"As expected, it's the residue of a demon god. No wonder Mu Yang found Jialiang so quickly," Lumine thought to herself.
Earlier, when Ayu mentioned that his family didn't go out during Lantern Rite,
Lumine had already suspected it might be this.
But why would Ayu's father be tainted with demon god residue?
Mu Yang had said that this was extremely harmful to ordinary people.
The cause of his forgetfulness might be the aftereffects of long-term exposure to demon god residue.
Lumine looked at Jialiang and saw only confusion in his eyes.
It seemed he didn't know anything about demon god residue.
Baizhu seemed to be waiting for Mu Yang to speak.
But what kind of person was Mu Yang?
In this story, he wasn't some tavern merchant.
He was the aloof sword immortal of Chenyu Vale.
Only by not speaking could he maintain the air of an expert.
After a brief silence,
Baizhu replied, "...Hall Master Hu need not worry. I have a way to suppress the demon god residue in his body."
"A healer takes saving lives and curing illnesses as their duty. Right before me is a life that can be saved. What reason do I have not to save him?"
He looked at Jialiang on the ground, whose face showed bitterness.
"Moreover, rescuing this old acquaintance... is the dying wish of my late Master."
"I hope Hall Master Hu can, for the sake of my master's face, give me one day's time."
Actually, with Mu Yang present, Hu Tao wasn't worried that Baizhu would do anything out of line.
At the very least, Mu Yang wouldn't allow him to endanger Liyue Harbor.
Since he had even brought up her great-uncle, Hu Tao thought, she could only agree for now.
Perhaps seeing Hu Tao hesitate, Baizhu added,
"It's only to save a life. If Hall Master Hu suspects I have ulterior motives, you are welcome to come to Bubu Pharmacy and monitor from the side."
Hu Tao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Aren't you usually wary of me? You're being quite generous this time."
"With Lumine and Mu Yang here, nothing will happen."
Lumine finally spoke up, mainly because she saw that Jialiang on the ground seemed like he couldn't hold on much longer.
To avoid worrying Ayu, they should bring him back first.
Seeing Mu Yang nod in agreement as well, Hu Tao had no choice but to go along.
"Hmm—fine then. Just leaving Jialiang here won't solve the problem either."
"For the sake of these people, this Hall Master will accompany you."
[Qiqi: Don't come over here!]
[Letting the wolf into the house now]
[High tension, fake smile, very scary]
"Good thing we brought Lumine; otherwise, you'd have a tough time," Changsheng quietly complained.
Clearly, this incompatible dynamic between the two wasn't the first time.
Hu Tao acted as if she hadn't heard and walked ahead to lead the way.
Mu Yang applied a speed buff to everyone.
The group soon returned to the inner room of Bubu Pharmacy.
While waiting for Baizhu's diagnosis,
after a while, the results came out.
"...Blocked heart meridians, obstructed qi and blood... this is the reason for his mental confusion."
Ayu quickly asked, "Mr. Baizhu, can my dad's illness... still be cured?"
[It's fine; if it can't be cured, hand it over to Big Sis Hu Tao]
[One-stop service]
"Baizhu is so amazing; he definitely has a way. Just relax."
Paimon habitually comforted the child, then turned to Baizhu. "Right, Baizhu?"
As a doctor, Baizhu didn't dare make bold promises in the face of such a difficult illness.
"...Ayu, when did your dad start showing these symptoms?"
The little boy scratched his head, somewhat unable to answer.
He didn't really remember anymore.
Or rather, he had never known.
As far back as he could remember, his father had already been like this.
It just hadn't been this severe back then.
Hearing this, Baizhu's expression grew even heavier.
"Is the situation very serious now?" It was Lumine's first time seeing Baizhu look so troubled.
Baizhu waved his hand to indicate otherwise. "...No, I've already thought of a method. Treatment will begin tonight."
He guaranteed to everyone present
that by this time tomorrow morning, he would definitely return a healthy and lucid father to Ayu.
"Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Baizhu!" Ayu was undoubtedly the most excited.
Baizhu turned to Hu Tao again. "If Hall Master Hu is still not reassured and wants to watch nearby, feel free."
Changsheng chimed in, "But it's best not to stay in this room. A physician needs focus when treating. Being interrupted midway wouldn't be good."
Hu Tao shrugged. "Yes, yes, yes—I'll just stay nearby, look at flowers, admire the grass... and come back if anything unusual happens."
Lumine headed out with Paimon. "Then we'll take our leave first. Mu Yang?"
Mu Yang instructed Changsheng, "I'll come again tomorrow morning."
He knew that tonight, Baizhu would use the secret technique of transferring life force again.
Jialiang was sustaining his life with demon god residue.
Mu Yang could remove it, but that would be no different from killing Jialiang.
This matter was best left to a professional doctor.
Changsheng let out an "mm," without saying more.
With Mu Yang here, the transferred life force could be quickly replenished.
She wouldn't suffer for too long.
It was just that Baizhu's mortal body couldn't withstand Mu Yang's power.
He could only recover slowly himself; Bubu Pharmacy would probably have to close for a few days.
Having inherited such a reckless lineage was truly worrisome...
"Goodbye, Baizhu, and Changsheng."
"See you tomorrow, everyone."
Only after everyone left did Changsheng speak again. "Are you ready?"
"...No choice; I've already gotten used to it."
[Why does Baizhu's expression feel a bit off now?]
[The treatment method feels like there's something wrong with it]
[This line 'I've already gotten used to it' seems to have a hint of helplessness?]
The game didn't show Baizhu's treatment method.
Paimon, walking out of Bubu Pharmacy's inner room, looked completely relaxed.
She only knew that Baizhu said it was fine, so Jialiang should be fine.
Nothing to worry about; the matter was finally resolved perfectly.
But Lumine felt it wasn't that simple.
Because she had seen the expression on Mu Yang's face before leaving.
It carried concern for Changsheng and Baizhu.
If it was just simple treatment, what was there to worry about?
Moreover, that was demon god residue—could ordinary medical methods
really be effective?
Lumine couldn't hold back and asked Mu Yang.
Mu Yang didn't answer, only telling her that she would understand tomorrow morning.
Lumine expressed understanding—that was Baizhu's method of saving lives.
If Baizhu hadn't agreed, it indeed shouldn't be revealed by Mu Yang.
Unable to get an answer, Lumine turned her attention to Hu Tao.
She had noticed it as far back as the first Moonchase Festival.
Baizhu and Hu Tao didn't get along.
She rarely saw that Hall Master act so aggressively.
Yet why was it specifically toward Baizhu?
In Lumine's view, Baizhu was an excellent physician. What exactly was the conflict between these two?
Mu Yang seemed to see through Lumine's thoughts.
"If you want to know, you can just go ask her directly."
"Is Mu Yang interested in this too?"
"Mm."
Lumine pulled Mu Yang's hand.
"Then let's go find Hu Tao together and ask clearly."