Chapter 73: A Habitual Kidnapper
That night…
After Yu Xiang and Shen Shuanglian had fallen asleep, Chen Yin quietly got out of bed and slipped out the window.
Guided by the faint connection of the master-servant contract, he arrived at a small inn in the neighboring town.
On the second floor, as Chen Yin approached the door, it swung open. A fluffy little fox leaped into his arms.
“Young Master, you’re safe!”
“Of course. Who do you think I am?”
Chen Yin patted her head affectionately. “Your Young Master is invincible.”
Luo Luo snuggled her head against his chest.
A cold snort came from beside them.
“Pervert.”
Chen Yin coughed awkwardly, put Luo Luo down, and turned to Qingying.
“How are Ya Ya and the others?”
“Not good.” Luo Luo’s expression immediately fell. “Sister Qingying and I applied some medicine, but it can only temporarily relieve their pain.”
“They’re too weak. They collapsed shortly after escaping and haven’t woken up yet.”
Chen Yin walked over to the bed and saw five emaciated fox girls lying there, their bodies frail and skeletal. He couldn’t help but frown.
He checked their conditions one by one. Their meridians were incredibly weak, too fragile for him to even try healing them with his spiritual energy.
“They’re too weak. Even the nourishing pills I have would be too much for them.”
Qingying leaned against the doorframe, her expression indifferent. “But we don’t have time for them to recover slowly.”
“If they’re not treated soon, they’re in danger.”
Chen Yin pondered for a moment and asked softly, “Does your secret division have any medical knowledge?”
“What are you thinking?”
Qingying looked at him as if he were an idiot. “The secret division is responsible for killing, not saving. Of course we don’t know anything about medicine.”
“If you want to save them, why don’t you find a physician?”
Easier said than done, Chen Yin thought with a sigh. But where could he find a physician at this hour?
“Xianyun Province is too desolate. We probably won’t find even a mortal physician within a hundred miles. If we want to find one, we’ll have to travel further…”
Chen Yin’s voice trailed off as he fell into deep thought.
…That’s right.
They were already at the border of Xianyun Province, bordering Yanxia Province to the east.
Although Yanxia Province wasn’t a major province and lacked immortal mountains and blessed lands, it had a large mortal population and was considered a relatively well-known province.
Since there were few cultivators there, the mortals lived peaceful and prosperous lives.
“Yanxia Province is only a few hundred miles away. If I’m fast enough, I might be able to ‘borrow’ a mortal physician before dawn.”
Qingying glanced at him with a strange look when she heard the word “borrow.”
But Chen Yin was becoming more and more convinced that his plan was feasible. He muttered to himself, “Ya Ya and the others are too weak. Immortal herbs would be too potent for them. It’s better to find a mortal physician to treat them.”
“This could work. It’s worth a shot.”
Chen Yin said in a low voice, “You take care of Ya Ya and the others. I’ll go to Yanxia Province and bring back a physician.”
“Be careful, Young Master!”
Luo Luo waved goodbye obediently, while Qingying simply turned her head away.
Leaving the inn, Chen Yin soared into the night sky, transforming into a streak of sword light, heading east under the moonlight.
***
Yanxia Province bordered Xianyun Province.
By the time Chen Yin finally found a relatively prosperous town, it was almost midnight.
The streets were deserted, most houses were dark, and only a few windows glowed with candlelight.
The medical clinics were definitely closed at this hour, so Chen Yin could only go from door to door, searching.
After a long and arduous search, he finally stopped in front of a grand-looking medical clinic.
“Xiaoxiang Medical Clinic? Judging by its size, it must be a reputable clinic.”
Chen Yin muttered to himself and then, with a single step, silently appeared inside the clinic’s courtyard.
The large clinic was shrouded in darkness. Most of the residents were asleep. Only a few rooms still had flickering candlelight.
Unsure where to find someone, Chen Yin approached a room with a lit candle.
But as he got closer, he heard the sound of running water coming from inside.
And the faint sound of a woman humming.
…Who takes a bath at this hour? Chen Yin felt awkward.
He had no choice but to wait outside until the woman finished bathing before asking about the physician.
However, to his surprise, an hour passed, and the only light in the entire clinic was still coming from that room. The woman was still bathing.
Chen Yin was starting to lose his patience.
Honestly, besides his Master, he had never met anyone who could take such long baths.
Seeing that there was no end in sight and he was running out of time, Chen Yin gritted his teeth and coughed lightly.
“Ahem. Excuse me, Miss, when will you be done bathing? I have a question.”
