"Qing Zhui, let Doctor Ning see you," Bai Jing said.

At Bai Jing's words, the scary look in Qing Zhui's eyes subsided and she regained her normal expression, still appearing sick.

The two women gave Ning Tao the impression that the sick Qing Zhui was actually more powerful than Bai Jing. He was surprised, but kept his face impa.s.sive. He took the medicine chest to the bed and said, "Let me feel your pulse."

Qing Zhui didn't say anything, and just stared at him.

Ning Tao reached out and grabbed her wrist, feeling cold. Her skin was smooth and delicate, her slender wrists limb as though having no bones. Although he was going to check on her illness, he could not help feeling a slight impulse as he held her wrist.

An imperceptible sneer came to Qing Zhui's lips.

With a slight shock of Ning Tao's Niwan acupoint, his spiritual power was released instantly, spreading to his whole body, even his soul, like ripples. The flicker of impulse vanished, and he regained his composure. In his eyes, Qing Zhui lying on the bed was wrapped by a ma.s.s of colorful aura, including a cloud of black aura and Ning Tao vaguely saw it in the shape of a snake, and stronger than Bai Jing's!

His nose also locked Qing Zhui's smell. Qing Zhui's body gave off weak smells of people and snakes, but there was a strong smell in her body—her natural scent. Different from Bai Jing's floral fragrance, her natural scent seemed to be composed of factors that stimulated desire, which was very mysterious. Without spiritual power, Ning Tao wouldn't be able to treat her.

Through the skills of looking and smelling, Ning Tao knew Qing Zhui's situation, but he was startled by his diagnosis.

Qing Zhui had an extra bone in her coccyx, which was in the shape of a snake. If it hadn't emitted black aura, Ning Tao wouldn't have found it at all, let alone judged its shape based on its features.

The bone was broken. There were several cracks in it and it was dark, which was a sign of necrosis.

"How does she get another bone? Is it a snake bone of a snake spirit?" Ning Tao guessed in his mind, and turned his eyes on Bai Jing's body quietly. The position he was looking at was Bai Jing's b.u.t.tocks.

In the small room in Panjiayuan Market, he only gave Bai Jing a quick look with the skills of looking and smelling, and had no time or chance to observe her bones carefully. This time he went straight to the point. Sure enough, he also saw the black aura released from the extra bone on Bai Jing's b.u.t.tocks, which looked like a baby snake hiding in her body. However, her spare bone was healthy and showed no signs of disease.

At this moment, Qing Zhui gently moved, and tried to pull her hand back, as if dissatisfied with Ning Tao's holding her hand.

Ning Tao released her wrist and said, "It's over."

"Can you cure my sister?" Bai Jing asked urgently.

"You didn't ask me what she had, which means you know exactly what your sister has," Ning Tao said, and then turned to Qing Zhui. "Miss Qing, you know very well yourself, don't you?"

Qing Zhui didn't answer, but looked at Bai Jing.

"I asked if you could cure my sister. Why do you talk such nonsense?" Bai Jing sounded skeptical and displeased.

Ning Tao said dryly, "Miss Qing has an extra bone in her coccyx. That bone is broken and has cracks in it, and there are signs of necrosis."

Bai Jing and Qing Zhui both put on a surprised look at the same time. Apparently they didn't expect Ning Tao to give an accurate diagnosis just by feeling her pulse!

"I can cure her, but you must tell me what bone it is. I'm sure normal people don't have that bone." Ning Tao had his own judgment, but he needed to know more about the illness.

Bai Jing was silent for a moment before she answered, "You're also a pract.i.tioner. I won't hide it from you. I also have a bone like it. It is the demon bone."

That was indeed a bone that only the demon had!

Ning Tao couldn't help wondering that if other demons had corresponding demon bones when Bai Jing and Qing Zhui who were both snake spirits had snake-shaped demon bones.

Bai Jing's voice turned cold. "My sister's demon bone was sick when she born. She has to live in the place with rich spiritual energy. More than 30 years ago, we learned that there was a place in the border region of Yue Country that was rich in spiritual energy and the environment was suitable for my sister to recuperate. At that time, I was busy with the company, so I didn't accompany her to go there. Unexpectedly, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Ding Ye broke into the cave where my sister recuperated. The cracks you said were caused by Ding Ye's dagger!"

When it came to Ding Ye, Bai Jing's eyes turned green again glowing with a baleful light.

"I can cure Miss Qing, but on one condition," Ning Tao stated in a calm voice.

"What is it?" Bai Jing stared at Ning Tao with creepy green eyes.

"Except that you have to give me white snake slough, you can't take revenge on Ding Ye and his family," uttered Ning Tao.

