Chapter 345: Divine Doctor Luo Zijun

Night, a lonely moon hangs high.

On the distant sea surface, waves rise and fall, dark and deep, as if hiding a terrifying giant beast, its cold gaze fixed upon this small town.

The small town has fallen into silence.

Although illuminated by moonlight, the streets and alleys remain dim and obscure.

Wang Qiangzhuang and Luo Zijun declined the Zhang family's offer to see them off, the two walking side by side on the dark street, discussing the matter of finding a ship to go to sea.

"Looking at the situation, only that pirate called Red Bird can take us out to sea now."

"I heard of him before; it is said he escaped from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, and for years has piloted a pirate ship, robbing in the surrounding seas, killing countless people, and everyone fears him. However, it is strange that he never kills the people of this town; he occasionally robs, but has never harmed any crew member from this town..."

"I hear he has come and gone from the waters of the Nine Islands Kingdom many times, and each time he manages to turn danger into safety..."

Luo Zijun asked: "Does the Captain know where to find him?"

Wang Qiangzhuang shrugged: "No one knows. But this small town is full of hidden talents; someone will always be able to dig up some clues. You saved the Zhang family today, and they just promised me they would help us inquire as well. Also, if anyone else in town invites you to see a patient tomorrow, you must go. Although one should not expect rewards for kindness, if you show kindness often enough, there will always be some unexpected returns."

Luo Zijun looked at her and said: "I am not a doctor, and besides, who said I don't expect rewards for my kindness?"

Wang Qiangzhuang walked forward while idly tugging at the twin tails on her chest with both hands, saying: "Just now, they wanted to give you silver as a reward, and you didn't take it."

Luo Zijun said: "Does the Captain think I look like someone who lacks silver?"

"Hm?"

Wang Qiangzhuang stopped, turned her head to look at him, suddenly realized, paused, and raised an eyebrow: "I heard that late last night, Liu Sisi got out of bed to wash her feet; it seems the rumors are not unfounded."

Luo Zijun's mouth twitched: "Who did the Captain hear that from?"

"Liu Sisi said it herself."

Wang Qiangzhuang stared at him, her taut little face looking serious: "But I advise you best not to have designs on the women of this town; you never know if some woman has thorns on her feet, or a knife, and you might be cut off in an instant."

She seemed not to want to continue this topic, continued walking forward, and said: "Tomorrow when you go out to see patients, I will send someone to follow and protect you. You two can play it by ear, and incidentally, inquire about news of Red Bird."

Luo Zijun said: "What about the Captain?"

Wang Qiangzhuang said: "I am going to inquire elsewhere."

She paused, then added with a profound gaze: "Every place has some dark corners, and some people who cannot see the light mostly gather there; that is also where the most information is."

As the two spoke, they soon returned to the inn.

In the second-floor lobby, the lights were still on.

Song Erlang and the other eight people were still drinking tea and chatting, waiting for them.

Seeing the two return, Song Erlang's eyes lit up; he was the first to stand, immediately came before Luo Zijun with a face full of smiles, diligently took his arm, walked toward the table, and said with a laugh: "Brother Hua, come, come, sit, sit!"

As for the Captain, Wang Qiangzhuang, she was directly ignored.

The others' gazes also turned toward this playboy before them, their eyes filled with different expressions.

"Brother Hua, I heard you have divine medical skills and can bring the dead back to life?"

Song Erlang enthusiastically pulled Luo Zijun to sit down and asked impatiently.

The others also pricked up their ears to listen.

Luo Zijun drank a cup of tea and laughed: "I only know a little bit of the basics; what divine medical skills could I have?"

Song Erlang said: "But I heard from the innkeeper that you worked a miracle today and saved a woman who had already stopped breathing, along with the fetus in her womb?"

"That is because the mother and child had not truly stopped breathing."

Luo Zijun put down his teacup and briefly recounted the ins and outs of today's events.

He did not want to be regarded as a divine doctor by this group of people.

The road ahead was still long; if he got bumped or bruised later, and they all came to him for every little injury—curing them was one thing, but what if he couldn't cure them? Wouldn't that be trouble?

However, after he finished speaking, the way everyone looked at him grew even brighter.

Song Erlang directly grasped his hand and said: "Brother Hua, you call this not bringing the dead back to life? If any other doctor had gone, it would definitely have been two deaths. People had stopped breathing, yet you were able to save them, and both mother and child are safe and sound—this is definitely divine medical skill!"

Daoist Wensong, standing to the side, also stroked his beard and praised: "Benefactor Hua's medical skills, even if not divine, are not far off. This poor Daoist has seen too many such women in labor, and in the end, it was always two deaths. Benefactor Hua is young, yet has attained such medical skills; one truly cannot judge a person by their appearance."

