209: Sunset in an emergency

Guided by the starlight, their hearts yearned for home. With their greatly enhanced strength, the four of them moved with extreme speed. In just two days, the familiar silhouette of continuous green mountains appeared at the edge of the crimson wasteland. By the afternoon of the third day, Luoxia Town, nestled against the mountains and beside the valley with its curling cooking smoke, was already in sight.

However, as soon as they approached the town entrance, the four of them sensed an atmosphere completely different from when they had left.

The entrance was even more bustling than usual, but most of the people coming and going wore panicked expressions and faces full of worry. More noticeably, on the town's main road, soldiers wearing damaged armor, their faces bluish-black or deathly pale, could frequently be seen supporting each other as they walked. Most bore wounds from blades, and a sinister, eerie gray-black aura coiled around them, refusing to dissipate. Many suppressed painful groans escaped their lips.

In the air, besides the familiar scent of medicinal herbs and smoke, there also drifted a faint, unpleasant smell—a mix of a cloying sweetness and decay.

"These are... Border Troops?" Xia Ya frowned, looking at the mismatched sets of armor. "They all seem gravely injured, and... it doesn't look like ordinary wounds."

Qin Feng's gaze swept over them, noticing many of the wounded had strange gray-black patterns on their exposed skin, wriggling slightly like living things, the flesh beneath subtly withering where they passed. "It's poison," he said quietly, "and a very sinister poison at that." He recalled the methods of the Corpse Demon Sect he had encountered before, but this was different.

The four quickened their pace and entered the town. Outside the "Ghost Doctor Hall Clinic" in the town center, several long queues had already formed, almost entirely composed of injured soldiers and a few more severely wounded officers. Groans, coughs, and anxious urgings mingled into a cacophony. From inside the hall came the hurried instructions of the doctors and the sounds of apprentices running to fetch medicine, yet the air of despair and pain did not diminish in the slightest. Some gravely injured soldiers lay on makeshift straw mats, their breathing faint as gossamer, their faces like gold paper, the gray-black patterns nearly covering their entire bodies.

"Make way! Doctor, please, look at my brother again!"

"General! General, hold on!"

"What kind of devilish poison is this?! Even the Ghost Doctor Hall's Detoxifying Powder can only barely suppress it..."

The scene was one of chaotic misery.

Qin Feng and the other three had originally intended to quietly pass through the crowd and head straight for the Medicine King Valley mountain gate. However, just as they passed the main entrance of the Ghost Doctor Hall, a bearded Captain who had been squatting on the ground tending to a companion happened to look up and caught sight of Little Divine Doctor, who was being protected in the middle by Xia Ya and Ji Ruxue.

The Captain froze for a moment, carefully studying Little Divine Doctor's delicate, anxious face. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he leaped to his feet, shouting hoarsely: "It's... it's the Little Divine Doctor! The Little Divine Doctor from Medicine King Valley has returned!!"

This shout was like dropping cold water into boiling oil—it instantly exploded!

Those in line, those lying down, those tending to the wounded... countless pairs of eyes snapped over in unison! Many who had personally witnessed Little Divine Doctor saving General Long Teng that day, and had heard she had been accepted into Medicine King Valley, immediately recognized her.

"It really is the Little Divine Doctor!"

"Little Divine Doctor, save us!"

"Thud!" The bearded Captain was the first to kneel, disregarding the dust on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice choked with tears: "Little Divine Doctor! I beg you, please save my brother! He's dying! The doctors at the Ghost Doctor Hall have already done their best, but this poison is too strange!"

Immediately after, like a cascade of falling dominoes, dozens of soldiers with varying degrees of injury, all who could move, struggled to kneel or bow deeply:

"Little Divine Doctor, save our General!"

"Please, look at my elder brother!"

"When this poison flares up, it's a living hell. Little Divine Doctor, have mercy!"

The tide of desperate pleas surrounded the four. Looking at those young faces twisted in agony, those eyes filled with despair and a final glimmer of hope, especially seeing the wounded on the straw mats who were already unconscious and barely clinging to life, Little Divine Doctor could no longer take another step. She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes instantly reddening. A healer's compassionate heart, combined with the Myriad Medicine Body's acute sensitivity to the fading of life, made the tragic scene before her feel like needles piercing her heart.

Qin Feng, Ji Ruxue, and Xia Ya also stopped. They were all people who had lived by the blade, but the sight of such a large-scale poisoning of soldiers and the widespread misery was still shocking. Xia Ya clenched her fists, and a flicker of pity passed through Ji Ruxue's cool eyes.

Qin Feng swept his grave gaze over the crowd, quickly assessing the situation. These soldiers were clearly from different border army units. Their concentrated appearance in Luoxia Town, all afflicted with the same strange, Sorcerous Poison, likely indicated the border war situation had deteriorated severely. The Ghost Doctor Hall's struggle to cope proved the poison was indeed formidable.

"Brother Feng..." Little Divine Doctor looked at Qin Feng, her eyes full of entreaty.

Qin Feng sighed. He knew Little Divine Doctor couldn't just turn a blind eye. He nodded and said gravely, "Do your best, but know your limits. Protect yourself."

With his consent, Little Divine Doctor immediately turned and said clearly to the kneeling soldiers, "Everyone, please get up! I... I'll do my best to try!" Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a convincing firmness.

Under the eager gazes of the crowd, she quickly walked to the entrance of the Ghost Doctor Hall and explained her identity and purpose to an old doctor sweating profusely as he directed apprentices. The old doctor had clearly heard of the "Little Divine Doctor's" reputation and, as if grabbing a lifeline, hurriedly ushered her inside, briefly explaining the situation.

