"I respectfully decline..."
Duan Chen's lips twitched, and he somewhat speechlessly rejected Hill's offer. He wanted to be healed, not treated like a lab rat and toyed with on an experiment table.
Seeing that Duan Chen had already refused, Hill looked regretful. She pouted slightly, "Alright, alright."
Although Hill's expression still showed clear regret, when it came to her patients, she would never let any emotional changes cause her to miss a step in the surgery. She had always taken pride in her medical skills and would absolutely not allow them to be tarnished.
Her expression turned somewhat cold. This was Hill officially entering the mindset for treatment. Her movements were swift; Jun Ci, standing beside her, didn't quite see what happened. He only saw a blur of motion before his eyes. When he opened them again, Duan Chen was already being sutured.
Duan Chen felt a pair of very warm hands constantly caressing his wound, like a mother's hands, with a touch as gentle as flowing water. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Hill, who had finished with all the preparations.
Hill wore a noticeable smile. "Alright, your surgery is over, and it was extremely successful. I've never performed such a successful surgery before. I have to say, the physical condition of Spirit Hunters like you is so much better than ordinary people!" She said with a grin.
Duan Chen stood up and looked at his wound, which bore no trace of sutures. His eyes showed curiosity. He couldn't quite understand how Hill had managed it. He had just undergone surgery, yet he felt no discomfort; in fact, he felt better than before the operation.
"..."
Just as Duan Chen opened his mouth to ask a question, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his throat. He frowned slightly and, opening his mouth, spat out a clump of black matter. Duan Chen's peripheral vision clearly saw Jun Ci, who had been in a daze, snap back to attention as if he'd been hit from behind.
Fear flickered in Jun Ci's eyes. Duan Chen had a bad feeling. He reached out and pinched the black matter he had spat out. To his surprise, more and more came out. And as he pulled it, he felt a tugging sensation in his throat.
Hill, standing nearby, wore a peculiar and somewhat guilty expression. Duan Chen, with a look of speechless and complex emotions, continued to pull the substance out of his mouth, bit by bit.
After expelling everything from his mouth, he held the mass in his palm to examine it closely. He finally saw what it was. It was a clump of black hair, and it seemed to be wriggling slightly. Goosebumps erupted all over his body. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the clump of hair to the ground.
"What is this?"
He was covered in goosebumps, gritting his teeth, and desperately wishing for some clean water to wash his hands. The thought of this tangled mess of black hair being pulled from his body made Duan Chen's expression turn vacant and bewildered. The words "I'm unclean..." echoed in his mind.
Hill guiltily scratched her cheek. She opened her mouth and said, "It's just a bit of after-effect... Don't worry too much about it..."
Duan Chen opened his mouth to speak, but as the words began to form, he felt another urge to gag from his throat. He couldn't control it and vomited forcefully.
Another pile of black hair.
Duan Chen's expression turned extremely somber, his face grim as he looked at Hill. Hill gave an awkward laugh and quickly stepped back. She didn't know why, but with other patients, she wouldn't even bother explaining. Yet, facing Duan Chen, she felt a sense of guilt.
She hurriedly explained, "Don't worry, this is truly just an after-effect and won't pose any danger to your body. You just need to refrain from speaking for a short while..."
Duan Chen sealed his lips tightly, and only then did he feel his stomach settle.
At this moment, Hill's gaze fell upon Jun Ci. Her eyes lit up when she saw the wound on his body. "You seem to be injured too. Do you need treatment?"
Jun Ci immediately waved his hands frantically, his movements blurring in the air. He quickly refused, and his refusal was exceptionally swift. "No, no, I'd rather not." If Hill were to treat him, he'd end up spitting out black hairballs like Duan Chen. He'd rather be killed. It was too embarrassing. Although Jun Ci appeared carefree, he was a youth with a strong sense of self-image.
Hill looked disappointed by Jun Ci's lack of affirmative answer. However, she was a person who could easily adjust her mood. Even after being rejected, she quickly regained her spirit. She still looked at Jun Ci with lingering reluctance. She sincerely admonished him, "Alright then, I'll let you off this time... No, I mean, I won't treat you this time. When you need it, please be sure to let me treat you."
Jun Ci's mouth twitched. She did say "let you off," didn't she?
Duan Chen, with a particularly unpleasant expression, pointed towards the flower field. Jun Ci glanced at his gesture and nodded with a flicker of understanding. "You mean you want us to go in and explore?"
Duan Chen nodded. That was indeed what he meant, and it was what he was thinking. However, he couldn't speak right now. If he opened his mouth, another large clump of black hair would be expelled. Heaven knew, even if he didn't care about his image, he couldn't withstand such a blow to his appearance.
Hill stroked her chin at this moment. She ran her fingers through her exceptionally smooth long hair, her face surprisingly bright. She said with enthusiasm, "When you came before, I was already very curious about what existed within this place to nourish such a large area of healing flowers." She suggested, "Let's go in and take a look!"