I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 192: A Visit from an Old Acquaintance

Duan Rong’s brows furrowed slightly, he hadn’t dispersed his skill yet when his divine sense suddenly released.

The divine sense swept through the door and courtyard, immediately detecting the presence outside.

Xiao Zongting stood outside carrying a person drenched in blood and filth...

Duan Rong immediately dispersed his skill, shook his foot to dislodge a small hedgehog from it, and quickly walked over to open the door.

"Elder Xiao! This is..."

Duan Rong looked at the person covered in blood and filth behind Xiao Zongting, emitting a foul stench, his eyes full of perplexity.

"Don’t just stand there, lend a hand!" Xiao Zongting said.

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong quickly took over the person.

"Put him in the pavilion first! Use clean water to wash his wounds."

Xiao Zongting instructed loudly without even stepping in, glancing at the pavilion inside the courtyard before turning away.

Shen Ping’s body was in a deteriorated state and required wound treatment, with female members in Xiao Zongting’s household it was inconvenient, leading him to think of Duan Rong’s secluded and spacious place, thus bringing Shen Ping over.

Duan Rong felt even more puzzled as Xiao Zongting left after giving a vague instruction, but since Elder Xiao had directed him, he could only comply.

Duan Rong shut the door, placing the person on the stone table in the pavilion.

At this moment, Duan Rong finally saw the face drenched in blood and filth, hair in disarray.

Despite this, Duan Rong’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the person.

This person is the notorious healer Shen Ping!

It wasn’t that Duan Rong had a good memory, rather Shen Ping’s appearance was too peculiar: a prominently high forehead atop a sharp face, yet with a large fleshy nose...

To put it nicely, it’s unique, to put it bluntly, it’s hideous.

Duan Rong suddenly connected some recent news and immediately understood what was going on with Shen Ping.

On the day he was at Huaying Building with Ximen Kankan, Jiang Qingyu, Jie Daohan went to find Fan Yuanhai, intending to capture Shen Ping.

But evidently nothing useful was extracted from Shen Ping, the case completely hit a dead end, leaving all clues empty.

Shen Yanliu then asked Tang Wanhong to go to Prefecture City to expedite the closing of the case.

Now that the case has been closed, Shen Ping naturally didn’t need to be kept in the death prison anymore, thus was released.

Duan Rong removed Shen Ping’s prison clothes, seeing his body covered in wounds, the severity of the decay shocked Duan Rong.

Many wounds were already decayed black, with some even having maggots crawling faintly...

Duan Rong checked Shen Ping’s breath and felt his pulse, realizing his Dantian was destroyed, yet despite his torment, there remained a faint sign of life in his pulse.

Duan Rong noticed Shen Ping and remarked, "This person has a stubborn will..."

Then Duan Rong drew clean water from the large barrel at the kitchen door using a wooden basin, washing Shen Ping’s body.

He washed away all the decay and blood, dried his body with a towel, then carried Shen Ping’s frail body and placed it on the bed inside.

After covering Shen Ping with a blanket on the bed, Duan Rong touched his forehead, noting it was feverish. The person was evidently suffering from a fever, possibly ongoing for several days.

Just after placing Shen Ping on the bed, there was a knock on the courtyard door again, Duan Rong opened the door where Xiao Zongting led Gu Suxiu in.

Gu Suxiu saw Duan Rong, nodded gently at him. Duan Rong reciprocated the gesture.

Duan Rong led Gu Suxiu and Xiao Zongting into the inner room.

Gu Suxiu gazed at Shen Ping on the bed, whose breath was faint, body corrupted, and high with fever, his face immediately grim.

Inspecting Shen Ping’s wounds and feeling his pulse, Gu Suxiu stood up, wrote a prescription, and handed it to Duan Rong saying, "Go get the herbs."

Duan Rong received the prescription and left the Escort Agency for the Herbal Shop.

On the way, he looked at the prescription, slightly shaking his head as it seemed less a remedy than a calming tonic, so he decided to replace astragalus with lovage, adjusting it slightly.

Duan Rong procured three doses at the Herbal Shop, one according to Gu Suxiu’s prescription, the other two per his own adjustments.

Back at Liu’s House, Duan Rong first brewed the dose following Gu Suxiu’s prescription.

In Liu’s House’s kitchen, there were readily available cooking utensils, including a medicine pot, which Duan Rong retrieved after washing, ready to brew the medicine.

The medicine was brewed, strained, and carried in a bowl to the inner room.

Gu Suxiu was taking out a black ointment from a porcelain bottle using a bamboo strip, applying it to Shen Ping’s worst wounds.

After applying it, Gu Suxiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, straightening up, then took the bowl of medicine from Duan Rong, sniffed it, and slowly administered it to Shen Ping.

Putting down the empty bowl, Gu Suxiu’s expression remained stern, as he handed the porcelain bottle to Duan Rong, saying, "Medicine twice daily. Change external wound dressing once daily. Within two days, if the fever subsides, there’s hope. Otherwise, there’s nothing more I can do."

After speaking, he looked at Xiao Zongting and sighed.

Xiao Zongting’s face was also gloomy, listening to Gu Suxiu, he glanced at Shen Ping on the bed, knowing if Shen Ping could survive was left to fate.

Xiao Zongting personally saw Gu Suxiu off and returned to instruct Duan Rong a few things.

"This person is somewhat connected to me, please take good care of him for me."

"Elder Xiao, rest assured! I will certainly accomplish what you’ve entrusted to me."

Xiao Zongting nodded, adding, "He being a man with wounds, is inconvenient at my place, can only be here."

"Elder Xiao, I understand." Duan Rong replied.

Xiao Zongting saw Duan Rong reacting calmly, unperturbed by the matter, which he appreciated.

He lingered by Shen Ping’s bedside for a while, sighing, for he believed Shen Ping’s chances were slim.

Shortly after Xiao Zongting left, there was a sudden sharp knock at the courtyard door.

Duan Rong’s expression shifted, "It’s busy at Liu’s House today."

He scanned with his divine sense, frowning as the visitor outside was Hu Huanhuan, the owner of Huaying Building.

Duan Rong knew nothing of Shen Ping and Hu Huanhuan’s relationship, so he was quite surprised, quickly walking over to open the door.

Hu Huanhuan stood outside impeccably groomed, holding a food box.

Upon opening the door, Hu Huanhuan smiled, "Mr. Duan, it’s been some days since we met?"

Duan Rong eyed the food box in Hu Huanhuan’s hand, "Master Hu guarding Golden Mountain, how come you have time to visit my humble residence?"

Duan Rong truly didn’t know Hu Huanhuan’s purpose, unable to imagine that Shen Ping’s ugly fierce visage could be Hu Huanhuan’s former lover.

Hu Huanhuan lowered her gaze unabashedly said, "I came to see Shen Ping."

Seeing Hu Huanhuan’s humble gesture, Duan Rong’s thoughts raced, instantly guessing, feeling slightly awkward, he chuckled to ease the tension, "Master Hu’s presence truly graces my humble abode. Master Hu, please come in."

Realizing Duan Rong’s quick reaction, Hu Huanhuan smiled slightly and entered Liu’s House.