Treatment

“We had no choice but to lock the door, fearing she might run out again and hurt herself.”

Bai Xuan nodded slightly without speaking, gesturing for him to continue.

“Since then,” Jesse’s voice dropped even lower, “the young lady has completely changed. She is like a child of just a few years old, completely oblivious, just sitting there blankly.”

“Sometimes she has moments of clarity, but she acts completely crazed, hiding from anyone she sees.”

Bai Xuan's heart stirred.

“What about the guards who accompanied her at the time?” Bai Xuan suddenly asked. “Did they not say what exactly happened during the monster tide?”

Believing Bai Xuan wanted to understand the situation to prescribe the right remedy, Jesse nodded and shared everything he knew.

“The guards' report stated that the monster tide was highly unusual. It didn't seem like a natural occurrence, but rather like someone was controlling it from behind the scenes.”

“One of the guards was killed by a Shadow Imp while protecting the young lady. Although the remaining two worked together to slay the Shadow Imp, the young lady had already suffered a massive shock.”

Bai Xuan did not respond.

From beginning to end, the guards' report made absolutely no mention of his existence.

The person who had been disemboweled by the Shadow Imp and rose from the dead, the person who had caused Julia to scream in terror, was treated as if he had never existed in that monster tide.

Standing at the doorway, he glanced into the room.

The room was extremely dim, with heavy curtains blocking out all light.

A thin, small figure could be vaguely seen curled up in the corner of the bed.

Edmund stood by the door, gazing gently at the figure. He was filled with anxiety, yet he did not dare to step forward and disturb her.

The decorations in this room had clearly been chosen with great care.

Pale pink silk curtains hung down, and the vanity table was adorned with exquisite porcelain vases and several ivory combs.

A hand-painted landscape hung at the head of the bed, depicting a girl in a white dress standing among flowers with a gentle smile.

But at this moment, these exquisite items had all met a disastrous fate.

One side of the curtains had been torn down, hanging askew from the curtain rod. A porcelain vase from the vanity had shattered on the floor, its fragments scattered everywhere, yet to be cleaned up.

On the wooden surface of the nightstand, several deep nail scratches were shocking to behold, carrying a hint of the bizarre.

The girl curled up in the corner of the bed had disheveled blonde hair tangled together, obscuring most of her face.

Her clothes were torn in several places, exposing her thin shoulders. With her head bowed, her hands tightly clutched something as she mumbled to herself, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.

With her back to the doorway, she had shrunk into a tiny ball.

The bed was clearly the work of a master craftsman, with intricate patterns carved into the headboard. The pale purple gauze canopy, which should have been elegant and flowing, was now in ruins.

Instead, the gauze was torn to shreds, hanging messily over the edge of the bed.

Edmund stood by the door, hesitant to take a single step inside. He merely stared at the curled-up figure, his lips twitching, but ultimately, he said nothing.

Bai Xuan slowly took a few steps closer, and the girl's voice gradually became clearer.

It was not normal conversation, but a soft, sometimes urgent muttering, as if she were talking to someone invisible.

“Here are two gold coins for you, let's go play together... Why aren't you saying anything? Hurry up and get up...”

She slightly raised her hand, pushing the item she clutched forward, as if offering it to someone in front of her.

“Here is a gold coin for you, let's go out and play together! Say something!”

Before she could finish, her voice suddenly turned sharp and piercing.

She began to tear wildly at her clothes, her fingers clawing at her collar and pulling it down, her sharp nails scratching bright red marks onto her collarbone.

In the next second, her hand loosened, and the object clutched in her palm fell onto the bed.

Bai Xuan looked closely and saw a doll sewn from coarse cloth. It was misshapen, its facial features blurry, and the stitching was so crude it looked like the work of a child.

Only on the doll's back were two similarly crooked pieces of cloth sewn on, resembling wings that had been broken, exuding a sense of desolation.

Bai Xuan stared at the doll, his heart stirring inexplicably as he caught a vague inkling of something.

Seeing this, the maid nearby rushed forward to embrace the girl, firmly pinning her arms to stop her from hurting herself further.

“My lady! The master is here, and the master is here too. Please don't do this...”

But Julia did not hear her at all, continuing to struggle desperately.

The maid was quite strong and held her tightly in her arms, finally managing to stabilize her movements. Consequently, the girl's face turned toward them.

Bai Xuan finally saw her face clearly.

