Moonlight

Chapter 27 - Moonlight

Without the Demoness Qingyao's frenzied attacks, the "17th Floor" forum was filled with hatred, making things incredibly stable.

Implicated by Li Bai, the Seventh People's Hospital, under immense pressure, finally broke its silence. They arranged for the entire recording of Yao Bing's diagnostic examination to be released on the "17th Floor" forum, along with a re-evaluation certificate from Professor Hou Xiaozheng, the director of the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Psychiatry Department. However, this still couldn't quell the public's anger, and it was quickly drowned out by countless deliberately guided doubts and criticisms.

If anyone in the public relations industry were to scrutinize it carefully, they could easily discern the presence of professional internet trolls, and not just one group.

Leaving the Demoness to reflect at home, Li Bai, completely unaware of the sudden uproar on the "17th Floor" forum, once again drove to the Cao family's residence, carrying a pair of plain glasses enhanced with a secret technique.

The Cao family was both surprised and delighted by Li Bai's return.

They were surprised that he had returned so quickly with something to treat Cao Qiuqing, and delighted that Cao Qiuqing's difficult-to-treat hysteria would finally receive effective treatment.

Compared to when Li Bai left in the morning, Cao Qiuqing, her eyes covered by a silk scarf, was clearly in much better condition. No longer dazed, she was able to converse with her family like a normal person, aside from some timidity and occasional, unprovoked anxiety.

The young Cao daughter's hysteria was temporarily under control, not just because her vision was obscured by the silk scarf, but also due to the hypnotic suggestion Li Bai had administered.

The plain black-rimmed glasses appeared unremarkable, and Chairman Cao and his wife could not comprehend how they could possibly cure their youngest daughter's visual impairment caused by hysteria.

However, they had no choice but to trust Li Bai's professional abilities. At the very least, his hands had brought effective control to a strange illness that medicine could not touch.

Removing the silk scarf that had bound her for half the day, Li Bai placed the black-rimmed glasses on Cao Qiuqing.

The once unremarkable black-rimmed glasses lent the young, delicate Cao daughter a hint of mature, charming intellectual aura, an unexpected combination.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Li Bai snapped his fingers, without any magical effect, to remind his patient that she could open her eyes.

Perhaps still shaken, it took a while for Cao Qiuqing to muster her courage. She slowly opened her eyes, first squinting, then gradually widening them until her vision finally cleared.

Her first instinct was to look at the bookshelf. Chairman Cao and his wife's hearts leaped into their throats. The young psychologist had guessed correctly; it was indeed the bookshelf that triggered the visual hallucination.

Before this, who could have imagined such a bizarre coincidence occurring in this room?

However, after staring for a few seconds, a look of surprise gradually appeared on Cao Qiuqing's face. She could no longer see the terrifying face. She shifted her gaze to other areas, and still, no dreadful, distorted faces appeared. The surrounding environment seemed to have returned to normal.

Li Bai nodded with satisfaction, seeing that the black-rimmed glasses had worked. He instructed the Cao family, "Alright, it looks like it was successful. From now on, except for when you sleep, you must absolutely, positively not take these glasses off. Remember this: wear them for at least two years. After two years, you can choose whether to wear them or not."

"Then, Doctor Li, what if the glasses are lost or broken? Could you give us a few more pairs? I... I can pay for them."

Chairman Cao had a new concern.

"Hmm, that is a problem, but don't worry. I'll get you a few more pairs as backups. These flat-rimmed glasses aren't expensive. We can talk about it later."

Getting a few extra pairs of backup glasses was a trivial matter for Li Bai. A pair of plain glasses cost less than fifty yuan to buy, so ten pairs would only be five hundred. It was hardly a significant issue.

"Thank you, Doctor Li. Please accept this token of our appreciation."

Madam Cao smilingly handed over a red envelope. Inside was not cash, but a check. The amount was even larger than the one given to Daoist He at Qingliang Temple, a staggering two million.

