FRGNM -Chapter 172 A Critical Situation

“Guess my ass! You’re a grown man acting like a woman—just say it, where is this place?” Veins bulged on Ling Ruoxi’s forehead; she was just about ready to grab Luo Mingyu by the collar.

“As expected, it’s better when you don’t talk. The moment you open your mouth, everything is ruined.” Seeing the tigress in front of him flare up, Luo Mingyu chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her slender waist. “Come on, I’ll take you to see what’s magical about this place.”

“What?” Before she could react, the pool they’d just seen vanished. By the time Ling Ruoxi came back to her senses, they were already standing at the entrance of a cave.

A nameless chill—completely out of place compared to the heat outside—washed over her. Just as Ling Ruoxi was about to speak, Luo Mingyu grabbed her wrist and led her into the cave.

Faint green luminescent lights drifted about, forming the most beautiful scene within the darkness of the cave. One couldn’t see even five fingers ahead, yet she could clearly sense his warmth. Ling Ruoxi smiled and followed his steps forward.

“This is only part of it. This way.” As if noticing the smile on her face, Luo Mingyu subconsciously tightened his grip on her hand and led her in another direction.

A faint silvery glow filtered in from outside. Passing through a narrow passage, the view suddenly opened up.

Her eyes gradually adjusted to the light. Long lashes fluttered, and the woman who had been closing her eyes slowly opened them.

What lay before her was breathtaking.

Like something out of a fairy tale—a royal garden from a storybook. Gentle green light radiated outward, filling the entire space.

The place wasn’t large. As far as the eye could see, it was covered in lush green vegetation. Gems embedded in the rock walls shimmered with silvery light, which, refracted by countless leaves, turned into a soft green glow.

The gentle hues calmed the spirit. The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. Colorful butterflies fluttered their wings within the confined space, weaving through the greenery.

It felt as though a fairy-tale princess stood amid the green, waiting for her destined prince.

That thought had just surfaced when Ling Ruoxi tossed it out of her mind. She wasn’t that kind of girl, nor would she indulge in such fantasies. And if there really were a prince—wasn’t the man standing in front of her exactly that?

“Do you like it? Butterfly Valley.” Slowly raising his hand, Luo Mingyu stood at the center. The surrounding butterflies actually settled onto his raised right hand.

Butterflies danced, lights shimmered. In that moment, the isolation from the outside world brought Ling Ruoxi a sense of peace. Though there was no sunlight, it had a unique charm of its own.

Would she ever get to see such a picturesque place again?

“I like it.” She nodded and reached out her hand as well—but not a single butterfly landed on her.

Her mouth twitched. Could it be that even the butterflies here preferred handsome men?

Raising an eyebrow at the man who was clearly holding back laughter, Ling Ruoxi tiptoed closer to Luo Mingyu and boldly stretched out her hand again. Yet the butterflies treated her as if she were invisible.

“Hey! What’s wrong with these butterflies? Do they only like males?” She reached out to grab one, but she was fast—and the butterflies were faster.

After several rounds, Ling Ruoxi nearly collapsed onto the ground. Panting, she glared at Luo Mingyu. Why was it that this man could make the butterflies approach him so easily?

“Idiot. Do you think there’s such a thing as a free lunch in this world?” Slowly withdrawing his hand, the butterflies that had rested on it instantly flew away, no longer approaching him.

He took Ling Ruoxi’s hand and lifted it slightly. At the same time, purple Dou Qi flickered in his palm. Under the gem-lit glow, it was almost completely concealed—only a faint purplish tint could be seen.

The butterflies flying around immediately descended, lightly landing on Ling Ruoxi’s wrist.

Could it be…? Ling Ruoxi froze, suddenly understanding why Luo Mingyu had done that.

Smiling and nodding, Luo Mingyu explained, “That’s right. These aren’t ordinary butterflies. They feed on Dou Qi. If you want them to approach you, you have to release your qi for them to absorb. But they’re extremely ferocious. If someone isn’t strong enough and can’t control their own qi, they’ll be drained dry and die.”

“This place is dangerous.” Ling Ruoxi sucked in a breath of cold air and lightly tapped a butterfly’s wing. She hadn’t expected such a tiny creature to be so lethal.

Luo Mingyu smiled as he watched her tease the butterflies, then lowered his head and leaned toward those familiar, soft lips.

“Mmm—” Ling Ruoxi’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at him.

But at that moment, her mind seemed to explode—

“Hey! Ling Ruoxi, where did you run off to? Sneaking out behind my back! Don’t forget I still have sound transmission. Don’t think I don’t know what bad things you’re doing. Get back here, now!”

“What are you doing?!” A perfectly good kiss had been interrupted, and Ling Ruoxi roared in anger.

