Chapter 00254: Layers of Doubt
# Layers of Doubt
Chapter 254
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 254: Layers of Doubt
He Lingchuan followed closely behind, only to realize something was amiss:
How did she arrive so quickly?
He was racing with the monsters, moving faster than a rabbit, leaping over countless obstacles along the way.
Was that something an ordinary person could keep up with?
Moreover, during the fight, he was attentive to the surroundings.
Although the thick fog hadn’t dissipated yet, he hadn’t heard any sound of her getting closer.
Let alone himself, even the two monsters hadn’t noticed her; otherwise, how would they have gotten caught?
With suspicion rising, he studied Sun Fuling’s clothing.
Not a single droplet of hot water or green liquid had splashed on her.
Clearly, there had been such intense fighting that his own clothes had been corroded by the green liquid, leaving several small holes, yet she was completely unscathed.
Was she really just a mere teacher from the Shuming Academy?
Sun Fuling didn’t care what he was thinking.
After entering the house, she pointed to the floor: “Look.”
Lying on the ground was a man in his sixties, his expression still frozen in terror, but his body was so emaciated it seemed like nothing but skin and bones, as if he had been vacuum-sealed.
A large hole was also visible in his neck.
He Lingchuan knelt down to take a closer look and said, “His flesh and blood have been completely drained. It seems the monsters feed on humans."
Sun Fuling added, “The family you rushed to earlier had a young mother as the head of the household, and her corpse looks the same way.”
So there were two monsters, both of which had infiltrated residential areas to feed.
One had been discovered by him, and the other fled to find its companion for a counterattack?
“How could such monsters appear in Panlong City?” Panlong City was one of the few tranquil places on this turbulent continent.
Although the rules were strict, safety was equally high, allowing people to live and work in peace.
Sun Fuling asked him, “What are your plans now?”
Before he could answer, the door to the courtyard creaked open and four or five people rushed in.
He Lingchuan stepped outside and came face-to-face with several officers.
“What’s going on here?” They couldn't ignore the monstrous corpse on the ground, and these men were startled.
They happened to be patrolling nearby when the commotion of the fight between the monsters and He Lingchuan had alarmed the residents to report to them.
Initially thinking it was an ordinary family dispute, they didn’t expect to find this upon entering.
He Lingchuan, in casual attire due to his time off, waved the divine bone necklace at the officers: “About forty breaths ago, we heard a child’s screams on our way home and discovered two monsters attacking people. We only caught this one; the other one escaped.”
In the eyes of the people in Panlong City, the divine bone necklace was a sign of status.
The officers immediately asked, “Which direction did it flee?”
“To the east. It was quick on its feet.” He Lingchuan pointed, and three of the officers immediately ran in that direction.
The remaining two patrolmen entered the house, saw the corpse on the ground, and upon hearing He Lingchuan speak of the other victims nearby, their expressions grew even graver.
They questioned the two of them in detail, then said, “We need to report this as soon as possible. Please leave first. If needed, we will come to inquire further.”
As He Lingchuan nodded, he suddenly heard Sun Fuling exclaim, “Look quickly!"
The monster’s shriek had diminished, and when everyone looked down, its body was rapidly shrinking.
It had originally been nearly as tall as He Lingchuan, but now it was severely reduced and, in front of everyone's eyes, shrank to the size of a fist!
It was hardly bigger than a newborn kitten.
After the shrinkage, it appeared less terrifying, yet it was still more bizarre than before.
Even the officers stared, dumbfounded: “What... what is this? Are we supposed to bring this thing back for a report?”
Sun Fuling poked the monster with a twig and said, “It’s alive; it hasn’t died. I think it's still a juvenile, not fully developed.”
“A juvenile…” He Lingchuan’s expression darkened.
He had almost been defeated by two of these undeveloped monster juveniles? If he were to speak of it, it would be a great humiliation.
If these juveniles were so powerful, what about their adult forms?
“How could such things sneak into the city?” The city gates of Panlong City had very specific controls.
Sun Fuling sighed, “Let’s go. Let the officials handle it.”
The two stepped out, and outside, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
As soon as they saw them come out, they questioned them furiously about the situation.
Sun Fuling managed to give a brief explanation.
On their way back home, both of them remained silent.
The appearance of the monsters was strange, casting a layer of ominous clouds over their minds.
When they reached home, Sun Fuling didn’t push the door open to go inside but instead glanced at his back twice: “You’re hurt. Aren’t you going to take care of it?”
“Uh…” He hadn’t paid much attention originally; after all, his body was in great shape after exiting the dream realm and re-entering, and even if he died, he could revive.
But being prompted by her, he felt the pain kick in. “I’ll go find A Luo to help me.”
Sun Fuling hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let me apply the medicine for you. If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.” He Lingchuan scratched his neck. “Of course, I don’t mind. Please, come in.”
The two entered He Lingchuan’s small courtyard.
His room was too small for them to turn around, so they just went into the kitchen.
Sun Fuling moved a small stool to a bright window and said to him, “Sit.”
Before He Lingchuan could take a good look around, Sun Fuling had already set up the fire basin, adding two small pieces of charcoal and a small bundle of kindling.
The cold room gradually warmed up.
He Lingchuan asked her, “Should I take off my clothes?”
