Chapter 205: A Long Year

And after Ning Feiliu left Heaven Dou City...

Ye Lingling took the key and arrived at the medical clinic that had not been opened for business for a long time.

After Ning Feiliu's experience in Pharmacology was mostly complete, he did not pay much attention to this clinic.

However, before his true identity was completely exposed, he would still come to run the clinic in the afternoons while completing tasks at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

But after that day when Ning Feiliu chose to stop hiding and completely exposed his identity, the clinic was rarely opened.

Following that, it had not opened its doors at all for nearly a month.

Ye Lingling had also almost never come over because Ning Feiliu was not there.

The clinic, which initially appeared to be bustling with people, now looked somewhat desolate under the afterglow of the setting sun.

Ye Lingling walked over, but just at this moment, an old lady suddenly appeared in front of her.

It was... the first patient Ning Feiliu encountered when he opened the clinic, that old lady who had been bitten and poisoned by a Black Water Mysterious Snake.

It was just that Ye Lingling did not remember her.

The old lady, however, remembered Ye Lingling and said with a chuckle, "Miss Ye... long time no see. By the way, what happened to Dr. Ning recently? I haven't seen him open the clinic for a long time..."

Ye Lingling was silent for a moment, then said, "He has matters to attend to and will be away for a period of time..."

"Has Dr. Ning left?" The old lady looked very disappointed, but she quickly said, "That's true, Dr. Ning's medical skills are so good, he will move upward sooner or later..."

"It's not exactly like that..." Ye Lingling shook her head, but she hesitated again, because how was this not Ning Feiliu wanting to continue moving upward?

He wanted to become a stronger Spirit Master; it had always been like this.

However, the old lady misunderstood and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Miss Ye, I don't think what Dr. Ning is doing is wrong... rather, it is right for Dr. Ning to do so; after all, it is impossible to just be a small doctor here forever."

She said with some emotion, "Actually, Dr. Ning has already been very good to us ordinary people who are nothing. I have never seen such an approachable Spirit Master lord before. I am over fifty years old this year and have seen many people; Dr. Ning usually seems very serious, but in reality, he has never had any discrimination or prejudice when treating illnesses."

"Whether it is us ordinary people or Spirit Masters, he treats everyone equally, so Dr. Ning is a truly good person."

She had misunderstood; Ning Feiliu did not treat everyone equally, nor was he free of any discrimination or prejudice.

It was just that he had not encountered anyone who would cause Ning Feiliu to change his attitude; if a Title Douluo came to him, he would certainly have a slightly better attitude.

And the people who usually came to the clinic were at most that Soul Saint whom Ye Lingling's father could not save.

A mere Soul Saint, compared to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was nothing to speak of.

Plus, Ning Feiliu was a transmigrator; to be honest, having merged with the original soul, he only possessed a bit of that transmigrator's concept of equality.

However, Ning Feiliu always adhered to one idea: "People are divided into three-three-nines."

Not three-six-nines, but three-three-nines; apart from those standing at the very top of the pyramid, everyone else was exactly the same.

The value of a Title Douluo was simply higher than the value of those below a Title Douluo.

Ning Feiliu also advocated egoism; he made no secret of the fact that everything he did was for himself, for the sake of being able to step onto the Ascension to God Staircase and ultimately enjoy the ultimate dream of longevity in the future.

For the country and the people? He could not do it.

At most, he would not be like that scoundrel, harming others to benefit himself or using double standards.

However, in the eyes of the poor who only looked at the exterior and not the interior, everyone was judged by their actions rather than their intentions.

Regardless of how dark or selfish his inner heart was, as long as what he did was beneficial to ordinary people like them, then he was a great person.

Ye Lingling actually thought the same, saying, "Mm, Feiliu is indeed a very good person."

"But we are still very reluctant to see Dr. Ning go. Although because of Dr. Ning's teachings, very few people here get sick anymore." The old lady sighed and said, "But there will still be some injuries and illnesses, however... sigh, it is a good thing that Dr. Ning has his own pursuits."

Hearing these words from the old lady, Ye Lingling immediately said, "Feiliu will come back. Before he returns, he gave the clinic to me... so this clinic will continue to operate, but please forgive me, my medical skills might not be as good as Feiliu's."

She had intended to... just like before, keep the clinic open to practice the medical skills Ning Feiliu had taught her, and improve her level through practice.

But even so, hearing these words from Ye Lingling, the old lady was quite surprised.

Following that came immense joy; she immediately said excitedly, "Miss Ye, that is truly wonderful... the clinic will still open as usual, right?"

