Chapter 253: Heavy Doubts

He Lingchuan followed closely, only then realizing something was amiss. How had she caught up so quickly? He and the monster had been running like rabbits, one after the other, overcoming countless obstacles along the way. Could an ordinary person truly keep up with that pace? Furthermore, during the fight, he had been acutely aware of his surroundings. Even though the thick fog hadn't yet dispersed, he hadn't heard her approach at all. Not only him, but the two monsters hadn't either, or else they wouldn't have been ambushed. His suspicions aroused, he then noticed that Sun Fuling's clothes were untouched by a single drop of hot water or green liquid. It had been such a fierce battle that even his own clothes had several small holes corroded by the green liquid, yet she remained completely spotless. Was she truly just a teacher from Shumian Academy?

Sun Fuling paid no mind to his thoughts. Upon entering the house, she pointed to the floor. "Look."

A sixty-year-old woman lay on the ground, her expression of terror still frozen on her face. Her body was shriveled and skin-and-bones, as if vacuum-sealed. A large hole had also been opened in her neck. He Lingchuan squatted down, examined her, and then said, "Her flesh and blood have been drained. It seems these monsters feed on humans." Sun Fuling added, "The owner of the house you rushed to earlier, a young mother, her remains looked the same."

So there were two monsters, each sneaking into homes to feed. One was discovered by him and then ran to meet its companion to counterattack? "How could such monsters appear in Panlong City?" Panlong City was one of the few peaceful places on this turbulent continent. Though its rules were strict, its safety was equally high, allowing people to live and work in peace.

Sun Fuling asked him, "What do you plan to do now?"

Before she finished speaking, the outer door creaked open, and four or five people rushed in. He Lingchuan walked out, meeting several constables head-on. "What's going on here?" The monster on the ground was impossible to ignore, and these men were startled. They had been patrolling nearby. The commotion from the fight between the monster and He Lingchuan was so loud it alarmed residents who then reported it to them. They had thought it was a common domestic dispute, but upon entering, they were shocked! He Lingchuan, being on leave, was not wearing his patrol uniform. He took out his divine bone necklace and showed it to them. "About forty breaths ago, we heard a child screaming on our way home and discovered two monsters attacking people. We only caught this one; the other escaped."

To the people of Panlong City, the divine bone necklace was a symbol of identity. The men immediately asked, "Which direction did it flee?"

"East. It's agile." He Lingchuan pointed, and three of them immediately ran in that direction. The remaining two patrolmen entered the house, saw the dried corpse on the ground, and after He Lingchuan mentioned there were two more victims not far away, their expressions grew even more solemn. They questioned the two in detail and repeatedly about the incident, then told them, "We need to report this as soon as possible. Please leave for now. If needed, we will contact you for further questioning."

He Lingchuan had just nodded when he suddenly heard Sun Fuling exclaim, "Oh! Look!" The monster's hissing had already weakened. Everyone looked down and saw its body rapidly shrinking. Originally, it was almost as tall as He Lingchuan, but now it had severely shriveled, shrinking to the size of a fist right before their eyes! It was barely larger than a newborn kitten. After shrinking, it looked less terrifying, but its strangeness was even greater than before. Even the constables were dumbfounded. "This... this?" Were they supposed to take *this* back as evidence? Sun Fuling poked the monster with a twig. "It's alive, still breathing. I think it's a juvenile, not fully developed yet."

"Juvenile..." He Lingchuan's expression soured. Had he just nearly been defeated by two undeveloped monster juveniles? It would be an utter humiliation to admit it. If juveniles were this formidable, what about the adults? "How could something like this get into the city?" Panlong City's gate passes were very strict. Sun Fuling sighed. "Let's go. Let the officers do their job."

The two walked out the door to find it crowded with onlookers, who immediately started asking questions upon seeing them. Sun Fuling handled them with a few brief words. On their way home, both remained silent. The mysterious appearance of the monsters seemed to cast an ominous cloud over both their hearts.

They arrived home. Sun Fuling didn't push open her own door. Instead, she glanced at his back. "You're injured. Aren't you going to tend to it?"

"Uh..." He hadn't been too concerned initially. After all, when he exited and re-entered the dream realm, his body was always in top shape, capable of even reviving from death. But when she brought it up, he felt the pain. "I'll go find A'Luo to take care of it." Sun Fuling hesitated, then said, "I can apply the medicine for you, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind." He Lingchuan scratched his neck. "Of course not, please come in."

The two entered He Lingchuan's small courtyard. His room was too small for them to comfortably move around, so they simply went into the kitchen. Sun Fuling moved a small stool to the bright window and told him, "Sit." Before He Lingchuan could clearly see what she was doing, Sun Fuling had already lit the brazier, adding two small pieces of charcoal and a small bundle of kindling. The freezing cold room gradually began to warm up. He Lingchuan asked her, "Do I need to take off my clothes?"

