I Can Devour Spirits

Hu Huanhuan gracefully walked into the inner bedroom. Upon seeing Shen Ping unconscious on the bed, the grief on her face could no longer be concealed.

She placed the food box on the table beside the bed, her expression sorrowful, as she took out a bowl of soup and a bowl of plain porridge, and said quietly, ”I’ve made ginseng soup and plain porridge. I’ll feed him some...”

Hu Huanhuan’s voice was husky and sobbing, as if she were talking to Duan Rong or perhaps to herself.

Duan Rong said, ”He can’t take ginseng soup right now. You can try feeding him some plain porridge.”

”This is wild ginseng. He can’t take it?” Hu Huanhuan looked up, her eyes suspiciously directed at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong, being young, and in Hu Huanhuan’s view, not a physician, could he be that sure?

Duan Rong noticed the doubt in Hu Huanhuan’s eyes and replied, ”He’s feverish and internally very hot—how can he handle ginseng soup? Although his injuries are severe, his physical constitution is strong, and his pulse still shows vitality; this is definitely not the time for supplements.”

What Duan Rong said made sense, but Hu Huanhuan didn’t fully understand and hesitated with the bowl of soup in her hands.

Seeing Hu Huanhuan hesitating, Duan Rong sighed inwardly and tried another approach, ”Wild ginseng is also a medicine, not something everyone can eat casually. The prescription from Physician Gu is right on the table. You can check if there’s any tonic medicine?

Hu Huanhuan indeed saw a prescription on the few table placed along the wall, but she didn’t pick it up.

In the moment she glanced at the prescription, she suddenly realized that she had been too worried about Shen Ping’s life, being a bit stubborn.

Hu Huanhuan immediately put down the soup bowl, looked at Duan Rong, and smiled sadly, ”Huanhuan was momentarily distracted by her anxiety just now. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Duan.”

Duan Rong nodded and said nothing further.

Duan Rong understood that that brief moment was Hu Huanhuan’s stress response. Her expression now was not as sorrowful as before, and the tension in her body had relaxed somewhat since entering the inner room.

It seemed that Shen Ping was indeed a very important person to Hu Huanhuan.

At this point, Hu Huanhuan brought the food box before Duan Rong, saying, ”There are a few dishes in this food box that I brought for Mr. Duan.”

Duan Rong accepted the food box, thanked her, and went to the main hall, leaving Hu Huanhuan alone inside.

In the main hall, Duan Rong sat in front of the table and took out the dishes from the food box—a plate of lion’s head meatballs, a plate of braised pork, a side dish, and two steamed buns.

Feeling hungry, Duan Rong took a bite of the lion’s head meatball first. It was surprisingly delicious.

Duan Rong then started feasting with enthusiasm.

Inside the inner room, Hu Huanhuan raised Shen Ping’s head with a pillow, and then fed a spoonful of clear porridge into Shen Ping’s mouth. The prescription from Gu Suxiu had a sleep-inducing effect, making Shen Ping even more drowsy; most of the porridge spilled down his mouth.

Hu Huanhuan kept feeding while continuously wiping his mouth, with half of the bowl of porridge wasted.

Hu Huanhuan stood up and lifted the blanket covering Shen Ping.

Seeing Shen Ping’s body wrapped in bandages, Hu Huanhuan felt a piercing pain in her heart. She loosened the bandage on Shen Ping’s chest a bit, revealing a large patch of rotten flesh, and couldn’t bear it, tears streaming down.

Hu Huanhuan stood by the bed looking at Shen Ping for a long time, finally stopping her tears, and then muttered, ”Old geezer! You have to hang in there... If you just die like this... I’ll chase you to the eighteenth level of hell!”

After finishing his meal, Duan Rong sat in the Grandmaster’s chair in the main hall to rest.

Hu Huanhuan walked out, carrying the food box, and Duan Rong glanced at her, noticing her swollen eyes from crying and smeared makeup.

Hu Huanhuan bowed to Duan Rong to bid farewell.

”Madam Hu,” Duan Rong suddenly called to her.

Hu Huanhuan turned to look at Duan Rong, thinking he had something more to say, only for Duan Rong to suggest, ”Madam Hu, maybe wash your face before you leave.”

