Chapter 36: Investigating Bai Linglong

King Nangong Yan watched Bai Linglong’s departing figure, and in an instant, the familiar silhouette pulled him back to that harrowing night six months ago.

At that time, King Nangong Yan had been caught in a brutal power struggle and was poisoned by treacherous enemies.

His legs had lost all sensation due to the potent toxins coursing through his body, leaving him slumped in a chair in an inn room, awaiting the judgment of fate.

He strained to maintain his final shred of consciousness, trying to circulate his energy to expel the poison, but the toxin was too fierce, rendering his efforts futile.

Just as despair threatened to overtake him, the door to the room was suddenly flung open with a bang, and Bai Linglong rushed in, flustered.

At that moment, Bai Linglong had been utterly unfortunate, having fallen victim to an aphrodisiac, her face flushed, her eyes clouded with confusion and pain. She had been fleeing from pursuers and had accidentally stumbled into King Nangong Yan’s room.

Upon seeing King Nangong Yan slumped in the chair, her instincts as a Doctor kicked in. Despite the aphrodisiac’s effects, she fought to maintain her composure. She retrieved an antidote pill from her space and fed it to King Nangong Yan.

As time passed, the toxins within King Nangong Yan’s body began to dissolve, and his awareness gradually returned, but the scene before him shocked him greatly. Bai Linglong, under the intense influence of the aphrodisiac, had lost her rationality and engaged in a series of intimate actions.

After a night had passed, King Nangong Yan’s body had improved somewhat, but his legs remained completely numb. He gazed at the disheveled room and the sleeping Bai Linglong beside him, reflecting on the madness of the previous night, his heart filled with shock and confusion.

Since then, King Nangong Yan had been diligently working on his recovery while secretly dispatching people to search for the mysterious woman.

Now that he had seen Bai Linglong again, he was instantly convinced she was the woman who had “drained him dry” in the inn.

“She must be that woman!” King Nangong Yan whispered to himself, feeling both anger and an inexplicable sense of anticipation in his heart.

As the King of Zhennan, how could he swallow this humiliation of being toyed with by a woman? What he found even more unbearable was that now, if he didn’t see Bai Linglong for a day, his heart felt empty, as if he had lost his soul.

With these thoughts in mind, he immediately summoned An Yi, his expression stern and his tone imbued with an undeniable authority. “An Yi, I want you to investigate a person. Make sure to uncover her background thoroughly, leaving no detail overlooked.”

An Yi knelt on one knee, respectfully responding, “My Lord, please give your orders. Who is it you wish to investigate?”

King Nangong Yan’s eyes flashed with a fierce intensity. “It is the Miraculous Doctor. I suspect she is the woman who saved me in the inn six months ago and had… a special experience with me. Right now, she’s hiding and acting secretively, which mean she has something to hide. Go investigate her background, her origins, and the forces behind her. Leave no stone unturned.”

Whenever King Nangong Yan thought of Bai Linglong, her figure would flash before his eyes, filling him with both anger and urgency. He couldn’t help but think, What does this woman want? She has me completely entranced, and now she’s dodging me. Just wait until I uncover your secrets; I’ll know how to deal with you! Don’t make me wait too long; otherwise, the fire in my heart will only burn hotter.

An Yi took his leave, fully aware of the importance of this matter to the king and not daring to slack off. Relying on the powerful intelligence network of the King of Zhennan’s residence, he began to gather information about Bai Linglong.

First, he visited the residents near the medical hall, but everyone only knew that Bai Linglong was an outstanding doctor who kept a low profile, with nothing else to share. Some said she seemed to have descended from the heavens, suddenly appearing to open a medical hall, healing people; others noted that she always kept to herself and rarely formed deep connections with others. Feeling frustrated, An Yi had no choice but to dig deeper.

Next, An Yi disguised himself and infiltrated the herbal market, trying to gather information from the merchants. He wandered around the market for several days, chatting with various herbalists, and finally, one merchant revealed that he had heard of the rare medicinal herbs Bai Linglong used, some of which he had never seen before.

“There’s a herb, entirely translucent, emitting a strange blue light, I once curiously asked about it, but she just smiled and said nothing. That mysterious appearance is something I still remember clearly.” the merchant recalled.

