The crowd instinctively parted to make way as a tall, stern-looking man slowly walked over.

“Sir Wu?” The square-faced man looked at the newcomer, surprised beyond words.

Xue’er’s eyes finally regained a bit of light the moment she saw the man.

“Sir Wu?” Yin Yin glanced at the square-faced man.

Pressing his thick lips together, the square-faced man introduced, “This is Sir Wu, a friend of Physician Jia.”

“……A fake^[1]假 – Jia physician? Then where’s the real one?”

“……His surname is Jia, the Jia^[2]贾 meaning ‘merchant’.”

Yin Yin exchanged a glance with Ling Long in silence. The ‘Physician Jia’ from the square-faced man’s mouth was most likely Jia Qing.

Speaking of this Sir Wu, the square-faced man wasn’t entirely sure about him either. He had gone up the mountain with that Physician Jia nearly a year ago, but in all that time, he had only seen Sir Wu three times. As for the legendary Physician Jia, he had yet to show his face.

Sir Wu didn’t pay the square-faced man any mind. Instead, he gave Yin Yin a few thoughtful glances. “This young lady seems to have some insight into medicine.”

Yin Yin’s mouth twitched slightly, and she gave a dry laugh. “Just a little, ha ha.”

Like hell I’d tell you I studied all those medical books just to fake being a doctor!

“Sir Wu, is Xue’er really just ill?” Though Sir Wu seldom appeared, each time he did, he cured a number of difficult and complicated illnesses. The square-faced man had considerable faith in his medical skills.

And his curiosity about the legendary Physician Jia only grew deeper. If even his friend had such skills, wouldn’t the man himself be capable of raising the dead?

Sir Wu nodded. This so-called ‘white illness’ wasn’t unheard of, but it just so happened that the town had recently experienced strange hauntings. The symptoms of the illness resembled those caused by spirits, so the townsfolk wanted to burn Xue’er alive.

It was always easier to direct fear and hatred toward a tangible target than to live under the shadow of the unknown.

He had rushed down the mountain the moment he heard the townspeople were planning to burn Xue’er alive.

Yin Yin gave the square-faced man a sidelong glance. “Can you let the girl go now?”

Seeing the man still hesitate, Yin Yin blinked and curved her lips into a teasing smile. “In exchange, we can help you catch the ghost.”

The square-faced man was stunned. He stared at Yin Yin, his eyes full of disbelief. “You can catch ghosts?”

Without missing a beat, Yin Yin nodded. “This girl isn’t a ghost. Even if you burn her, the hauntings will still continue. Why not let her go and let us help you catch the real ghost?”

The crowd began whispering among themselves. The square-faced man shouted for silence, then narrowed his eyes at Yin Yin. “And why should we believe you?”

Yin Yin smiled faintly. “Once we catch the real ghost, the girl’s innocence will be proven.”

After a moment of thought, the square-faced man reluctantly let Xue’er go, but on the condition that Yin Yin and her group must not leave Shigu Town until the ghost is caught.

Xue’er struggled to stand up from Du Qianqian’s arms, her steps weak as she walked over to Sir Wu. “Thank you for saving me, Sir Wu.”

Yin Yin’s expression twitched. “Pretty sure it was us who saved you, though?”

Sang Ze threw Yin Yin a look that clearly said ‘You don’t understand’. “Master, she can’t exactly offer herself to you in gratitude.”

Yin Yin: “……”

So when it comes to understanding unspoken rules, she actually lost to a little brat?

Because of the exchange between Yin Yin and Sang Ze, a hint of pink bloomed on Xue’er’s pale white face— like peach blossoms in March.

Sir Wu, however, seemed to not catch the subtlety at all. His face remained cold and indifferent as he addressed the group.

“Please, come inside and rest for a bit.” Yanyan stepped forward, her gratitude written all over her face.

It was only then that Yin Yin noticed the unique fragrance on Yanyan’s body— light and pleasant.

Is this ancient perfume? Yin Yin had to admit, compared to the harsh synthetic scents of modern perfumes, Yanyan’s fragrance was leagues better— at least nine streets ahead.

No one objected, and they followed Yanyan back to Xue’er’s home.

While Yanyan busied herself serving tea, Xue’er sat silently at the head of the bed, hugging her knees in a daze.

Yin Yin let her gaze roam around the room. The owner of the house must be a carpenter. There were many finely crafted wooden objects, along with several unfinished pieces scattered about.

She looked at Yanyan, who moved gracefully by the table— delicate and gentle, polite and elegant. The other party didn’t look like a local of Shigu Town at all.

More like a noble lady who had been trafficked into this place.

“Miss Yanyan, what’s your relationship with Xue’er?” Yin Yin finally couldn’t resist asking.

“I am from another region and have no family here in Shigu Town. Xue’er and her parents kindly took me in and treated me as one of their own.” Yanyan filled the teacup in front of Yin Yin. The tea leaves were just the cheapest green twigs, yet they gave off a surprisingly rich aroma.

Yin Yin let out a noncommittal sound. Sang Ze tugged at her sleeve and glanced timidly at Xue’er. “Master, what is this ‘white illness’? Is it deadly?”

Yin Yin patted Sang Ze’s head. “No.”

But judging by Xue’er’s condition, she probably didn’t have much time left.

Yin Yin gave the weak girl a sidelong glance, her gaze shadowed. “White tigers, white snakes, white foxes, white dolphins— these animals become more precious when afflicted with albinism. But humans? When they get it, their own kind rejects them.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. Ling Long looked at Yin Yin with a complex expression.