Hu Huanhuan seemed puzzled, her eyes questioning as she looked at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong gestured to his eyes.

Hu Huanhuan instantly realized she had cried her eyes out earlier, and surely, her eyes were swollen, and makeup smeared, but she was too worried about Shen Ping’s condition to pay attention to such trivial details.

Heading back like this, she didn’t know what kind of teasing she’d get from the gossipers at Huaying Building.

Hu Huanhuan washed her face with the cool water from a wooden basin in the pavilion.

As Hu Huanhuan descended from the pavilion, Duan Rong glanced at her. Washed clean, although Hu Huanhuan’s skin lost its luster, and wrinkles were more apparent, they exuded a unique grace refined by time.

It was a kind of feminine radiance wrought through the forge of time!

As Hu Huanhuan descended from the pavilion, she gave Duan Rong a glance and asked, ”Can that man survive?”

Duan Rong looked at Hu Huanhuan silently.

Hu Huanhuan seemed to understand Duan Rong’s meaning and thanked him before turning to leave.

After Hu Huanhuan’s departure, Duan Rong entered the inner room. He touched Shen Ping’s forehead and checked his pulse. Based on his pulse diagnosis, Duan Rong believed that man could survive.

Sometimes, between life and death, it depends on a person’s inner will.

Some are born with a strong, genuine desire for survival—a refusal to give up—a yearning to live on in this chaotic world.

And some, between life and death, develop a dark tendency toward self-destruction...

Duan Rong left the inner room and began practicing Complete Round Pile Skill in the courtyard.

During the practice, Duan Rong introspectively observed the flow of Inner Breath, feeling irritated.

After some cultivation, he realized that during the cultivation of the Fourth Level of Inner Breath, the issue of medicinal-penetration affected his progress more than he anticipated.

At this moment, Duan Rong suddenly had an insight.

A thought came to his mind about Shen Ping. Not only was he highly skilled in poison making, but he was probably proficient in healing too, otherwise, Xiao Zongting wouldn’t have invited him when Xiao Baijiao was seriously ill.

This person must be a master of various medicinal properties and healing arts.

What’s more, he’s a Martial Artist in the True Qi Realm First Level.

In other words, this person practices both medical and martial arts cultivation!

Unfortunately, Shen Ping is naturally free-spirited, possessing nothing but himself; when Duan Rong washed his body, he found him completely bare.

Otherwise, Duan Rong, taking advantage of his unconsciousness, could have devoured the Artifact Spirits from his body’s artifacts, potentially solving his own medicinal-penetration problem immediately.

Duan Rong suddenly stopped practicing pile skill.

His expression became grave as, just moments ago, he decided to use every means to save Shen Ping.

Because he believed saving Shen Ping is the opportunity to solve the medicinal penetration issue.

Duan Rong returned to the inner room, grabbed a wooden stool, sat in front of Shen Ping’s bed, and examined his pulse closely.

This time, he spent a full quarter of an hour just diagnosing the pulse, then he sat at the table, intending to create a new prescription—not merely adjusting a single herb from Gu Suxiu’s prescription.

But completely starting over!

Countless medical theories intertwined in Duan Rong’s mind...

Although he surpassed Gu Suxiu in medical skills through devouring Artifact Spirits, this was his first real attempt at prescribing to save someone.

Duan Rong pondered for a long time and felt that Shen Ping’s case required taking risks.

Having concluded his thoughts, Duan Rong immediately got to work, drafting a prescription that included at least two herbs known for their potent, fierce effects.

After completing the prescription, he reviewed it again, reasoning and affirming this approach.

Duan Rong then stood up, taking advantage of the daylight, went to the Herbal Shop on West Main Street to get three doses of medicine, and also purchased a pouch of Silver Needles for acupuncture.

Returning to Liu’s House, Duan Rong immediately concocted a dose of medicine. After it cooled to a suitable temperature, he began acupuncture, taking three needles from the pouch and inserting them into three acupoints on Shen Ping’s head.

He did this to awaken Shen Ping slightly so he could administer the herbal medicine.