How The Little Medical Cultivator Saves the Furries – CH45

Chapter 45

Ye Yumeng had no idea that Lu Yuanqing was checking the surveillance feed.

He ate his own breakfast at an unhurried pace and kept the little rabbit company through the entire movie.

Although the film was a slice-of-life comedy, many of the scenes and objects in it were things neither he nor the original owner had ever seen before, and there was quite a bit of cultural knowledge mixed in too.

Of course, what attracted him most was still the scenes where the protagonist went to kindergarten, with a whole group of little children wearing beast ears playing together.

Wuwuwu, every single one of them was so cute! He really wanted to watch it several more times!

Once he healed the cubs in the activity room later, would he get to see a scene like that? Ye Yumeng could not help looking forward to it.

After the movie ended, and seeing that the little rabbit was safe and sound, Ye Yumeng exchanged a few words with Lei Qi and then left the room.

Watching him go, and feeling the ward grow cold and quiet once more, Lei Qi resigned himself to staying there to keep watch while handling work at the same time.

However, not long after Ye Yumeng left, the ward door opened again. The robot caregiver delivered the custom hospital bed—

Previously, when Lu Nanzhou’s Mystic Flame went out of control, many instruments had been destroyed. Although the bed itself had not been burned, its specialized functions had been damaged as well. It had finally been repaired overnight.

In addition to being able to monitor more bodily data directly, its greatest use was that it could also function as a virtual holosim pod. Simply lying on the bed would allow one to experience a world with 99% realism.

Transfer, installation, setup…

Very soon, Lu Nanzhou was lying on the new bed. Without needing any assistance, all he had to do was mobilize his spiritual power, and he would be able to enter the virtual holographic world at any time.

“Your Majesty, would you like to try it out?” Lei Qi asked carefully.

He still remembered that His Majesty had not liked virtual worlds before. Every single time, he had to be reminded before he would reluctantly use the function…

“Mm.”

Lu Nanzhou’s calm voice sounded in his ear, and Lei Qi felt as though a great burden had been lifted.

It looked like His Majesty was in a very good mood today!

Core inpatient division, fifth floor.

“What Doctor Ye said about being able to eat means I can eat!”

The little snow ferret, still wearing a pair of rabbit ears, was arguing his case with his caregiver Dong Qing from his hospital bed.

“He’s still a caregiver right now. That’s not within his authority. And even if he’s transferred to doctor status, he still isn’t your attending physician.”

Although because of the little snow ferret’s two escape attempts, Dong Qing’s bonus for this month had already gone down the drain, he still tried to reason with this little ancestor.

“Without your attending doctor’s instructions, I can’t let him feed you normal food. If something goes wrong with your body, none of us can bear that responsibility.”

Dong Qing frowned, already deciding that when Ye Yumeng came later, he would have to have a proper argument with him.

“I ate some last time, and nothing at all happened!”

Hearing Dong Qing’s words, the little snow ferret furiously used the voice machine to argue back.

“O-okay, so my stomach hurt a little, but Doctor Ye rubbed it for me and it got better!”

Dong Qing’s face turned even darker when he heard the part about his stomach hurting.

Gan Xiaoyang was also sitting nearby holding the little silver mouse.

Compared to the ferret, the little silver mouse was much more obedient, but because of Dong Qing’s opposition, he still looked rather dispirited.

So in the end, could they really not eat normal food…? he thought pitifully.

“I think… maybe there’s some misunderstanding?” Gan Xiaoyang said. “The Doctor Ye you’re talking about—are you sure it’s Ye Yumeng?”

“Mm, it probably is.”

A clear, gentle voice sounded.

Gan Xiaoyang and Dong Qing both froze, then turned to look behind them, only to see that the previously closed door had somehow opened, and a slender figure was standing there.

It was the very person they had been discussing—Ye Yumeng.

“Yezi!”

Seeing Ye Yumeng, Gan Xiaoyang quickly stood up and walked over. “Was it really you they were talking about? Are you really getting promoted to doctor already?”

“Mm, that’s right.”

Ye Yumeng nodded without denying it. Noticing the little silver mouse gazing at him expectantly, he smiled slightly and smoothly took him from Gan Xiaoyang’s arms.

The little silver mouse’s fur was very fine and soft. Probably because his body was weak, he was not particularly solid. If you lightly poked his fluffy fur, a little dent would sink right in, and held in the hands, he felt almost weightless.

He also had a shy personality. The moment someone rubbed his head, his two round little ears would rapidly turn from pale pink to red, making one want to rub them again and again.

Gan Xiaoyang was still in a state of shock. After thinking it over, he asked, “Yezi, could it be that you studied two majors?”

