The next two months went by quietly as nothing unusual occurred. The class still went outside to help people, and when they did, Yu Lin was cautious of everything not letting even one person brush against her. Yu Lin just attended classes like usual. When she wasn’t in class she would help tutor Nie Fu or hang out with Yang Yang. Once in a while Chen Hua would come and talk to her for an hour or so. Other than that nothing really occurred. Despite this Yu Lin could not help but feel something deeper and darker lurking in the background. She tried to investigate but nothing really showed up and she couldn’t just make accusations based on false claims.

-

“M-master?” Nie Fu asked her one day during their tutor sessions.

“What?”

“Why… why are you helping tutor me?”

“Why? It’s cause you’re the last on in class. Do you not want these tutor sessions?”

“N-n-no! I am just… thank you…” Nie Fu shyly said. Yu Lin shrugged her shoulders as she just continued to explain concepts to him.

-

After about half a month all the students were gathered in the courtyard. Yu Lin stood in between Yang Yang and Qian Su as they stood from highest to lowest rank.

“I have an announcement to make,” Zhi Shu said, “as you all know, well except for Yu Lin, every year there is a tournament held in Jongan academy to choose the best people here. Only those in the White sections of each studies will be able to participate. The tournament is a long ways from now, but I want you guys to start training to be able to get you guys ready for the tournament. For this, we will head out tomorrow to go hone your skills. I want you guys to start getting ready right away.”

“Yes, Teacher Li,” they all replied as Zhi Shu walked away. Yu Lin was going to go prepare when Qian Su stood in front of her.

“I need to talk with you,” she said with a smile on her face. Yu Lin looked behind her to see the rest of the class had already rushed to pack their things.

“What do you want from him, Qian Su?” Yu Lin heard Chen Hua call out as she felt him come stand by her side.

“I just want to talk in private. Is this too difficult to do?”

“If you want to say anything, then just say it here.”

“Ok,” Qian Su said as she reached out and wrapped her arms around Yu Lin’s arm. Yu Lin felt Qian Su push her chest onto Yu Lin’s arm and Yu Lin tried to pull away but Qian Su had a surprisingly firm grip. “Sir Du, I must apologize for my rude behavior towards you these first few months but… after spending time observing you, I have fallen for you.”

“Q-Qi-Qian Su! Why are you acting like this out in public?” Chen Hua’s face flushed red.

“I am not interested,” Yu Lin started pulling her arm back but Qian Su just pulled onto it harder.

“Don’t be like that. I am one of the most beautiful women in Medicinal Studies. Are you sure you’re going to let a chance to get with me just slip through your fingers?” she brought her lips closer to Yu Lin’s face and Yu Lin backed away.

“Ni Qian Su!”

“Shut your mouth, Chen Hua! I am not talking to you right now am I? Are you jealous?” Qian Su yelled at Chen Hua. Chen Hua’s eyes grew as he looked away.

“I am no-”

“Emergency!” a guard rushed into the premise. Yu Lin felt Qian Su let go and she moved away as Chen Hua turned around.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“A location stone broke! According to the glass mirror, some sort of magic was casted to the west and injured a carriage bringing in the new recruits. Most of them are severely injured. We need healers right now!” the guard informed.

“What?!”

“Chen Hua, go inform teacher. I will go on first to see the situation,” Yu Lin said, “please lead the way sir.”

“Yes,” the soldier said as they headed to platform.

“Wait, Yu Lin! You ca-”

“You guys will be able to get assistant from the other class but I have to get there on my own. It will be better that I leave first since this is an emergency!” Yu Lin yelled back as she continued to the platform.

She reached the main gates and the guard pointed her towards the direction.

“Just follow that way and you will eventually meet them,” he said.

“Aren’t you going to come along?”

“No. I still have to go and gather more people just in case but, don’t worry. People will come right after you!” he nodded his head. Yu Lin looked at him for a moment before nodding her head.

“I understand,” she said as she started to leap away.

-

Yu Lin followed the guard’s directions and reached the place of the incident. There were bodies everywhere as huge hole was planted onto the ground next to a broke carriage. ‘What is this?’ she thought to herself. ‘Why is this… so similar?’ she bit her lip and swallowed hard. She shook her head to calm herself as she went up and started to examine the bodies one by one. Some of them did not make it as their bodies were burnt to the point of being unidentifiable.

Yu Lin didn’t wait for the rest of the healers to come as chi energy stones appeared in her hands and she put on a set of ten rings on each of her fingers. Afterwards she started to heal the unconscious people as fast as she could.

