How The Little Medical Cultivator Saves the Furries – CH37

Chapter 37

“Alright then. Since you’re not afraid of sunlight, we can go out together later.”

Once Ye Yumeng confirmed that Lu Nanzhou really had no problem with it, he turned around and gathered up the wolf-hair brush fibers that had been soaking in the container overnight.

After being nourished by the Spirit-Tempering Treasure-Nurturing Art and mountain spring water, the oils on the brush hairs had already been broken down and removed. The hairs had become clear, sleek, and lustrous, flowing with a faint glow.

This state had finally reached the required standard. At last, the materials for making a spirit brush were ready!

Ye Yumeng formed a hand seal and lightly brushed over the hairs. The moisture immediately evaporated, leaving them dry and neat.

Standing beside him, Lu Nanzhou noticed the movement and could not help lifting a brow slightly.

Was this also part of Ye Yumeng’s “medical art”?

“Come on, let’s go eat first.”

But Ye Yumeng had already put the materials into his backpack, picked up the little pot of spirit scallions, said goodbye to the robot dog, and headed out.

Lu Nanzhou collected his thoughts and followed behind him.

It was only a little past six in the morning. There were only a few scattered people in the cafeteria, and the food had already been brought out and arranged by robots.

Ye Yumeng was like a happy little squirrel, picking and choosing until he had piled his tray full of tasty spirit-plant dishes rich in spiritual energy.

From the moment they entered the cafeteria, Lu Nanzhou’s gaze had not left him.

He could easily sense changes in Ye Yumeng’s mood. That open delight and joy made him seem like a little sun constantly radiating energy.

Soon, they found a seat in the corner of the cafeteria.

“Are you really that happy?”

Seeing Ye Yumeng looking downright delighted even while drinking porridge, Lu Nanzhou could not help asking.

“Of course!”

Ye Yumeng said, “This is porridge made from spirit rice. It contains a kind of energy, and it’s good for the body.”

Spirit rice?

It was Lu Nanzhou’s first time hearing that term.

Thinking back to yesterday, when Ye Yumeng had fed him porridge, could that have been made from spirit rice too?

Lu Nanzhou looked at the flowerpot Ye Yumeng had set beside him. Inside it grew a little plant. Then he thought of the Green Jade Bamboo and Red Leaf Lotus in his ward.

Back when Ye Yumeng had still been just a little orderly, he had already taken the initiative to ask for more greenery in the room.

He also clearly cared a great deal about those two plants. When he had gone to East Hospital for the assessment, he had even specially taken the Green Jade Bamboo with him.

Afterward, the explanation he gave Mo Yin was that the Green Jade Bamboo helped his abilities recover.

In other words, Ye Yumeng didn’t actually need to eat it directly in order to absorb that kind of energy?

Lu Nanzhou asked thoughtfully, “This plant also contains that… ‘spirit’ you mentioned?”

Ye Yumeng nodded. “Yes. It’s a scallion. I already ate all the leaves.”

“You’re bringing it with you because you want to put it where you work?”

“No.”

Ye Yumeng took a sip of porridge and said, “I’m taking it to Gardener Uncle. He promised to help me cultivate it.”

Gardener Uncle?

Lu Nanzhou lifted a brow. “You mean Shi Yichun?”

Ye Yumeng blinked. He hadn’t expected Lu Qi to know Shi Yichun’s name.

“You know him?”

Lu Nanzhou didn’t actually know Shi Yichun personally. He had only seen his records.

He more or less knew all the staff working at Royal Sanatorium.

“Shi Yichun is a well-known agricultural scientist in the Yaojin Empire. He holds multiple patents, and the income from those patents alone is enough to buy a small planet.”

He was an exceptionally rare master grower, someone highly valued by the Yaojin Empire.

Ye Yumeng froze. He hadn’t expected Royal Sanatorium to be full of hidden talents—even the ordinary-looking gardener uncle was actually such a big shot.

But then, thinking of the condition of all the plants at Royal Sanatorium, he couldn’t help nodding.

Ye Yumeng had been to the small mountain at Lakeheart Park before, and what he found there was different from what he had imagined. There really weren’t that many spirit plants growing in the wild.

Only under the careful care of a master cultivator could such a small area as Royal Sanatorium contain so many spirit plants, right?

As for why Shi Yichun would willingly work here as a gardener, Ye Yumeng quickly figured it out.

“It’s because of his daughter, right? That’s why he came here to work as a gardener?”