Ye Yumeng froze for a moment, then after a beat understood what he meant and smiled. “It doesn’t really have anything to do with that.”

While Gan Xiaoyang had stood up to greet him, Dong Qing had already been watching the little snow ferret in vigilance. Sure enough, a white blur flashed, and in the next instant, Bai Shuo was no longer on the bed.

“Not good!” Dong Qing immediately hit the button beside him to close the door.

But to his surprise, the little snow ferret did not take the chance to flee out the ward. Instead…

He pounced straight onto Ye Yumeng, then skillfully climbed up to his shoulder, chirping excitedly, hopping left and right.

‘Doctor Ye, you finally came!’

And the little silver mouse, who was shyly nestled in Ye Yumeng’s arms, hurriedly served as translator again, relaying Bai Shuo’s meaning.

“Lele says he’s been very obedient. After he got back, he didn’t run around again.” Then the little silver mouse added, “I can testify to that!”

Dong Qing stared blankly at the scene.

He had worked in the core inpatient division for five years already and counted as an old employee. Ever since Bai Shuo was transferred out of intensive care, Dong Qing had been the one responsible for watching over and looking after him.

Although Bai Shuo’s temper was considered decent among the patients, unless he was facing comrades from Blade Squad, he would never show such enthusiasm.

He was really behaving himself in the ward because of Ye Yumeng?

Thinking of the reason Bai Shuo was being so obedient, Dong Qing involuntarily sobered his expression and looked at Ye Yumeng with some disapproval.

Ye Yumeng also sensed his hostility, but remembering his own purpose, he did not rush to speak. Instead, he walked into the room and set the lunchbox he was carrying onto the table.

The little silver mouse immediately jumped down from his hands, and the little snow ferret also leaped onto the table, sniffing all around the lunchbox.

Dong Qing finally could not hold back anymore. Walking over, he said sternly, “Caregiver Ye, Bai Shuo and Xiaoyu’s bodies still cannot handle normal food.”

Did they really think normal food would not be irresistible to these little ones?

But if they ate it, there would be problems!

Ye Yumeng raised his head and looked at Dong Qing. He could understand his insistence. That was also why he had not directly brought food to the activity room.

After all, there were so many patients in the activity room, each under different doctors. If he rashly brought food over, it would easily create conflict and unnecessary disputes.

If he wanted to intervene in the treatment of those patients, he would need recognition and authority.

At that moment, Ye Yumeng’s light brain chimed. He opened it, saw Lei Qi’s message, and the corners of his mouth could not help curving up.

He nodded and said, “Let’s wait a moment.”

Dong Qing frowned, full of suspicion, not understanding what Ye Yumeng was plotting.

Gan Xiaoyang, seeing tension build between them, grew anxious at the side, but did not know how to mediate.

Before today, he had never imagined that in less than a month, Ye Yumeng would transform himself and be on the verge of becoming a specially recruited doctor on Yaojin Medical Planet…

“It smells so good!”

The little silver mouse crouched beside the lunchbox, sniffing constantly. While swallowing his saliva, he said, “It’s braised beef, fried egg… and my favorite braised eggplant too!”

Silver flower mice were omnivorous creatures, so Zhang Zhuyu loved both meat and all kinds of vegetables.

His eyes gleamed, his face full of longing, yet he still did not dare paw at the lunchbox directly, and only looked at Ye Yumeng with pitiful yearning.

That little look was as heartbreaking as could be.

The little snow ferret had naturally also caught the fragrance, and tried to pry open the lunchbox, only for Dong Qing’s big hand to stop him.

Because he had regressed to juvenile form, not only his intelligence but also his strength had rolled back to early childhood. With the vast difference in strength, he simply could not budge the lunchbox.

He was so anxious that grievance welled up in him too.

‘I really did eat food last time, and in the end nothing happened. If you don’t believe me, just go check the surveillance!’

That childish accusation, faintly tinged with the sound of about-to-cry grievance, made Dong Qing feel as though he were bullying a child.

But there was still absolutely no room for negotiation in this matter!

Fortunately, their standoff did not last long before the ward door opened again and a figure in a white coat appeared.

“Doctor Huai!”

The newcomer was Bai Shuo’s and Zhang Zhuyu’s attending physician, Huai Yebai—often called “Bad Doctor” by the little snow ferret because of his surname.

‘Bad Doctor, what are you doing here?’

The little snow ferret, already full of grievance, became even more alert the moment he saw Huai Yebai.

Huai Yebai merely glanced at him and did not answer. Instead, he curiously looked at Ye Yumeng.