At this moment, Wang Qiangzhuang directly spoke to settle the matter: "This guy is indeed formidable. I was right there at the time, watching with my own eyes as he saved that mother and fetus who had stopped breathing; he certainly qualifies as a divine doctor."

She then added: "In the future, if anyone has any headaches or fevers, you can all find him for free treatment."

Luo Zijun: "..."

Song Erlang's eyes shone, his face beamed with joy, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he held back.

Wang Qiangzhuang began to assign tomorrow's tasks.

"Tomorrow, Hua Liu might go out to treat the town's residents, and he needs someone to protect him. Xu Ziyin, you go with him."

"Song Erlang, you come with me tomorrow."

"Yang Yan, Lu Jianchen, Lu Yao, you three go to the pier together tomorrow to inquire for news. Remember, you must find out clearly about any ships that have gone to sea in the last month, as well as their captains and crew."

"Daoist Wensong, little Daoist Yiye, and Meng Yang, you go to the market in the north to inquire."

"Remember, any news regarding pirates and Red Bird must be asked about in detail. Also, try your best not to have any conflicts with anyone in the town; if there is an accident, wait for me to return to handle it..."

Liu Sisi couldn't help but ask: "Captain, what about me?"

Wang Qiangzhuang looked at her and said: "You stay at the inn. If anyone comes looking for me, have them leave an address and say I will go find them in the evening."

Liu Sisi nodded.

Wang Qiangzhuang gave a few more instructions, then let everyone disperse.

Just as Luo Zijun was about to leave, Song Erlang hurriedly pulled him into a corner and whispered: "Brother Hua, your medical skills are brilliant; could you go to my room and take a look at my illness?"

Luo Zijun asked: "What discomfort does Brother Song have?"

Song Erlang looked left and right, touched his waist with some embarrassment, and whispered: "My kidneys aren't very good..."

"I am not skilled in this ailment; I cannot help."

Luo Zijun ignored him further and walked away quickly.

Walking into the corridor, just as he reached his door, Xu Ziyin, wearing a red dress and with a slender, graceful figure, walked out from around the corner, her gaze fixed coldly upon him.

Luo Zijun said, "Is Miss Xu also feeling unwell? Let's go, let me go to your room and take a look."

Xu Ziyin said coldly, "I can protect you tomorrow, but you must pay me a reward: two hundred taels a day."

Luo Zijun said, "Do I need to pay a reward? This was ordered by the captain."

Xu Ziyin said coldly, "You can choose not to pay. I will follow the captain's orders and stay with you, but I cannot guarantee whether I will intervene."

After saying this, she turned around coldly and left.

As Luo Zijun watched her slender and graceful back, recalling the image of this young girl once fawningly calling him "Brother Dongfang," Liu's faint voice came from behind him: "Does Young Master Hua have a penchant for the new and a dislike for the old, and have you taken a fancy to her small feet again?"

"Miss Liu is joking. This Young Master has always been loyal and devoted; besides, Miss Liu is not 'old' either."

Luo Zijun turned around and personally pushed the door open for her.

Liu entered the room and said with a calm expression, "Between you and me, it is merely a transaction; where would loyalty and devotion come from? Young Master Hua need not hide anything in front of me; after all, I have already seen Young Master Hua's ugliest demeanor last night."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Creak..."

The door closed.

Luo Zijun went over to light the oil lamp on the table and retorted, "Actually, I also want to see Miss Liu's ugliest demeanor."

Liu sat down by the bed, took out a cultivation manual, and while flipping through it, said calmly, "That will disappoint Young Master Hua. I have practiced the Jade Goddess Divine Art since I was young; no matter how powerful and valiant Young Master Hua may be, I will only show charm, never ugliness."

"Impressive, impressive."

Luo Zijun cupped his hands in admiration.

Liu ignored him and continued to lower her head to look at the book in her hands.

After a moment of silence, Luo Zijun said, "I feel that the captain having us sleep in the same room might have other purposes."

Liu flipped through the book and said, "Perhaps she is jealous that I am beautiful."

After a pause, she looked up at him again and said, "Or perhaps she is jealous that I am still a virgin."

Luo Zijun was stunned: "The captain is not?"

Liu did not answer immediately; she lowered her head and went back to flipping through the book. After a long while, she finally said, "The captain was almost sold by her family back then, so she destroyed her own body. Besides that place, there are many burn scars on her body."

Luo Zijun fell silent, thinking of the words the captain had said to him that night in Wild Donkey Valley.

It seems the captain's past was exceptionally tragic.

Fortunately, everything is in the past.

"Why would the captain tell you these things?"

"Regarding the past, the captain never avoids it. As long as you ask her, she will say. Of course, it must be when she is in a good mood."

