Chapter 132: Gay Guy, Two Seriously Ill Patients

“Does your dad still keep in touch with that person?”

“At first, yes, but later… not anymore…” Bian Kuang’s expression suddenly tightened. “It was after you were confirmed dead that they stopped contacting each other. Xiaoxi, that person was definitely after you!”

“Mm. If you can, keep an eye on them for me. I’m afraid they’ll reach out again in the future, but if it’s not possible, just forget it.” Bian Changxi said, “By the way, how did they confirm I was dead?”

“Heh, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gu Xu stopped looking for you. People just assumed you were really gone.”

“Hahaha…”

The three of them chatted away, and before they knew it, dawn had arrived. It wasn’t the autumn equinox yet, so the days were still longer than the nights. The sky was already turning pale before five o’clock. Bian Changxi urged the other two to get some sleep, since it was obvious they hadn’t slept all night. They dozed off on the sofa for a bit, and as soon as the curfew lifted at 5:30 and people started appearing on the streets, they tidied themselves up and headed out.

“Xiaoxi, I’ll head home to freshen up first. I’ll come back soon to take you out.”

Bian Changxi thought for a moment. “It’s fine if you come a bit later. I still have some things to take care of. Let’s meet at the entrance of the villa district; I’ll wait for you there.”

After seeing them off, Bian Changxi went back to her room to wash up and change. She put on a fitted, dark-colored outfit—narrow-cut clothes and pants, a low-brimmed hat, tall leather boots, a pure black pistol at her waist, a brand-new black backpack on her back, and in her hand, a beautifully decorated purple-red Tang sword. Her steps were light but steady as she walked downstairs.

Wu Dalang, who had already come out of his room and was wheeling himself around the living room, looked up and was stunned. “Miss Bian, this outfit…”

“What? Is it inappropriate? Or are weapons not allowed on the street?”

Wu Dalang shook his head. “No, no, you look very heroic. It suits you. It’s the right look.” Although keeping a low profile is usually safer, Bian Changxi’s situation was different. She was, in a sense, a minor celebrity now, and apparently a highly sought-after talent. In the apocalypse, many powerful people and factions would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. While Gu Xu could keep most of them in check, Bian Changxi’s own strength was also crucial. That’s why she dressed so sharply.

There are ways to live low-key, and ways to live high-profile. The best way is the one that solves problems and avoids trouble. She wanted anyone with designs on her to think twice.

Wu Dalang glanced at her sword, his eyes lighting up with admiration. “That’s a fine blade, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know much about swords, just that this one works well.” Bian Changxi handed him the Tang sword, took off her hat, tossed her backpack onto the sofa, and sat down on the armrest next to him. “How’s your leg?”

Wu Dalang was running his hand over the cold, sharp blade, looking delighted. Most men love weapons, especially those who’ve spent years fighting with blades and guns, sometimes trusting their lives to their weapons. Their attachment runs deep.

He paused at her question and set the sword down. “Much better than at first. The wound’s healed, but I still have to be careful bending it. Some areas of my lower leg have lost feeling.”

“Let me take a look.” Bian Changxi sent out a thin vine, wrapping it around his thigh to sense the injury. “You’ve been getting daily wood-type healing, right?”

Wu Dalang looked a bit embarrassed. “My leg was badly swollen and the wound was festering. I saw a lot of doctors, but only the wood-type ability users could help, even if just a little.”

Bian Changxi nodded. That was what she expected.

“All those Western doctors, even Lu Shaoyang, said amputation was the only option. The Chinese medicine doctors were useless, and the other wood-types didn’t help much either,” Qiu Yun said as he ran down the stairs. “Miss Bian, do you have a way to cure Old Wu?”

Bian Changxi looked up to see Qiu Feng and Qiu Yun had both come down, with Gu Xu following behind, watching her. She withdrew the vine and said, “There’s a way, of course, but he…” She looked at Wu Dalang, who quickly said, “Just call me Old Wu, everyone does.”

“Your name really is a mouthful,” Bian Changxi muttered. “Old Wu’s leg, mainly the femur, still has a gap left by a spatial blade. It looks healed on the surface—even an X-ray wouldn’t show it—but the gap is still there. If left alone, it’ll be a huge problem in the future.”

Gu Xu nodded. “I can sense it too. What should we do?”

“The original method was right—gradually wearing down the gap each day would eventually get rid of it. But the problem is, it’s been so long that things have gotten complicated. It also seems the wound was damaged again at some point, and the bone wasn’t set properly when it was reset. Now, Old Wu’s bone is…” She thought for a moment. “It’s grown crooked. When you bend your leg, does it feel like the direction of force is weird, and it’s getting harder and harder, even though the pain is less?”