“So you’re Ye Yumeng, Doctor Ye?”

When Ye Yumeng nodded, Huai Yebai briefly introduced himself, then said, “Director Lei already told me. I came over to take a look… Before this, did you feed Bai Lele chicken and carrots?”

“Mm.” Ye Yumeng nodded.

“Then go ahead and feed them. I can watch from the side, right?”

“Of course.”

Hearing the exchange between the two, Dong Qing and Gan Xiaoyang both looked dazed. Especially Dong Qing—he had assumed Huai Yebai had come to stop Ye Yumeng, but instead he was allowing it?

Watching him pull out an electronic pad and pen with a visibly eager expression, Dong Qing opened his mouth, but in the end did not say anything.

After all, Huai Yebai was the attending doctor. Perhaps the two little ones really could already eat normal food now?

Dong Qing withdrew his hand and watched as Ye Yumeng opened the lunchbox.

“Xiaoyu should go first.”

The little silver mouse, who had been hiding behind Bai Shuo ever since the attending doctor entered, froze when he heard that. He raised his bean-like wet eyes to look at Ye Yumeng, so moved he was almost in tears.

Meanwhile, the little snow ferret, who had been preparing to snatch some meat, resentfully pulled back his paw.

Actually, he knew that the reason he had been fine eating things before was all because Doctor Ye—no, Doctor Ye—had rubbed his belly when it hurt.

So naturally he had to listen to Doctor Ye’s words.

Bai Shuo glanced at the little silver mouse and gallantly waved a paw.

‘You eat first!’

He was eight years older than Zhang Zhuyu, already an adult, so of course he should let the child go first. Besides, there was so much food in the lunchbox that Zhang Zhuyu definitely could not finish it all.

The little silver mouse looked at Bai Shuo, deeply moved, then snuggled over and affectionately rubbed against him.

“You like braised eggplant?”

Ye Yumeng took out a small dish from the cafeteria bag, placed some eggplant on it, and set it before the little silver mouse. “Go ahead.”

At the same time, he cast Qi-Reading Art to check the two little ones’ bodies.

The little silver mouse’s condition was much better than the snow ferret’s. Although his body was weak, the real problem seemed to be in his head…

And the results turned out just as Ye Yumeng had expected. After eating a small strip of soft, braised eggplant, the little silver mouse licked his paws and did not immediately show any signs of stomach pain.

So Ye Yumeng continued feeding him.

Fragrant, oily braised eggplant, tender braised beef, delicious fried egg, stir-fried green peppers that were both crisp and soft…

And of course, there was smooth, easy-to-swallow rice porridge too!

For all that the little silver mouse was only palm-sized, his appetite was not small. As Ye Yumeng fed him like this, before anyone even realized it, half the dishes in the lunchbox had already vanished.

Watching him eat that much, Dong Qing could not help feeling his heart hang in suspense, and even Huai Yebai’s hand tightened around his pen.

Although Zhang Zhuyu’s condition was not as serious, his diet definitely did not include these hard-to-digest normal foods.

As for the little snow ferret, who had initially tried to look generous, the calm expression on his face gradually cracked. As the little silver mouse kept eating, Bai Shuo moved from frowning, to anxiety, to panic.

‘Are you full yet?’

“I’ll just eat a little… just a little more and I’ll be full…”

At first, the little silver mouse had really thought he would only have a little to satisfy his craving.

But once he truly tasted the wonderful flavor of proper food, he lost himself in it completely, forgot all reason, and no longer knew heaven from earth.

A whole year. He had gone an entire year without eating normal food!

He wanted so badly to undo his beast form, hold utensils in his hands, and gorge himself—but thinking that he would have no clothes if he turned human, he became shy, so he held back.

Finally, after drinking the very last sip of porridge, the little silver mouse clutched his stomach and gave an “ow!”

Huai Yebai, Dong Qing, and Gan Xiaoyang all immediately looked over nervously, while the little snow ferret secretly let out a sigh of relief, as though a burden had been lifted.

Before any of them could even move closer, Ye Yumeng had already scooped the little silver mouse up and cast Digestive and Saliva-Generating Art, pressing his palm to the mouse’s stomach.

The little silver mouse, who had been clutching his stomach and tearing up in pain with his eyes shut, gradually calmed down and even wore an expression of enjoyment.

When Ye Yumeng removed his hand, the little silver mouse blinked his bean-like eyes and slowly sat up, looking dazed.

He rubbed his belly with his little paws, looked up at Ye Yumeng, and asked in delight, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Does that mean I can keep eating?”

Huai Yebai and the others were stunned.