"The captain always has a serious face; when is she ever in a good mood?"

"When she is drinking."

Just as the two were talking, a strange woman's voice suddenly came from a room outside.

In the silent night, it sounded exceptionally clear.

The room went quiet for a moment.

Luo Zijun said, "I reckon someone is hitting her. Poor woman, sobbing and whimpering, crying so sadly."

Liu rolled her eyes and continued to look down at her book.

Luo Zijun said, "Miss Liu, may I hit you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu paused, looked up, and stared at him without speaking.

Luo Zijun smiled, "Don't be nervous, just a joke."

"I don't like jokes."

Liu put away the book in her hand, looked at him again, and said, "If you want to, it can be the same as last night. Do you think that is okay?"

As she spoke, she gently pulled up her skirt, took off her embroidered shoes, and revealed a pair of slender, delicate feet wearing pink silk socks.

"Of course, we can change to other places as well."

The expression on her face and the tone of her voice remained as calm as before.

It was as if she were not a person, but a piece of merchandise; once the other party paid the money, they could dispose of her as they pleased.

"Then let's not joke."

After Luo Zijun finished speaking, his figure suddenly flashed, and he arrived in front of the window, pushing it open with a shove.

Outside the window, Xu Ziyin was standing there. Seeing that she had been discovered, there was no embarrassment on her face; she maintained her cold, standoffish expression, and her gaze looked past him toward the bed in the room.

And behind her, at the nearby corner, a pale yellow hem of a garment flashed and disappeared.

It was clearly Lu Yao of the Wanjian Sect.

At this moment, in the corridor outside, the sounds from a certain guest room continued to ring out, accompanied by the creaking of a wooden bed, rising and falling in rhythm.

These two young girls had clearly misunderstood something.

"Miss Xu, visiting in the middle of the night—do you want to come into the room to chat with me about something? Or do you want to watch some kind of performance?"

Luo Zijun said, looking out the window.

Xu Ziyin ignored him, withdrew her gaze, turned around, and left.

"Quite a lot of curiosity."

Luo Zijun closed the window and muttered a complaint.

Liu got onto the bed, lay down on the inside, and said, "It is clear that this Miss Xu seems to have some interest in you."

Luo Zijun walked to the bedside, undressed, and asked, "Where did you see that?"

Liu said, "A woman's intuition."

Luo Zijun lowered the curtains, went over to blow out the oil lamp on the table, then naturally got into bed, lay down beside her, and touched his face with some narcissism, saying, "Actually, I feel that every woman who sees me has some interest in me."

"Heh."

Liu Sisi closed her eyes and ignored him further.

Luo Zijun also closed his eyes, thinking about matters in his mind.

The next day.

Just as the sky brightened, a knocking sound rang out from outside, along with the voice of Wang Qiangzhuang: "Time to get up."

Luo Zijun got out of bed and went to open the room door.

Wang Qiangzhuang stood at the doorway, still maintaining a serious expression on his face.

Song Erlang stood behind her; as soon as the door opened, he tilted his head and peered into the room with a shifty, furtive look.

Unfortunately, with the screen and curtains obscuring the view, he could see nothing at all.

At this moment, Liu Sisi finally walked out from behind the screen with a graceful posture, her long, jet-black hair draped diagonally across her chest, looking soft, alluring, and just awakened.

Song Erlang took one look and couldn't help but sigh: "Brother Hua is truly blessed."

Wang Qiangzhuang gave Luo Zijun a few more instructions before turning to leave.

Song Erlang looked back every three steps, following behind her downstairs with great reluctance.

"Liu's charm is truly great."

Luo Zijun turned his head to look at the young woman behind him and offered a compliment.

Liu Sisi walked calmly to the dressing table and sat down; while taking out a wooden comb to groom her jet-black hair, she said indifferently: "For some men, even if a pretty female dog passes by, he will take a few extra looks."

Luo Zijun said: "Brother Song does not look like that kind of person."

Liu Sisi said: "I was talking about you."

Luo Zijun said: "How can Liu compare herself to a female dog?"

Liu Sisi turned her head to look at him: "In Young Master Hua's eyes, am I not? Offering myself voluntarily the moment we met, wagging my tail to beg for pleasure, licentious and promiscuous, worthless—not even as good as a prostitute; isn't this just a base female dog?"

Luo Zijun spread his hands and said: "I feel like Liu is still beating around the bush to insult me."

"Take it as such, then."

Liu Sisi ignored him further and continued to groom her hair in front of the dressing mirror.

Luo Zijun stared at her for a while, then walked over and said: "Would you like me to help you comb your hair?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sisi was clearly stunned for a moment and did not answer immediately.

Luo Zijun took the wooden comb from her hand and began to slowly comb her long hair, his movements and gaze both exceptionally gentle.