Chapter 114: Severe Blood Loss
The vehicle sped as smoothly and swiftly as possible over the bumpy road. The driver was drenched in sweat, anxiously checking the rearview mirror over and over again, afraid something might go wrong with Zhou Qian in the back seat.
After all, he really did look miserable.
Next to him, a defense soldier kept turning to check that the stretcher was secured and to glance at Zhou Qian’s condition—he was still holding the man’s belongings!
A full defense uniform, a small box of personal items, a medal…
All in all, this scene would make anyone nervous!
Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road—because of Labor Day, all idle personnel had been sent off for mandatory work, and the roads were clear.
It took them just an hour to reach Flower City Hospital.
Upon arrival, the incredulity shifted from them to the medical staff.
Once the leaders were notified…
Well.
The two defense soldiers stood at the door, watching the identical stunned expressions on everyone’s faces and, for some reason, felt a hint of pride.
See? They were the first ones to discover something this bizarre!
Inside the ward, Zhou Qian’s bed was surrounded by people.
The doctors looked at him eagerly, unable to understand how such a potent neurotoxin had been neutralized.
The blood samples they drew were rushed off for testing.
The leaders stood there too. They had already begun preparing for his funeral, but now he was back—of course they were thrilled, but also deeply confused.
“You…”
The official opened his mouth, but it took a long time before he managed to say anything.
Zhou Qian lay on the bed, his body torn and broken as if he’d been through a thousand cuts, pale as a ghost, lips colorless.
But his mind was very clear.
“I don’t really know… I vaguely remember being buried, I could feel soil on me…”
“But then, for some reason, the Rose Corridor seemed to get angry—it suddenly pulled me out of the dirt…”
“It scared Little Huai Yu quite a bit—though the Rose Corridor didn’t attack her, she was terrified just digging through the soil. I really made things hard for her.”
Everyone sighed at those words.
The Rose Corridor’s terrible temper was well-known in Flower City.
Even General Wu Yue, who had created it, couldn’t get close to it without getting hurt. He still had scars from the last banquet.
It made sense that it wouldn’t want Zhou Qian buried beside it—after all, a human body, unless properly decomposed, could damage plant growth.
It was a logical, if unverifiable, guess. They couldn’t exactly test it by burying someone else there and watching from afar, right?
“Then what about your injuries…”
“What about the toxin?! How was the poison neutralized?”
The doctor finally lost his patience!
They’d been talking for ages and no one had asked the crucial question. He leaned in, urgent:
“Does the Rose Corridor have detoxifying abilities too?”
“That’s way too powerful! That mutated spider was originally a black widow! We used all kinds of antivenoms—spider serum, snake serum, new experimental blends—and barely managed to suppress the poison…”
His voice became more and more excited, as if he wished he could visit the Rose Corridor himself, kneel down and beg it for mercy.
“I don’t know.”
Zhou Qian was extremely weak.
“I was thrown from the soil to the ground, and then its leaves and petals slashed at me like blades, from every direction. I tried to shield Little Huai Yu…”
People recalled how he and Major General Wu Yue had identical deep cuts on their faces not long ago, and suddenly it didn’t seem so surprising.
Even the doctor wasn’t shocked.
He’d examined those wounds—the cuts were impossibly clean, sharper than a scalpel, and very deep. Flesh curled around the wounds grotesquely, slashed in all directions—horizontal, vertical, upward, downward…
No ordinary person could make such erratic, razor-sharp wounds. No weapon could either.
Only an enraged Rose could leave such inescapable marks.
“What happened after that?” the leader asked.
“After that, I blacked out… Later, Little Huai Yu told me I was bleeding black blood, and she couldn’t carry me. So she dragged me bit by bit into the house… My clothes were shredded…”
“She kept rinsing my wounds with water…”
He frowned, recalling a strangely colored medicinal liquid with a herbal smell, “She might have used some dandelion or other herbs to stop the bleeding… It was a mess—she doesn’t really know what she’s doing.”
He gave a tired smile, “I was basically a dead horse being treated like a live one. She was slapping leaves on me, then rinsing again…”
The doctor sighed, “This girl doesn’t know any first aid? We made everyone attend those health sessions… Because of how she treated you, the wounds probably fused with the residual toxins… But then again, your case is so unique.”
“The scars won’t fade now. If you want to remove them, you’ll need skin grafts and a lot of points.”
He muttered, “That Rose Corridor was brutal—look at you, slashed beyond recognition.”
Zhou Qian really wanted someone to bring him a mirror!
What did he even look like now?
But just making a few facial expressions felt like his cheeks would split open. He could only tug the corners of his lips and shut his eyes.
The leaders sighed and tried to comfort him, “Scars are just a bit of lost flesh—it’s a blessing you’re alive.”
“The bottom line is, we owe it to the Rose Corridor’s unexpected actions.”
“Huai Yu’s not bad either, but she should’ve come to the base for help instead of improvising at home… She delayed a lot.”
“But maybe she didn’t have time to get help, especially if you were bleeding that badly…”
Just then, a nurse came in with test results. Seeing the crowd, she frowned, “What are you all doing here? The patient needs rest. Look at these numbers—he’s lost so much blood!”
