Even though I’ve never done it before, I’m still very professional. Relax, there’s nothing to worry about.”
At that moment, Huang Luocheng felt like coughing up blood. Damn it, never seen it but still calls himself a professional, and wants me not to worry? Does he think I’m a three-year-old?
He even considered canceling the whole operation right then, but since things had come to this—people caught, everything ready—there was no turning back. He could only grit his teeth and press on.
Lin Huanhuan nearly laughed out loud from the sidelines. ‘So this sissy and Li Jiu aren’t even close? Doesn’t he know about the Ghost Doctor’s reputation? And he still dares to cooperate with Li Jiu, the Ghost Doctor? That’s bold.’
‘If I remember right, in the original, the Ghost Doctor Li Jiu’s medical skills were indeed outstanding, but the number of botched treatments wasn’t small either. Heh.’
Ye Jinxi asked quietly, “What’s the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein? Is it inside me?”
Lin Huanhuan lazily replied, “It’s a kind of physique, I suppose. Anyway, it’s pretty useful. Yes, it’s inside you. In a moment, they’ll cut you open to take it out. Scared?”
She even took the chance to frighten Ye Jinxi a bit, but the latter showed no fear. Instead, she calmly asked, “This person seems unreliable. Why do you trust him?”
“Not my problem. It’s not being transplanted into me,” Lin Huanhuan said coolly.
Ye Jinxi’s mouth twitched. “Fair enough.”
Li Jiu came over, exclaiming, “No wonder it’s the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein. So pretty! Young Master Huang, don’t worry—once it’s transplanted to you, even your looks will improve.”
Lin Huanhuan smiled with a tic mark on her forehead, Dong Yun’er stifled a laugh beside her, and Ye Jinxi’s eyelids and mouth twitched.
“Senior, this is my partner. The girl beside her is the one with the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein.”
Despite his best efforts to remain calm, Huang Luocheng’s frustration still leaked through.
“Oh, oh, oh.”
Only then did Li Jiu shift his gaze from Lin Huanhuan to Ye Jinxi. “Getting old, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Please don’t mind. Not bad, not bad—truly worthy of possessing the Frosty Yin Spirit Vein.”
Huang Luocheng sighed deeply, a look of bewilderment flashing in his eyes. He was already doubting if this whole trip was worth it.
“No time to lose. I’ll start now. Little girl, come with me. Don’t worry, my technique is very professional—it won’t hurt at all.”
Seeing the despair on Huang Luocheng’s face, Li Jiu hastily added.
“Then let’s begin.”
Ye Jinxi’s gaze darkened. ‘No matter what, we’ve finally reached this point.’
‘If only I could stall for a bit longer. The Discipline Hall people should arrive soon, but they’ll probably be too late.’
At that moment, Lin Huanhuan suddenly spoke up, “Wait.”
“Yes, Miss Lin? Is there something else?”
Huang Luocheng frowned, already upset over Li Jiu’s unreliability. Now, with Lin Huanhuan repeatedly finding fault, he couldn’t help but wonder what she was up to.
Lin Huanhuan seemed not to notice his displeasure. She said blandly, “Ye Jinxi is my person. Now you want to use knives, and the two of you will be alone—how can I feel at ease?”
“I must go in as well to keep an eye on things. What if something happens in there?”
“You… Never mind.”
Huang Luocheng wanted to refuse such an unreasonable demand, but seeing Lin Huanhuan’s indifferent expression, he feared she might go back on her word and could only agree.
With the main party’s approval, the unreliable Ghost Doctor certainly had no objections.
Ye Jinxi watched this unfold, puzzled. ‘Why does it feel like Lin Huanhuan is doing this on purpose—does she have another motive? Or am I just imagining things?’
She sensed that something was off, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was a strange feeling.