Mingyuan City was the third largest city in the Toyokuni territory.
The city was located on a plain, covering an area of a hundred miles. A large river meandered through the southern part of the city. Both land and water transportation were extremely convenient, which contributed to the prosperity of the city.
At this time, there was a long queue of people entering the city. It was noisy.
Liu Le 'er dragged the tall Youth along with her. She felt a little uneasy, and her eyes occasionally glanced at the top of the city gate.
An octagonal bronze mirror was hanging there, facing the city gate.
The sun was high up in the sky. The Eight Trigrams pattern carved on the bronze mirror shone under the sunlight, emitting a majestic and auspicious aura.
One only needed to pay some money to the guards to enter the city. The inspection didn't seem to be strict. Soon, it was Liu Le 'er and the Youth's turn.
The two arrived at the city gate, facing the Eight Trigrams bronze mirror. An inexplicable force enveloped the two.
Liu Le 'er's body stiffened, and she lowered her head.
The tall Youth looked straight at the Eight Trigrams bronze mirror. His eyes were dull, but no one noticed that there was a flash of blue light in the depths of his eyes. However, the bronze mirror didn't show the slightest change.
"Where are you from?
What do you want to do in the city? "A middle-aged gate guard glanced at the two and asked lazily.
"Brothers, we are from the Liu Town, three hundred miles northwest of the city. My name is Liu Le 'er, and this is my elder brother, Liu Shi. We came to the city to visit our relatives, and also to treat my elder brother's illness," Liu Le' er said quickly with a smile on her face.
Although she and the tall Youth depended on each other for survival these years, they still couldn't avoid contact with outsiders. For convenience's sake, she gave this "Brother Stone" the name Liu Shi.
As she spoke, Liu Le 'er quickly took out some copper coins and handed them to the guard. It was a little more than the entrance fee.
When the middle-aged guard saw this, a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face. He put the extra copper coins into his pocket without batting an eyelid. He glanced at the somewhat dull and tall young man, Liu Shi, and waved his hand without asking any more questions.
He waved his hand and said, "You and your sister can't be bad people. Let's go in."
Liu Le 'er agreed and pulled Liu Shi into the city quickly. After walking for a long distance, they were far away from the city gate. Then, they slowed down in an empty corner and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, I still have the Qi Drawing Talisman my father gave me. It can conceal my Monster Qi and prevent me from being discovered by the Demon-revealing Mirror.
Liu Le 'er looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. She muttered a few words before taking out a green jade talisman from her arms.
The jade talisman was two inches long and two fingers wide. It was engraved with cyan patterns, forming a complicated magic formation. Gentle cyan light flowed on top of it like flowing water.
She looked at the talisman in her hand. of. and carefully, she hid the talisman.
After passing through two alleys, the two arrived at the main street of Mingyuan City.
The street was wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side. Both sides of the street were lined with tall and spacious buildings that stretched as far as the eye could see.
However, there weren't many bricks and tiles here. Most of the buildings were made of wood. Although the buildings weren't very tall, and there were very few that were over thirty meters tall, they were exquisite and delicate, making them quite novel.
This was the first time Liu Le 'er had come to such a large city like Mingyuan City. The bustling crowd made her feel somewhat afraid, and she stuck close to Liu Shi.
However, although the crowd was like a river, everyone went about their own business. No one came to disturb the two, causing her to gradually relax. Her attention was drawn to the various new things in the city, and she pulled Liu Shi along as they strolled through the streets in high spirits.
"Brother Stone, look over there!
I've heard of that thing. It looks really delicious. "Liu Le 'er stared fixedly at a nearby vendor selling candied haws.
Liu Shi's dark eyes reflected the lively scene around him. His face was expressionless, as if he was completely indifferent to all of this.
Liu Le 'er was just about to pull Liu Shi over when she saw the Youth's expression. She felt a wave of disappointment in her heart, and immediately remembered the purpose of their trip to the city. She hurriedly grasped Youth's hand and earnestly said, "Brother Stone, don't worry.
"Brother Stone, don't worry. This city is so big, there will definitely be a doctor who can cure you."
Liu Shi's eyes flickered when he heard this.
Liu Le 'er pulled Liu Shi to a street food stall to eat. After asking around, she quickly learned the location of two nearby medical centers.
West of the city, Li's Medical Centre.
Li's Medical Centre had been practicing medicine in this area for a hundred years. It could be considered as a time-honored brand.
A middle-aged man dressed in a green robe was sitting upright on a wooden chair. Three fingers were pressed on Liu Shi's wrist, and he was attentively checking his pulse. Liu Le 'er stood nervously at the side.
This middle-aged man was called Li Changqing. He was the current successor of Li's Medical Centre. He was a famous doctor in the area, and he had been practicing medicine for more than twenty years.
After checking his pulse for a while, Li Changqing retracted his palm.
