The Doctor's Three-Time Marriage

Chapter 473: 473. A Kind of Yearning

Translator: 549690339

Min Rou arrived at the entrance of Su Mansion on horseback, with teary eyes as she dismounted. She had imagined the scene of seeing Mo Yan again, but she never expected to witness “Su Liang” being captured by Mo Yan, while being completely powerless to stop it.

Although Min Rou knew that Su Liang was Mo Yan’s granddaughter, she still couldn’t help tightening her heart, worried that Mo Yan would resort to unscrupulous means to harm Su Liang or force her to do something, or even threaten Gu Ling with Su Liang. Thinking of this, Min Rou felt both worried and distressed, blaming herself for her incapability.

“Let’s go.” Weng Ran held Min Rou’s wrist and entered Su Mansion together.

Qi Yan came to lead the horses. Seeing that four horses had gone out, but only three people had returned, he guessed that something had happened. He looked around cautiously, led the horses in, and then immediately closed the gate.

As for those who saw “Su Liang” save the kidnapped children in the street, some people noticed that the children were safe and sound when they came out of the alley later, but Su Liang did not appear. However, they didn’t think much of it. They knew Su Liang’s Martial Arts skills were strong, and they believed she must have gone to catch the trafficker. Helping others in need was a common thing for the couple of Su Liang and Gu Ling in the capital city.

After tying the horses in the stable, Qi Yan saw Nangong Qian still standing there in a daze, so he took her hand and walked out, asking softly, “What happened?”

Nangong Qian and Yan Shiba, although they saw each other every day, didn’t interact much due to their different personalities. The first time these two had an intersection was in the former Yin Country when Nangong Qian took a fancy to Gu Ling, Qiao Cong and Nangong Lin kidnapped Gu Ling for her, and Yan Shiba helped Su Liang rescue him. Yan Shiba wasn’t a fan of Nangong Qian because of that experience, which left a deep impression on him.

“Shiba… she was captured.” Nangong Qian said softly.

Qi Yan had also guessed, even guessing that Mo Yan had come to the capital city. Few people would be able to easily take Yan Shiba, who was skilled in Martial Arts and experienced in battles. And Qi Yan was well aware of the purpose of Yan Shiba’s recent interest in disguising as Su Liang.

Qi Yan squeezed Nangong Qian’s hand, “Let’s go back first.” What to do next would depend on Su Liang’s decision.

On the way to Yuanming Pavilion, Qi Yan looked left and right. When they arrived at the entrance, he didn’t go in, letting Nangong Qian enter by herself. Then Qi Yan found Zhu Zan, and the two of them meticulously searched every corner of the garden and forest in the mansion, confirming that there were no suspicious people or footprints. This was to prevent Mo Yan from sneaking in without their knowledge.

At this time, the worried Min Rou, who really thought Su Liang had been captured, and Weng Ran, who hadn’t told Min Rou the truth outside for fear of being overheard, had already arrived on the second floor of the Yuanming Pavilion and saw Su Liang.

It was after noon, Zhengzheng, Ji Xiaoshu, and Gu Xiaonuan were all napping, while Su Liang sat alone in the small hall on the second floor reading a book, which could be seen by turning the corner of the staircase.

Min Rou was shocked, “Su… Su Liang?”

Su Liang closed her book upon hearing the sound, and seeing Min Rou’s astonished expression and reddened eyes, she felt a sudden pang in her heart. Noticing that they had gone out together but Yan Shiba hadn’t returned, she guessed something had happened.

“Mo Yan came?” Su Liang put down the book and stood up.

“Yes…it must be him, I saw it!” Min Rou was a bit flustered, “How come…I clearly saw you being…”

“The one who went out with us today was not Su Liang, but Yan Shiba.” Weng Ran sighed.

Min Rou suddenly realized, “No wonder you were laughing at the time… Why did she pretend to be Su Liang? Did you foresee that Mo Yan would come?”

Su Liang nodded, “We did consider that possibility. Yan Shiba disguised as me to protect me; her goal was to be captured by Mo Yan in my place.”

