The person the guards brought over was a man with disheveled hair. From his graying hair color and build, one could tell this was an elderly man past his sixtieth year.

However, Shao Mingyuan could not see. Hearing there was a survivor, his voice was ice-cold: “Interrogate this person about what happened on this island.”

The old man suddenly raised his head and cursed loudly: “You brat, who are you interrogating? Are you blind? Don’t you even recognize me?”

“How dare you speak like that!” The guard holding the old man angrily raised his hand.

Chen Guang’s expression changed slightly: “Stop!”

He quickly walked over and met the old man’s gaze. He couldn’t help but cry out in shock: “Physician Li?”

Shao Mingyuan had already recognized Physician Li’s voice, but since Physician Li was supposed to be dead, hearing it, he suddenly thought it was just someone with a similar voice. Now hearing Chen Guang say this, he couldn’t help but quickly walk over, his voice excited: “Is it the physician?”

Physician Li rolled his eyes: “This brat has such a poor memory. Can’t you remember such a distinctive face like mine?”

“I—” Shao Mingyuan opened his mouth. The usually composed and calm man was now so excited he couldn’t speak.

Physician Li was still alive. Zhaozhao would be so happy to know.

While Shao Mingyuan’s emotions surged, Physician Li was also sizing him up.

“Eh?” Physician Li suddenly made a soft sound of surprise.

“What’s wrong, Physician?” Shao Mingyuan quickly asked.

Physician Li’s gaze slowly swept across Shao Mingyuan’s face, then glanced around, his face stern: “How did you all come to be here?”

“We accompanied Miss Li here to gather medicinal herbs,” Yang Houcheng said.

“Gather herbs?” Physician Li’s expression changed slightly. Looking at Shao Mingyuan sternly, he said, “Didn’t you know I had an accident before? How could you let Zhaozhao act so recklessly?”

Yang Houcheng quickly explained: “Physician Li, it’s not like that. It was the Empress Dowager who ordered Miss Li to come gather herbs.”

Considering there were no outsiders present, he lowered his voice: “A princess in the palace has developed some problems with her face.”

Physician Li sneered: “A princess has problems, so Zhaozhao has to go to sea to gather herbs? If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have pulled the Empress Dowager back from death’s door—”

“Physician Li, aren’t we getting off topic here? Rest assured, Miss Li is perfectly fine. She’s waiting for us to return on another ship right now,” Yang Houcheng said with a smile on his face, but couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

This physician spoke without restraint. Good thing everyone here belonged to Shao Mingyuan.

Uh, wait, there was also Miss Xie.

He couldn’t help but glance at Xie Shengxiao, who frowned and looked away.

“Physician, let’s return to the ship first before talking. Our ship is docked at the shore outside the forest.”

Physician Li glanced at Shao Mingyuan and said unhurriedly: “We do need to return, but there are some things I need to take with me.”

“Then I’ll have someone help you pack what you need to bring.”

“No need. Those things can’t be handled carelessly. I’ll do it myself. You all just wait.”

After speaking, Physician Li turned and walked toward a room.

Watching Physician Li’s retreating figure, Yang Houcheng couldn’t help but ask: “Mingyuan, wasn’t Physician Li caught in a hurricane at sea? How did he end up appearing here safe and sound?”

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Stroking his chin, he said: “This island is too strange. Is Physician Li a person or a ghost?”

Shao Mingyuan raised his hand and knocked him on the head: “Don’t talk nonsense!”

“How is this talking nonsense? Someone who should have died suddenly appears, and the people on this island were as frightening as if possessed by demons. Mingyuan, doesn’t your heart skip a beat?”

Shao Mingyuan’s expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, “If you have questions, you can ask them slowly when we return to the ship. Do you believe in ghosts and spirits?”

Knowing about Zhaozhao’s situation, he believed, but he didn’t want anyone else to know about Zhaozhao’s soul inhabiting another’s body, not even his best friend.

Some things were better known by fewer people.

Soon, Physician Li came over carrying a bundle: “Let’s go.”

Shao Mingyuan nodded and instructed Chen Guang: “Take them and quickly tally up the spoils.”

Pirates made their living through robbery, so a pirate stronghold of over a hundred people would certainly have considerable wealth.

Chen Guang understood immediately and began taking action with the guards.

The subsequent tallying of spoils need not be described in detail. On the return trip, the ship sat much lower in the water. Many guards silently thought: Well, now we have even more money for wives, but having money for wives without actually having wives is also troubling. When will the General resolve his situation? They’re still waiting for the General’s wife to help arrange marriages for them!

In the ship’s cabin, Physician Li squinted his eyes and drank tea without saying a word.

Yang Houcheng couldn’t wait to ask: “Physician Li, how did you escape death?”

Physician Li’s gaze fell on Xie Shengxiao, and he said nothing.

Xie Shengxiao had a free-spirited nature but wasn’t the type of carefree girl who lacked awareness. Seeing this, she stood up with an indifferent expression: “I’ll go check on those two unconscious girls.”

Once Xie Shengxiao left, Physician Li finally put down his teacup and looked at Shao Mingyuan: “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

Shao Mingyuan smiled bitterly: “You noticed?”

“Cut the nonsense. Tell me how it happened.”

“Someone hit the back of my head with a stone, and then it became like this.”

“You couldn’t see immediately after being hit?”

“No, I could see at first, then I passed out for a while. When I woke up, I couldn’t see anymore,” Shao Mingyuan said truthfully.

“You were stimulated by something, weren’t you?” Physician Li asked pointedly.

Shao Mingyuan’s face flushed, and he remained silent.

“How long has it been?”

“Several days now.”

Physician Li leaned forward: “Don’t move. Let me examine you.”

Shao Mingyuan remained perfectly still, allowing Physician Li to examine him.

After quite a while, Physician Li sat back down.

“Physician Li, can Mingyuan’s eyes still be saved?” Yang Houcheng asked nervously.

Physician Li glanced at him: “The Marquis isn’t even nervous, so what are you nervous about?”

Shao Mingyuan smiled: “This junior is also very nervous.”

“Junior?” Physician Li tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I can’t accept being the Marquis’s elder. As for your eyes, it’s blood clots in your skull pressing on the meridians around your eyes. Fortunately, it hasn’t been too long; otherwise, once the meridians around your eyes atrophy, it would be beyond help.”

Yang Houcheng’s eyes lit up: “Physician, does this mean his eyes can still be saved?”

Physician Li raised his eyelids and asked with a half-smile: “Marquis, Zhaozhao has already examined your eyes, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, she has.”

“She couldn’t cure them,” Physician Li stated definitively.

Shao Mingyuan remained silent.

Physician Li smiled: “I’ve taught all my life’s knowledge to Zhaozhao, so it’s not her problem.”

“It’s my problem,” the young general immediately said obediently.

Physician Li looked at Shao Mingyuan with suspicious eyes and said calmly, “Good that you know.”

Yang Houcheng silently covered his forehead.

He’d never seen anyone so protective!

Physician Li was very satisfied with Shao Mingyuan’s attitude. His tone changed: “However, Marquis, you’re quite lucky. Chen Guang should have mentioned to you that the reason I encountered the hurricane was because I left Mingfeng Island to continue south to gather a type of pearl, right?”