Chapter 56: The Truth Is About to Be Revealed

A chilling wind, laden with a heavy, pungent medicinal reek, seeped through the gap in the door of Patient Zhao’s room, like an invisible hand gripping Qu Wanqing and Jiang Yu by the throat.

The two exchanged glances, both reading the solemnity in each other's eyes.

"Let’s go!" Qu Wanqing whispered curtly, taking the lead and pushing the door open.

The door creaked open, and a blast of bitter cold rushed out to meet them, as if they were stepping into an ice cellar.

The room was dim, permeated with an indescribable, bizarre odor resembling rotting herbs mixed with some kind of fishy stench, enough to turn one's stomach.

Patient Zhao lay on the bed, his complexion as pale as paper, his lips chapped and dry. His body trembled slightly, emitting the muffled groans they had heard earlier.

Though covered with thick quilts, he still radiated wave upon wave of bone-chilling cold.

"You cannot go in!" A shrill voice suddenly rang out. The apprentice pharmacist Sun appeared out of nowhere at the doorway, blocking their path.

"Apprentice Sun, what is the meaning of this?" Qu Wanqing’s delicate brows arched upward in anger, a trace of displeasure lacing her tone.

"Doctor Li gave strict orders: no one is allowed near Patient Zhao!" Sun stiffened his neck, his tone resolute, showing no intention of yielding.

"Doctor Li? When did he give such an order?" Jiang Yu stepped forward, his sharp gaze fixed straight upon Sun, trying to catch the slightest trace of a flaw in his eyes.

"J-Just now!" Sun’s eyes darted away, not daring to meet Jiang Yu's gaze.

"Oh? Just now? If I recall correctly, Doctor Li was with us just a moment ago. When did he sneak over to issue orders to you? What do you think you're doing, acting in some palace drama?" Qu Wanqing crossed her arms, looking at Sun with a half-smile, her tone dripping with mockery.

Caught off guard by Qu Wanqing’s sudden sarcasm, Sun was left flustered and stammering, unable to string a coherent sentence together.

"I... I... Anyway, you're not allowed in!"

"Not allowed? Who do you think you are?" Qu Wanqing sneered and moved to push past him, but Jiang Yu stopped her.

Jiang Yu shook his head, signaling Qu Wanqing to remain calm, and then drew something from inside his robe...

What Jiang Yu pulled from his robe was a pass permitting the inspection of Patient Zhao’s condition, personally signed by Doctor Li himself.

Jiang Yu had cleverly tricked Doctor Li into handing over this very pass earlier. At the time, Doctor Li had been full of smug self-satisfaction, believing he had the upper hand, completely unaware he had long since fallen into Jiang Yu's trap.

***

Upon seeing the pass, Sun’s face instantly drained of color, deflating like a punctured ball.

After stammering for a long time, he finally stepped aside with utmost reluctance.

Seeing this, a triumphant smile curved the corners of Qu Wanqing’s lips. She squared her shoulders and strode into the room, her steps full of swagger, radiating the distinct aura of "I am the queen of the world."

She felt a wave of secret satisfaction: *Little punk, you're still too green to play games with me!*

Jiang Yu followed closely behind Qu Wanqing, gripping her hand tightly, their fingers interlocked.

His hand was warm and strong, providing Qu Wanqing with immense strength and a sense of security.

Qu Wanqing looked back at Jiang Yu and beamed, her eyes brimming with deep tenderness.

The room was thick with a pungent medicinal smell and a faint trace of blood. The dim light cast eerie, indistinct shadows and strange marks upon the walls.

Patient Zhao lay upon the bed, his breathing so weak it seemed he might stop altogether at any second.

"This smell is really kicking in..." Qu Wanqing muttered under her breath, pinching her nose.

Jiang Yu glanced around, his brow deeply furrowed as he acutely sensed the bizarre, ominous aura permeating the room.

He reached out to touch a mark on the wall, his fingertips meeting an icy touch.

"Be careful, something isn't right here," Jiang Yu warned in a low voice.

"Mm, I know." Qu Wanqing nodded, her eyes turning sharp and vigilant.

The two cautiously approached the bedside, observing Patient Zhao's condition closely.

Suddenly, Patient Zhao violently snapped his eyes open. A strange, eerie light flashed within them, and he let out a hair-raising shriek...

"Who... are you people..."

Patient Zhao snapped his eyes wide open.

On the walls of the room, the previously inconspicuous marks now began to emit a faint, ghostly luminescence, gradually connecting into intricate runes and formations that flickered unsteadily, as if breathing.

***

A strange wave of energy rippled through the air, so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

"Good grief, this is really starting to give off grave-robbing novel vibes," Qu Wanqing muttered, half-complaining as she closely studied the runes. "I feel like I've seen this stuff somewhere before..." She racked her brain, trying to dredge up a clue from her memory.

Jiang Yu remained even more cautious. He reached out to touch the rune closest to him, and a sharp sting bit at his fingertip, like a jolt of static electricity.

"Watch out, these runes are freaky," he warned.

The two attempted to crack the runes and the formation, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not get within half a step of Patient Zhao.

The surrounding runes flashed with an eerie light, as if mocking their helplessness.

"Why is this damn thing so hard to deal with!" Qu Wanqing felt a wave of discouragement, plopping down on the floor and massaging her aching temples.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she remembered reading about similar runes in an ancient text.

"Wait, I remember!" She leaped to her feet in excitement, pointing at one of the runes. "This rune is meant to disorient people! As long as we find the core of the formation, we can break it!"

Jiang Yu looked at Qu Wanqing with eyes full of admiration.

Drawing upon her memory and intellect, Qu Wanqing swiftly located the core of the array.

Taking a deep breath, she channeled her inner spiritual energy directly into the formation's core.

With a deafening "Boom—", the runes and the formation inside the room vanished instantly, and the air grew fresh once more.

The two finally reached Patient Zhao’s bedside. Pulling back the quilt, Patient Zhao’s face came into plain view...

"It's him?!" Qu Wanqing gasped in shock.

Suddenly, a blinding brilliance flared all around them, and every clue seemed on the verge of vanishing completely...

Jiang Yu grabbed Qu Wanqing’s hand. "No time to explain, let's go!"