Chapter 1630

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo shook his head and said: "No, because it was originally a plan with no return; I'm just an ordinary accompanying doctor. Even if I could go back, I would have no possibility after leaving my teammates."

Hu Xiaotian said: "So you stayed?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo nodded: "To me, this is a brand-new world; from the day I arrived here, it began with bloodshed and cruelty. I had to desperately struggle to survive; that loneliness and confusion you should understand."

Hu Xiaotian certainly understood, but compared to Ghost Doctor Fu Luo, his start in this world was much more fortunate—at least he arrived in the household of the Dakang Minister of Revenue, and initially he did not fall onto a battlefield of mortal combat. He was full of curiosity about Ghost Doctor Fu Luo; if everything Fu Luo said were true, why would he have chosen this time and space, and what was the purpose of their spacetime jump plan? Since Fu Luo was destined never to return, why would he fake his death? After everyone thought he was dead, why would he still risk sneaking into the Huangling Digong? What exactly did he want to obtain?

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo suddenly began coughing violently, his shoulders shaking violently from the cough; he took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth, coughing for a long time before finally stopping.

Hu Xiaotian looked at the ghost doctor, secretly thinking, "Doctors cannot heal themselves"; it seemed Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's physical condition was also not good.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo caught his breath, whispered: "I won't live much longer."

Hu Xiaotian asked concernedly: "What illness?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "It should be lung cancer, but it has already metastasized; all my organs have widely metastasized, surgery is no longer possible." Saying this, he looked at Hu Xiaotian with a bitter smile: "If I had met you three years ago, perhaps I could have asked you to help remove the lesion."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; even if he had no particular friendship with the ghost doctor, just based on their being fellow countrymen he would do so without hesitation.

Ghost Doctor said: "You must be wondering why I would sneak into the Huangling Digong?" He stood up, pointed to the two coffins placed side by side, and said: "Because there are two maps on their bodies; when combined, they can locate the Wuji Dong."

"Wuji Dong?" Hu Xiaotian had heard of Wuji Guan many times, but this was the first time he had heard of Wuji Dong.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo nodded: "I just told you, our spacetime jump plan is a one-way plan; this plan originated when the Bureau of Astronomy observed an abnormal spacetime fluctuation. If you have read Einstein's theory of relativity, you should understand some of this knowledge…" He paused: "By the way, I forgot to ask—what era do you live in?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "2014, the last year I left! I've been here for a full seven years!"

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's brows relaxed: "So that means I arrived thirty years after you, yet I came to this world forty-nine years before you did!"

Hu Xiaotian found it easy to understand how this situation could arise; during the process of crossing time and space, any condition could occur. To him, Ghost Doctor Fu Luo was a person from the future, and in medical skill and technology Fu Luo should far surpass him—by 2044, technology could already detect abnormal spacetime fluctuations.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "You surely know the story of the butterfly effect?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: a butterfly flapping its wings in Baxi would, a month later, form a super hurricane in Tekesas Zhou.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "The butterfly effect refers to how, in a specific dynamical system, tiny changes in initial conditions can trigger long-term, massive chain reactions throughout the system. This is usually called a chaotic phenomenon. Any development involves constants and variables; during development, a system's trajectory follows discernible patterns, yet there also exist unpredictable 'variables' that often backfire—a tiny change can influence development, showing that development is complex and variable. Proven by countless scientists, this law especially applies to spacetime theory; that abnormal spacetime fluctuation had a huge impact on the spacetime we inhabit. If such a fluctuation were to happen again, or even larger, the spacetime we have relied on for survival would suffer immeasurable loss." His expression was grave, showing utmost seriousness.

