53 - Dungeon Growth Log

When Li Daifu came to treat Xia Wu Yin’s injuries, Xia Wu Yin was gripping Gu Peijiu’s sleeve tightly. Fearing that forcibly pulling it away might tug at his wound, Gu Peijiu remained still, letting him hold on. Li Daifu, stroking his goatee, glanced at Gu Peijiu without speaking but clearly felt awkward. Gu Peijiu turned her body, her voice soft, "It's alright." Bi Xi couldn't help herself, "Miss..." Gu Peijiu interrupted, "You may leave." Bi Xi hesitated but finally lowered her head and complied, "Yes, Miss." Bi Xi left, the beaded curtain chiming as she did. Gu Peijiu closed her eyes, her back still turned, "Physician, you may begin." Li Daifu stroked his beard, resigned, and began taking Xia Wu Yin’s pulse as he clung to Gu Peijiu’s sleeve. Looking at the boy's pale face, he murmured, "Oh, it's this child..." The tone indicated recognition. In a village, it wasn't unusual for everyone to know the local physician, so Li Daifu’s recognition wasn’t surprising. However, Gu Peijiu’s voice unexpectedly broke the silence, "Have you seen him before?" "I have," Li Daifu replied while feeling the pulse, his brows knitting together slightly, "His pulse is weak and floating, his physical energy is depleted, and he has an excess of yin with insufficient yang." After a pause, he continued, “Earlier, he brought a little girl to treat an external injury and even paid for her medicine. He nearly didn’t have enough for himself. I felt this child was kind-hearted, so I gave him a discount on the herbs, which is why I remember him well.” "I see..." Gu Peijiu gazed at the green curtain fluttering in the breeze, her voice light, "Please check his wounds." Li Daifu acknowledged with a hum. He moved the black clothing around Xia Wu Yin’s wound, noticing the coagulated blood on the small piece of fabric stuck to his undergarments. From his medicine box, he took out scissors and, after sterilizing them in hot liquor Bi Xi had fetched, carefully cut away the fabric from the wound. “Ah…” The boy flinched, seemingly in pain. Gu Peijiu stiffened slightly, “...Physician?” “It’s alright, the bandage and fabric are stuck to the wound. They need to be removed.” Li Daifu cut through the bandages tied around the wound and discarded the blood-soaked fabric into a small bucket. “Whoever bandaged him didn’t do a bad job, but this kid wasn’t careful and tore the wound again.” “Please…” the boy murmured in distress, as if dreaming, “I’m not strong... I’m very clumsy... Don’t... don’t make me leave… we must go together…” Could he be referring to "Dou Dou"? His grip on Gu Peijiu's sleeve tightened. Gu Peijiu hesitated but spoke gently, “Hmm, I won’t let you go.” She turned slightly to glance at the boy on the bed. After she spoke, the boy seemed to relax somewhat, yet he still clung fearfully to her sleeve. His face was pale as snow, his eyes faintly wet. Due to the excessive loss of blood, his clothing stuck to his abdomen, requiring Li Daifu to cut it off. The bandages wrapped around his wound were also cut away, revealing his true injuries as Li Daifu carefully cleaned the surrounding blood with a cotton ball soaked in liquor. The wound was a clean cut, possibly from a short dagger, with one side torn wider, deeply bruised from where he must have hit a table and tore the flesh again. Gory and horrific. “This kid... sigh!” Seeing the wound in such a state, Li Daifu sighed. Though they were strangers, and Xia Wu Yin was unconscious, a physician’s heart is compassionate. He couldn’t help but be annoyed, “...reckless indeed!” Gu Peijiu stared at the wound, her hands clenching inside her sleeves, lips pressed tightly, a hint of cold fury in her eyes. Truly impressive, not seen for three days, and now you manage to injure yourself so badly. No diligence in alchemy, but an expert at self-harm. Gu Peijiu felt a flicker of inexplicable anger. She fixed her gaze on the boy’s tear-streaked face, steadying her emotions, her voice remaining calm, “I gave her a hemostatic pill earlier.” “Can he still be treated?” —— Settle the anger for when he wakes. “Yes,” Li Daifu nodded, then advised, “Master, please turn around. This boy moves a lot