"My name is Kei. You might not know me—but the two standing next to you should."
Tushan Rongrong looked at Kei, who had suddenly appeared, feeling incredibly moved. She wanted to rush forward, but thinking of her sister's condition and those around her, she held back.
"Divine Doctor Kei?! How are you here?!"
"No—how did you avoid our detection and walk right up to us?!"
Cuoyu Ling looked utterly stunned. She hadn't sensed his arrival at all. They had just mentioned him—and then he showed up!
"You're Divine Doctor Kei? Then hurry and treat my sister—figure out why she won't wake up!"
Tushan Yaya stepped forward, face-to-face with Kei, demanding with a fierce tone.
"Calm down. Diagnosis comes step by step. First, tell me what happened."
Kei casually lifted Yaya by the back of her collar and held her at a distance. Hopping off the dog's back, he looked over and muttered:
"Why hasn't she grown at all?"
This thought popped into his mind as he looked at her.
Cuoyu Ling watched his movements, then glanced at Rongrong, who hadn't reacted.
"Oho… there's definitely something going on here… I can feel the gossip vibes!"
Her inner gossip-loving soul ignited, but now wasn't the time.
"She's fine physically and spiritually… but she just won't wake up."
"Oh, I wasn't asking about the symptoms—I meant, what happened to Tushan?"
Kei looked at the Tree of Eternal Sorrow. He didn't understand this so-called "emotion force," but based on his acupuncture knowledge, he was certain the tree had something to do with Honghong's coma.
Rongrong looked up at Kei, hesitating. But seeing his steady eyes, she spoke.
"It was Fengqi. She rebelled not long ago but was captured by Onee-chan."
"Then just recently, Onee-chan went to visit her… but never came back. When I went to check, she was already unconscious."
Rongrong didn't know much beyond that. She suspected Fengqi had done something, but had no proof.
"Please… save my sister!"
She finally broke down and pleaded.
"I will. Let me think of how to approach this."
Kei sat in front of the tree and began pondering. A moment later, Cuoyu Ling approached him.
"Don't you need to go check on Honghong-sama?"
"No need."
"How can you treat her if you don't examine the patient?"
Cuoyu Ling was beginning to doubt him. What kind of doctor doesn't even look at the patient?
"And who are you again?"
Kei turned to her, feeling she looked familiar, but couldn't quite place her.
"Cuoyu Ling. My sister is Cuoyu Mingniao."
"Oh, that idiot is your sister? You're two peas in a pod, then."
Kei finally remembered—she was the yōkai king of the Water Leech Clan. But he also recalled how her sister followed him around for six months and still couldn't grasp the basics of acupuncture.
Cuoyu Ling pouted unhappily. Did he just call us idiots?!
"Honghong, Rongrong, and Yaya—they're all fox spirits born from the Tree of Eternal Sorrow."
"So it's obvious. The root cause is this tree. If you examine it carefully, you'll see it's malfunctioning."
Kei explained briefly, then fell back into thought.
He wasn't a fox spirit and didn't believe in this tree. If he couldn't link to it emotionally, then he'd force his way in through acupuncture!
"Uhh… Ling-oneechan, what's he talking about? I don't understand any of it."
Yaya tugged at Ling's sleeve and whispered. She didn't get a word of what Kei was saying—something about soul, flesh, roots, tree…
But she didn't want to look ignorant, so she quietly asked Ling.
"I don't fully get it either, but… if we follow his logic, it actually makes sense."
Ling was a little brighter than her sister and could piece together what Kei meant.
Although she was annoyed he called her a fool, she couldn't help but admire him too.
He'd figured out in one glance what she couldn't understand despite studying the case for days. No wonder he was world-famous!
She continued asking Kei several questions. His answers shocked her every time, and he even muttered strange terms as he explained.
Yaya looked at Ling in disbelief. Even she's infected now! She's starting to mutter incomprehensible medical jargon too!
"Will Onee-chan be okay?"
Rongrong asked, her eyes full of fear and anxiety.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, everything will be fine."
Kei reached out and gently patted her head.
"Mhm."
Rongrong smiled with relief. His hand was so warm—so reassuring.
"Wait a sec—Rongrong's acting weird too!"
