Three days passed in a flash. Zhao Jingya recovered completely during that time and could run freely again. Much of the credit went to the medicinal decoction Fu Ping had brewed, which healed injuries that should have required ten days of recuperation in just three.
That morning, Zeng Mu and Yao Chun spoke with Zhao Jingya before leaving the Thatched Hut. Fu Ping had not been allowed to listen in. Over the past few days, he had been treated like a suspect held in custody, and none of the three had said much to him.
After finishing their conversation, the two came to the lakeside. Fu Ping was hauling in the fishing net he had set the night before. As one corner emerged from the water, two or three palm-sized fish could already be seen caught in it.
"Fu Ping, come on. It's time to go," Zeng Mu told him.
"Go? Go where?"
"Where else? Back to Green City, of course."
Fu Ping put down the net and turned around. His face was ashen, his eyes dull and heavily bloodshot. Anyone could tell he had been exhausted for a long time. Otherwise, that complexion belonged only on someone close to death, and he clearly was not.
He looked so exhausted because he had not slept for three days. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, he would have another nightmare and summon the Werewolf.
"Back to Green City? Are you serious?"
The two exchanged a glance, then looked back at him with unwavering, questioning eyes, as though to say, "Do you think we're joking?"
"But I..." Fu Ping coughed lightly and cleared his throat. "But I haven't slept for three days and nights, and I only managed that under your supervision. I've never gone without sleep at night before.