Chapter 261: Chapter 258 【I am a Disciple of Qingyun Sect...】
Chapter Two Hundred Fifty-Eight: Disciple of the Qingyun Sect...
The car sped through the streets of Shanghai.
Inside, Lu Xixi’s phone was still connected, maintaining the call.
On the other end of the line, the phone was now in the hands of Senior Brother Wu, who was reporting the real-time situation.
Lu Xixi anxiously looked out the window while listening to the continuous stream of updates from Senior Brother Wu.
Chen Nuo vomited blood and lost consciousness... doctors began emergency treatment...
The patient has been rushed to the emergency room...
Director Luo has arrived...
Director Luo has entered the emergency room...
Blood pressure stabilized...
The patient’s condition has stabilized...
The patient has temporarily been moved to the ICU...
Lu Xixi’s expression was solemn, and the atmosphere inside the car was very heavy; Sun Keke and the other three girls also looked distressed.
Although they learned that Chen Nuo’s condition had temporarily stabilized, the situation was still clearly not optimistic.
"Brother Lei, we need to start preparing," Lu Xixi sighed.
Brother Lei, too, had a stern face. Upon hearing this, he said in an uncertain tone, "Sister-in-law... doing this, will it really work? What if Chen Nuo wakes up, recovers his memory, and finds out I pretended to be his father? He could kill me!"
Lu Xixi looked at Brother Lei. "For this, you’re the only one who can do it."
"Yeah, Brother Lei, please, just help us out. Don’t worry, when Chen Nuo wakes up, I’ll talk to him, and he won’t blame you," Keke reassured him.
"Please!" Li Yingwan also pleaded, her hands clasped solemnly.
Niveer made it even simpler. "Sir, if you’re willing to help with this, I’ll give you a million!"
Brother Lei nervously scratched his head, his face downcast. "Ladies... this isn’t really about the money..." This was about life!!
「Outside the ICU ward.」
Wu Daodao, having received the tasks assigned by Lu Xixi on the road, left in a hurry.
Left behind were Xicheng Xun, Vanel, and Selina.
The foreign trio.
Such a group of foreigners standing as the "family members of the patient" outside the ICU ward stood out conspicuously.
Vanel and Selina, who were accustomed to life and death, looked serious but remained calm.
Xicheng Xun, however, was the odd one out.
The Japanese girl did not even sit on a chair but instead knelt quietly in front of the ICU door, near the window in the corridor. It was the standard Japanese kneeling posture, with hands supporting her own knees, chest retracted, and hands drooping.
Upon close inspection, her eyes were closed, and her face appeared to be calm.
But occasionally, as medical staff passed by, the girl’s eyes would suddenly snap open, revealing agitation and a fierce light!
Clearly, Xicheng Xun was on the verge of losing control.
Wu Daodao, having run off on an unknown errand, came back carrying a large bag of things. Breathless from exertion, Wu Daodao returned to the ICU entrance and, upon seeing the three foreigners, especially Xicheng Xun’s posture, was momentarily taken aback.
Wu Daodao, however, was composed. He approached Xicheng Xun, set down the items, then crouched beside the girl and gently patted her shoulder.
Xicheng Xun opened her eyes.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
Xicheng Xun: "..."
"Stop pretending to be calm; it’ll scare people even more," Wu Daodao said with a wry smile. "As a young lady, it’s okay to be scared, to cry. The way you are now, nobody dares to speak to you."
He gestured toward the nurses’ station. "Look, the nurses over there keep sneaking peeks over here."
Xicheng Xun’s command of Huaxia was not good; speaking it was hard, but she could understand well enough. She caught the gist of what Wu Daodao said.
After taking a deep breath and holding back tears, Xicheng Xun spoke softly, "Is he... alright now?"
"For the moment, yes," Wu Daodao shook his head. "The doctor told me after the emergency treatment that the condition is worsening, but it’s still okay for now. Don’t worry, he won’t die today at least."
Xicheng Xun couldn’t help but glance sideways at Wu Daodao.
Still, remembering that this man was indeed "his" senior brother, the rigid Japanese etiquette compelled Xicheng Xun to maintain a respectful attitude.
"The way it is now... it’s very much like..." Xicheng Xun slowly said in Huaxia.
"Like when my father passed away.
It was also in a hospital."
Wu Daodao was taken aback; he didn’t know much about Xicheng Xun’s family history and felt a sinking feeling upon hearing this. This poor child must have suffered a lot.
"That day... I also waited outside the ward like this.
Mother... was not there.
I was alone."
