Immortal Path Space

Chapter 19: Healing

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The sound of the retreat horn echoed from the rear, transforming the Chu Army's rear into the front as they slowly surged toward the city gates like a tide.

Seizing the advantage, the Qin Army pursued for a distance but gained little, suffering from a chaotic barrage of arrows from the city walls that inflicted considerable casualties. Retreating a few hundred steps, the Qin Army established a camp on the hillside.

Inside the central tent of the Qin Army, Chief Commander Ji Ru sat high above. His countenance was clear, with three long strands of beard on his chin, resembling more of a scholar. Two rows of officers stood below, each exuding a formidable aura. A burly man with a full beard and a sturdy physique stepped forward, saying, "General, why don't we take advantage of our momentum and charge into the city? With three thousand elite soldiers, we can break through the city gates."

"Big Bear, the general advised you to read more often. All you seem to know is eating. Did you stuff pork into your brain too? You want to lead three thousand soldiers to their deaths. Do these soldiers have some grudge against you? Did they sleep with your wife or desecrate your ancestors' graves?" A slightly shorter officer with an eight-character mustache mocked.

Enraged, the man called "Big Bear" exploded, shouting, "Short and Stubby, explain to me how I'm leading to my death and how I'm getting three thousand soldiers killed. If you can't make it clear today, we settle our differences outside the tent."

"War requires strategy; blindly rushing in is something a foot soldier does." The mustached officer calmly said, "Tiger's Lair City has about twenty-five thousand Chu Army troops, with nearly fifteen thousand being the elite Tiger Might Army. The rest are new recruits supported by various academies."

"Today, the enemy sent only seven thousand troops, mostly new recruits. The estimated defenders on the city walls are roughly seven to eight thousand. Where do you think the remaining ten thousand elites are?" The mustached officer asked mockingly.

"Big Bear" defended himself nervously, "Maybe they're resting in the city."

"Alright! Do you think, in the midst of the battle, the Chu Army's general would rather be defeated and let the elites sleep soundly in the rear?" The mustached officer retorted.

"Cough!" Chief Commander Ji Ru, sitting at the top, cleared his throat twice. Once everyone quieted down, he said, "In the next two days, reinforcements from various units will arrive. During these two days, we'll do our best to create siege equipment. When the time comes, we'll take down this city in one go." Afterward, he assigned specific tasks to everyone.

Wang Hong returned to his lodging at the third watch. The quarters were a large tent, accommodating fifty people, making it quite crowded.

Tonight, however, there were noticeably fewer people. About ten individuals were missing, probably lost forever. Those who were joking around earlier in the day were suddenly gone. Wang Hong felt uneasy about it.

The returning soldiers were either tending to wounds or already deep in sleep. Wang Hong sat in a corner, casually sprinkling White Jade Powder on the wounds around him. He then took a Dragon Tiger Pill, refining the medicinal power through cultivation.

In these months, Wang Hong had not neglected his cultivation, refining two elixirs daily. When he left the academy, he had just entered the innate realm. Now, his Lung Meridian was only two points away from completion, lacking only the closing of the Shao Shang points.

Before Wang Hong could fully refine all the medicinal power, he felt a few light taps on his hand. Opening his eyes, he saw Lu Jin Gou standing in front of him with an anxious expression. Lu Jin Gou's clothes were stained with blood and riddled with holes.

Seeing Wang Hong cease his cultivation, Lu Jin Gou urgently grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Wang Hong! Help! Help! Do you have any White Jade Powder or other healing medicine?"

Seeing that Lu Jin Gou didn't seem to be on the brink of death, Wang Hong teased, "Lu Jin Gou! Aren't you the one who always brags about being a hero? Turns out you're so afraid of death!"

"Ah! It's not me; it's Zhang Tie Mao!" Saying this, he pulled Wang Hong away, explaining Zhang Tie Mao's situation along the way. It turned out that Zhang Tie Mao's injuries were severe, and he was now unconscious. The army's medic had examined him, applied some medicine, and asserted that there was no hope of saving him. Even if he miraculously survived, one leg would be crippled.

