Saving People

Xia Ming gazed into the distance at Tang Ge, but Tang Ge did not notice him. He merely stood amid the crowd, his eyes darting from side to side as though waiting for someone.

When Freya emerged, Tang Ge's eyes abruptly lit up. His gaze was like that of a starving wolf spotting a rabbit, or a beggar catching sight of gold coins!

No need to say it—Tang Ge had come to wait for Freya.

Tang Ge was not the only one. Quite a few people had gathered nearby, all of them male, their gazes circling Freya to varying degrees.

Once Xia Ming understood the situation, he could not help smiling. Freya's charm truly was astounding. Not only did young girls adore her—even these young men were nursing springtime longings.

The moment Freya came out, everyone surged forward and actually surrounded her.

"Freya, I wonder whether I might have the honor of inviting you to dinner?" This was an invitation from a certain mature male instructor.

"Miss Freya, you are as beautiful as ever, like a fragrant rose in the morning—so perfect, so captivating..." He could actually say something that mushy? Xia Ming looked over and found that it was none other than that old bastard Lan Ning!

Lan Ning had come to join the fun too. He shamelessly crowded forward, pouring out endless lavish praise. What an old lecher!

Xia Ming was rather speechless. He had originally thought Lan Ning's remark about delivering a love letter had merely been a joke. Yet the old fellow had actually come.

At this point, Tang Ge finally stepped forward as well, his face flushed red. "Instructor Freya, could I treat you to lunch today? There were some things I didn't understand about those magic experiments you mentioned last time, and I'd like to ask you for guidance..."

Xia Ming did not know whether to laugh or cry. Tang Ge's excuse was far too clumsy—come on, brother, you were clearly a warrior, weren't you? And you were going to study magic experiments? Your intentions could not have been more obvious...

Seeing that this warrior, usually such a live treasure, actually had a bashful side, Xia Ming inwardly sighed. Sure enough, one thing always subdued another.

Freya apparently had long since grown accustomed to such enthusiasm. She gave each person a polite smile while declining them one by one, then quickly left Azure Cloud Tower.

The admirers sighed and lamented. Only Lan Ning remained smiling merrily, and Xia Ming strongly suspected that old bastard had come purely to join the commotion.

"Brother Tang Ge!" Xia Ming stepped forward and patted Tang Ge on the shoulder.

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, Tang Ge instinctively turned around. "Brother Xia Ming!"

Tang Ge's face was full of delighted surprise. "Brother Xia Ming, why have you come to the academy?" He glanced at the Azure Flame Academy emblem on Xia Ming's mage robe and said in astonishment, "You entered Azure Flame Academy too? That's great! I've been thinking about you lately!"

"Yes. I suppose I'll have to call you senior now." Xia Ming smiled faintly. When they had explored Green Caterpillar Forest, Tang Ge had already been a first-year student. With the new school year, he was now in his second year. Calling him senior was only proper.

Tang Ge burst into laughter. "Brother Xia Ming, then just obediently call me senior... Huh? Your strength—you're already Level Five?" Tang Ge's smile froze as his eyes suddenly widened.

Xia Ming had not deliberately concealed his aura, and Tang Ge was shocked to discover that Xia Ming had actually reached the level of a Level Five mage.

"How is that possible..." Tang Ge was utterly horrified. "Your strength has risen far too quickly! When we parted, you were only Level Three, but now you're already Level Five!"

They had been apart for less than a month at most, yet Xia Ming had risen from Level Three to Level Five within that month. Such speed was simply unheard of. Tang Ge could scarcely fathom it, and practically wanted to ask whether there was any justice left in this world!

Xia Ming smiled and patted Tang Ge's shoulder. "Judging from your aura, you've touched the threshold of Level Six as well. Your cultivation has been progressing quickly too."

Reunited with an old friend, Xia Ming and Tang Ge chatted happily, laughing and joking as they left Azure Cloud Tower.

At that moment, Lan Ning's eyes shifted in the distance, and he quietly followed behind Xia Ming and Tang Ge...

Before they realized it, Xia Ming and Tang Ge had reached the academy's side gate. A large crowd of students had gathered there, apparently watching some excitement, with more than a dozen people discussing it animatedly.

"Come on, let's go take a look too!" Tang Ge could never sit still. He dragged Xia Ming over to join the excitement while squeezing through the watching students. "Make way, please make way!"

Xia Ming squeezed into the crowd as well and took a closer look. Two people lay beneath the corner of a wall, one adult and one child. Both were filthy, dressed in tattered old clothes that could barely cover their bodies, their hair a tangled mess.

The adult appeared to be ill. He huddled against the wall, trembling constantly and letting out weak groans from time to time. He looked exceedingly pitiful. The little boy beside him was around eleven or twelve years old, thin and frail, but his large dark eyes were full of spirit and made him rather endearing.

