"I’ve prepared the medicinal broth for the Painful Bee venom. Should I bring it in now?"
It was Chi Li.
"Come in." An Jin looked back at the entrance, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Before the man’s tall and handsome figure came into view, a fluffy, red-and-white fox tail appeared in her line of sight.
Chi Li carried a bowl of pale green medicinal broth to her side. His gaze swept lightly over the few Beastmen lying on the hay pile. The beauty mark under his fox-like eyes was somewhat bewitching. "I’ve encountered Beastmen stung by Painful Bees before, so I tried mixing this medicine. The effect is quite good."
"It’s for external use. Apply this broth to their wounds, and the swelling will go down quickly."
"I’m so glad you’re here."
An Jin took the medicine bowl from Chi Li’s hands, looking up to meet his gaze with a smile. ’It’s a good thing the clan has an SSR-level Witch Doctor, or this would have been much more troublesome.’
Chi Li’s eyes curved into a smile as well, his gaze resting on An Jin’s face. His handsome and delicate features revealed a hint of gentleness.
Though his lips were lightly pressed together and he didn’t speak, Chi Li inwardly enjoyed her reliance on him.
Working together, they applied the medicinal broth to the Beastmen’s wounds, making the process much faster.
The swelling on the Beastmen’s wounds began to go down at a visible rate. Once the venom was forced out of their bodies, the bluish-purple discoloration on their skin also faded considerably.
Two of the Beastmen in more serious condition started to experience itching.
An Jin had the Beastmen waiting outside fetch some Ice Stones from the cold storage and apply them as a cold compress to the inflamed and itchy areas on the two Beastmen’s bodies.
A profound look flashed in Chi Li’s eyes as he watched her bustling about.
When he had brought the medicine in earlier, the first thing he’d noticed were the immaculately clean wounds on the Beastmen.
He had encountered Beastmen stung by Painful Bees before, so he was well aware of how difficult it was to remove the Poison Needles from their bodies.
Treating a single injured Beastman had taken him a full day.
’To think that she...’
"If you’re tired, leave it to me. Go rest for a while. The Beastmen outside have already prepared food."
Chi Li looked at her pale cheeks, slick with a nervous sweat, and couldn’t help but remind her, a hint of displeasure coloring his features. "You’ve been on edge all day without even a sip of water or a bite to eat. Your body can’t take it."
"Okay."
An Jin didn’t try to keep pushing herself. She knew perfectly well how poor her current physical condition was. In any case, the most dangerous Poison Needles had already been removed, so she readily handed the remaining tasks over to Chi Li.
She lifted the door flap.
She found that it was already twilight, and the Beastmen were still pacing and waiting by the entrance.
The most noticeable among them was Gou Ni. Although she was terribly anxious, when she saw that An Jin was also pale and haggard, she hurried over, took her by the hand, and led her to a large rock to rest. "Ah Jin, that lunkhead Hu Che is tough as leather; he won’t die. But you absolutely can’t get sick!"
"...Don’t worry, I’m fine."
An Jin let out a laugh. "If your big, grumpy tiger heard you say that, how heartbroken he would be."
Gou Ni stuck out her tongue.
Although Gou Ni’s words were nonchalant, An Jin could still see the deep worry for her partner on her extremely anxious face. "Don’t worry, he’s fine too. All the Poison Needles have been removed, and he’s already been treated with medicine."
"It’s just that the inflammation on his body hasn’t completely subsided yet. Remember to give him his medicine on time for the next few days."
"Feed him plenty of good food to help him recover, but remember, no spicy food, seafood, or things like that."
Gou Ni carefully committed it to memory and nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, Ah Jin. I’ll keep an eye on that big mouth of his that eats anything and everything."
During their brief exchange, the group of Beastmen who had been standing guard by the entrance all gathered around, their expressions uniformly shocked. "Clan Leader! Are those Beastmen really okay?"
"The Painful Bee’s venom is extremely potent. In the past, Beastmen who accidentally touched them were poisoned to death—a lot of them. One of my own brothers, too..."
At this point, the Beastman’s voice filled with grief, as if an old memory had been stirred.
An Jin didn’t answer right away. Her voice was hoarse from not drinking water for so long. She looked toward the thatched hut. "Go wash yourselves off in the river. You can go inside and see for yourselves after."
She left them with that and walked away.
An Jin dragged her exhausted body back to the wooden cabin. Ling Hong was just coming out to find her. Seeing her state, he hurried forward, swept her into his arms, and strode quickly into the house. "How did you get so weak? I’ve made dinner; I was just about to come find you."
From within the man’s strong arms, An Jin weakly poked out her fluffy head, her jet-black eyes darting around.