Xicheng Xun’s voice trembled slightly. "In the end, the doctor came out... apologized to me with a bow, saying... they couldn’t save my father..."
Wu Daodao finally understood.
"So... you were very scared every time a doctor approached?" he surmised.
"...Yeah."
Wu Daodao sighed quietly. Such a tough kid.
After a moment, Wu Daodao pulled Xicheng Xun up from the floor.
"Stand up, sit on a chair! Here in Huaxia nowadays, we don’t have a custom of sitting on the floor like that."
Xicheng Xun was lifted by Wu Daodao, and they both sat in chairs. Wu Daodao reassured her, "Don’t worry, Lu Xixi has finished what she needed to do and has come back. There’s some breathing room for this matter!"
「When Lu Xixi and the others arrived at the hospital, it was Vanel who met them downstairs.」
The hospital was so big, he worried that Lu Xixi and the group might not find the ICU right away.
By the time the "sister-in-law group" arrived, Wu Daodao blinked several times; he didn’t see a middle-aged man he didn’t recognize and felt a shock of alarm!
"Didn’t find the person?" Wu Daodao frowned.
Lu Xixi didn’t have time to explain and said directly to Wu Daodao, "We didn’t find the person, but we have a plan! Did you buy the things I asked you to?"
Wu Daodao immediately picked up a big bag of stuff beside him.
Lu Xixi breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the bag, and then turned to Brother Lei. "Brother Lei, you come with me... um, Sun Keke, you come help too."
As she spoke, she also called over Vanel and Selina, and a few of them surrounded Brother Lei and rushed to the restroom in the hallway.
Once inside the restroom, they asked Vanel to stand guard outside the door, making sure no one else came in for the time being.
Vanel, tall and muscular with a fierce look about him, stood at the restroom door like a guardian deity—the bear-sized Davarishi version.
If a patient or a family member happened to pass by and wanted to use the restroom, Vanel would immediately block the door with his body.
Then, with a few cold words, he scared them off!
Seeing this, Wu Daodao felt uncomfortable, stood up, and ran over there in large strides!
"Hey! Hey!! That’s not okay!"
Wu Daodao, clearly displeased, said, "It’s pretty outrageous for you to block the restroom like this, and even more outrageous to shoo people away so aggressively. You need to realize this is Huaxia! Not your capitalist world! This is a place where the people are in charge, understand! Cut out that privileged crap here! If there’s an emergency and we need the restroom, that’s an exceptional circumstance, sure, but you should be polite and explain it nicely to people! This isn’t your damn home!"
As he spoke, he shooed Davarishi aside like he was swatting a fly.
...Well, that was because everyone knew Wu Daodao was Chen Nuo’s senior brother. If it had been anyone else daring to talk to Vanel, a high-level executive from the Octopus Monster Company, like that, he would have been kicked down the stairs long ago.
Wu Daodao took his place at the restroom entrance. Whenever someone came over wanting to get in, he would bow and scrape, being extremely polite and apologetic, speaking softly and kindly, and even proactively directing them to the nearest alternative restrooms.
After all, you do not slap a hand that’s reaching out with a smile. Faced with such courtesy, people, although they felt something was odd, let it slide.
Alas. Just between us, society in 2001 was still rather straightforward. If it had been a decade or more later... Some no-good scammer, hawking fake and inferior products on live streams, would dare to have company security block off major roads and even check the ID cards of passersby. All damn demons and monsters! Such scoundrels they wouldn’t know themselves from Adam!
「Some time later, when several people came out of the restroom...」
Wu Daodao was stunned!
The others were also stunned! Brother Lei was nowhere to be seen!
Following behind Lu Xixi and Sun Keke was a strange middle-aged man!
He appeared gaunt in the face. With a straight nose and hollow cheeks, he looked distinguished and wan. Just a bit older, with laugh lines and nasolabial folds slightly more pronounced.
With lips pursed, he was the spitting image of Chen Nuo, with about seventy to eighty percent resemblance. He was the very picture of a middle-aged Chen Nuo.
On top of his head was a dense head of hair styled in a side part that was popular in the era.
Wu Daodao quickly approached and after taking a closer look, still used an uncertain tone, "Brother Lei?"
"Ah..." Brother Lei sighed, full of mixed emotions as he reached out to touch his own hair.
Wu Daodao immediately gave Lu Xixi a thumbs-up. "Genius!!"
Then he couldn’t help but say, "Lu Xixi... your skill in disguise has reached the pinnacle!! Let’s make a deal, teach me this skill! I will definitely repay you generously!"
