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墨書 Inktalez
In the evening, the doctor found three people fishing behind a rock by the bay. There were two large stones here, one above the water's surface that wouldn’t be submerged even during high tide, but once the tide receded, fishing would be impossible. The other stone provided shade from the sun. When the female doctor approached them, she noticed that Cui Ming was sitting among them, with the two girls' clothes wet and Cui Ming wearing an evil glare, filled with rage.
What an evil glare! She just looked up... As for Little Twin's clothes, they had gone down to soak in the water themselves because they said it was too hot.
Regardless, the female doctor angrily pulled Little Twin away. With a murderous look, Cui Ming sighed, thinking about how life was full of misunderstandings. The next day, Little Twin returned; they asked to borrow fishing line and hooks from Cui Ming, who directly gifted them the fishing rod she had made that night. When Little Twin came back at noon, the female doctor was out gathering herbs, so they roasted fish in Cui Ming's cave.
Little Shuang was shy while Big Twin was outgoing; both girls were quite adorable. Cui Ming didn’t like to get emotionally involved with others and remained rather indifferent. Little Twin thought as long as Cui Ming wasn’t fierce, it was fine. One girl roasted fish while the other helped tidy up the cave as a way to thank Cui Ming for giving them the fishing rod.
As expected, the female doctor returned in a huff. She even checked Little Twin's clothes right in front of Cui Ming. Watching her leave, Cui Ming felt a flicker of murderous intent—not towards the female doctor but towards Little Shuang. Initially, Cui Ming thought Little Shuang was shy and gentle. However, she noticed something off about her gaze; when she looked down, there was something unsettling in her eyes.
When Little Shuang went to the restroom, Cui Ming chatted briefly with Big Twin and confirmed something: yesterday’s incident of falling into the water was caused by Little Shuang. This place was a sheltered harbor with calm waters; it was peaceful here when Little Shuang slipped and fell in. While observing the two girls playing in the water yesterday while fishing, Cui Ming noted that their swimming skills were quite good.
Thus, Cui Ming was certain that there was something wrong with Little Shuang—what kind of problem she didn’t know. Was it directed at her or was it related to Lich hiding nearby as a watcher? It was unclear. What benefits could there be? Of course, there were benefits—like monitoring the doctor to see if she truly helped his consort get pregnant or if she secretly drugged her. After all, the female doctor was Lich’s designated long-term physician. In exchange, Lich might promise freedom or money.
Another reason could be that Little Shuang was getting closer to her; she sensed that her identity was different and her abilities were strong, so she wanted to bind herself to Cui Ming—perhaps through **. They were sixteen this year and had developed well physically.
If it were for this second reason, Cui Ming would feel sympathy and understanding for Little Shuang. But if it were for the first reason, she would think Little Shuang deserved punishment. Using someone’s trust—especially that of a benefactor—to betray them left a bad taste in Cui Ming’s mouth. However, given the female doctor’s presence, she wouldn’t suspect Little Shuang. Cui Ming also had no intention of warning her...
On this small island where four people lived together, there were still those with ulterior motives—what a shock!
However, what surprised Cui Ming more was that the female doctor found her that night. Standing before her with an icy demeanor, she stripped off her clothes and said coldly: “They are still children; let them go.”
Cui Ming wouldn’t reveal any truths to her because he didn’t fully trust the female doctor nor could he ever completely rely on her. Greedily eyeing her ***, he reached out but ultimately stopped himself and shook his head: “Uncle He warned me not to touch you; you should leave.” He altered his wording slightly; Lich meant not to force anything.
In truth, Cui Ming desperately needed someone trustworthy who could run around freely because Warden was such an idiot that he didn’t even know where the magic circle might be set up. Based on Cui Ming’s speculation, this magic circle must be under construction; since Lich had so much free time every day doing nothing, he would inevitably develop a habit of being prepared for contingencies. The female doctor would be an excellent candidate since she had authority to patrol the entire island.
But after thinking it over, he decided against bringing the female doctor into his fold because in Cui Ming’s definition of partnership, one must ensure their allies' safety as much as possible. In reality, he didn’t even know if he could survive himself; how could he bring an ordinary person into this? Warden couldn’t be considered an ally; he could only be viewed as a comrade.
Cui Ming stood up with his clothes and covered the female doctor with them. “I won’t touch you; don’t blame me either. It’s just too dull here; I need something to pass the time. Uncle He doesn’t allow me to do anything; I can only focus on you now. Since I can’t act against you... heh...”
The female doctor asked, "What will happen if you move?"
"Get lost." Cui Ming waved his hand impatiently. "Hurry up, don't stir up my bad temper. Just grab someone and take them to the back mountain."
The female doctor shot a fierce look at Cui Ming, crossed her arms, and turned to leave.
Is it right or wrong? Left hand bets on the right hand, right hand bets on the left hand—who will win?
...
Alright, left hand, you win.
The next morning, Lich appeared. "Cui Ming, are you busy lately?"
"Not busy, Uncle He. Are we starting?" Cui Ming asked.
"Not yet. My son is still in a bit of trouble; it will take another seven or eight days." The truth was that Lich was uneasy about leaving his son with Cui Ming and was using some means to ensure he could keep track of him. To avoid hurting his son, he needed time. Lich said, "Dr. Lin Bing told me she needs to go to some dangerous places to gather herbs, but there are many poisonous snakes and wild beasts on Shadow Island. Can you accompany her for a few days?"
