After washing his hands in the courtyard, Wang Yan returned to the room. Fan La, drenched in sweat and pale-faced, had already recovered somewhat.
"Still holding up?"
"It really felt like I'd been put to torture..." Fan La smiled miserably.
"Torture?" Wang Yan shook his head with an amused smile. "This is nothing. Compared to actual torture, it doesn't even come close."
Yao Ma asked, "So you know about it? Tell us, then."
"Tell you what? Why not let you experience it firsthand? Come here. I'll just hit you lightly once, and you can see how it feels."
"Is it really that bad?" Yao Ma instinctively stepped back, then firmly shook his head. "Forget it. I don't want to go looking for suffering."
"A wise choice."
"The medicine's here. It's not hot, nice and warm—I cooled it under some cold water. Drink it all in one go." At that moment, Veterinarian came in carrying a bowl of herbal medicine and handed it to Fan La.
Watching him pinch his nose and force the medicine down, Wang Yan lit a cigarette and said to Fan La, who was wiping his mouth, "The test is these next three days. If you can hold out through them, you'll basically recover. If you can't, you'll most likely end up the same as before."
"Thank you, Brother Wang Da." Fan La clasped his fists in thanks.
"It was nothing." Wang Yan waved him off. "All right, quit crowding around. Let the air circulate. Isn't it time to cook? Hurry up and get the fire going. I'm hungry."
So everyone obediently dispersed, and those responsible for cooking consciously went to gather firewood, boil water, and make food.
With ease, Wang Yan became the de facto leader.
He had dealt with Mi Long and demonstrated his strength.