Especially Dong Qing. He stared blankly at the little silver mouse, now back to normal, then turned to Bai Shuo. So what this little ancestor had said really had been true?

Eat, get a stomachache, then get his belly rubbed and it’d all be fine?

The little snow ferret noticed his stare, rose up onto his hind legs, put his paws on his waist, and tilted his head up smugly.

Hmph, now do you believe it?

The little silver mouse gazed at Ye Yumeng with pitiful longing.

“Doctor Ye, can I keep eating?”

That made Ye Yumeng both amused and helpless. He really had not expected such a tiny little mouse to be able to eat this much.

Given the size of that appetite, he really did seem like a fifteen-year-old child.

And the moment the little snow ferret heard those words, he immediately forgot about showing off to Dong Qing. His fur puffed up on the spot, and he hurriedly dragged the lunchbox a little farther away in a possessive, protective manner.

“You can’t eat anymore today.” Ye Yumeng lightly patted the little silver mouse’s belly with his finger. “You’re already stuffed.”

“Then can I eat again tomorrow?”

“We’ll talk about tomorrow tomorrow.”

Ye Yumeng would not necessarily have time every day, so he did not make promises lightly.

“All right then.”

The little silver mouse nodded and did not fuss. Satisfied, he climbed down from Ye Yumeng’s hand and said to the little snow ferret, “Lele, it’s your turn now.”

Bai Shuo gave a grumbling little noise in reply.

“Lele, here.”

Ye Yumeng placed a piece of braised beef and a little slice of fried egg before him.

The little snow ferret made cheerful gurgling sounds, but he did not eat immediately. Instead, he pawed at Ye Yumeng’s hand and looked at it.

“Lele says you were hurt before. Is it all better now?” the little silver mouse translated in time.

Ye Yumeng froze. He had not expected Bai Shuo to still remember that. He nodded, smiled, rubbed the snow ferret’s soft fur, and thanked him.

The little snow ferret affectionately rubbed his fingertip, and only then lowered his head and started gnawing on the beef.

However, after he finished the meat and egg and wanted more, he saw Ye Yumeng close up the lunchbox.

Bai Shuo stared at him in disbelief, his grape-like black eyes full of shock.

No way. No way.

He’d only eaten a tiny bit!

“Your body can’t handle more than that right now. For the time being, this is all you can eat.” Even seeing the little snow ferret’s utterly devastated expression, Ye Yumeng’s heart did not soften.

“If you eat more, your stomach will hurt.”

Ye Yumeng had measured out the portion according to the amount from last time.

Although Digestive and Saliva-Generating Art could help digestion, one could not rely on it excessively either. It made no sense for every single meal to continue until the stomach started hurting.

Bai Shuo’s defenses shattered completely.

Although he understood what Ye Yumeng meant, still… still… Zhang Zhuyu had eaten so much!

He lay flat in Ye Yumeng’s palm, looking completely lifeless. Yet when Ye Yumeng’s hand pressed to his stomach, he still let out a sigh of comfort.

All right. Though he did not want to admit it, after eating those two bites of meat and egg, his stomach really had started to feel uncomfortable.

It was all because his body was too weak now…

But then he thought of His Majesty in the top-floor ward, curled up on the hospital bed, unable to move at all, and the resentment in Bai Shuo’s heart gradually faded.

What right did he have to complain or feel wronged?

He could run and jump and even eat food. Compared to His Majesty, he was already so much better off!

And His Majesty had become like that because he was protecting them.

His Majesty—who had once been the all-powerful, invincible war god of the Empire—had ended up like this because of them…

Seeing tears begin to gather at the little snow ferret’s eyes, Ye Yumeng naturally misunderstood.

At this moment, the Digestive and Saliva-Generating Art had also ended. After thinking a little, he said, “Don’t be upset. I’ll let you have one more bite.”

After all, Digestive and Saliva-Generating Art only required one strand of spiritual energy. He could still afford that much.

Who would have guessed that once he relented, the little snow ferret actually shook his head? He wiped away his tears, clutched Ye Yumeng’s hand with both little paws, rubbed against it, and looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Lele says, please, you absolutely have to cure our boss!” the little silver mouse translated.

Ye Yumeng could not help feeling moved.

He nodded and said, “I will. If the little rabbit knows you care about him this much, he’ll definitely have even more motivation too.”

Ye Yumeng did not notice that after he said this, the little snow ferret visibly froze.

He looked at Huai Yebai and said, “Doctor Huai, can we have a talk?”

Huai Yebai, who had watched the entire process, might not have recorded any truly useful information, but he was still utterly amazed.

