The rain continued for three consecutive days.
At night, Xue Zhao was curled up on a cushion in the corner, fast asleep. Previously, when Meng Huaize noticed that Xue Zhao had trouble climbing onto the table, he had taken the cushion down and made a cozy little nest for him in the corner. Xue Zhao had been overjoyed, rolling around on the cushion several times in delight. Over the past few days, whenever he had nothing to do, he would lie there, pulling flowers from his belly to admire. After gazing at one for a while, he would tuck it back and take out another, happily playing by himself.
Beside him, Wu Yue also slept soundly. Only Meng Huaize lay awake, listening to the sound of the rain outside. He lightly held Wu Yue’s arm, which was draped over him, and after a while of listening to the rain, he turned his head to look at Wu Yue.
Without opening his eyes, Wu Yue mumbled sleepily, “What’s wrong?”
“The rain is still coming down,” Meng Huaize replied. “I need to check on the west room. There’s a spot that leaks often, and I forgot to check it earlier today. I don’t want the herbs in there to get soaked.”
Wu Yue grumbled in protest, and Meng Huaize tightened his grip on his arm slightly. Seeing that Wu Yue didn’t refuse, Meng Huaize gently lifted his arm, and Wu Yue finally let go of him.
Meng Huaize got out of bed and went to the west room to check. After making sure the herbs were properly stored, he closed the door and stepped outside.
Instead of returning to the room immediately, he paused after a few steps and stood under the veranda, frowning slightly as he looked out at the rain-soaked courtyard. The night was deep, and amidst the steady sound of rain, the large crabapple tree by the stone table swayed, casting only a dark shadow. Meng Huaize placed the lantern beside him and sat down under the veranda.
He sat near the edge, where occasional gusts of wind blew stray raindrops onto his face, bringing a cold, sharp sensation. But Meng Huaize didn’t mind; in fact, he seemed to welcome the chill.
The rain had been relentless these past few days. Other than two brief trips to the village to treat patients, Meng Huaize had spent most of his time sitting on the veranda like this, staring at Chuanki Mountain through the rain. Though the silhouette of the mountain was as familiar as ever, there now seemed to be a sinister air hanging over it—something that wasn’t there before.
Since Wu Yue had offered to help kill the great spirit, Xue Zhao had been relieved, no longer showing any signs of worry. However, Meng Huaize couldn’t shake a lingering unease. He couldn’t pinpoint the feeling—like a weight had settled in his heart, not heavy, but persistent, making it impossible to ignore.
Lost in thought, he caught a glimpse of something moving at the top of the courtyard wall out of the corner of his eye. Startled, he glanced toward the wall, feeling a bit confused. The rain was dim and obscure, and he wasn’t sure if he had imagined it.
For a while, there was no further movement. Just as Meng Huaize was starting to think it was a trick of his eyes, he saw a small, pink tip slowly rise from the top of the wall.
Meng Huaize instinctively sat up straight, holding his breath and focusing intently, not even daring to breathe too loudly. The pink shape gradually revealed more of itself until, with a sudden flurry, it tumbled over the courtyard wall, landing in the flower bed by the wall.
Due to the heavy rain in recent days, Meng Huaize had been worried that the herbs in the courtyard might become waterlogged. Earlier that day, he had asked Wu Yue to use some of his spirit power to protect the herbs from the rain as well.
Wu Yue initially reluctant to act. His spirit power was meant for fighting, not for something as trivial as shielding a few flowers. It was already bothersome enough to protect one flower, let alone an entire patch of herbs. But seeing the worry etched on Meng Huaize’s face, he eventually relented and cast a barrier over the herbs, protecting them from the rain.
Now, the patch of herbs rustled as the pink figure that had tumbled over the courtyard wall climbed out from the plants. With a nonchalant swagger, it strolled through the courtyard, right under Meng Huaize’s nose, before boldly settling down next to the candle on the veranda.
Meng Huaize stared in shock at the pink, round creature beside him. It looked like a ball—no nose, no face—just a lump. Once seated, it seemed to lose all semblance of limbs. As Meng Huaize watched, horrified, the pink blob split down the middle, revealing a pair of wings that folded around its body.
When the creature’s true form finally emerged, Meng Huaize gasped. The spirit’s wings were colorful and pretty enough, but the creature itself was even uglier than Xue Zhao.
