A Day of Surgery!

Sunlight slanted in through the crack in the door, falling over the bloodstains on the floor and the blood-soaked strips of cloth that had been changed out. The entire clinic was filled with the mingled smell of blood and medicinal herbs.

Lan Tian took off his gloves and let out a long breath.

His whole body was soaked in sweat, his arms trembling slightly from the long stretch of high-precision work, and his soul power was nearly drained dry.

He leaned back in his chair, not even wanting to move a finger.

Louise was exhausted too, but she still managed to squeeze out a smile and poured a cup of water for Lan Tian. "Doctor Lan, you worked hard. Hurry and drink some water to catch your breath."

Lan Tian took the cup and drank a couple of mouthfuls, then said hoarsely, "I really have you to thank today. Otherwise, I genuinely wouldn't have been able to handle it all alone."

"No need to be so polite." Louise waved a hand and turned to glance at the city guards. "Captain Renn and the others are still sitting over there. It looks like they have something to say once you've rested enough."

Renn had indeed been waiting the whole time.

After the last wounded man had been treated, he had the lightly injured brothers tidy up the clinic a little, wiping the blood from the floor, gathering the bloodstained cloth strips in one place, and carrying the unconscious, severely wounded men to the benches by the wall to lie down and rest.

He himself sat in the corner, quietly waiting for Lan Tian to recover.

Seeing Lan Tian finally open his eyes and look his way, Renn stood and walked over, cupping his fist solemnly. "Doctor Lan, we of the Nuoding City Guard Third Squad will remember this kindness today. I, Renn, am a rough man and can't say anything pretty, but from now on, if you have any orders in Nuoding City, just say the word. As long as we brothers can do it, we won't refuse."

As he spoke, he took a money pouch from his chest. It was bulging full. He set it on the table and pushed it in front of Lan Tian. "This is the treatment fee for this time, paid by the public funds. Please count it."

Lan Tian opened it and took a look. There were both Gold Soul Coins and Silver Soul Coins inside, adding up to more than three hundred Gold Soul Coins, far more than he had expected.

He did not stand on ceremony and put the money pouch away. "Then many thanks."

Renn added, "Also, I'll make a special report to the captain later. With medical skills like yours, whenever our city guard has injuries or illnesses in the future, I'm afraid we'll inevitably have to trouble you often."

Lan Tian smiled. "Come whenever you need. As long as I'm here, I can treat them at any time."

Renn nodded heavily, then called for the brothers to carry the severely wounded who still could not walk onto stretchers. The others supported one another and left the clinic.

Before stepping out, he turned back and added, "Doctor Lan, if you run into any trouble in the future, just give the name of our Third Squad."

After the door closed, the clinic finally returned to silence.

Lan Tian leaned back in his chair, glanced at the bloodstains and messy medicine bottles covering the table, then looked at Louise, who was equally exhausted and slumped on a stool beside him. Their eyes met, and they both laughed at the same time.

"Today really was rough." Louise rubbed her aching wrist.

"Mm, rough." Lan Tian lifted his cup and took another sip. "But worth it."

The income of more than three hundred Gold Soul Coins was certainly considerable, but more important was Renn's final sentence.

A connection with the City Guard Third Squad was an invisible protective charm in Nuoding City.

He had saved their people, and they owed him a favor. This network was far more valuable than a few dozen Gold Soul Coins.

He would still be living in this city for a long time, and with this layer of ties to the city guard, many things would become much more convenient.

The night wind blew in through the window, scattering the last trace of blood in the clinic.

Lan Tian stood up and, together with Louise, cleaned up the remaining mess. Then they locked the door and each went back to rest.

He had said he would give Louise money, but she refused to take it. She said they were not short of money, and that coming over this time truly had been public-spirited help, help offered as a friend, without any money involved.

When Lan Tian heard that, he was very moved.

However, tonight's medicinal bath was probably out of the question. With his soul power depleted to this extent, sleeping quietly through the night was instead the best way to recover.

He lay on the bed, and the instant he closed his eyes, he sank into dreams.

That night, Renn brought the brothers whose injuries had been dealt with back to the city guard station, organized the situation into a written report, and sent it to the City Lord's Mansion.