While speaking, Su Liang returned to her room. The children were all sleeping next door, and on the table was a calendar made by Gu Ling, on which the latest date had four words written: “Meeting at sea,” followed by a question mark, since she didn’t know if Mo Yan would really go or not.

Now, the fact had shown that Mo Yan had not gone to meet Gu Ling, but had secretly entered the capital city to capture Su Liang instead.

As for this, it is because Mo Yan guessed or Sheng Yue informed him that Su Liang is the Transmigrator and Gu Ling is not, or Mo Yan doesn’t know that Su Liang is the Transmigrator, but he wants to catch Su Liang to control Gu Ling. It’s unclear, and either possibility exists.

Regardless, Yan Shiba has been waiting for many days, and the goal has been achieved. Even though Yan Shiba didn’t tell Su Liang so much, Su Liang knew what she was thinking and what she was doing.

Su Liang didn’t stop her. Firstly, she couldn’t stop what Yan Shiba wanted to do; secondly, from a rational perspective, what Yan Shiba did was an essential step to prevent their whole family from falling into passivity. It’s not about who is more important between Su Liang and Yan Shiba, but because Mo Yan wants to capture Su Liang, he must not be allowed to succeed, and his goal must be thwarted. It is possible that he already knows Su Liang is the Transmigrator. Thus, by capturing a fake Transmigrator and bringing them back, Su Liang and Gu Ling would have more time to deal with him.

Su Liang picked up the pen and wrote the two characters “Mo Yan” on the calendar.

Upon learning that it was Yan Shiba who was captured, Min Rou breathed a sigh of relief, “As long as you’re not the one captured, that’s good. I believe you can rescue Miss Yan, but if you were the one taken, our family would lose its backbone.”

Weng Ran sighed, “Yeah. Although Gu Ling is our strongest, precisely because of that, Su Liang can’t have an accident; otherwise, he might lose his sanity.”

“The most important thing is to gain more time to deal with Mo Yan.” Su Liang didn’t panic, as what had happened today was somewhat expected.

“Mo Yan is not on Xingluo Island, and he has not gone to the appointment. Gu Ling should be back soon, right?” Weng Ran asked.

But Su Liang shook his head, “Gu Ling went south to kill Mo Yan. If Mo Yan didn’t show up, he would know that Mo Yan had come to catch me. He won’t return directly; he must take the opportunity to seize control of Xingluo Island.” They wanted to destroy Xingluo Island, but since they were uncertain whether or not Mo Yan had captured Su Liang, Gu Ling would probably keep the forbidden area as a bargaining chip even if he had control. Moreover, there was also the key figure Sheng Yue, who was likely guarding the island, making it not so easy to steal Xingluo Island away.

“What should we do then? Do we just wait at home?” Min Rou asked. She thought of her fiancé Qiao Jing, who must be with Gu Ling at this time.

“You guys don’t have to worry; just do what needs to be done. As long as Mo Yan can’t discover that Yan Shiba is fake and takes her straight back to Xingluo Island, the capital city will be safe.” Su Liang pushed open the window and looked out, “As for me, I still need to think.”

Weng Ran sensed Su Liang might want to find Gu Ling and wanted to persuade him, but ultimately held his tongue. If Su Liang really wanted to go, it must be after careful consideration.

Weng Ran and Min Rou went downstairs to see Nangong Qian sitting alone, and didn’t approach her.

“It’s alright.” Weng Ran shook his head at Nangong Qian, “Just wait for Su Liang’s decision on what to do or not to do.”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu woke up to find Gu Xiaonuan still asleep, and didn’t wake her. Zhengzheng watched Gu Xiaonuan while Ji Xiaoshu ran to find Su Liang.

“Has Miss Yan returned? We should go to class!” Ji Xiaoshu asked the moment he entered and saw Yan Shiba. The reason was that he and Zhengzheng were going to Lin Mansion for classes every afternoon, with Yan Shiba personally taking them there. This morning, Yan Shiba specifically said she would be back in the afternoon.

Su Liang shook her head, “No, she has been captured.”

Ji Xiaoshu was momentarily dumbfounded, “That big bad guy…old devil Mo Yan, he actually came?”

Su Liang nodded slightly, “Yes, he kidnapped a child in the street, lured Yan Shiba, and then took her away.”

