Ferocious Bandits

"Your reflexes are quite sharp, but your cultivation is too poor."

Jian Liang glanced briefly at Pu Liao, then turned his gaze to Chen Fei and Physician Song. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he said, "I hope I didn't frighten the two of you. These are extraordinary times, so you'll have to forgive any offense."

"Aren't we here to see a patient? What is the meaning of this..."

Physician Song looked at Jian Liang and the two figures who had just appeared atop the courtyard wall, asking with a panicked expression.

Chen Fei's brows furrowed tightly as he scanned the surroundings for a possible escape route, but a moment later, he couldn't help letting out a silent sigh of self-deprecation.

There was no escaping. Every conceivable path of retreat was quietly blocked off by Jian Liang. With Chen Fei's current strength, attempting a forced breakout would likely yield a result no better than Pu Liao's.

Judging by Jian Liang's actions just now, he was absolute-ly a ruthless and cold-blooded character. This trip was truly perilous.

"We are indeed here to see a patient, but this friend's reaction was simply too strong, leaving me no choice." Jian Liang spread his hands. "Gentlemen, please."

Physician Song's hands and feet trembled slightly. He was merely an ordinary physician; when had he ever laid eyes on such a battle array? Chen Fei stepped forward, supporting Physician Song as they walked into the courtyard.

Jian Liang tilted his head toward Pu Liao's direction, and immediately someone came over to haul Pu Liao up, dragging him into the courtyard along with them.

"We ran into some trouble, and my brothers sustained a few injuries. As long as you can patch them up, your consultation fee will be paid in full, and not a single hair on your heads will be harmed."

Stepping into the main hall, they found numerous wounded men lying about on the floor, the stench of blood rushing straight into their noses. This was the exact smell Pu Liao had caught earlier that tipped him off to danger, but alas, it had already been too late.

"You must keep your word," Physician Song said, trying hard to maintain his composure.

"When it comes to our lifesavers, we still have that much credibility."

Jian Liang grinned broadly. "However, that is on the condition that you actually heal them. If you cannot cure them, then you can't blame us!"

Physician Song's expression stiffened. He didn't dare look at Jian Liang any longer, walking straight toward one of the injured men. Right now, his only thought was to treat these people quickly so he could get the hell out of here.

As the resident physician of Qingzheng Medical Hall, Song Miao's medical skills were exceptionally good. After merely a brief assessment of the wounded man's condition, he formulated a treatment plan.

He turned and murmured a few instructions in a low voice to Chen Fei, leaving Chen Fei to apply the medicine to the patient while Song Miao moved on to examine the next injured man.

As the two of them worked in tandem, the occasional groans echoing through the main hall gradually subsided, and the expression of Jian Liang, who stood watching from the side, grew considerably more pleasant.

Pu Liao leaned back against the wall, taking in everything before him with eyes full of chilling malice. Fearing he might be noticed by the others, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, his teeth clenched so tightly they ground together, revealing the turbulent state of his mind at that moment.

In no time at all, the dozen-odd wounded men inside the hall had been dressed in medicine. With their pain now eased, their faces could not help but reveal traces of smiles.

Song Miao wiped the sweat from his forehead, a slight sense of relief washing through his heart. The injuries of these men were all quite similar, mostly inflicted by blades, so the difficulty of treating them was actually not very high.

Any random medical hall in Pingyin County could likely have healed these people.

Yet the identities of this crowd before them were presumably unmentionable to the authorities, making them utterly too terrified to venture into Pingyin County. Thus, they had no choice but to resort to such tricks, luring a few people here to treat them.

"The physician's hands truly work miracles! On behalf of all my brothers, I thank you!"

Jian Liang's face was already wreathed in smiles; gone was any trace of his previous bloodthirsty menace.

"You flatter me." Song Miao waved a hand dismissively. "May we take our leave now?"

