Bright sunlight seemed to fast-forward through the dim dawn, turning dazzlingly bright, almost glaring.
Yu Hong stared blankly at the scene before him, his mind groggy, his body feverishly hot.
He was already weak, and after staying awake all night, his condition had worsened.
Now that the immediate danger seemed to have passed, he finally lost control, collapsing onto his side and lying on the ground.
“Are you okay?” Little Stutterer blew out the candle and was carefully putting it back in the cluttered corner. When She turned around, She saw Yu Hong lying on the ground. Startled, She hurriedly rushed over.
Feeling his burning hot body, she quickly fetched some water, filtered it, and poured it into his mouth in a rush.
After giving him water, she rummaged for medicine. She had acquired some from Dr. Xu and promptly fed it to Yu Hong.
Though Yu Hong was aware of her help, his body was too weak to respond.
The white stone, cold and refreshing, absorbed much of the heat, making Yu Hong feel significantly better.
As comfort began to return, Yu Hong couldn’t resist the pull of sleep and slipped into unconsciousness once again.
This time, he slept deeply, entirely unaware of the passage of time.
In a hazy state, he eventually regained a slight sense of awareness, unsure how much time had passed.
“It’s the fourth day. His fever has gone down, so he doesn’t need more medicine,” came Doctor Xu’s voice. She seemed to be standing by the bedside, lightly touching Yu Hong’s forehead.
The faint sensation tickled him, but his weak body left him unable to raise a hand to scratch the itch, so he let it fade on its own.
“Once… more…” stammered the little stutterer’s voice.
“There’s no need. You’ve already traded everything you could. There’s not much left to exchange. The post office hasn’t received supplies for ages, and I’m running out of antibiotics,” Doctor Xu refused.
“No, must… more!” the stutterer insisted. “Back then… you… same!”
At these words, Doctor Xu fell silent.
“True. If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve died on the roadside long ago, my bones probably gnawed clean by monsters. Fine, I’ll trade you one last dose. But this is it—no more!”
“Okay! I’ll give you food!”
A rustling sound followed.
“This isn’t enough. According to our previous exchange rate…” Doctor Xu said helplessly.
“Forget it. Just take it. This is the last time. Really, you should stop trying to save people. We’re struggling to survive as it is.” Doctor Xu sighed.
“Thanks,” said the stutterer gratefully.
“All right, I’m off to check on Old Yu. Don’t bother seeing me out,” Doctor Xu said. Her voice faded with retreating footsteps, followed by the sound of a door closing. The room fell silent. ṚáΝꝊBЁș
Weakly, Yu Hong opened his eyes to see the stutterer’s grimy, dark face by the bedside, holding a wooden bowl filled with some unidentifiable black mush.
She scooped some of the mush with a spoon and brought it to Yu Hong’s mouth.
Without resistance, Yu Hong ate the mush spoon by spoon, lying on an elevated pillow, his face pale and yellow.
One fed while the other ate. Gradually, they emptied the bowl.
Yu Hong licked his lips, finding himself oddly savoring the mush’s taste.
“Is there more?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes!” The stutterer’s eyes lit up with pure joy as she hurried to prepare another bowl of mush and continued feeding him.
Though it filled him somewhat, the mush seemed too low in energy, and his long period of fasting left him weak. After finishing the second bowl, he still felt hungry and asked for more.
The stutterer eagerly brought a third bowl. Finally, after eating, Yu Hong felt somewhat full. The cool, refreshing mush brought a comforting warmth to his belly and restored some of his strength.
“How long was I asleep?” he asked, looking at her.
“Four days,” she said, holding up four fingers and flashing a yellow-toothed smile.
“Thank you,” Yu Hong said earnestly.
He knew that without her care, he would have likely succumbed to his illness during his fevered unconsciousness.
Glancing at the ominous and perilous world outside, he realized that survival in such a place was impossible without someone’s help. Alone, he doubted he’d last a day.
He resolved to repay this debt of gratitude in the future. As a capable man, he believed he could one day outdo the stuttering girl in skill and resources.
“No problem,” the stutterer said cheerfully.
She stood up to fetch more water for Yu Hong but struggled to scrape together even a small cup from the little jar.
“I’ll go to the well to fetch water,” she said, gesturing to Yu Hong.
“Wait for me. Don’t open the door or window for anyone, no matter who knocks,” she warned seriously.
“Got it,” Yu Hong nodded solemnly.
With that, the stutterer took the jar and dashed out the door.
The air inside, thick with mildew, made Yu Hong uncomfortable, but he recalled her advice. Breathing in some mold spores was better than exposing himself to the dangers outside.
More importantly, he remembered the white stone in his pocket, the one he had tucked away before losing consciousness.
Curiosity and anticipation filled him as he reached into his pocket, pulled out the stone, and examined it closely.
The white stone had changed. Its previously darkened parts had returned to a pure white, now resembling jade with a faint sheen. Even the red symbol etched into it had become more intricate and vivid, its strokes more defined.
‘Is this an upgrade?’ Yu Hong wondered.
To confirm his suspicion, he retrieved an unused white stone from a pile of supplies and compared the two. The differences were striking—the upgraded stone looked significantly superior, with a far more complex symbol.
‘This enhancement feels like a level-up,’ he thought, intrigued.
Carefully tucking the enhanced stone away, Yu Hong returned to his bed. Though the fever was gone, his body remained weak, and even minor movements left him dizzy and fatigued. His back injury felt numb, leaving him uncertain about its condition.
Suddenly, the door rattled with knocks.
“Who’s there?” Yu Hong asked, alert.
“It’s me, Doctor Xu. Is Yi Yi there?” a familiar voice called from outside.
“She’s not here,” Yu Hong replied.
“I’ve brought her medicine. I’ll leave it by the door. Make sure she gets it when she returns,” Doctor Xu instructed.
“Okay,” Yu Hong agreed.
The faint sound of footsteps receded, and quiet returned.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Hong slowly stood up, steadying himself on the bed, and made his way to the door. The medicine was too valuable to leave unattended—it needed to be brought inside immediately.
Gripping the doorknob, he hesitated, recalling the stutterer’s warning not to open the door under any circumstances.
Peering through the crack below the door, he froze.
In the sunlight filtering through the gap, a shadow stood still outside the door.
Someone—or something—was silently waiting for him to open it.
‘This isn’t right,’ Yu Hong thought, his body tensing.
Quietly releasing the doorknob, he stepped back to the center of the room, gripping the enhanced white stone in his pocket.
That voice—identical to Doctor Xu’s—had nearly tricked him into opening the door.
Terror and relief washed over him as he realized how close he had come to danger. His eyes stayed glued to the door crack, unwilling to look away.
The shadow eventually shifted and moved away quietly, as if it had realized its trick had failed.
Even as it left, Yu Hong remained on high alert. His chest heaved with heavy breaths as he cautiously approached the window to confirm the threat’s departure.
Peeking through the wooden planks covering the window, he scanned the outside.
His heart nearly stopped.
A face—Doctor Xu’s—stared back at him, expressionless, through the gap.
(End of this Chapter)