Front Line of the Beast Tide, Part 36

Li Xiu Fu returned from the Eternal Night Forest, having snatched a life.

Upon returning to the present world, she found that the Healer Alliance was left with only three people.

They were part of the same team of physicians who supported the front lines.

Because wood spiritual roots were naturally good for healing, most of these healers had wood spiritual roots, which led to them being drawn into the Eternal Night Forest.

Xiu Fu had studied medicine for ten years. She originally worked as a pharmaceutical apprentice in a medical hall in Shu City.

Due to her diligence, kind heart, and meticulous courage, by her third year, she caught the eye of a physician, who took her as a disciple.

She studied under him for another three years, becoming half-trained, able to treat common difficult ailments.

Later, Yinlan City issued a summons for healers to aid in the beast tide.

Ci’an Herb Hall provided funds and efforts, and experienced medical cultivators offered guidance.

With beast tides raging and countless lives lost, such thankless work naturally came with high rewards.

Yinlan City, through Ci’an Herb Hall, sent news that all healers who came to aid would have the opportunity to embark on the path of medical cultivation, entering the Dao through medicine, striving for immortal destiny.

From healer to medical cultivator, though only one character difference, it represented an unbridgeable gap that countless mortal doctors could only dream of their entire lives.

Xiu Fu’s teacher at the medical hall believed this was a rare good opportunity, but she was too old and no longer had the energy to venture forth.

She asked her apprentices who was willing to go, saying she could write a letter of recommendation.

Healers were in short supply there, and qualifications were not an issue, but after a certain time, that might not be the case.

Li Xiu Fu returned home with this concern.

At this time, her entire family had moved to Shu City, settling there for three years.

Her mother and grandmother, having taken Vitality Solidifying Pills, had both recovered from their illnesses.

Not only were their complexions rosy, able to run and jump, they even looked healthier than ordinary people.

There was even a centenarian in Shu City who, pointing at her grandmother, chuckled, “Your face is one of longevity, a blessed person indeed.”

Zhu Xing’er’s family also moved to Shu City.

She wanted to persuade her parents to invest their family fortune in opening an inn in Shu City. The Zhu family was in chaos, chickens flying and dogs barking.

Xiu Fu’s family was acquainted with them and were now neighbors.

The old village head was very supportive of this idea, often cheering her on from across the wall, making Manager Zhu puff his beard and glare.

No one could sway Xing’er’s personality; her victory was only a matter of time.

And Xiu Fu also thought opening an inn was a good idea; in the long run, it would surely have a future.

But what about her? Where was her future?

Her mother’s and grandmother’s illnesses were cured; her worries were gone.

Xing’er had told her about her future.

She was open-minded, able to contain anything.

She saw opening an inn to make money, and she wanted to open an inn.

The main reason, actually, was to give her parents something to do so they wouldn’t always focus on her.

Once the inn was established and they were preoccupied with its affairs, she could then fly high and free like a bird.

She would get a herd of pack beasts and form a caravan, traveling north and south to trade.

‘Were cultivators amazing? Amazing, yes, but didn’t cultivators also need to eat, drink, excrete, and sleep? Didn’t they need all sorts of materials? Wouldn’t they still have to buy and sell from her?’

Xiu Fu looked at Xing’er’s proud demeanor, both happy and confused.

She had once been so reluctant to leave home, wanting to be with her family forever, never separating.

Her mother and father had only one daughter, and they valued her greatly.

But as she grew older and saw more, she found herself somewhat alarmed, realizing that her heart, like a grown bird, would one day have to leave the nest and fly away.

Her deep thoughts were first discovered by the women in her family.

Her mother said nothing, asked no questions, and treated her as usual.

But her grandmother couldn’t restrain herself. She was a very energetic old woman.

Despite her age, moving away from her homeland, she felt no discomfort at all.

She pushed her cart daily to the countryside to collect vegetables and pulled them to the city to sell before dawn.

Buying vegetables in Shu City was different from in the village, especially at the communal vegetable stalls.

Each stall had to display its prices.

If one was lucky enough to partner with some eateries or restaurants for delivery, itemized bills were definitely required.

Her illiterate grandmother encountered many obstacles.

The vendor at the next stall was somewhat exclusive, secretly mocking her to others.

She was furious and naturally defiant.

She couldn’t help but rub her fists, gnawing on her pen, and began to learn literacy from the beginning, bothering the old village head.

First things first, she needed to recognize all the numbers.

Her grandmother then took the literacy book and asked Xiu Fu, “Girl, what is this character?”