"How could worlds of different spacetimes be possible?" Hu Xiaotian didn't have much expertise in this area; he merely felt intuitively that Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's words were too esoteric, yet Fu Luo came from a world thirty years ahead of his own, and in scientific understanding was at least thirty years more advanced.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's expression held no hint of joking; he whispered: "If you use the universe to explain the concept of spacetime, it becomes very simple—treat illusory spacetime as tangible planets; planets exert mutual gravitational pull, and spacetime is the same: different spacetimes are linked by an invisible force we cannot see. Once this force's balance system is broken…" He didn't finish his sentence, but Hu Xiaotian fully grasped his meaning. Once that balance system is broken, it will trigger a series of terrifying chain reactions, possibly destroying the world they now and previously rely on for survival.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "When I realized all my companions had died, I had no choice but to forget my mission this time; I wanted to do everything possible to adapt to this world, and survival was my first challenge. In this world, our medicine is not recognized; although our medicine is more modern and we claim to master more advanced medical knowledge, there is almost no concept of surgery here."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Ghost Doctor Fu Luo must be having a hard time in this world.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "If people knew my origin, I would be in danger; I must learn their behavior and lifestyle, even marry and have children, to blend into this world."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; in fact, his arrival in this world was no different—he and Ghost Doctor Fu Luo are both heretics in this world, though they have hidden themselves fairly well.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "I soon realized I could never return; after years of effort, I gradually began to integrate into this world, gaining my own family, wife and children. Just when I had resolved to let go of everything and live peacefully, I suddenly discovered I was not the only outsider in this world…" His face showed a frightened expression.

Hu Xiaotian knew he must have made the same discovery as himself—that there are other intelligent beings in this world.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "By a chance occurrence, I saved a woman of the Dakang imperial family."

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "Ling Jiazi?" He almost blurted out the name without thinking.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's eyes lit up; he exclaimed in astonishment: "How do you know?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Ling Jiazi is a beloved consort of the Dakang Retired Emperor; when she gave birth to the Yongyang Princess Qiqi, she suffered a difficult labor and sought you out. Don't forget, I was once engaged to the Yongyang Princess, so I know a bit about her."

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo nodded: "That's the reason—I performed a cesarean on Ling Jiazi at the time, but I discovered her physiological structure differs from that of normal humans."

Hu Xiaotian blinked.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo assumed he didn't understand, and continued: "Although our spacetimes differ, we are not that different from the people of this world, especially physiologically; it's just that their recovery and healing abilities far surpass ours. But Ling Jiazi is different—although her outward appearance is no different from anyone else's, her internal physiological structure is completely unlike ours."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "How is it different?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo said: "Completely different—if you saw it with your own eyes, it would overturn all your prior conceptions of physiology. Moreover, her internal organs are entirely blue-transparent."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but recall the Blue Skull found in the Long Ling Shengjing; he whispered: "Have you ever seen a blue-transparent skull?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo's body shuddered, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Hu Xiaotian and asked: "You've seen one?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Beneath the Penglai Mountain of Dakang lies a hidden Long Ling Shengjing; there I discovered a blue-transparent skull. The skull is twice the size of a normal human head but very light, and beside it I also found a sword hilt." He waved the hilt of the light sword before the ghost doctor and said: "It's almost identical to this, except the characters engraved on it are completely different."

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo was visibly agitated: "Do you know where that skull is?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, following the saying "speak only three-tenths of the truth to anyone, never give your whole heart"; although he believed Ghost Doctor Fu Luo came from the same spacetime as him, that didn't mean Fu Luo could be trusted.

Ghost Doctor Fu Luo sighed: "It seems everything was predestined in the dark; I rescued Ling Jiazi out of necessity. When I discovered her secret, someone wanted to kill me to silence me, but later a master saved me, and I narrowly escaped. Not long after, I heard Ling Jiazi had died in difficult labor; my surgery on her had actually been successful—mother and child should have been safe."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Since the ghost doctor said that, he's probably not mistaken; surely someone else had killed Ling Jiazi.

Ghost Doctor said: "Someone used my family's lives as leverage, forcing me to steal a copy of the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing from the palace; but I happened to discover a secret in the Cangshu Lou: originally, 150 years ago, outside the suburbs of Kangdu, at Qixia Hu, a strange celestial phenomenon occurred—a huge fireball fell into Qixia Lake, and at that very moment soldiers were training nearby; the casualties from the blast reached ten thousand." (To be continued~^~.)