This wasn’t too surprising for Ji Xiaoshu as he knew the whole story from beginning to end. Su Liang even joked with them not to go playing with Yan Shiba, as they might be captured together.

“Didn’t Master’s trip become a waste then?” Ji Xiaoshu furrowed his little brows. “Today should have been the day Master met that old devil at sea, but he came to the capital city instead. We fell into his trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain, but he also fell for our body double plan! That man is simply too difficult to deal with! So, did he really use a magic treasure to make Miss Yan disappear with just a snap of his finger?”

Seeing Su Liang nod, Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes widened, “There’s really such a magic treasure? That’s too scary! I really want it!”

Su Liang coughed softly, “If we can snatch her back, your master will do his best.”

“Aunt Yan… sigh! She should have fulfilled her wish. She said that day that if she really gets caught by Mo Yan, we should not worry about her but be happy for her because that’s what she hopes for.” Ji Xiaoshu sighed, “Aunt Yan has been working hard to imitate Ms. Su. It wasn’t in vain, right? Will master be back soon? When he returns, he and Ms. Su can plan together to take down the evil man and save Aunt Yan.”

Su Liang shook her head, saying that Gu Ling would probably not return soon.

After listening, Ji Xiaoshu went to share the latest news with Zhengzheng.

Actually, these two kids knew more about the current situation than some adults in their family and they analyzed the situation together.

When Gu Xiaonuan woke up, her two elder brothers skillfully helped her wash her face and hands, fed her water, and then hugged her to find Su Liang.

“Ms. Su, I talked to big brother, and you can’t go to Xingluo Island.” Ji Xiaoshu’s little face was serious.

Zhengzheng nodded, “Yes. We think Ms. Su might want to find the master and join forces to deal with Mo Yan. Although Ms. Su and master are invincible together, it’s also important to take care of the family. As long as Ms. Su and sister are fine, master can focus on dealing with Mo Yan.”

“Master must not want Ms. Su to go.” Ji Xiaoshu added.

Su Liang smiled and hugged Gu Xiaonuan, “Hmm, you’re right. I did think about going, but it’s better not to.” Her martial arts skills are the weakest, and as for the poison techniques, they’re not the kind that can be used on the spot. Gu Ling took all the necessary poisons with him.

If Mo Yan didn’t find out that Yan Shiba was fake all the way and took her to meet Gu Ling, he would recognize at a glance whether she was Su Liang or not, and there would be no need to worry about being deceived.

Su Liang doesn’t need to hide anymore. If Mo Yan didn’t find out about the flaw in Yan Shiba’s disguise, he wouldn’t return to the capital city. If Mo Yan discovered that Yan Shiba was fake and returned to the capital city, and if Su Liang couldn’t be caught, he might do something unpredictable. For the sake of her family’s safety, Su Liang couldn’t just hide.

If Yan Shiba’s substitute plan really failed, Su Liang could only and must choose to face Mo Yan directly. She won’t surrender herself easily, and fighting is still necessary. There might still be a chance of winning.

“It would have been great if master had that magic treasure.” Ji Xiaoshu habitually leaned against Su Liang, “So we could all be kept in it and go wherever he wanted.”

“I hope that treasure is an object,” Zhengzheng said with great seriousness. “That way, even if it can’t change ownership, master can separate the treasure from Mo Yan.”

“It’s still unclear now.” Su Liang replied, “I can’t go out for the time being, so go find Master Cen Man to send you to class.” Today Mo Yan just took Yan Shiba away, so Su Liang needs to be cautious in case Mo Yan hasn’t gone far yet.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu went to find Cen Man.

Cen Man already knew about Yan Shiba being caught and came to talk to Su Liang before leaving with the two children.

After Cen Man left with the two kids, Old White came again.

“If you need to hide for a while, I have a secret place.” Old White told Su Liang earnestly. He had already mentioned it when Gu Ling left, but Su Liang said it wasn’t necessary at that time.

It’s still not necessary now. Su Liang explained the situation to Old White, who sighed deeply, “Old Qiao would scold me, saying I can’t be depended on for serious matters, and yet I can hold Nuannuan at home.”

