A Desperate Plea and Unconventional Aid

Liuya stumbled through the narrow streets, her worn-out shoes already gaping with holes.

She clutched a few silver coins tightly in her embrace, coins she had received that very morning.

“Please, just let the old doctor save Lilith’s life…” Liuya murmured incessantly.

The old village doctor’s house stood in the heart of the village, a building erected only a few years prior, now meticulously kept.

However, before Liuya could even draw near, her path was abruptly blocked by a group of idle ruffians.

The hooligans, as she had feared, had arrived.

“Well, well, isn’t it the antlered monster?” The yellow-haired thug, their leader, bared a grin, revealing a mouthful of stained teeth. “Where did you get those silver coins? Don’t tell me you stole them?”

Liuya gripped the coins in her hand, her voice a hushed plea. “Don’t rob me, please. This money is to save a life…”

“Tsk, tsk, how pathetic,” another thug feigned a sigh, his expression swiftly turning menacing. “But you and your ‘friend’—worthless lives, undeserving of proper treatment! Now get lost!”

With those words, the group surged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. Liuya, slender and frail, was sent sprawling to the ground by a kick, the silver coins tumbling from her grasp. They rolled clinkingly to the yellow-haired thug’s feet, where he promptly stepped on them, before picking them up with a laugh and pocketing them.

“This paltry sum isn’t even enough for a bowl of hot wine for us!” The yellow-haired thug declared with a sneer.

“Give them back! I beg you, give them back… That’s Lilith’s life-saving money. I have nothing else besides these…” Liuya cried out, her voice raw.

“How many times do we have to tell you? If we see you here, we beat you, every single time…” the yellow-haired thug retorted.

Liuya curled up in the mud, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, desperately shielding her head with both hands.

“Don’t hit me anymore… I’ve given you all the money… Please, don’t bully me…” Liuya wailed mournfully.

“What’s wrong? Where’s all that stubborn strength today?” The yellow-haired thug mocked with a grin.

After all, Liuya usually fought to the bitter end, never begging for mercy, sometimes even cursing them while taking a beating.

Just as the thugs began to grow bored and let their guard down, Liuya abruptly sprang up, biting the yellow-haired thug’s face.

Her teeth, naturally sharper than human teeth, tore into his flesh, leaving his face covered in blood.

Seizing the moment before the thug could react, Liuya swiftly snatched back a few silver coins and fled in the opposite direction.

“Ah! You b*tch!” The yellow-haired thug shrieked in agony. “Chase her! Beat her to death, chase her down!”

The thugs snapped back to their senses, cursing loudly as they gave chase.

Liuya ran, glancing back over her shoulder, the shadows of her pursuers relentless, drawing ever closer.

Just as she rounded a street corner, she collided with Adrian, who had just emerged from Thomas’s house.

Adrian was quite adept at dealing with ruffians.

By now, he commanded considerable authority in the village; he needed no physical force, his mere presence and status sufficient to make the thugs cease their aggression.

Adrian knelt, using his sleeve to gently wipe the mud and bloodstains from Liuya’s face, then steadied her shoulder with his hand.

“Tell me, what happened?” Adrian inquired.

Liuya’s eyes were red and swollen, her gaze filled with a tumultuous mix of panic and guilt.

“My… my friend was stabbed… she’s dying…” Liuya stammered through gritted teeth.

She suppressed the anguish in her heart, articulating her desperate plea as quickly as possible.

Liuya feared that if she cried, her words would become incoherent, delaying critical aid.

Adrian furrowed his brow, his gaze falling upon Liuya’s antlers.

He scrutinized them intently, his mind racing with possibilities.

‘Is she a Dragon-kin? It must be…’

Adrian resolved to help Liuya.

“Where is she? We should hurry,” Adrian urged.

“In the forest,” Liuya replied.

Adrian helped Liuya onto the horse, then swung himself into the saddle.

He cast a contemptuous glance at the lingering thugs and called out, “Now, off with you.”

The yellow-haired thug and his men could only offer awkward smiles, nodding respectfully.

‘This time, the deer spirit got lucky. Next time I see her, I’ll make sure to beat her senseless,’ the yellow-haired thug thought, watching the horse disappear around the corner.

Adrian spurred the horse into a gallop, heading towards the forest.

Liuya clutched the fabric over her chest, taking deep, ragged breaths.

‘Please, don’t die, Lilith.’

Liuya, her eyes swollen like walnuts, turned her head to look at Adrian.

“My… my money, I don’t know if it’s enough…” Liuya whispered, clutching the reclaimed silver coins in her hand. “If it’s not, I can bring you more firewood a few more times…”

Liuya feared Adrian would demand payment upon reaching the dilapidated hut, refusing to help otherwise.

“I don’t charge for my services. Just focus on guiding me,” Adrian said, his voice calm.

Liuya’s eyes welled up, and she exhaled a long, shaky breath.

Her heart, so long suspended in dread, finally eased by half.

“Thank… thank you,” Liuya managed.

Despite still not daring to fully relax, she could at last straighten her back slightly against the wind.