When the little silver mouse got a stomachache, he had already been ready to perform emergency treatment, but then Ye Yumeng had merely made a few odd hand gestures and pressed a hand on the little mouse’s belly, and somehow he really had gotten better!

So now, when he heard Ye Yumeng’s suggestion, Huai Yebai immediately nodded eagerly. “Of course. Shall we sit in my office?”

When Ye Yumeng agreed, Huai Yebai looked at Dong Qing and Gan Xiaoyang.

“You two keep watching these little ones. Observe their condition continuously, and if there’s any problem at all, contact me immediately.”

“Yes, Doctor Huai!”

Huai Yebai made a gesture of invitation and left the ward first. Ye Yumeng waved to Gan Xiaoyang, then followed after him.

Gan Xiaoyang watched them leave, still trapped in a dazed mixture of shock and awe, unable to recover for a long time.

“Xiaoyang, are you really close with that Doctor Ye?”

Hearing Dong Qing’s question, Gan Xiaoyang finally recovered a little and saw that even the two little ones who had just eaten their fill were looking at him curiously.

For some reason, a sense of reflected glory swelled up in his heart.

Gan Xiaoyang proudly straightened his chest. “Of course. We’re friends!”

“Doctor Ye, please sit.”

Huai Yebai led Ye Yumeng to his office. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No.” Ye Yumeng shook his head. “Mainly, I wanted to ask about Zhang Zhuyu’s and Bai Shuo’s conditions… and Shi Hanyu too. Is she also your patient?”

Huai Yebai nodded. “You want to see their medical records? I’m afraid that doesn’t comply with procedure.”

Thinking of the director’s earlier instruction over the communicator that he should cooperate well, he added, “Because it involves patient privacy, so…”

“I don’t need to see the records.”

Ye Yumeng shook his head. Even if Huai Yebai showed him, he still would not understand those data values and technical terms. “You can just explain the general situation to me.”

“You want to tailor their diet according to their conditions?”

Huai Yebai had no idea that Ye Yumeng was the attending physician in the top-floor ward, and that even the director had become his assistant. He only assumed Ye Yumeng had just been specially recruited because of the skill he had shown in the ward—

That, in fact, was the explanation Lei Qi had given him.

Curious, he said, “Back there in the ward…”

As he spoke, Huai Yebai mimicked the hand signs Ye Yumeng had made earlier. “Do those gestures have some special meaning?”

“When you rubbed Bai Shuo’s and the others’ stomachs, what sort of massage technique were you using to get such immediate results?”

Huai Yebai’s expression was full of curiosity and desire to learn.

“That’s a kind of medical art,” Ye Yumeng said. “It can promote digestion and fluids, helping the food the patient has eaten turn quickly into energy the body can absorb.”

“A medical art?”

Huai Yebai pushed his glasses up. “A technique that can achieve this without medicine or instruments?”

“You can more or less understand it that way.”

“Then how exactly does it work? Could you explain it a little?”

Ye Yumeng smiled and shifted the topic. “Let’s talk about Bai Shuo’s and the others’ conditions instead.”

For now, he had no intention of taking disciples—and besides, even if he were to take one, that would still depend on talent.

Huai Yebai felt somewhat regretful, but did not press.

He said, “Zhang Zhuyu was in a car accident before. His brain suffered severe trauma, and he often experiences spiritual power disorder.”

His spiritual power level was very high, and ordinary caregivers would have difficulty resisting it. That was why Gan Xiaoyang, who came from the Xihe Federation, had been assigned to take care of him in the first place.

“His physical constitution was weak to begin with, and because of the spiritual disorder, it has affected the rest of his body too, causing dysfunction and deterioration in other organs.”

“After a year of treatment now, there has been some improvement, but he is still very far from complete recovery.”

Spiritual power disorder was very difficult to cure. At best, it could be restored to a level where it no longer seriously affected the patient’s own life or the people around him. But as for doing cognitive or mentally demanding work, that would be difficult.

For someone like Zhang Zhuyu, who had extremely high talent in spiritual power, it was not wrong to call it half a terminal illness.

“If he could eat normal food, it would still help his recovery.”

In the end, patients still had to return to normal life. Depending forever on nutrients and pureed food would cause the digestive system to deteriorate.

Before, there had been no other way. But now that there was this Doctor Ye, perhaps the process could be accelerated.

Spiritual power disorder…

Ye Yumeng frowned. Since he could not sense spiritual power, this illness was somewhat tricky for him.

Still, he did not continue asking deeply into it. That was certainly not something that could be explained clearly in a few sentences. He preferred to study it himself first, and if there was anything he did not understand later, he could ask Director Lei.