That was his requirement. In fact, when he first met Bai Jing and guessed that she was related to the snake hurt by Ding Ye, he made up his mind on this requirement. However, if he had brought it up at that time, Bai Jing could not have agreed with him, or even turned against him. In that case, he would not be able to get white snake slough, nor could he protect Ding Ye or his family. But now the situation was different—he accurately diagnosed Qing Zhui's disease, giving Bai Jing and Qing Zhui a glimmer of hope. If he put forward the request at this time, he would get very a different result.

"Do you know what you're talking about? That b.a.s.t.a.r.d almost broke my sister's demon bone with a dagger. My sister almost died at his hand. It took me more than 30 years to find him, and you want me to give up revenge!" Bai Jing's voice was full of anger and fierce momentum, seeming to be ready to rush at Ning Tao and tear him to pieces.

Ning Tao wasn't affected. "I have made it very clear that Ding Ye didn't know that snake was Miss Qing at that time. He sneaked into the enemy's back on a reconnaissance mission. He was so hungry that he hurt Miss Qing out of survival instinct," he stated in a light tone. "It was quite unintentional. What's the point of killing him?"

Bai Jing's eyes still blazed with menace. Ning Tao's persuasion obviously couldn't get her over it.

Ning Tao smiled and said, "Don't stare at me like that. It's no use. I have nothing but courage. You can't scare me. And, as you said, your sister's demon bone was sick when she born. It's a congenital disease. I can understand the pain in your heart, and the suffering of Miss Qing, but you can't vent the anger in your heart on Ding Ye. You and Miss Qing are demons, but you're also members of Hua Country. Ding Ye was a soldier who went to the front line and went deep behind the enemy for the sake of the country and nation. He is a respectable man, isn't he? All right, for my sake, if I cure your sister, you will stop taking revenge on Ding Ye and his family, okay? If you agree, we'll go on talking. If you don't agree, just think I haven't been here."

Bai Jing still stared at Ning Tao with frosty eyes.

Qing Zhui was tempted by his offer. "Do... do you mean you can cure my congenital disease?"

"Yes, if I say that, I can cure you," Ning Tao answered lightly. "As for you agree or not, that is your business."

"No one ever dared request me to do something!" Bai Jing had lost control of her emotions.

She finally found Ding Ye after searching for more than 30 years. She had developed a revenge plan against all the Ding family members including Ding Ye, but now Ning Tao asked her to give up. How could she give up so easily?

"Bai Jing, I think he..." Qing Zhui hesitated before speaking her mind. "He has a point. The man didn't know who I was. He thought I was a snake that could help him live, so he stabbed me. He who doesn't know is innocent. He hurt me, but after all these years, I don't really hate him that much. I was born with the illness. I really don't want to hide in cold places anymore, I want to go out in the sun. The world is so big, I want to go out and have a look. Bai Jing, agree to his condition."

Bai Jing remained silent for a long while and sighed, "As long as you're good, everything is okay. You can forgive that man. Why should I not?" After a pause, she looked at Ning Tao and asked, "Are you sure you can cure my sister?"

Ning Tao just nodded his head.

"All right, I agree," Bai Jing said.

Ning Tao was relieved in secret. He did not expect Ding Ye to know what he had fought for him and his family. He only hoped that soldiers like Ding Ye would have a safe life and a good death.

"When are you going to treat me? How are you going to do?" Qing Zhui asked anxiously, not wanting to wait for a moment.

"I still need to make a further diagnosis before I develop a treatment plan," replied Ning Tao. "But I have my rules. No one can stay in this room except me and the patient."

"Do you mean I have to go out?" Bai Jing blurted out in surprise.

"I've made it very clear," Ning Tao said. "If you want your sister to recover quickly, please wait outside the door."

"You..." Bai Jing looked as if she was eager to bite Ning Tao.

Ning Tao said blandly, "Since you investigated me, you should know my rules."

"Bai Jing..." Qing Zhui started to speak but stopped, her eyes full of begging.

Bai Jing sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go out. But you'd better not lie to me, or I'll make you regret it!"

Bai Jing turned and left the room, closing the door as she went out.

Ning Tao was worried that the door was suddenly pushed open. Then he went over and took a chair made of Phoebe zhennan against the doork.n.o.b before going back to the bed.

Qing Zhui stared at Ning Tao, as if trying to see through his heart and dig out his secret.

"I know you're not normal, and very good at seducing people, but you have to restrain yourself from releasing that scent and giving me that look. Otherwise, it will probably affect the way I treat you."

Qing Zhui's eyes changed immediately, no longer scary, but still full of expectation.

Ning Tao took out the ledger of bamboo slips, then grabbed Qing Zhui's hand and put it on the ledger.