Su Liang comforted Old White, “The family needs master, and Nuannuan needs protection. Third master may grumble a bit, but he’s just jealous that master can hold Nuannuan. He misses Nuannuan too much. Once this trouble is over, you can meet and have a good fight.”

Old White nodded, “I won’t let him win then. If he wins, he’ll definitely want to take advantage of the situation and be the boss. I don’t necessarily want to be the boss, but since I am, I can’t give it up to him.”

Su Liang chuckled lightly. The friendships between old friends can only be described as childish. Now that old Bai has gone to the south, it’s not that useful; what he could do, Gu Ling and Qiao Cong could do as well. If old Bai really went to replace Qiao Cong, then Qiao Cong would probably be the one who’d be unhappy. This is because his initial trip to Jiaye City was mainly due to his grandson, Qiao Jing, who was stationed there. As long as Qiao Jing didn’t return, Qiao Cong would not go home by himself.

Evening arrived in the blink of an eye.

All the children who had gone out for classes had returned, with no accidents occurring.

Chang’an was ordered to come to Su Mansion to inquire about Su Liang’s well-being. Due to the incident which happened on the streets today, the palace was also aware of it.

Su Liang spoke a few simple words with Chang’an and asked him to report back to Duanmu Chen.

That night, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu still slept in Su Liang’s room.

First, they coaxed Gu Xiaonuan to sleep, then listened to Su Liang tell them stories. The stories she told were naturally not ordinary stories, but some classic ones from her previous life. Ever since she told them she was a Transmigrator, the two children almost transformed into a hundred thousand “whys.” However, because Su Liang warned them not to tell outsiders about this matter, they were very cautious, only asking her about her previous life when they were alone with her.

After telling today’s story, Su Liang patted the two children and told them to go to sleep. She thought of Gu Ling again; at the beginning, there was a long period of time when Gu Ling would listen to her tell stories every night before going to sleep. At that time, the two of them were not together yet. Thinking about it now, it was really interesting.

At this moment, Gu Ling and Qiao Jing had returned to Jiaye City, preparing to set off again for Xingluo Island.

The wind by the seaside at night was cool, and the boat was ready, with Gu Ling and Qiao Jing both returning to their own faces. They had only brought the two of them and no soldiers.

After setting off, the two were silent for a long time. It was not until Jiaye City was out of sight that Qiao Jing broke the silence, “I suddenly thought of a question today – when did you know that Su Liang was a Transmigrator? Did she tell you, or did you find something unusual?”

Gu Ling’s voice was faint, “The first day I met her.”

Qiao Jing was surprised by this answer and couldn’t help holding his forehead, “Well, perhaps it truly was destiny that made you meet. By the way, when was that day? You met her in Su’s village, right?”

Gu Ling replied, “It was the day we first got married.”

Qiao Jing looked up at the starry sky and sighed, “You really are very lucky. You probably know almost everything about Su Liang’s previous life, right? Since we’re on our way, why not tell me about it? I’m really curious.”

“Not in the mood.” Gu Ling said, kicking Qiao Jing, “If you’re bored and don’t want to sleep, get up and steer the boat.”

Qiao Jing frowned, got up, and took over for Gu Ling, who then went into the cabin and lay down, ready to sleep.

“Are you sure you can sleep? Maybe Mo Yan went to the capital city today to take Su Liang away…” Qiao Jing started to speak but then realized his mistake and shook his head, “That’s just a possibility, not a certainty. Su Liang is so smart, she won’t let Mo Yan succeed easily.”

“I can sleep, you shut up.” As soon as Gu Ling’s words fell, he closed his eyes. The boat gently swayed with the sound of water flowing by. Because of the recent conversation, his mind played the image of Su Liang wearing her wedding dress, her small face looking astonished. He didn’t know if he was talking to himself or speaking to Qiao Jing, “She was sent to me by the heavens.”

Qiao Jing: …Envious, jealous, hateful. Once he and Min Rou get married, he must show off his affection in front of Gu Ling and Su Liang, making up for the “injury” he has suffered these past few years!

The small boat quickly headed towards Xingluo Island, getting further and further away from the capital city and home, but Gu Ling had already entered the dreamland, reunited with Su Liang…