DreamersGN Chapter 1137 Duanmu Crisis
Chapter 1137 Duanmu Crisis
Soon, the young doctor brought out Mr. Duanmu. He followed behind the old man, whispering as they walked:
"Master, I have never seen such a strange pulse before..."
Upon hearing this, the female patient, who had been sitting in the lobby waiting, suddenly turned around.
The old man Duanmu that the man mentioned was her father!
She suppressed her excitement, forcing herself to remain seated, without revealing the slightest flaw.
Mr. Duanmu walked to the examination table, sat down, looked at the peasant woman in front of him, and then put his hand on her wrist to take her pulse.
After a moment, the old man withdrew his hand, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face:
“This… sister-in-law, I don’t know how to address you properly. I’m getting old, and I’m afraid my medical skills have come to an end. This is the first time I’ve seen your pulse. Why don’t you tell me what symptoms you have?”
Looking at her father's much older face, Duanmu Ying fought back tears and spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Mr. Duanmu, I am indeed very ill. If you find it difficult to treat, perhaps you could ask your wife and Mr. Liu from Jishetang to come out and take a look at me?”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Duanmu frowned and said in confusion, "Mr. Liu's medical skills are naturally far superior to mine, so it would be fine to ask him to take a look. But... why did you mention my wife? She is just a woman and is not skilled in this area."
Duanmu Ying grasped her father's hand, lowered her voice, and choked out, "She... may not be a 'doctor' who can cure illnesses, but who knows... she might be a 'medicine' that can save lives."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Duanmu was suddenly shaken and stared intently at the rough-faced peasant woman in front of him. In this world, there was only one person who would speak in such a tone!
Seeing Duanmu Ying's current state, he felt both heartache and shock. He took Duanmu Ying's hand in return and said, "Sister-in-law...please come inside!"
Upon entering, Mr. Duanmu immediately turned around, slammed the heavy wooden door to the back room shut, and bolted it shut.
The moment Duanmu Ying saw her mother inside the house, she could no longer hold back her tears. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, and cried out:
"mother!"
At the same time, the disguise of the double-handedness was removed.
"Ying'er? My Ying'er!"
The mother was stunned at first, but when she saw her familiar daughter appear in front of her, she couldn't hold back her shock. She cried out and rushed forward. The two embraced tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
After a long while, the three of them gradually calmed down.
Mr. Duanmu helped the mother and daughter up and sat them down in the inner room, where they began to talk in hushed tones.
Before long, Mr. Liu from Jishetang, who was also Duanmu Ying's mentor, arrived.
After listening to Duanmu Ying recount her experiences over this period, the old gentleman Duanmu sighed deeply and said in a deep voice:
“Your idea is good, going overseas… is indeed a good way out. You can’t stay in the country now. However, no matter how big the storm, it will eventually subside. Settle down abroad first and wait for our news. When things have calmed down, we’ll let you come back.”
At this moment, Master Liu also spoke up: "Ying'er, I'm very pleased that you still thought of coming back to see your master in this situation, but I still have to say that what you did was inappropriate. Because of the skills your father and I have, the people we deal with have very simple intentions. But since what happened between you, the number of strange-looking visitors to Jishetang and the Duanmu family has been increasing these days, and they only want us to know about them. Who knows how many eyes are watching us in secret!"
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ying said with a guilty expression, "I'm sorry... It's because of my matter that I've caused so much trouble for my family and for you, Master."
“Silly child, why are you saying all this?” Mr. Liu sighed. “You don’t need to worry too much about us. Over the years, we’ve done our craft quite well, and we’ve built up a lot of good relationships with people in the industry. As long as we don’t have any clear disagreements on matters of principle, they’ll give us some face and won’t easily try anything against us. So, as long as you get away safely, we’ll all be fine.”
Duanmu's mother said, "Did you hear that? Ying'er! I'll go and get you ready, pack some valuables. We'll personally see you off on the ship first thing tomorrow morning!"
"No!" Duanmu Ying said, "Father, Mother, Master! If you personally escort this seemingly inexplicable peasant woman, it will attract too much attention, it will be like trying to hide something obvious! I'll leave now, alone."
“Alright, stay here for now. Every minute you stay here increases the danger!” said Mr. Duanmu.
