Knowledge Hook

Ning Xiuyuan's heart stirred, and he looked around.

The blond priest watching him by the window had a face like solid ice, his blue eyes filled with mockery and ridicule. The corners of his mouth were already upturned in anticipation, waiting for him to utter something absurd.

The brown-haired priest sitting by the door, flipping through a book, also raised his head. His eyes, set in a refined face, held a deep suspicion.

Behind Father Rhodes, several members of the investigation team who had accompanied him stood expressionless, but their right hands were subtly reaching for their lower backs.

Heh!

Ning Xiuyuan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

To this world, he was, after all, an outsider.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you, as it involves Church secrets. I can only tell Your Excellency the Bishop."

"Hm?"

Father Rhodes' eyebrows shot up. He had imagined countless prevarications, but he never expected this answer.

"This is absurd! How can you, an alien race, be privy to Church secrets?"

"Are Church secrets something you can access?"

"Father Rhodes, I suggest we simply extract his mental body for interrogation!"

The priests suddenly erupted, the more hot-tempered ones already shouting.

Father Rhodes listened to the indignant outcry around him, and his mountain-like silence suddenly broke into a slight smile:

"I know your dreams are very special as an alien race, and entering your dreams is useless, but that's not your basis for sophistry."

"Your explanation actually isn't important at all. What's important is evidence. This is the fundamental reason the Church established an investigation team!"

As Father Rhodes spoke, the investigation team members subconsciously straightened their chests, their eyes filled with pride.

Indeed, why should they care about Arthur's sophistry?

Evidence was the fundamental point!

This was also the reason for the investigation team's existence.

"I'll give you time to weave your lies."

Father Rhodes' tone was firm and filled with infinite confidence as he turned to leave.

The investigation team members followed suit, and as they left, their gazes towards Ning Xiuyuan were filled with mockery.

Weave lies?

Ning Xiuyuan remained silent.

He suddenly felt a bit uncertain about Bishop Byron.

The deaths of Orlando and the other three had severely impacted the clergy of the Francis Diocese, and yet the extraordinary characteristic of the Disease Deceiver could not be made public.

So, would Bishop Byron use someone's head to quell the public anger?

Thinking of this, a sense of powerlessness washed over Ning Xiuyuan.

In the evening, Ning Xiuyuan was transferred from the Church Hospital to Bernard Abbey for recuperation.

Of course, this "recuperation" was essentially imprisonment.

Outside his room, two priests were always on guard, and who knew how many supernatural powers were hidden in the shadows.

Or rather, as an abbey that cultivated fresh blood for the Church, it was inherently a violent institution!

Escaping from here would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

As night fell, Ning Xiuyuan sat at his desk, flipping through medical books, but he couldn't focus.

His gaze drifted to the crystal lantern. He was tempted to take the extraordinary characteristic of the bird-beaked oddity, but considering his current monitored state, he had to forcibly restrain himself. This feeling made him extremely agitated.

"Ms. Angela, please leave. Arthur is currently a suspect and cannot be in contact with anyone. I believe you've heard about that incident. This is for your own good."

A conversation suddenly came from outside, capturing Ning Xiuyuan's attention.

"I know, but Arthur has extremely high attainments in medicine. I'm eager to ask him for advice..."

The voices outside suddenly became muffled, likely obscured by some means.

Not long after, Angela's voice, full of anticipation, came from outside the wooden wall.

"Mr. Arthur, are you asleep?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Father Rhodes asked me to verify your medical theories today. I achieved great success with animals. I never imagined Ascetic Physicians could be used this way. I want to learn medicine from you, would that be alright?"

Angela's voice was filled with anticipation, carrying a somewhat awkward... innocence.

"Why don't you come in?"

"I'm sorry, they said you're a lost sheep now, and it's not convenient to meet."

A lost sheep?

Ha, what a euphemism.

Ning Xiuyuan chuckled.

"You are a renowned Ascetic Physician, your extraordinary characteristic must be fully integrated. As a novice, how could I possibly teach you medicine?"

"Medicine is medicine, and extraordinary characteristics are extraordinary characteristics. As long as you treat enough people, you'll eventually fully integrate your extraordinary characteristic too. But in terms of medical skill, your medical philosophy is ahead of its time. It would be my honor to learn from your medical philosophy."

"Is that so? Then will I ever reach the day of fully integrating my extraordinary characteristic?" Ning Xiuyuan asked, a mix of emotion and inquiry in his voice.

