The Little Divine Physician

Si Ming asked suspiciously, "From what you're saying, isn't this guy just a completely irresponsible scoundrel?"

"A person capable of cunning and scheming, who climbed step by step from the lowest disciple to the position of sect leader, is hardly a simple character. However, emotions are a deep and difficult thing to express. Even the most wicked and evil person has things they cannot give up... Shang Yu was indeed killed by me, and it is understandable that Li Ban resents me. If he doesn't do this, he has to admit that he killed Shang Yu."

Si Ming chimed in, "So he needs a target to whom he can project his resentment, and this target must be powerful enough to prevent him from having wild thoughts, and the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect just happens to fit the bill."

Wan Yebai clenched his fists and said, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. I have no say if he wants revenge on me, but he shouldn't have taken his anger out on my family and killed my daughter—the hatred for killing my daughter is irreconcilable!"

"I understand. Don't worry, I won't let this person get away with it."

Si Ming vaguely felt that there might be ominous or untrue elements in the other party's words, but this had nothing to do with Li Ban's deserved death. The Myriad Filth Tainted Blood was solid enough evidence. Three drops of Myriad Filth Tainted Blood meant that at least 300,000 lives had been lost because of him. Unless he could prove that everything was done by his subordinates and that he, as the sect leader, was kept in the dark by his subordinates and knew nothing about the matter—such words could only fool Hongdou.

Shortly after Si Ming left, Yuezheng Yao approached Wan Yebai and said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Sect Master and Alliance Leader Si... but my cultivation Cultivation Method makes me exceptionally sensitive to sound. Even from three hundred meters away, I could still hear everything clearly. So, I have a question that I hope the Sect Master can answer."

The other party was his benefactor who had personally saved him from Li Ban's clutches, and she was also a female Grandmaster. Although her cultivation was still shallow, she was also very young, and could even be considered the youngest Grandmaster he knew, with unlimited potential for the future. Naturally, Wan Yebai did not put on airs and said amiably, "Please ask me whatever you wish, young lady. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"If what I'm about to say offends anyone, please forgive me, Sect Leader Wan. I've already learned about the great battle a few days ago from others. I heard that you left your own son in the Righteous Qi Palace to live and die with the other disciples. I originally thought you were a heartless person, but after listening to the conversation just now, it seems that's not the case. At least I can feel your determination to avenge your daughter. Since you care so much about your daughter, how can you be so ruthless to your son?"

"Young lady, you misunderstand. I have no favoritism towards my daughter, and I value Ziqiu equally. If our positions were reversed, I would be just as angry for Ziqiu and would keep Ziling in the Righteous Qi Palace."

"... I understand. For the sect leader, the sect is more important than family."

"Although I would like to say that both are equally important, you saved my life, and it would be rude to use such perfunctory words—if I had to choose between the two, I would choose the sect."

Yuezheng Yao said unhappily, "In your eyes, the bond of blood is not as strong as that of outsiders?"

"There are parents who abandon their children, and daughters who betray their fathers for their lovers. It's clear that not everyone puts family first. Family, love, and friendship—which is more important? Everyone has a different choice. For me, the former sect leader was very kind to me, like a teacher and a father. The Evil-Slaying Sword Sect is the home I grew up in. I am willing to pay any price to continue the sect's legacy."

"Is family ties so insignificant to you?"

"If I could have taken Ziqiu's place that day, I would have stayed without hesitation and let him leave. I value the sect more, but that doesn't mean family is insignificant to me. The two are not contradictory. For example, for Li Ban, power may be the most important thing to him, and he may stop at nothing to achieve it, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love Shang Yu. Even from the perspective of an enemy, I have to admit that he did indeed sacrifice a lot for Shang Yu."

"... I understand now, thank you for clearing up my doubts, Sect Master Wan."

"We just had a casual chat. You're too kind, young lady. What I'm about to say is just my humble opinion, a piece of advice from an elder. Please just listen and don't take it too seriously. Actually, what a person values more is usually related to their personality and childhood. There's no inherent right or wrong in it."

Upon hearing this, Yuezheng Yao nodded and left with a troubled expression.

Wan Yebai stared at the retreating figure, muttering in confusion, "Alliance Leader Si? That's strange. Could it be that it's a single surname instead of a compound one? Is the Alliance Leader actually surnamed Si and given name Ma Liang?"

Several days later, Si Ming received news that two of his companions had been found.

Chapter 558 Little Divine Doctor

On the official road, two figures walked slowly northward, seemingly strolling at a leisurely pace, but in reality, their speed surpassed that of ordinary people riding horses.

"If you're looking for your companions, why drag me into it?"

Wu Ming, or rather Shang Yu, complained to Si Ming.

