Back in the apartment, Chen Mian turned on the light and placed the girl on the sofa. Only then did he notice that the skin around her wounds was covered in fine cracks, as if it could shatter at any moment.
A chilling aura lingered at the edges of the wounds. It subtly wriggled when it touched his palm, then quickly recoiled as if burned.
Chen Mian frowned. This aura was very strange; even though he had traveled almost all over the Continent of Cecia, he had never encountered such peculiar energy, which seemed alive.
What had this dragon girl encountered to end up like this? If he forcefully exorcised it in her current state, she might die before it was fully removed.
But in her current condition, the girl couldn't hold on much longer. This strange energy was likely draining her vitality. Only the robust physique of the dragon race allowed her to endure this long; it was hard to say if she'd survive until tomorrow if left untreated.
He should ask Louise for help. Her life magic should be able to stabilize her vitality, and he could also help eliminate some of the eerie energy.
Chen Mian carried the girl upstairs to Louise's door and gently tapped it twice with his foot.
Soon, the door opened. Louise, dressed in pajamas, rubbed her eyes groggily and looked up. “What is it, Chen Mian? Miss me?”
When she saw the girl in Chen Mian’s arms, she paused for a moment, instantly becoming much more alert. “You didn’t sleep all night and went out picking up people?”
“Yeah, found her in the forest. It’s probably related to whatever’s happening there.” Chen Mian stepped into the room, placing the dragon girl gently on the floor. “She’s severely injured and needs treatment. There’s a very strange energy inside her, and if we don’t remove some of it, she might not make it until tomorrow.”
Louise was already kneeling beside her, carefully examining the girl’s injuries. A dense ball of green mana appeared in her hand, enveloping the girl. “You need me to help sustain her life, right?”
“Yes. Without your help, forcefully removing that energy would only make her die faster.” Chen Mian nodded and extended his hand toward the girl’s wound.
“Let’s begin then!” Louise’s voice became serious for once. The life mana in her hand flowed rapidly, continuously mending the girl’s injuries.
Fine golden threads of mana appeared at Chen Mian’s fingertips, slowly seeping into the girl’s wound, flowing toward the black energy.
The black energy instantly grew frantic, continuously assaulting the girl’s wound. Fortunately, Louise’s life mana firmly locked down her vitality.
“This thing seems to be alive,” Chen Mian said with a frown.
“Yes, I see it,” Louise said, surprised, as she watched the black energy writhing within the wound. “It keeps trying to evade your energy.”
Chen Mian’s mana threads restrained the black energy, slowly peeling it away from the wound. The moment it left the wound, the black energy instantly dissipated.
During this time, the girl’s body twitched slightly in pain, and her wounds continuously broke apart and reformed. Louise maintained her output of life mana throughout.
A moment later, Chen Mian’s hand finally moved away from the girl’s chest wound. A dense mass of black energy appeared in his palm, pulsing and striking against the mana that confined it. “This is it.”
“I’ll examine it and see what it is.” Louise took out a transparent bottle and handed it to Chen Mian. However, just as he was about to put it in the bottle, the black energy suddenly let out a shriek, then vanished into thin air.
“It dissipated on its own…” Louise said with some regret.
“Yes, it’s my first time seeing something like this,” Chen Mian nodded. “Every one of her wounds is covered in this energy, making them impossible to heal, and her condition is still worsening.”
“Alright, let’s remove it from one more spot. We’ll wait until she recovers a bit before tackling the rest, otherwise, she might not endure it,” Louise nodded, then reached out to adjust the girl into a side-lying position.
Soon, with Chen Mian and Louise’s help, the black energy in the girl’s back wound was also removed.
Only then did a little color return to the girl’s face. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and her breathing became steady.
“Finally done,” Louise stopped, sighing as her tone returned to normal. “Waking me up in the middle of the night to work, what are you going to do to compensate me?”
“How do you want to be compensated?”
“Hmm… let’s put it on tab for now,” Louise mused, her expression turning mischievous. “I’ll tell you how to compensate me once I’ve thought about it. No backing out, okay?”
“Alright~” Chen Mian agreed with a smile, then paused before saying, “Your pajama strap has come undone.”
Louise looked down. The tie had come loose at some point, revealing her fair skin and one shoulder.
She tied it back without a change in expression, then said languidly, “Seen enough?”
“You didn’t tie it properly.”
“Then why are you only telling me now?”
“I was treating her.”
“Oh~ so you took a few glances while treating her, did you~” Louise nodded, winking at him with a smile. “Was it nice to look at?”
“I shouldn’t have reminded you.”
Chen Mian stood up, saying helplessly, then walked out of the room. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back with a smile, pointing at the dragon girl on the floor. “Changing her clothes is also up to you.”
“Chen Mian, are you treating me like a maid?” Louise muttered, looking up indignantly.
“Flora, Loviki, and Luolin are all asleep, so… do you want me to change her?” Chen Mian said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“…Fine, I’ll do it.” Louise reluctantly nodded. “Remember to get me a refrigerator to dismantle tomorrow.”
“Alright~ Thank you for your hard work, Miss Louise.” Chen Mian nodded and returned to his room.
Louise watched Chen Mian’s retreating back, a slight smile curving her lips. She then walked to the wardrobe, pulled out the clothes she’d bought today, and carried the dragon girl into the bathroom.
Soon, carrying the now-dressed girl, she found an empty guest room, placed her on the bed, closed the door, and returned to her own room.
The apartment returned to quiet once more.
...
The next morning
When Louise opened her door, she saw a refrigerator placed right outside.
Smiling, she put the refrigerator into her wooden box and went downstairs.
“Good morning, Louise.” Flora’s voice drifted from the sofa, where she sat holding a book.
“Good morning~ Flora.” Louise walked downstairs. Her gaze drifted through the window, and she saw Chen Mian, Loviki, and Luolin standing by the lake, with many demi-human villagers busy working on the farm nearby.
Luolin held a wooden sword, and Loviki was speaking while adjusting her posture with her hands.
“So I was the last one to wake up?” Louise retracted her gaze and shrugged.
“Because Louise was called to help last night and needed more rest, we didn’t make any noise,” Flora said with a smile. “That dragon girl seems to be out of life-threatening danger now.”
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