Chapter 1932: [Critical Condition] (Part 1)

Hong Beimo entered the Stargazing Pavilion, his expression becoming solemn and grave, he opened the hidden door and stepped down the stairs, passing through three thick copper doors before reaching the underground secret chamber. An old man lay on the bed, coughing continuously.

Hong Beimo came to the bedside and said softly, "Father, do you feel any better?"

The old man continued to cough, only after a while did he catch his breath, then slowly shook his head and said, "It's over, I'm afraid this time… I'm done for…" This old man was none other than the Ghost Doctor Fu Duo; he looked emaciated, even weaker and more wan than when he had previously met Hu Xiaotian.

Hong Beimo sighed, and at that moment a middle-aged man emerged from the inner room—the mute servant who followed Ghost Doctor Fu Duo; the mute held a medicine bowl in both hands, still steaming, clearly the decoction had just been prepared.

Hong Beimo gave a glance, took the medicine bowl from the mute's hand; the mute turned and left the room, closing the door.

Hong Beimo stretched out his arm, helped Ghost Doctor Fu Duo sit up, carefully tested the temperature of the soup medicine, then assisted him in taking the medicine.

After Ghost Doctor Fu Duo finished the soup medicine, Hong Beimo placed the empty bowl aside, then took two soft cushions and placed them behind him. He moved a stool to the bedside and sat down, saying softly, "Hu Xiaotian has already reached the capital."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo nodded, his expression extremely weary: "Any news of Liu Yuzhang and Ji Feihua?"

Hong Beimo shook his head.

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "They will surely return."

Hong Beimo asked, "Where exactly are those two skulls?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo sighed, "I don't know; perhaps Hu Xiaotian knows where the skulls are. I never expected him to join forces with Hu Xiaotian!"

Hong Beimo whispered, "Liu Yuzhang?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo's lips curled into a bitter smile as he said, "He is not Liu Yuzhang at all; although his appearance is completely different from before, I still cannot be fooled—he is Lin Chao, the captain of our Void Squad back then…" Saying this, he began to cough again.

Hong Beimo patiently waited until Ghost Doctor Fu Duo's cough subsided, then continued asking, "Didn't you say he was already dead?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo shook his head, "I did think he was dead back then, but I never imagined he was still alive and had become a eunuch."

Hong Beimo sighed, "To conceal his identity, he is indeed bold and resolute, able to endure such humiliation."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo chuckled, "You don't understand him; he is proud and cold-hearted, nothing like his current self. He would never voluntarily castrate himself to become a eunuch. Back then he was our leader, deliberately drawing away the Heaven's Chosen One, sacrificing himself—if not for his voluntary sacrifice, our entire Void Squad would likely have been wiped out at that time."

Hong Beimo said, "Father, why did we encounter the Heaven's Chosen One when we landed here back then?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo's eyes suddenly grew dazed; after a moment of recollection he said, "Actually, back then we did not merely run into the Heaven's Chosen One by chance; we were guided by a mysterious force. Looking back now, it must have been a trap—that force lured us to the Heaven's Chosen One's hiding place, thereby triggering a battle."

Hong Beimo sucked in a breath of cold air: "You mean besides the Void Travelers and the Heaven's Chosen One, there is another force?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo pressed his lips together, said nothing, effectively admitting Hong Beimo's question.

Hong Beimo said, "After that battle between the Void Travelers and the Heaven's Chosen One back then, you should have had three survivors, right?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo nodded, "Xu Mingying, myself, and Hu Zhicheng. Lin Chao drew the Heaven's Chosen One's attention, creating an escape opportunity for us three; we three then became separated during our flight."

Hong Beimo said, "In that case Lin Chao does count as a brave warrior." Lin Chao is Liu Yuzhang; according to Ghost Doctor Fu Duo, without his sacrifice the remaining teammates would likely have been wiped out by the Heaven's Chosen One.

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo sighed, "His actions then were not without reason; he and Xu Mingying were originally a couple, and Xu Mingying was already pregnant then, so Lin Chao's voluntary sacrifice was also to protect their mother and child."

Hong Beimo nodded, "Regardless, the courage to willingly sacrifice oneself to protect others is admirable."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "After we were separated for a while, I eventually tracked down the two of them, only to find that Xu Mingying and Hu Zhicheng had become a pair, and Xu Mingying had miscarried—supposedly it happened accidentally during that escape. In such a completely unfamiliar world, each of us needed mutual comfort, so their getting together was quite natural. Although I think Lin Chao had only died two months ago, their behavior seems somewhat improper, but given the reality, what is there to blame? For each of us, the most important thing is to survive."

