Ning Daocheng said this to reassure Li Man'er, to tell her that he would not do anything detrimental to her, nor did he have the ability to do so.
Li Man'er just smiled, "Uncle, rest assured, I haven't told anyone about this, only you. I don't trust those people in the Li family. Well, originally, I didn't want to tell you either, but you were bound to ask me where we were, if we were safe, and so on. I really couldn't think of any excuse, so I told you the truth."
"Man'er, rest assured, your uncle will help you keep this secret," Ning Daocheng said. "You little girl, you've always been very fortunate since you were young, and now you've had such a great opportunity, it shows that even heaven can't bear to see you suffer."
The stone had been in her sister's hand for so long, yet his sister hadn't discovered its secret. By the time she died, she probably thought the stone was just a stone, which was a waste of the mad monk's intentions.
Perhaps, the stone didn't originally belong to his sister. The mad monk's insistence on giving the stone to his sister might have been to have her keep it for its true owner.
And Man'er was the true owner of the mustard seed universe!
When Ning Daocheng thought of this, he felt much more relieved. If heaven insisted on it, who could stop it? There was no need to worry about being coveted.
However, to avoid trouble, they still had to keep their mouths shut.
"Uncle, what's going on between you and the Xiao family? What happened back then? Why did you come to Mobei?" Li Man'er asked several questions in one breath.
Ning Daocheng fell into memories, not speaking for a long time. Li Man'er didn't urge him, just waited quietly by his side.
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Daocheng slowly said, "A few years ago, someone discovered the whereabouts of my master, Qiu Yixian, in Mobei. I received the news and couldn't bother to say goodbye to my family. I packed a few things and embarked on the journey to find my master. When I arrived in Mobei, I inquired as I went. It took me three months, and I finally learned that my master had appeared near the Moluo Mountain Range."
The Moluo Mountain Range?
As if knowing Li Man'er was not familiar with the Moluo Mountain Range, Ning Daocheng gently explained, "It's the highest mountain range spanning Mobei and the barbarian territory. The mountain range is continuous, with peaks piercing the clouds and countless dense forests. The seasons are distinct halfway up the mountain, while the summit is covered in snow. The snow on the summit never melts, like a natural chasm."
It sounded like a very high and dangerous mountain.
Only when the altitude reached a certain level would the snow on the summit remain unmelted year-round. Such mountains would also be rich in vegetation and various resources, possibly hiding some secrets.
Li Man'er guessed that Qiu Yixian wouldn't have gone into such a dangerous old forest for no reason. He was probably looking for some treasure. Doctors, after all, had no resistance to rare and precious treasures of heaven and earth. Think of thousand-year-old ginseng that looked like radishes, ten-thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum the size of a washbasin, or the Tianshan snow lotus whose efficacy was exaggerated. These were all treasures, troublesome things.
"The Moluo Mountain Range was full of dangers. I prepared for over three months before bringing supplies and a local guide into the mountains."
Truly...
To find Physician Qiu, Uncle had risked his life.
"We roamed the mountains for over a month and found nothing. The supplies we brought were almost all used up. For safety, we had to retreat."
On the second expedition into the mountains, Ning Daocheng was even better prepared. He found three experienced guides and a guard team. More than a dozen people in the group brought abundant supplies and entered the mountains. They stayed for more than two months. When they emerged from the forest, only eight of the dozen people survived, and two of them were injured and crippled.
"Uncle, is that when you got injured?"
Ning Daocheng shook his head. "The forest was very dangerous, especially in winter. There was heavy snow, and it was easy to slip and fall. There were also wild beasts. The difficulty increased significantly compared to before. The guards who died were attacked by wild beasts, fell into ravines, or sustained external injuries that, due to lack of medicine, left them crippled."
At this point, Ning Daocheng's expression turned grim. His obstinacy had harmed many people and come at a great cost.
"What happened then? Did you give up?"
"I was not disheartened. I prepared for several more months, and when spring arrived, I recruited more people to enter the mountains. I spent all my money buying supplies then. It was a desperate gamble."
If he couldn't find the person, he'd rather die in the forest. What kind of spirit was this?
Li Man'er frowned, thinking, who exactly was this Physician Qiu? As far as she knew, Qiu Yixian had never admitted to having disciples. Although her uncle's medical skills were taught by him, he didn't seem to favor this successor, otherwise, why wouldn't he acknowledge their master-disciple relationship publicly?
Wait, could Physician Qiu be a woman?
Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü?
Li Man'er shook off the random thoughts in her mind and couldn't help but ask, "How was it this time?" The Ning family was wealthy and never treated Ning Daocheng, the youngest son, shabbily. Fearing he wouldn't have enough to spend outside, they always gave him substantial amounts of money.
Ning Daocheng had spent all his money, which showed how much he had bought.
"This time, we roamed the mountains and wilderness for about half a year..."
So long!
"And the result? Did you find the person?" Li Man'er actually had an answer in her heart. If Qiu Yixian had been found, perhaps none of the subsequent events would have happened.
But she didn't expect Ning Daocheng to tell her, "I found her."
Huh? Not playing by the rules.
"You found her?"
Before Li Man'er could ask, Ning Daocheng said, "I found her, but she was already dead."
Li Man'er's heart sank slightly. "How could this be?" A generation of medical immortal, regarded as a deity by the people of the country, gone just like that?
"When we found her, her body was already somewhat decomposed. She had been dead for about a month. The temperature in the mountains was low, so she was preserved quite well. Otherwise, by the time we found her, she might have been unrecognizable."
"But, there are so many wild beasts in the forest..." Dead for a month, and her body wasn't eaten by wild beasts. This defied common sense.
"My master, having been associated with herbs for many years, her body could no longer be measured by ordinary people's standards. Her flesh and blood were all poisonous, so it's normal for wild beasts not to eat her."
"What happened then?"
Ning Daocheng's fingers twitched slightly. "I found her, and naturally, I had to bring her out to be buried properly."
"Then, then how did you encounter the Xiao family?"
Ning Daocheng asked, "Do you know why my master entered the Moluo Mountain Range?"
Li Man'er pondered for a moment, then said, "Could it be because of the Xiao family?"
"Yes and no."