Only In, Never Out

The two black-armored soldiers made no effort to hide themselves. They went from door to door along the street, asking questions.

They did exactly what they had done at the clinic. From infants still swaddled to teenagers of fifteen or sixteen, they questioned everyone they saw without missing a single person.

The stone slab gave off different lights when it touched different people's palms.

Shi Lan followed them the whole way. She saw four colors in all: white, green, black, and red. The lights also varied in intensity. Only when the slab gave off black or red light did the two soldiers question people closely and record their detailed information.

When it gave off green light, they only noted down a name and address. They didn't even ask about those whose palms produced white light.

After following the two men all morning and covering nearly half of Twin Moon City, Shi Lan watched them enter the City Lord's Manor, then returned to the clinic.

There were even more people lined up outside the clinic than yesterday.

Shi Feng was still unconscious. Du Baisheng looked weighed down by worry. As he treated the patients' wounds, he kept losing focus. If Du Yue'er hadn't constantly reminded him, he would probably have made mistake after mistake.

After checking on Shi Feng, Shi Lan went out again. By now, she was so hungry she could barely stand it.

She found a restaurant and ordered a whole tableful of meat. Only after eating her fill did she finally quell the urgent pangs of hunger.

When it came time to pay, Shi Lan felt a sudden pang in her heart. She didn't seem to have much money left.

After leaving the restaurant, Shi Lan returned to the area around the City Lord's Manor. She circled it once, then found a teahouse with a view of the manor's main gate. Ordering a pot of cold tea, she sat down.

Just after noon, the two black-armored soldiers came out of the City Lord's Manor again, carrying the wooden box. They began the same rounds they had made that morning.

Shi Lan followed them until dusk, then returned to the clinic and helped Du Baisheng for a while.

After seeing off the last patient, Du Baisheng hurriedly asked Du Yue'er to close the door and get ready to pack their belongings.

"Grandpa, why? Are we going to see a patient?" Du Yue'er asked, puzzled, as she closed the door.

Du Baisheng shook his head. "No. We're going on a long journey."

The two black-armored soldiers who had come by that day had only deepened the unease in Du Baisheng's heart. He was too troubled to stay in this place of danger any longer.

"There are demon beasts around here. Neither of you knows martial arts. It's too dangerous to set out like this," Shi Lan urged.

Du Baisheng paused. His already frail figure seemed even more dispirited.

After a long silence, Du Baisheng finally spoke. "But Twin Moon City isn't somewhere we can stay for long..."

"Please don't rush. From what I can tell, the Demon-Suppression Army's purpose in coming here today may not be to harm Miss Yue'er. Wait a few days. Once I've figured out what they're after, we can decide what to do. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Du Baisheng could only nod helplessly. "Sorry for the trouble."

"Doctor Du, do you have any medicinal herbs that replenish blood and vital energy? Something like Blood Ginseng?"

"Of course. What age do you need, young brother, and how much?" Du Baisheng nodded and headed for the medicine cabinet.

"A hundred-year-old one will do. The more, the better."

Du Baisheng stopped and turned around with a wry smile. "I'm afraid my clinic doesn't have any hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng."

"Then what about Golden Sun Grass? Or Red Star Vine, Bloodweb Fruit, something like that?"

"Don't joke, young brother. Those are spirit herbs used by martial artists. How could my little clinic have anything like that?"

Shi Lan sensed something was off. "Are these herbs very precious?"

"A hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng is worth at least several thousand taels of silver on the market, and even then, you might not find one for sale. I don't know much about the others you mentioned, like Golden Sun Grass or Red Star Vine, but I'm sure they're worth just as much, if not more. Ordinary households can't afford them."

As he spoke, Du Baisheng couldn't help giving Shi Lan a couple of searching looks. Anyone who casually asked for a herb as costly as a hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng surely hadn't come from an ordinary family.

Shi Lan was stunned. Remembering how she had taken herbs to cultivate back at Shi Mansion, she felt her chest tighten.

Several thousand taels, and it still might not be enough to buy one. How much silver had she swallowed in a single bite back then? This wasn't taking medicine. It was burning money!

Thinking back to how Shi Feng had told her those herbs were hardly any more expensive than radishes, she realized he must have been fobbing her off.

Seeing Shi Lan's expression change, Du Baisheng said, "The oldest Blood Ginseng in the clinic is only thirty years old. We also have blood-nourishing herbs like angelica and astragalus. If you need them, I'll fetch some."

"No need, thank you." Shi Lan shook her head and glanced at Shi Feng lying on the bed, her feelings complicated. Just how much did she owe him?

Since she had eaten at noon, Shi Lan skipped dinner. She only asked Du Yue'er to use the thin tube with a funnel to pour a bowl of thin porridge down Shi Feng's throat.

After that, they each washed up and went to sleep.

The next day, before dawn, Shi Lan got up and left the clinic. She went to the City Lord's Manor to keep watch.

She didn't have to wait long. The same two black-armored soldiers came out again, carrying not only the wooden box but also a roll of rice paper.

Shi Lan quickly followed. As they walked, the two soldiers began posting the sheets around the city. They were notices.

"Recruitment proclamation..."

Seeing the three prominent characters at the top, Shi Lan's spirits lifted. She continued reading.

"The City Lord plans to expand his private army and will set up a recruitment platform in front of the City Lord's Manor tomorrow. Those who pass the selection will be rewarded with a hundred gold and may join the City Lord's Manor..."

A crowd gradually gathered around the notices. Most people couldn't read, so they asked a few scholars nearby to explain what was written. As soon as they learned the contents, an uproar broke out.

"A hundred gold? Isn't that a thousand taels of silver? How long would it take to spend that?"

"If you can get into the City Lord's Manor, you'll never have to worry again."

"The City Lord's Manor really is loaded."

"A hundred gold isn't that easy to get. The City Lord's Manor is recruiting martial artists. What's that got to do with us?"

Shi Lan pondered for a moment. This so-called private army of the City Lord's Manor was just a front put up by the Demon-Suppression Army.

The Demon-Suppression Army was obviously recruiting people to fight demon beasts. It seemed the situation around Twin Moon City had already grown dire...

After a little thought, Shi Lan stopped following the two soldiers around the city and returned to the clinic. Since the Demon-Suppression Army was recruiting, she would go take a look tomorrow. If she could get in, finding out what was going on should be easy.

Before long, it was noon, and Shi Lan was hungry again. But restaurant prices made her wince at the thought of spending what little money she had left.

After considering it for a while, Shi Lan headed for the city gate, thinking she could hunt some game nearby to fill her stomach.

But when she reached the gate, she was stopped.

"Twin Moon City is under lockdown. You may enter, but no one may leave." The black-armored soldier, his face covered by a mask, spoke coldly.

Thanks to the reader Gu Lv for the tip. Please vote and add this to your collection...