Volume 1, Chapter 41 – Doubts

Most of the people coming in and out of the medical hall screamed outright from the pain. The few who could endure it still couldn’t help groaning. A calm one like Shi Lan was something the girl had never seen before.

“You hurt long enough, you get used to it.”

Human adaptability was terrifying. Shi Lan’s current tolerance for pain had been forged through endless torment in the virtual space.

After cleaning out Shi Lan’s wound, the girl ran into the back room again. A moment later, she came out carrying several porcelain bottles.

Her hands moved smoothly and quickly as she finished applying the medicine, then she took out a roll of clean, fine cloth and began bandaging his wound.

“This wound needs rest. You’ll need at least a month to recover. Try not to use your left hand during this time.” As she wrapped, she reminded him.

“Thanks for the warning,” Shi Lan nodded.

When she finished, she tied off the bandage and said, “The medicine costs half a tael of silver. The bandaging is free. Do you want to pay now, or settle everything together later?”

“I’ll pay together later,” Shi Lan replied.

The girl answered, “Then sit to the side and rest for a bit. There are still a lot of people waiting.”

Picking up the basin of water on the table—now red with blood—the girl raised her voice toward the door. “Next!” Then she went back into the rear room.

The same burly man who had blocked the door earlier pushed the door open and came in. When he saw Shi Lan by the table, he gave an awkward smile.

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Shi Lan didn’t look at him and went to sit by the bed where Shi Feng was lying.

The girl came out with a fresh basin of clean water and started treating the burly man’s wound. There were three claw marks nearly an inch deep on his arm, and the skin around them was already starting to scab.

“Ah—Yue’er, could you be a bit gentler?”

The moment she began cleaning, the burly man’s brows twisted in pain and he hurriedly spoke up.

“Can’t you man up a little? You’re so big, and you’re this afraid of pain.” The girl’s hands didn’t slow at all as she scolded him.

Facing her scolding, not a trace of displeasure showed on the burly man’s face. Instead, he looked a little embarrassed and shut his mouth.

Watching this scene, Shi Lan was a bit surprised. The man’s reaction clearly showed he held this girl in great respect and didn’t dare show the slightest impropriety.

The girl quickly finished bandaging the burly man’s wound and was about to call the next person in when the old man from before came out carrying two packets of medicine. He said to her, “I’ll take it from here. Go decoct the medicine—two bowls of water down to one bowl, high flame, and make it quick.”

The girl nodded, took the packets, and jogged into the back room.

The old man sat back down behind the wooden table and got busy again, as the injured came in and out one after another.

After about half an hour, the girl came out holding a small bowl about the size of a palm.

She had Shi Lan help prop Shi Feng up, then took out a thin tube with a tiny funnel at the end and slipped it into Shi Feng’s mouth.

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As she worked it in, her hand gently stroked his throat, as if feeling for the right spot. Once she was sure, she slowly, very slowly, poured the bowl of medicine into his body.

“The fever will go down soon,” she said when she was done, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The girl shook her head and went back to the table, starting to assist the old man again.

The sky gradually dimmed. Only when the sunlight completely disappeared did the crowd outside the medical hall thin out.

After dealing with the last injured patient, the old man walked over to Shi Feng. He examined him carefully, then said in some surprise, “This young brother’s constitution really is extraordinary. With injuries this severe, not only has his internal energy not weakened, it’s actually becoming steadier.”

Hearing this, Shi Lan finally let out a breath. Shi Feng was, after all, an Innate Realm martial artist, with a lifespan of two hundred years. His physique was long past that of ordinary folk. What was fatal to an ordinary person didn’t necessarily mean death for him.

After clicking his tongue in amazement for a while, the old man turned to Shi Lan. “It’s already late. You should stay here in the medical hall tonight. If the patient’s condition changes, we can spot it in time. How should I address you, young brother?”

“My surname is Shi—Shi Lan. The one lying down is Shi Feng,” Shi Lan replied.

“I am Du Baisheng. That’s my granddaughter, Du Yue’er,” Du Baisheng said, pointing at the girl tidying up the shop.

“Miss Yue’er is impressive,” Shi Lan nodded.

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“Yue’er has been learning medicine at my side since she was young. After so many years, she’s at least picked up the basics.” Du Baisheng stroked his goatee, a faint smile on his face.

Thinking of the endless stream of patients today, Shi Lan asked, “Are there this many people coming for treatment every day?”

Du Baisheng shook his head. “It only got this busy in the past few days. All the wounds are from beast claws and fangs. The beasts around here have been getting more and more agitated lately. Even rabbits have started biting people. Injuries like this are becoming very common.”

Hearing this, a vague guess formed in Shi Lan’s mind. The changes in these beasts definitely had something to do with those demonic beasts.

Du Yue’er finished tidying up, closed the doors of the medical hall, and carried over two chairs.

Du Baisheng took one of the chairs and sat down. “I’ve been practicing medicine in Twin Moon City for over ten years and never seen you two before. Where are you from?”

“Tenglong City.”

Du Yue’er handed the other chair to Shi Lan, asking curiously, “Where is Tenglong City?” Aside from the neighboring villages and towns, the farthest she had ever gone was Baoshan City, just over three hundred li from Twin Moon City. She had never heard of Tenglong City.

Shi Lan took the chair with a word of thanks. “Tenglong City is very far from here.”

“How far?”

The question stumped him for a moment. After doing a quick tally in his head, he said uncertainly, “Probably tens of thousands of li.”

“That far? Wouldn’t going home take forever?” Du Yue’er said in amazement.

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Du Baisheng looked at Shi Feng on the bed, then at the clearly still-young Shi Lan, and sighed inwardly. They must have suffered quite a bit on a journey of tens of thousands of li.

“You’ve come so far from home. Where were you planning to go?” Du Baisheng asked.

“We originally set out to travel, but now we’re fleeing disaster.”

“Fleeing disaster?” Du Baisheng was taken aback. “What disaster?”

“To escape demonic beasts.”

“Demonic beasts?” Du Baisheng looked puzzled. “Aren’t those just things from legends? Twin Moon City hasn’t heard a word about demonic beasts for nearly a hundred years.”

Hearing this, Shi Lan felt it was almost unbelievable. One doubt after another rose in his mind.

It had already been several months since the great invasion of the demon race. Yet there were still people who hadn’t heard the news?

And this place wasn’t that far from where he and Shi Feng had encountered that Beast King. That alone showed that demonic beasts had already started attacking the area around here. How could there still be people completely in the dark?

If that was truly the case, then what were those demon-suppressing soldiers in Twin Moon City hiding the truth for, and what exactly were they guarding here?