Volume 7, Chapter 369 – I Must Go Find Your Mother

“Father…”

Lu Yao’s eyes widened in horror before she burst into desperate sobs, not even having the time to process what the doctor had just said.

Qi Huang’s soul trembled at the sight. She hadn’t expected fate to be so merciless to this family, three out of five members struck down by terminal illness one after another. What kind of punishment was this?

Doctor Kong was also startled and hurried forward to examine the situation. Moments later, his eyes widened in shock, and his pulse-taking hand trembled slightly.

“Doctor! Doctor! What’s wrong with my dad?” Lu Yao cried out between sobs.

Doctor Kong’s jaw worked silently, his face twisting with pity. After a long pause, he forced out the words with difficulty: “Child, your father just fainted from a sudden surge of distress. He’ll wake up soon, but… but I must tell you, he also has the tumor disease.”

“What?!”

Lu Yao’s eyes widened in terror, her grief momentarily forgotten. Only tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

‘How is this possible?!’

Even in the dream, Qi Huang felt a chill crawl down her spine. Four! Now it’s four! Out of a family of five, four had been struck by the same terminal illness in succession. Who would believe this was mere coincidence? This wasn’t just misfortune, it was either divine retribution or a curse!

“Doctor… Doctor… sob… I beg you… please, please save my father!”

After a moment of stunned silence, little Lu Yao finally snapped out of her shock and dropped to her knees, pleading desperately.

“Child! Get up, quickly!”

Doctor Kong’s face softened with compassion as he hurriedly helped her up.

“Sob… Please, you have to save my father! Sob… He’s the only family I have left now…”

Even after standing, Lu Yao kept bowing deeply, her small frame trembling with each sob.

“He’s your only family left?”

The pity in Doctor Kong’s expression deepened.

“Yes… sob… My grandparents both died from the tumor disease… and my mom… my mom left home two months ago. Now we don’t even know if she’s alive or dead… It’s just me and Dad now… just the two of us!”

Lu Yao choked out the explanation between sobs, her delicate face streaked with tears.

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“What? They all had the tumor disease?”

Doctor Kong’s face paled with horror. He muttered to himself, “This doesn’t make sense! The tumor disease your parents have is terminal, but it’s not contagious. How could so many in one family fall ill like this?”

“Sob… I… I don’t know!”

Yao Yao sniffled, her fair cheeks now tear-streaked and blotchy.

“Could it be hereditary? But no, your mother and grandmother married into the family!”

Doctor Kong paced back and forth, deep in thought.

Yao Yao could only watch silently, not daring to interrupt. She bit her lip to stifle her sobs, pressing her tiny hands over her mouth when the tears threatened to spill again.

“Could it be… divine retribution?”

The moment Doctor Kong voiced the thought, a flicker of fear crossed his face.

After a long silence, he turned to Lu Yao with a helpless sigh. “Child, I wish I could help, but the tumor disease is incurable. Not even the imperial physicians in the palace have a cure, so…”

“Doctor… sob… can you at least tell me why? Why did my grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom all get this terrible sickness?”

Lu Yao’s voice trembled with grief and anger, her young face etched with defiance. Her bright eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but beneath them burned a spark of fury.

Doctor Kong hesitated, then softened his tone. “Child, the tumor disease your parents have isn’t contagious, so we can rule that out. And since your grandmother and mother married into the family, it’s unlikely to be hereditary. After much thought, the only possible cause is… their diet.”

“Diet?”

Lu Yao wiped her tears and frowned, but she didn’t speak further. She was just a twelve-year-old girl with no medical knowledge—even if something in their food was to blame, how could she possibly figure it out?

“Child, as a doctor, I have a duty to care for the sick. Tell you what, I’ll visit your home another day to investigate.”

Seeing the unspoken plea in her eyes, Doctor Kong sighed in resignation.

“Thank you, Doctor! Thank you!”

Lu Yao burst into fresh tears of gratitude, bowing over and over.

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“No need for that. As a doctor, it shames me that I can’t do more for you.”

Doctor Kong quickly stopped her, guilt weighing heavily on his expression.

“Doctor, can I ask one more favor? Please… don’t tell my dad about his illness.”

Lu Yao wiped her tear-streaked face as she made the request.

Doctor Kong agreed without hesitation. Though it went against medical ethics, his heart couldn’t bear to refuse this pitiful child.

Half an hour later, Lu Hua regained consciousness, but his spirit seemed even more broken. Without bothering to collect any medicine, he took his daughter and left the town.

“Yao Yao, once we’re home, stay inside. I have to go find your mother.”

On the way back, Lu Hua suddenly spoke up, his voice firm.