"This poison is bizarre beyond compare, like a hybrid of poison and curse, chilling to the bone, corroding Qi, blood, and even the Divine Soul. Common antidote Medicinal Pills have little effect. This old man can only temporarily seal it with Gold Needles and Yang Attribute medicines to delay its onset, but cannot eradicate it. The toxicity is still slowly spreading. If this continues, these soldiers... I'm afraid they won't last three days." The old doctor's tone was heavy.

Little Divine Doctor carefully examined the conditions of several typical patients, sniffed the scent of the black blood oozing from their wounds, and fully extended the perception of her Myriad Medicine Body. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly. The poison was indeed sinister and cunning, full of decay and a curse-like aura, as if countless tiny Yin spirits were gnawing at their vitality. To completely eradicate it, ordinary medicines would be extremely difficult. Unless... She made a decision in her heart, looked up at the old doctor and the Town Mayor who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and said, "I need a clean Quiet Room, a large pot, and these medicinal herbs..." She rapidly listed a long string of herb names, including several precious ones.

Hearing that the Little Divine Doctor was willing to help, the Town Mayor dared not delay, immediately mobilizing the entire town's resources to prepare the herbs and a suitable location as quickly as possible.

In the Quiet Room, firewood blazed fiercely under the large pot. Little Divine Doctor personally processed the herbs and threw them into the pot to brew. Her technique was skilled, her grasp of medicinal properties precise. Soon, a rich yet upright medicinal aroma filled the air. This decoction itself was already an excellent formula for supporting the righteous, dispelling evil, warming Yang, and transforming poison.

But Little Divine Doctor knew that alone, it wouldn't be enough to deal with that strange Sorcerous Poison.

While no one was paying attention, she turned her back, lightly pricked her fingertip with a silver needle, and squeezed out a few drops of crystalline, emerald-like Myriad Medicine Essence Blood, brimming with vast life force, secretly dripping them into the boiling decoction. As the essence blood entered the soup, it instantly dissolved. The originally brownish decoction actually took on an extremely faint, almost imperceptible layer of jade-green luster, and the medicinal aroma gained an additional refreshing, heart-soothing vitality.

The Origin Essence Blood of the Myriad Medicine Body contained the purest healing and purifying power—precisely the bane of this type of Yin-evil curse poison! However, this act took a significant toll on her; her face paled slightly.

Once the decoction was ready, it was divided into hundreds of bowls. With the help of Ghost Doctor Hall apprentices and fellow soldiers, bowls of the lukewarm medicine were delivered to every poisoned soldier.

"Quick, drink it while it's hot," Little Divine Doctor personally urged.

Filled with hope, the soldiers drank the medicinal soup in one gulp.

For the first few moments, there seemed to be no special reaction. But soon, the complexions of the soldiers who had drunk the soup began to change!

"Hot... so hot!" someone exclaimed.

"My wound... it feels like something is trying to crawl out!" someone said, pointing at the more active gray-black patterns appearing around their wound, a mix of terror and anticipation.

"Ugh—!" More people opened their mouths and vomited a large amount of foul-smelling, stagnant blood mixed with gray-black flocculent matter!

After vomiting, the bluish-black aura on their faces visibly receded. Though still weak, their eyes became much clearer. The gray-black patterns coiled around their wounds also dimmed, contracted, and stopped wriggling. That unpleasant Yin-cold aura had clearly weakened!

"It works! It really works!"

"I feel... I feel much better! That piercing cold pain has lessened!"

"General! Your complexion looks much better!"

Shouts of pleasant surprise rose one after another. Especially the several originally critically wounded soldiers on the brink of death, after being helped to drink the decoction by their comrades, their breathing actually gradually stabilized. Though still unconscious, their life force was no longer draining away.

"Thud! Thud!"

Someone took the lead, and the soldiers who were mostly cured and had their lives saved knelt down in unison once more. This time, it was with the wild joy of surviving a calamity and boundless gratitude:

"Thank you, Little Divine Doctor, for your life-restoring grace!"

"We will never forget your life-saving kindness, Little Divine Doctor!"

"You are the great benefactor of our entire army!"

The sound wave shook the heavens, sincere and heartfelt. Even the old doctor and the Town Mayor were moved to tears, repeatedly bowing to Little Divine Doctor.

Looking at the kneeling crowd before her, seeing the rekindled vitality and hope in their eyes, Little Divine Doctor, though exhausted, felt her heart fill with warmth and satisfaction. She quickly waved her hands, "Everyone, please get up, rise quickly! I'm just glad I could help..."

Qin Feng stepped forward, supporting the somewhat drained Little Divine Doctor, and said to the crowd, "Esteemed soldiers, though the poison has been alleviated, you still need quiet rest and recuperation. We have urgent matters to attend to and must enter the valley immediately."

Hearing this, though reluctant, the soldiers were even more grateful. They made way, clasped their fists in salute, their eyes filled with reverence as they saw them off.

The four no longer delayed. Passing through the path automatically cleared by the crowd, under the gaze of countless grateful eyes, they quickly walked towards the Medicine King Valley mountain gate at the other end of Luoxia Town.

Behind them were hundreds of Border Troops granted a new lease on life, and a legend about the "Little Divine Doctor's" miraculous healing and compassionate aid quietly began to spread within Luoxia Town and, soon, to a wider area.