Wu Dalang nodded repeatedly. She was even right about the wound being damaged again. There had been many dangers on the road, and though he couldn’t help much, he didn’t want to hold everyone back. Once, the vehicle he was in got knocked over, and by the time the team regrouped, it was too late. He kept quiet, but Qiu Feng eventually noticed, and they had an old Chinese doctor reset the bone.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Bian Changxi continued, “To fully heal his injury, the bone needs to be broken and reset exactly right. But his overall health isn’t great, so I’ll need to nurse him back to his best condition first. Whether to break the bone first or do the healing first, I’ll need to consult some experts. I also need to research the best way to break and reset the bone. Finally, to improve the success rate, I’ll need to reach Tier 3 first. That way, I’ll be much more confident. I can’t say how long that’ll take.”

Maybe a few days, maybe a month or two. Advancing in rank is unpredictable—some people break through suddenly, others die trying. Bian Changxi wasn’t a rookie; she could feel she was close to the threshold.

“Is there anything I can do?” Gu Xu asked.

Bian Changxi had already thought it through. “I want to consult Lu Shaoyang about a few things. Also, if possible, I’d like to meet Su Chensi.”

“Lu Shaoyang is no problem,” Qiu Feng said after thinking for a moment. “We can probably arrange a meeting with Su Chensi too.”

“Uh…” Seeing the look on their faces, Bian Changxi suddenly remembered that the Su family in Sucheng had a big feud with Gu Xu, and Su Chensi was probably from that family too. Very likely, Qu Shangjin and the Su family were related, and Su Chensi was working for him. She added, “If it’s too much trouble, we can find another spatial blade user.”

“Even with the same ability, different people have differences,” Gu Xu said. “It’s not a big deal, no need to switch.”

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but smile. As expected of Gu Xu—he knew exactly what she was up to. She wanted to study Su Chensi’s spatial blade, run a few more tests, and figure out how to counter that deadly, silent flying blade.

After all that, Aunt Zhao had finished making breakfast. Bian Changxi looked around. “By the way, where’s Shadow?”

He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, and he’d gone to bed early the night before. Even with all the commotion from Bian Kuang, he hadn’t come out. She had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, everyone’s expressions turned somber. Gu Xu said, “We were going to wait until after breakfast to tell you, but… come with me.”

Bian Changxi followed him to Shadow’s room.

She suddenly understood why, out of everyone, Wu Dalang and Shadow were the ones living on the first floor. Wu Dalang had mobility issues, but Shadow couldn’t move at all.

She saw a rigid, barely human figure on the bed. His skin was dark and purplish, and he gave off a sour, rotten smell, like decaying flesh.

“Ever since he was struck by the mutant snake, he’s been poisoned. The flesh on his back has rotted away piece by piece, and we could only cut away the dead flesh as it appeared, until there was nothing left to cut.” Gu Xu paused here, his jaw tight, as if he couldn’t bear to go on. Bian Changxi stepped closer to look. Shadow was lying face down, his ribs completely exposed, even his internal organs visible. The remaining bits of flesh and fat were twisted into grotesque lumps and cords—it was a horrifying sight.

She’d known he’d been hit by the mutant snake, but she hadn’t realized it was this bad.

“We tried everything. In the end, only a combination of medicine and wood-type healing barely stabilized him, but the toxins soon spread throughout his body.”

“The toxin rots the flesh as a way of expelling itself. As the rotten flesh leaves the body, so does the poison. If you don’t let it out, it just spreads inside,” Bian Changxi said.

At that moment, Anan came in from outside. “Captain Gu, Liang Ziyin is here.”

Liang Ziyin? Bian Changxi raised an eyebrow. That name sounded familiar.

A person came in carrying a work bag, and she suddenly remembered—wasn’t this the captain of the team she’d joined after leaving school in her previous life?

But unlike her memories of a stern, cold, and imposing figure, this person was all smiles and humility, greeting everyone and bowing here and there. When he reached Gu Xu, he was especially respectful, and seemed to sneak a glance at Bian Changxi. “Captain Gu, should I treat Mr. Wu or Mr. Song first today?”

Gu Pei had somehow appeared beside Bian Changxi and whispered, “This guy is a Tier 2 wood-type. Brother Qiu Feng picked him out of many candidates to treat Brother Wu and Shadow. Sometimes he even accompanies my brother to important or dangerous events.”

Bian Changxi turned to look at him. Why was he telling her this specifically?

Gu Pei looked at the man, who was smiling in a rather fawning way, and gritted his teeth. “I really can’t stand this guy. He’s always staring at my brother.”

“Pfft!” Seeing everyone turn to look at her, Bian Changxi quickly covered her mouth and waved her hands, then glared at Gu Pei. Seriously? Was he implying what she thought he was?

Well, there had been rumors in her previous life that Liang Ziyin was a bit… bent.

Gu Pei looked frustrated, leaned in, and whispered, “My brother and the others are completely clueless about gay guys. No matter how I hint, they don’t get it. Can you help me figure out if that’s what’s going on?”

At that moment, Wu Dalang said, “I don’t need any more treatment.”

Thanks to angel~Yinjie for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Wo Ai Lingyang for another pink ticket!

Did you feel tricked? The content is a bit different from the title, isn’t it?

Does the plot feel a little off-track? I just wrote as I liked, so maybe it’s a bit of a detour. Next chapter, we’ll get back to the main story."