"Your Elder Brother's six meridians are smooth and strong. His Qi and blood are abundant. His body is obviously in excellent condition. How could he suffer from soullessness?
When did this illness appear?
Is there any external cause? "Li Changqing frowned and looked at Liu Le 'er.
"I haven't seen my elder brother for many years. I don't know the cause of his illness." Liu Le 'er shook her head.
"Then it's difficult. If we don't know the cause, we can't treat it.
Please forgive me for my shallow medical knowledge. I have the heart, but I am powerless. "Li Changqing stroked his long beard and said apologetically.
"Do you really have no clue?" Liu Le 'er asked anxiously.
"This old man is powerless." Li Changqing shook his head.
Liu Le 'er was disappointed. She bowed to Li Changqing and led Liu Shi out of the medical centre.
"There are many medical centres in Mingyuan City. We will visit them one by one. We will definitely be able to cure you."
The young girl hung her head dejectedly for a while. She quickly cheered Liu Shi on.
Liu Shi grinned. It was unknown if he understood Liu Le 'er's words.
The two of them walked in the same direction. After passing through two streets, they arrived in front of another medical centre.
This medical centre had a grey outer wall, a black roof, and a wide entrance. It exuded a luxurious atmosphere. It was much grander than Li's Medical Centre. There were also many people who came to seek medical treatment.
"This medical centre is so big. The doctors inside must be even more skilled." Liu Le 'er was filled with anticipation. She pulled Liu Shi inside.
After half an hour, the two of them walked out. The young girl's face was still filled with disappointment.
"There's no hurry. There are other medical centres." Liu Le 'er quickly regained her spirits.
For the next half of the day, the two of them walked through the streets and alleys. They visited almost all the medical centres in Mingyuan City. However, none of the doctors could do anything about Liu Shi's illness.
…
North of the city, Nokikusai.
Two figures slowly walked out. They were Liu Le 'er and Liu Shi.
Liu Le 'er looked disappointed. She lowered her head and played with the corner of her clothes.
Although Nokikusai wasn't the largest medical centre in Mingyuan City, it was said that the doctors here were quite knowledgeable about difficult diseases. Unfortunately, they couldn't figure out the cause of Liu Shi's illness.
"Young lady, please wait."
At that moment, a voice came from behind. A grey-haired, green-robed old man quickly caught up with them.
"Doctor Liu." Liu Le 'er was slightly surprised. She stopped in her tracks.
This green-robed old man was the one who had taken Liu Shi's pulse. He was the doctor in charge of Nokikusai.
"Could it be that you've thought of something about my elder brother's illness?" Liu Le 'er asked hurriedly. A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in her heart.
"Yes. Just now, after I treated Your Elder Brother, I went to the back hall to read some medical books. I happened to see a medical case that is quite similar to Your Elder Brother's condition." The green-robed old man nodded.
"Doctor, please tell me." Liu Le 'er was overjoyed when she heard this.
"According to the book, Your Elder Brother's condition is very different from normal soullessness. He was cursed, or his soul was injured by a restriction.
This kind of injury isn't something an ordinary doctor can treat. Only an immortal master who is skilled in this field can cure him.
As for his inability to speak, it's a small matter. Your Elder Brother's tongue is fine. As long as his soul returns to normal, he will naturally speak, "the green-robed old man continued.
After listening to this, Liu Le 'er fell silent. After a while, she forced out a cute smile.
"Thank you for your guidance, Doctor Liu."
"Young lady, you're too polite. Treating and saving people is the duty of us doctors." The green-robed old man shook his head and returned to the house.
Liu Le 'er walked out of Nokikusai with the Youth. She was depressed.
"Alas, Brother Stone's condition really is that his soul was injured." The young girl muttered to herself.
She was a fox demon. Even though she was young, she had some knowledge of cultivation and the Dao. In these past few years, based on Liu Shi's unusual state, she'd faintly guessed that his soul might have been injured by someone.
If she wanted to treat him, she would need to seek help from cultivators who were proficient in the Way of the Soul.
However, such cultivators were extremely powerful. She was not sure that she could hide from them with just an Aura Attracting Talisman.
The two of them came to Mingyuan City to seek medical help with the hope that they had guessed wrong. However, it seemed that things did not go as they wished.
Liu Le 'er could not help but hesitate.
Just as she was frowning, there was a sudden commotion on the street in front of her. The pedestrians on the street were in a mess.
"The horses are scared!"
"Get out of the way!"
Cries of alarm came from the front. The crowd was in a mess, desperately running to the sides.
Not far away, a silver carriage was pulled by a strange green horse covered in scales. It was madly galloping towards where Liu Le 'er and Liu Shi were.
The strange green horse neighed as if it had gone mad. The carriage shook left and right behind it. The driver's face was as white as a sheet. He desperately pulled the reins, but it was of no use.
Liu Le 'er was shocked. She wanted to pull the Youth away, but it was too late.