Yu Lan woke up a few hours later inside the cave, which remained unchanged. She was wrapped in a blanket, so she quietly checked if it was night. After uncovering the sleeping Mei Lin with the blanket, Yu Lan silently left the cave.
The sun had already set, and the moon hung high in the sky. It was late at night, yet streams of people continued moving around, their activity never ceasing. Mei Lin was asleep, but over the past few days, Yu Lan had noticed her displaying a motherly instinct before going to bed, a trait that mirrored the one Yu Lan had seen in her cultivator.
Yu Lan placed a token in her storage space within the cave and took out a pouch of money she had saved from selling her paintings and working in a teahouse.
After checking its contents, Yu Lan felt disheartened. The pouch contained only two low-grade spirit stones, one mid-grade spirit stone, and a thousand coins. "So this is all I have," Yu Lan thought, reflecting on her meager savings. While wandering around and waiting for bandits to attack in hopes of seizing more money, she and Xiao Mei had gotten lost, running out of food and other necessities. She had barely been able to pay for what they needed, leaving her nearly broke.
Yu Lan dressed herself, left the cave, and headed into the city. She hoped to find a doctor or a cultivator skilled in medical techniques to examine her injuries. Her body was covered in bruises, and she had been assaulted by an unknown cultivator in the house where she and Mei Lin had stayed.
Additionally, after sleeping in the wilderness for an extended period and maintaining a poor diet, her body was in disarray.
Yu Lan wandered along the base of the city wall until she found a place where injured people lay on the ground, surrounded by large numbers of disciples moving about, treating the wounded.
It was one of several houses that appeared to have been built just a few days ago, standing out awkwardly among the other houses and mansions. Yu Lan entered, hoping to find someone who could help her.
*****
Inside one of the houses.
The house spanned over two hundred square meters, resembling a typical dwelling but with only one floor and two walls. Inside, cultivators sat with large quantities of pills and healing supplements.
Lines formed as people waited to receive pills, so Yu Lan joined the queue for cultivators. She chose a young female cultivator who was selling herbs and appeared to be around her age.
As Yu Lan waited in line, the queue gradually shortened, and she finally saw that the woman she had picked was a striking beauty surrounded by freshly cut herbs and medicines. The woman wore a green cultivation robe, her long blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes captivating Yu Lan.
Yu Lan was immediately enchanted by the scent of the herbs and the woman's appearance. When her turn came, she approached quietly, pulling out a low-grade spirit stone to offer.
"Excuse me, can I get some medicine here?" Yu Lan bowed and waited for a response. She felt uncertain about what would happen but hoped her request would be met with kindness.
She noticed her green robe, which bore signs of wear and was made of common material, looking insignificant compared to the cultivator's.
Her shoulder and chest were stained with blood, and Yu Lan appeared unwell, suffering from sleep deprivation, excessive drinking, unhealthy habits, sudden abstinence, and the brutal beatings she had endured during days filled with constant danger and fear.
Yu Lan looked helpless and broken. The female cultivator initially hesitated to help, but seeing Yu Lan's spirit stones and cultivation token, she didn't want to crush her spirit further. Reluctantly, she agreed to assist. After a moment of disappointment, the cultivator accepted the spirit stone and stood up.
"My name is Bei Mo. Come with me, and I'll examine you," she said. As she rose, the items in front of her vanished, and she began walking away.
"Thank you so much, Bei Mo!" Yu Lan replied, quietly following her deeper into the house. They passed through a section and entered a back room, where Bei Mo pointed to a bed.
Yu Lan slowly lay down, waiting to see what Bei Mo would do. The moment she settled on the mat, a wave of disgust washed over her, and she felt the urge to vomit.
"Strip down!" Bei Mo ordered. Yu Lan immediately regretted asking for help, but Bei Mo was unyielding. "I don't have all day to waste here," she added sternly. Bei Mo didn't flinch, and Yu Lan, fearing further delay, quickly began to remove the upper part of her robe.
Despite her fear of being exposed, Yu Lan took off the upper part of her robe. Her body was wrapped in bandages, some of which were soaked with blood.
"You should change your bandages regularly to avoid infection," Bei Mo advised.
Bei Mo was at the fifth stage of Body Tempering, regarded as one of the strongest in her generation for her medical knowledge and healing skills. Her spiritual energy was far more powerful than that of other disciples at the same stage.
"Hmm, this is odd. This girl isn't a cultivator, nor does she come from a wealthy family, yet she has a mid-grade spirit stone," Bei Mo thought, refraining from inspecting Yu Lan's storage space to learn more.
After dismissing her distracting thoughts, Bei Mo placed her hand on Yu Lan's chest and abdomen, channeling her natural energy into Yu Lan's body.
Bei Mo's natural energy slowly surged through Yu Lan's body, causing Yu Lan to immediately break into a sweat. Bei Mo quickly inspected Yu Lan's body, then paused, lifting her hand and thinking for a moment.
"Bei Mo, is this how natural energy works?" Yu Lan asked nervously after a brief silence.
"Can I ask if I'll be alright?"