The city lord of Nuoding City was named Alfred. He was in his forties, and after sitting in the study of the City Lord's Mansion and listening to Renn's report, he held his teacup for a long while without setting it down.

Renn's description was not exactly very detailed, but when he mentioned:

A broken blade fragment embedded in an abdominal wall, removed in half a quarter of an hour, with the wound healed right after.

Cracked ribs, fixed after being wrapped once in Blue Silver Grass.

Seven or eight lightly and severely wounded men, all handled in a single morning.

These details were already enough to shock Alfred.

He had served as the city lord of Nuoding City for almost ten years and had seen plenty of doctors and low-level healing-type soul masters.

He knew very well what those people were capable of.

For flesh wounds, they could bandage and apply medicine. If bones were broken, they could set them and fix them with splints. For internal injuries, the patient could only rely on rest.

But someone like Lan Tian, who could directly use a soul skill after surgery to make a wound heal on the spot, and repair cracked bones the same day—Alfred had never heard of anything like it.

"What was his name again?" Alfred set down his teacup and asked.

"Lan Tian. His martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. His first soul ring is a hundred-year one, and his soul skill is called Endless Life. It's specifically for treating injuries."

Renn replied, "It's said he came from somewhere else and opened a clinic. That girl Louise was the first to get to know him, and afterward his reputation slowly spread. Previously, when Mr. Connor was injured by a Hedgehog Soul Beast, he was the one who cured him too."

Alfred nodded.

He had heard about Connor's matter as well, only he had not paid it too much attention at the time. After all, wealthy merchants being attacked on trade routes was not exactly rare.

But he was clear on the injuries of the seven or eight men from the Third Squad today. Two of them were so badly wounded that, in the past, the doctors in the city would have needed at least a month or so before they could get out of bed.

In the end, he had fully recovered in a single morning and returned to the station as if nothing had happened.

With methods like that, if they could keep him tied to the city guard long-term, then when the team members were injured on missions in the future, they would no longer have to grit their teeth and drag themselves back to the city to wait for death. Their combat strength could rise by a large margin.

Alfred pondered for a moment, then said, "Renn, tomorrow, take a message to Physician Lan for me. Say that I would like to pay him a personal visit tomorrow afternoon to thank him for treating the brothers of the city guard. Also, when you get back, draft an appointment letter. I want to give him an affiliated position—Chief Physician of Nuoding City. He won't need to report to the City Lord's Mansion for regular duty. He can keep running his medical hall as usual and only make calls when needed. His salary will still be paid."

Renn paused, then grinned. "The city lord is wise. Physician Lan is indeed worth bringing over to our side."

The next afternoon, with the sun shining pleasantly, Renn accompanied Alfred to the entrance of Lan Tian Medical Hall.

Lan Tian was drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard. Hearing a knock at the door, he came out to look and could not help showing a faint trace of surprise.

He knew Renn, but the middle-aged man beside Renn wore a dark blue robe, a jade pendant hanging at his waist, and carried himself with a steady bearing. At a glance, he was clearly no ordinary person.

"Physician Lan, this is Alfred, the city lord of our Nuoding City," Renn introduced.

Lan Tian's heart stirred slightly, but his expression did not change as he cupped his hands. "My lord city lord, forgive me for failing to welcome your esteemed arrival from afar."

Alfred smiled and waved a hand. He walked into the medical hall and looked around before saying to Lan Tian, "No need to stand on ceremony, Physician Lan. I came today for two reasons. First, to thank you for treating the brothers of the city guard. Second, to discuss something with you."

Lan Tian invited him to sit, poured him a cup of tea, then sat down across from him. "Please speak, my lord."

Alfred held the teacup and pondered for a moment, then simply spoke frankly:

"Though our Nuoding City cannot be called large, the city guard has a hundred or so men, and injuries during missions are common. In the past, we could only rely on ordinary physicians and potions to recover slowly. The efficiency was far too low."

"I heard about your methods from Renn, Physician Lan, and I admire them greatly."

"That is why I wish to hire you as the Chief Physician of Nuoding City. It will be an affiliated post only. You may run your medical hall as usual, and we will only ask you to act when the city guard or City Lord's Mansion has need of you. Your monthly salary will still be issued, and you will also receive official protection."

"What do you think, Physician Lan?"