Then he heard Huai Yebai continue, “As for Shi Hanyu…”

“She’s eight this year. When she was injured, she was a little over five, not yet six. Her body was pierced through by an insect limb.”

“Luckily, she was rescued in time and her life was saved, but she fell into a coma. Before, she could still barely communicate using spiritual power, but recently her consciousness has grown weaker and weaker.”

It was like being a vegetative patient who still possessed some self-awareness, and the condition was steadily worsening.

“The damaged parts inside her body have already been replaced one after another with bionic organs. At present they are operating well, and no major rejection response has appeared.”

Hearing that, Ye Yumeng could not help freezing.

He had seen Shi Hanyu before, and she was in the form of a little lamb. So if she had already had bionic organs replaced, then…

“Wouldn’t that mean that even if she regains control of her body later, she can only remain in this form forever?”

He remembered Mo Yin and Sheng Hao had explained it that way before.

“In theory, yes,” Huai Yebai nodded and sighed. “It’s cruel to the patient, but it was the only way to preserve her life.”

Shi Hanyu had possessed a very strong will to live. Otherwise, there was no way she could have held out under such severe injuries until she was brought to the hospital for rescue.

If someone could be saved, then naturally one saved them. As long as they remained alive, perhaps there could still be miracles in the future.

Ye Yumeng could not help remembering what Lu Qi had told him—that the gardener’s wife and son had both died in the war against the zerg, leaving behind only this one daughter.

Making a decision like that must have been agonizing for him, right?

“Starting yesterday, Shi Hanyu’s survival probability began slowly decreasing. Every so often it would drop another notch. All the medicine that could be used has already been used. For now, observation is our only option.”

“As for Bai Lele…” Huai Yebai hesitated, but did not continue.

At the brink of death, some high-ranking beast-blood warriors possessed an ability where their bodies would forcibly regress to juvenile form to reduce the burden on the body and maintain the minimum functioning needed to stay alive.

Whether they could recover their original form depended on how well their body healed.

If recovery took too long, not only would their intelligence continue to regress, even their lifespan would be affected.

However, Bai Lele’s case had a very high confidentiality level. Huai Yebai did not think that Ye Yumeng, who had just entered the hospital and had not even been formally confirmed in his position yet, would have the clearance for it.

So Huai Yebai said, “His case is more complicated. It can’t be explained in one or two sentences. You’ll have to look up his records through the AI system.”

If Ye Yumeng could not access them, that was not Huai Yebai’s problem.

“All right.”

Ye Yumeng had already used Qi-Reading Art on Bai Shuo. Judging by the symptoms, the main problem was weakness and malnutrition, somewhat similar to congenital deficiency syndrome.

Of course, the difference was that Bai Shuo’s internal organs were wrapped in deathly qi, as though they were on the verge of necrosis. Logically speaking, he should have been gravely injured, yet he was still lively and energetic. It was practically a miracle.

Huai Yebai continued, “If you can assist them with eating the way you did today, I can have the nutritionist prepare a menu and the cafeteria can make it.”

Those things could all be handled by nutritionists and robot caregivers, which would save a lot of effort.

Yet Ye Yumeng shook his head. “If it’s only Lele and Xiaoyu, the portions won’t be that large. Just send me the menu.”

After all, the little snow ferret could only eat two bites at a time, so he could basically just tag along and share Zhang Zhuyu’s meal.

Ye Yumeng left Huai Yebai’s office and continued on to Ward 501.

Inside the room were only Shi Hanyu and her caregiver Ji Jing. Since they had already met before, Ji Jing was not surprised to see him.

Ji Jing’s face looked a little pale, probably because she had stayed up on duty last night. She said to Ye Yumeng, “Hanyu’s father should be back very soon.”

“All right, I’ll take a look at little Hanyu first.”

Ye Yumeng came to the bedside. With Qi-Reading Art active, he saw that a faint shadow of her body was visible around the little lamb—clearly a little more than before.

Before, it had been only a barely discernible outline, but now one could already make out the shape of a small child.

And the speed at which her life force was draining had clearly increased.

Ye Yumeng’s brows drew together. He placed a hand on the little lamb’s head, and Minor Rejuvenation Technique was cast.

Watching his movements, Ji Jing suddenly looked toward the machine beside the bed. On the monitor that represented survival probability, the number, which had previously been slowly dropping, suddenly jumped upward a little.

She could not help staring in surprise, because over the past two days, the little lamb’s survival value had been dropping, and her father had been deeply anxious and heartbroken.

He had stayed here the entire night last night and only just gone out this morning…

Ji Jing had just thought of Shi Yichun when the ward door opened, and the worn, weary-looking gardener appeared in the doorway.

