At the dinner table, Baichuan kept his eyes fixed on Adala and Salar. Even the food in his mouth had lost all flavor. He never imagined their relationship could progress this fast.
For someone who hadn't dated in two whole lifetimes, this was beyond comprehension. He couldn't wrap his head around it. He'd simply never set foot in that domain.
Lisa looked at Salar with nothing but satisfaction. Abra, on the other hand, glared at Salar as if he were a mortal enemy, eyes burning with menace. If Lisa hadn't been holding him down, he'd probably have jumped up and pummeled the guy by now.
Baichuan was starting to regret his choices. He should've just let things slide earlier. Now there were two couples aboard the ship. How were the rest of them single dogs supposed to survive?
Ahem. Baichuan let out an exaggerated cough. He was the captain. Rules on the ship were his to set.
"I'm establishing a new rule right now: romantic relationships between crew members are forbidden. Abra and Lisa are, of course, exempt."
"Wise captain." The moment the rule was announced, someone wholeheartedly agreed. That someone was Jora, who had been force-fed dog food right alongside Baichuan.
Yuristin and Riedel seemed completely indifferent to the scene—maybe they had girlfriends of their own.
Abra also shot Baichuan a look of admiration. This rule had struck right at his heart. He certainly didn't want the tender little cabbage he'd painstakingly raised to be dug up by a pig.
"Don't worry, Captain. We'll absolutely follow the ship's rules," Salar and Adala replied in unison, absolutely earnest.
But the emotion brimming in their eyes completely betrayed them. Who the hell are you trying to fool?
"Don't worry, Captain. I definitely won't date Salar while we're on the ship," Adala reiterated, afraid Baichuan wouldn't believe her.
"Alright, no need to say any more. Just stop talking." Baichuan wasn't buying a word of it now.
"Salar, you're a veteran crew member. I trust you can keep it together."
"Relax, Captain. I definitely won't let love go to my head."
"Hm." Baichuan nodded, satisfied.
After the meal, Salar and Adala cleared the table together, so sweetly that it was blindingly obvious they hadn't taken Baichuan's words to heart at all.
Baichuan's expression now looked like he'd just swallowed shit. Utterly awful.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. I can't control you anymore." Baichuan surrendered. Love was like a tornado—striking without the slightest warning. And since a tornado had already swept right up next to him, he could hardly just slice it in half.
He didn't want to become one of those villains from the TV dramas of his past life, the ones who stood in the way of the male and female leads.
Even if Salar and Adala weren't actually the leads.
They lingered at Lisa's house for a while, and soon enough, patients began arriving to seek treatment. This gave Baichuan the perfect chance to see Lisa's medical skills in action.
But he was disappointed. He didn't get to witness any impressive medicine. Instead, he got a front-row seat to her talent for extortion.
Every patient who came to see her carried a box in their arms, stuffed full of gold, silver, jewels, and fine ornaments. Lisa would scribble out a prescription and call it a day.
"You're incredible. Your knack for fleecing people is second to none." Baichuan gave her a thumbs-up.
"This villa of yours—all built with your ill-gotten gains, I bet? Gold and glitter everywhere."
"Not at all. This was a gift from the king after I treated him. Technically, I'm even a titled noble in this country with my own territory—though the territory is just this plot of land." Lisa spoke with considerable pride, even if she was already a woman of forty.
And yet, no matter how much she gouged or how perfunctory she seemed, patients still flocked to her. Every single one was nobility, of course. Commoners couldn't even dream of affording consultation fees that high.
While Lisa was seeing patients, Yuristin and Abra were busy hauling the wealth they'd accumulated over the years onto wagons. Yuristin was in his absolute element. The money wasn't even his, but just laying eyes on it made his heart sing.
After a whole morning of clearing things out, all the savings they'd amassed over the years were finally loaded up—five wagons' worth, in total. Just think about how ruthlessly Lisa must have overcharged all those years. They were probably wealthier than some minor nobles by now.
"I'm actually this rich?" Seeing the five wagons of goods, even Lisa was shocked. She'd lost any concrete sense of how much wealth she actually possessed.
"Doctor Lisa, are you leaving?" A move of this scale was impossible to hide. As they stepped outside, someone approached Lisa and asked.
"Yes. I've lived on this island for twenty years. I'd like to experience life somewhere else now."
"But what will we do when we fall ill? We can't bear to see you go."
"Relax. I'm not the only doctor on the island. The other physicians are all highly skilled—more than capable of handling your ailments."
From the way she said it, Baichuan got the feeling she thought she'd been wasting her talents here all along.
"Alright, if Doctor Lisa has made up her mind to leave, we won't stand in your way. We only hope you'll come back to visit us someday."
"Of course. As long as you'll welcome me when the time comes."
The next time Lisa set foot here, who knew in what capacity it would be.
"Please. No matter when you return, we'll always welcome you."
"Then it's settled?"
"Yes, settled."
"I didn't expect you to be this popular, considering how much you've been milking them," Baichuan remarked, surprised. If someone had fleeced him like that, he'd never have a kind face for them.
"That's because none of these people are short on money. And the medicine I prescribe them works extremely well."
"Fine. You're the doctor. Whatever you say."
Five wagons made for an impressive procession, and the treasure was unbearably tempting. On the way to the ship, they encountered a gang of bandits. It looked like the brigands had been lying in wait for quite some time—someone must have tipped them off.
But whoever leaked the information was a true fool, not even bothering to find out who was traveling with Doctor Lisa before running their mouth.
Baichuan and his group showed no mercy to those who ambushed them. They took down the bandits' underlings, deliberately sparing the leader alone. The reason was simple: they weren't about to let the informant off the hook. And this bandit chief certainly wouldn't forgive the person who cost him so many brothers.
/-\
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