Even Du Qianqian stared at Yin Yin in surprise. Since her rebirth, she had felt that Yin Yin had changed somehow.

At the very least, the old Yin Yin would never have said something like that.

“What’s a white dolphin?” Sang Ze asked curiously.

“A creature in the sea.” Yin Yin replied.

“Oh.” Sang Ze nodded as if he half-understood. “Is it contagious?”

“No, it’s a hereditary condition.”

At that, Xue’er looked up, her voice hoarse, “But my parents didn’t have it.”

“Then that means you’re not their biological daughter.” Sang Ze answered without missing a beat.

Everyone: “……”

Yin Yin cleared her throat. “That’s normal. They could both be recessive carriers. It just happened to become dominant in you.”

Sir Wu’s brow twitched, and Xue’er looked at Yin Yin, puzzled.

“Don’t understand?” Yin Yin hesitated for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like you need to take the college entrance exam anyway.”

College entrance exam?

Xue’er grew even more confused.

“Miss, about what you just said regarding recessive and dominant traits, could you elaborate a bit more?” Sir Wu suddenly spoke up, looking eager to learn.

“Hmm……” Yin Yin thought for a moment and said, “This kind of condition often occurs in families with consanguineous marriages. Since the father and mother are closely related by blood, they’re likely to both carry the same pathogenic gene, though they show no symptoms. When the two defective genes combine, the condition manifests in their children. Do you understand what I mean?”

Sir Wu furrowed his brows and thought for a while, then slowly nodded.

Seriously? Even that make sense to him?

Yin Yin felt that the fact she hadn’t gone into teaching was truly a great loss to the nation.

“And how should I address you, Miss?” Sir Wu’s cold gaze landed on Yin Yin, and she instantly felt as though the temperature around her dropped several degrees.

“Yin Yin.”

The name made Yanyan’s eyes flicker, and Sir Wu also looked at Yin Yin with an expression of sudden realization.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Yin Yin felt the pressure mount. Just when she was about to blurt out ‘I’m a rich woman, come be my friend!’, Sir Wu finally spoke, “You wouldn’t happen to be the eldest young lady of Yin Manor?”

Yin Yin put on a face that clearly said ‘That’s right, I’m that filthy rich person’, and nodded devoutly.

“No wonder you’re so well-versed in medicine.”

Huh?

What kind of logic was that? Yin Manor didn’t even have a medical hall under its name, did it?

“I remember there was once an imperial physician who left the palace. His name was Feng Fa, I think. I heard he used to tutor Miss Yin.”

“Feng Fa?” Yin Yin quickly ran through the plot of 《All Splendor Fades》 in her head, then looked at Sir Wu in confusion. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

“Could I be mistaken?” Sir Wu’s expression turned a bit troubled. “Maybe it was Zhu Fengfa^[3]朱峰发? Or Zhu Fafeng^[4]朱发峰?”

Yin Yin’s mouth twitched. “With a distinctive name like Zhu Fafeng^[5]猪发疯 – Pig Gone Mad, believe me, I would have remembered.”

Du Qianqian suddenly let out an “Ah!” and said, “I know who! It’s Physician Ding, Ding Fengli!”

Yin Yin: “……”

Seriously? He only got one character right! How detached from the world was he?

“Ding Fengli?” Sir Wu looked a little puzzled. “When did he change his name?”

Yin Yin: “……”

This was truly a new level of shamelessness.

Xue’er, who was sitting on the bed, seemed utterly used to this. “Sir Wu is terrible at remembering names. It took him three months to remember mine.”

Yin Yin: “……”

Was the name Xue’er really that hard? Or…… not?

She was no longer so sure.

“Every time Sir Wu comes down from the mountain, he visits Xue’er to treat her. So they’ve gotten quite familiar.” Yanyan explained.

Yin Yin furrowed her brow. “This condition can’t be cured.”

Yanyan’s expression froze, though Xue’er didn’t seem to react much.

Sir Wu looked up at Yin Yin and asked, “Miss Yin, are you certain?”

Of course she was certain! Unless he came up with some kind of genetic engineering to modify Xue’er’s DNA!

Though she grumbled internally, Yin Yin wasn’t dumb enough to say all that out loud. “Sir Wu, you should know that too, right?”

Sir Wu’s brows twitched slightly, and his eyes darkened.

Though it was frustrating to admit, he had to concede that he truly had no solution for this kind of genetic condition.

“Even Divine Physician Jia can’t cure it?” Yanyan looked at Sir Wu anxiously, clinging to any sliver of hope.

Sir Wu pressed his lips together and shook his head.

Yanyan’s whole demeanor dimmed.

Yin Yin tried to offer some comfort, “Even though it can’t be cured, it’s not a terminal illness. It won’t be fatal. As long as she takes care of her health, her lifespan will be no different from a normal person’s.”

“A normal person?” Yanyan let out a bitter laugh. “You really think she can still be a normal person?”

Yin Yin’s brow furrowed instinctively. What was truly fatal wasn’t the incurable condition but the gaze of others.

How could someone ‘different’ like Xue’er, survive in a world so obsessed with being ‘normal’?

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Ling Long looked up at the sky outside, then called out, “Yinyin.”

“Here!” Yin Yin stepped forward with a smile so eager she practically wagged her tail.

When Du Qianqian heard Ling Long address Yin Yin with just her name, she frowned slightly and bit her lower lip.

Ling Long asked, “What’s your plan for catching the ghost?”

Yin Yin thought for a moment, then replied, “I’ll wait for the rabbit to walk into the trap.”