18 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

### Chapter 18 Yan Zhu Guang warily looked up in the direction of the sound, spotting a blue-clothed woman descending from the sky on a flying sword. She landed lightly on the snowy ground behind the campfire, without leaving any trace behind, as if weightless. With a graceful and fluid movement, the woman formed a hand seal and skillfully retrieved her sword, securing it behind her. A flickering fire separated her from Yan Zhu Guang as they locked eyes. Despite wearing similarly thin clothing like Yan Zhu Guang’s, the woman appeared unaffected by the cold, as if she were standing in the middle of a vibrant spring rather than a frozen landscape. However, the woman's gaze was as cold as ice, unlike Yun Mi Xue's who was cold due to practicing the art of ice and snow. Her coldness stemmed from a detachment deep within her soul. Alongside the indifference, there was a hint of disdain, unhidden as it stabbed across the campfire towards Yan Zhu Guang. "I heard you were just a mere servant from a small sect before?" Her gaze briefly swept over Yan Zhu Guang's shivering, purple-tinged skin, the dry, cracked lips, and the stained white clothes. These made Yan Zhu Guang appear pathetic and disheveled. The woman's disdain grew more apparent. The system was furious with her attitude, "Damnit! Does she know who she's looking down on? Just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, what's there to be arrogant about?" It couldn't believe its master was being looked down upon by someone like her. "Why so angry? I'm only at the Qi Refining stage, far inferior to her," Yan Zhu Guang calmly addressed the system, though she curiously glanced at the woman without speaking, drawing back slightly and shifting further away. Despite her words, the system firmly believed that its master would advance to the Foundation Establishment stage in no time. Moreover, it was convinced Yan Zhu Guang must have been someone formidable in her previous life, not someone a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could belittle. "Master, Senior Sister said she'd send someone to look after you. Given what she just said, she must be the person Senior Sister sent." "Right," Yan Zhu Guang guessed as much. However, she was curious about who exactly this woman was. "Hmph, is this how you got our master to soften her heart and bring you back?" The term "master" triggered a stronger reaction in Yan Zhu Guang. She looked up abruptly, studying the woman intently. Seeing her reaction, a trace of satisfaction flashed in the woman’s eyes. She kicked the campfire, scattering the logs. Some of them even brushed against Yan Zhu Guang, leaving red marks on her skin. The woman acted as if she hadn’t noticed and coldly said, "Follow me!" Turning her back on Yan Zhu Guang, she continued, "Don’t try to be clever with me. Our master might be deceived by you because of her goodness, but I won’t fall for your tricks." "You’d better obediently follow me back. If you get lost again and freeze to death here, don’t blame me for not helping." Ignoring whether Yan Zhu Guang followed, the woman started walking briskly ahead. Watching this, Yan Zhu Guang bit her chapped lips, grabbed a nearly extinguished log for warmth, and stumbled after her. At this moment, the system was almost beside itself with rage. "I want to kill her! What's wrong with this person, Master? Shall I issue a side quest for you to take care of her?" Yan Zhu Guang, having withdrawn her protective spiritual aura, felt the biting snow wind numbing her feet. She felt miserable. The woman, paying no mind to Yan Zhu Guang’s pace, quickly distanced herself. Yan Zhu Guang longed for relief but couldn’t afford to reveal any abilities beyond that of a simple servant disciple. So she endured silently. Thankfully, the system’s incessant chatter helped divert her attention. Yan Zhu Guang remained noncommittal about the system's suggestion of a side quest. Her mind, however, was preoccupied with another matter. "Is she Yun Mi Xue's disciple?" "Impossible," the system retorted. "Senior Sister believes herself unfit to be a competent master and has never taken on a disciple." "Then who is this person calling herself her disciple?" "Just a nominal disciple," the system explained, "Essentially a high-ranking servant for elders or titled disciples. The title just sounds nicer." "This woman really knows how to embellish her status." Nominal disciples aren’t qualified to call someone master. This woman was clearly using Yan Zhu Guang’s ignorance of Fenghua Immortal Sect’s rules to deceive her. With the system’s explanation, Yan Zhu Guang understood the situation. Her steps grew more unsteady, her eyes squinting against the relentless snow. Glancing at the now-distant silhouette, she closed her