“Mm.” Lu Nanzhou nodded.

“His wife and two sons were all killed during the insect war. Only his daughter is left.”

The Empire had once sent troops to move the family to a safe planet, but unfortunately that settlement had fallen less than a year later.

“About two years ago, his daughter was transferred to Medical Planet, and he followed her here. Then he applied to work at Royal Sanatorium and settled down.”

In truth, there were many family members like him on Medical Planet.

Ye Yumeng thought of the original host’s parents.

They too had encountered the insect race while conducting interstellar trade, and in the end had died to the swarm, leaving behind the original host, who had still been underage at the time…

Thinking of what Gan Xiaoyang had told him before, Ye Yumeng couldn’t help saying, “The emperor of the Yaojin Empire who ended this war is really amazing.”

War was a terrifying thing.

Ye Yumeng had started wandering on his own when he was only five or six, also because war had taken away his parents. Later, during the demonic sect invasion, he had lost the companion most important to him.

He hated war, and he feared it too.

For ordinary people like him, war was like being a lone boat cast into the sea. Not only were they tossed about without refuge, they could be swallowed at any moment.

“We should all be grateful to him,” Ye Yumeng said sincerely.

Lu Nanzhou visibly paused.

After a moment of silence, he said, “That was only what he ought to do.”

This had been a war for the survival of two races. As the sovereign of the strongest human nation in the stars, the Yaojin Empire, he had naturally been duty-bound to act.

Ye Yumeng strongly disagreed with such a dismissive attitude.

It was exactly because those so-called righteous sect leaders had fled first during the demonic invasion that the front line had collapsed, leaving him no time to escape with Xueqiu.

Not every strong person possessed such a character and such a sense of responsibility. Ye Yumeng truly admired that emperor.

So he declared righteously, “Anyway, I think that Emperor Lu Nanzhou is someone worthy of admiration. If I ever get the chance in the future, I definitely want to thank him in person.”

“…”

Lu Nanzhou suspected he had misheard.

“…Lu Nanzhou?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what your emperor is called?”

Lu Nanzhou’s feelings were complicated for a moment. He genuinely couldn’t tell whether Ye Yumeng was a fan or some sort of anti.

Judging from his expression, Ye Yumeng also sensed something was off. “Did I remember it wrong? A coworker told me that. Let me look it up.”

But before he could open his light brain, Lu Nanzhou stopped him.

“There’s no need.”

He was now paralyzed in bed, barely able to lift his head, let alone walk. So that mocking nickname—“hard to walk”—wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

“Just keep eating.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ye Yumeng nodded. He could also tell that Lu Qi didn’t seem very fond of that emperor.

Since the two of them rarely had a chance to meet, he didn’t want to grow distant from Lu Qi over something like this, so he changed the subject.

“In the past two years, hasn’t Shi Shu’s daughter’s condition improved at all?” he asked, bringing up Shi Yichun again.

Lu Nanzhou shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

But the fact that Shi Yichun had remained at Royal Sanatorium all this time without leaving already said enough.

Ye Yumeng nodded thoughtfully.

“Then I’ll go visit her today and take a look at her condition while I’m at it.”

“Are you confident you can cure her?” Lu Nanzhou asked.

“I’ll only know after I’ve seen her actual condition.” Ye Yumeng shook his head.

He didn’t speak too confidently. He was only a minor medical cultivator. Though his healing hands could bring spring to life, it wasn’t as if there was no illness he couldn’t treat.

He could only do his best.

Still, if Shi Yichun was really an agricultural expert…

Ye Yumeng couldn’t help thinking that maybe the ingredients he would need for future pill refinement now had a source?

Refining pills required all sorts of spirit plants. If he had to gather them, cultivate them, and study their properties all by himself, who knew how many years that would take?

But if Shi Yichun was truly a professional in cultivation and agriculture, then couldn’t this task perhaps be entrusted to him?

Treating little Han Yu would definitely require pills too. Maybe Shi Yichun would be willing to help?

“Thank you for telling me this,” he said to Lu Nanzhou as he thought this through.

Lu Nanzhou almost instantly guessed what he was thinking.

He lifted a brow slightly. “You want to use Shi Yichun to collect these plants that contain special energy?”

“Yes.”

Ye Yumeng didn’t hide his thoughts.

“These kinds of plants can be used to make medicine,” he said. “Of course, I don’t have the proper tools right now, so I still can’t make anything yet.”

“And I’m not fully clear on the medicinal properties of many of the plants either.”