After saying this, Duanmu Ying suppressed her reluctance, kowtowed deeply to the three elders, changed her appearance again, and left Duanmu Medical Hall alone.
As soon as she stepped out of the gate, Duanmu Ying immediately blended into the bustling crowd on the street.
She tugged at her headscarf and walked cautiously, glancing back at home every now and then, filled with reluctance.
Just then, she realized she was being followed and quickened her pace, thinking, "Stay calm, I must stay calm. Even if it's the worst-case scenario, I've prepared for it, haven't I? As long as I play my part well, I can get through this."
Just then, footsteps came from ahead.
"Hey, don't you guys think this guy is suspicious?"
Duanmu Ying stopped and looked up, only to see a young man dressed in a white robe with a long sword slung across his back blocking her way.
Duanmu Ying knew he was a member of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect just by looking at his attire, because Lin Zifeng, one of her sworn brothers, was dressed like that.
The young man wielding the Flowing Cloud Sword flashed to Duanmu Ying's side, ripped off her headscarf, and scrutinized her. Seeing it wasn't Duanmu Ying, but merely a rough peasant woman's face, he spoke:
"You entered the Duanmu family as a patient before. Coincidentally, Mr. Liu from Jishetang also came to visit today. These two haven't seen each other recently. Who exactly are you?"
At this moment, another member of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, carrying a long sword, stepped forward, reached out and tugged at Duanmu Ying's cheek, feeling the texture of her skin, before speaking:
"It feels real, not like wearing a human skin mask."
Duanmu Ying said in a terrified voice, "You...you...what are you going to do? I'm going to...I'm going to call for help."
"I have a question for you. Just tell me the truth, and I won't make things difficult for you," the man said.
With her wrist gripped, Duanmu Ying pleaded desperately, "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything! Please spare me!"
At the same time, she couldn't help but sneer inwardly: "You little brat, you have some knowledge in my pulse, you know that the frequency of a person's heartbeat and pulse is different when they are lying and nervous. But I can fool you with this without even using my double-handed technique. This Duanmu is no ordinary person."
"Speak! What are you doing at the Duanmu family's house?!" the man shouted sternly.
Duanmu Ying replied nervously, "There is... there is a woman who asked me... asked me to pass on a message. She said... she's waiting for Mr. Duanmu and his family at the dock tomorrow at noon."
Judging from the heartbeat, he wasn't lying. The man's eyes sharpened, and he continued to press, "What's your relationship with that woman?!"
"It's alright, she paid me!" Duanmu Ying said tremblingly.
"Taking money to do things? You're quite trustworthy, aren't you? Did you deliver the message?" the man asked again.
"The letter has been delivered; I don't have any more here," Duanmu Ying said.
Several members of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect exchanged glances, and one of them said, "This peasant woman's pulse has been taken into account. Although her heartbeat is fast, it is steady and regular. It doesn't seem like a reaction to fabricating a lie. What she said sounds like the truth."
"What are we waiting for? This peasant woman is just a random messenger we found. The real person is at the dock. Quick, let's go!" one of them said urgently. "Wait, check her bundle!" the young man said, looking at the bundle that Duanmu Ying was clutching tightly in her arms.
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ying immediately struggled like a mother hen protecting her chicks, shouting loudly, "Don't touch my bag! This is my wages!"
"We don't want your money! Let us see!"
Ignoring Duanmu Ying's struggles, the man roughly ripped off her bundle and shook it open.
With a "crash," several changes of coarse cloth clothes fell to the ground, along with a wad of banknotes.
"Wow! The Duanmu family is really generous! So much money for just delivering a message? I'd be happy to do this kind of job too!" A disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect laughed as he looked at the banknotes on the ground.
At this moment, Duanmu Ying secretly thought to herself, "Thank goodness I didn't let my mother take too much. However, I'm currently pretending to be a poor peasant woman. If I act like I don't care about so much money, it would really arouse suspicion."
She immediately put on a show of being desperate for money, lunging at the package on the ground and crying out, "Robbery! Give me back my bag! That's my money!"
"I already said I don't want your things."
Seeing this, the Flowing Cloud Sword disciple pushed Duanmu Ying to the ground with a look of disgust, then quickly searched her body. After confirming that there were no other valuable clues, he sped off towards the dock.
