Chapter 77
Ye Yumeng had no idea about the conversation between Lu Nanzhou and Mo Yin. He walked briskly to the treatment room where the little animals were.
As the metal door slid open silently, he stepped inside, and the playful noises in the room came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone turned to look at Ye Yumeng.
This was the first time they had seen him again after Mo Yin had told them that His Majesty had already succeeded in controlling the Mystic Flame.
The feeling this time was completely different from before.
Previously, although they knew Doctor Ye was treating His Majesty and believed that his miraculous medical skills should be able to help, no one had imagined that—
even counting from the very first time they met Ye Yumeng, such a short amount of time had passed. So short it was far beyond anything they could have imagined.
When Doctor Ye had held His Majesty and said those words back then, it had not been empty talk. He had really cured His Majesty!
Though not to the point of recovering to their level, at the very least there was no longer any need to fear that death could come at any moment.
His Majesty was the leader every one of them acknowledged. As long as His Majesty remained on the throne, the Yaojin Empire would not fall into chaos.
And on top of that, Doctor Ye’s treatment was still ongoing. Perhaps later His Majesty could recover even more fully.
If someone had told them two months ago that such a delicate-looking, slim, beautiful young man could possess such astounding ability, they would never have believed it.
He was just too young. He still had more than a month before even reaching adulthood!
The moment Gu Xingtong thought back to the first time they’d met, he could not help remembering the contempt and hostility he himself had once shown Doctor Ye…
Being one of the most stubborn and hardline among them, the little honey badger truly wanted to slap himself.
So now, when he saw Ye Yumeng walk in, he guiltily shifted his gaze away and pretended to be busy. The others’ eyes likewise drifted about in obvious discomfort.
Only the little bear cub grinned in his usual silly way, and the moment Ye Yumeng came in, the little snow ferret had already happily run over to him.
“Gugu—”
Out of habit, Ye Yumeng bent down and held out a hand.
Having already wiped his paws clean, Bai Shuo skillfully climbed onto his shoulder. He gave a cheerful little cry, and anyone could tell he was welcoming him.
Ye Yumeng reached out and rubbed his head. After being raised for so long, the little snow ferret’s fur was already much smoother and glossier than before, and it felt even better to the touch.
Then Ye Yumeng first walked over to the little fox’s bed.
The little white dog, still squeezed in beside Hu Naonao, had his tail wagging so fast it was a blur. His mouth was stretched into a huge smile, all warmth and sweetness.
The longing written all over his face made Ye Yumeng unable to resist reaching out to stroke him too.
The little white dog immediately narrowed his eyes and rubbed hard against his fingertip.
Ye Yumeng smiled, then looked toward the little fox.
Hu Yunsheng stiffened a little. The moment he thought of how he had clung to Doctor Ye yesterday, whimpering and crying, he felt horribly embarrassed.
That really did not fit his personality!
…Then again, in Doctor Ye’s eyes, they were all just little children a few years old. Wasn’t crying and acting spoiled perfectly normal for an age like that?
Though he did not want to admit that black history, he really had cried a lot when he was little.
His mental burden instantly lightened.
The little fox raised his head to look at Ye Yumeng, his grape-black fox eyes reflecting the young man’s figure.
Doctor Ye… really was so good-looking.
“How are you feeling today?” Ye Yumeng asked.
The little fox immediately nodded repeatedly, but the movement tugged at his wounds and he bared his teeth in pain.
Originally, among them, his injuries had ranked only behind Guangye and Jiang Yuyuan, but after his rampage caused his wounds to split open and bleed, they were now worse than Jiang Yuyuan’s.
Catching the faint scent of blood on the little fox, Ye Yumeng frowned slightly and quickly cast the Minor Rejuvenation Technique to ease his pain.
“Does this feel better?”
“Ying ying~”
The little fox squinted and let out a spoiled little sound. Though this was mortifyingly embarrassing, well… he was a juvenile right now, after all.
Besides, Chaochao Bird and the little squirrel had also given him some inspiration.
Though he could talk and even give gifts, he could still go “ying ying ying”! And Doctor Ye obviously liked that sort of thing.
Ye Yumeng… well, to be honest, he found it hard to resist.
Only when he remembered that Hu Naonao was actually an adult did he feel a bit strange about it.
