Chapter 197: What Medicine Is So Expensive?

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: What Medicine Is So Expensive?

The Head Wolf had no time for Xiaqing, its eyes glued to the mouth of the valley. Xiaqing first heard the rustle of leaves and dry branches being stepped on, and only then did she see Yan Long’s figure.

Given Yan Long’s abilities, she shouldn’t have been making so much noise. She must have been walking that way deliberately so the Wolf Group and Xiaqing would notice her.

"Sister Yan, over here." Xiaqing waved to Yan Long before turning to the Head Wolf. "Queen, this human is my companion. She’s here to help carry the planks."

After Yan Long and the Head Wolf sized each other up for a few seconds, the Head Wolf was the first to move. It crouched down on top of the cave, while the other three wolves backed away to stand behind it.

Only then did Yan Long enter the valley. She walked over to Xiaqing and, with her back to the Wolf Group, calmly explained the situation. "The Northern Isolation Zone is impassable. I’ve already notified Luo Pei. We’ll cut through Mountain No. 49."

Of course, Yan Long didn’t know that Zone Three of Mountain No. 49 was Xiaqing’s territory, which was why she had spoken with Luo Pei.

"Okay." Xiaqing covered the three wolves on the planks with an old, grass-green bedsheet. Then, she and Yan Long lifted the three wolves—weighing a combined five hundred-plus pounds—and left the valley, crossing through the Evolution Forest of Zone Three, Mountain No. 49.

This Evolution Forest was Xiaqing’s territory, so she knew which paths were safe and took the lead. Yan Long knew that Xiaqing often cleared the Evolution Forest with Hu Zifeng’s team, so she wasn’t surprised by how familiar she was with the area.

The two women carried the wolves to the operating room door in Territory Land No. 7, where Zhang San’s two assistants took the animals and carried them inside. Xiaqing thanked Yan Long, "Thanks for your help, Sister Yan. You can get back to your business. I’ll be fine waiting here."

"I’m free, too." Yan Long brought over two chairs and sat down with Xiaqing in the hallway. Yan Long didn’t speak, and Xiaqing wasn’t a talkative person, so the two of them just sat there in silence, listening to the sounds coming from the operating room.

Inside the monitoring room of Territory Land No. 7, Huo Zhun watched the two short-haired women—one in red, one in brown—on the screen and clucked his tongue in amazement. "She can stay that calm sitting next to Yan Long. That kid’s got some serious composure."

Ji Li, who was petting a little tabby kitten, reminded him, "Xiaqing has never seen Yan Long in battle. In her eyes, Yan Long is no different from any other woman."

Huo Zhun rubbed his chin. "You think she knows our Lord’s identity?"

Ji Li shook his head. "She doesn’t know. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting this way."

Huo Zhun chuckled. "Being in the same group as Lord Zhang... Territories Three, Four, Five, Six, and Ten are lucky beyond belief. I wonder how many people are desperate to squeeze their way in."

Ji Li snorted. "Squeeze in? Just to end up like Li Si?"

At the mention of Li Si, Huo Zhun’s interest was piqued. "Shouldn’t we be following the Lord over to No. 9 Territory for a visit?"

Ji Li replied, "The Fiery Fire Team paid a hefty fine, so Li Si will be back soon. The Lord will definitely wait for his return before going."

’Of course.’ Huo Zhun thought. ’There’s no way the Lord would pass up the chance to watch someone squirm.’ He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with a sigh. "You can afford to offend anyone, but not Lord Zhang."

’The man was unbelievably petty.’

An hour and a half later, the operating room door opened. Zhang San walked out, pulling off his gloves and mask.

Xiaqing was shocked to see that her idol’s already pale and gaunt face seemed to have thinned even more than when he operated on the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf; there was almost no flesh left on him. He wasn’t just thin—he had dark circles under his eyes, and his exhaustion was so palpable that he looked almost frightening.

’Good thing I’m not his fan because of his looks,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, the moment he took off that mask, I would’ve definitely stopped being one.’

