Journey Through Realms: Fulfilling Last Wishes

Chapter 9: The Innocent Little Lotus of the Demon Sect

As soon as Qin Yuan put Anran down, she woke up. She wasn’t supposed to wake up yet, but Qin Yuan accidentally pressed on her wound while laying her down.

“Who’s trying to murder me? It hurts so much! It’s probably bleeding again, waaaah…” Anran whimpered, glaring at her arm in frustration.

“Sorry, that was my mistake,” Qin Yuan softly apologized, lowering his head. He hadn’t meant for it to happen—her room was so cluttered that he almost tripped on something, barely catching her in time before she fell. He didn’t mention how close she’d been to getting hurt worse.

“Alright, I know it wasn’t on purpose. Young Master, you must be busy, so why don’t you go on your way?” Anran responded coldly, completely different from her earlier, more affectionate tone when she called him “Brother Qin Yuan.”

“I’ll leave after the doctor checks your injury,” Qin Yuan said gently, looking at her with concern.

“Young Master, the doctor is here. May we come in?” Qiuyue’s voice called from outside. The doctor had arrived a while ago but hadn’t interrupted them during their argument.

“Let the doctor in,” Qin Yuan calmly instructed.

The doctor entered quickly. “Greetings, Young Master.”

“No need for formalities. Please check her arm—it has a whip wound, and she also fainted earlier,” Qin Yuan said, his tone a bit anxious.

“Of course,” the doctor replied, stepping forward to take Anran’s pulse. After a while, the doctor frowned and asked, “Miss, have you not been taking the medicine I prescribed?”

“I-I have been taking it,” Anran replied awkwardly.

“Your pulse says otherwise. You fainted because your previous injury hasn’t healed, and running earlier caused an imbalance in your qi and blood. If you’d taken your medicine, the injury should have healed by now,” the doctor said, puzzled.

Hearing this, Qin Yuan turned to Qiuyue, who was standing nearby.

“It’s my fault, Young Master. The lady said she felt fine and didn’t want to take the medicine. She skipped two doses, and since she seemed alright, I didn’t push her to drink it,” Qiuyue stammered, trembling with fear.

She thought that if she survived today, she’d definitely offer a silver donation at the temple.

Seeing Qin Yuan’s dark expression as he stared at Qiuyue, looking like he was about to have her dragged out and executed, Anran couldn’t help but intervene.

“Don’t blame Qiuyue. It was my decision not to drink the medicine. Doctor, please check my arm instead—it feels like it’s going numb,” Anran said, forcing a smile as she extended her arm.

The doctor quickly examined the arm. “Fortunately, it didn’t affect the muscles or bones. I’ll apply some healing ointment, and with the right medicine, it should heal quickly.”

“Alright, thank you, doctor. Please give the prescription to Qiuyue, she’ll take care of it,” Anran quickly cut in, preventing Qin Yuan from asking any further questions and showing Qiuyue’s importance in the process.

“I’ll prepare the prescription right away,” the doctor said, hurrying off.

“Are you relieved now? I’m fine, so go take care of your other duties. I still need to apply the medicine,” Anran urged, trying to get Qin Yuan to leave.

Though Qin Yuan wanted to stay until the medicine was applied, he had too many things to handle today and couldn’t linger.

“Rest well. I’ll make sure the one who hurt you is dealt with. Don’t worry about it,” Qin Yuan said patiently, concerned that Anran might seek revenge on Xue Yue.

“Don’t worry, I’ll behave. Now, hurry along,” Anran reassured him with a smile.

Satisfied with her answer, Qin Yuan finally left.

“Qiuyue, stop standing there and help me find the medicine and bandage this wound!” Anran called out as soon as he was gone.

Qiuyue quickly fetched the ointment and bandages.

“Thank you so much for your kindness, Miss. I’ll repay you for this someday,” she said while wrapping Anran’s arm.

“Yes, yes, just remember that,” Anran replied with a smile.

“Of course, Miss. You can count on me,” Qiuyue said firmly.

Anran, hearing Qiuyue’s sincere words, felt a bit guilty and smiled awkwardly.

I just hope that when I disappear tomorrow, you won’t blame me during the interrogation… repaying me with your face isn’t necessary, Anran thought to herself.

“I trust you. But don’t be so enthusiastic—the bandage is a bit too tight!” Anran teased.

Qiuyue looked down at the bandage she’d tied too tightly, giving an embarrassed smile before quickly adjusting it.

“I’ll go check if the doctor has finished preparing the medicine. Please don’t run around anymore,” Qiuyue said, worried, thinking that none of this would’ve happened if Anran hadn’t gone out.

“Don’t worry, where could I go like this? Oh, and bring me something to eat when you come back,” Anran replied, reassuring her.

“Alright,” Qiuyue agreed, heading out.

“225, are you here? I have something to ask you,” Anran suddenly said into the empty room.

Anran called out in her mind, remembering what 225 had told her previously—that calling internally was more effective than shouting.

