Chapter 14: Little Puppy

At the wounds of the branches, there were small nodules left behind by the healing process. Su Tan stroked the plant to check his results.

The branches, leaves, and flowers were exceptionally lush and brimming with vitality. There was no trace of their previously withered state. Su Tan himself found it unbelievable. In just a few minutes, he had actually nurtured a lifeless flower into a vibrant plant. He realized he had struck gold.

"This is absolutely a Divine Technique!" Su Tan exclaimed in pleasant surprise. With this skill, as long as he wasn't killed instantly, he could slowly recover from any injury.

Moreover, this wasn't just for himself; he could use it on others. That meant he wouldn't have to worry about making a living in the future. If no one came to him for fortune-telling, he could simply open a medical clinic and survive. Who didn't suffer from minor illnesses and disasters in life? What made the most money? Healing, of course. With this skill, Su Tan had even more capital to survive in this world.

What a great find!

Groping around, he tended to all the flowers and plants in the garden. It didn't take long for the garden's flora to undergo an earth-shattering transformation. The entire courtyard was teeming with life. The flowers were full, and the stems were sturdy. Wafts of fresh fragrance filled the air. It was as if he had suddenly stepped into a worldly paradise.

The flowers were clearly the same flowers, and the grass was the same grass, yet they felt completely different than before. It was a sea of vitality. Though he didn't know what the visual effect was like, Su Tan experienced a brand-new sensation through the scent and atmosphere. He was extremely satisfied with this skill.

"Once you have a skill, you must use it for profit. Otherwise, what's the difference between it and a trash skill?"

An item had value because it was used. If it couldn't be used, no matter how miraculous it was, it held no value. Su Tan felt he could try to find an opportunity to market this ability. He didn't want to play the fool to catch the enemy off guard or anything like that. Hiding one's strength was something forced by circumstances, a last resort. When there was no danger, there was no need to hide. Think about it: if you possessed a special ability, why wouldn't you use what you were good at to secure benefits for yourself? Why hide it instead? Wouldn't that be foolish?

Su Tan felt his future was blindingly bright.

***

Breathing in the fresh scent of the courtyard, Su Tan felt exceptionally comfortable. It wasn't until late into the night, when he heard the chirping of insects and the rustling of nocturnal birds, that he finally snapped back to reality. It was getting late, and it was time for bed.

The cool wind blew, bringing a slight chill. Even though he had put on several layers to keep warm, he still felt cold. It felt as if a ghost were hanging around his neck, breathing down his nape.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The cool wind kept blowing. It was irritating. Even though Su Tan had been immersed in the floral fragrance earlier, the wind's repeated provocations finally wore down his patience.

"It's almost summer. Why is it still so cold?" Su Tan subconsciously pulled his clothes tighter, preparing to return to his room.

He inhaled sharply. Su Tan's nose twitched, his body paused, and his brows furrowed slightly. "The smell of blood?"

A faint scent of blood permeated the courtyard. Fresh blood! The odor was very faint, mixed in with the floral fragrance. If Su Tan's sense of smell weren't so acute, he really would have missed it.

"Why is there a smell of blood?" Su Tan wondered. "Is anyone there? Is someone injured?" he called out loudly.

No one answered.

Something unfamiliar had trespassed into his courtyard. Su Tan was extremely sensitive, and he detected an unfamiliar scent. It was very weak, coming from right inside the flower beds. Judging by the smell, it wasn't human, nor was it a large animal.

"Is it an injured bird that happened to land here?" Su Tan thought. If it were a bird, it wouldn't pose any threat.

"AWOOO!" A soft, milky cry reached his ears.

It sounded like the howl of a puppy that wasn't even a month old. The volume was tiny—sweet and adorable. Hearing the sound, Su Tan's mind automatically conjured the image of a fluffy, white little creature.

"Is this a puppy from the village? Is it injured?"

Hearing the cry, Su Tan deduced the state of the injured animal. The weak whimpers and the faint scent of blood confirmed that this dog was hurt. Su Tan didn't overthink it. He moved his feet, groping his way toward the source of the sound.

Perhaps sensing his approach, the puppy's cries grew more frequent. He could tell it was somewhat nervous.

"Don't be afraid, little thing. I'm not here to hurt you!" Su Tan said gently, regardless of whether the animal could understand him or not.

"Awooo..."

The little puppy's voice was right in front of him. It turned out to be right under the flower he had just revived. How could Su Tan have known that animals were incredibly sensitive to life force? The flower he had just saved was completely saturated with lingering vitality, which had naturally compelled the injured puppy to instinctively approach it to absorb that life force.

"Little thing, I found you!" Su Tan chuckled softly. "Don't move, I'm here to save you! Consider yourself lucky to have met me. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't bother with you."

A village puppy was certainly worth saving. The smell of blood grew stronger, proving that the creature was indeed right in front of him. Su Tan reached out his hand to feel for it.

"Awooo... Awooo... Awooo..."

The little creature was exceptionally vigilant. As Su Tan reached out, it kept shifting its body, terrified that this human would hurt it. However, it was far too weak and entirely lacked the strength to resist. Su Tan's hand finally touched the little puppy.

To his surprise, ignoring its fur, the little creature's fleshy body was only the size of an adult's fist. Combined with its soft and fluffy coat, it felt quite large to the touch. Was this a fluffy little pet? Unfortunately, Su Tan couldn't see it; he could only imagine it.

"Awooo... Awooo..." The little puppy struggled. But with a body only the size of a palm, how much strength could it possibly have? It couldn't break free from Su Tan's grasp at all.

"Don't move. You're in luck, I've decided to save you," Su Tan said, once again ignoring whether the creature could understand him. "Previously, my ability was only tested on plants. Now is the perfect time to test it on an animal!"

He wanted to use the little thing as a test subject. Whether it understood those words or not, upon hearing that it was going to be used for an experiment, the little fellow struggled even more violently.

"Why are you squirming? You might just thank me later!" Su Tan was very confident in his abilities.

However, the little creature didn't share that sentiment.

"So disobedient..." Shrugging, Su Tan scooped up the little guy, carried it back into the house, and placed it on the table. A pair of large, invasive hands explored the little fellow inch by inch, completely ignoring its struggles. If he wanted to find out where the little thing was injured, he had to use his hands. Su Tan had no other choice.

"Found it!" Underneath the little guy's armpit, Su Tan discovered a deep wound. "You really are careless. How did you get such a huge gash? It's a good thing you met me, or you would've kicked the bucket."

Perhaps because the other party was a dog, Su Tan didn't have his guard up around it. He casually bandaged the little guy with a small piece of cloth.

Su Tan's method of healing wasn't about treating the wound directly, but rather restoring life force to let the wound heal naturally. Su Tan placed his hand over the little fellow's body. Waves of vitality flowed from Su Tan's palm, seeping down and pouring into the creature's body.

Seemingly sensing that vitality, right under Su Tan's nose, the little fellow's demeanor shifted. It actually stopped struggling and lay motionless beneath Su Tan's palm, looking thoroughly relaxed.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Three minutes...

The vitality continued to flow into it.

However, half an hour passed, and the little fellow's injury surprisingly hadn't healed. Of course, it hadn't worsened either. It merely maintained the status quo. Soon, Su Tan discovered the problem.

"The amount of vitality I'm injecting is completely disproportionate to the amount you're losing. Losing it while receiving it is simply a wasted effort... What can I do to stop you from losing your vitality so that mine stays Perfectly within your body?" he pondered deeply.

"DING. Matching treatment method..."

The system had surprisingly spoken up again, a rare occurrence.