Xiu Fu looked. The character was very simple. She asked strangely, “It’s the character ‘人’ (rén, person), a stroke and a flick. Didn’t we learn it when we first learned characters?”

Her grandmother rolled up the book and tapped her head. “You also know it’s ‘rén,’ a person. What does ‘rén,’ a stroke and a flick, mean? Even a rough old person like me knows that people have two legs and can go wherever they want! What are you afraid of?”

Xiu Fu was the only child in the family.

Her grandmother didn’t know what Xiu Fu was afraid of, nor had she ever deprived her.

How had she developed such a hesitant personality, showing none of her youthful vigor? She was even worse than the little girl next door from Old Zhu’s family.

“They all say that grown children are beyond their mothers’ control, but you’re not even beyond control yet, and you’re already backing out. Do you think that when we sent you to cultivate immortality, you stubbornly came back? Now you’ve finally settled down in the pharmacy, made a name for yourself, and in a few years, you’ll be seeing patients. But now you’re going to risk danger, and your heart isn’t in it, is that right?”

Xiu Fu was hit home. She lowered her head, her dark braid falling onto her shoulder, looking wilted.

Her grandmother was both fond and annoyed.

She held her granddaughter’s hand and said loudly, “There’s a thought for every moment, a path for every moment. It’s true you came back, but now heaven favors you and gives you another chance. Why not go?”

She pressed Xiu Fu’s hand with some force. “It’s not for nothing, aren’t you going to work for others? You’re staking your life on it. What’s there to be sad about!”

Xiu Fu was persuaded.

And indeed, she wanted to go.

She also wanted to know what the difference was between a healer and a medical cultivator.

In the mortal world, one spirit stone exchanged for one liang of silver, which was very expensive.

Even in Shu City, not many families could afford it. No one could afford Elder Dan.

For any illness or disaster, they would still go to a medical hall to get medicine.

Those who were poorer would find a barefoot doctor and brew some herbs to get by.

Being a barefoot doctor could already save many lives, but for illnesses like her mother’s and grandmother’s, they were still helpless.

She studied medicine to save people.

If becoming a medical cultivator could allow her to save more people, then what reason was there not to go?

Li Xiu Fu carried her medicine box to the front lines, venturing through blood and back with the medical cultivators.

She learned many skills amidst the fires of war and gunsmoke, growing at a terrifying rate.

Her acupuncture skills brought countless people back from the brink of death.

Three years later, under the care of the medical cultivators, she took a beast core, drawing spiritual energy into her body, officially stepping onto the path of cultivation.

Then came the fourth year, when the entire Healer Alliance was deployed to aid the front lines, and the entire alliance went missing.

After emerging from the Eternal Night Forest, a black-robed woman came to Ci’an Herb Hall.

Her face seemed to be obscured by a secret art. Her cultivation was too low to see clearly or understand, but she only felt the cold aura around the other party, like a winter that had not melted for a thousand years.

Everyone in Ci’an Herb Hall was extremely respectful towards her, even trembling.

Even with her face veiled, they dared not look directly at her, entering and exiting while bowing backward, for fear of disturbing her.

Xiu Fu had never seen such a display, which showed that this person’s status must be extremely high.

Such a person meeting her, Xiu Fu should have been nervous, but for some reason, she felt nothing.

Perhaps it was because she had spent over four years in the Eternal Night Forest, being the longest-surviving person there.

She had personally seen off her predecessors and collected the heart-fire they left behind, gathering it into the rootless fire, growing through extremely painful costs.

She was so scared, day and night she was scared, until she was so scared that she was no longer scared. Her small heart had become a big heart.

The other party didn’t make things difficult for her, only asking her a few superficial questions, such as what exactly happened in the Eternal Night Forest, and who killed the Song family’s Spirit Transformation cultivator.

Xiu Fu indeed didn’t know about the Song family’s Spirit Transformation cultivator.

She hadn’t even realized that the self-detonator was a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

The benefit of low cultivation was that everyone seemed powerful to her. She didn’t even realize what kind of desperate situation she had been forced into.

“It should have been a male cultivator. I saw everyone thanking him, but I can’t remember what he looked like anymore…”

The black-robed woman was noncommittal; she didn’t say a word.

But Xiu Fu, under that aura, involuntarily began to recount the events of the Eternal Night Forest.

She, of course, knew that the core of resolving this matter was Su Qing. She recognized her, but she also knew that this could not be said.

She spoke out what she knew, without leaking anything, things that truly happened.

These things were real, and it wasn’t lying. She handled it very meticulously, not revealing any flaws.

