Axuan and Painting Spirit stood guard near the building. The bacteria that caused Senior Zhen Zhen to grow scales, along with the woman's head floating on the lake, made Yu Jing feel distinctly uneasy.
The iron tray beside the bed was filled with scales peeled from Senior Zhen Zhen's body, each one still connected at the root to writhing strands of flesh.
By contrast, Senior Zhen Zhen's lower abdomen was already covered in wounds. She had lost too much blood during the removal process, leaving her face pale. If Yu Jing had not been beside her, she would have fainted long ago.
"One last scale. Hold on."
Yu Jing pinched the scale between two fingers. Plant filaments grew from his fingertips as he gauged how deeply it had taken root, severed the flesh anchoring it, and pulled it out by the root.
"Ah!"
As soon as the last scale was removed, Yu Jing hurriedly took Senior Zhen Zhen into his arms. He let pure Green Lotus liquid drip over the wounds to disinfect them and promote healing, then wrapped a lotus leaf around them to prevent secondary infection.
The Green Lotus liquid flowed into her bloodstream, and Senior Zhen Zhen's previously groggy mind gradually cleared.
"Thank you... I'm really sorry. I was holding you back right from the start."
Zhen Zhen leaned against Yu Jing's chest, a blush hanging on her cheeks. Once again, Yu Jing had saved her.
"No one could have predicted things would turn out like this... Speaking of which, I keep feeling that the ghosts we've encountered so far seem familiar. I think I've seen them somewhere before."
"You've seen them? What ghosts?" Because Senior Zhen Zhen had been infected, she had not seen the woman in the lake.
"A woman's head surfaced in the lake