Ye Ziling examined Mu Heng's pulse and, after confirming he was out of danger, stood up. Before she could walk far, Shen Yueru led a physician forward.
Seeing Ye Ziling's gradually darkening gaze, Shen Yueru's heart skipped a beat. She then hid behind Ling Xi and said coyly, "Senior Brother, I've invited a divine physician for Young Master Mu. I forgot to mention it just now. Miss Ye won't mind, will she?"
Ye Ziling was no fool. Although the man brought forward looked like a physician, he was cloaked in the residual aura of various demonic beasts. Coupled with his outwardly righteous demeanor, he was clearly a demon hunter in disguise.
What did she intend? To expose Mu Heng's identity in front of Ling Xi?
"How is it that I didn't know Miss Shen was so familiar with us?" Ye Ziling smiled, her eyes laced with sarcasm.
The young woman blinked her large, dewy eyes and smiled like a blooming flower. "It's all thanks to Miss Ye and Young Master Mu for saving me. Now that Young Master Mu is injured, I wish to contribute my humble efforts."
The physician opened his medical box and approached the bedside, reaching out to examine Mu Heng's pulse. However, Ye Ziling grabbed his wrist.
"You claim to be a physician? Yet your medicine chest contains only items for identifying demons. Are you not pretending to be a doctor for deception?"
Upon hearing this, the man was taken aback that she could see through him so easily. His expression turned ashen, his eyes darting about, and he forced a polite smile. "Miss... you've misunderstood. I've been practicing medicine for nearly a decade. This area has many demons, so I carry these items for self-defense..."
The man chuckled awkwardly, wiping sweat from his brow with his bare hand as he fumbled for a medicinal bottle in his chest.
Ye Ziling observed his movements, noting how he struggled even to twist open a bottle of ointment. She curved her lips into a smile. "A decade of medical practice? Judging by your age, you're around twenty-five. This means you started practicing medicine at ten. Then tell me, what are the medicinal properties of Bai Shaoyao and Chi Shaoyao?"
"If you can't answer, then you are either a charlatan or a quack."
The man faltered for a moment, his fingers tightening. He hunched over, looking helplessly at Shen Yueru, suppressing the panic in his eyes.
Ye Ziling flung his hand away and circled him, her voice cold. "Chi Shaoyao breaks up blood stasis to relieve abdominal pain, and also resolves vexation and fever. Bai Shaoyao nourishes deficiency and generates new blood, and excels at reducing fever. Surely you wouldn't tell me you don't even understand this basic medical knowledge?"
The man's face turned ashen, his steps faltering. The medicine bottle in his hand dropped to the ground, scattering demon-identifying powder everywhere.
Shen Yueru lowered her gaze, a cold sweat breaking out on her palms.
Ling Xi swept his robes aside and squatted down, picking up a pinch of the powder and sniffing it carefully. His brows furrowed, and his eyes deepened.
He knew this scent all too well. It was indeed demon-identifying powder.
Seeing his guilty demeanor, Ye Ziling's smile grew more unrestrained. "Tell me, are you a quack or a charlatan?"
Her voice sounded proper, but her tone was filled with ridicule and an inexplicable pressure that made the man feel suffocated. He quickly cast a pleading glance at Shen Yueru.
Shen Yueru's smiling face contorted instantly, her face flushing crimson. She pointed at the man and shouted, "You quack, what are you looking at me for? If I had known you were here to deceive people, I would have sent you to the magistrate's office long ago! What a waste of my money!"
"You scoundrel, trying to poison me to death!" Mu Heng leaped from the bed in anger, smashing the porcelain bowl on the ground. He roared, "Get out!"
The man stumbled, his footsteps flustered. He hastily shoved the medicinal bottles back into his chest and fled in panic.
Ling Xi glanced at Shen Yueru, his brow furrowed in thought. In the end, he said nothing.
Ye Ziling could tell that with Ling Xi's abilities, he likely knew this was a scheme orchestrated by his junior sister and was deliberately indulging it.
Ye Ziling casually found a chair and sat down, crossing her legs. She smiled leisurely at Shen Yueru. "Is this the divine physician Miss Shen found for us?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yueru stammered her explanation. "I... I didn't know he was a quack. Miss Ye, Young Master Mu, I truly only wanted to thank you..."
Mu Heng saw Shen Yueru raise her hand as if to wipe away tears with an innocent look. Recalling how this foolish woman had revealed their whereabouts to Jing Mo and his demons in revenge, his face darkened, and a surge of anger welled up within him.
If he weren't worried about her loose lips revealing what happened last night, he would have beaten Shen Yueru soundly by now.
Ling Xi retracted his thoughts, his expression unusually serious. Seeing the tense atmosphere, he interjected, "Miss Ye, I know a few minor celestial physicians in the Heavenly Court. Shall I have them examine Young Master Mu?"
"No need. No trouble for Young Hero Ling. My injuries can heal even while lying down," Mu Heng waved his hand, refusing. It was clear these two siblings had ill intentions.
Outside the window, the moonlight flickered. Ye Ziling returned to her room, opened the window, and shot a white dove with a bee's sting. She retrieved a letter from its leg and opened it. It was a personal letter from Shen Yueru.
The letter spoke of the matter of demons mingling within Jiu Ling Palace, and the recipient was Shen Qingfeng.
If this information were to leak out smoothly, it would be detrimental to Jiu Ling Palace, and the Heavenly Realm might even initiate an investigation into Jiu Ling Palace. Her own identity would likely be exposed then.
Just then, Mu Heng pushed the door open. Seeing the letter in her hand, his brows knitted, and he looked at her, guessing correctly. "Is this... a letter from that foolish woman?"
"That's right. I also have some news. The Demon King, along with a few minor demons, disguised themselves as celestial candidates and infiltrated several sects. I'm not sure what their purpose is," Mu Heng mused, frowning.
Ye Ziling remembered that Jing Mo's ambitions extended far beyond the Heavenly Realm. His target was the entire Three Realms, and he was likely preparing to make a move on the mortal world.
Ye Ziling took out a pill and handed it to him. "This celestial pill was given to me by someone when I was in the Heavenly Court. It can erase a mortal's memory for three days."
Mu Heng looked at the pill, a smug smile gracing his lips.
Shen Yueru lay on her bed, tossing and turning, a sense of unease inexplicably filling her heart. She had a strange feeling that her father might not receive her message. It was all her fault for not practicing her cultivation properly, unable to summon communication talismans or transmission bells.
She finally stood up and stared blankly into the bronze mirror, but soon, two figures appeared in the reflection.
"Miss Shen, please excuse the intrusion."
Ignoring the girl's panicked expression, Ye Ziling gripped her chin and forced a pill into her mouth.
"This pill will ensure you have peaceful sleep in the future."
The young woman's eyes darkened, and she collapsed onto the floor.
As the sky darkened, a gust of demonic wind blew past, and a mass of dark shadows coalesced into several large characters, floating before their eyes.
"I have been waiting for a long time at Jiu Ling Palace. I specially invite the Palace Master to meet me. – Jing Mo"
Ye Ziling and Mu Heng exchanged a glance, a flicker of light passing through their eyes.
"Jing Mo, this old demon, won't be so desperate that he'll jump off a cliff, will he?" Mu Heng seemed agitated.
"Why the rush? We depart tomorrow." Ye Ziling was not concerned. If Jing Mo lacked such patience, he wouldn't have smoothly ascended to the position of Demon King.