Forget it.
As long as it was cute, that was enough.
He checked the little fox’s sachet. Seeing that the three Soul-Calming Arts inside had all been used up, he recharged it and hung it around the little fox’s neck again.
The effect of the Soul-Calming Art was obvious. The little fox, who had just been softly whimpering and acting spoiled, soon narrowed his eyes and fell asleep.
Ye Yumeng tucked his blanket in properly, then walked toward the little bird by the window.
Seeing the little outfit it was wearing, and noticing that the fabric looked a bit like the gloves he himself used, Ye Yumeng smiled slightly.
“Yeguang, I got the gloves and scarf. Thank you.”
All the little animals who were still awake instantly perked up their ears. What? Brother Yu had sent Doctor Ye a gift? When had that happened?
Guangye only gave a light nod.
Ye Yumeng smiled and reached out to stroke the top of his head.
The Blade warriors immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
It suddenly struck them that of everyone, only Brother Yu had not yet been head-patted—
though he had accepted assisted feeding, as far as anyone remembered, Doctor Ye had never used the head-pat-and-sleep finishing move on him.
And everyone knew Guangye’s personality all too well.
His Majesty was their boss, the spiritual pillar of the entire team, but the ones who actually managed the daily affairs of the squad had always been Guangye and Mo Yin.
One played the strict disciplinarian, the other the gentler one. Whether in combat ability or in handling affairs, both of them were at the top.
With the two of them around, there had never been any trouble in the Blade Squad. And under their management, every new member had quickly integrated in and truly become part of the group.
It could be said that as long as those two were there, no one in the team ever had to worry about anything except fighting.
But after Mo Yin lost his arm and retired, everything changed.
Guangye had originally been a cold and serious person; after losing Mo Yin, he became even more unsmiling.
And then, as the war situation worsened and more and more regions fell, Guangye had even less reason to show a pleasant face. During that period, he had practically lived under constant pressure every single day.
Afterward, when he was injured and brought to the Royal Sanatorium, Guangye became one of the most severely wounded, second only to His Majesty.
Peacocks were naturally vain and beauty-loving—especially Guangye, who had been a genius praised since childhood, the Peacock King with countless admirers. Now that he had become like this…
there was no need to say how great a blow it had dealt him.
So everyone was always extra careful around him.
Now, seeing Doctor Ye touch that bare, bald head of his, everyone instantly tensed up, afraid something unpleasant might happen between them…
However, none of the things they imagined occurred.
And more shocking still—
“Ji—”
A tender little bird cry rang out, unusually clear in the already quiet treatment room.
“Jiji—”
That chick-like chirping was weak and short, so fragile that anyone who heard it would instinctively feel tenderness toward it…
That… was Brother Yu’s voice?
The Blade warriors were all dumbstruck. Aside from the little fox, who had already fallen asleep, everyone felt as if they had heard wrong.
This—was this really right? This was their Brother Yu.
The cold, proud Peacock King!
The little fox going ying ying ying was one thing, but how had even Brother Yu become like this?
Ye Yumeng was a little surprised too.
This little bird had always felt very similar to the little rabbit to him—melancholy, lifeless, as though there was nothing left in the world that could stir him, always indifferent to everything around him.
This was the first time he had ever heard this little bird’s cry. He hadn’t expected it to be so nice.
“So cute.”
Ye Yumeng patted the top of his head again and said it with a smile, then withdrew his hand.
Guangye shot a glance at the dumbfounded teammates staring at him. The cold arrogance radiating from him through the mental chat made it seem as though the one who had just let out those chick-like cries wasn’t him at all.
‘As expected of Brother Yu,’ Gu Xingtong commented, recklessly giving him a thumbs-up.
Guangye coldly glanced back at him. He did not think he had done anything particularly shameful.
Though he had secretly practiced for this… well.
Since his appearance was already this ugly, shouldn’t he at least try harder in some other way?
As he thought of how bald and hideous he now looked, his head lowered slightly, and his expression dimmed once more.
“Don’t worry. I’ll cure you,” Ye Yumeng suddenly said, looking at him.
Guangye froze and lifted his head toward him without thinking.
The young man bent slightly, meeting his eyes at the same level. His clear, gentle gaze was full of seriousness.
