299: Chapter 79 Suicide by Drowning

A cup of tea's time later, Xue Muhua and Ruan Xingzhu stepped out of the side room.

Xue Muhua sighed as he twirled his beard.

Ruan Xingzhu looked as if her soul had been drained; her entire state was clearly off.

Evidently, Xue Muhua was unable to solve Ruan Xingzhu's problem.

This made Meng Li somewhat curious about what was going on with Ruan Xingzhu that could leave even Xue Muhua helpless.

Recalling that Ruan Xingzhu was wearing a bamboo hat and hadn't shown her face, a flash of insight struck him—could it be that something was wrong with her face?

Disfigurement? Facial scarring?

But on second thought, Meng Li shook his head inwardly.

Regarding Ruan Xingzhu, aside from being the biological mother of A Zhu and A Zi, he had two deep impressions of her: one was her skill in Disguise, and the other was her proficiency in swimming.

The reason he remembered was that these two traits were passed down and displayed by A Zhu and A Zi.

A Zhu possessed an exquisite art of Disguise; the TV show didn't explain its origin, but the original novel said she liked playing as others since childhood and figured it out herself.

Meng Li had verified this claim, and it was true.

When he taught A Zhu Disguise back then, she not only showed high talent but was also very interested, often playing role-playing games with him.

A Zi was skilled in water; after mastering her breath-holding technique, she would often launch sneak attacks while Meng Li was bathing.

Disfigurement was indeed difficult to accept, but for someone proficient in Disguise, a Human Skin Mask could solve the distress. Although it treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, as long as one was careful, they would basically be no different from an ordinary person.

After checking Ruan Xingzhu's condition, Xue Muhua prepared to start treating Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu, requiring a quiet place and medicinal ingredients.

Meng Li immediately had people arrange these things on the spot.

In any case, Duan Zhengchun was effectively his father-in-law.

Just as Meng Li finished the arrangements, Mu Wanqing arrived.

She must have heard the news from A Bi or Wang Yuyan, as she sought out Qin Hongmian as soon as she arrived.

"Mother, what happened?"

Qin Hongmian looked at Mu Wanqing with a complex expression, sighed, and recounted the events in detail.

From her departure in a fit of pique to Xiao Jing Lake, to the successive arrivals of Qiao Feng, the Four Evils, and Jiumozhi, and the subsequent flight.

Yes, a flight!

Qin Hongmian's group had been intercepted and attacked again by the Four Evils and Jiumozhi on their way to Suzhou. During this process, Chu Wanli sacrificed his life to create an opportunity for Qiao Feng, allowing him to heavily wound Jiumozhi and the others in one fell swoop, finally resolving the crisis.

Once the story was told, Qin Hongmian pointed at the red silk and "Double Joy" characters that hadn't been removed yet, asking Mu Wanqing in a low voice, "What's going on with this?"

Mu Wanqing replied truthfully, "Yesterday, Li Lang and Yu Yan were married."

Hearing this, Qin Hongmian wanted to say something, but seeing Mu Wanqing's expression was normal, she swallowed her words.

Beside them, Duan Yu's gaze dimmed.

He had considered this possibility when he saw the red silk and decorations earlier, but it was hard to accept, and he had held onto a sliver of hope.

Now that reality was before his eyes and his hope was shattered, he couldn't help but feel a wave of secret sorrow.

Sister Fairy had married, and the groom... was Young Master Murong!

This was also for the best.

After all, Sister Fairy and Young Master Murong were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match of talent and beauty.

Only someone with such supreme Martial Arts like Young Master Murong could protect Sister Fairy for a lifetime.

If it were him...

Duan Yu thought of Duan Zhengchun's situation and gave a self-deprecating smile.

He couldn't even protect his own father; how could he have the ability to protect anyone else?

...

Two hours later, Xue Muhua walked out of the room, with visible exhaustion on his face.

Clearly, treating Duan Zhengchun was not easy for him.

Qin Hongmian hurriedly stepped forward to ask about the situation: "Dr. Xue, how is it?"