“No need.” Sun Fuling glanced at his back. “The blood scabs are stuck to your clothes; it wouldn’t be good to tear them off.”
She went into the inner room to fetch scissors and external medicine, then walked to He Lingchuan's back: “If it hurts, just tell me.”
A cold metallic feeling quickly spread across his back; He Lingchuan knew she was using scissors to cut away the clothes stuck to his wounds.
The monster’s sharp claws had created long gashes on his back.
Two wounds lay almost parallel, with flesh turned outside, and the blood seeping out was a light green, appearing foamy.
“You're poisoned.” After cleaning the wounds, Sun Fuling held out a pill in her hand, presenting it to him. “At least two antidote pills are needed, one to take internally and one to apply externally.”
He Lingchuan stared at the pill in her hand, falling silent.
“What’s wrong?”
“This... isn’t my medicine, is it?”
“It’s mine, well, my brother’s.” She crushed the other pill and applied it to his wound.
He Lingchuan felt a chill across his back, just as he was about to shudder, it immediately turned into a burning sensation.
Ice and fire, two extremes.
“hss—” The heat almost made his skin feel cooked.
He remembered that he hadn’t encountered a medicine of such potency before.
Sun Fuling held his shoulder, preventing him from moving: “It’s very effective. You can endure it.”
Indeed, that fiery sensation quickly subsided, turning into a soothing coolness that greatly alleviated the pain.
Sun Fuling wiped away the foam from the wound, and the blood that came out afterward was bright red.
Then she quickly wrapped it with golden ointment.
He Lingchuan could feel her fingers lightly pressing near the wound, which were also cool to the touch.
But she leaned in very close, her breath warming his back pleasantly.
From entering the house to applying the medicine, this young lady Sun was impressively skillful and surprisingly efficient.
He felt the need to make conversation: “How did those two monsters end up in the city today?”
Without raising her head, Sun Fuling replied, “By themselves, they shouldn’t have been able to enter.”
“Indeed, if they were still juveniles, they must have been smuggled into the city.” He Lingchuan whispered, “This thing fights by instinct, almost on par with me. Who knows what their adult forms are capable of?”
“What worries me more is that there are more than just one or two of them.” Sun Fuling let out a sigh, “We found two on our way home; what about others?”
Those kinds of monsters could shrink themselves, making it nearly as if they were invisible while hiding in the vast Panlong City.
How could they possibly be tracked down?
“The one we caught has already been handed over to the authorities, right?” she said softly. “I hope a countermeasure can be devised soon. Alright—”
She patted He Lingchuan's shoulder: “The medicine is all set. Don’t let it touch water for the next couple of days, and don’t sleep on your back, understood?”
“Understood, Doctor Sun—” He Lingchuan replied with a smile, “Your technique is no less than A Luo’s.”
A Luo was much more rough in comparison.
In the distance, a soft laugh seemed to ring out.
Next, Sun Fuling took care of the blood and dirty items before washing her hands.
Then she stifled a yawn, showing signs of fatigue: “I’m done, I need to go back and catch some sleep.”
“Be careful, call me if you need anything.”
“Mm.” She had originally grabbed her book to leave, but after thinking for a moment, she turned back and handed the book to He Lingchuan, “I'll lend this to you. Just throw it back into my yard when you’re done.” After saying that, she waved her hand and entered through the door.
Hearing the wooden door creak, He Lingchuan spread out his hand to take a look.
The girl-next-door’s hands were slender like a shuttle, her fingers long and beautiful, almost glowing in the dim room.
Yet when she had handed him the pill earlier, he clearly noticed a thin layer of callus on the pads and bases of her right-hand fingers—
Just like him.
His calluses came from practicing martial arts; what about Sun Fuling? Was it from chopping wood, cooking, or doing housework?
Heh, impossible.
Connecting the dots from his fierce battle with the two monsters, it was Sun Fuling who had provided the crucial assistance; otherwise, he would surely have found himself in a life-and-death struggle.
He hadn’t even realized when she had gotten close to him.
Besides, which girl wouldn’t turn and run upon encountering such monsters? This young lady Sun had been surprisingly calm in a crisis; was it because the skilled were often bold?
The more He Lingchuan thought, the more he felt layers of mysteries surrounding his neighbor.
The two books she had lent him were right beside him.
He picked one up to take a glance; it was titled "Tales of the Strange from the Middle Ages," in two volumes.
He casually flipped through it and discovered that the contents were a collection of various legends, anecdotes, and bizarre events from the Middle Ages, with questionable authenticity.
After all, even the author stated clearly that it was just a collection, not a verification; everyone could just read it for enjoyment.
Marked by dramatic changes in the heaven and earth, everything prior was called the Ancient Period, while everything after was the Middle Ages, extending to 800 years ago.
After that, human civilization truly matured and flourished, while the Daoist sects gradually declined and no longer held the dominant position.
Thus, the Middle Ages actually spanned over two millennia, and so many events occurred during that time that it has now become very difficult to ascertain.
He Lingchuan didn’t expect that such a serious teacher like Sun Fuling would also enjoy such frivolous books.
Well, since he had nothing to do at home, he might as well pass the time with these two books.
Unexpectedly, as he read, he became so engrossed that he didn’t even spare a sip of water.
(End of Chapter)