Chapter 464 - A Coffin
Su Li gave an ambiguous answer. She stroked over the little girl’s forehead with her fingers and said, “It’s quite easy for me to cure your daughter. But I have one condition.”
“Finally, your purpose came out...”
The dignified woman got nervous suddenly. She hesitated for a moment. When she saw her daughter frowning from time to time on the bed, she gritted her teeth and said, “Go ahead, please.”
Seeing her reaction, Su Li recalled something. Su Li’s eyes softened and then she asked calmly, “Madam, is there a dry well in the backyard of your mansion?”
The dignified woman obviously did not expect that Su Li suddenly changed the topic. She was stunned for a moment before she spoke in surprise, “There really is a dry well in front of the ancestral temple. It likely has a long history and is known by everyone in the city. Many people in the family have investigated the well but found nothing. Your Excellency, did you...”
“You have guessed too much, Madam.”
Su Li smiled and narrowed her beautiful eyes. The dignified woman felt a hint of warning in Su Li’s words and closed her mouth immediately. A few moments later, she changed the topic, “What do you want me to do?”
As a flash flickered through Su Li’s eyes, she answered, “I will go into that dry well. In addition to the coordination of your family, I may need you to guard the well and stop everyone from entering the well when I am in it! With your strength, it should be easy.”
The dignified woman was surprised with her small mouth opened, “Just these requirements?”
Su Li smiled without a word and nodded. The dignified woman became relaxed instantly and said with full confidence, “My husband has completely controlled the Duan Family with my secret help. The dry well has been explored thoroughly by the family, so there should be no resistance for you to go down. As long as you cure my daughter, I will guard the well all the time during you’re in it!”
“It’s a deal.”
“A promise is a promise!”
...
An hour later, Su Li opened the door and saw Duan Rong who had been waiting anxiously outside. Duan Rong was stunned as he saw Su Li.
Only an hour had passed. Could it...
“Your Excellency, how is my daughter?”
Duan Rong couldn’t help but use the honorific. Su Li smiled and made way for him, “I was lucky to cure your daughter. Just go and take a look, Head of the Duan Family.”
Duan Rong got excited at once and rushed into the room. Then, a clear and crisp voice of a girl sounded in the room.
“Daddy!”
“You’re awake, Dou’er! My dear... Knock on wood. It’s so great!”
As Duan Rong said, he choked with sobs. Su Li stood at the door without disturbing them. Then, she turned around and asked the butler of the Duan Family to arrange her to rest.
A moment later, in the back hall of the Duan Family.
Duan Rong and his wife came here with their daughter. Duan Rong’s eyes were still red. It could see that he was extremely fond of his daughter.
The daughter’s name was Duan Yuan, and her nickname was Dou’er. When she saw Su Li who was resting in a chair in the back hall, she turned her big black eyes and was not timid. After coming to Su Li, she knelt down as her parents instructed, and said in a childish voice,
“Dr. Su, I can’t thank you enough for saving my life! My parents told me that I would have died if you have not helped me! I will bear your great kindness in mind forever!”
Su Li opened her eyes and smiled. She waved her hand to help the little girl up and said, “You are really too polite, Head and Madam. We just make a fair deal.”
“That’s not true, Dr. Su!”
Duan Rong waved his hand and said seriously, “It may be nothing to you, but it is a great grace for me and my wife! My wife has already told me your request. Although the Duan Family has been rooted in this place for thousands of years, that dry well is not our property according to the records of our family books. We Duan Family will not stop you if you want to go in. And I will send someone to meet you at the entrance. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything else!”
“You are very generous.”
Su Li praised. She shook her head and laughed, “No other request. I just hope that it won’t bring you any trouble if I enter that dry well.”
“It’s really no trouble at all. Dr. Su, please follow me. I will take you to the ancestral temple now.”
Duan Rong is mild in nature but very decisive in action. About a quarter later, Su Li stood in front of the ancestral temple of the Duan Family and saw the dry well, which was overgrown with weeds.
“Ancestors of the family told us that this well has been abandoned for over a thousand years. But the mouth of the well still exists and it perhaps have its greatness.”
Duan Rong introduced the well while he thought Su Li would not find anything valuable. It was because his wife described Su Li as a curious roving doctor, whose medical skills were remarkable and extraordinary. Their daughter was extremely lucky to have been treated by this miracle-working doctor!
After hearing what Duan Rong said, Su Li walked to the well and ripped the withered and yellow weeds from the well mouth. Then the edge of the well mouth came into Su Li’s view. There might have been meaningful patterns and words on that. But with a long history, nothing was left. There was only the bare surface of the stone.
“The entrance to the ancestral land has been dilapidated to this degree! It indicates that no one has ever entered the ancestral land in these thousands of years.”
