The Great Doctor Girl

The night was dark and cold, and the dark forests in the mountains were like a gaping mouth, swallowing everything.

In the wooden house, the flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting a crisscross of light and shadow on the wall.

The air was filled with a faint herbal scent mixed with the smell of blood, making it hard to breathe.

The moment I pushed open the wooden door, I could hardly believe my eyes.

The master leaned back in his chair, his face pale, and beads of sweat on his forehead revealed the pain he was enduring.

His right leg was wrapped in a thick cloth, through which dark red blood could be seen. The medicine pot on the stove was bubbling with steam and making a low sound.

"Master!" My voice suddenly rose, tears welling up in my eyes. "What happened? Who was here?"

He slowly raised his head, his eyes tired and with a hint of struggle.

He seemed to be hesitating whether to tell me the truth.

Finally, he sighed, his voice so low that it seemed to be squeezed out from his throat: "Luo Shu, you shouldn't have come back."

"Shouldn't I come back?" I widened my eyes, my voice trembling with shock. "Master, how could I not come back? You're injured like this, how could I just sit there and watch!"

He looked up at the flickering lights, as if he couldn't bear to see my expression.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "A few days ago, someone came up the mountain looking for you. I didn't tell them your whereabouts, so they attacked me."

"Who?" I froze, my fingertips trembling slightly. "Who did it?"

"Su Junsheng's people." He uttered the name calmly, as if he was stating something that had nothing to do with him.

"The master from the same sect he found injured me and also took away some precious medicinal herbs from the mountains. But fortunately, there was no other loss."

"Su Junsheng..." My lips trembled and I could hardly make a sound.

My chest felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock, anger and grief intertwined. "Why would they do this? Why would they attack me when they knew I was here?"

"He wants to use me to threaten you." The master slowly closed his eyes, as if hiding something. His voice was chillingly calm. "Chen Feng couldn't deal with you, so he wanted to use me to force you."

"Is Chen Feng always giving you trouble? He knows Chen Feng can't deal with you, so he wants to use me to force you."

My heart sank suddenly, as if I had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

I gritted my teeth, an uncontrollable rage welling up in my heart.

The pain in my chest felt like a knife, and my voice was hoarse with anger. "Master, this is all my fault... I've implicated you! If it weren't for me, you could have lived in seclusion in the mountains for eighteen years, far away from all this trouble!"

"Luo Shu." Master patted my shoulder gently, his voice like the warm winter sun. "Don't be like this. This isn't your fault. Who can explain the cause and effect of this world? Su Junsheng only came to you because his daughter's life is hanging by a thread, and he needs you to keep her alive. Even without me, he would have found another way."

"But you're so badly injured!" I pointed at his legs, tears streaming down my face. "Master, how can you say it's not my fault? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered all this!"

He shook his head slightly, a bitter smile on his face. "Luo Shu, do you think I've been living in seclusion in the mountains for so many years just to escape? No. I knew this day would come sooner or later. Since fate has brought us together as master and disciple, I won't regret taking on this for you."

I stared at him blankly, the pain in my heart surged like a tide, almost making me unable to stand.

My master’s tolerance and indifference make it even more difficult for me to forgive myself.

"Master, I will make them pay the price." I gritted my teeth, my eyes filled with anger and determination, "No matter who they are, I will not let them go!"

The master sighed, his eyes filled with deep worry. "Luo Shu, hatred will make you lose your direction. I don't want you to fall into a deeper quagmire in order to avenge me."

“But Master, I can’t just stand there and watch them get away with it!” My voice choked with sobs, tears blurring my vision.

"Luo Shu," he gently raised his hand and stroked my head. His tone was normal, but with a hint of indescribable power. "What they owe you will be repaid by the cycle of cause and effect. But you must remember, no matter how deep the hatred, your fate cannot be controlled by them. You were born to fly, don't let these entanglements become your constraints."

I looked at his silver hair and the tears in my eyes could no longer be held back and flowed out.

It was he who saved me from the brink of death; it was he who taught me everything. But now, because of me, I have been dragged into this cruel conflict.

I knelt on the ground, choking with sobs, and said, "Master, I will not let this hurt happen in vain. I will definitely find Su Junsheng and end all this!"

He didn't say anything else, just looked at me quietly, with deep love and silent sighs in his eyes.

Master’s gaze remained on me, as if he was seeing deep into my heart.

