Healing Injuries

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of gongs signaling retreat echoed from the rear. The Chu Army's rear guard became the vanguard, surging back towards the city gates like a receding tide.

The Qin Army pursued for a short distance but gained little advantage. Instead, they suffered casualties from the volleys of arrows and crossbow bolts fired from the city walls. After retreating a few hundred paces, the Qin Army set up camp on a hillside.

Inside the Qin Army's central command tent, the Qin Army's commander, Ji Ru, sat high on his seat. He had a clear complexion and three strands of long beard on his chin, making him appear more like a scholar.

Two rows of officers stood below, each exuding an imposing presence. A burly man with a full beard and a powerful build stepped forward and said, "General, why don't we press our advantage today and charge into the city? With just three thousand elite soldiers, I can lead the charge through the city gates."

"Big Bear, the General told you to read more often, and you just know how to eat, don't you? Did you stuff pig's head meat into your brain? You want to rush to your death and take three thousand soldiers with you. What grudge do those three thousand soldiers have against you? Did they sleep with your wife, or did they dig up your ancestors' graves?" At this moment, a shorter officer with a mustache and a pointed beard sarcastically taunted him.

The man called "Big Bear" was so enraged he leaped to his feet, his eyes bulging. He roared, "Shorty, you explain yourself clearly. How am I rushing to my death, and how am I leading three thousand soldiers to their deaths? If you can't explain it today, you and I will settle this outside the tent."

"Warfare requires brains. Only knowing how to charge blindly is something for common soldiers," the mustached man said slowly. "Huju City has approximately twenty-five thousand Chu Army soldiers, with nearly fifteen thousand being the elite Huwei Army. The rest are new recruits from various academies."

"And today, the enemy only sent out over seven thousand men, most of whom were new recruits. Rough estimates suggest only seven to eight thousand are left on the city walls. Where do you think the remaining ten thousand elite soldiers are?" the mustached man asked with a hint of mockery.

"Big Bear" retorted with a hint of guilt, "Perhaps they are resting in the city."

"Alright! So you believe that during a battle, the Chu Army's general would rather lose the battle than let his elite soldiers sleep soundly in the rear?"

"Cough, cough!" At this moment, the Qin Army's commander, Ji Ru, sitting at the head of the table, coughed twice. After everyone quieted down, he announced loudly, "Our army's reinforcements will arrive in the next two days. During these two days, we will do our best to construct siege equipment. Then, we will take the city in one fell swoop." After speaking, he assigned specific tasks to each person.

Wang Hong returned to his quarters at the third watch. His quarters were a large barrack room, housing fifty men, making it very crowded.

However, tonight it was much emptier, with about ten fewer people. They were likely never to return. The men who were bragging and joking in the morning were gone in an instant, leaving Wang Hong feeling heavy-hearted.

Those who had returned were slumped over, some tending to their wounds, others already fast asleep. Wang Hong sat down in a corner, haphazardly sprinkled some White Jade Powder on his wounds, and then took a Dragon Tiger Elixir, beginning to circulate his energy to refine the medicinal properties.

Wang Hong had not neglected his cultivation these past few months, refining two elixirs daily. He had only just entered the Xiantian Realm when he set out from the academy. Now, Wang Hong's Lung Meridian only lacked the Yuji and Shaoshang acupoints to be fully unblocked.

Before Wang Hong could fully refine the medicinal power, he felt someone lightly pat his hand. Wang Hong stopped his cultivation and opened his eyes, seeing Lu Jingou standing before him with an anxious expression. Lu Jingou's clothes were stained with blood and riddled with large and small holes.

Seeing Wang Hong cease his cultivation, he quickly stepped forward, tugged on Wang Hong's sleeve, and anxiously asked, "Wang Hong! Help! Help! Do you still have any White Jade Powder or other healing medicines?"

Wang Hong saw that he didn't look like he was dying from his injuries and teased him, "Lu Jingou! Aren't you always bragging about being a hero? So you're still afraid of death!"

