Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Evening approached after dinner, and darkness began to set in.

As had been the custom over the past few days, patients would usually stay in their rooms at this time — and if they weren't compliant, Auntie Mary had her ways of ensuring they were.

However, the wards seemed a bit vacant tonight since Xie Yin Xue, Su Xun Lan, Chen Yun, Lv Shuo, and Xiao Si Yu were all absent.

Su Xun Lan had been "upgraded" to VIP status and moved into a premium single room; Chen Yun was punished by being assigned toilet cleaning duties, with Lv Shuo and Xiao Si Yu joining him to help. Xie Yin Xue, on the other hand, was taken by Bu Jiu Zhao to tend to his wounds and had yet to return.

Although it was said to be wound treatment, Xie Yin Xue felt that Bu Jiu Zhao was merely taking advantage of the situation.

The two left the recreation room and headed to the operating room on the second floor. Xie Yin Xue lay on the bed, his clothes partly undone. Bu Jiu Zhao leaned over him, casting a shadow over the younger man. As he lowered his head, he was abruptly grabbed by the hair.

Xie Yin Xue questioned, "What are you doing?"

Probably only Xie Yin Xue dared to yank his hair like that, but Bu Jiu Zhao remained unflustered, responding seriously, "Treating your wounds. I'll lick them clean."

“……”

Pausing for two seconds, Xie Yin Xue replied with equal gravity, "That's not treating a wound."

"It is," Bu Jiu Zhao insisted, giving his own example, "When I used to get hurt, that's how I'd treat my wounds."

Xie Yin Xue raised an eyebrow, "Are you a dog?"

At this, a hint of hurt flashed across Bu Jiu Zhao's face, "I'm genuinely concerned for you, and you call me a dog?"

"Did my words wound you?" Xie Yin Xue remarked with a teasing glance. Releasing the grip on the man's hair, he caressed his cheek, his voice dripping with sultry undertones, "Do you want me to lick it better for you?"

Bu Jiuzhao nodded, saying seriously, "If I were injured, it would be like this."

"You're nothing but a lecherous dog." Xie Yinxue sneered, then scolded him again, "Hand me the gauze. I'll handle it myself."

Bu Jiuzhao: "?"

How did he get labeled as a lecherous dog?

Bu Jiuzhao felt completely innocent. He had no indecent intentions towards Xie Yinxue whatsoever. Before he started practicing his cultivation, he would lick his wounds to heal. Only after learning some magic did he meditate to heal. By then, he rarely got injured, and over the millennia, he had long forgotten the pain of being wounded.

However, now, looking at the gashes on Xie Yinxue, especially the bloody hole in her right palm where even the bone was shattered, it felt as if the injury was on him, causing a faint pain.

He fetched a few clean rolls of gauze from the medicine cabinet and handed them to Xie Yinxue. Seeing the young man wrapping his wounds calmly, he couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't it hurt?"

Xie Yinxue smirked, whispering, "It does hurt quite a bit."

The deeper he ventured into the instances, the less he could use his special techniques. Otherwise, the suppression of the eternal life rules combined with the backlash from his fragile body would torture him to a fate worse than death.

"But she wants to see snow, so why shouldn't I indulge her?"

What Bu Jiuzhao detested most in his life was the icy snow, yet he had fallen for someone named "snow" who loved watching snow. Sometimes he felt so resentful that he wanted to bite Xie Yinxue, just like now, "You want to watch it because she does. What's so special about snow?"

However, after the harsh words, Bu Jiuzhao took the last roll of gauze and wrapped it around Xie Yinxue's right hand. In the end, he pinched the young man's fingertips and snorted disdainfully, "You just touched her hand. Your hands are dirty now."

"Yes, yes, I've let you down." Xie Yinxue said with a smile, without any genuine remorse.

Bu Jiuzhao asked, "Then what?"

Xie Yinxue replied, "Nothing more."

Bu Jiuzhao: "?"

Xie Yinxue added, "I've already apologized, haven't I?"

The implication being, what more do you want?

Bu Jiuzhao felt that Xie Yinxue's behavior was influenced by the Bu Medical School. That Dr. Bu, despite being a healer, only made patients worse. If he continued to indulge Xie Yinxue's behavior, the young man might one day dominate him.

So, with a frown and a stern face, just as Bu Jiuzhao was about to reclaim some authority, he heard the young man appease him, "How about I promise you something in return?"

Bu Jiuzhao really didn't want to be placated so easily, but this was the first time Xie Yinxue had made a promise to him.

Therefore, two seconds later, Bu Jiuzhao asked, "Anything I wish for?"

"Yes. As long as it's within my power, just say it, and I'll make it happen." Xie Yinxue slid off the operating table, standing barefoot before Bu Jiuzhao. Looking up into his ash-gray eyes, reminiscent of burned out embers, she spoke with a vow's gravity, "So, think carefully about what you want."

It felt to Bu Jiuzhao as if those cool yet passionate eyes pierced straight into his heart, causing it to momentarily skip a beat, perhaps in elation at the young man's vow. Unbeknownst to him, the corners of his lips slowly turned upward, "It's almost winter outside. Does it snow where you live?"

By 'outside', did he mean the real world?

Xie Yinxue nodded, informing him, "Yes, it does."