Lu Xixi glanced at Wu Daodao and said, "You can’t learn this. It’s not as simple as just makeup and disguise. It also involves using special abilities to temporarily change a person’s soft tissues and even bones. I can’t teach you."
Wu Daodao immediately felt disappointed. "...Ah, that’s..."
"Okay, Senior Brother Wu," Lu Xixi shook her head. "Although the disguise is good, there are still some flaws. Brother Lei is a bit overweight, and I can’t transform his entire body in a short time. Go out and buy a few suits of appropriate clothing to change into, and then we can use the clothes to cover it up a bit."
Wu Daodao thought about it. "Alright! I’ll go buy some looser clothes to cover him; that will make it all the more convincing."
"Mhm, thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Wu," Lu Xixi added. "I can’t teach you my special abilities, but makeup skills can still be learned. The effect won’t be as good, but you can achieve maybe fifty to sixty percent of the effect."
"Just like that..." Wu Daodao immediately brightened up, pointing at Brother Lei. "If I can achieve fifty to sixty percent, that’s already quite miraculous! I’m definitely learning this skill!"
Damn it, once I learn such a miraculous makeup skill. Then go out and pose as a Riverside Sorcerer, sell some fake Amulets, look at feng shui or something. Scam those suckers for a pile of money, then take off running, and when it’s time, change my face! Then I won’t have to worry about being caught!
Wu Daodao turned and ran out to buy clothes again, while Lu Xixi continued discussing with Brother Lei.
"Brother Lei, we only have one chance at this! If he sees through it, it’ll be much harder to fool him again," Lu Xixi sighed, her tone very serious. "Everything depends on you now."
"Logically speaking... it shouldn’t be difficult," Brother Lei said with a bitter smile. "The last time Chen Nuo saw his father, he probably hadn’t even started elementary school. There shouldn’t be many memories left. But... my heart is pounding! Sister-in-law! After Chen Nuo recovers his memory, you all must help me keep this hidden!! If he finds out and wants to beat me to death, my life will be in your hands!!"
"Don’t worry, I guarantee you’ll be fine!"
"Alright then!"
Brother Lei, with the promise secured, temporarily let go of his worries, took a deep breath, and then moved around a bit. He walked over to the window and, looking at his reflection in the glass, began to rehearse his lines.
Damn it... The ups and downs of life are just too exciting! Always just nodding and bowing, scurrying about behind Chen Nuo. Never would I have imagined that one day Chen Nuo would call me ’Dad’!
「A group of people waited outside the ICU...」
Everyone was secretly sizing up the transformed Brother Lei.
Especially Sun Keke, who looked at Brother Lei with a strange expression, occasionally letting out a soft sigh.
Poor School Belle Sun...
Ever since she got entangled with Chen Nuo emotionally, this young and innocent girl had imagined countless times being together with Chen Xiaoguo, leading that ordinary life of a couple. Dealing with the daily domestic details, growing old together.
She couldn’t imagine what someone too old would look like, so she based her fantasies on the likes of Old Sun and Yang Xiaoyi from her family. She had also fantasized about being with Chen Nuo and, when reaching an age similar to her parents, what that scene might look like...
In many of those fantasies, the middle-aged version of Chen Nuo... wasn’t that just the man before her eyes right now?
As she thought and thought, Sun Keke felt a trace of tenderness unwittingly sprout in her heart.
But her gaze shifted and landed on the few other "sisters-in-law" sitting in the chairs.
Sun Keke’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
CLICK, that trace of tenderness in her heart shattered like glass.
Hmph... This scoundrel!!
「Just at that moment, someone suddenly walked through the hospital corridor.」
A short figure strode quickly, swaying unsteadily, scouring around with their eyes as they moved. Once the child reached the nurse’s station, they politely inquired about something, and after the nurse pointed in this direction, the child turned their head and walked over.
They sized up the crowd in this corridor, a bunch of women.
Yep, no mistake!
"Excuse me... do any of you know Wu Daodao?"
Lu Xixi squinted at the person in front of her.
This was a child. They seemed to be no more than ten years old, slightly on the skinny side, with thin arms and legs. They had boyish short hair, big eyes rolling around, and their forehead was beaded with sweat. Their chin was pointed, and their voice was clearly that of a child who hadn’t hit puberty yet. High-pitched and somewhat shrill.
They were wearing a clearly oversized shirt, a boy’s T-shirt, athletic shorts, and beach shoes. All of which looked quite worn.
A single-shoulder travel bag was slung over their shoulder.