Ji Jing hurried over and shared the good news with him.

“Really?”

Ignoring Ye Yumeng for the moment, Shi Yichun quickly came to the machine to look at it. After confirming that the number had indeed risen, he almost cried with joy.

“That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful!”

His legs trembling, he sat down by his daughter’s bed. Looking at her still-sleeping form, his voice caught. “It’s finally stabilizing…”

Little Hanyu’s survival probability had been dropping very slowly, and even the doctors had been unable to do anything. Now that he saw it stabilize and even rise, the heavy stone hanging in his heart finally dropped.

Ji Jing’s eyes were also a little red. She said, “I’ll go get Doctor Huai to come take a look.”

Then she hurried out.

Seeing that things were stable enough now, Ye Yumeng withdrew his hand and looked at Shi Yichun. “Uncle Shi, are you all right?”

Shi Yichun nodded. As long as his daughter was improving, naturally he himself was fine.

He got up and washed his face. By the time he came back out, aside from slightly red eyes, he looked much more refreshed.

Shi Yichun took another look at the life-support monitor and, once he confirmed that he had not imagined the improvement, his entire body relaxed.

Only then did he notice how hungry he was.

“Do you want to eat something?” Shi Yichun picked up the takeout lunch bag he had just brought back.

“Thank you, but I’ve already eaten.”

Shi Yichun glanced around near him. “You didn’t bring that golden hairpin grass you mentioned?”

Ye Yumeng nodded. “Mm. I came to the fifth floor to handle something and just stopped by to see little Hanyu while I was at it. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

“You really are…”

Shi Yichun thought back to the conversation from before, when the topic had been interrupted.

Ye Yumeng should have had very high talent in cultivation. He did not know how exactly Ye Yumeng did it, but that ability to identify plant kings—whether through consciousness or intuition—was extremely precious.

Just as he was about to ask whether Ye Yumeng had ever considered switching professions, he heard him say, “I’m going to be transferring into a doctor’s position in a few days.”

Shi Yichun froze, and the words that had reached his lips had no choice but to be swallowed again.

“Aren’t you a caregiver?” he asked, taking out his own meal to cover up the awkwardness.

“Mm, technically I still am right now, but I’m a specially recruited doctor from the Xihe Federation.”

Ye Yumeng explained briefly. Looking at the little lamb on the bed, he said softly, “Uncle Shi, I have a way to improve little Hanyu’s condition.”

Clang—

The spoon in Shi Yichun’s hand dropped to the floor. He looked up blankly. “What did you say?”

Ye Yumeng repeated seriously, “I said, I have a way to improve little Hanyu’s condition.”

Shi Yichun bent down to pick up the spoon from the floor. He glanced at his daughter on the bed, then said sternly, “Please don’t joke about this.”

“Uncle Shi, I would never joke with you about something like this.”

Ye Yumeng glanced at the golden merit-light surrounding Shi Yichun and, after hesitating, still lowered his voice and said, “You saw just now, didn’t you? Little Hanyu’s survival probability rose.”

Shi Yichun froze. He looked from his daughter to Ye Yumeng and back again.

“Y-you just…” he stammered, uncertain and confused, but in the end, he did not finish the thought.

If what Ye Yumeng said was true, if he really had done something to his daughter just now, then that definitely would not comply with hospital procedures.

But to a desperate father, did procedure still matter?

No matter who it was, if they could save his daughter, then he could accept anything, agree to anything!

Shi Yichun stared at Ye Yumeng, and once he was sure he truly was not joking, his lips trembled before he finally asked, “D-do you want to become Hanhan’s attending doctor?”

Ye Yumeng shook his head. “I already have one attending patient. I can only occasionally carve out time to come see her.”

“And I can’t guarantee that I’ll cure her. I can only improve her condition somewhat.”

Just like with his other patients, Ye Yumeng did not overpromise.

Shi Yichun studied him carefully.

He felt that Ye Yumeng had no reason to lie. If Ye Yumeng were trying to harm his daughter, then what good would it do him?

This was the Yaojin Empire, and more than that, the Royal Sanatorium. If he truly did something like that, not only would he lose his job, he would also face severe punishment…

“What are you planning to do?”

Shi Yichun asked in a low voice, “You must know the Royal Sanatorium’s rules. If you’re not Hanhan’s attending doctor, you can’t prescribe medicine for her. That doesn’t follow procedure.”

If discovered, he would be fired!

Ye Yumeng’s lips curved slightly. Though Shi Yichun’s tone was severe, it also meant he had gained preliminary trust.