Xue Muhua rubbed the space between his eyebrows: "This old man has done his best. You all should go in and see."

Having said that, he walked to the side on his own to sit down and regulate his breath to recover.

Qin Hongmian, Duan Yu, and the others felt their hearts drop and hurriedly entered the room.

Meng Li didn't follow them in. Seeing Mu Wanqing standing there, he walked to her side and asked softly, "Why don't you go in and see?"

Mu Wanqing said, "Whether I go in or not won't change the outcome. Going in would only make me feel more troubled."

"True." Meng Li nodded slightly.

At this moment, Wang Yuyan arrived.

"Husband, how is the situation?" Wang Yuyan asked.

Meng Li shook his head: "It's unclear for now. We'll wait until the people inside come out."

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden cry of alarm came from the room. It sounded like Duan Zhengchun, as if he had been frightened by something.

While Meng Li and the others were wondering, Ruan Xingzhu walked out wearing her bamboo hat, looking despondent, like a walking corpse.

Meng Li was thoughtful.

Was Duan Zhengchun just frightened by Ruan Xingzhu?

What was the situation?

Curious, he saw Ruan Xingzhu walk away and approached Xue Muhua, who had finished regulating his breath, asking in a low voice, "Senior Brother Xue, what is her situation?"

This "Senior Brother" was a title used based on Wang Yuyan's lineage.

Xue Muhua sighed: "Her appearance has been destroyed."

Hearing this answer, Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing felt a shiver in their hearts and a bit more sympathy for Ruan Xingzhu.

Meng Li, however, frowned slightly.

Ruan Xingzhu knew Disguise; even if her appearance was destroyed, as long as she wore a Human Skin Mask and didn't reveal the true situation, she wouldn't have frightened Duan Zhengchun.

But Ruan Xingzhu hadn't done that.

Could it be that she wanted to play out some 'test of true love' scenario with Duan Zhengchun, feeling that if he loved her, he should love her true self, whether beautiful or ugly?

From the perspective of a 'love-brain,' it was very likely.

If that were truly the case, Meng Li could only say it was hard to judge.

Soon, Duan Yu, Qiao Feng, and Zhu Danchen came out together.

Only Qin Hongmian was missing; she was likely inside comforting Duan Zhengchun.

As soon as he came out, Qiao Feng asked Xue Muhua, "Dr. Xue, is there really no way for Duke Duan to recover?"

Xue Muhua shook his head: "This old man is powerless, unless a miracle descends from heaven. If you are unwilling to believe it, you can go find other doctors to take a look."

Then, he looked at Duan Yu: "Young Master Duan, it's your turn. Come with me."

"Alright."

Duan Yu agreed and followed Xue Muhua into another room.

Qiao Feng and Zhu Danchen couldn't help, so they had to wait on the spot.

During this interval, seeing that Meng Li had another Wang Yuyan beside him in addition to Mu Wanqing, the two couldn't help but think that the reputation of the 'Passionate Young Master' was well-deserved. They then formally greeted Meng Li and expressed their thanks.

Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing had no interest in getting involved; they gave a greeting and left together.

Once the two women left, Qiao Feng suddenly felt something was wrong, as if someone was missing—Ruan Xingzhu!

Thus, he hurriedly asked Meng Li, "Young Master Murong, where did Duke Duan's lady friend in the bamboo hat go?"

Meng Li said without thinking, "She walked outside just now. As for where she went, I didn't pay attention."

Hearing this, Qiao Feng and Zhu Danchen exchanged a glance, sensing something was wrong.

Meng Li also thought of a certain possibility and said, "I'll have people look for her nearby."

Just as he finished speaking, A Zi came running in excitedly: "Master Young Master, Master Young Master, I did a great deed today!"

Meng Li was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Is that so? What great deed did you do?"

"I saved someone!" A Zi said with her hands on her hips, looking proud, and then elaborated: "Just now an ugly monster threw herself into the lake to commit suicide, and I pulled her out."

Meng Li understood instantly.

The one who threw herself into the lake must have been Ruan Xingzhu.

"Where is she?"

"I've settled her in the guest room."

...