in his sleep, and the bandages are all over his body; there might be wounds on his back needing attention.” Gu Peijiu glanced at her sleeve held tightly by the boy, and after a pause, replied coldly, “No need, treat him like this. Let's see what else he’s hiding on his back.” Li Daifu was taken aback, “This...” He looked again at the boy on the bed. With long, dark hair cascading down, the boy’s face was as pale as snow, his frame slender, appearing no older than ten, still undeveloped and feeble. Li Daifu observed Gu Peijiu’s stern face, her black hair tied with a red ribbon, her forehead smooth, her dark eyes deep like abysses devoid of starlight. She stared intently at the boy, her lips pressed tight, exuding an aura of unyielding authority. ...Very well. After all, he’s still a child. Li Daifu nodded slightly and then used scissors to cut away the boy’s tattered clothing. The black fabric, along with the blood-soaked white undergarments, fell away, revealing the boy's bandage-covered upper body. Just as he was about to cut the bandages, he suddenly exclaimed, “Hmm?” Gu Peijiu noticed something was amiss. They both stared, noticing amidst the bandages on the boy’s chest a distinctly different white cloth, the atmosphere growing silent briefly. Li Daifu hesitated for a moment. “...Could there be a hidden condition in the chest?” As the bandages were removed but the white cloth intact, the boy’s skin was revealed—usually hidden, now white as snow, gleaming like jade, surprisingly unlike a boy's skin. As her anger subsided, Gu Peijiu felt it was improper for her, as a girl, to stare at another boy’s body. She turned her face away, her voice still cold, “...Physician, please tend to the wounds first.” Her ears reddened slightly. Out of respect for the boy’s privacy, Li Daifu chose not to remove the cloth. When he lifted the boy, he gasped, “This—” Gu Peijiu turned but her question "what" remained unspoken. Reflected in her black eyes were the crimson stains on the bedding and the bandages on the boy’s back, soaked in blood. She was momentarily speechless. Li Daifu’s face darkened. With delicate care, he used the scissors to peel away the stuck bandages from the boy’s wounds, revealing trembling muscles and a tight grip on Gu Peijiu’s sleeve, his murmurs unintelligible, still unconscious. Once the wounds were cleaned, Gu Peijiu discarded gender propriety, staring intently at the boy’s back, her lips pressed in silence. Li Daifu frowned. The boy’s smooth back was crisscrossed with marks, some open, bleeding wounds appearing like whip marks. Xia Ge had hurt his back on black vines in the tomb. When the night pearl shattered, the vines dissipated into smoke, leaving scars that resembled whip marks, hence the confusion. “Whip marks?" Gu Peijiu clenched her fist, her voice cold, “In just three days, where did he get these whip marks?” Li Daifu kept silent, clearly puzzled as to how the boy could have ended up in such a state within just three days. Gu Peijiu, realizing her overreaction, paused, “I apologize... I was impulsive. Please continue treating him, physician.” Li Daifu nodded and carefully changed the dressings, applying new bandages. Once he was finished, he sighed to Gu Peijiu, “This child has a weak pulse, lacking vitality, exhibiting a feminine appearance. Such severe injuries are ill omens.” Gu Peijiu absorbed this quietly before asking, “When will he wake?” “At least two to three days,” Li Daifu sighed, “But having taken a fasting pill, there’s no worry about food intake. He just needs proper rest.” “His pulse indicated a prolonged lack of rest and injury to the sea of consciousness,” Li Daifu shook his head, “He seems plagued by nightmares. I’ll prescribe something to calm the mind and aid his rest.” Gu Peijiu knew the injury to his sea of consciousness was from when the boy overexerted himself, forcefully halting an ancient spiritual gathering formation, causing backlash and injury. Psychological wounds indeed necessitate rest. After sending Li Daifu off with Bi Xi’s help, Gu Peijiu looked at her sleeve still tightly gripped by the boy. Her gaze softened slightly but turned demanding as she recalled the