After a fierce battle, the number of casualties was countless, and the cries of the wounded filled the air, awaiting treatment. The army's medics numbered only thirty or so, and the supply of medicinal herbs was severely insufficient. Not to mention the relatively precious White Jade Powder, even some inexpensive medicines were in short supply. Some wounded could only grab handfuls of grass or lime and sprinkle them on wounds to stop bleeding.

Before reaching the medical tent, they could already hear various painful cries. Those heart-wrenching screams were undoubtedly from newly injured soldiers. As for the old injuries, they either had no strength left to cry out or were well on their way to recovery.

The tent was filled haphazardly with wounded soldiers, some missing limbs, others with holes in their chests and abdomen. Some wounds had already rotted, emitting a foul smell that attracted a swarm of flies.

Zhang Tie Mao lay in a corner, his face pale, eyes tightly shut. His body was wrapped in bandages, many of which were stained red with fresh blood. Especially the bandages on his legs were soaked in blood, and Li Xiao Ya was tearfully trying to staunch the bleeding. Hua Wen Jue was busy cleaning wounds and applying bandages.

After a thorough inspection, Wang Hong understood that Zhang Tie Mao had likely lost consciousness due to excessive bleeding, and his leg bones were fractured. Quickly retrieving several bottles of White Jade Powder from his pocket, he instructed everyone to sprinkle it on Zhang Tie Mao's various wounds.

Then, from his pocket, he pulled out an exquisite small porcelain bottle, pouring out two pea-sized Medicinal pills. These were "White Jade Life-Extending Pills" refined from fifty-year-old White Jade Mushrooms. Although Wang Hong was using the "White Jade Life-Extending Pill" for the first time, he believed it should work for treating Zhang Tie Mao's injuries.

Opening Zhang Tie Mao's mouth, Wang Hong fed him one pill. The leg bones had already been set. The other pill was dissolved in alcohol and applied to the large wound on his leg. Soon, the previously bleeding wounds stopped oozing blood.

Observing this, Hua Wen Jue asked, "Wang Hong, how is your medicine so effective?" He had used a bottle of White Jade Powder on Zhang Tie Mao earlier, although the quantity was relatively small. This special White Jade Powder was custom-made, with the addition of some ten-year-old White Jade Mushrooms.

Wang Hong smiled mysteriously and said, "This is my exclusive recipe!" He didn't elaborate further, of course, not revealing that these White Jade Powders were mainly composed of White Jade Mushrooms aged two or three decades. He then pulled out a few more bottles of White Jade Powder from his pocket, distributing them to the others for future use. The group gladly accepted, having witnessed the effectiveness of Wang Hong's medicines.

Wang Hong also handed out some homemade Medicinal cuisine jerky to Li Xiao Ya, instructing her to tear it into shreds, boil it until soft, and feed it to Zhang Tie Mao. These jerky pieces contained a hundred-year-old Astragalus, which should help replenish his vitality and restore his strength.

Lu Jin Gou, smelling a rich aroma, approached with his nose twitching. "Wang Hong, you're the only one who knows how to enjoy. Is this another dish you made yourself?" Seeing him almost drooling, Wang Hong tossed a piece to him and gave one each to Hua Wen Jue and Li Xiao Ya.

Lu Jin Gou sniffed the jerky deeply in front of his nose, then took a small bite, savoring it carefully. After a few bites, he felt warmth in his stomach and quickly swallowed the remaining pieces. He thanked Wang Hong sincerely, then sat down cross-legged to cultivate.

The other two, initially surprised by Lu Jin Gou's peculiar behavior, soon caught on and, after finishing their portions, also thanked Wang Hong before settling into Meditation. Items that could increase cultivation were rare to come by. Although a single piece could only enhance their cultivation for about ten days, Wang Hong's willingness to share created a bond of gratitude.

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