After Lu Xixi sized the child up, she asked curiously, "Little friend, are you looking for Senior Brother Wu?"
"Senior Brother Wu? Ah, then it seems I’ve found the right people." The child nodded maturely, stood up straight, folded their hands in a salute with a Tai Chi fish gesture, and smiled genially at Lu Xixi and the others nearby. "Qingyun Sect disciple, Situ Beixuan, at your service. Mr. Wu Dao, is indeed my master!"
The child didn’t look old, but there was an indescribable presence in the way they moved, the very picture of a senior disciple from a hidden sect.
...They were worlds apart from the Qingyun Sect Leader, who at first glance seemed like a riverside charlatan!
Moreover, listen to that name!
Situ Beixuan!
A person with such a name should never have a master called "Wu Daodao"!
Lu Xixi, a mix of curiosity and annoyance on her face, asked, "Senior Brother Wu’s apprentice?"
"Indeed, I am his second disciple," replied the child, smiling warmly, composed—unlike most who, dazzled by the radiant Star Sky Empress, wouldn’t even know where to rest their eyes. Yet, this child merely looked calmly, gazing directly into the eyes of the Star Sky Empress. "May I inquire, fellow Daoist, where is my master?"
"You really are Senior Brother Wu’s apprentice, huh," Lu Xixi frowned slightly. "Little friend... how did you find your way here?"
As she spoke, she glanced behind the child. "Did you come here alone? Where are the adults from your sect who came with you?"
"No need to look, I came alone," the child said with a sealed smile, calmly stating, "I received a call from my master yesterday, and I set off early this morning to come here."
"Just you by yourself?" Lu Xixi’s expression slightly changed. "Wu Dao... I mean, Senior Brother Wu, what did he call you here for?"
Situ Beixuan curled their lip, offering a slight, somewhat disdainful smile.
"My master summoned me to perform the Soul Summoning Secret Technique for..."
At this point, the child let out a sigh, his tone seemingly dismissive, "for a scoundrel who has deceived many women’s hearts."
"..."
This brought the conversation to a dead halt!
Lu Xixi was stunned, Sun Keke was moved to tears, Li Yingwan’s eyes widened, and Niveer looked displeased.
Xicheng Xun... well, the swordswoman had no idea what was being said.
Lu Xixi took a couple of deep breaths, suppressing the anger in her heart!
You ask Wu Daodao to invite a fellow sect member skilled in Summoning Soul Technique... And he sends over this little kid?! This kid looks no more than ten years old!! Plus, there’s a bit of snot hanging from the kid’s nose! Sniffling, for goodness’ sake!!
"You... know how to perform the Summoning Soul Technique?" Lu Xixi asked incredulously.
Situ Beixuan chuckled leisurely. "The simple art of soul summoning is nothing to speak of! I practice the way of humans and ghosts, capable of inviting the moon from the ninth heaven above, and summoning souls from the netherworld below! Both the Yin-Yang of the living world and the paths of life and death—I can tread them all!"
Such arrogance?
Lu Xixi narrowed her eyes. The last person who bragged like this to her was the leader of a Level A ability user team from London! That man ended up being hung by her on top of the Tower of London to be blown by the wind all night!
"How old are you?"
"Nine years old," Situ Beixuan replied confidently.
Right... the same age as the white-haired little loli Toffee at home.
"Do you really possess the abilities you claim to have?" Lu Xixi sighed. The Star Sky Empress was already prepping to give someone a beating! Right, can’t hit a child. When Wu Daodao comes back, I’ll have to hit him hard!
Situ Beixuan appeared accustomed to being doubted because of their age. Upon hearing the question, they didn’t get angry. Instead, they smiled gently, their eyes gleaming with self-confidence.
"Fellow Daoist might not know! The rules of my Qingyun Sect are different from other sects.
"In our sect, the adept are revered above all else!
"Within my sect, the strongest undeniably is my master’s wife!
"I, being mediocre, rank second in the sect.
"Below me are my senior apprentice-brother and third junior apprentice-brother.
"My master Wu Daozi, if we were to talk about abilities, could only be placed fifth in our sect,
"barely surpassing my seven-year-old fourth junior apprentice-sister, that’s all."
As they spoke, this nine-year-old child beamed with a proud smile!
Lu Xixi was stunned, and so was everyone else.
...Nobody had ever seen such a brazenly boasting kid!
But seeing this Situ Beixuan so composed, smiling with an unfathomable look...
Suddenly, a call from Wu Daodao echoed through the corridor.