"Yes, just like before, and the rules are the same," Ye Lingling said immediately.

"Thank you so much, Miss Ye, and also... thank you to Dr. Ning. I will go back and tell everyone right now." The old lady left in excitement.

And Ye Lingling took the key and opened the clinic's front door.

It had not been opened for a month; although the clinic was not exactly covered in dust as if it had been sealed for a long time, there was a thin layer of dust accumulated on the floor.

Ye Lingling stroked the place where she had once followed Ning Feiliu to practice and learn medicine, and soon she walked into the backyard.

Ning Feiliu said he had left all the experimental equipment, along with the books and the furniture there, to Ye Lingling.

However, if Ye Lingling did not like them, she could throw them away and buy new ones.

Yet, as Ye Lingling walked into the backyard and saw Ning Feiliu's laboratory filled with alchemy and chemistry equipment, she picked up a flask and seemed to be able to feel the hundreds of days and nights Ning Feiliu had spent holding it while conducting complex experiments here.

She put down the flask and then walked into the other side, Ning Feiliu's bedroom.

The desk, the bed, and even the pillows and sheets were still here; they looked like they had been tidied up, and quite neatly at that.

It was just that Ye Lingling, while looking at the neatly arranged sheets, still found a wrinkle.

She sat on the bed and seemed to be able to feel the warmth from when Ning Feiliu used to rest here.

At this moment, Ye Lingling took off her shoes, put her legs on the bed, and then lay down with her hands placed flat in front of her lower abdomen; her waterfall-like long hair spread out, looking like a flower on the pillow.

"Let me be willful just this once... let me fantasize for a moment..." Ye Lingling closed her eyes and thought in her mind.

As a Spirit Master, she rarely fell asleep here, and she even had an unspeakable, beautiful dream.

After this, the clinic located in the ordinary civilian district of Heaven Dou City opened up again.

It was just that the attending doctor inside had changed; it was no longer the "Dr. Ning" who was talked about with relish by the commoners, but "Miss Ye," who was equally skilled at bringing the dying back to life.

Just like how "Dr. Ning" was popular because of his handsome face and exquisite medical skills, especially popular among the young ladies.

Miss Ye also became the dream lover of many young men because of her extremely beautiful face that even a veil could not hide, and her exquisite medical skills.

However, Miss Ye was even more unattainable than Dr. Ning, and it was not as if there were no arrogant fools who wanted to eat swan meat and tried to get close to her.

But such arrogant fools were dealt with very miserably by the attendant who followed Miss Ye.

Ye Lingling, who no longer had Ning Feiliu's protection, began carrying family attendants and experts with her after experiencing the kidnapping incident involving Hu Da.

Furthermore, she possessed the Sun Box left to her by Ning Feiliu, which allowed her to activate the soul skill attached to the Soul Guidance Device—Sun Guardian—at any time.

This could be considered a certain level of self-preservation ability. However, Ye Lingling had not yet attempted to activate this soul skill and had no idea how powerful the effect of this attached soul skill was.

Meanwhile, after consuming the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone gifted by Ning Feiliu and practicing in coordination with the Moonlight Breathing Method, her strength had also advanced by leaps and bounds.

Subsequently, one year after Ning Feiliu went out for training, Ye Lingling broke through to the Soul Ancestor realm, becoming the youngest Auxiliary System Soul Master to break through to the Soul Ancestor realm on the Douluo Continent.

Her medical skills also improved rapidly during this year of treating patients.

After all, practice produces true knowledge.

And after Ning Feiliu left, although he had disappeared, the legend belonging to him at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena did not cease to spread.

It just changed from Crescent Moon's Solemnity Yafei to Crescent Moon's Solemnity Ning Feiliu.

The "Ning" of the Ning family, the "Glazed" of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

While the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was promoting it extensively, the Moon Emperor Team disbanded; although they were missing Ning Feiliu, Yu Tianxin immediately announced his withdrawal from the team.

Because he was leaving Heaven Dou City to enroll in the Thunder Academy.

Consequently, the team, now with only six members, could not participate in battles, and Ye Lingling also took the opportunity to withdraw, focusing on her cultivation and managing her medical clinic.

Many changes had occurred within Heaven Dou City; first, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect... began selling many types of special potions.

For example, the "Eagle Vision Potion," an alchemy potion that could greatly increase long-distance vision and observation ability for a short period.

The "Purification Potion," an alchemy potion that could quickly clear mental fatigue and negative effects.

The "Life Potion," an alchemy potion whose main effect was to quickly treat physical wounds and restore physical strength.

