FID – Chapter 652

Chapter 652: He Thought About It, But He Couldn’t Do It 

“Say one more word, and I’ll make sure you won’t have a wheelchair to sit in, and you’ll have to crawl out.”

If this weren’t the Liu family courtyard, where bloodshed was frowned upon, Wei Hong wouldn’t have wasted any time talking to the man in front of her.

“But I’ve paid you the money,” Duan Ting smiled, trying to reason. “At an inn, a paying guest would have the right to walk around, right?”

“Unfortunately, this isn’t an inn. It’s the Liu family’s courtyard.” A head suddenly peeked out from the shadows of the courtyard wall. “Dahong, why don’t we quietly deal with him? No one, not even the Elder Master or Madam, would find out. Look at him with those shifty eyes, trying to sneak into Nannan’s little courtyard—he’s clearly up to no good!”

“Stay hidden in the shadows!” Wei Hong snapped, and the head immediately disappeared back into the shadows.

Duan Ting rubbed his nose, retreating two steps in his wheelchair before calling out loudly, “Miss Liu, may I come in?”

Wei Hong’s expression darkened. “Scoundrel!”

With that, she swung her sword toward the seat of Duan Ting’s wheelchair.

In an instant, the sound of fighting erupted at the entrance of the inner courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Liu Yusheng frowned and sighed. “Aunt Hong, let him in.”

“Nannan?!” Wei Hong paused in her attack, frowning. “He’s a man. If he wants to enter the inner courtyard, he should come during the day. Letting him in at this hour is not appropriate.”

“It’s fine.”

“How is it fine? This will ruin your reputation!” Wei Lan also whispered, careful not to disturb the elders of the Liu family.

The door creaked open, and Liu Yusheng stood inside, looking at the vague figures at the courtyard entrance. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, even if he wants to, he can’t.”

Wei Lan’s eyes immediately widened. The implications of those words were huge! Could it mean what he thought it meant?

Noticing that the two who had just clashed with him were now looking at him with both strange and sympathetic expressions, Duan Ting, “…”

He suddenly had the urge to hit someone.

Since there was no threat, Wei Hong and Wei Lan did not block him further and quickly disappeared from view.

Duan Ting, his face darkened, drove his wheelchair into the inner courtyard. “I didn’t expect that in such a small farmer’s household, there would be guards hidden in the yard.”

“There are many things you wouldn’t expect, young master, but you just haven’t encountered them yet.” Stepping out of the room, Liu Yusheng walked to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down. 

She looked at the man approaching slowly. “Your visit into my inner courtyard so late, you must want more than just to bask in the moonlight, right?”

“First, explain what you mean by ‘can’t do it’.” Pushing his wheelchair forward, he stopped only when his knees almost brushed against hers.

In the dim moonlight, the man’s eyes were deep and unreadable, fixed intently on her.

Liu Yusheng did not dodge or look away, staring directly at him and smiling. “What I meant, Young Master, don’t you understand? You know your own body best.”

Under the white, flowing sleeves, Duan Ting’s fingers slowly tightened around the armrests, his knuckles turning white and slightly misshapen.

After a long moment, he suddenly relaxed, leaning back against the wheelchair’s backrest, rubbing his forehead, and giving a light laugh.

“Just one pulse diagnosis, and you can tell something like this? Little Divine Doctor, you’re truly deserving of the title.”

“It’s not entirely a diagnosis; I saw it.” As she spoke, the young girl’s gaze fell on his legs, which hung motionless in front of the wheelchair.

Duan Ting felt that tonight’s moonlight was particularly unpleasant.

His expression softened as he lifted his hand and pounded his legs, which had no sensation. “Across the four great countries and six continents, I’ve seen nearly all the famous doctors, none of whom could treat me. In the past half year, Little Divine Doctor’s reputation has soared, and you’re my last hope. If even you can’t do anything… well.”

He chuckled bitterly, as though most of his strength had been drained away, then tilted his head to gaze at the moon overhead.