He explained, “If Gardener Uncle can help, then things will become much easier for me.”

“Have you ever thought about using the Yaojin Empire itself to accomplish this?”

If something this important were at stake, the Yaojin Empire would naturally support him with everything it had, whether that meant funds or manpower.

If Ye Yumeng needed something, people would place it into his hands without hesitation.

Ye Yumeng froze, then could not help smiling. “Thank you for being willing to believe me.”

Lu Qi hadn’t doubted him. Instead, his first reaction had been to help him think of a way forward. That trust made Ye Yumeng feel unexpectedly warm inside.

But he still shook his head. “I haven’t produced any results yet, so let’s wait a little longer.”

It was just like with his Health Qi Exercise. He himself knew it was something good, but what use was that if no one else believed him? He had only been in this world for too short a time. He still needed to build up some credibility.

Looking at him, Ye Yumeng asked, “By the way, do you mean I should raise this with Royal Sanatorium?”

Lu Nanzhou paused. Thinking of Royal Sanatorium’s situation, his brow furrowed slightly as well. In the end, he shook his head. “Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

To protect Ye Yumeng’s safety, they needed to keep his information hidden as much as possible.

Finding these so-called “spirit plants” would definitely require mobilizing quite a few people, and Ye Yumeng was the only one who knew what counted as a “spirit plant.” There was no way he could remain entirely behind the scenes.

That was clearly not good for his safety. It would be better for him to approach cultivators and growers privately on his own.

Still… Lu Nanzhou looked at Ye Yumeng and said seriously, “If you ever have any difficulty or need help, you can tell me anytime.”

Ye Yumeng already knew that Lu Qi probably held no low status within the Yaojin Empire. That much could be guessed from his bearing alone.

So what Lu Qi had meant earlier was… that he wanted Ye Yumeng to use him to achieve his goals?

Ye Yumeng couldn’t help curling his lips, but then he thought of something and couldn’t resist complaining, “But I don’t even know your communicator number. When you sent the holo pod, you didn’t even leave your contact information…”

The moment he said this, Ye Yumeng started thinking wildly again.

Maybe Lu Qi had never intended to stay in contact with him afterward. Maybe it had all been his own wishful thinking, and he had forcefully summoned him here.

Maybe it was only because of the abilities he had shown that Lu Qi was now treating him this way…

But what Lu Nanzhou said next broke Ye Yumeng’s train of thought.

“I went to the login square in Area One of the Star Network that time.”

Ye Yumeng froze, then quickly reacted. “You mean when our nursing group had team-building?”

“Mm.” Lu Nanzhou nodded. “You didn’t show up.”

Ye Yumeng blinked.

“So… you didn’t say anything because you wanted to surprise me?”

He murmured, “The next day was the assessment, so I stayed up all night getting ready and didn’t go to the team-building event…”

He hadn’t expected that he and Lu Qi had actually missed each other there!

Ye Yumeng couldn’t help feeling deeply regretful.

“Did you wait a long time for me?” He looked at Lu Nanzhou, his eyes full of apology and regret—for missing that chance to meet, and for the suspicion he had just harbored.

Lu Nanzhou shook his head. “The assessment was more important.”

He had indeed felt a little disappointed at the time, but those feelings had long since subsided. After all, Ye Yumeng had something more important to do, and he himself hadn’t even warned him in advance…

“No.”

Ye Yumeng refuted him without hesitation, making Lu Nanzhou pause and gaze at him.

“You were important too… no, that’s not quite right.”

Ye Yumeng felt around inside his own heart and then shook his head again. “The assessment could have happened at any time. Sooner or later, my abilities were going to be recognized.”

But Lu Qi was different.

“You’re someone I want to become close to… um, a friend? A kindred spirit?”

Ye Yumeng couldn’t quite find the exact word for it. He only knew that with Lu Qi, he felt an instinctive sense of trust and closeness.

He really wanted to see Lu Qi every day.

Just like back when Xueqiu had still been around, always by his side every single day.

After the old physician and Xueqiu both left him one after another, he had been lonely for many years. And after coming to this completely unfamiliar world, that feeling had only become stronger.

He had originally thought he would just go on being lonely. But then he met Lu Qi.

By sheer chance, he had opened his heart to Lu Qi, believing him to be a ghost soon to disappear, so he had recklessly told him many secrets.

But Lu Qi hadn’t vanished after all. He had been saved. And up to now, Ye Yumeng had never felt any harm come from that.

