Miss Truth
Chapter 382 - 242 Ruthless Ran Qi

Chapter 382: Chapter 242 Ruthless Ran Qi

"Such a good medicine, I’m afraid the secret recipe isn’t shared, right?" Xiao Song said with a laugh, breaking the silence.

Formerly, there were very few medical texts, and what had been passed down were nothing more than a few medical books like the Inner Canon of Huangdi, Shen Nong’s Herbal, and Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases. Moreover, the doctors who owned these books treated them like treasured family heirlooms and kept them secret. Without medical books, one naturally had to dispense medicine according to prescriptions, which led to a zeal among doctors to collect medical formulas.

Doctor Zhou and the other doctor could not help but blush slightly. Naturally, they were not coveting the recipe, but as doctors encountering an extraordinarily effective prescription, they couldn’t help but feel curious. After being called out by Xiao Song, it was inappropriate for them to continue inquiring.

At this moment, Ran Yun’s voice came from outside, "Hurry up, have you not eaten?"

Liu Qingsong, gasping for breath, complained, "Little Miss, I’m barely short of becoming your beast of burden, and you still think I’m slow..."

Ran Yun, obviously not in the mood for his gripes, urged, "Hurry up and check on my brother, aren’t you the one who claimed your medical skills are unmatched five hundred years before and after?"

With Ran Yunsheng out of danger, everyone felt much more at ease, and the banter between Liu Qingsong and Ran Yun brought smiles to their faces, making the atmosphere in the room even livelier. Doctor Zhou and the old doctor did not take Ran Yun’s words seriously, considering them mere childish nonsense.

Liu Qingsong was pushed into the inner room by Ran Yun, almost tripping before someone steadied him.

"Thank you," Liu Qingsong said instinctively.

"You’re welcome," a mellow voice said from above his head, and although it sounded amiable, it had an unsettling effect.

Liu Qingsong held his forehead, knowing without looking that he’d run in circles through the forest only to bump into the fox again, and weakly said, "Jiulang, not seeing you is better than missing you, please pretend you didn’t see me..."

Xiao Song responded coldly, "I yawned, and the meat ran into my mouth by itself, what do you suggest I do?"

Before Liu Qingsong could say that he wasn’t even enough to fill a tooth gap, Ran Yun followed into the room, "How is my brother?" Only after speaking did she notice the room full of people.

"It’s alright, it’s alright, he’s out of danger now," Madam Luo said repeatedly.

Ran Yun wiped the sweat from her brow and let out a sigh of relief, "That’s good, I’ve brought back the medicine. The batch that was sent earlier, was it of any use?"

The crowd was embarrassed; what did she mean by "the batch that was sent earlier"?

Madam Luo said, "We used it."

When Ran Pingyu invited everyone to the front hall, passing through the courtyard on the way, everyone stared astonishingly at the "little mountain" piled there, finally understanding what she meant by "a batch."

"Are you grabbing medicine or trafficking it! Can Shilang use so much?" Liu Qingsong muttered to himself, thinking that Ran Yun truly lived up to the multi-talented girl he admired—able to make money and willing to spend it. But he commented, "That’s extravagance and waste."

Ran Yun glared at him fiercely, "I only have one brother, and I love to be extravagant with him and waste on him, it’s none of your business!"

Liu Qingsong wasn’t trying to interfere, but rather, he felt green with envy. Her words only intensified his feelings of envy and jealousy.

When Ran Yunsheng collapsed, Ran Yun was genuinely panicked. Though she often found fault with him, at the crucial moment, she would use all her savings, even go bankrupt if necessary, to buy him his medicine. It seemed as if the more medicine she bought, the faster Ran Yunsheng would recover. Thus, following the doctor’s prescriptions, she had nearly wiped out several pharmacies in East Market.

Ran Yan was touched, yet her hand was held by a warm, large hand. She was slightly startled and instinctively tried to pull away, but the large hand held on tightly and wouldn’t let go.

Ran Yan glared angrily at Xiao Song, lowering her voice, "There are so many people."

Xiao Song was far too bold. He was always the focus of everyone’s attention wherever he went; what if someone saw that? As she pondered, she felt a slight warmth on her forehead—it was a stealthy kiss.