Black Lotus screamed in the ring space, but Su Li ignored him. She did not go down at once but turned to Duan Rong. She said with a smile, “This place is your ancestral temple after all. It’s disrespectful to go down directly. May I enter the ancestral temple to pray and show my apology?”
As Duan Rong heard this, the last discomfort in his heart was gone and a smile appeared on his face, “Dr. Su, you are very considerate. In this way, I can explain to the ancestors. I will have it prepared!”
Duan Rong turned around and went away, leaving his wife and Su Li in the ancestral temple.
The atmosphere solidified a little bit. Su Li looked at the dignified but nervous woman and said with a smile, “I have not had your name.”
The dignified woman forced a smile, “My surname is Duan, too. My husband and I are from a same family.”
Su Li nodded and did not continue to ask. She turned to study the plaques jammed in the ancestral temple.
While Black Lotus could not help thinking about her words, “Since this hybrid of human and ghost is also surnamed Duan, could it be possible that she is the offspring of the royal family of the Ghost Clan and the Human Clan because of intermarriage? Tsk, the bloodline has become so tangly after tens of thousands of years that even I cannot recognize whether she is a descendant of the royal family. Forget it...”
Su Li heard what Black Lotus said. A flash shone in her eyes and she was about to ask something. But Duan Rong hastily came in with the incense jars, so she stopped at once.
Even if Madam Duan was a descendant of the royal family of the Ghost Clan, she had nothing to do with this Madam.
The less trouble the better. She did not want to cause another trouble at least before she achieved her aim.
Under the gaze of Duan Rong and his wife, Su Li picked up three joss sticks, lit them, bowed and put them into the incense burner. Her movements were rigorous and smooth.
After doing this, Su Li didn’t think anything else. She walked to the dry well, pushed aside the dry grass and jumped into the dry well alone. She disappeared in the sight of Duan Rong and his wife soon.
“Although the scene under this well is different and beautiful, there is nothing special. I think Dr. Su will be back in a few days. Darling, let’s leave for now and come back in a couple of days.”
Duan Rong said. But his wife shook her head, “I’ll stay here and pray for Dou’er.”
Duan Rong was slightly stunned, and then a touching look appeared in his eyes, “It’s very thoughtful of you. I will have this arranged.”
...
After Su Li jumped into the well, she landed soon.
It was dark at the bottom of the well because no light shone in. Although Su Li sensed everything clearly with her divine awareness, she still took out a lamp, lit it up, and held it in her hand as Black Lotus advised.
“The entrance to the ancestral land is deeply hidden in this place. But it can’t be sensed by divine awareness unless you search it with your eyes. As a spirit, I can lead the way for you but can’t help you find it out, because I have no eyes.”
Su Li nodded gently. She walked along the damp passage slowly. It was quiet except for the casual sound of dripping water. This place seemed to be isolated from the world outside.
“May the entrance to the ancestral land look like a common gate?”
Su Li pondered. The spiritual stone lamp in her hand was lit up by celestial stones, so it could illuminate about a range of ten feet. It corresponded to the width of the passage. So, she didn’t need to stay in one place to search.
Several hours had passed when Su Li came to the end of the passage. But she didn’t find anything.
Although this underground space was extremely large, there was nothing special as Duan Rong said.
Su Li took a breath and looked calm.
The entrance to the ancestral land had been hiding for thousands of years, so it was reasonable that she didn’t find it on the first try.
During the following time, Su Li continued searching back and forth, not letting go of any traces.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. Su Li paused and sat on a stone with helplessness in her eyes.
She had not found the entrance to the ancestral land.
Black Lotus asserted that the pneuma was extremely dense in this area and she would definitely see something unusual with her eyes. However, she had searched every corner over and over and still found nothing.
Even so, Su Li was not going to give up.
Su Li refreshed herself after resting a while. As she was about to stand up and resume the search, she stopped her footsteps suddenly and looked up.
In this instant, her pupils shrank, and her back was numb.
The passage had a height of three or four-person, so Su Li could only saw the dark when she occasionally looked up. But it was different this time. She vaguely saw the contour of a large cave, while she just sensed a wall with her divine awareness.
“Black Lotus!”
Su Li called softly in her heart. Black Lotus scurried out from the ring at once. He also looked up excitedly and he became more excited after he sensed the bald wall with his spiritual body, “What do you see?”
Su Li stepped on the ground with her tiptoes and was going to fly up to have a check. But she was stopped by Black Lotus. She could only concentrate her soul on her eyes for a better view of the contour.
The realm of a perfect Nature Soul was so extraordinary. After she had concentrated all her soul powers on her eyes, the contour became clear in her sight and even the finest details became visible.
In a flash, Su Li’s expression changed and she got goosebumps.
“That’s... a coffin!”