On the contrary, he had only kept receiving useful advice and help.

It was like a little animal that had hidden inside its shell for many years, too afraid to come out. It had accidentally stretched out one tiny feeler toward a new companion. And after receiving enough safety and warmth in return, it found itself unable to resist wanting to draw even closer.

“I’m very serious about wanting to be close to you. So work isn’t more important than you.”

The light in Ye Yumeng’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes shimmered like fireflies. He looked steadily at Lu Nanzhou, his clear gaze full of sincerity.

Faced with such a pair of eyes, faced with such words from Ye Yumeng that struck so directly at the heart, Lu Nanzhou suddenly found himself unable to cope.

He opened his mouth, but didn’t know how he should respond.

Even though he was at this moment nothing more than an unreal spirit body, he could still feel the violent pounding of his own heart, and… some emotion that seemed on the verge of breaking free.

And yet in the end, after opening his mouth several times, all Lu Nanzhou managed to say was a string of numbers.

“That’s my communicator number. Write it down.”

Ye Yumeng hurriedly took out his light brain and carefully recorded the number as Lu Nanzhou recited it.

“I might not always be able to reply right away…”

Before Lu Nanzhou could finish, Ye Yumeng had already started nodding rapidly.

“Mm-hm, I understand, I understand.”

Lu Qi had almost died not long ago. Even though he had been saved, his condition probably still wasn’t that good, so not being able to reply immediately was completely normal.

Seeing Ye Yumeng nodding like a little chick pecking at grain, Lu Nanzhou truly wanted to reach out and rub the top of his head.

But just then, Ye Yumeng suddenly said, “I can move freely around Royal Sanatorium now. Which ward are you in?”

“When I have time, I’ll come visit you.”

Lu Nanzhou stiffened at once, his face showing hesitation.

Looking into Ye Yumeng’s hopeful eyes, he finally said, “After some time.”

Even though they had now glimpsed hope for survival, in the end, that was still not reality yet.

Just as Mo Yin had told Lu Yuanqing before, Lu Nanzhou didn’t want to put too much pressure on Ye Yumeng.

Especially after hearing what Ye Yumeng had just said.

If in the end he still couldn’t survive, then at least Ye Yumeng wouldn’t have to bear an even greater pain. After all, to him, “Little Bunny” should still only belong to the category of work.

“Alright then.”

Though disappointed, Ye Yumeng did not press the matter. There would be plenty of time in the future anyway.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of something and glanced around at the medical staff who were gradually filing into the cafeteria for breakfast.

“I’ve been talking to you this whole time, and no one thinks it’s strange?”

Lu Nanzhou nodded. “Probably because they assume you’re wearing a contact-lens type light brain.”

That type of light brain could project images directly onto the retina, giving it stronger privacy. The only downside was that, to outsiders, the user’s behavior often looked a bit odd.

Of course, by now everyone was already used to strange things.

Ye Yumeng nodded, impressed without fully understanding.

Then he suddenly remembered that, when they had gone night market shopping before, the people around him also hadn’t reacted much while he was talking to Lu Nanzhou.

If that was the case, then he wouldn’t need to keep acting so sneaky whenever he talked to Lu Qi!

What Ye Yumeng didn’t know was that, as he looked around like that, the two figures seated in the corner of the cafeteria immediately stiffened and grew tense.

These two, naturally, were He Jun’s teammates.

Although the possibility of an assassination attempt happening inside Royal Sanatorium was low, there was still always a chance of suddenly encountering a patient who flew into frenzy.

So it wasn’t completely safe. They needed to remain by Doctor Ye’s side at all times to protect him!

By the time Ye Yumeng arrived at the core inpatient ward, it was already seven-thirty.

Director Lei had been on duty the previous night.

“How’s Little Bunny?” Ye Yumeng asked.

“He only just fell asleep…”

Lei Qi briefly described the events of last night. His Majesty had gone the entire night without sleeping, and Lei Qi had stayed awake for half the night as well, afraid that something might happen in the middle of it all.

Fortunately, by dawn His Majesty had finally fallen asleep and even entered deep sleep.

Quietly relieved by this, Lei Qi failed to notice that Lu Nanzhou had entered the room right behind Ye Yumeng.

In spirit form, no one except Ye Yumeng could see him.

After spending nearly two years in Royal Sanatorium, this was the first time Lu Nanzhou had ever viewed his own room from this perspective.

He looked around slowly, then at last turned his gaze to his own body on the bed, riddled with tubes.