This sentence was far too familiar…
Before, this was exactly what he had said to His Majesty.
And now Ye Yumeng had already proven himself. So…the seed called hope in Guangye’s heart seemed to break through the soil and sprout.
He stared at Ye Yumeng.
Meanwhile, Ye Yumeng looked toward the other little animals in the treatment room.
“Next, I’ll be treating your burn injuries. I’ll be using a new medicine that I developed.”
“Because it’s a new medicine, I can’t guarantee exactly how quickly it will work or how effective it will be. But as for side effects, you can rest easy.”
A spiritual medicine was a spiritual medicine. If it couldn’t heal you, it wouldn’t kill you either—especially since this was for external application.
And on top of that, he had a variety of healing arts and could minimize harm to the greatest degree possible.
Of course, the Blade warriors all understood that.
Their thoughts were all more or less the same: We’re already like this, so trying it is trying it. Let’s just treat it as contributing to Doctor Ye’s medical work.
What’s more, to them their lives had already been given by His Majesty. Once Doctor Ye’s new medicine was successfully tested, it would surely be used on His Majesty too. Naturally, they were willing to support it.
“Ji!”
Guangye was the first to let out a bird chirp, which counted as his response to Ye Yumeng.
The others, seeing this, immediately followed suit. In an instant, all sorts of little immature cries filled the treatment room, loud enough to wake the little fox who had fallen asleep.
The little fox had no idea what was happening, but hearing everyone else cry out, he was unwilling to be left behind and immediately joined in with his own little whimpering sounds.
Ye Yumeng could feel the little animals’ support.
Smiling, he said, “Thank you all for trusting me. Leave the treatment to me from here on out.”
He looked over the little animals in the room and thought for a moment, but did not start treatment right away. Instead, he left the room again.
Ye Yumeng returned to the little rabbit’s room and found Mo Yin.
“Ah Mo, I think I’m going to need some medical assistants,” he said.
“I’ll have Director Lei come over.”
Ye Yumeng shook his head. “Not for watching over the little rabbit. For the little animals in the treatment room. They need them too.”
Counting Bai Lele and Yu Chuan, there were nine little animals. Adding the little rabbit made ten.
Even if he could manage it alone, Ye Yumeng felt that wasn’t the right way. He needed to cultivate some assistants who could help him.
Later, routine and simple follow-up work could be handed over to assistants, while he himself focused on the things he was good at and the more complicated work. That was something he had learned in this world.
Mo Yin nodded. “That makes sense. Do you have anyone suitable in mind?”
Ye Yumeng thought for a moment. “That Doctor Zhuo from East Ward… do his assistants currently have a lot of work?”
He still remembered that surgery very clearly.
Of course, pulling over Doctor Zhuo himself would be a terrible waste of talent. What Ye Yumeng wanted was his assistants.
“If Doctor Zhuo is willing, he can come help as well. It’s just that for now, there’s no treatment involving surgery…”
“And as for his assistants—if they don’t have other work arrangements and have time to come help out, that’s enough.”
“I understand. Please leave it to me,” Mo Yin said, immediately understanding his meaning.
There was no problem in transferring that group of medical staff over. He had already witnessed Ye Yumeng’s abilities with his own eyes before. And after being transferred to the Royal Sanatorium, they had all been steady and reliable.
As for how exactly to arrange it…
Mo Yin glanced at the little rabbit on the hospital bed. Without waiting for His Majesty to remind him, he already knew what to do.
“A transfer?”
When Du Jia received the notice, he was completely stunned. “So I’m not working under Doctor Zhuo anymore in the future?”
Zhuo Yuquan’s expression also looked less than pleasant.
These assistants had all been discovered and trained by him personally. They had followed him for years. Now the entire team was being taken away from him—what was he supposed to do?
Could it be that because he had originally been transferred from East Ward, they were now deliberately suppressing him?
Head Nurse Tian Fu looked at him, her expression a little strange. She nodded and said, “Yes. Doctor Ye needs a batch of assistants. Since you helped him before, he wanted to ask whether you’d be willing.”
If he wasn’t willing, there were plenty of people eager to volunteer for the position.
Doctor Ye was currently the hottest rising star in the Royal Sanatorium. The calming sachets he had invented had already been proven to have remarkable effects on mental disorders.