"Oh! It's not me, it's Zhang Tiemao!" Saying this, he pulled Wang Hong along. On the way, he explained Zhang Tiemao's condition to Wang Hong. It turned out Zhang Tiemao was severely injured and had already lost consciousness. The army physician had taken a look, applied some superficial medicine, and declared he wouldn't survive. Even if he was lucky enough to live, one of his legs would be crippled.

After the battle, countless people were injured, and the cries of the wounded filled the air, all waiting for treatment. There were only twenty to thirty army physicians in total, and the supply of medicinal drugs in the army was severely insufficient. Let alone precious healing medicines like White Jade Powder, even some cheap ones were not enough. Some of the wounded could only grab a handful of grass ash or quicklime and sprinkle it on their wounds to stop the bleeding.

Before they even reached the wounded soldiers' camp, they could hear various agonizing screams. The heart-wrenching screams were definitely from the new casualties, while the older casualties either no longer had the strength to scream or had mostly recovered.

The tents were filled with wounded soldiers lying haphazardly, some with severed limbs, some with gaping holes in their chests and abdomens, and some wounds had already festered, emitting a foul odor that attracted a swarm of buzzing flies.

Zhang Tiemao lay in a corner, his face pale and his eyes tightly shut. His body was wrapped in bandages, many of which were stained red with blood. The bandages on his leg were particularly soaked with blood, and Li Xiaoya was tearfully pressing down hard on the leg, trying to stop the bleeding. Hua Wenjue was cleaning Zhang Tiemao's wounds and re-bandaging them.

Wang Hong examined him and realized Zhang Tiemao had likely fainted from excessive blood loss, and his leg bones were also broken. He quickly took out several bottles of White Jade Powder from his embrace and instructed them to sprinkle it on Zhang Tiemao's various wounds.

He then took out an exquisite small porcelain bottle from his embrace, poured out two pills the size of soybeans, which were precisely the "White Jade Life-Extending Pill" refined from fifty-year-old White Jade Ganoderma. Although this was Wang Hong's first time using the "White Jade Life-Extending Pill," he believed it should have no problem treating Zhang Tiemao's injuries.

He pried open Zhang Tiemao's mouth and fed him one pill. The fractured bones in his leg had already been set. He dissolved the other pill in wine and applied it to the large wound on his leg. Soon, the wounds that had been bleeding profusely stopped oozing blood.

Hua Wenjue asked, seeing this, "Wang Hong, why is your medicine so effective?" He knew that he had just used a bottle of White Jade Powder on Zhang Tiemao himself, although the dosage was relatively small. This bottle of White Jade Powder was specially made, as he had added some White Jade Ganoderma that was over ten years old.

Wang Hong smiled mysteriously and said, "This is my secret recipe!" He didn't say anything more, of course, he wouldn't tell them that this White Jade Powder was mainly made from White Jade Ganoderma that was twenty to thirty years old. Then, he took out a few more bottles of White Jade Powder from his embrace and distributed them to the others in case of need. The others happily accepted, having witnessed the efficacy of Wang Hong's medicines just then.

Wang Hong then took out several pieces of his homemade Medicinal Cuisine Jerky and handed them to Li Xiaoya, instructing her to tear them into pieces and boil them until soft for Zhang Tiemao to eat. Wang Hong had added century-old Solomon's Seal to this jerky, which should be good for replenishing his vital essence and restoring his strength.

Lu Jingou smelled a rich fragrance and moved closer, sniffing the air. "Wang Hong, you're the only one who knows how to enjoy yourself. Is this another of your homemade delicacies!" Seeing that Lu Jingou was practically drooling, Wang Hong irritably threw him a piece, and then gave one each to Hua Wenjue and Li Xiaoya.

Lu Jingou brought the jerky to his nose and took a deep sniff, then took a small bite, savoring it carefully. After a few bites, he felt a warmth spread through his abdomen and quickly swallowed the rest in large gulps. He sincerely thanked Wang Hong and then sat down cross-legged to begin cultivating.

The other two were first astonished by Lu Jingou's strange behavior, but soon discovered the secret as well. After finishing their jerky in a few bites, they also thanked Wang Hong before meditating. Things that could increase cultivation were rare and precious. Although each piece could only increase their cultivation by about ten days, Wang Hong's willingness to share it with them was a kindness they deeply appreciated.