"What's going on?" Tang Ge frowned and waved to ask one of the nearby students.

The student explained, "They're father and son. The father seems to be a Level Two warrior. They say he was poisoned during an expedition into Shadow Forest. The boy brought his father to our academy gate to see whether anyone can treat him..."

Poisoned?

Xia Ming gave the poisoned man a curious look. There were no visible wounds on his body, but Xia Ming carefully noticed a patch of dark red on the man's neck, along with several nearly invisible red veins spreading outward.

"This is the poison of the [White Bone Flower]." Xia Ming muttered to himself. As a master apothecary, Xia Ming naturally understood the properties of countless herbs. The White Bone Flower was a relatively rare poisonous plant that only grew in cold, damp places. Its toxicity was fierce; ordinary people died within ten days of being poisoned. This man was a Level Two warrior, with a constitution far stronger than an ordinary person's, which was why he had managed to hold on until now.

But judging by his symptoms, he could not hold on for more than a few days. If he was not cured, he would die within three days!

The little boy had been listening intently to the sounds around him. The moment he heard Xia Ming name the poison afflicting his father, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Xia Ming's robe hem and cried, "Sir, sir, please save my father! No matter how much money it costs, no matter what you want me to do, I'll do it!"

The little boy's face was resolute as he looked at Xia Ming with hopeful eyes.

"Brother, you understand apothecary as well?" Tang Ge stared wide-eyed at Xia Ming, feeling that this fellow truly was a monster. His magical cultivation was so unfathomable, he was proficient in the knowledge of magical ores and materials, and he even seemed highly knowledgeable about potions...

The pitiful little boy kept tugging on Xia Ming's robe. Xia Ming sighed. He was not someone who handed out kindness indiscriminately, but this boy truly was quite pitiful. If he could save him, then he would.

"Saving your father actually isn't difficult. We only need to find two medicinal ingredients: Rhinoceros Horn Blood and Sacred Heart Grass," Xia Ming told the boy.

The little boy seemed to understand only vaguely. Still clutching Xia Ming's clothes, he pleaded, "Sir, please save my father. As long as you can save him, I'll definitely repay you..." As he spoke, the little boy began to kneel.

But Xia Ming caught him halfway down. Looking at Xia Ming's somewhat gentle face, the boy heard him say, "You're a man. How can you kneel before others so easily?"

After helping the little boy up, Xia Ming turned to Tang Ge. "Brother Tang Ge, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip to Myriad Phenomena Trading House and bring back Rhinoceros Horn Blood and Sacred Heart Grass." These two herbs were not common either; only Myriad Phenomena Trading House likely carried them.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Tang Ge thumped his chest boldly and ran off in a flash. He was warmhearted, even more eager than Xia Ming.

The watching students did not disperse. Most remained where they were, wanting to see exactly how Xia Ming would save the little boy's father.

Not long afterward, Tang Ge ran back with the herbs in hand. He stuffed them all into Xia Ming's hands and said between breaths, "Done! Rhinoceros Horn Blood and Sacred Heart Grass!"

Xia Ming accepted them with a smile. With these two herbs, he could easily brew the antidote as a master apothecary. After all, the antidote to White Bone Flower poison, [Emerald Spirit Powder], was merely a Level Three potion. To Xia Ming, now a Level Seven apothecary, it was as easy as turning his hand over.

With a casual flick of his hand, a flame sprang up from Xia Ming's fingertips. The rising heat instantly melted out the medicinal properties of the two herbs. Then he took out a test tube and a beaker from his Mithril ring. The crowd watched in a blur as Xia Ming's hands moved swiftly. After a while, a bottle of jade-green spiritual liquid, brimming with vigorous life force, took shape!

"Here, take this." Xia Ming handed the little boy a small bottle filled with the antidote, Emerald Spirit Powder.

The little boy carefully cradled the bottle in his hands. The sight made everyone present's hearts ache. Encouraged by Tang Ge's smile, the little boy fed the detoxifying spirit liquid to the man...

Xia Ming patted Tang Ge on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"Huh? We're not waiting for the boy's father to wake up?"

"No need."

Curing the man's poison had been simplicity itself. Xia Ming had no desire to wait for him to wake up and launch into another round of thanks—it was far too troublesome. Better to leave now.

A wave of startled cries and commotion rose from the crowd. Clearly, the poisoned man had already awakened.

Then the little boy darted out of the crowd, his face brimming with joy. "Big brother, big brother, thank you for saving my dad! May I know your name?"

Xia Ming had dearly wanted to say that his name was Lei Feng, but after thinking it over, he gave the boy his real name instead, then pulled Tang Ge away from the place.

Within the crowd, Lan Ning, who had been following Xia Ming all along, stroked the beard on his chin and watched with a chuckle. "So he's even proficient in potion-making... What an interesting little fellow..."