"No need! I have a small request. I would like something else as payment for this consultation."

Li Bai, however, unexpectedly shook his head, refusing the red envelope Madam Cao offered.

In fact, he had his eye on something else, something that money couldn't replace.

"What do you want? If we have it in the house, you can take whatever you like."

With his youngest daughter's condition stabilized, Chairman Cao felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He was extremely grateful to this young psychologist, especially admiring his professionalism and ethical conduct in not asking for payment.

"It's just a small item!" Li Bai's gaze fell upon Cao Qiuqing's left wrist as he said, "I want that bracelet."

A bracelet?

Chairman Cao and his wife looked at their youngest daughter's wrist. A bracelet made of beads, each about the size of a soybean, almost transparent milky white, shimmered with a peculiar, faint, pale blue iridescent light, like the cold moonlight.

Hearing that the young psychologist wanted her Moonstone bracelet, Cao Qiuqing blushed for no reason. She lowered her head and mumbled like a mosquito, "This Moonstone bracelet isn't valuable!" She then shyly hid her hands.

Chairman Cao and Madam Cao exchanged glances, a smile appearing in their eyes. Their youngest daughter was twenty years old, in the prime of her youth.

This young man was quite interesting, playing the game of feigned indifference.

In ancient times, giving such a personal item between a man and a woman was equivalent to a love token. Even though modern society's customs were much more liberal, Li Bai openly asking for a young lady's personal bracelet, a Moonstone bracelet worth at most five or six hundred yuan, clearly revealed his intentions.

However, Chairman Cao and Madam Cao had no intention of refusing. Of course, a necessary assessment was still in order.

From this moment on, the way they looked at Li Bai subtly changed.

"I don't care if it's valuable or not."

Li Bai's smile, bathed in the afternoon sun, was gentle and refined, exuding an ethereal aura that made the young Cao daughter's gaze momentarily daze.

From his words, he learned the material of the bracelet's beads: Moonstone.

Unlike the cultivation of the human race, which requires condensing spiritual qi from heaven and earth, the Demon Race cultivates by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. However, the sun and moon in this world lacked any energy that the Demon Race could use for cultivation, causing the Demoness Qingyao's cultivation to fall into a predicament.

But Li Bai unexpectedly detected a trace of Moonlight Essence from the bead bracelet on Cao Qiuqing's left wrist. There was always a way out. Although the laws of heaven and earth in this world were not conducive to cultivation, a sliver of possibility for practice remained.

"If you want it, I'll give it to you."

Cao Qiuqing, her face flushed, took off the Moonstone bracelet from her wrist.

"Thank you!"

Li Bai finally got what he wanted.

He held the Moonstone bracelet, probing it with his spiritual power. Just as he had guessed, each Moonstone bead contained Moonlight Essence, identical to that of another world—cold, serene, and even more condensed and pure.

Seeing Li Bai gaze at her Moonstone bracelet with such "devotion," Cao Qiuqing felt both shy and delighted.

"Ahem!"

Madam Cao cleared her throat, reminding her husband not to get in the way of the young couple.

"Oh, you two chat. We have some things to attend to!"

Chairman Cao came to his senses and quickly made an excuse, preparing to leave his youngest daughter's room with his wife to give the two young people some privacy.

"No need. I should be going. If anything comes up, you can call me. I'll mail the spare glasses."

Li Bai put away the Moonstone bracelet, bid them farewell, and left.

"Leaving already? Won't you stay for dinner?"

Madam Cao was sure her expression must have been incredibly stiff at that moment. She only saw Li Bai wave goodbye without looking back, disappearing from sight, showing no intention of staying even a moment longer.

It took Chairman Cao a while to react. Confused and bewildered, he exclaimed, "He, why did he leave? This young Li, really!"

Cao Qiuqing, Chairman Cao's youngest daughter, looked at her dad, then at her mom, pouting, and almost burst into tears.

Did he really just come for the bracelet? Am I, in his eyes, less appealing than that cheap trinket?