“But… Dad… you said you weren’t feeling well…”

Lu Yao stammered, her small hands clutching his sleeve.

“It’s nothing serious. I’m fine. But your mother is sick, and she’s been gone for two months now. Who knows what’s happened to her?”

Lu Hua’s eyes reddened slightly. He patted her head gently. “While I’m gone, take care of yourself. Don’t open the door for strangers, understand?”

His heart ached at the thought of leaving his young daughter alone, but his worry for his terminally ill wife outweighed everything else.

“But… you…”

Lu Yao wanted to argue, but in the end, she bit back her words. Only tears welled up in her eyes, unshed.

“Oh, and Yao Yao, ever since your mother left, the village has been full of ugly rumors. People say she abandoned us for a richer life, that she’s vain and heartless. If anyone says that again, tell them the truth. We can’t let your mother bear this injustice. She’s a good woman.”

Lu Hua’s voice was thick with emotion.

“I know… sob…”

Yao Yao broke down again. Though still young, she was beginning to understand just how bleak her future looked.

“Ah, don’t cry. This is all my fault.”

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Lu Hua closed his eyes in pain before pulling his daughter into a tight embrace.

Once home, Lu Hua began packing. By dawn the next day, he was gone, though not before asking a neighbor to keep an eye on Yao Yao.

Unbeknownst to him, the little girl secretly followed, stumbling after him for two miles before finally collapsing under a tree, her tiny frame wracked with sobs.

Two days later, Doctor Kong kept his promise and visited the Lu household to investigate. But after scouring the house inside and out, he still couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

“I’m sorry, child. I couldn’t find anything. But just in case, I suggest you move somewhere else.”

His advice was well-meaning, but Yao Yao could only stare at him helplessly. Where could a twelve-year-old girl go? How could she possibly relocate on her own?

“Sigh…”

With a heavy heart, Doctor Kong left, glancing back every few steps.

After setting out to find his wife, Lu Hua returned home only once every ten days or so, just long enough to sell some livestock for travel funds.

Yao Yao soon realized she could help by tending to the animals. She worked tirelessly, raising the chickens and ducks until they were plump and healthy, ensuring they’d fetch a better price. Through her efforts, the entire village soon learned the truth about Gu Yuan’s disappearance, that she hadn’t abandoned her family but had left because of her illness.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

A new rumor spread like wildfire: Three out of five Lu family members struck by terminal illness? That’s divine punishment for some hidden sin.

The idea of karmic retribution was too tempting for the villagers to resist. Soon, Yao Yao and her father were shunned, treated as pariahs.

Cheng Ling woke from the dream, her entire being frozen in shock. The red mark on her face had spread further, now the size of an egg, its color fading slightly.

Qi Huang’s heart ached just as fiercely. She prayed this was just a nightmare, because if it were real, how could a twelve-year-old girl survive such a cruel fate?

By the time Qi Huang woke, the sun was already high. Outside, her master Xu Mei’s voice drifted into the courtyard. She hurriedly got out of bed.

When she stepped out to wash up, she realized the entire family was gathered outside, everyone except her, the late riser. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“You little lazy pig! If you keep this up after marriage, your in-laws will curse us to death!”

Her mother, Jiang Linian, scolded her half-teasingly.

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Cheng Hongling’s expression flickered at the words.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’m not getting married, so no one will curse you.”

Qi Huang grinned shamelessly.

Cheng Hongling’s face immediately brightened.

“She’s right, Junior SIster. With her talent, she should focus on immortality. Marriage would be a waste.”

Xu Mei nodded in agreement.

“Senior Sister, cultivation leads to immortality. Sleeping in just turns you into a lazy pig.”

Jiang Linian kept teasing, making everyone chuckle.

“Hongling, Qi Huang—I actually came to discuss something important.”

Xu Mei’s expression turned serious. “The Immortal Alliance’s rule changes might not be a bad thing for you. If doppelgängers can now officially participate in the Evergreen Conference alone, why shouldn’t we use that to our advantage?”

“Master, you mean…?”

Cheng Hongling’s eyes gleamed.

“Exactly. Since the Immortal Alliance is determined to make things difficult for you, why not have Qi Huang temporarily join another sect for the Conference? That way, we bypass their restrictions.”

Xu Mei’s lips curled slightly.

“Brilliant idea. The Alliance doesn’t know Qi Huang’s strength, they’d never see her as a threat.”

Cheng Yuan nodded enthusiastically.

Cheng Hongling instinctively agreed. Not only would this open another path, but it would also keep Qi Huang from interfering at a critical moment.

“I think Master’s plan is perfect. What do you say?”

Cheng Hongling turned to Qi Huang for her opinion.