On the Ark.

……

Author's Note: 8K chapters delivered for today, still eleven chapters owed. Tomorrow I should be down to less than ten. By the way, I've been working so hard to update, shouldn't you all cast your votes? It's almost the end of the month, don't let them rot in your hands, give them all to me~

Chapter 396 So, to save people, red tea (3K)

Lin Ye had only intended to echo Gui Gu Xuehui's words, because he could tell from her tone that she was very dissatisfied with the matter of names, which was why he had said those things. However, he clearly hadn't expected Gui Gu Xuehui to show such obvious displeasure at his statement.

"Doctor, you're talking too much." Guigu Xuehui's voice was much colder. "Isn't it inappropriate to comment on someone without knowing them?"

Hmm... Even if she's extremely dissatisfied with her name and harbors resentment towards the person who gave her it, does she still not allow others to make malicious comments? Lin Ye thought to herself. It seems that the person who gave her this name must be someone very important to her (of course, how could someone unimportant give her a name?), most likely someone like her parents, someone who would say, "I can say my parents are bad, but if you say a single bad word about them, I'll XXX."

However, Guigu Xuehui just stated that the person who named her was neither her parents nor even her elders, making their identity quite intriguing. How could someone who wasn't an elder give her a name she disliked, and despite hating the name, she still secretly protected that person?

Interesting. This person is key. We can try to find a breakthrough by focusing on this person.

"Then..." Lin Ye was about to ask a question when Gui Gu Xuehui interrupted him.

"It should be my turn now, Doctor," Guigu Xuehui said calmly. "Have you forgotten?"

Lin Ye had genuinely forgotten about this, which left him feeling quite helpless, as it was such a waste of time. However, since this was a rule he had agreed to, and it also allowed him to better understand the other person through their questions, he suppressed his impatience and nodded: "Of course I haven't forgotten. What do you want to ask me? Actually, I think asking one question after another is too time-consuming. How about we save up a few at once and ask them all at once? What do you think?"

Guigu Xuehui refused: "No, that would be meaningless."

Lin Ye: "..."

At this moment, Lin Ye's mind was filled with the words his mother used to complain about him: "You really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve."

However, while Lin Ye's mother could say this to him, he couldn't say it to Gui Gu Xuehui. After all, he was a responsible "angel in white," and even now, still wearing a doctor's (nurse's) uniform, he could only fulfill the patients' requests, no matter how many they wanted.

"Then tell me," Lin Ye asked. "What do you want to ask now?"

Guigu Xuehui stared at Lin Ye, then slowly asked, "What illness do you think you have?"

"Huh?" Lin Ye was taken aback. "What do you mean I have some kind of illness?"

“It means exactly what it says. Do you think there’s something wrong with you?” Guigu Xuehui said. “You’re the doctor, and I’m the patient. I’m tired of sitting in front of the doctor as a patient, dissecting myself bit by bit, and it doesn’t even work. So now I want to try switching roles. We’re both doctors and patients.”

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "This doesn't seem to have any effect on the treatment."

“How will you know if you don’t try?” Guigu Xuehui shook her head. “Besides, Doctor, you seem to have forgotten something. I have never said that I am your patient, and I have never asked you to treat me. What I am saying to you now is just a game, and now I want to change the rules of the game.”

Lin Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "Is this the last game in your life?"

Guigu Xuehui smiled, and although she didn't say anything, Lin Ye understood what she meant.

This is really tricky.

Lin Ye said with some distress, "Whatever you want, but I don't know what's wrong with me... or rather, I've never felt like there's anything wrong with me."

"Yes, I think so. I'm sure I will." Gui Gu Xue Hui crossed her arms, rested her chin on her hands, and said slowly, "As long as you think hard, you'll definitely remember. Because many doctors have told me that no one's heart is complete. Even if someone's life seems perfect to outsiders, there must be darkness within them."

“Everyone has a dark side,” Lin Ye said, “but I don’t think it’s a disease.”

“Then tell me about your dark side,” Guigu Xuehui said softly. “You know, the kind of dark side that you sometimes think about and even feel fear about.”

Lin Ye fell silent.

But he wasn't contemplating his "dark side" as Guigu Xuehui had suggested. What a load of rubbish! What dark side could a boy raised under the red flag possibly have? His heart is overflowing with positive energy and sunshine! At most, there might be a tiny, completely insignificant thing about him.

For example, he died suddenly just after turning 18; for example, he never had a girlfriend growing up; for example, the big, goofy guy next door was always out playing, while he could only stay at home petting the cat. This was before he transmigrated. After transmigrating, why did he become a veterinarian in Chernobog for two years? Why was he still a useless weakling even after transmigrating? Why did he have to work so hard to integrate into Rhodes Island...

And so on and so forth.

Something doesn't seem right, Lin Ye couldn't help but cover his head.

