Settling Down

Because Bai Sui had experienced an unpleasant encounter in the past, he had once diligently studied relevant medical knowledge within his inner landscape.

Although he had never performed any hands-on experiments, he was still well-versed in the underlying theories.

Take this bandaging, for example; while he lacked the proper medication to immediately stop the bleeding, the act of bandaging itself could still serve a certain hemostatic purpose.

Afterward, he had them select two men to lift the injured person using a chair carry, and they set off toward the village.

The other two found a tree trunk and tied the Black Boar's limbs to it to carry it back.

Furthermore, seeing them struggle to walk, Bai Sui helped them carry three wild birds, which he assumed were the prey they had hunted earlier.

Bai Sui and the others exchanged names and chatted along the way.

The leader was named Murai Sae, aged thirty-four or thirty-five, and was a veteran hunter in the village, though the village itself had not been established for many years.

According to his account, the village was founded by people whose homes had been destroyed by the flames of war; everyone had fled their homelands to find peace here. He even invited Bai Sui to join the village, as a doctor was a welcome addition anywhere.

The injured man was named Kyosato. According to Murai Sae, he was a sturdy lad who, while somewhat reckless, possessed great courage.

The one who had fallen from the tree was Miki Tatsunori, who had only just joined the hunt. This was his second time hunting, so he still lacked experience, but he was also a decent, sturdy lad.

The other two carrying the Black Boar in the back were Yajima Yoshiaki and Yajima Yuta. They were brothers, relatively taciturn, but hardworking and diligent; whenever there was work to be done in the village, people liked to ask them for help.

Before long, less than an hour into their journey, they caught sight of the village.

Bai Sui kept such a close eye on the time to avoid a repeat of his previous situation, where the wound had fused with the bandage cloth. None of the people present were medical ninjas, and dealing with such secondary trauma would be incredibly difficult.

The villagers spotted them, and when they were less than a hundred meters away, villagers came out to meet them.

The lead hunter recounted their ordeal to the villagers, "We had quite a harvest this time, though Kyosato was injured. However, Dr. Bai Sui has already treated him, and we plan to continue the treatment once we reach the village."

A man who looked to be in his forties stepped forward and pulled Bai Sui aside.

"You must be Dr. Bai Sui. Truly, a young talent. I am the village chief. On behalf of Kyosato and his family, I express my gratitude. I wonder..."

The two stepped away from the main group, chatting as they walked. In the short hundred meters before entering the village, they exchanged a great deal of information and settled a few matters.

This village chief was named Kase Sadahisa. He had a son, and the two could be considered the actual founders of the village, being the first to settle here.

The village's location was actually behind a rock cavern. Originally, the two had fled into the deep mountains to escape the war, but after encountering wild beasts, they discovered a rock cavern about a meter in diameter while fleeing.

They had intended to spend the night in the cavern, only to find that it connected to a plain on the other side.

Thus, the two settled in that plain. However, because the cavern was rugged and travel was difficult, and resources inside were scarce, they began to take in refugees fleeing to the vicinity. Together, they built the village and gradually set about expanding the cavern, turning it from a crawlspace into a normal passage.

Not only that, but they didn't just build fires inside the cavern; they also established an outpost outside. Supplies that were difficult to transport were first placed at the outpost before being moved slowly.

The "village" they had seen earlier was actually this outpost, serving as the first barrier to protect the village's safety, and it was even guarded by a samurai.

During his conversation with the village chief, Bai Sui confirmed that he would join the village as a doctor, and in return, the village would prepare a house and necessary daily supplies for him.

After a brief discussion, the two parted ways. The village chief went to prepare everything Bai Sui needed, while Bai Sui prepared to treat Kyosato at the outpost.

Lacking proper medicine, Bai Sui gathered leaves of 𪲛 wood and holly from the vicinity, mashed them together, and used white sugar as a binder to apply to the cleaned wound before bandaging it.

He instructed Kyosato not to use his leg for the next few days, to rest, and to change the dressing once a day until the wound had begun to heal.

Afterward, led by the village chief's son, Kase Keiichi, he arrived at the village behind the cavern.

Along the way, he could see that the people here lived quite well. Although resources might be scarce, everyone's faces were calm, lacking the numbness of those living through the ravages of war.

It didn't take long to reach the residence prepared for Bai Sui.

The house was not large, but it occupied a decent plot of land, partitioned by a simple fence, with a total area of about 90 square meters.

The house itself was likely about 50 square meters, with a garden of about 40 square meters, which seemed to have been prepared specifically for Bai Sui to grow common medicinal herbs.

"Thank you very much. The environment here is excellent, and I like it very much. Please convey my gratitude to your father." Bai Sui exchanged pleasantries with Kase Keiichi before they parted.

Kase Keiichi returned to consult with his father, while Bai Sui sat down heavily on the tatami mat.

Yes, the bedroom was floored with tatami mats, which was much better than the room he had lived in back at the Uzumaki Clan. It showed that the village chief and the others had truly put effort into the arrangement and genuinely wanted him to stay.

Of course, Bai Sui also knew that they didn't necessarily welcome him as a person, but rather welcomed the status of a doctor, as the benefits a doctor could bring to the village were simply too great.

If nothing else, take today's incident. While it wouldn't have directly caused a loss of life—after all, the working masses have their own wisdom for survival—in an era like this, if not treated promptly, infection could easily set in, and then it would essentially be a matter of life and death.

In truth, Bai Sui's actions today would have been considered completely against protocol in his previous life, as the cloth used to wrap the wound hadn't even been sterilized.

Bai Sui was simply constrained by the lack of resources, and relying on his ability to manipulate his own Qi, he had been forced to proceed in this manner.

After all, sometimes the choices available are not the best, but simply the only ones that can be made at the moment.