’My idol looks so haggard. Where on earth has he been for the last half a month?’ Xiaqing didn’t dare to ask and just obediently followed him into a dispensary filled with all sorts of bottles and jars.

Zhang San was in rough shape and his voice was feeble, but his movements as he prepared the medicines were as pleasing to the eye as last time. "The wolf with the broken leg—its bone has healed. I’ve already removed the splint, so you don’t need to worry about it. The one with the back injury is also recovering well. I replaced its Protective Equipment; bring it back in twenty days for a follow-up. The one infected with parasites has severe internal organ damage. It will need medication to recuperate for at least three months."

Thanks to her excellent hearing, Xiaqing distinctly heard a cheerful lilt in her idol’s voice when he said "three months."

’Why was he so happy about three months? Of course! If the wolf had to recuperate for three months, that meant he’d have Green Light meat to eat for three months!’

Xiaqing felt happy too, and immediately let her gushing admiration flow. "Brother San, you don’t just perform surgery, you can treat internal injuries too. You’re truly incredible!"

’How did my idol manage to learn so many skills in just thirty or forty years? Could he be a High Level Brain Domain Evolver? But the physique of a High Level Evolver is much better than an ordinary person’s. By rights, he shouldn’t look this haggard.’

Zhang San snorted. "Flattery will get you nowhere. You’re not getting a single point off the examination and medication fees."

Xiaqing immediately sat up straight. "Of course! Having Brother San personally treat the wolves is worth every single point."

Zhang San grunted in satisfaction and placed twelve medicine bottles of various sizes that he had prepared on the table in front of Xiaqing.

During the Disaster Years, supplies were scarce, so the most common containers for medicine had long been small, sealed bags. But Zhang San used glass bottles. His dispensary was filled with transparent, colorless glass bottles of all shapes and sizes, and the medicine he prescribed for Xiaqing was also packaged in them, each bottle bearing a sloppily handwritten label.

’So extravagant!’ But Xiaqing liked it. After the medicine was gone, she could use the glass bottles to store other things, and they were pleasing to the eye.

Zhang San instructed, "This transparent bottle contains the medicine you wanted. The others are for the wolves. Use them according to the instructions on the labels."

Xiaqing thanked him sincerely. "Thank you so much, Brother San."

Zhang San leaned feebly against a medicine rack. "The medicine plus the examination fees comes to sixty thousand points."

’Six...ty thousand? Which medicine is that expensive?!’

Zhang San lifted his sharp, pointed chin, gesturing toward the bottle in Xiaqing’s hand. "Yours is the most expensive at ten thousand points. After that, it’s the medicine for the wolves’ digestive health."

Xiaqing was speechless.

Before Xiaqing could say that she had no points and would have to pay her debt with food, Zhang San pulled a stack of papers from a shelf and handed it to her.

Seeing the pictures on the papers, the normally serious expression of Yan Long, who was sitting beside Xiaqing, broke into a look of pleasant surprise.

Zhang San shot Yan Long a look before turning to Xiaqing. "I know you’re poor and don’t have the points for the medical fees. Take these photos back to the Wolf Group. Have them find the two herbs pictured here. I need everything—root and leaf. The fresher, the better."

’Such a thick stack of paper for only two types of herbs?’ Xiaqing took them and began to flip through, quickly understanding why there were so many sheets. The pictures clearly displayed the herbs in their seedling, mature, flowering, and fruiting stages. Each stage was further broken down into top-down, bottom-up, and side views. Some images even showed a cross-section of the roots or depicted the plant in its natural environment, making its size and habitat perfectly clear.

One of the herbs grew in the water, and in the image, several snakes and other aquatic Evolutionary Creatures were swimming around it. None of them looked like they’d be easy to deal with.

’Could the Wolf Group really retrieve an herb from the water?’

’Was Brother San overestimating this pack of old, weak, and injured wolves—a pack that had lost its territory to Pythons or a Bear Group?’

Xiaqing began to bargain with her idol. "You’ve been very thorough, Brother San. With these pictures, the wolves should be able to find the herb, provided it’s within their active range. However, I can’t guarantee if they’ll be able to retrieve it, or how long it will take for them to deliver it."