Liuya’s grip on the saddle discreetly loosened, her palms slick with sweat.

The wind continued to howl, the horse to gallop.

And in that fleeting moment of relaxation, pain suddenly surged through her.

Liuya gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.

It was a dull, nerve-wracking ache, located on the outer side of her thigh, near her knee.

Only then did Liuya realize that at some point, her skin had broken there. The blood had likely long since dried, and the wind now made it sting with a fiery intensity.

She glanced down, noticing several tears in her clothes and trousers, mud and blood commingling and spreading down her knee.

Liuya remained silent.

She feared Adrian would notice, feared he would say, “Let’s tend to you first,” feared that precious time would be lost.

‘It’s nothing… just a small injury…’ Liuya told herself inwardly.

“After we save your friend, I’ll take care of your injuries,” Adrian stated.

Liuya froze for a moment.

Adrian had noticed all along, it seemed.

Observing Liuya’s frequent downward glances, he had surmised that the thugs had surely harmed the young girl.

The sound of hooves echoed along the forest path as the horse galloped swiftly, branches snapping in the stirred wind, mud splashing everywhere.

Liuya pointed ahead. “It’s there!”

Adrian pulled on the reins, and the horse whinnied, halting abruptly before a dilapidated wooden hut.

The roof was caved in, the door ajar.

Before he could even dismount, Liuya leaped off, her shoe sole twisting beneath her, sending her tumbling into the mud. Yet, she ignored the pain, scrambling towards the door.

“Annie! The physician is here!” she cried, pushing the door open and rushing inside.

Annie was kneeling on the ground, pressing a torn cloth to Lilith’s abdomen, the fabric already soaked with blood.

Lilith lay motionless.

Seeing Liuya enter, Annie merely sat there, stunned and unresponsive.

“Is she… already dead?”

Annie offered no reply.

Liuya’s mind went blank for a moment, and her memories of time spent with Lilith began to flicker like a magic lantern in her mind.

“…”

“There’s still a chance.”

Adrian’s calm voice pulled Liuya back from her chaotic thoughts.

“Don’t just stand there stunned. I need someone to boil water, someone to…” Adrian commanded, issuing instructions.

He shed his long robe, tossing it aside, then began rummaging through his small bag for tools.

Liuya pulled Annie up, patting her face to bring her back to her senses, urging her to assist Adrian.

They found a mat and carefully placed Lilith upon it.

Lilith was pitifully small, unconscious, the white fur on her face having lost its luster, her complexion now tinged with blue.

Blood seeped from a stab wound on her abdomen.

Liuya’s eyes were rimmed with red, but she bravely held back her tears, standing by with a lamp.

She forced herself to trust Adrian and to avert her gaze from Lilith’s face.

“This is a bit tricky; I’ll have to use unconventional methods…” Adrian muttered to himself.

He rolled up his sleeves and retrieved the instrument he had previously used to draw blood from the boy and the Evil Seeds from his small bag.

Adrian hesitated for a moment.

Somehow, Ilisia came to his mind.

He remembered promising Ilisia that he would never give his blood to anyone else.

‘I’ll explain it to her later…’

Adrian did not hesitate for too long. He drew a vial of his own blood, then shook the instrument, and discharged the blood onto the ground.

He rapidly repeated this action several times, finally drawing another vial of his own blood.

The new vial of blood quickly changed color within the instrument’s container.

Adrian took a deep breath, gently lifted Lilith’s slender arm, selected a prominent blue vein, and inserted the needle. The discolored blood slowly infused.

Lilith instinctively trembled slightly.

He withdrew the needle and placed it on a cloth by the fire to sterilize.

Shortly after, Adrian drew several more vials of his own blood, discharged them, and the final draw of blood, once again, changed color.

This time, he inserted the needle into Lilith’s thigh muscle, injecting at a slower pace.

At this moment, Annie placed the boiled water nearby, covering her mouth as she watched Adrian with a puzzled expression.

Liuya, too, observed Adrian’s strange actions.

Neither of the girls spoke.

They could only pray that this physician from the order was a normal person, not some charlatan performing evil rituals.

If he wasn’t a normal doctor, the two girls had no other recourse.

Once the injections were complete, Adrian finally looked up, pulling out a small knife.

He heated the knife, rinsed it with water, and then wiped it dry.

Subsequently, Adrian skillfully cut away the dead flesh around the wound’s edges, carefully pushing a few strands of exposed intestinal lining back inside.

He did not delve too deeply, only cleaning the superficial layers.

Blood began to well up again.

Adrian wiped the small knife, then directly cut his own finger, squeezing out blood to apply to Lilith’s wound.

Upon touching the wound, his blood immediately changed color and simultaneously coagulated, causing the wound edges to contract instantly.

“Water, another basin,” he said in a deep voice.

Annie promptly brought the water forward.

Adrian shook the blood from his hand, then used a hot cloth to once again clean Lilith’s wound, ensuring no foreign matter remained, before retrieving a silver needle from beside the fire.