By the time she reacted, Xiao Song had already walked ahead with a pleased smile. Just then, Ran Pingyu and Doctor Zhou turned around. Ran Yan’s face flushed red as she thought to herself how lucky she was that no one had seen.

"I saw it though," Liu Qingsong said with a lecherous face, as he came over with his sleeves rolled up. "Eh, Forensic Doctor Ran, looks like your phoenix star is stirred."

Ran Yan was slightly annoyed. "Not concentrating on your own business, are you a doctor or a fortune-teller!"

"The very same Liu Bansheng who is rumored to know a thousand years past and a thousand years future, is none other than the unworthy me," Liu Qingsong boasted shamelessly, and then he lowered his voice with an ambiguous tone, "Jiulang hasn’t touched a woman for a long time, he’s very thirsty, tsk tsk, I reckon your frail body might not handle his needs."

Ran Yan calmly looked at him, turned her head and said to Ran Yun beside her, "Doctor Liu says he is unsatisfied, asking if your petite frame can satisfy him."

Ran Yun had seen Liu Qingsong talking to Ran Yan in a sleazy manner and Ran Yan had a face that naturally spelled "honesty." Whatever she said, no one would take it as a joke or a lie. Ran Yun immediately took it seriously and was infuriated. Her face turned red as she grabbed a dead branch off a nearby tree and started chasing after Liu Qingsong, shouting furiously, "Liu Qingsong, you’re a hooligan!"

The people walking ahead, politely exchanging pleasantries, turned around with surprised expressions.

Seeing Ran Yun chasing Liu Qingsong around the courtyard with a tree branch, Ran Pingyu’s face darkened as he asked in a deep voice, "What’s going on?"

Ran Yan looked down, reverently saying, "Doctor Liu was teasing Ah Yun."

Ran Pingyu’s expression visibly relaxed quite a bit. Chang’an had many brazen wives, and as long as it wasn’t Ran Yun’s fault, being a bit feisty was no issue. He then awkwardly bowed to Xiao Song and Doctor Zhou, saying, "My daughter is a fiery girl, making you gentlemen witness this scene."

Xiao Song and Doctor Zhou made light of it with a couple of polite remarks. Such scenes were a daily occurrence in the marketplace and everyone naturally thought little of it. Xiao Song then apologetically bowed, "Doctor Liu has been spoiled by our old lady, and his behavior can be quite inappropriate. Please forgive this, Master Ran. I apologize on his behalf."

"Assistant Minister Xiao, you are too kind," Ran Pingyu hurriedly offered a supporting gesture but did not say much else—after all, someone had harassed his daughter, he certainly couldn’t say it didn’t matter!

After this minor disturbance, the group continued on their way, but Xiao Song gave Ran Yan a meaningful look, his eyes smiling, clearly conveying admiration for her tactic.

Ran Yan glared back: Just average.

Xiao Song’s smile grew even brighter; he enjoyed uncovering every bit of emotion hidden behind her usually calm facade.

Perhaps it was the recent thrill that now made her feel unusually content in the moment of calm.

...

In a dark corner not far away, a figure in dark clothes stood quietly, as if merging with the darkness, having witnessed everything, including Xiao Song’s stolen kiss of Ran Yan.

The deep, gloomy gaze was as cold as dark ice, without the slightest ripple, lingering on Ran Yan for a long while, before disappearing like a ghost without a trace.

When Ran Yan reached the fork in the road, she bade farewell to the others and headed towards He Ya Inn. After walking a few steps, she turned back to stare at the spot where the figure in dark clothes had stood, then scrutinized the vicinity carefully. Her usually calm eyes dimmed for a moment.

"Wife, what’s wrong?" Wan Lu noticed her staring at a corner of the wall and couldn’t help but ask.

Ran Yan shook her head, her face suddenly blossoming with a relieved smile, and she softly said, "Let’s go back."

Wan Lu looked confused, glancing at Ge Lan. Ge Lan simply smiled slightly, and Wan Lu was even more baffled, muttering, "Why is everyone acting so mysteriously?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)