She Would Never Marry Xiao Gui

Xu Mu first used the Eye of God to inspect the old woman’s information.

Name: Tushan Ju

Identity: Progenitor of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan

Favorability: 0

Destiny Level: 5 (Maximum: Level 10)

As expected, she was no ordinary person.

She looked human, with a thin frame and a face covered in wrinkles. However, her bone structure was striking, and it was easy to imagine how beautiful she must once have been.

“Grandma! This is the miracle doctor I told you about. I went to great lengths to find him so he could treat you.”

Tushan Rui walked over to Tushan Ju.

“Treat me for what? If it could be cured, I would have been cured long ago. Besides, even if I did recover, I wouldn’t have many years left to live.”

Tushan Ju shook her head slightly. “Child, forget it. You’re always exhausting yourself over me.”

“Grandma! What are you talking about? This miracle doctor is different from the others. Just let him give it a try.”

Tushan Rui walked over and pleaded with her.

“You silly girl. You’re kindhearted, that’s all. Tell me, why did this boy show up neither earlier nor later, but precisely when you need to remarry?”

Tushan Ju seemed to see right through everything. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s treating me on one condition, isn’t he? For example, that you marry him.”

“Senior, don’t make things up. I already have a wife. I never said I wanted to marry her.”

Xu Mu glanced at Tushan Rui. “She can vouch for me.”

“That’s right. This gentleman never said anything like that.”

Tushan Rui hurriedly spoke up. “Just let him treat you. Even if he only takes your pulse, that’s fine.”

Only then did Tushan Ju give a slight nod. “All right.”

Xu Mu told Ying Weiyang to wait where she was, then walked straight toward Tushan Ju.

As he approached, he lightly rubbed his nose. The smell of medicine was incredibly strong.

He crouched down, took Tushan Ju’s wrist, and carefully examined her condition. Then he said, “So the problem is with your head.”

After saying that, he stood up again and placed two fingers against the back of her neck and the base of her skull.

Tushan Rui was secretly amazed. As expected of a miracle doctor—he had immediately identified the problem as being related to her head.

Tushan Ju, however, showed no reaction. Although not many people knew that she had suffered an injury to her head, there were still some who did. With a thorough investigation, it would not be difficult to find out.

Xu Mu stood behind Tushan Ju, held her head with both hands, and gently shook it. Then he released her.

“Sir, how is she?”

Tushan Rui asked anxiously.

“Wait. Let me think.”

Xu Mu stroked his chin. He already knew the nature of the old woman’s injury.

What he was thinking about was how to take a swipe at Xiao Gui.

“Whiteflame Root, Azure Marrow Grass, Heart-Locking Fruit, Golden Autumn Grass, and Dragonguard Wood. Who taught you to mix and steam-cook these heavenly treasures together?”

Xu Mu asked calmly.

At those words, Tushan Ju’s previously tranquil eyes widened. She immediately turned to look at Tushan Rui.

Aside from Xiao Gui, only she and Tushan Rui knew about this prescription.

“Grandma! I never told him about your prescription.”

Tushan Rui immediately explained.

Tushan Ju’s expression changed as she looked at Xu Mu. This man clearly had some real skill.

“An old friend of mine gave it to me.”

Tushan Ju smiled.

Xu Mu now assumed that the person she was referring to was Xiao Gui, so he said, “Ridiculous! He’s harming you!”

“What?”

Tushan Rui covered her mouth in shock.

“Don’t make such a fuss.”

Tushan Ju shot Tushan Rui a glance, then smiled at Xu Mu. “I think this medicine works quite well. After drinking it, I really don’t feel as uncomfortable.”

“The bones in your leg are broken, and the pain is unbearable. I give you an anesthetic, and the pain disappears, but the fracture is still there. Do you call that effective?”

Xu Mu countered.

“Sir, stop keeping us in suspense. Please tell us what exactly is wrong.”

Tushan Rui was beside herself with worry.