He shook his head. “For now, there’s no need to prescribe anything for her.”

The herbs capable of treating soul-separation syndrome might not exist in this world, and as for modern pharmaceuticals, that was outside his own knowledge.

“Then what do you mean?” Shi Yichun asked, puzzled.

“I’ll come again tomorrow. Then you’ll understand.”

Ye Yumeng did not explain in detail yet. After all, if he did, no one would probably believe him anyway.

He glanced at Shi Hanyu and said, “When you have time, talk to her more. She can hear you.”

Shi Yichun froze and could not help looking at the bed.

The little lamb was fluffy, small, and thin, lying on her side on the bed.

She wore a cute little nightdress today and had been well cared for. The wound where the insect limb had once pierced through her body had already healed. Now that fine, soft fur had grown back, there was no visible scar anymore.

She looked as though she were truly only sleeping, as though she might open her eyes at any moment, and yet…

It had already been more than two years. Shi Yichun had gone from being full of hope, to sinking into despair, enduring the pain of possibly losing his daughter every single day.

“Is what you’re saying true? Hanhan can hear my voice?” he asked, not daring to be certain.

“Of course.”

Ye Yumeng answered with certainty. Shi Hanyu’s soul had not fully left the body yet. In this state, she absolutely could still perceive the outside world.

The pitiful part was that her soul could not fully return to the body either, so naturally she could not control it. To remain in this state for so long was indeed cruel for a child only a few years old.

“If you talk to her more, you’ll be able to keep her here.”

“Keep her here?” Shi Yichun murmured.

“Mm.” Ye Yumeng nodded.

If little Hanyu’s soul fully left her body, then judging from her condition, pulling it back again would be extremely difficult. If one was not careful, she would really die…

Ye Yumeng did not explain it too clearly, yet for some reason a wave of sorrow surged up in Shi Yichun’s heart.

Sometimes, he really did wonder whether using every last bit of strength to keep his daughter alive like this… had been right or wrong.

But when he looked at his daughter’s tiny body, and thought back to what she had looked like right after birth, Shi Yichun still could not bear it. He still could not give up.

With red-rimmed eyes, he said, “I understand. Thank you.”

Ye Yumeng shook his head.

“I’ll be going now. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“All right.”

Shi Yichun escorted him to the door. Then Ye Yumeng suddenly remembered something and added, “About those plant kings—you should put a few of them in the ward.”

Since Shi Yichun had such extraordinary cultivation skills, if he did not place more spirit plants in his daughter’s ward, that would really be too much of a waste.

Ye Yumeng added, “It would be best if they were the kind that calm the mind or help people relax when they smell them.”

Shi Yichun frowned and thought it over. He could not help asking, “Would that help?”

No doctor had ever suggested anything like that to him before…

Then he remembered something and asked, “The plant kings you dug up before—were they also for putting in patients’ rooms?”

“Yes.” Ye Yumeng nodded.

“Are they still doing well?”

“……”

Thinking of the green jade bamboo he had turned into a brush, Ye Yumeng inevitably felt a little guilty. He hesitated and said, “I may need to use them for treatment, so…”

Shi Yichun, however, nodded in understanding.

He was deeply obsessed with cultivation and cherished plants greatly, but he also enjoyed the fruits of harvest. Whether something was eaten or used, as long as it was not wasted, that was fine.

“If you ever have any other problems, you can always come to me,” Shi Yichun said. “If there are specific plant varieties you especially need, you can tell me too, and I’ll help you find them.”

Hearing this, Ye Yumeng’s eyes immediately lit up.

If Shi Yichun was willing to help, that would be wonderful! He could ask Mo Yin too, of course, but Shi Yichun was a cultivation master. If he was willing to help, why go far when there was someone close at hand?

“If it’s not too much trouble…”

Before he could finish that polite preface, Shi Yichun waved his hand.

“As long as it’s for healing and saving people, it isn’t trouble.” He said, “Later I’ll send you information on a few plant varieties. Help me see which ones would be suitable to place in Hanhan’s room.”

Seeing the earnest look in Shi Yichun’s eyes, Ye Yumeng naturally nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile elsewhere.

StarNet community, personal virtual space.

“Your Majesty!”

A stream of data gathered itself into the shape of a tall, sturdy figure. A middle-aged man with graying temples appeared in the room. The moment he saw Lu Nanzhou, he dropped to one knee in excitement.

“Has your body finally improved?”

The newcomer was none other than the commander of the Yaojin Empire’s military. Aside from Lu Nanzhou himself, he was the highest-ranking supreme commander of all imperial armed forces—

Jiang Quan.

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