Yaya stared in shock. Seeing her sister react so sweetly just from a head pat?
"Yōjutsu! This human must be using some kind of yōjutsu! Otherwise how else is everyone acting so weird—"
Yaya charged forward to "rescue" them—but before she could do anything, Kei calmly said:
"Relax. Your sister will be fine. I've never broken a promise in my life."
Yaya looked at his confident expression and immediately calmed down. That inexplicable sense of trust washed over her.
It's over… Honghong-oneechan, I've fallen under his spell too! Please wake up before it's too late…
—
Meanwhile, deep within the Tree of Eternal Sorrow…
Honghong, unconscious, was engulfed by darkness. Waves of negative emotions surged through her heart.
A powerful illusion took hold—an emotional construct woven from her fears!
She found herself back in that cage. But this time, she wasn't alone—Rongrong, Yaya, Kongqing, Kongling, even Fengqi were all captured too!
Tushan was engulfed in war. The peaceful life she had worked so hard to preserve was shattered. Flames surrounded the sacred tree. Despair and fear were everywhere.
"This… this isn't real!!"
Honghong clutched the bars of the cage. The instant she touched them, her hands were burned—just like back then!
"This is real. It's your deepest fear! You've always been terrified your past would repeat itself in Tushan!"
"You love this place too much. You've worked so hard to become stronger—to protect it. But that love… it's also your greatest weakness!"
A smug Fengqi, now transformed into the Black Fox Empress, smiled triumphantly. She couldn't manipulate Kei's memories, but she could control Tushan's.
"Honghong-sama, you're too kind. Even now, you worry for me. I'm touched… so don't struggle anymore. Merge with me."
Fengqi was surprised—deep in Honghong's heart, she wasn't cast as the villain, but the victim.
That moment of emotion quickly faded, though. She had her own goals—and she wouldn't hesitate!
She couldn't allow herself to be swayed by sentiment.
"Become one… with Fengqi?"
Honghong's consciousness started to blur.
"That's right. Be with me. I'll make you stronger. I'll protect Tushan for you."
"I'll keep everyone safe—Yaya, Rongrong, all of them!"
Black tendrils crept up Honghong's body. Her awareness dimmed. Through the fog, she saw a familiar figure.
That figure just stood there, doing nothing. In his judgment, this wasn't an attack—no need to intervene.
"Something's wrong…"
Honghong stared at that unmoving silhouette.
Back then… he wasn't like this. What happened back then…?
—
Outside the Tree of Eternal Sorrow…
Kei finally found a solution. His hands moved rapidly, striking acupuncture points on the tree, injecting his energy into each node, then paralyzing it—one by one!
"Begging a broken tree is useless—beg yourself instead!"
"I'll be back in a second!"
Kei's consciousness entered the tree.
Rongrong, Yaya, and Cuoyu Ling watched in awe.
They couldn't believe Kei had actually done it!
"He used his own power to disrupt the Tree of Eternal Sorrow… incredible!"
So thought Yaya.
"Kei-nii… please, I'm counting on you!"
So prayed Rongrong.
"How is this even possible?! This tree has acupuncture points?! This isn't medicine—it's madness!"
So screamed Ling internally.
As Kei's consciousness entered the tree, Fengqi immediately sensed it.
"Someone else is here!"
She quickly hid Honghong and began devouring her power again. Then she split off part of her mind to monitor the new intruder.
"This guy's human?! And he has no bond with the Tree of Eternal Sorrow! How did he get in?!"
Even she had needed a special method to enter. How could he, a human with no link to the tree, get inside?
Wait… he looked familiar…
After a moment's thought, she turned and looked at the figure.
"It's him—the Divine Doctor! Why is he here?!"
Fengqi grew nervous. If just a memory projection of him caused this much trouble… what would the real one do?
"I must stop him before he reaches the core!"
She began constructing an illusion using the Tree's stolen power, placing it directly in Kei's path.
If I can't defeat him… at least I can buy time!
As Kei crossed into the illusion, he felt something was off—but pressed forward, curious.
In an instant, the scenery shifted.
He was back in the Gourmet World—back to several years ago…
—
(End of Chapter)
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