But the black-robed woman dispelled her secret art, revealing a pair of eyes.

Xiu Fu had many patients and had seen many people and many beasts, but these eyes were the most beautiful she had ever seen in her life.

They were as dark as the night sky, as deep as a whirlpool, and in their pupils, a transparent, blue flame seemed to burn quietly.

She forgot everything.

Her spirit was seized by these eyes.

She only remembered her mouth moving, as if she had said something, but nothing came out.

The other party’s voice was cold as fresh snow in the forest, “Can’t speak? So, a restriction has been set… Interesting.”

When Xiu Fu came to her senses, the other party was already gone.

The person in charge of Ci’an Herb Hall came over, trembling with fear, and said, “The esteemed guest has left. According to the esteemed guest, the superiors will send more people to clean up the aftermath and oversee subsequent matters. If you don’t mind the legacy left by the medical cultivators, you can choose a portion for your own use.”

Li Xiu Fu was stunned for a moment.

She knew the test was over.

She had survived, and she hadn’t brought any trouble to Su Qing.

But where the next test would be, she didn’t know. She needed to be careful.

The beast tide was over.

Seven years had passed since she left home.

It was time to go back. But after the war, the wounded soldiers hadn’t fully recovered, and most of the healers here were gone.

She ultimately chose to stay and finish up before leaving.

Bayin asked, “Big Sister Su Qing, are you going to see her?”

Su Qing knew she couldn’t bring extra trouble to Xiu Fu. She feigned hesitation, shook her head, and said, “It’s been so many years. I’m not sure. She seems busy, so I won’t disturb her.”

They had already seen each other. Just a fleeting glance as they brushed past, very brief, not even a pause, yet it conveyed so much, for example: ‘I’m well, and I know you’re well too.’

They had both confirmed it. For people whose hearts were connected, words might even be superfluous. This much was enough.

Those who had formed a connection were not afraid of high mountains or long rivers, or complex human hearts.

They would surely meet again in the future.

Su Qing couldn’t help but pat Bayin’s shoulder, looking at this child between youth and adulthood, this sensitive yet very considerate child. “I have to go. You take care. We’ll meet again someday.”

Bayin frowned reluctantly, then heavily nodded, saying loudly, “Okay!”

The Sword School’s cloud boat once again landed near the Inner Subsidiary City, by the bank of the Pinghe River.

The students’ reactions varied. Some, relieved, rushed into the cloud boat.

Many others looked back at Yinlan City behind them, slowly walking inside.

After all, it was a place they had lived in for over four years; everyone had developed some feelings for it.

But the time to leave had come, allowing no room for melancholy.

As most people filed into the cloud boat, a crimson demon horse suddenly galloped from afar, kicking up a long trail of dust, like a streak of flame breaking through the silent horizon.

A dull yellow setting sun sank in the west.

The magnificent horse came to a sudden halt, positioning itself perfectly before the setting sun.

The dark figure atop did not dismount. Instead, he raised a horizontal flute to his lips.

The first note suddenly sounded, and a clear flute melody echoed in the silent air, crisp yet melodious.

The flute’s music flowed like spring water, rising ethereally, dancing with the wind.

Such imagery, coupled with such flute music, made one’s heart surge with emotion, lost in reverie.

Bai Ying’s eyes lit up.

His gossip-mongering heart soared.

It was a wonder how he could, after a few random glances in the crowd, pinpoint the plainly dressed, unremarkable Xiaocao.

But unexpectedly, the other party’s lips even curved into a smile.

He said with a tone of disappointment, “What are you smiling at? You can still smile?”

Jiang Xiaocao said strangely, “Why can’t I smile? Being liked is a good thing. I hope many, many people can like her.”

He watched the other’s figure gradually merge into the golden sunset, then suddenly stopped smiling.

Bai Ying couldn’t help but ask again, “Then why aren’t you smiling now?”

Xiaocao covered his chest, experiencing the complex, throbbing emotions within. He shook his head and said, “Because Su Qing told me I could be a little selfish.”

Yan Jin’s farewell flute tune, after receiving half a compliment from Tang Yueling, had no further sequel.

Su Qing returned to her room on the cloud boat, but she felt something was off.

Tian Ning was gone!

Yan Jin, farewell, Su Qing forgot it all.

She thought about Tian Ning’s recent behavior, somewhat anxiously, “Is this child going through a delayed rebellious phase?”

Saying strange things again.

Although she didn’t understand the term “rebellious phase,” Tang Yueling could still grasp the meaning.

She frowned speechlessly, “Are you her mother? She’s not as fragile as you think.”