Hong Beimo said, "Then what happened?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "Xu Mingying clearly had not yet emerged from the grief of losing her lover and unborn child; Hu Zhicheng found me and asked me to help reignite one of the fire seeds, hoping this would let Xu Mingying quickly free herself from pain." Saying this, he drew a deep breath, his face taking on an extremely strange expression, his bony hands suddenly clenching into fists: "Just as I succeeded in reigniting one of the fire seeds, that night Xu Mingying put an aphrodisiac in the **** vegetables; after she woke up, I actually saw Xu Mingying personally kill Hu Zhicheng…"

Hong Beimo also couldn't help but exclaim.

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "I don't know what happened between them; Xu Mingying originally intended to kill me, but at the crucial moment she suddenly fainted, fell ill, I broke the rope binding her and treated her, then slipped away quietly—I didn't want to kill her, nor be killed by her, so I could only choose to stay distant… I hid my identity for many years, until suddenly I heard of a business genius rising like a comet in Jiangnan; by chance I learned that the mysterious woman was Xu Mingying, namely the widely known Lady Xu. She remarried, to Xu Lingkong!"

Hong Beimo gazed at Ghost Doctor Fu Duo's eyes filled with sorrow, secretly thinking that Father must have also liked Xu Mingying back then, otherwise why would he show such grief and loss?

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "Every fire seed's gene contains a defect; this defect is not innate but artificially imposed, and you are the same."

Hong Beimo nodded, "Only after the incident with Chu Fufeng did I learn of my origins; the old lady originally wanted to kill me, but if it weren't for you, Father, I probably would not have escaped death then."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "She has changed; she is no longer the Xu Mingying of before. The reason I could save you back then was because she had a request of me, forcing me to make some concessions and compromises."

Hong Beimo asked, "What exactly did she want?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "I don't know, and all these years I've only thought of returning home; my family still has a wife and children…" Saying this, his eyes grew moist, he turned his face away, not wanting Hong Beimo to see his old tears streaming down.

Hong Beimo patted his hand and said softly, "There is still a chance."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo shook his head, "No, I know this better than anyone; my days are numbered. You must return, you also have kin; each fire seed carries an identification. Fortunately, before Xu Mingying destroyed all the records, I preserved yours; these years my research and insights must rely on you to bring them back." He tightly gripped Hong Beimo's hand.

Hong Beimo nodded heavily.

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "Hu Xiaotian is a mysterious person; I deliberately revealed some of the Void plans to him, and I can determine that he and we must come from the same place, only I do not know his purpose."

Hong Beimo said, "Compared to the Xu clan, his threat to us is relatively smaller."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "The Heaven's Chosen Ones' genes are far superior and stronger than ours, yet they likewise possess defects; this world is relatively more suited for our kind to survive, not theirs. Originally those Heaven's Chosen Ones would have soon died out on their own, but they relied on their superb wisdom to develop the Heaven-Man Myriad Forms Chart."

Hong Beimo asked, "Can the Heaven-Man Myriad Forms Chart alter their genetic defects, allowing them to fully adapt to this world?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo nodded: "Therefore we must repair the spacecraft and leave before they become strong."

Hong Beimo said with regret, "Unfortunately the key to repairing the spacecraft remains within those two skulls—one is in Hu Buwei's hands, the other very likely fell into Xue Shengjing's hands."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "Isn't there still Qiqi? Didn't you say she had already fully mastered the secret of the skulls?"

Hong Beimo said, "That girl is deep-minded; now she even has Hu Xiaotian backing her, she may not be willing to tell me the truth, moreover she is a descendant of the Heaven's Chosen One—if she learned the truth, eight or nine times out of ten she would not stand on my side."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "It seems we must start with Hu Xiaotian; although I have only met him once, I always feel this kid should not be our enemy."

Hong Beimo said, "He did say his goal was merely for the realm and beauties, but given his nature he may not speak the truth either."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "At least he is not allied with the Heaven's Chosen One; otherwise he would not have joined forces with Liu Yuzhang to attack Fan Yin Si."

"Perhaps he wants to play both sides, extracting the greatest benefit from me and Liu Yuzhang."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "He should have a clear understanding of Liu Yuzhang's motives, and he can also influence Qiqi; such a person, even if we cannot unite, we had better not become his enemy."

Hong Beimo nodded, "I will meet him again tomorrow."

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo coughed and said, "Or I will go!"

"You will go?"

Ghost Doctor Fu Duo said, "If I do not see him now, I fear I will never have another chance to meet him."