At present, the number of patients cured through the use of calming sachets was gradually increasing.
Everyone knew that if they could get aboard Doctor Ye’s ship, their future would absolutely be bright. As for the previous doubts about his age? Those had long since turned into praise and admiration.
In any era, geniuses were dazzling, brilliant, and pursued by everyone.
Unfortunately, the moment she mentioned Doctor Ye, Du Jia and the others’ eyes lit up.
“Do you mean that Ye Yumeng, Doctor Ye?”
Having been at the Royal Sanatorium this long, they had all learned his name.
Tian Fu nodded. “It seems that when Doctor Ye went to East Ward before, he noticed your performance, and now he happens to need manpower around him…”
“How many people does he need?”
“Right, right, are all of us going?”
The notice did seem to say so.
Tian Fu paused and involuntarily looked at Zhuo Yuquan.
Having one’s assistants poached by another doctor was actually very common. After all, people always wanted to rise higher. But to have the whole team taken in one go… that did seem a little excessive.
She looked at Zhuo Yuquan, wondering how to smooth things over so he wouldn’t develop any resentment toward Doctor Ye, only to see that he, too, was looking at her with shining eyes.
“May I go too?” he asked.
Huh?
Tian Fu stared at him, bewildered. If she remembered correctly, Doctor Zhuo Yuquan himself was also a highly celebrated genius doctor, wasn’t he?
Now his entire team was being packaged up and taken away. Not only was he not angry, he wanted to go along too?
She said dryly, “This round is recruiting assistants…”
“I can be Doctor Ye’s assistant too!” Zhuo Yuquan said earnestly.
Tian Fu shook her head again.
“Doctor Zhuo, you must be joking. With your skills, becoming an assistant would be far too beneath you, wouldn’t it?”
“How can assisting Doctor Ye be considered beneath me?” Zhuo Yuquan replied seriously. “Head Nurse Tian, no matter what, please help me ask!”
Ever since that surgery, he had never stopped thinking about this Doctor Ye’s medical skills.
He had originally thought that after coming to East Ward, he would have a chance to exchange ideas with him. But after being here this long, he hadn’t even managed to see him again, much less have a proper conversation…
Seeing that Zhuo Yuquan was completely serious, Tian Fu finally said, “Fine. If I get the chance to see Doctor Ye in the future, I’ll help ask.”
Then she looked at Zhuo Yuquan’s assistants—seven or eight people in total.
“Which of you wants to go?”
A moment ago, they had all been eager to try. But now they looked at one another. No one refused, but no one nodded either.
Zhuo Yuquan sighed and said, “All of you go. The patients Doctor Ye handles are all especially difficult cases. It’ll help improve both your abilities and your resumes.”
The very doctor whose expression had looked ugly just moments ago was now the one persuading them to go.
Du Jia looked at Zhuo Yuquan, then at Tian Fu, and thought maybe he should just refuse. If they all left, wouldn’t Doctor Zhuo become a commander with no soldiers?
But before he could say anything, Zhuo Yuquan pulled him aside.
In a low voice, he said, “Once you’re by Doctor Ye’s side, remember to say a few good things about me from time to time. If you can help me get his contact number, that would be even better…”
Du Jia: “……”
He looked at Zhuo Yuquan’s handsome face and couldn’t help but think, Is this really the elegant, refined Doctor Zhuo I know?
Why did it sound like he was chasing after someone for their contact information…?
Could it be that he had asked before in East Ward and been rejected?
In the end, the refusal at the tip of Du Jia’s tongue was swallowed back down. Since even Doctor Zhuo wanted to go work under Doctor Ye, then he would just go first as the advance scout.
Otherwise, if Doctor Zhuo eventually got his wish, wouldn’t he be the one left alone outside the circle?
The other assistants were more or less thinking the same thing.
In the end, they all said goodbye to Zhuo Yuquan and left under his eager gaze.
Ye Yumeng had already returned to the treatment room.
He looked over the little animals. Since he had not expected Mo Yin to act so quickly, he still hadn’t fully settled on a specific treatment plan.
Yeguang, Hu Naonao, Jiang Yuyuan, Little Moon, Gu Dongdong, and Han Xiong.
These six were the most seriously injured. In addition to burns, they all had other complications.
