Joan of Arc led him through several clusters of people to an open space filled with torches. About twenty stretchers lay on the ground, occupied by the wounded. They clutched their stomachs or chests and let out weak groans, while the air was thick with the stench of blood.
"Commander, please don't worry about us..."
"Yes, you should leave quickly. The enemy may catch up at any moment."
Seeing Joan of Arc approach, the wounded gritted their teeth and urged her to go.
She clenched her fists without saying a word.
The situation truly seemed dire. Chen Xuan decisively said, "Pick out the seven most severely injured."
The surrounding soldiers exchanged glances.
"Do as he says," Joan of Arc ordered.
With their commander's instruction, everyone began to move.
While they worked, he finished reading the brief account of the Saint Maiden's life.
In less than fifteen minutes, seven severely wounded men were brought before Chen Xuan. Some had been pierced through the torso by lances, while others had their heads smashed open by war hammers. Without immediate treatment, they likely would not survive the night.
Of course, given the medical standards of this era, even if they recovered, they would never be able to return to the battlefield. Right now, they were burdens to the entire army. Most commanders would have abandoned them without hesitation, yet Joan of Arc insisted on bringing these gravely wounded soldiers along. No wonder she had earned such immense prestige in the army not long after rising to prominence.
Chen Xuan took out all the Blood Oranges, squeezed each one in half, then handed them to Joan of Arc. "Swallow one half and crush the other onto the wounds. If any organs are exposed, stuff them back in first."
Joan of Arc still did not doubt him. She immediately began treating the soldiers as he instructed.
At first, the others wore doubtful expressions, but those quickly turned into shock and disbelief.
"Heavens... this medicine works!"
"God bless us!"
Startled cries also rang out.
"The wounds are closing! How is that possible!?"
Chen Xuan stepped forward and bent down for a closer look. The treated wounds were sealing at a visible rate, as though a layer of white frost had formed over the skin. The blood that had been flowing nonstop also ceased—or rather... the spilled blood itself was the main source of that frost. It rapidly faded and solidified, like tap water left outdoors in the depths of winter, freezing into ice before long.
The effect was undoubtedly far more powerful than ordinary wound medicine!
As expected of a pill formula used by cultivators.
The soldiers' conditions improved drastically in a short time. The agonized expressions on their faces eased, and their groans gradually faded.
The way the others looked at Chen Xuan changed noticeably.
Some were grateful, some admiring, and some even reverent.
Joan of Arc was equally astonished. "What... kind of medicine is this? I have never seen anything with such miraculous effects."
"It's an Immortal Pill," Chen Xuan deliberately exaggerated. "Something only people in heaven can use."
To his surprise, she immediately understood.
"...Do you mean the Lord God? If this is something blessed by my lord, then everything makes sense." Joan of Arc murmured, "May I ask how many more of these pills you have? I am willing to pay any price to buy them!"
To a warrior, such miraculous medicine was no different from a second life. If they possessed it, it would be enough to influence the outcome of a battlefield.
Chen Xuan could naturally guess what she was thinking, but to him, pills were merely a tool to improve a customer's impression. The true focus still had to be the Ability Transaction.
His transaction with Liu Shuyue had taught him one thing: how many abilities a person was willing to reveal, and how many they were willing to exchange, was entirely up to the trader. That was precisely why a stranger's attitude and favorability before a transaction mattered so much. If they harbored reservations, they would certainly offer only their lowest-grade abilities. Raising customer satisfaction before sitting down to discuss business was the most efficient approach.
It was the same logic as a contractor's representative treating the client to dinner, karaoke, and a massage before signing a contract.
Chen Xuan also noticed another detail.
This army had not set up camp.
It was already late at night. Even with torches illuminating the road, visibility was poor, so marching on horseback was clearly a high-risk move. The surroundings were far from open; both sides of the trail were lined with trees two or three meters tall. In the age of cold weapons, armies generally would not choose to fight in such terrain, since it was unsuitable for cavalry charges.
They would rather risk traveling through the night than stop to rest. Combined with the wounded soldiers' pleas, this army was likely in the dangerous position of being pursued.