After watching them disappear, Duanmu Ying stood there howling for a while before getting up and letting out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I had already thought of a plan before I left; otherwise, coming back to see my parents one last time would have been like walking into a trap.
He dusted himself off, repacked his bundle, and continued walking outside.
Before they had gone far, they were blocked by another group of people.
"After conducting a thorough search and interrogation of her, the people from Liuyun Sword hurriedly left. There must be something fishy about this."
One of them looked at Duanmu Ying and said, "Tell me what you said to the people before. Tell me exactly what they said."
Duanmu Ying could only suppress her impatience and continue to play the role of a peasant woman, repeating her previous statement to them.
Do you think what she said is true or false?
"Who knows? Let me interrogate her properly!"
At this moment, a man wearing a traditional Chinese jacket and a short-sleeved shirt, who looked exactly like a street performer under the overpass, walked out from behind the group.
Duanmu Ying recognized them as members of the Jiyun Society at a glance!
Jiyun Society is a school specializing in magic tricks. Her sworn brother, Liao Tianlin, came from this school. At the time, she felt that Liao Tianlin's methods were similar to those of the Western magician she met while studying abroad, and she even had a good chat with him. Therefore, she had some understanding of Jiyun Society.
Besides being skilled in manual techniques, the people of this sect are also adept at illusions and sleight of hand. I must remain calm and deal with them... Duanmu Ying silently warned herself.
"I am Ma Deyun from Jiyun Society. Liao Tianlin and I are fellow disciples."
The man walked up to Duanmu Ying, stared intently into her eyes, and asked in a low, slow voice:
"What exactly is your relationship with Duanmu Ying, my junior brother Liao Tianlin's sworn sister?"
As he spoke, Ma Deyun's eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie purple light, and his voice became erratic.
Oh no, this guy is using a mind-control spell on me, I have to pretend I'm under his spell...
Duanmu Ying felt a chill run down her spine and immediately used her dual-wielding technique to pretend that she had been tricked. Then, she repeated her previous words in a monotone, mechanical tone.
After asking the question, the purple light in Ma Deyun's eyes gradually faded. He turned to his companion behind him and said confidently:
"She didn't lie to us, so we don't need to worry about her. The people from Liuyun Sword have already set off ahead of time, so we need to hurry and catch up with them."
After saying that, the group quickly left.
Duanmu Ying watched their departing figures and breathed a long sigh of relief. Her back was covered in cold sweat. She hadn't expected that so many people were lurking near her home.
"Hurry up, I have to go!"
She continued toward the edge of the city, but she underestimated the people lurking around her. After only a few steps, she was surrounded by a third group of people.
Duanmu Ying couldn't discern the origins of this group of people at all. All she knew was that their eyes were extremely fierce, and their actions were incredibly brutal and savage. Upon meeting her, they pushed her to the ground, snatched her bundle, and took the money inside.
One of the men, a burly man with a fierce face, grabbed her hair, lifted her up, and interrogated her viciously.
Despite the excruciating pain in her head and the humiliation in her heart, Duanmu Ying nervously repeated her previous statement.
After hearing this, the people exchanged glances.
"To whom else have you said that?"
One of them glared fiercely at Duanmu Ying.
Duanmu Ying pretended to be terrified, sobbing and saying, "There are...there are two more groups ahead...I told them..."
Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, a hint of urgency flashing in their eyes.
"There are two more groups of people. Brother, let's go. We need to get to the dock quickly. If we're late, we won't even get a sip of soup, let alone meat."
“That’s true,” the leader said. “But this old woman is too talkative. In just a short while, she’s revealed everything to both groups. If she keeps talking, who knows how many more people she might attract.”
"The boss is right, the dead are the best at keeping secrets. Let's get rid of her, that way we'll have one less competitor!"
As he spoke, the man slowly drew the dagger from his waist.
Duanmu Ying sensed something was wrong. This group of people didn't follow the rules of the martial arts world at all. If they continued to pretend, they would surely die.
A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she pulled hard, actually managing to break free of the hair the man was holding. Ignoring the pain in her scalp, she fled for her life towards the town, shouting as she ran:
"Help! Murder!!!" (End of Chapter)