Because of those complications, their wounds often ulcerated, oozed, and festered. Even after nearly two years, they still repeatedly failed to scab over and heal.
Then there were Little Molly, Yueyue, and Shen Mingming.
Their injuries were not quite so severe. Little Molly had even retained the ability to fly. Only, the burned and scabbed skin had not yet grown back new feathers.
As for the little turtle Yueyue, her injuries were mainly on her shell, which had been burned black and was now cracked.
Only by repairing the cracks in her shell could she truly be healed. The Red Lotus Ointment should be able to play some restorative role, and likely could also seep into the shell to treat the injuries inside her body.
As for the littlequeen of the night flower… Ye Yumeng still hadn’t figured out how to treat him.
However, he seemed to have grown a new leaf. Maybe the environment of the spirit plant garden was helping him?
If that was the case, perhaps he could be treated the same way as a spirit plant—by simply giving him the conditions he needed to recover on his own.
As for the little snow ferret Bai Lele, his condition was the mildest. He only needed to continue assisted feeding and gradually improve his digestive and spleen function.
Oh, and there was also the panda cub Shen Mingming.
Ye Yumeng’s gaze turned to him.
In the cultivation world, he would have been called an iron-eating beast.
His body was about the size of a cushion, and roughly a third of his skin had been burned, leaving bare, twisted scars.
Fortunately, his head had not been injured. It was still fluffy, and from the upper half alone, his looks were still quite high.
Ye Yumeng reached out and stroked his head.
The fur was a little sparse, but had that special softness unique to babies. It felt especially nice.
Iron-eating beasts were actually quite precious in the cultivation world. Their adult forms were extremely sturdy, and in battle they were fierce and fearless. Both in attack and defense they were excellent, which made them highly sought-after spirit beasts.
Who would have thought that an iron-eating beast in its juvenile form would be this cute?
Shen Chunming did not reject the head pats. Instead, his eyes kept drifting toward the medicine in Ye Yumeng’s hand. Catching the fresh herbal fragrance, he couldn’t help swallowing.
As Ye Yumeng stroked his head, his gaze fell on the panda’s body.
The burned areas had suffered extensive skin loss and destruction. Even after scabbing over and healing, normal skin and fur could no longer grow there.
For injuries like this, using Putrefaction-Dispelling and Flesh-Regrowing Ointment would actually be more appropriate, but he didn’t have the materials on hand.
If he used the Putrefaction-Dispelling and Flesh-Regrowing Art instead, it would consume a great deal of spiritual energy—one drop of spiritual liquid each time, with the effect lasting half a quarter-hour, which meant about seven minutes.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the number of sessions needed differed. For burns of this degree, it would take at least ten treatments before he could fully recover as before.
Ye Yumeng opened the medicine box, revealing the red paste inside, and gently applied it over the panda cub’s scars.
Seeing Shen Chunming staring at the ointment as though he were tempted to eat it, Ye Yumeng smiled and said, “You can’t lick this.”
Shen Chunming reluctantly withdrew his gaze.
Still… once the ointment was spread on, it felt cool and soothing. Pretty comfortable…
After the ointment had been applied evenly, Ye Yumeng formed a hand seal and summoned the drop of spiritual liquid he had condensed the previous night, gathering it onto his fingertip and letting it glide lightly over the panda cub’s body.
The spiritual liquid quietly seeped into those twisted scars.
The panda cub tilted his head, curiously watching the scene. He could feel his body gradually warming up.
Little by little, he let out a yawn and started feeling drowsy.
By the time Ye Yumeng withdrew his hand, the panda cub had already closed his eyes and drifted sleepily off.
That one drop of spiritual liquid was equivalent to ten Minor Rejuvenation Techniques. The healing effect it could produce was naturally quite strong.
And repairing a body took energy, so feeling sleepy was completely normal.
Once Ye Yumeng finished, just as he was preparing to move on to the next little animal, Mo Yin called him outside.
Ye Yumeng stepped out and saw the seven or eight assistants Mo Yin had brought.
His gaze swept over them, and finally landed on Du Jia.
Through Ye Yumeng’s eyes, the spiritual energy that had been peacefully drifting in the environment was slowly drawing itself toward him.
This was… spiritual energy affinity?