“I’m here. What do you want this time? The mission is yours, don’t keep bothering me. I’m busy, you know?” 225 responded, sounding annoyed.

“You think I want to call you? Look at my arm—it’s bleeding, and it hurts so much! I don’t remember this happening in the plot. Explain yourself!” Anran demanded angrily.

“I can’t answer that. Once you entered the storyline, events started to diverge. Many things are now unpredictable,” 225 responded emotionlessly.

“So what’s the point of giving me the plot if it doesn’t even match? Do I have to rely on myself for everything? Does that mean my childhood friend might not come to save me today?” Anran continued questioning.

“Major events will still happen, but the details depend on you because your actions differ from the original character’s. However, if you don’t want the plot for the next mission, I won’t send it. Rest assured, our system strives to accommodate the task takers’ preferences,” 225 answered proudly.

“No, no, I definitely still want it. Just kidding, don’t take it so seriously, hehe,” Anran replied quickly. Having the plot was better than nothing, right?

“Anything else? If not, I’m leaving,” 225 asked coldly.

“Wait! My arm hurts so much. Can you give me some painkillers?” Anran weakly pleaded.

“I can only answer certain questions, nothing else. But you can exchange points for items in the shop… Oh, wait, I forgot you don’t have enough points to exchange for anything,” 225 replied, twisting the knife further.

“Why does a simple painkiller cost 300 points?” Anran asked, frustrated.

“Any items that don’t belong to this time period are expensive. It’s one of the system’s rules, and I can’t change that,” 225 explained, delivering another blow.

“So cruel… I’m so delicate, I might just die from the pain!” Anran whined dramatically, hoping for some sympathy.

“It doesn’t seem like you have any more important questions, so I’m leaving now,” 225 said, cutting off the conversation as the interface disappeared, leaving Anran speechless.

So heartless… It just left me hanging like that, how rude. But, well, it’s a system without feelings. I’ll forgive it just this once.

Time passed, and it was already getting late.

“Miss, please drink your medicine. It’s already been reheated three times,” Qiuyue pleaded, holding a bowl of medicine.

“This medicine is so bitter! If I drink it, I’ll definitely get sicker. I refuse, no matter what you say!”

Anran stubbornly clung to the blanket, refusing to give Qiuyue a chance to force-feed her.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to ask the Young Master to come. You wouldn’t disobey him, would you?” Qiuyue said, trying a different tactic.

“I’ll drink it right now, no need to bother him!” Anran immediately threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and downed the medicine in one gulp.

“Ugh, it’s so bitter! Quick, give me some candied fruit!” Anran cried out, almost in tears from the lingering bitterness.

Qiuyue, seeing Anran’s sudden bravery, had thought she’d conquered the medicine’s taste—only to watch Anran quickly succumb to the bitterness. She handed over the candied fruit at once.

Anran ate several pieces before the taste subsided.

“Alright, I’ve taken the medicine. You can leave now; I need to rest early,” Anran said, regaining her composure.

“Yes, Miss,” Qiuyue replied, relieved that Anran had finally taken the medicine. She left the room quietly.

With everything prepared, Anran returned to bed, waiting for her childhood friend to come and rescue her.

“Anran, wake up, wake up, we need to leave,” a voice called softly, shaking her awake.

Anran opened her eyes groggily and saw someone standing over her.

“Anran, you’re finally awake! Get up, we need to go,” Shen Yu urged.

Anran quickly became fully awake, realizing that the person she’d been waiting for had arrived.

“Shen Yu, you’re finally here! I thought you’d abandoned me. I saw someone today who looked just like you, but he didn’t save me when I was being beaten. That couldn’t have been you, right?” Anran subtly questioned, wondering why Shen Yu hadn’t intervened earlier.

Shen Yu smiled awkwardly, unsure how to explain his hesitation.

“Let’s talk after we leave here, okay?” Anran said as she packed a few clothes and some jewelry, ignoring his discomfort.

“Alright, we’ll leave first. I’ll explain later. Let me carry your bag,” Shen Yu offered, taking the bundle from her as they headed out.

Anran followed him quickly—having someone else carry the load was always better.

Shen Yu had already scouted their escape route, so they didn’t encounter anyone on their way out of the manor.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, they heard a voice.

“Search the area! They couldn’t have gone far. If we don’t find them, you’ll all be punished in the Discipline Hall!” Qin Yuan’s voice commanded from a distance.

What is Qin Yuan doing here? Isn’t the banquet supposed to be in full swing right now? Anran wondered, confused.

Shen Yu was just as perplexed but had overheard more than her.

“I didn’t expect Qin Yuan to care so much about you, Anran,” Shen Yu said in a frosty tone.

Before Anran could ask what he meant, she heard someone shout, “Check over there!” and saw a group of people heading towards them.

“What should we do? Will we get caught?” Anran whispered nervously.

Shen Yu didn’t respond, pulling her deeper into the woods instead.