Thinking about it this way, it seems there's quite a bit of a dark side. No, can this even be considered a dark side? It shouldn't be, it's just a few unpleasant things in life. Hmm, that must be it.

Although Lin Ye kept reassuring himself, he still felt uncertain. It was then that he realized his thoughts had been disrupted by Guigu Xuehui, all thanks to a single question. Damn it, it seems like the therapist is completely outmaneuvered here! The other person has totally taken control of the conversation!

Lin Ye realized that Gui Gu Xuehui was strange and not simple, so he subtly pinched his thigh, reminding himself to concentrate and not fall for Gui Gu Xuehui's tricks again. To keep the treatment going, he had to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. Since he couldn't gain any advantage in terms of rhetoric (he was being completely outmaneuvered), he had to find another way.

I must find a way to sleep with this woman as soon as possible.

...I misspoke. I must find a way to get this woman to sleep as soon as possible, and then enter her dream. Only in the dream is Lin Ye's domain.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Would you like a cup of black tea?"

"Black tea?" Even Guigu Xuehui was surprised by Lin Ye's sudden change of topic. "Why do you suddenly want black tea? Didn't you have enough at the milk tea shop earlier?"

“It’s different,” Lin Ye said. “We were drinking beverages just now, but we’re drinking the atmosphere. A heart-to-heart talk needs something to catalyze it, right? Like black tea, warm black tea, it can do a lot in this cold weather.”

"Is this your theory?" Guigu Xuehui thought for a moment, then nodded. "Whatever, whatever makes you happy. But you still haven't answered my question."

"How could I possibly answer such a question so easily? Of course, I need to think about it carefully." Lin Ye stood up and walked towards the teapot beside him, pretending to be casual. "So I need some tea to calm my nerves. Do you want some?"

"It will be all right."

Even if you don't want it, I'll find a way to make you drink it!

Lin Ye thought to himself.

Hmm, wait a minute, what's this?

Lin Ye noticed several small packets next to the teapot, including tea bags and other medicine packets. He picked one up and examined it, and his expression turned sour.

"A special medicine from the Rupo tribe. Take it, and tonight you'll be a Rupo!"

"Sarkaz-brand XX drug, do you want the power of a demon?!"

……

What the hell is this hotel?

Lin Ye was speechless. He should have known better than to choose this place; the owner looked like a sleazy person. But overall, it didn't matter, since he had brought sleeping pills with him.

What? You're asking why Lin Ye carries sleeping pills with him?

Isn't this nonsense? What's wrong with a doctor carrying a few packets of sleeping pills? Isn't that normal? What's so strange about it...? Okay, actually, these were given to him by White Owl to stop Ifrit. White Owl gave him several bottles, but he didn't bring them all, just a few packets as a precaution. Unexpectedly, they actually came in handy, except the target wasn't Ifrit, but Onigani Yukie.

He didn't know if this dose of sleeping pills would work on Guigu Xuehui, but even if it couldn't put her to sleep directly, it should at least leave her in a daze for a while. That would give Lin Ye a chance to act... Wait a minute, he clearly wanted to save Guigu Xuehui, so why did he feel like a pervert?

Fine, let him be a pervert if he wants. Anyway, he's a perverted doctor tonight.

Lin Ye shielded the kettle with his body, brewed the tea, and added the medicine. At the same time, to avoid arousing Guigu Xuehui's suspicion, he kept chatting with her. After everything was settled, he handed the brewed black tea to Guigu Xuehui with a smile on his face.

"Try the tea I brewed," Lin Ye said. "When it comes to brewing tea, I'm a professional."

"Really?" Guigu Xuehui took the teacup and said with interest, "But isn't this instant black tea? No matter how professional you are, what kind of tea can you brew?"

Lin Ye smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Anyway, you'll know once you try it."

“…Hmm, that’s fine too.” Guigu Xuehui slowly picked up her teacup, took a small sip under Lin Ye’s gaze, and then said, “This is just ordinary black tea.”

Lin Ye laughed: "Who says otherwise?"

……

……

Author's note: I just glanced at it, and it seems like a few hundred more monthly votes would be enough to get into the top ten. How about this, if we make it into the top ten by the end of this month, I'll open another bounty in December.

Chapter 397 Maple Leaves (3K)

Seeing that Guigu Xuehui had drunk the tea laced with sleeping pills, Lin Ye felt reassured. Now he just needed to wait for the effects to kick in, and then he could try to enter Guigu Xuehui's dream. Although using sleeping pills to kill someone was certainly not a respectable method, Lin Ye had no choice but to try it to save Guigu Xuehui's life.

He's really not a bad person, he's a doctor.

Lin Ye silently comforted himself, but remained outwardly calm. He took a sip of his untreated black tea and sat down again: "Alright, it's my turn to answer, right?"

Guigu Xuehui nodded: "I thought you had forgotten."