His soul had left his body, but the body’s vital signs remained normal, merely sunk in sleep… It really was a strange state.

Lu Nanzhou stared at the charred little beast on the bed—fragile, weak, barely hanging on. It was even worse than he had imagined.

Even though he had already expected it, he still found this version of himself difficult to accept.

Did he really… still have any hope of living on? And even if he did survive, what meaning was there in living on with such an appearance?

The heart that had been fluttering with joy ever since meeting Ye Yumeng again slowly sank.

“Director Lei, I’ll take over here. You should go rest.”

Ye Yumeng’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Lu Nanzhou quickly forced himself to withdraw his gaze, unwilling to let Ye Yumeng notice anything.

Although it wasn’t quite time for the shift handover yet, seeing the dark circles under Lei Qi’s eyes, Ye Yumeng told him to leave early.

Though the people of the Yaojin Empire all carried “fairy” bloodlines, in many ways they still retained human habits.

For example, Director Lei of the plantfolk still needed sleep. Ah Mo, who was of a carnivorous line, still ate vegetables and fruit. And even herbivorous coworkers also ate meat.

It was just that, in terms of preference, everyone leaned more toward their own beast-blood heritage.

Ye Yumeng came to the bedside and first used aura-reading to observe Little Bunny’s condition.

The Liver-Soothing, Spleen-Strengthening Technique and the Digestion-Aiding, Fluid-Generating Technique he had used yesterday hadn’t produced any side effects. Of course, because it had only just begun, the improvements were still slight.

At that moment, Lu Nanzhou beside him asked, “For injuries like these, are you really confident you can heal them?”

Ye Yumeng glanced at him and smiled, his eyes curving.

“I’m actually pretty confident.” He looked again at the little rabbit on the bed. “This is my first patient. No matter what, I’m going to heal him.”

This, too, was part of his cultivation.

If he could heal Little Bunny, then perhaps he would also be able to emerge from the inner demon left by Xueqiu.

After that, Ye Yumeng told Lu Nanzhou to stay quiet, then began using the Liver-Soothing, Spleen-Strengthening Technique on Little Bunny.

Little Bunny’s condition today was not bad, and his life aura was relatively strong, so the Minor Rejuvenation Technique could be put on hold for now.

Just as he had said before, recovery from illness and injury ultimately still depended on the body’s own growing strength. Everything else was only a support. As long as the body could sustain it, Ye Yumeng would not forcibly impose too much outside strength.

When he finished the treatment, he checked Little Bunny’s monitoring data again.

Judging by the numbers, there wasn’t much change, except that today’s sleep seemed deeper than usual.

Was it because the spirit-rice porridge from yesterday had started to take effect?

Ye Yumeng decided to keep observing.

Just then, the ward door opened automatically, and Mo Yin appeared outside.

He had just been about to greet Ye Yumeng when he suddenly stopped, his gaze landing on the space beside Ye Yumeng, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Lu Nanzhou lifted a brow.

Ye Yumeng also noticed that. For a moment, he wondered whether Ah Mo could actually see Lu Qi—but then he saw Mo Yin shift his gaze away again.

“Doctor Ye, good morning.”

His expression remained perfectly normal, and only then did Ye Yumeng nod.

He remembered that Ah Mo’s mental power was very strong. Perhaps he could sense something, but couldn’t directly see Lu Qi’s spirit body?

“Good, you’re here just in time,” Ye Yumeng said. “I need to go out for a while. Little Bunny will be in your hands.”

He wanted to take the scallion sprout to the fifth floor.

But just as he was about to leave, Mo Yin called out to stop him.

“Doctor Ye, do you still remember that Elder Yan?”

Ye Yumeng stopped and nodded.

“His condition isn’t looking very good right now…” Mo Yin said carefully. “Do you have any way to extend his life for a few more days?”

Ye Yumeng looked puzzled. “Didn’t you say before that Little Bunny was more important?”

“Yes. But Elder Yan’s family has approached my employer to ask for help.” Mo Yin had just received Lu Yuanqing’s orders and had already reached an agreement with Yan Xinglan.

“He asked me to tell you that the Yan family is willing to offer you a very considerable reward. If Young Master’s condition allows it, you may go to East Hospital to assist.”

“You can think it over.”

Ye Yumeng’s interest was piqued at once. “What sort of reward?”

“The Yan family is willing to transfer a property on Capital Star to you. My employer will also send someone to verify its value and supervise the transfer process for you.”

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