“…Did I scare you?” Luo Mingyu froze.

Oh no… Ling Ruoxi’s mouth twitched. She didn’t know how to respond, cursing the Silver Wolf a thousand times over in her heart.

“Alright, stop cursing me. Hurry back. Yu Chou’s situation is critical. I can’t hold on much longer. If you come back any later, all you’ll see will be his corpse!” Silver Wolf snorted coldly and cut off the transmission.

Yu Chou?!

Thinking of that man, Ling Ruoxi hurriedly grabbed Luo Mingyu’s wrist. “We need to go back first. Xiao Bai contacted me—Yu Chou’s condition is bad.”

“Then I’ll put this one on your tab.” Luo Mingyu grinned wickedly, tapping her lips lightly before pulling her hand and heading out.

Just as Silver Wolf had said, the one before them—no, the snake before them—was in grave danger.

Even Ling Ruoxi was shocked. She had already used silver needles to stabilize Yu Chou’s condition and even refined special pills to treat his wounds. From Death Island to Duanyun Kingdom, even taking shortcuts and using the Shrinking Earth technique, it had only been seven or eight days.

Yet his condition was even worse.

More terrifying than on Death Island. Even in human form, black blotches—like corpse spots—had begun to appear. Worse still, yellow pus was seeping from his wounds, and his entire body reeked with a nauseating stench.

“How could this happen?” Ling Ruoxi was horrified. Had something gone wrong with her pills? Why was Yu Chou in an even worse state now?

Silver needles fell as she worked quickly on his acupoints. Without caring about anything else, she slashed open his clothes with a dagger. Looking at the scar-covered body, she frowned. “Xiao Bai, go prepare hot water. Luo Mingyu, fetch these herbs for me. Seal this place—no one is allowed in. No one can see him like this!”

She quickly stood up, grabbed paper and brush, and rapidly wrote down a list of herbs. After the two men moved out, Ling Ruoxi took a deep breath and returned to Yu Chou’s side.

On his pale skin, the festering wounds were spreading. Around his lower abdomen, scales began to emerge one by one—yet under these conditions, they had turned black, with only a small portion remaining silvery white.

Her head buzzed. Instinctively, Ling Ruoxi reached out and pressed her hand against the scales. They were damp, carrying a fishy stench—but at that moment, her heart ached unbearably.

“Stop!” Yu Chou suddenly grabbed her wrist. Killing intent flared in his eyes, his low voice hoarse beyond measure. “Don’t touch me. Stay away from me, Master… I beg you, stay away from me!”

“Why? You’re in so much pain. You… you were originally a flood dragon, weren’t you?” She touched his wounds, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Ling Ruoxi hated crying—but she truly couldn’t hold it back.

Those wounds covering his body were the result of tens of thousands of years of torment. His original form had long been destroyed!

The first time she saw him, his true body was no different from a python. Aside from his mangled wounds, there was no trace of what he once was. Even his original appearance had been twisted beyond recognition.

Why? Why go this far?

Cursed by an ancient formation, abandoned on Death Island, forced to live like this—who was this man doing all this for?

“Cough… you noticed?” In the end, he couldn’t stop it. Slowly closing his eyes, Yu Chou withdrew his hand, unwilling to say more.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, “Don’t tell them, Master.”

“Alright, alright, the hot water’s ready!” Carrying a large basin of hot water, Silver Wolf hurried over and poured it into the tub. Seeing Ling Ruoxi with tear-filled eyes, he raised an eyebrow. “What, crying just because I interrupted your kiss with Luo Mingyu? Was that really necessary? Next time I promise to leave you two alone—no interruptions!”

“Go to hell!” Ling Ruoxi wanted nothing more than to kick the loudmouth away.

“Everything’s ready. What else do you need?” Luo Mingyu was far more reliable, entering with the herbs in hand.

Ling Ruoxi quickly stood up and dumped all the herbs into the tub, then said in a low voice, “That’s about it. Xiao Bai, once the hot water’s sufficient, burn incense throughout the inn. The smell will be strong—if others can’t stand it, have them leave. We’re booking the whole place.”

“Luo Mingyu, strip him and put him in. Guard this place for me.” Golden characters flashed through her mind as she spoke softly, “Yu Chou, I’m going to give you a medicinal bath. You must endure it. Luo Mingyu—if he resists, hold him down.”

“You underestimate me.” After enduring so much pain for so many years, how could he fear this?

What Yu Chou didn’t know was that this pain would be no less than all the suffering he had endured over the years.

Luo Mingyu said nothing more. Dou Qi flared as he left Yu Chou wearing only a pair of undergarments. After all, the woman before him was his—no matter that she was a physician, he wasn’t about to let her openly look at another man.