Chapter 480: Uncle Nine (1)
It was a run-down house, and its wooden door squeaked in the wind.
Ah Ke showed Shen Yanxiao and the Vermillion Bird into the house. The room was dimmed; the only hint of sunlight was the light that peeked through the door and window.
“Uncle Nine! Uncle Nine!” Ah Ke called out.
An old man with a limp walked out slowly with a crutch. His wrinkled face looked weather-beaten, and his squinted eyes made him look aged.
“Why are you shouting, punk? I am not old enough to be deaf yet.” Uncle Nine scoffed at Ah Ke and turned his misty eyes toward Shen Yanxiao and the Vermillion Bird.
“Uncle Nine, I’m just anxious about this urgent matter.” Ah Ke laughed nervously as he stretched his head.
“Who are those two kids?” Uncle Nine asked.
Ah Ke replied at once, “Uncle Nine, I feel so sorry for these two kids here. They were out with their family for business, but while they were on their way, they encountered some bandits. They accidentally wandered away from their family and managed to walk to our village in that confusion. You must help these kids, Uncle Nine.”
Shen Yanxiao tried her best to make up a plausible excuse for her and the Vermillion Bird. It was a good thing that Ah Ke believed her and relayed the same information to Uncle Nine.
Uncle Nine sighed when he saw those frail-looking kids, who seemed as if they would topple in the wind.
“You poor kids. Go ahead and find a place to sit down. I will get you some food. It’s late now, and our village is the only place for you to stay around here. We’ll see if your family will turn up. Otherwise, I’ll find a way to send you home tomorrow.”
Shen Yanxiao was surprised by Uncle Nine’s words. Ah Ke told her that Uncle Nine was not only the village head, but he was also the only doctor there. Shen Yanxiao had expected him to be quite shrewd. However, he seemed to be as simple-minded as the other villagers.
He did not ask her for more details. The old man bought their story, just as Ah Ke had. It did not look as if Uncle Nine would ask her more questions about it.
If she had not heard about the setback that the Cave Wolves Mercenary Group had suffered there, she would never associate the people in the village with danger.
“I have asked Old Ba to get some food for them. Look at them, Uncle Nine, they’re so skinny. They must have suffered greatly while they were on their way here,” Ah Ke said with great concern.
“Of course. It must not have been easy for them to encounter such things at such a young age,” Uncle Nine said.
Ah Ke continued with a smile, “While I’m here, Uncle Nine, perhaps you can take another look at the wound on my back to see how it has healed? It has been quite itchy for the past few days.”
Uncle Nine nodded his approval.
So Ah Ke took off his shirt to reveal his strong and well-toned upper-body.
Shen Yanxiao was surprised to see a huge and hideous purplish-red wound on his back.
The wound was so big that it almost covered the entirety of Ah Ke’s back. Even though it had scarred, one would still be shocked at the sight.
Uncle Nine examined Ah Ke’s wound. When he noticed ShenYanxiao’s stunned expression, he said, “This may look scary to you. Ah Ke accidentally fell and skinned his back some time ago. If you’re afraid of how this looks, you can sit here for a while. Come with me, Ah Ke. I will apply more medicine to your wound. You should be fine after that.
Then, Uncle Nine brought Ah Ke to another room to treat his wound.