"No need." Sun Fuling looked at his back. "The blood scabs are stuck to your clothes. It wouldn't be good to tear them off forcefully." She went into the inner room, retrieved scissors and external wound medicine, and came to stand behind He Lingchuan. "If it hurts, just tell me."

Soon, the cold touch of metal was on his back. He Lingchuan knew she was using scissors to cut away the clothing stuck to his wounds. The monster's sharp claws had opened long gashes on his back; the two almost parallel wounds had flesh turned outward, and the seeping blood was pale green and foamy.

"You're poisoned." After cleaning the wounds, Sun Fuling held a pill in her hand and offered it to him. "You'll need at least two antidote pills, one for internal consumption and one for external application." He Lingchuan looked at her hand but said nothing.

"What's wrong?"

"This isn't my medicine, is it?"

"It's mine. Well, my brother's." She crushed the other pill and applied it to the wound. He Lingchuan felt a sudden chill on his back, and just as he was about to shiver, it instantly turned to a burning sensation. Ice and fire, two extremes. "Hiss—" It was so hot his flesh felt like it was cooking. He recalled never having medicine this powerfully potent. Sun Fuling pressed his shoulder, preventing him from moving. "It's very effective. Bear with it."

Indeed, the burning sensation quickly faded, replaced by a pleasant coolness, and even the pain was greatly alleviated. Sun Fuling wiped away the foam from the wound, and the blood that now seeped out was bright red. Then, she expertly bandaged it with a wound-healing plaster. He Lingchuan could feel her fingers gently pressing near the wound; they too were cool. But she leaned very close, and her breath on his back was warm. From the moment she entered the room to applying the medicine, Miss Sun was surprisingly efficient in everything.

He made small talk. "How did those two monsters get into the city today?"

Sun Fuling didn't even lift her head. "They probably couldn't have gotten in on their own."

"Right. If they truly are juveniles, then it's highly likely they were smuggled into the city." He Lingchuan whispered, "These things fight purely on instinct, and they were a match for me. I can't imagine what an adult's combat strength would be like."

"What worries me more is that there aren't just one or two of them," Sun Fuling sighed. "We found two on our way home. What about others?" Such monsters could also shrink, making them almost invisible when hiding in a vast city like Panlong City. How could they find these creatures? "The one we caught has already been handed over to the authorities, hasn't it?" she said softly. "I hope they find a solution soon. All right—" She patted He Lingchuan's shoulder. "The medicine is on. Don't get it wet for the next day or two, and don't sleep on your back, understood?"

"Understood, Dr. Sun—" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Your technique is no worse than A'Luo's!"

A'Luo was much rougher than her. He thought he heard a soft chuckle from behind him.

Next, Sun Fuling disposed of the bloodied water and soiled items, then washed her hands. She finally yawned, looking tired. "All done. I need to go back and get some sleep."

"Be careful. Call me if you need anything."

"Mmm-hmm." She had picked up her book to leave, but after a moment's thought, she turned back and handed the book to He Lingchuan. "You can read this first. Just toss it back into my courtyard when you're done." With a wave of her hand, she pushed open her door and went inside.

Only when he heard the creak of the wooden door next door did He Lingchuan spread his palm and examine it. His female neighbor's hands were slender and elegant, almost glowing white in the dim room, strikingly beautiful. Yet, when Sun Fuling had handed him the pill earlier, he had clearly noticed a thin layer of calluses on the pads and base of her right fingers—just like his own. His calluses were from martial arts training. What about Sun Fuling's? Could they be from chopping wood, cooking, or household chores? Ha, impossible. Recalling his fierce battle with the two monsters, Sun Fuling had provided crucial assistance; otherwise, he would have undoubtedly faced a life-or-death struggle. He hadn't even realized she was approaching. Furthermore, which girl wouldn't turn and flee upon encountering such monsters? Miss Sun's unusual calmness in the face of danger—was it because she was exceptionally skilled and therefore bold? The more He Lingchuan thought about it, the more he felt his neighbor was shrouded in mystery.

The two books she had lent him were beside him. He picked them up and saw they were titled "Tales of the Middle Ancient Era," in two volumes. He casually flipped through them and discovered the books contained various legends, anecdotes, and strange occurrences from the Middle Ancient period, their authenticity questionable. After all, the author himself noted that he merely compiled without verifying, encouraging readers to simply enjoy.

With the Great Cataclysm serving as the demarcation, the period before it was called the Ancient Era, and everything after, up until eight hundred years ago, was the Middle Ancient Era. After that, human nations truly matured and prospered, while the Daoist traditions correspondingly declined, no longer holding a dominant position. Thus, the Middle Ancient Era spanned a long period of over two thousand years, and it was now difficult to ascertain how many events had occurred during that time. He Lingchuan hadn't expected that a serious teacher like Sun Fuling would also enjoy such unconventional recreational reading. Never mind, with nothing to do at home, he decided to pass the time with these two books.

To his surprise, he became so engrossed that he didn't even take a sip of water.