“The Azure Marrow Grass and Heart-Locking Fruit in this medicine react with the other heavenly treasures, numbing the meridians. When their power is released, you indeed won’t feel any pain, but the damage remains.”

Xu Mu pointed at Tushan Ju. “Let’s use the same example. Suppose your leg is broken. After taking this medicine, the pain disappears, so you mistakenly think nothing is wrong and continue walking normally. What do you think will happen over time?”

Tushan Rui and Tushan Ju both looked solemn.

“That person is either pretending to understand something he doesn’t, or he’s deliberately trying to harm you!”

Xu Mu looked at Tushan Ju. “The root of your illness isn’t in your head at all. It’s your neck. You once broke the bones in your neck.”

“You…”

Tushan Ju stared at him in disbelief and shot to her feet.

Until she heard the first part, she had still believed that Xu Mu was lying.

She had known Xiao Gui for quite some time and trusted his character.

Yet Xu Mu had accurately identified the root of her illness.

That secret was known to no one but herself.

During the battle back then, the bones in her neck had been twisted and broken.

She had swallowed all the heavenly treasures at the time and then passed out.

But she had not died, because her nerves had remained intact. After being healed by the heavenly treasures, it seemed that her bones had grown back.

From then on, however, she had begun suffering pain at the back of her head.

Now, after Xu Mu’s reminder, she suddenly realized something. Could the true cause of her illness really be her neck?

“Senior, you seem to trust your old friend very much. In that case, I won’t treat you. If something goes wrong, you might blame me.”

Xu Mu turned around after saying this. “Let’s go.”

This time, he wasn’t exactly slandering Xiao Gui. He had merely exaggerated the matter.

The medicinal ingredients could indeed numb the meridians and cause adverse effects, but the process would take a long time, and the short-term impact was minimal.

Still, if he wanted to prove himself, he had to put it that way.

He refused to believe that after revealing the root of her illness, Tushan Ju could still remain seated.

“Sir! Wait!”

Tushan Rui’s figure flashed, and in the blink of an eye, she was standing in front of Xu Mu.

One look at her grandmother’s expression was enough to tell her that Xu Mu had identified the problem precisely.

“She doesn’t believe me, so how am I supposed to treat her? Let your grandmother continue with her old friend’s treatment. Perhaps he’ll get lucky and accidentally cure her.”

Xu Mu pushed Tushan Rui aside and took Ying Weiyang’s hand.

“Grandma! You still believe in that Xiao Gui?”

Tushan Rui shouted at Tushan Ju. “He said his medicine could only relieve your symptoms, but it’s actually poison! He also claimed that he had a divine medicine that could cure you. You agreed right away to let me marry him, but where is this divine medicine? He said someone stole it, but that’s only his side of the story. What if the medicine never existed at all?”

Tushan Ju frowned, then said, “You’re right. I was blinded by age and let my preconceptions get the better of me.”

Xu Mu and Xiao Gui were not enemies, after all, and she had never even mentioned Xiao Gui’s name.

There was no reason for Xu Mu to deliberately frame him. Xu Mu had also said that Xiao Gui might simply have been pretending to understand something he did not, rather than harboring malicious intent.

“Sir! Hurry! Grandma has agreed.”

Tushan Rui grabbed Xu Mu’s hand from behind once again.

“Lady, you think too highly of me. An old injury of this severity can’t possibly be cured in one go.”

Xu Mu held up two fingers. “It will take at least two months.”

He needed to stretch out the treatment period so that Tushan Rui would keep needing his help. Once that happened, wouldn’t her favorability toward him naturally increase?

“What? Two months?”

Tushan Rui frowned.

“What is it?”

Xu Mu asked.

“I…”

Tushan Rui turned to look at Tushan Ju.

The King of the Nine-Tailed Foxes had been dead for nearly a month. By custom, she had two months to find her next husband.

The new king and queen would be taking their places soon, after all. She couldn’t keep clinging to her old position forever.

But now, she absolutely would not marry Xiao Gui.