And because it's on a mountain, with its high altitude and low temperature, the snow makes it even colder than in most places.

Bu Jiuzhao scoffed, "Why live in such a wretched place?"

“……”

Xie Yinxue raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to why Bu Jiuzhao had shifted to a topic unrelated to their previous conversation. But Bu Jiuzhao showed no inclination to explain, instead placing the heavily bandaged Xie Yinxue into a wheelchair and pushing him towards the ward, "It's getting dark. Let me take you back to your room."

Unexpectedly, as they stepped out of the operating room, they saw Zheng Shu, Mu Yujin, Jie Qingmei, and several other nurses heading towards the wards.

Zheng Shu inquired, "Have your wounds been treated?"

Xie Yinxue waved his bandaged right hand in acknowledgment.

"Then let's head to the ward together." Zheng Shu clicked his tongue and added with a hint of innuendo, "Bian Yuchen mentioned he wants to share a secret with all of us. He's asked us to gather outside the ward."

What kind of secret could Bian Yuchen possibly have?

Zheng Shu wasn't particularly interested in the secret itself, but he was curious about what else Bian Yuchen had to say.

The other nurse participants heading to the ward felt the same way.

After all, the situation tonight was incredibly intricate.

Last night, none of the patients took their medication, so tonight, they would all enter the "injured" phase. Given the circumstances, the nurses, out of mistrust and self-preservation, were already hesitant to continue administering medication, especially when there was an unidentified patient, Huli, wandering the hospital who would enter the death phase, yet no one knew when or how he would die. But all patients refusing medication was not an option either — without it, they would all collectively enter the death phase the following evening, on the sixth night, and wouldn't survive to see the seventh day. On that final day, where would the nurses find a patient to assist them in completing their therapeutic task?

Therefore, at least one patient needed to make it to the seventh day.

Most of the nursing participants believed that Xie Yinxue should be the patient to make it — after all, he seemed to be the most capable of surviving until the seventh day.

So, even if Xie Yinxue did nothing tonight, a horde of nurses would rush to provide him with medication.

"Here," said Zheng Shu, particularly proactive this evening. As soon as he arrived at the entrance to the ward, he handed over the sleeping pill to Xie Yinxue and then puzzledly watched Bu Jiuzhao's retreating figure. "Why is that doctor always around you?"

He even cast him a cold glance before leaving.

Xie Yinxue replied honestly, "He thinks I look appetizing."

Zheng Shu: "…?"

"He wants to eat you?"

"Yes, it's on his mind every day."

Zheng Shu: "..."

That doctor doesn't look entirely human; a cannibalistic fetish wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

And knowing Xie Yinxue's nature, he's the type to brazenly roam around someone even if they mean him harm. Besides, Zheng Shu had seen it before — when everyone else was huddled in the battleship, Xie Yinxue had already made his escape with his group.

As Zheng Shu and Xie Yinxue conversed, Mu Yujin approached, "Mr. Xie, here's the medication for tonight from Liuhua."

Xie Yinxue nodded, accepting the medicine on Liuhua's behalf.

After the discreet handover of the pill, both Zheng Shu and Mu Yujin quickly stepped back, ready to make a swift exit if the situation turned sour.

As space cleared around Xie Yinxue, Lin Yue hesitantly approached, "Mr. Xie, I’m so grateful you exposed Huli's lie yesterday. I've wanted to repay you... Do you have medication? If not, take mine. Also, Huli will be entering his death phase tonight. I... don't want him to find me. Could you help me?"

The daytime scene where Xie Yinxue forcibly controlled Su Xunlan was startling to them, most of whom had only witnessed shootouts. So, Lin Yue believed Xie Yinxue was formidable enough to help her elude Huli. After all, by giving her medicine to him, she essentially handed over her last defense for the night. By rights, Xie Yinxue should assist her.

However, Xie Yinxue gently refused, "I already have medication."

"Oh? You already got some?" Lin Yue sounded slightly disappointed. "Then, what should I offer if I want your help?"

"You…"

As Xie Yinxue stared at her, contemplating his response, his words were drowned out by Bian Yuchen's announcement, "I've called everyone here tonight to confess a secret and to ask for everyone's assistance in a matter."

Zheng Shu, who had long suspected the secret, casually responded, "What secret could you possibly have?"

Bian Yuchen smiled gently, "I am the one Dr. Bu referred to—the nurse who lost his sanity in the previous instance."

Almost every patient participant was already aware of this, so there wasn't much surprise on their faces. The first reaction from the nurse participants might be slight annoyance—upset with Bian Yuchen's deception. But on further thought, Bian's concealment didn't really affect them much. Until now, the biggest victim had been Hu Li. Shouldn't he be the most furious? So, when Bian Yuchen finished speaking, their immediate reaction was to turn and gauge Hu Li's expression.

And Hu Li did not disappoint. His face was so dark, it looked like it could seep ink suitable for the writing tools at Qingshan Mental Hospital.

Xiang Fei rubbed her arm, casting wary glances at the ever-volatile Hu Li, before asking Bian Yuchen, "What do you need our help with?"

"It's simple," Bian Yuchen said, his smile becoming even warmer, "I'd like you all to distribute the sleeping pills to all the patients here, excluding Hu Li."