After reviewing Joan of Arc's brief history, Chen Xuan had already formed a faint suspicion.
"I only have this much medicine... I won't be able to gather more anytime soon." He looked at Joan of Arc. Before she could show disappointment, he immediately added, "But medicine is not the only way to defeat those enemies... By the way, have you been to Compiègne City? Or did you just escape from there?"
This time, Joan of Arc was genuinely shocked. "How did you know—"
In that instant, her fists tightened, and her expression was no longer as composed as before. It was as if a dark flame had appeared in her green eyes.
Just as he thought.
According to the records, a minor battle near Compiègne City was Joan of Arc's final battle. Had the Saint Maiden not been defeated and captured, it would not have left even the slightest trace in history.
It should have been an inconsequential skirmish. Yet when Joan of Arc led her forces against the English, the pro-English Burgundians circled around and attacked from behind. She immediately ordered a retreat back to Compiègne City, but the garrison feared that the Burgundians would follow them inside. Before all the troops could return, they shut the gates. Joan of Arc, who personally stayed behind to cover the retreat, failed to make it back into the city and was ultimately surrounded and captured alive.
There was little information about this battle online, usually reduced to a single sentence. But seeing Joan of Arc's reaction, Chen Xuan suddenly realized that for those involved, that day could never have been brief or peaceful.
It took her several seconds to suppress the anger in her heart. "Our route was supposed to be confidential. Why does even someone like you know every movement of our army?"
Even me?
Chen Xuan caught the implication. It would not matter much if a shopkeeper knew military intelligence—but what if the enemy knew it too?
"I can see far more than you imagine," he said calmly. "This operation did not go well from the beginning, did it? It was as if the enemy had received word in advance and waited leisurely in the countryside for you to appear. Though your soldiers fought bravely, the enemy outnumbered you and attacked from both front and rear, forcing you to order a retreat. You had already begun to suspect that there was a traitor in the city leaking military information... Until the gates closed ahead of time, completely ignoring the fact that the army's supreme commander was still outside, you finally understood that this battle had been a trap..."
"I never said any of that!" Joan of Arc interrupted loudly.
Her unusual reaction drew sidelong glances from her subordinates.
"Of course you would not say it. There is no proof, and it would shake morale."
When Chen Xuan saw that she did not refute his account, only his conclusion, he understood. She had indeed escaped from the direction of Compiègne City. Even after defeat became inevitable, Joan of Arc had not given up easily. She had tried to break through the encirclement, only to fail to escape the enemy's pursuit.
That also meant that, at this very moment, the Burgundian army was closing in second by second.
"What you fear most is not the traitor. It is following that line of thought and asking who exactly wants you to fail—or even disappear entirely. You prayed through suspicion and disappointment, hoping someone would answer your doubts or reach out a hand to pull you up... Then, in this wilderness where no Ability Store could possibly exist, you encountered a little shop. The light inside was gentler than anything you had ever seen, making this desperate night feel a little less dark. So even at such a dangerous moment, you still stopped and wanted to enter for a look..."
Chen Xuan paused.
"Do you understand now who I am, and why I know all this?"
Joan of Arc stared blankly at him. "This... is impossible..."
"Whether it is possible is not important. What matters is that I can help you defeat the enemy and turn the battle around." Chen Xuan took the Scanner Gun from his pocket—it connected wirelessly and could function as long as he remained within Wi-Fi range—and pressed the scan button at the bewildered girl.
The remote desktop on his phone immediately responded.
He selected Spirit Sword Technique and dragged it into the transaction bar.
At the same time, Joan of Arc widened her eyes as though she had seen a Monster!
"Lord God above... what are these things? Floating words... and they're glowing?"
"Do you see this ability? This is what I meant... the way to defeat your enemies." Chen Xuan coaxed her patiently. "But if you want to gain something, you must give up something in return. Even if you are the Saint Maiden. Let me see just how much you are willing to pay for victory..."
Before he could finish, the four boxes on the screen all lit up at once.
Before you continue