He was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke: "Luo Shu, you've been through a lot recently, right?"

I lowered my head and didn't answer.

The tears have dried up, but the pain in my heart is like the cold winter wind, piercing my bones and marrow.

Master sighed and patted my shoulder gently. "Life is like a mountain. You've simply reached the edge of a steep cliff, and it seems daunting. But remember, every mountain has a top, and every cliff has a bottom. Whether you climb up or fall down is up to you."

His voice was deep, yet it carried an indescribable power: "Destiny tests each person differently, but only by overcoming them can we see the scenery beyond."

"Master, I really don't know what to do..." I finally spoke, my voice hoarse as if squeezed out from the depths of my throat. "Why did all this happen to me? I hate them, but there's nothing I can do..."

The master's eyes softened, and his tone was gentle but firm: "Luo Shu, the more pressure a person bears in life, the more they must question their own heart. You hate them because you care about your own fate; you suffer because you carry too much. But neither hatred nor pain can replace your reason to live."

He looked at me, as if waiting for me to ask my deepest questions.

I looked up, my eyes filled with mixed emotions. "Master, you've always known my true background, right? You've known all this for a long time, right?"

He was silent, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about how to answer.

After a long time, he sighed, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

"Luo Shu, since you already know everything, I'll tell you everything now." His voice was a little low, but still calm. "When you were two years old, Su Junsheng found Chen Feng and exchanged your fate for his daughter. From then on, you relied on the Bagua Life-Nourishing Formation and practiced with me, while his daughter, who had been frail and sickly since childhood, became rich and healthy."

My body trembled violently, and my eyes widened. "My fate has changed? What fate has changed?"

Master closed his eyes, as if unable to bear the sight of my expression. "Your fate is that of a phoenix, a rare fate in the world. You are destined to achieve great things. But his daughter was born with a tragic fate and didn't live past the age of twelve. To save her, Su Junsheng came to me and asked me to exchange your fate for his daughter's. I disagreed at the time, so he found my fellow disciple Chen Feng. Chen Feng, for personal gain, resorted to sorcery and forcibly exchanged your lives. After the exchange, they abandoned you, nearly dead, at the foot of Mount Paektu. I regretted not being able to stop them back then, so I took you back to the mountains and lived with you. You are protected daily by the Eight Diagrams Life-Nourishing Formation, and his daughter has been healthy and blessed with both wealth and fortune ever since."

My breathing quickened, and my chest felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock. "So...where are my parents? Where is my home?"

The master's face grew even darker, and his voice dropped a few notches. "On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month of that year, the very night your destiny was altered, a raging fire erupted beneath Mount Paektu. To prevent future trouble, they burned down your home. At the time, everyone thought no one could survive the fire... It wasn't until many years later that I learned that your mother was fortunate enough to be rescued by a passing expert."

Tears welled up in my eyes, my fingers trembled, and my voice broke. "So what happened next? Were you always aware of her existence?"

"She survived." The master nodded, an indescribable emotion flashing in his eyes. "She later searched for you everywhere and finally heard that you were here. I told her that not disturbing you was the best way to show you love. So she chose to watch over you silently from afar."

My heart ached as if being stabbed by a knife, and tears blurred my vision. "So... you arranged the place to get the medicine, right?"

The master nodded and said, "Yes, when the time is right, you will meet each other sooner or later. It's a pity that you didn't know who she was at that time."

He paused, his tone growing graver. "I just didn't expect that after all these years, those people wouldn't let you go. Chen Feng later learned of your existence and repeatedly came to provoke you. Until you came down the mountain and found Huang Junze, no one expected Chen Feng to use the relationship between Su Junsheng's daughter and Huang Junze to prevent your marriage and destroy your relationship. They used the Double Yang Locking Curse to prevent your true union, fearing that your magical powers would reach the sky, and then there would be no way for them to survive. Luo Shu, your existence is like a sword hanging over their heads."

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, my body trembling slightly from the emotional breakdown. "Master... you know everything, but why did you hide it from me? Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

A trace of helplessness and heartache flashed in the master's eyes: "Luo Shu, don't blame your mother. She doesn't want you to live in hatred. She knows that this kind of hatred will only make you fall into an endless quagmire."

"But I've been living in hatred for a long time!" I almost shouted, "Ever since Chen Feng came to my door again and again, ever since my fate was changed, how could I allow such a person to live in this world!"