Mesmerizing Ghost Doctor

Editor: Misty Cloud Translations

Yue’er spoke while holding a chess piece against her chin, pondering for ages without deciding where to place it. Her eyes darted around, and she turned to him with a smile, asking, "Master, where do you think I should put this piece?"

The Azure Emperor’s mouth twitched slightly. He glanced at her and said, "Figure it out yourself."

"But I can’t figure it out! You know my chess skills aren’t great. If you don’t tell me, I’ll lose within three moves. So you really have to teach me!" She chattered cheerfully, completely oblivious to her own thick-skinned persistence.

The Azure Emperor seemed somewhat exasperated by her words, reaching out to point at the board.

"Thud!"

Yue’er placed the piece with a sharp thud exactly where her master had indicated. Her eyes lit up instantly. "Master, you’re amazing! Placing it here turns my dead-end position into a viable one!"

Azure Emperor picked up another piece and set it down. Sure enough, after Yue’er made a few moves, she turned to him again, asking where she should go next.

By the end of the game, Yue’er had managed to draw with him. Her eyes crinkled with delight. "Master, I actually drew with you!"

Azure Emperor glanced at her without comment, then swept his hand across the board, scattering the pieces. "Reconstruct this game. If you make a single wrong move, you’ll weed the medicinal fields on the back mountain."

"Huh?"

Yue’er gasped softly, rushing to examine the board only to find the pieces in disarray. She sighed lightly, "If I’d known, I would’ve studied it more carefully earlier."

After sorting the black and white pieces, she began recalling the game’s sequence, thoughtfully returning each stone to its original position.

One sat sipping tea, the other held the pieces in deep thought...

Days slipped by unnoticed. On this particular day, the Great Emperor Xiao Tian brought Xiao Junyan back to Yunxiao Mountain.

But unlike their previous visit, Xiao Junyan now looked visibly haggard.

"Big Brother Xiao? What happened to you?"

Yue’er looked at Xiao Junyan, who appeared utterly worn out and unrecognizable. In her memory, he had never let himself go like this. How come this time he had come looking so much thinner, unshaven, with bloodshot eyes? Seeing him, she could clearly sense the deep anxiety weighing on his heart.

"Little Qi..."

Looking at her, Xiao Junyan struggled to find the words.

He had intended to resolve matters with his own abilities, but upon taking charge, he realized his strength was utterly insufficient.

His strength was limited to his own capabilities. The force suppressing them wasn’t a single individual but an immensely powerful faction. He’d tried to uncover the mastermind behind it, but they were deeply concealed, beyond his reach.

The family crisis and the pressure from the elders nearly crushed him. The warning from the Old Predecessor was especially agonizing.

He came to Yunxiao Mountain to see her because the Old Predecessor had ordered him to settle things with her once and for all.

He arrived, yet the words refused to leave his lips.

Not long ago, he had sworn to her that if he ever married, she would be the one. But now, just months later, he had already...

Seeing him before her, Yue’er felt a flutter in her heart. She thought she understood why he looked so haggard and anxious now.

When Mother left not long ago, she had mentioned testing him. It seemed Mother had already begun.