The "Swiftness Potion," an alchemy potion that increased one's speed and reaction speed in a very short time.

But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect did not sell all the alchemy potions Ning Feiliu had given them; they certainly would not sell potions like the Upgrade Potion or Soul Power Recovery Potion that could help Spirit Masters cultivate and break through.

They did not even sell potions with very special functions, such as the Clarity Potion or Invisibility Potion.

Yet even so, it still drove Heaven Dou City into a frenzy.

After all, these potions could quickly heal wounds, increase speed, and improve vision and reconnaissance capabilities... all of which could provide a great boost to combat power.

Because of this, the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena even issued a specific regulation.

That was that one could not use drugs or weapons other than one's own martial soul and the Spirit Master's body itself; this order even banned martial souls other than one's own, but this was an undeserved disaster.

However, this was very fair; after all, if it weren't prohibited like this, Spirit Fighting Battles would turn into item battles.

Whoever possessed the alchemy potions sold by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have a higher win rate.

This was simply too outrageous.

This was undoubtedly a good thing.

However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was still making a fortune, and the alchemy potions increased their income by another twenty percent or so.

Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was already very wealthy, who would complain about earning too much money?

As for Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan...

Because of those words from Ning Feiliu, Dugu Bo was working hard to plant trees, and the Spirit Blossom Tree had bloomed normally half a year ago.

He obtained many Spirit Bloom Seeds and turned into a diligent gardener in the Sunset Forest, engaging in large-scale afforestation.

However, it unexpectedly allowed several ordinary Spirit Masters in Heaven Dou City to see the spirits of recently deceased friends and family through the incomplete Spirit Blossom flowers that Dugu Bo had accidentally left behind.

Because of this, a strange yet thought-provoking legend began to circulate in Heaven Dou City.

In the Sunset Forest grows a unique flower of the Underworld—the Spirit Blossom; as long as a mortal passes through it and then enters the Weli River, they can see the spirits of their deceased loved ones.

This legend did not spread at first, and many people even treated it as a supernatural story after hearing it.

But this was like a seed; when the time came later, it would transform into a towering tree...

Dugu Yan, on the other hand, continued to cultivate; the Immortal Herb increased her talent extremely quickly, and at the same time, she had the Moonlight Breathing Method, and she began to learn the Poison Core Method that Ning Feiliu had once mentioned to practice.

Over the course of a year, her cultivation progressed rapidly, and she was now at level 48 soul power, close to the level of a Soul King.

Given this talent, it was feared she would break through to Soul King at sixteen, and it was not impossible for her to even break through to Soul Emperor by the age of twenty-five! Such talent moved many people in Heaven Dou City.

Yet Dugu Yan rarely revealed her strength, and she had not even been to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

If it weren't for the fact that she had joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Team, which was about to participate in this year's Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, perhaps no one would know her current cultivation and combat power.

Besides this, her daily life was a straight line; she either cultivated and practiced combat within the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, helped her grandfather Dugu Bo plant Spirit Blossom Trees in the Sunset Forest, or occasionally went to the medical clinic Ye Lingling was currently running to chat with Ye Lingling.

But apart from these...

She was also waiting for Ning Feiliu to return.

She was also very worried; why hadn't Ning Feiliu returned yet? Had he encountered something outside? Had something happened to him? Such thoughts haunted her mind for countless days and nights.

At the same time, she was also comforting herself.

Feiliu is so powerful, he will be fine...

The Douluo Continent has been peaceful for many years now, Ning Feiliu will not be in mortal danger.

Feiliu is so smart, how could something happen to him...

But as time passed, a year had already gone by, yet she had not seen Ning Feiliu return.

Suddenly, Dugu Yan panicked; she even wanted to beg her grandfather Dugu Bo to leave Heaven Dou City with her to search for traces of Ning Feiliu.

And just as Dugu Bo was hesitating whether to agree to Dugu Yan's request and go out with Dugu Yan to search for Ning Feiliu...

That night, when Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were cultivating with the Moonlight Breathing Method at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...

Suddenly, the poison barrier outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well moved! Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan immediately woke up from their meditative state, and then they heard a familiar voice they had not heard for a long time.

"Teacher, Sister Yan, I'm back."

They immediately looked not far away at that figure, who was taller but had the same build as the youth from a year ago.

Ning Feiliu was looking at them with a smile on his face, his handsome features shining under the moonlight like a deity descending to the mortal world...

"You stinking brat!"

"Feiliu! ——"

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan immediately revealed joyful smiles.

(End of chapter)