When Su Yuan and Chongyun followed Yelan to Keqing's residence, they found the main door tightly shut.
No matter how much they called out, there was no response from inside...
The situation was urgent, so Yelan delivered a flying kick and smashed the door open!
The group rushed inside, only to see Keqing lying weakly on the bed, barely clinging to life...
Keqing wore a pained expression, her body drenched in sweat and her clothes soaked through, trembling from time to time with occasional convulsions...
Although Keqing's condition looked terrible, Su Yuan felt slightly relieved—at the very least, she was still alive...
"Keqing!" Yelan hurried over, placing her hand on Keqing's forehead and feeling an intense heat...
Yelan kept calling Keqing's name, but her eyes remained tightly shut and her expression vacant, showing no reaction to any sounds or movements from the outside world...
Then, Yelan gently propped Keqing up and quickly pulled out a small ceramic medicine bottle from her pocket, pouring out a pill and placing it into Keqing's mouth...
"Yelan, what did you just give Keqing?" Su Yuan asked.
"Just an immortal-blessed medicine passed down from my ancestors..."
Yelan replied:
"I originally kept this pill for emergencies..."
"But given how dire Keqing's condition is now, all we can do is hope it works..."
Although Su Yuan really wanted to joke—a pill passed down through generations?
That thing must be pretty old by now… isn't there a chance it's expired or gone bad?
But he knew this wasn't the time to think about such things...
After Keqing took Yelan's pill, her condition clearly began to improve.
She stopped sweating, her expression relaxed a little, and her body no longer trembled or convulsed...
"This is my oversight... I was too caught up dealing with the matters at Yilong Wharf and didn't properly consider all the possibilities..."
Yelan said with a hint of guilt.
"Yelan, this isn't your fault..."
Su Yuan looked at Yelan and Chongyun, then said:
"Right now, I'm planning to head to Bubu Pharmacy and see what's really going on with Baizhu!"
..............
Inside Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu was speaking to Changsheng...
"Changsheng, I've been feeling a bit strange these past couple of days..."
Baizhu adjusted his glasses and said with a puzzled tone:
"Why is it that the patients I told to come back for follow-ups the next day—none of them showed up?"
"Also, have you really been following the terms of our contract, transferring my vitality to the patients and drawing their toxins and illnesses into me?"
"Why does it feel like my body has actually been getting better these past two days?"
"Don't worry, Baizhu. I can assure you—I've been following the contract to the letter."
Changsheng gave a faint smile as she replied to Baizhu.
"As for the patients not coming back, isn't the reason obvious? They're completely cured, that's all!"
"And your body improving... maybe the immortality elixir we were researching earlier is finally starting to show some results."
"I hope that's the case…" Baizhu said slowly.
These past few days, Baizhu had a vague feeling that something was off with Changsheng—but he just couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was…
"Quack doctor! Heartless physician!"
Just then, angry shouting suddenly rang out from outside Bubu Pharmacy.
Gui came rushing in from the entrance, calling out anxiously to Baizhu:
"Doctor Baizhu, something's wrong—someone's causing a scene outside!"
"Gui, don't panic. Come with me and let's take a look."
Baizhu replied calmly.
He then walked to the entrance of Bubu Pharmacy and found several people holding portraits of the deceased and a protest banner, blocking the doorway and preventing others from entering for treatment.
The banner read: [Heartless Bubu Pharmacy! Quack Baizhu! Give us back our loved ones!]
As soon as those people saw Baizhu appear, their emotions flared up, and they began hurling insults:
"Quack Baizhu! Bastard Baizhu! Give us back our loved ones!"
"It was just a normal cold and fever! He came to Bubu Pharmacy yesterday and got a prescription from you, you useless quack!"
"And this morning—we found him dead in his bed!"
Hearing what the people were saying, and then looking at the portrait of the deceased, Baizhu frowned slightly…
He remembered this person—it was just an ordinary case of fever and a cold.
Even without treatment, it would've cleared up in a few days on its own…
So yesterday, he had only prescribed a few mild herbal remedies as a symbolic treatment…
The man's health wasn't particularly bad either—how could he have suddenly died?
"Flowers wither and bloom, lives rise and fall—such is fate, inescapable…"
Changsheng, coiled around Baizhu's neck, spoke with a sigh.
"Baizhu, this isn't your fault. It was simply his destiny. Some people are just fated to die…"
As he listened to Changsheng's words, Baizhu's brows furrowed even deeper…
Was this really something Changsheng would say…? A snake?
"I'm deeply sorry to hear about your loved one's passing…"
Baizhu slowly stepped forward and spoke to the grieving people:
"But... could you please take me to see your loved one? I want to confirm the actual cause of death."
"In your dreams!!!"
The people grew even more agitated at Baizhu's words.
"You already killed my family member, and now you won't even leave his body in peace?!"
"We've already reported this to the Ministry of Civil Affairs!"
"Baizhu! Just wait—your Bubu Pharmacy is going to be shut down, and you'll be locked up in prison!"
"But Dr. Baizhu has done so much for Liyue over the years. He's cured countless serious and rare illnesses—everyone's seen it with their own eyes..."
Just then, a few of the onlookers, unable to stay silent any longer, stepped forward to speak up in Baizhu's defense.
"Yes, yes, could this all be a misunderstanding?"
"Dr. Baizhu is a healer who saves lives—why would he ever harm anyone?"
Now that someone had spoken up, more and more people began to step forward and speak in Baizhu's defense.
However, it wasn't long before another heartbreaking wail echoed through the air:
"Baizhu! You heartless murderer! Give me back my child!"
"Doudou adored you, looked up to you—why would you poison her?!"
The crowd recognized the woman.
Her name was Chen Xiang, and she had a daughter named Hongdou, nicknamed Doudou.
Because of her health issues, Doudou often came to Bubu Pharmacy to get medicine from Baizhu.
But the medicine there was always too bitter—Doudou had a hard time taking it…
Doudou even used to say that just seeing the gentle "Big Brother Baizhu" would make her feel better—no need to take medicine at all…
Chen Xiang once joked with her, "If you don't like Baizhu's medicine, what if he gets upset with you?"
And Doudou replied, "Then… then maybe I'll just get the medicine but not take it?"
Those past moments all replayed in Baizhu's mind, leaving him dazed and unsettled.
That adorable little girl—Doudou—was she really gone?
Though Doudou had a naturally weak constitution due to congenital issues, with the help of Baizhu's treatments and Changsheng's secret technique, "Serpent's Grace, Dragon's Guidance", there was no way she should've died so suddenly…
"Miss Chen Xiang… would you… let me see Doudou?"
Baizhu looked at Chen Xiang's face—overwhelmed with sorrow, anger, grief, and countless other emotions—and couldn't help but speak, unable to bear it any longer.
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