The moonlight was faint and dim, casting a hazy glow over his delicate features.

The expressionless face only deepened the sense of confusion.

Liu Yusheng also looked up at the moon, propping her cheek with one hand. “Today was just a pulse diagnosis. Tomorrow, I’ll use the golden needle to check again. Only then will I give you a definitive answer. Doctors are just ordinary people—if we can treat it, we will; if we can’t, well, that’s your fate.”

She paused for a moment, then said, “I have a friend who is particularly interested in researching difficult and complicated illnesses. If he were here, with him discussing it together, perhaps we’d have a better chance.”

“Your friend?”

“Since you’ve already sought out famous doctors, you must have heard of the infamous Dead No Treatment reputation of a doctor in Nanling, right?”

Duan Ting slowly sat up straighter, gazing intently at the girl. After a moment, he let out a light chuckle. “Miss Liu, your wisdom exceeds my expectations. I’m glad to have met a woman like you.”

She mentioned Nanling’s Dead-No-Treatment Doctor—which meant she knew he was not from Nanling

“I was only guessing.” Liu Yusheng smiled slightly.

“A guess that hit the mark—no small feat.”

“Beicang’s Prince Ting, rumored to have a disability, arrived in Nanling in a wheelchair.” Liu Yusheng tilted her head and looked at him. “I’m just a little puzzled. A man who should’ve been at the border, fighting for his life, why would he show up in the distant Xinghua Village at this time?”

Having had his identity exposed, Duan Ting didn’t hide it anymore. He shrugged. “The one at the border—was a substitute.”

“Do you think your substitute is dead or alive now?”

“Most likely dead. He was sitting in a wheelchair, how could he run away?”

Liu Yusheng fell silent.

To those in power, the lives of others were nothing more than weeds.

When they spoke of someone’s death, it was always indifferent, without any feeling.

“It’s late. If you have nothing else, you should return to your room and rest. The moonlight in the inner courtyard is just like the outer courtyard, nothing special to look at.”

“How about you prepare a room for me in the inner courtyard? I’ll rest here. I actually quite like the decor here, it’s elegant and peaceful.”

Liu Yusheng stood up and spoke to the air, “Aunt Hong, tell Feng Qingbai about Prince Ting of Beicang’s appearance in the Liu family courtyard. Have him come here and arrest the man. Keep an eye on him during this time and make sure he doesn’t leave a step out of the courtyard.”

The plot took a sudden turn.

Duan Ting sat in place, watching as the young woman calmly returned to her room, closed the door, and extinguished the light.

He was left in a daze for a long time.

So, had he become the fool who had thrown himself into the net?

At the same time, a thousand miles away in the capital, the royal palace was bathed in the same hazy moonlight.

In the imperial study, the light still burned late into the night.

Feng Qingbai sat beside the long desk, his hand resting on his chin, his gaze deep and inscrutable, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking.

His gaze shifted to the window, looking at the full moon’s light spilling down like water. After a moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he abruptly stood up.

“Imperial Uncle?” Feng Mohan asked cautiously. 

For the past few days, his uncle had been in a bad mood, causing him to speak more cautiously, not daring to act recklessly. The man waved his sleeve and strode out.

“Handle the state affairs well. I need to leave the capital for a while. My return is uncertain.”

“…” Wait, Uncle, at least explain things before leaving! Where are you going?

By the time he realized and wanted to ask, the man had already vanished from the doorway.

Just like that, he left, leaving him behind whenever it suited him.

Be damned!

At the dock on the outskirts of the city, a passenger ship set sail at midnight, heading straight for Yunzhou.

On the ship, Feng Qingbai’s face looked even worse than in the past few days.

Negligence, he realized, only now recalling the mistake!

With Duan Ting’s schemes and deep strategies, in the capital, he had sought refuge in the Nanling King’s Manor to block several assassination attempts. How could he not know that there were always people after his life?