A moment of silence followed outside the wooden wall.

"I don't know. However, the Dean said that we are the shepherds of God, and also the lambs of God. A lamb that has strayed is not unforgivable. God will forgive all who repent with sincerity!"

Damn it all...

Ning Xiuyuan almost swore when he heard that. How could anyone speak like that?

Going by what he said, it was as if they had already decided he was a sinner?

Ning Xiuyuan fell silent.

"I am very sorry that this happened. That night, the piglet was born at Uncle Woodrow's house. It was the lifeline of his entire family..."

Sister Angela began to ramble on outside.

As Ning Xiuyuan listened, he suddenly felt a surge of anger.

He never imagined that the root cause of Orlando's loss of control incident, which involved him, was actually a few piglets?

It turned out that Sister Angela had gone to act as a veterinarian that night. It was her absence that caused Orlando to settle for the next best option and find him.

Speaking of which, was acting as a veterinarian something a transcendent should be doing?

Didn't they know that Ascetic Physicians consumed their accumulated Vitality when treating others?

And she just used it to treat a piglet?

Thinking of this, Ning Xiuyuan felt a pang of annoyance, but then a sense of relief washed over him.

There's a saying in China: good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are punished. Perhaps it was this kindness of Sister Angela that allowed her to escape Orlando's loss of control.

But, what did I do wrong?

"I heard that you will be undergoing a Church trial tomorrow..." Sister Angela suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Perhaps she realized what she said, or maybe her voice was covered by someone else.

Inside the room, Ning Xiuyuan's body trembled, a myriad of emotions swirling within him.

He remained silent for a long time and then asked, "Are you still there?"

"Yes."

"What do you want to hear?"

"Huh? What?" Sister Angela was taken aback outside the wooden wall, then asked with surprise, "I, I want to know why you think healing heart trauma is no different from healing ordinary wounds?"

Why?

Because I'm standing on the shoulders of giants!

"Because..."

Just as Ning Xiuyuan was about to speak, he suddenly realized that this question, which he considered common knowledge, was incredibly difficult to answer.

In this world with supernatural powers, the exploration of basic science was still very primitive.

That made sense. Under the influence of supernatural powers, even the most critical injuries and the most complex difficult diseases could be cured instantly.

If they couldn't be cured.

It could only mean that one's cultivation of the supernatural was insufficient.

In such circumstances, it was unlikely that basic science would develop.

Ning Xiuyuan was not a medical student.

But his common-sense understanding of the human body still caused Sister Angela to exclaim repeatedly.

For example, he stated that the heart was not a blood-producing organ;

For example, he suggested that heart disease might not be a problem with the heart itself, but rather with the blood vessels of the heart;

And for example, he declared that bloodletting was a murderous practice... and so on.

The night was long, and all was silent.

Their conversation, however, never strayed from the topic of the heart.

The more common the question, the more complex it was to explain.

Furthermore, their communication through the wall created additional barriers to information transfer. Occasionally, the topic would deviate, and when they circled back, an hour had already passed.

Therefore, when a sliver of dawn appeared in the sky, Sister Angela grew anxious.

The more they conversed, the more she felt the unfathomable medical skills of Arthur.

For example:

He casually mentioned that the killer of children, fever, wasn't a disease but a stress response of the body. This absurd theory completely stunned her.

But after hearing Arthur's description, she had to admit that what he said seemed quite reasonable.

She desperately wanted to learn more.

But there wasn't enough time.

She was almost in tears.

"Ms. Angela, it's dawn, please leave!"

A guard's admonishment came from outside the wooden wall, his voice filled with unusual emotion.

"Just a moment longer, Mr. Arthur. If fever isn't a disease, how should it be treated?"

Angela pressed, as solving this problem would allow her to save more frail children.

"Ms. Angela, please leave, don't make things difficult for us!"

The guard's voice held a hint of sternness.

After all, they had already said "just a moment longer" several times.

In the end, Sister Angela was driven away, and the wooden hut, which had been bustling all night, finally quieted down.

"Creak!"

The door opened, and the blond priest stood at the entrance, looking at Ning Xiuyuan with a complex gaze. He said politely, "Mr. Arthur, please!"

Ning Xiuyuan nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the wooden hut.

He wondered if the knowledge he had deliberately left as a hook tonight could save his life at a critical moment!

Sorry, I had something to do during the day and it caused a delay.