An Yi organized these clues and reported back to King Nangong Yan: “My Lord, the current investigation reveals that the Miraculous Doctor has an excellent reputation among the people. Her medical skills are outstanding, and she has treated numerous difficult ailments. However, regarding her background, we still have no leads. It’s as if she just appeared here, shrouded in mystery.”

King Nangong Yan frowned and paced back and forth in his room, feeling increasingly anxious. He thought, Why is this woman so hard to investigate? She’s like a puzzle. No, I must uncover her secrets. If I can’t find anything within a day, my heart won’t be at peace, and I won’t enjoy my meals.

After pondering for a moment, he said to An Yi, “Continue the investigation. I refuse to believe she hasn’t left any traces. With her exceptional medical skills, there must be some undisclosed mentor behind her. Dig deeper; I want to know everything.”

Meanwhile, Bai Linglong was filled with joy as she studied the smart parenting robot in her room. Carefully, she activated the robot, which immediately emitted a soft blue light, scanning the surrounding environment while producing a crisp electronic voice. “Hello, the smart parenting robos has been activated. How may I assist you?”

Bai Linglong, filled with excitement, began to experiment with the robot, setting up various functions such as the baby’s schedule reminders and health monitoring, her heart brimming with anticipation for the future.

But just then, Xiaocui rushed in, flustered. “Sister, something’s not right. I just heard that the guards from the royal residence are asking around about you. It seems the King of Zhennan has sent them to investigate.”

Bai Linglong’s expression changed suddenly, and she nearly dropped the robot in her hands.

Internally, she lamented, Why won’t King Nangong Yan let me go? He insists on uncovering my identity. I need to think of a way to deal with this; I can’t let him discover my secrets. If he finds out not only that I’ve crossed over but also that I’m pregnant with his baby, that would be a disaster. My peaceful little life will be completely ruined, and I might even end up captured in the royal residence, facing him every day. Just thinking about it is already terrifying.

Bai Linglong began to pace back and forth, contemplating her options.

She thought of the disguise pill in her space; it might help her change her appearance at a critical moment and confuse the issue.

But she’s worried that this action would raise even more suspicion, as the effects of the disguise pill weren’t foolproof, and frequent use might make King Nangong Yan more suspicious.

Just as Bai Linglong was at a loss, the robot suddenly said, “Detected anxiety in the owner’s emotions. Based on data analysis, the safest response at this time is to take the initiative and disclose some false information to the King of Zhennan to divert his attention.”

Bai Linglong’s eyes lit up; she found the suggestion feasible.

She decided to fabricate a seemingly reasonable backstory to cleverly respond the next time King Nangong Yan inquired.

She could say she was a disciple of a reclusive miraculous doctor, having learned medicine in the deep mountains since childhood; that should suffice to throw him off the scent, right?

She hoped that King Nangong Yan, with his thick-headedness, wouldn’t overthink it.

Bai Linglong silently prayed in her heart.

Meanwhile, An Yi’s investigation continued. Following the lead of the medicinal herbs, he managed to find a mysterious merchant who had previously traded with Bai Linglong.

Under the pressure and inducement from An Yi, the mysterious merchant finally relented and said, “I only know she has a magical place where she stores her medicinal materials, but I’m not sure about the details. She’s always very mysterious during transactions, wearing a veil and acting cautiously. Once, I accidentally bumped into her medicine box and felt a strange light flash by. When I looked again, the herbs inside were completely different from what I had seen before.”

With this crucial lead, An Yi immediately returned to report to King Nangong Yan. The King of Zhennan was astonished: He’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “It seems that Bai Linglong’s secrets are getting closer to being uncovered. Continue digging deeper; we must reveal all her secrets. I want to see what she’s truly hiding. If it really is her, I’ll see how she escapes this time.”

His fists clenched tightly, filled with a desire for the truth and anger at the deception, as if a storm was about to break.

At the same time, the image of Bai Linglong appeared in his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder, “What other surprises does this woman have that I don’t know about? Once I get to the bottom of this, let’s see how you continue to hide from me. You better not disappoint me.”