The sound of running water stopped abruptly, followed by a wary voice:
“Who’s there?”
“Uh, I’m a traveler seeking medical attention.”
Chen Yin said innocently, “I was going to wait until you were done bathing, but… your bath time is a bit inhuman.”
After a long silence, a soft and gentle voice came from inside:
“Just a moment.”
So Chen Yin waited patiently.
But ten minutes passed, and there was still no further response.
Impatient, Chen Yin called out again, “Miss, are you almost done?”
The moment he finished speaking…
A commotion erupted around him. Countless torches lit up the night as a swarm of servants poured in from all directions, surrounding Chen Yin and the room.
“Protect the young mistress! Catch the pervert!”
Chen Yin: “…”
…I knew it.
Surrounded by a sea of angry servants holding torches, Chen Yin could only force a wry smile.
“Miss, I just wanted to ask for medical help. I had no intention of being a pervert.”
“Liar!”
One of the servants glared at him. “Sneaking into the clinic in the middle of the night, who would do that for medical help? And you’re lurking outside the young mistress’s room while she’s bathing! You’re clearly a pervert!”
“Exactly! Which shameless scoundrel is trying to take advantage of our young mistress’s beauty?!”
Chen Yin’s expression: sweating bullets.
Seriously, who the hell is your young mistress? Does she have some kind of legendary beauty that’s worth me traveling all this way just to peek at her bathing?
Seeing that he wouldn’t be able to leave before dawn if he kept stalling, he sighed:
“Forget it, I’m in a hurry. I’ll just ask directly. Who’s the physician in your clinic?”
“Hmph, still pretending!” The servant said indignantly. “Even a three-year-old child in Yanxia Province knows that our young mistress, Nan Xiaoxiang, is a renowned physician, respected even by the governor. You still want to act like you don’t know her?”
She’s that impressive, huh?
Then I won’t hold back.
Chen Yin didn’t bother explaining anymore and simply said, “Excuse me, then.”
With that, he dashed forward, bursting through the door and into the room.
Inside, a delicate woman in white sat by the bathtub, her beauty reminiscent of Xi Shi. She looked utterly surprised by Chen Yin’s sudden intrusion.
*Xi Shi: One of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China.*
Before she could even speak, Chen Yin scooped her up over his shoulder and ran.
His Eternal Light sword flashed through the air. He leaped onto the sword and, amidst the gasps and shouts of the mortals below, soared into the night sky.
“A-an immortal?!”
“Oh no, the young mistress has been kidnapped by an immortal!”
“Quick, inform the master!”
***
The Eternal Light sword sped through the air like the wind.
Chen Yin, disregarding any semblance of decorum, carried the woman over his shoulder, his mind focused on getting back as quickly as possible.
The wind whipped past, but the woman remained silent and motionless.
Chen Yin was worried that he might have scared her to death and nudged her gently.
“Hey, Miss, are you still alive? Make a sound if you are.”
The woman remained silent.
Helplessly, Chen Yin put her down, only to find that she was not only fine but also looking at him with clear and bright eyes, her expression devoid of fear or panic.
Her pristine face glowed under the moonlight filtering through the clouds.
Faced with her calm and composed gaze, Chen Yin felt a wave of embarrassment.
“Uh… I’m sorry, Miss.”
He apologized softly. “It was wrong of me to kidnap you in the middle of the night, but my friends are in urgent need of medical attention. I had no other choice.”
“I’ll personally escort you back and apologize properly, okay?”
The woman seemed to ignore him and simply asked in a calm voice:
“Is this how you immortals invite people?”
Chen Yin scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’m truly sorry… As long as you treat my friends first, I’ll let you decide my punishment, how about that?”
The wind howled as the Eternal Light sword soared through the clouds, bathed in the silvery moonlight.
The woman glanced at him briefly, then turned away, her long eyelashes fluttering.
“…Fine.”
“The patients come first. We’ll settle our score later.”
Chen Yin nodded eagerly.
The wind whipped at the woman’s white dress and hair. She lowered her gaze and suddenly whispered:
“You… stand in front.”
“Why?”
“The wind is too strong. I’m just a mortal.”
Chen Yin obeyed and moved to the front of the sword.
But the woman hesitated for a moment, then gently grabbed the hem of his robe and closed her eyes.
“…What’s wrong now?”
“…I’m afraid of heights.” She said matter-of-factly.
Chen Yin was silent for a long time, then sighed.
…I feel like I didn’t just kidnap a physician.
I kidnapped an ancestor.
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