“How could I forget?” Lin Ye smiled. “Did you think I made tea to stall for time? Of course not. I was just thinking about… how to say it. After all, everyone has a dark side, but whether it’s worth talking about is another matter.”

Guigu Xuehui said, "Then pick something you think is worth saying. Anyway, no one here can hear us. It's just the two of us, and I won't tell anyone else what you say, so don't worry."

"Hey, hey, hey, this kind of conversation is clearly something a psychologist would say to a patient. Have you got it backwards? I'm the doctor, and you're the patient." Lin Ye thought to himself, but he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded again and started talking to Gui Gu Xue Hui about his so-called dark side.

But these are just trivial matters from a past life. You might hold a grudge about them when you're a child, but as you grow a little older, you'll stop caring about them. And when you're even older, you might even find it laughable and shameful that you cared about such things in the past.

After listening to Lin Ye's account, Gui Gu Xue Hui slowly said, "I always felt that you were being perfunctory."

"Perfunctory? No, I don't think so," Lin Ye said with a smile. "I think I've already answered your question very seriously."

"Is this what you call being serious?" Guigu Xuehui gently rubbed the warm teacup and said softly, "Then I've really been underestimated. It's said that patients need to be completely open with their doctors in order to get cured. But clearly, you've been holding back a lot from me."

Lin Ye gradually suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Because your question is indeed not an easy one to answer. And even though you said you would be completely open, there are still many things you are unwilling to tell me, aren't there? I am the doctor, and you are the patient, so why can't you cooperate with my treatment? Although many doctors have failed to cure you, including those highly specialized doctors you mentioned, I am different from them. I genuinely want to cure you, and I have a better chance of curing you than any of the others."

"Oh?" Guigu Xuehui asked, "What makes you so confident? You yourself have said that you're not even a professional in this area."

“Not being a professional doesn’t mean I’m incapable,” Lin Ye said. “If you’re willing to cooperate fully with me, I believe I can find a way to cure you. Instead of going around in circles and playing games like this, which is meaningless.”

"Then what do you consider meaningful?" Guigu Xuehui's tone suddenly became provocative. "And what is this so-called method that can heal me?"

Although he couldn't see Guigu Xuehui's expression, Lin Ye still sensed unease from her tone.

Did something go wrong? By the way, shouldn't the sleeping pills be working by now? Why isn't Guigu Xuehui showing any unusual behavior?

Just as Lin Ye was feeling confused, Gui Gu Xuehui said calmly, "Your so-called method is to drug me? That's quite novel."

Lin Ye stared wide-eyed at Gui Gu Xuehui with a look of astonishment, then subconsciously stood up from his chair.

Before he could even speak, a wave of exhaustion and dizziness surged through his brain. In that instant, he felt all the strength drain from his body; he couldn't even stand and collapsed onto the wooden floor, his body twitching slightly. He could only glance out of the corner of his eye at Guigu Xuehui, who was still sitting peacefully on the bed.

“You underestimate me too much,” Guigu Xuehui said softly. “No matter what, I have been traveling on the continent for so many years, and there are so many people who want to deal with me. You only think of using this kind of cheap sleeping pill to force me to submit? That’s why I said you underestimate me too much.”

Lin Ye wanted to speak, but he couldn't make a sound. Keeping his eyes open was already his limit.

Damn it… When exactly was he exposed? He clearly watched Guigu Xuehui drink the tea laced with sleeping pills, so why is he the one who collapsed? Did he drink the cup laced with sleeping pills himself? No, that's not right. His current state is clearly not due to the effects of sleeping pills, but something else. But what is it? When did he get infected? Why does he have no recollection of it?

Also, who exactly is this woman? And why would she resort to such methods?

Lin Ye couldn't understand it; he only felt his consciousness gradually fading.

"What a pity." Guigu Xuehui slowly stood up, stood beside Lin Ye, and looked down at him. "I originally thought you were an interesting person who could bring me some different feelings in the final moments of my life. It's a pity I misjudged you. But oh well, what can I do when I'm a cursed person? Ghosts and monsters have been haunting me since I was born, and they haven't left after all these years. They'll probably only let me go when I die."

Damn.

Lin Ye tried to move his body again, but it was no use, because he was losing consciousness and could only watch helplessly as Guigu Xuehui took the scythe from behind him.

"Although I don't know who you are, there are only a few reasons why you would attack me, which is quite pointless," Guigu Xuehui said slowly. "So, go to hell. If there really is a hell, you can wait for me on the road to the underworld. I will go down to join you in a few hours. Then you can tell me those clumsy jokes."

Lin Ye didn't hear the second half of Gui Gu Xue Hui's sentence because he had already lost consciousness at that moment.

Until he lost consciousness, he didn't know why he had fainted. Just before he closed his eyes and completely lost consciousness, he seemed to see a maple leaf falling from above.