She was emaciated beyond recognition, her cheekbones protruding sharply, her chin pointed enough to prick someone, and her lips dry, cracked, and completely devoid of color.

Those eyes, which had once sparkled like gems, were now dull and lifeless, her pupils dilated like two bottomless voids.

Her hands and legs were covered in wounds—fresh, bleeding scratches alongside newly healed scars, row upon row, like marks carved into her skin, shocking to behold.

Seeing Bai Xuan look at the doll, the maid explained in a low voice, “The young lady has been like this ever since she returned from that village.”

“She sewed this doll herself. We don't know whose likeness she based it on. We only know she always likes to clutch two gold coins and talk to the doll.”

Bai Xuan's gaze remained on the broken wings on the back of the doll, and he remained silent.

He couldn't help but recall the Julia White he had seen in Klara Village half a month ago.

At that time, she had sat in her carriage with exquisite makeup and neat, luxurious attire.

She would lift her chin slightly when looking at others, her eyes carrying a touch of spoiled pride that was nonetheless not entirely offensive.

In both speech and action, she exuded the elegance of a noble lady—a temperament cultivated through a lifetime of careful rearing.

But what about now?

Bai Xuan quietly released his mental power to sweep over her, and several status tags immediately popped up on the panel in his mind: Schizophrenia, Confusion, Panic.

There was no curse, no poisoning, and not even a trace of magical interference.

This was clearly not a problem that magic could solve.

A self-taught Healer like him could treat physical wounds and dispel curses, but he was completely helpless against the chaos deep within a person's heart and psychological trauma.

Then again, did this world even have psychiatrists?

He suddenly recalled the side effect of Pain Empowerment.

It would amplify emotions, and excessively amplified emotions were enough to drive someone mad.

But what if emotions that were already in a chaotic mess were subjected to this effect? Perhaps they would be suppressed by another intense emotion...

Two negatives make a positive; fighting fire with fire might actually work.

Bai Xuan turned to look at Edmund and said in a low voice, “I will try, but I can't guarantee success.”

Edmund nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with urgency and anticipation.

Having made his decision, Bai Xuan took a step forward.

At that moment, Julia suddenly stopped moving.

She remained curled up in the corner of the bed, but she was no longer shaking as she slowly raised her head.

Her gaze slowly traveled up from Bai Xuan's feet, passing over his white robe, scanning the staff in his hand, and finally resting on his face.

She stared quietly at Bai Xuan's face, completely motionless, as if a freezing spell had been cast on her.

Her originally dilated pupils gradually contracted, and a glimmer of light reconvened in her dull eyes.

The gold coins clutched in her hand slipped through her fingers and fell onto the bed, but she remained completely oblivious, her entire being unnaturally quiet.

Standing behind them, Edmund felt a sudden surge of hope when he saw his daughter grow quiet.

The people from the church had been helpless after two visits, yet Bai Xuan had only taken a single step forward, and Julia already showed such a change.

He looked at Bai Xuan's back, his eyes carrying a bit more conviction.

Standing to the side, Jesse also nodded inwardly, feeling glad that he had indeed not misjudged the man.

But Bai Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and he wondered in surprise, Did she just recover like that? Just that easily?

He quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If she really recovered like this, then this Starlight Wood would essentially be obtained for free.

Julia stared at Bai Xuan for a moment, her lips parting as if she had something to say, but in the next second, she suddenly let out a sharp, ear-piercing scream.

“Don't come over here!”

She snatched the doll from the bed and scrambled back as hard as she could into the deepest corner of the wall, her body shaking like a leaf, her eyes filled with terror.

Bai Xuan recalled that in the church of Klara Village, when he had saved Julia, she had also screamed “Don't come over here” just like this.

He had not expected history to repeat itself so precisely at this moment.

Standing at the doorway, Edmund looked from his daughter cowering in the corner of the bed to Bai Xuan, his face turning pale and dark in turns as his hopeful heart was instantly doused in cold water.

She had clearly quieted down just now, so why did she suddenly become like this again...

Just as Edmund was about to ask, Bai Xuan let out a soft sigh first.

That sigh was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent room. The words at the tip of Edmund's tongue were swallowed back down, and he could only gaze at Bai Xuan with inquiring eyes.

“Sir?” He ultimately could not help but speak, his voice trembling slightly.

“Julia... can she still be cured?”