"Sure," Cui Ming replied.
"Good. Let me reiterate: do not use force against Dr. Lin Bing. Her herbs are very valuable."
"I wouldn't dare."
"Better not." Lich floated away. This time, Cui Ming saw clearly that Lich transformed into a shadow and drifted off. It started slowly but then accelerated rapidly, disappearing in seconds—not teleportation but simply too fast. This was good news; Lich wasn't teleporting like that guy Zhir.
Cui Ming needed to find the location of the magic circle himself. If he figured it out, his chances of winning would increase by ten percent. His maximum teleportation distance was ten kilometers, so he had to deduce the best landing point based on the magic circle's location. Was the ship near that point? Although it wasn't necessary, since he had the time, Cui Ming knew that the female doctor harbored murderous intent toward him; she would try to lure him into committing a crime during the herb-gathering process.
Girl, I've made up my mind: if I catch Lich spying on me, I'll have to do something beastly; otherwise, you can entice whoever you want while I mind my own business—let's keep our paths separate.
Cui Ming felt a small sense of pride. Although he had only interacted with the female doctor a few times and learned a bit about her personality, he had successfully utilized her to expand his own territory, adding a straw to his chances in the high-stakes game. In poker tournaments, when faced with skilled opponents, accumulating small advantages can be one of the key factors in determining victory or defeat.
...
Arriving at Shadow Island on the ninth day, he finally had some space to move. Cui Ming helped the female doctor carry her backpack as they set off toward the volcano. The female doctor was equipped with modern medical supplies, including various chemical drugs, but herbal medicine also played a significant role in gynecology. She remained silent throughout the journey until they reached the Consort Clan, where she checked the pulse and listened to the heartbeats of all the concubines, performing some simple examinations before they began their ascent.
This outing would take two days, requiring them to camp in the wild. The female doctor was primarily searching for a rare herb that was seldom found across the Three Continents due to its unique growing conditions—located in an area where fire and ice coexisted. At the summit of the volcano, there was snow, while molten lava flowed within; it was only at mid-elevation that they might find this herb.
Cui Ming had obtained a photo of it: a common-looking grass about thirty centimeters tall, green with hints of yellow, bearing clusters of bead-like fruits among its leaves.
"We need the fruit; don't touch anything without it, and make sure to record the location."
"Okay," Cui Ming replied briefly.
The volcano on Shadow Island had a long history, with no documented records of eruptions. However, it was an active volcano, with small amounts of lava flowing out and creating a unique ecological environment on Shadow Island. If Shadow Island were located on the Three Continents, it would undoubtedly be a tourist hotspot.
The crater stood over three thousand meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains of varying heights. These mountains were densely forested and humid, providing a habitat for many venomous snakes. The heavy rainfall made it resemble a tropical rainforest. Due to the high humidity, leaves decayed on the ground, making it easy to slip when stepped on.
The female doctor had already fallen twice, and Cui Ming had refrained from helping her until the third time. He pushed off hard from his position and quickly reached out to grab a vine holding a Coral Snake. The snake turned and bit him on the webbing between his thumb and index finger. His Force easily resisted the external threat. The female doctor stood up; she knew about the Coral Snake's venom and paled slightly. Cui Ming tossed the Coral Snake aside into some nearby vines as it slithered away.
"Why did you let it go?"
"Because there's not much meat on it," he replied dismissively.
"It could still bite someone."
"This is its territory; if you intrude, you can't blame others for biting." He reasoned that there was no justification for harming it when there was little benefit.
Ignoring Cui Ming's comments, the female doctor continued her search at a slow pace and found several herbs—not just those for gynecological use but also many others. Although Lich hadn't requested them, she still tried her best to help those suffering on the island. Medicines for non-gynecological diseases were not sourced externally by Lich, so she needed to gather them herself.
"Who are you?" The female doctor finally couldn't hold back her curiosity during a break.
How to explain this...
"Are you cultivators?" she asked. She had been captured for only two years and was aware of things like the Force Report.
"Yes," Cui Ming thought, Don't tempt me; the Lich is watching. Well... tempting might be fine, men are truly unreliable; just give me a reason to roll in the mud with you...
The female doctor whispered, "Can you get us out of here? I'll agree to anything you want."
Cui Ming replied seriously, "My Uncle He trusts you this much and treats you this well. Why would you still think about leaving? I warn you, don't have any other thoughts; otherwise, Big Twin and Little Shuang will meet a terrible fate."
"Bah." The female doctor scoffed at his words in anger and disdain.
Even without being monitored, Cui Ming wouldn't say anything else. The two continued forward, and Cui Ming felt the surveillance fade away. As if to make amends, he tried to chat with the female doctor. She wasn't very responsive. Cui Ming spoke to himself, "I know a skilled doctor who said strange places have strange herbs. Is that true? For example, are there really miraculous herbs in places where ice and fire coexist?"
(Note: The previous chapter was mistakenly updated automatically last night, but I didn't expect that yesterday's update was lost...)
(Note 2: Yesterday's chapter has been supplemented.)
(Note 3: Eldest Daughter is on summer vacation now; it's time for some mischief. Why do we even have summer vacations? Why?)
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