The Woman in Green

Before Mu Li could respond, a voice heavy with guilt drifted from behind her.

“I have failed you, young friend. I am truly powerless to help this young lady’s eyes.”

The lean old man emerged from the room, stroking his white beard. His gaze lingered on Mu Li’s eyes for a long moment before he sighed. “Had it been blindness caused by disease or injury, I would have had methods to follow. But this lady’s eyes were struck by Heaven’s Punishment for peering into the Heavenly Dao. I know my own limits; I cannot contend with the Heavens. I am truly sorry to have raised your hopes in vain.”

Doctor Hai had seen Lin Shao’s hurried expression when he came to make the appointment yesterday. Reminded of his own passionate youth, he had felt a surge of compassion and secretly instructed his staff to accommodate them today.

He had treated many blind patients. If it were a common pathology, he would be confident even if the patient had only one breath left. But Mu Li’s eyes were beyond his scope. He had checked thoroughly and could find no physical flaw—not even the site of the “ailment.” Without a target, how could he treat it?

Though disappointed, Lin Shao didn’t let it show. He cupped his fists toward Doctor Hai and said politely, “You are too kind, Doctor. We are deeply grateful that you took time out of your busy schedule to see us. I wonder if you could recommend anyone who specializes in this field? We would like to pay them a visit.”

Doctor Hai stroked his beard, thinking for a long while before shaking his head.

“To heal this lady’s eyes, you likely need the help of a cultivator. The people I know are masters of medicine, but they fall short when it comes to cultivation.”

“However, do not worry overmuch. Her blindness was caused by a Heavenly Punishment, which means that lifting it doesn’t necessarily require a physician. Those powerful cultivators understand the Heavenly Dao far better than we do. If you can seek their aid, it would surely have a great effect.”

Doctor Hai’s words opened a new line of thinking for Lin Shao. It was true—Mu Li’s condition wasn’t a medical issue; it was a mystical one. There were few world-famous doctors, but many world-famous cultivators. If he could move one or two of them to help, her eyes would likely be saved.

But that was no easy task. Doctors were easy to deal with—money usually did the trick. Cultivators were different. Secular wealth meant little to those at the peak. To earn their help, he would need something they actually desired.

Would those ‘Ancient Poems’ I’m passing off as the works of the Yuanshi Immortal Venerable move them?

With a new direction, Lin Shao didn’t dawdle. After thanking Doctor Hai again, he took Mu Li’s hand and left. He walked with his head down, deep in thought, considering who the most powerful cultivators in the world were and how he might contact them.

“Lin Shao…” Mu Li began, but Lin Shao cut her off.

“Don’t say it. It’s no use trying to persuade me. I will cure your eyes,” Lin Shao said stubbornly.

Mu Li was silent for a moment, then whispered, “Someone over there is calling us.”

Did I miscalculate? Lin Shao felt incredibly embarrassed, having thought he was having a “cool protagonist” moment. He pretended nothing had happened and looked in the direction Mu Li indicated.

It was a small pavilion built over a lake, connected by a wooden bridge. In the center sat a woman in green. Her hair was tied in a bun with a green silk ribbon. Her features were exceptionally delicate, like a fragrant flower blooming in a forest, making one feel instantly refreshed.

She was waving at them, calling out softly for them to come over. Because Lin Shao had been lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed her.

I don’t know her. Is this another ‘debt’ left behind by the original owner?

Thinking of the aggressive woman from this morning, Lin Shao felt a pang of unease. But this woman looked gentle and poised, like a lady from a scholarly family—not aggressive at all.

“Since she’s calling, let’s go see her.” This was still within the pharmacy’s grounds; the woman might be someone skilled in medicine. Meeting her might yield the information he wanted about powerful cultivators.

He led Mu Li across the wooden bridge into the pavilion. Sitting opposite the woman in green, Lin Shao asked politely:

“May I ask why you’ve called for us, Miss?”

The woman in green smiled elegantly, her voice clear and melodious. “I am a traveling physician. I noticed this lady has difficulty with her sight and wished to examine her to see if I could be of assistance.”

Lin Shao was deeply grateful for her intent. However, since the best doctor in the capital had just admitted defeat, he doubted this young traveler could do much. Still, it would be rude to refuse such kindness. He nudged Mu Li with the back of his hand to ask her opinion.

“I cannot disappoint such a kind heart,” Mu Li said, slowly unwrapping the gauze from her eyes. She warned, “My eyes suffered a Heavenly Punishment for peering into the secrets of fate. It is not a common ailment.”

“Is that so?” The woman in green smiled. She extended her right hand, pointing her index and middle fingers toward Mu Li’s eyes.

Lin Shao watched as a green glow emanated from her fingertips, slowly seeping into Mu Li’s eyes. As the light permeated, Mu Li’s usually indifferent expression turned serious, while the woman in green maintained a faint, inscrutable smile.

After ten seconds, the woman retracted her fingers. She looked at Mu Li and asked with a smile:

“Are you certain these eyes were blinded by a Heavenly Punishment for peering into fate?”

Lin Shao answered for her. “Yes. She has had an extraordinary ability since birth to see the past and future of others. These eyes were lost because she peered too deeply into the secrets of heaven while reading someone’s fate. Her vision declined gradually until she went blind.”

The woman in green giggled and looked at Lin Shao. “She’s the one who told you that, isn’t she?”

Lin Shao froze. “Of course.”

He noticed her smile had become strange—no longer as gentle as before. He glanced at Mu Li, who also seemed off. Her lips were pressed thin, her expression stern, completely unlike her usual “untouchable fairy” self.

“Excuse me, regarding Mu Li’s eyes—”

He was interrupted by the woman in green clapping her hands.

“Her eyes are simple. I already have a plan for treatment. If they were truly blinded by Heavenly Punishment, it would be a piece of cake for me.”

“Really?” Lin Shao was surprised, but as he replayed her words in his head, something felt off. It sounded like a double entendre.

The woman in green toyed with a lock of hair by her ear and asked Mu Li:

“Might I ask your age, Miss?”

Mu Li answered icily, “Does that question have anything to do with the treatment?”

Of course it does, Lin Shao thought. A doctor needs to know your age to determine the dosage. He was about to answer “seventeen” for her when the young woman in green suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Hahaha…!”

She laughed so hard her whole body shook. Lin Shao watched, dumbfounded, as her elegance vanished.

“Age… ha… is it useful… ha… right!” The girl’s laughter stopped abruptly. Her face twisted into a snarl, and her right hand slammed down. With a loud CRACK, the stone table beneath them shattered.

Lin Shao instinctively shielded Mu Li. Flying stone chips pelted his back, stinging sharply.

“Is age… useful?” The woman in green grabbed Lin Shao by the collar, jerking him toward her face. “Tell me, is asking for age useful when treating a patient?!”

A thousand “what the hells” stampeded through Lin Shao’s mind. He had thought she was a gentle, refined big sister. Who knew she would suddenly go insane and shatter a stone table with one hand? If she hit his head, his transmigrator journey would end right here.

“IS AGE USEFUL FOR TREATMENT?!” she demanded again, her grip tightening.