"Seeing your gloomy expression, I'm worried that if too much negative emotion builds up, you might turn into a demon, which would be very dangerous for Qingqing. So I brought you out to relax, enjoy the scenery, and take a spontaneous trip."

After studying Shang Yu's experiences, Si Ming felt that she must be an adventurous and artistic young woman, so he composed a poem. "Starting tomorrow, I will be a happy person, feeding horses, chopping wood, and traveling the world. Starting tomorrow, I will care about grains and vegetables. I have a house, facing the sea, where spring is warm and flowers bloom."

"Boring."

"How can you call this boredom? The world is so big, don't you want to go out and see it? Remember, life is not just about the present hardships, but also about poetry and distant places."

It must be said that the scenery here is indeed beautiful. After all, it has not been polluted by industrialization and is full of natural freshness. The sky is as blue as jade, three peaks stand opposite each other in the distance, and two streams flow beside you. The water is spotless, and the round stones in the stream are green and scattered in a pleasing way. The trees on the east bank are lush and the orioles sing. On the west bank, there is an endless apricot forest with thousands of flowers in full bloom, as beautiful as the clouds. It is truly a beautiful scene on earth.

However, Shang Yu showed no appreciation whatsoever, and turned around to say, "I'm going back."

"Wait, wait, didn't you want Li Ban dead? We're in the Righteous Qi Palace all day. Do you Li Ban would be stupid enough to walk right into our hands and let me kill him? He's not stupid. Right now, he's in the shadows, and we're in the light. We can't even control his actions, so how can we talk about killing each other? So we have to actively create an opportunity for him, an opportunity that he feels is suitable to make a move, to lure him out obediently. And you are the best bait. As long as he still has even a little bit of affection for you, he can't possibly ignore it."

Shang Yu wasn't surprised that Si Ming knew about her past. She had already prepared herself when she revealed her real name and warned, "Be careful not to be caught off guard. He's not someone who acts on emotion or is reckless. He won't show himself unless he's absolutely certain."

"In other words, he values his own safety more than yours?" Si Ming provoked.

Shang Yu was silent for a moment before speaking, "I don't know what you heard from Wan Yebai, but I must remind you that what Wan Yebai said may be true, but it may not be the truth."

What is the truth?

"I don't know either."

Si Ming rolled his eyes. "Then what are you even saying? Are you the kind of person who 'questions everything and never expresses any opinion'?"

Shang Yu snorted, ignoring the other party's sarcasm, and said, "I want to ask him to verify the truth."

Si Ming's expression suddenly dawned on him. "So, taking his life was just an excuse. Your real wish is to know the truth about what happened back then. If he was wronged, you can clear his name, and you will forgive him and leave satisfied."

"No, my wish is to kill him; finding out the truth is just a side effect."

Si Ming stared into the other woman's eyes but found no sign of lying. He couldn't tell if it was due to her excellent acting or her true thoughts. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Women's thoughts are indeed hard to understand. Never mind, I don't care about anything else. I just hope that when I'm fighting Li Ban, you won't betray me and stab me in the back. If you have this thought, say it as soon as possible so I can be mentally prepared."

"I didn't lie, nor could I lie, because I am now connected to that little girl in spirit and soul; she can sense whether I am lying or not."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming felt somewhat relieved, because it was easy to verify this with Liu Qingqing, and she had no reason to lie to him. "I hope Li Ban doesn't know what you're thinking. Now is the time to test his feelings for you. If he knows you're going to kill him, he might never show up again."

Shang Yu was very sensitive about matters of the heart, and said unhappily, "I told you, he's the type to plan things out before acting. I'm not in any danger with you, so there's no need to rush to snatch me away. If you were in his shoes, would you rush to snatch me away as soon as you heard the news? Wouldn't you be worried it's a trap?"

"Don't worry, this is clearly a trap. But there's one situation in which I would risk everything to save someone, even if I know it's a trap: when my beloved doesn't have much time left."

Shang Yu paused, vaguely guessing at a possibility, and turned to ask, "Could it be that you revealed my situation?"

Si Ming snapped his fingers, "That's right. I found a bunch of shady characters and spread your information as quickly as possible. Although it's all cut out details and is half true and half false, it's basically the same old story about someone coming back from the dead. The reasons vary, but one thing all the intelligence mentions is that your time is running out, and your resurrection period is limited. Once it expires, your soul will be scattered. This time limit varies—five days, seven days, half a month—but no matter the exact number of days, there is a deadline."

Public relations has always been one of his strengths. Although the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect Primal Qi, its vast network of connections still exists. Si Ming believes that the news is already flying everywhere, and people in every teahouse in the Eastern Martial World are whispering mysteriously, "Have you heard? Blah blah blah."