eyes and fell forward. "Master!" the system exclaimed in shock. "I'm fine," Yan Zhu Guang adjusted her breathing to its faintest, appearing as if on the verge of death, yet her inner dialogue with the system remained steady. Realizing Yan Zhu Guang was merely pretending, the system sighed in relief, though its animosity towards the woman intensified. If not for her interference, Yan Zhu Guang could have managed reasonably well in this snowy expanse. Now, she had to suffer for the sake of maintaining the façade, which pained the system. "Are you pretending to faint so she'll carry you back?" "Yes," Yan Zhu Guang responded calmly, "She looks down on me, so I'll make her take me back despite herself." "But will she come back?" the system worried, suspecting the woman would prefer Yan Zhu Guang freeze to death out here. "If she were Yun Mi Xue's disciple, she might not return. But as a nominal disciple, she must." Had she known earlier this woman wasn't Yun Mi Xue's disciple, she would’ve feigned unconsciousness without enduring this much hardship. "Why?" "If anything happens to me, can a nominal disciple bear the blame?" The inner disciples have a bond with their masters to protect them, but if she accidentally lets a newcomer die under her watch, at worst she'd be scolded. But for a nominal disciple, even with Yun Mi Xue’s kindness, it’s doubtful any allowances would be made. The system felt distressed. "Even as Senior Sister's inner disciple, failing to care for you would incur severe punishment." Yan Zhu Guang stayed silent. Even if Yun Mi Xue treated her justly, Fenghua Immortal Sect likely wouldn't permit it. She was merely an unenrolled disciple, her death insignificant compared to a sect's inner disciple. Yan Zhu Guang reflected, realizing she might have been naive. While Yun Mi Xue might be good, her kindness inadvertently attracted unsavory individuals, exploiting her reluctance to suspect or reprimand them. Furthermore, Yun Mi Xue wouldn't have suffered the Ice and Snow Poison had it not been so. Yan Zhu Guang was acutely aware of herself and the unique trait she possessed: anyone harboring ill intent towards her would find it irresistibly amplified, leaving them exposed. Thus, meeting someone like Yun Mi Xue, who genuinely cared for her, was a rarity she cherished. Thinking back, she might have celebrated too early. The exception, it seemed, was only Yun Mi Xue. Currently lacking sufficient power and having trusted too soon, she risked being harmed not by Yun Mi Xue but by those around her with malevolent intent. The system sensed its host's turbulent emotions with growing anxiety. Yan Zhu Guang finally entrusted her trust, only to have it shaken by this meddler? It desperately wanted this woman gone from the world! Could it be so easy to enclose Yan Zhu Guang’s heart? Shortly, a presence drew near. As Yan Zhu Guang predicted, the blue-clothed woman, who had casually declared she'd let Yan Zhu Guang freeze, silently returned. She stood by Yan Zhu Guang silently for a while. Seeing the young girl motionless and her body growing stiff, the woman frowned, "Hey! Stop playing dead!" No response. "You can’t fool me, get up!" Shouting yielded no answer. She toed Yan Zhu Guang a few times, still no response. Mumbling to herself, she said, "She can't be really dying, can she?" Staring at the ground, she showed disdain, protesting against touching Yan Zhu Guang’s filthy form. But if she did nothing and this girl froze to death, she’d face severe punishment from Lian Ji Patriarch. Angry, she gave a hard kick. "What a nuisance." Unseen by her, a dark flash appeared where she kicked Yan Zhu Guang, and a wisp of black energy coiled around her, disappearing swiftly into her body. "Good job, Master!" Yan Zhu Guang’s backpack was a drop of Qianshao Bone Water lighter, and as for where it went, that was self-evident. Yan Zhu Guang was no pushover, always quick to retaliate. The Qianshao Bone Water, wrapped in her poisonous aura, had silently infiltrated the blue-clothed woman's body, its effects primed for Yan Zhu Guang's command. No rush now. Once the woman died here, Yan Zhu Guang herself would also be implicated. Yan Zhu Guang felt so numb from the cold that she barely registered the pain from being kicked by the blue-clothed woman. Reflecting, she realized that since being reborn, her body had never fully recovered. Her mind drifted into a state of emptiness when suddenly, a familiar voice broke through. "What are you doing!" Originally gentle as flowing water, this voice now carried a heavy anger, much like a stormy sea ready to unleash towering waves at any moment! The tension she had been holding onto suddenly released, and as she slipped into unconsciousness, Yan Zhu Guang's muddled thoughts lingered on a simple realization: So, she could get angry too?