"Erya! Is that you, Erya?!"
Instantly, the face of this seemingly esteemed child crumbled!
This child, whether called Situ Beixuan or Erya, had their expression rapidly change several times before forcefully returning to a calm demeanor, though their eyes wavered slightly.
Turning around, they greeted the striding Wu Daodao with a fist and palm salute. "Greetings to the master!"
"Erya, how come you’re here so quickly? Didn’t I tell you to call me after getting off the train? I would have fetched you."
"As per master’s instructions, the disciple dared not delay; anxious at heart, I hurried over myself. I did not dare trouble Master to pick me up... OUCH! OUCH! IT HURTS! LET GO!! WU DAODAO, RELEASE ME!!"
Erya’s face contorted in pain as Wu Daodao pinched her ear, leading to her charade collapsing as she cried out in a fuss.
"Speak properly! Don’t put on airs here! Put away all those antics," Wu Daodao said with an irritated look.
"Wu Daodao, I’m telling you! Leave me some face! There are so many people here; if we fight, you can’t beat me. The one who will lose face is you!"
Wu Daodao’s expression suddenly turned odd, releasing the ear he was grasping. "Alright, shut your mouth! Did you bring all the things I asked you to?"
"..." Erya glared at her master and dropped the bag off her shoulder onto the ground. "Everything’s here."
"Uh... my apologies to everyone, my disciple has watched too many TV dramas and likes to be pretentious when she talks..."
Lu Xixi and the others remained silent, just watching this master and disciple oddly...
So... can you actually beat your disciple, or not?
"Her name is Erya..."
"Master! How many times have I told you, outside, call me Situ Beixuan!"
"Okay, okay, quiet down, kid."
"I..."
"Although my disciple is young, she’s truly proficient in the Yin-Yang Technique..."
"Of course, you can’t even beat me..."
"I told you to be quiet!" Wu Daodao glared. "That Summoning Soul Technique..."
"It’s called the Soul Summoning Secret Technique! You can’t even understand the Ancestral Master’s manual, messing up the name..."
"That Soul Summoning Secret Technique, she has practiced it well, indeed reaching a decent state of mastery..."
"You can keep boasting; only I know the Soul Summoning Secret Technique in our whole household. ’Decent mastery,’ if you’re so capable, why don’t you try using it?"
"...I’ll beat you to death, you ingrate!!"
As the master and disciple wrestled with each other...
Strangely enough, Wu Daodao, using both hands and feet, was actually fended off by Erya. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get a grip on the girl...
Out of the blue, Erya’s expression changed as she commanded in a low voice, "Stop!!"
With scarcely a gesture, Erya effortlessly brushed aside Wu Daodao’s strength. She swiftly moved to the side, listening intently.
"You..." Wu Daodao was embarrassed.
"Master, no talking," Erya waved off, furrowing her brow.
Erya’s gaze flickered. She listened for a while, her eyes scanning the crowd, they suddenly settled on Sun Keke!
"You, kid..." This time, out of curiosity, Li Yingwan spoke up.
But unexpectedly, Lu Xixi also hushed in a low voice, "Don’t talk!"
The Star Sky Empress’s gaze fixated on Erya!
To Lu Xixi’s surprise, she clearly sensed a vigorous stream of spiritual power emerging from this mere nine-year-old girl just momentarily!
Erya walked up to Sun Keke, eyed School Belle Sun narrowly, then broke into a smile.
"It’s you."
"Ah? What about me?" Sun Keke was taken aback.
Erya’s smile carried a hint of mystery as she sighed lightly and said, "Sister, haven’t you heard someone calling for you all this time?"
Sun Keke paused. "...Calling for me?"
Looking around. "No? Who’s calling for me?"
Erya sighed. "There’s something strange about you; perhaps you just haven’t awakened yet. Although your constitution is unique, it’s normal that you can’t hear anything. Well then, let me help you."
As she spoke, Erya suddenly bit gently on the tip of her finger, squeezing out a bead of blood, then murmured an incantation. Swiftly moving forward, she touched Sun Keke’s forehead with a light dot!
Amazingly, her fingertip did not actually touch Sun Keke’s forehead but was still half an inch away. Yet, a mark as if red ink had spread suddenly appeared on her forehead.
Erya intoned solemnly, "THUMP!!!"
Sun Keke felt herself zoning out when suddenly, as if in her mind, she heard a voice!
"Keke! Keke!! Can you hear me?!!!!"
Sun Keke suddenly jumped up, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Chen, Chen Nuo?!"