Song Miao didn't even bother asking about the consultation fee; at this point, his sole desire was to depart this place safely.

"No rush. There is still one more person who needs treatment. Follow me, both of you."

Jian Liang strode forward. Song Miao glanced at Chen Fei and let out an involuntary sigh—matters were not over yet after all. Chen Fei remained silent, continuously calculating the worst-case scenarios in his mind as he prepared for a desperate breakout.

Entering the back courtyard, they found that the area had clearly been tidied up, appearing much cleaner and neater. There were even servants bustling back and forth; judging by their attire, they must have been refugees.

"Big Brother, the physician is here."

Stepping into a bedchamber, they found a man lying flat on a bed, flanked by several others who glared fixedly at the two newcomers with burning gazes.

It felt as though the slightest hint of trouble would prompt them to pounce and slaughter the pair on the spot.

"Heal my big brother, and you may leave. All of this will be yours as well." Jian Liang pointed to the silver ingots resting on a nearby table. At a rough glance, there was no less than a hundred taels of white silver.

Such a consultation fee was definitely exorbitant, but earning it might well cost them their lives.

And the reason Jian Liang had made Song Miao treat the others first was likely because he didn't trust Song Miao's medical prowess. Only after everyone else was healed did he lead Song Miao and Chen Fei here.

Left with no room for refusal, Song Miao stepped forward to take the patient's pulse. A moment later, his brows drew together into a slight frown, filled with hesitation.

"What? You can't cure him? If you can't cure him, you die!"

One of the men at the side spoke in a deep voice, a violent and oppressive aura washing over them that startled Song Miao so badly his wrist jerked, nearly causing him to stumble.

"I can cure him, I can cure him." Song Miao wiped the beads of sweat from his brow and lowered his voice. "This gentleman differs from the others outside; he has suffered internal injuries, and quite severe ones at that. To make a full recovery, ordinary herbs won't suffice. He must take healing pills along with them."

"That being the case, why are you hesitating?"

"I don't have any healing pills on my person."

Song Miao said with a bitter expression. Since he had left the city today to provide free medical care to refugees, he had only brought ordinary medications with him. The kind required to treat martial artists were all kept back at the medical hall.

"So you're saying you can't treat him right now, is that it!"

The voice grew chillingly cold. They knew what healing pills were, but after the recent battles, they had already exhausted their entire stock of pills. Send someone to buy them inside Pingyin County?

Right now, the guards at the city gates of Pingyin County were inspecting everyone with extreme strictness; refugees couldn't get in, and people of dubious identity like themselves would find entry nearly impossible. Besides, whether healing pills would even work was something only Song Miao claimed—nobody knew for sure.

Perhaps his medical skill was simply lacking, and he was using the shortage of pills as an excuse to stall. If so, they might as well just kill him outright to prevent any leaks of their whereabouts.

"Let me think, let me think!"

Song Miao's body trembled involuntarily as the undisguised killing intent radiated from the men around him. If his answer failed to satisfy them, he reckoned the next moment would bring the flash of falling blades.

"Physician Song, I have healing pills here."

Chen Fei stepped forward and retrieved a bottle of pills from his waist pouch. These were precisely the healing pills he had test-fired a few days prior, right after his Healing Pill mastery reached Proficient Level.

Their quality was average, but they were more than sufficient for treating injuries. Chen Fei hadn't bothered to sell them, which was why they remained in his possession.

Song Miao wore a startled expression before breaking into great joy. He hurriedly snatched the pill bottle, handed it directly to Jian Liang, and said, "Administer this with warm water, and once I apply acupuncture, his condition will improve."

Jian Liang sniffed the pills—they were indeed healing pills without a doubt—and proceeded to feed one into the mouth of the man on the bed.

Song Miao produced his silver needles and began driving them one by one into the patient's body. In barely the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the man on the bed coughed loudly, spitting out a mouthful of stagnant dark blood, and his complexion visibly improved.