boy’s ghastly wounds. If you won’t take care of yourself, why should anyone else? She huffed, then gently tried to remove the boy’s hand from her sleeve. As she did, she noticed how slender and pale his wrist was, unlike a typical boy’s. As she was momentarily dazed, the unconscious boy seemed to sense her intention, gripping even tighter, his pale face turning ghastly, “No, please, don’t pull away. Don’t go, don’t go—” His hand clung desperately to her sleeve, his rounded nails digging deep into the fabric, then into his palm, holding on tightly, filled with the despair of not being able to hold on yet trying desperately to do so. Gu Peijiu’s movements stilled. The setting sun cast a slanting glow. The red-clad girl’s long eyelashes lowered. She initially tried to pull the boy’s hand off but then gently, firmly, and patiently began to peel his fingers from her hand, one by one, letting the red fabric slide away from his palm. Seeing the boy’s tear-stained face, she paused, then interlaced her fingers with his. She heard her own low voice, coaxing, “Hmm, I’ll listen to you, I won’t go.” The boy gripped her hand tightly, his slender knuckles pale blue, but incredibly firm. It was as if he was holding onto his only belief. She lightly wiped away the tears from the corner of his eye and sighed softly. He’s still just a child who understands nothing. Why argue with a child? Whatever is fundamentally wrong, she could slowly teach him while keeping him by her side. After all... there is plenty of time ahead. Author's Note: Dragon Boat Festival bonus chapter. Ah, I really have no drafts left, sob tat - - I checked thoroughly. Yes, traditional Chinese medicine cannot determine gender through pulse-checking; at most, it can identify a weaker pulse in females compared to males. But now Xia Ge is a patient, both thin and small~ so a weaker pulse is quite normal. I can’t exactly write about the senior sister directly undressing someone, right? (Dog head.jpg) Remember, there is plenty of time ahead (profoundly). = = Reader “cazador”, irrigation nutrient 302018-06-17 23:05:08 Reader “cazador”, irrigation nutrient 402018-06-17 23:05:01 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:16:19 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:16:16 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:16:11 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:16:07 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:15:59 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:15:14 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 22:15:10 Reader “浮生”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 19:30:28 Reader “张狗蛋”, irrigation nutrient 5 2018-06-17 18:51:38 Reader “月之影”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 16:59:30 Reader “”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 14:06:14 Reader “yiliya_0o0”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 13:37:04 Reader “pp”, irrigation nutrient 15 2018-06-17 13:19:14 Reader “别坑问”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 12:50:30 Reader “人魚線”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 12:49:07 Reader “narbfius”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 11:23:25 Reader “迟暮”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 10:54:47 Reader “faith”, irrigation nutrient 15 2018-06-17 10:25:04 Reader “萌宠驾到”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 07:56:24 Reader “蓦然挥手”, irrigation nutrient 20 2018-06-17 07:39:32 Reader “凉拌煎饼”, irrigation nutrient 5 2018-06-17 07:16:55 Reader “瑾”, irrigation nutrient 15 2018-06-17 02:25:23 Reader “~初”, irrigation nutrient 5 2018-06-17 00:58:02 Reader “御坂美琴我老婆”, irrigation nutrient 10 2018-06-17 00:56:47 Reader “枫l”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 00:37:13 Reader “空”, irrigation nutrient 30 2018-06-17 00:36:24 Reader “洛玄歌”, irrigation nutrient 20 2018-06-17 00:09:27 Reader “無回”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-17 00:06:24 Reader “黑夜将明”, irrigation nutrient 2 2018-06-17 00:02:25 Reader “黑夜将明”, irrigation nutrient 3 2018-06-16 23:48:54 Reader “芸芸众生”, irrigation nutrient 1 2018-06-16 23:45:15 Thank you all for the nutrients!