Hearing Meng Huaize’s gasp, the pink spirit paused. Its eyes, no larger than beans, drifted from the candle to Meng Huaize’s face, filled with confusion. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
For a long moment, the two just stared at each other. Then, the little spirit yelped, tumbling backward and rolling far away.
After a brief pause, a timid voice called out, “You… you can see me?”
Meng Huaize frowned. He had noticed something alarming: a trace of blood in the water where the pink spirit had been sitting.
“Are you hurt?” Meng Huaize asked gently.
The little spirit said nothing, staying far away and watching him warily.
Meng Huaize tentatively extended a hand. “Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “I won’t hurt you. I just want to check your wound.”
After a long moment, the spirit’s wings twitched, and it relaxed slightly, hesitating as it shuffled toward Meng Huaize. But when it was still a short distance away, it stopped, refusing to come any closer.
Meng Huaize didn’t push. He stood up, holding the candle, and opened the door to the house. Taking a few steps inside, he looked back at the cautious little spirit. “Come inside,” he invited. “I’ll bandage your wound, and then you can go wherever you want.”
The pink spirit flapped its wings, revealing a wound along the edge. The rain had soaked it, and it still oozed faint traces of blood.
Meng Huaize waited patiently. Finally, the little spirit took a step toward him.
Just as it crossed the threshold, the spirit suddenly yelped, freezing in place. Eyes wide with fear, it turned and bolted for the courtyard, only to collide with an invisible barrier at the veranda’s edge. With a loud thud, it was sent rolling back, stopping at Meng Huaize’s feet.
Meng Huaize turned to see Wu Yue stepping out of the house, his face etched with annoyance. In the corner, Xue Zhao rubbed his eyes, awakened by the noise.
The dazed pink spirit shakily pulled itself up but dared not move.
Meng Huaize quickly knelt down to soothe it. “Don’t be scared. He won’t hurt you either.”
He looked up at Wu Yue, who let out an impatient snort and withdrew his oppressive aura.
Only then did the pink spirit tentatively open its eyes, still trembling. Behind them, Xue Zhao gasped audibly.
The little spirit had clearly been injured, and the earlier collision had done it no favors. It was trembling pitifully. Meng Huaize reached out, wanting to pick it up, but Wu Yue suddenly interrupted, “Don’t touch him.”
Meng Huaize paused, looking up at Wu Yue in confusion. “Why not?” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Wu Yue crouched down, inspecting the spirit’s wound. A faint blackish-purple mist was seeping from it, giving off an eerie vibe. Wu Yue reached out, and a golden light fell upon the wound, dispersing the dark mist. In moments, the injury began to heal visibly.
Meng Huaize, both amazed and humbled, couldn’t help but think how useless he must seem compared to these spirits, despite being a doctor in the human world.
“He was wounded by a spirit,” Wu Yue explained, glancing at Meng Huaize. “Human medicine won’t work on him.”
Meng Huaize froze. For a moment, it felt like this heartless wolf was… comforting him.
Xue Zhao, meanwhile, had moved closer, his eyes fixed on the pink spirit in awe.
When Wu Yue finally stood up, the little pink spirit hurriedly bowed in thanks. Xue Zhao circled around it, his gaze full of admiration.
“I’ve never seen you before!” Xue Zhao exclaimed. “Are you from Chuanki Mountain too? You’re really good-looking!”
Meng Huaize was stunned. The pink spirit, who likely had never been called good-looking before, also seemed utterly shocked.
From above them came the sound of Wu Yue’s mocking laugh.
“My parents always said I was the most handsome spirit in the world,” Xue Zhao continued, gazing enviously at the pink spirit’s odd face. “But you’re the first one I’ve ever seen who’s even more handsome than me.”
Meng Huaize was incredulous. “Your parents said you were the most handsome spirit in the world?”
Realizing his slip, Xue Zhao hurriedly covered his mouth, worried that Meng Huaize might feel hurt. He quickly added, “But my parents also said that appearance is the least important thing in the world. You can’t judge people by how they look. So I won’t mind how you guys look.”
Meng Huaize, still stunned, pointed at himself, then at Wu Yue. “You won’t mind… us?”
“Of course not!” Xue Zhao replied quickly. “Even though you’re both really, really ugly, I don’t mind at all!”
Meng Huaize swallowed, forcing a dry laugh. “Well, thank you very much for that.”
4o
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