Bai Xuan remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly, “Just now, I used a small trick to make her temporarily lucid for a moment, but the effect has already worn off.”

His gaze swept over Julia, who was cowering in the corner of the bed, and then turned back to Edmund, his tone serious. “However, I now have a rough understanding of where her problem lies, and I have a method of treatment.”

“But I am not sure if it will succeed. It might cure her, or it might make her condition even worse.”

Edmund fell into silence.

He looked at his fragile daughter in the corner of the bed, then thought of the brief moment of quiet when she had stared at Bai Xuan just now.

He had not seen that kind of quiet for half a month.

The people from the church had visited twice, both times shaking their heads and saying there was nothing they could do, and the common physicians they hired were equally helpless.

Only Bai Xuan, by merely standing there, had elicited a reaction from Julia.

After a moment, he raised his head, his gaze turning firm. “Very well, treat her. No matter the outcome, I am willing to try.”

Bai Xuan glanced at him and nodded slowly.

“Then you all must step outside first.”

Edmund was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to make such a request.

Bai Xuan's tone was flat, yet it brooked no argument.

“If you stay here, I cannot concentrate on the treatment. Furthermore, my healing methods cannot be shared with outsiders.”

Edmund's expression changed slightly. He glanced at his daughter in the corner of the bed, then at Bai Xuan, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, wishing to remain by his daughter's side.

“I...”

“If you insist on staying,” Bai Xuan interrupted him, his tone not softening in the slightest.

“Then I will leave right now. In any case, I am only trying, and there is no guarantee of success. There is no need to force it.”

The words at the tip of Edmund's tongue were ultimately swallowed back down.

He stared at Bai Xuan for a long time before finally nodding in compromise. “Very well, we will go out.”

He turned and walked out, but as he reached the doorway, he couldn't help but stop and look back at Julia once more.

She was still curled up in the corner of the bed, tightly clutching the doll, her body trembling continuously.

Edmund clenched his fists, suppressing the reluctance and worry in his heart, and gently pushed open the door to step outside.

Jesse, standing behind him, silently followed. Before leaving, he cast a complicated look back at Bai Xuan, but ultimately said nothing.

Bai Xuan waited until they had completely left the room before calling out toward the doorway, “No matter what sounds you hear, do not enter.”

“If the treatment is interrupted midway, she might never be able to wake up again.”

Outside the door, Edmund's footsteps paused slightly. He did not turn around, but gave a soft grunt of assent as a response.

The door gently closed before him, sealing off two different worlds.

The hallway fell silent. Edmund stared intently at the closed door, his hands clenching unconsciously.

Jesse stood beside him, opening his mouth to say something to comfort him, but in the end, he said nothing and simply accompanied him in silence.

Inside the room, Bai Xuan slowly turned around, his gaze falling upon the girl curled up in the corner of the bed.

Julia was still shaking, her entire body tightly huddled against the base of the wall, her face buried deep in her knees, her hands clutching the doll in a death grip.

She was still muttering something in a low voice, her words indistinct, as if she were praying.

Bai Xuan stood in place, watching her quietly for a moment.

He had no secret healing method; he had merely vaguely sensed that she seemed to be deeply mired in fear, and the source of that fear was likely himself.

Faced with such a situation, he had no better solution for the moment, and could only try to test his luck with a form of shock therapy.

He walked slowly to the side of the bed, stopping two paces away from her, neither drawing close enough to alarm her nor staying too far away.

“Do you still remember Klara Village?” he spoke softly, his tone devoid of emotion.

“And that person in the village church.”

Hearing this, her body suddenly stiffened, and then she began to shake even more violently than before, as if a deeply buried nightmare had been abruptly awakened.

Bai Xuan waited in silence for a few seconds. Seeing that she did not respond, he continued.

“The one you treated as a toy, the one you insisted on buying from the priest.”

Julia peeked out with a single terror-filled eye from behind her knees, casting a swift, stealthy glance at him before immediately shrinking back.

“That Shadow Imp,” Bai Xuan's voice remained calm, yet it carried a force that pierced straight to the heart.

“It killed me.”

These words were like a clap of thunder. Her body instantly went rigid, and immediately afterward, a sharp, shattered scream burst from her throat.

“I didn't mean to!” Her voice was high and trembling, so cracked it was almost tuneless.

“I only wanted to take you with me, to bring you home... I never wanted to hurt you!”

“It was that monster! It killed you... It ripped your stomach open!”