The doctor took the report—and immediately jumped up in shock, “Quick, quick, quick! Get a transfusion ready!”
Zhou Qian definitely looked pale and bloodless, but without the report, who would’ve known how much he’d lost?!
The ward burst into action.
Zhou Qian watched the needle go into the back of his hand, then glanced downward.
Unfortunately, because of the gown and the angle, he couldn’t see any of his scars.
Meanwhile, Huai Yu had no time to worry. The moment she returned home, all her anxiety vanished—she threw herself onto the bed.
She slept like the dead.
When she woke up again, she didn’t know how long had passed.
Sunlight filtered through the door—it was clearly a bright, clear day. The first thing she did was carry out the solar lamp to charge it.
Returning, she looked around at the mess inside her house and sighed deeply.
It really was a disaster zone.
Her three buckets were empty, basins strewn on the floor, one still half-filled with murky medicine water.
Water stains covered the table and floor. Bloodstains, both dark red and black, were everywhere. The flowers in their vase had drooped from neglect.
Shredded clothes, blood-soaked cloths, rags soaked in medicine, scissors and cracked-shell knives tossed about, the messy stove covered in branches and leaves…
Even the large bathing tub was half-filled with brownish water. The house reeked of blood and medicine.
Huai Yu had always considered herself neat. The house had never been this messy.
She stood in the doorway, dazed, and then clutched her head in frustration.
Aaaagh—So much work to do!
But it was her home, and she had to clean it.
She bucked up, grabbed the bucket, and went to fetch water.
She stood under the tree, watching the droplet above her wobble and sway, and finally lost her patience.
Hands on hips, she kicked the trunk, “Behave! Or I’ll chop you down and replant!”
Her kick did nothing to the thick tree trunk, but the angry posture worked—the droplet plopped neatly into the bucket without touching her.
Huai Yu gritted her teeth.
Then she rubbed her stomach—She’d been living off nutrient fluids for days. Now she was starving and craving something flavorful.
And her chicks! She hadn’t had time to check on them—were they even eating enough?
Big Cub and Second Cub were all alone in the bamboo grove… poor things.
And then there was Keta Rō.
He had been the one to keep Zhou Qian alive. So obedient—was he lonely now with no one around?
Just thinking of it made her anxious.
But the bucket still needed one more drop to fill. She stared as a new droplet slowly formed, swapped the bucket once full, and carried it back home.
At the door, she gently called out, “Keta Rō?”
The wind rustled the door curtain. No response. Just a large porcelain bowl piled high with colorful blobs.
She glanced at the chicken coop—her awkwardly molting chicks were nowhere to be seen.
She didn’t go looking. Instead, she started cleaning.
Dirty clothes went to soak, including two towels so filthy they were basically rags—might as well keep them for cleaning now.
She was rich now, with over a thousand points. New towels were no big deal.
Then she began bailing water from the tub—ugh! This tub should’ve had wheels!
Zhou Qian didn’t think this through—he soaked for so long, the water volume was huge compared to her usual baths!
After dumping all the water and dragging the tub outside for scrubbing, Huai Yu cracked her back and decided to boil another pot of water to clean it again.
Done yet?
Nope.
Still had to scrub the bloodstains off the floor, clean the house, and wash all the soaking clothes…
She went light-headed just thinking about it. Why, she wondered, was she still servant-less, being this amazing?
Also—her garden! She hadn’t tended it in three days!
So much had piled up that when she finally looked inside, she realized the soaked beans had sprouted into full-on seedlings.
She had no strong seasoning left, and bean sprouts didn’t taste great like this.
She was too tired to cook today.
But the sprouts were already aging.
She sighed, plucked them, and brought half a bowl to the doorway, “Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck…”
At the familiar feeding call, the chicks popped out from the grass, flapping their little wings and running straight into the coop, eagerly waiting for feed.
“No grain left.”
Actually, she just didn’t want to get it. She tossed the sprouts in: “These were soaked from purified beans and water. See if you like them.”
The chicks poked at the tender leaves, then let out excited peeps and pecked happily, clearly loving it.
Huai Yu had only tossed the sprouts in out of exhaustion, but seeing the chicks so happy made her smile too.
Next up—Big Cub and Second Cub!
Geese ate sprouts too. They’d been pecking bamboo shoots for days—it was time for variety.
She’d been ignoring them completely, even though she’d watched them hatch. She felt a twinge of guilt.
With half a bowl of sprouts, she headed behind the house.
Just as she rounded the corner, Kuang Biao’s loud voice echoed out, “Hey! A girl like you can’t just pick up some injured man and bring him home!”
“You’ve read too many romance novels! Falling in love isn’t everything! Want me to yell and call the Defense Corps for you?”
Huai Yu, looking worn out, “Thanks for your concern… but he’s gone.”
“Oh.” Kuang Biao sounded relieved. “Good. You were crying so much… You’re just too young, living alone and all. Hey, how about this—cross-species love is romantic too. I can be your boyfriend.”
Huai Yu: …
Why was Kuang Biao even born with that mouth?!