Within a two hour she was able to take care of everyone’s condition for the most part. For the ones who needed minor attention she left colored ribbons on them. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she looked into the sky, wondering when the rest of the other healers were going to come. She had almost ran out of chi energy stones as she only half of one left after helping fifty people.

She decided to examine the area more as she went to the crater in the ground. She frowned as she saw some blood splatter around the edges of the crater. She followed the blood splatter as she saw small droplets of blood in the grass that could not be seen at first glance. She followed the blood trail until she saw that it lead into a forest. She looked back at the people that she had just treated and she ran back to them.

She created a hut around them with her earth energy and then enchanted some spells to help the barricade. After that she could feel small vibrations and she put her head on the ground to hear horse hooves.

“That strange… did they not get help from the elves? Is that why they are late?” she thought. She got back up left a note on the hut before running after the blood trail. The inside of the forest was dense and she had to look carefully to see the blood trails on the ground. She continued to follow the blood trail and after a moment she saw a man lying with his back against the tree. She walked up to the man and placed her fingers on his forehead.

“A fever,” she mumbled to herself. ‘That’s strange,’ she thought to herself, ‘why is he the only one who isn’t burnt? Why is he over here and not with the rest over there? Why?’ Just then she felt droplets of water land on her face. She looked up to see the dark clouds above her. She had been too busy the whole time to notice the rain clouds flying over her. “This must be why the wind elves couldn’t help,” she groaned. She grabbed the man’s arm and put it over her shoulder. She looked around her to see a nearby cave and she started to drag him there.

When they were inside, she set set the man against a rock. Candles appeared from into her hands and she lit them and placed them around the area. Afterwards she placed a blanket on the ground, before moving the man and putting him on top of the blanket. Yu Lin observed the man and saw that he was having difficulties breathing. She pushed his short black bangs back as she turned his face back and forth, looking at his complexion. After that she looked down at his torso to see a red stain on his purple robes. She started to pull his robes off.

“Please… please… no… brother… no…” she heard him mumbling but she continued to keep her focus on his robes. She removed his last layer to reveal the man’s pale, muscular chest. His chest moved up and down at a rapid pace as he seemed to be struggling for air. Yu Lin’s fingers trailed down his chest, down his prominent abas, and stopped just above his trousers. To the side of his hip bone was a deep gash. Blood continued to trickle out of the gash as Yu Lin made her way to it. She gently touched the area around it to check its situation.

“A sword wound?” she questioned.

“Ah!” she heard the man let out a yelp and she looked up to see his complexion darkening. She frowned as she pulled his hands up to see his fingertips were a light shade of purple.

“Poison,” she said. She looked back at the wound to see that the blood was darker than usual. Yu Lin placed her nose above the man’s dry lips. “This… what kind of poison smells like this?” Yu Lin bit her lips. “It doesn’t matter… I can help him,” she said to herself as she pushed a clean bandage down onto his gash.

“But do you want to?” she heard a familiar voice say and she looked up to see Li Hu Die sitting on a rock across from her. “Isn’t this situation familiar to the one back then?” Hu Die smirked at her. “If you save him… could he be the one to kill you later?”

“Shut up!” Yu Lin yelled.

“Hehe! Alright, do what you want then, you stubborn wench!” Hu Die taunted before disappearing. Yu Lin looked back down and her heart raced.

“No… don’t think of that… you are a physician… you are a physician…” she muttered to herself as a bowl, kettle, and herbs appeared in front of her. She ran the blade across her hand and started to prepare an antidote.

After she was done she laid the man’s upper torso on her shoulder and brought the bowl up to the man’s lip. She opened his mouth and tried to pour it in but the man wouldn’t swallow as he continued to mutter things.

“Brother… no… father… no… no…”

“Please, drink this,” Yu Lin mumbled as she tried again but he just wouldn’t take it. Yu Lin glanced down at his fingertips and could see the shade of purple turning darker. Time was running out. She clenched her teeth before opening her mouth and pouring the contents inside. She turned back to the man and open his mouth. She placed her lips on his as the antidote started to flow into his mouth. This time he didn’t have time to mumble as his lips were on hers and the antidote started to go down slowly as his adam apple moved up and down.

After all the liquid was gone from her mouth she pulled back and wiped her lips. She then set him down and moved to heal his wound. She moved the bandage away and set her hand above it. She started to heal it with the chi energy stone. Her eyebrows rose as the wound was deeper than she had imagined. She was only a fourth of the way finished when all the yellow chi inside the chi energy stone diminished.

She bit her lip as her eyes moved back and forth.

“What to do?” she questioned herself. She looked down at the rings on all her fingers. She knew her chi was safe to use on humans since Wang Pei had put her through various tests as if she was his test subject. Still, she was unsure. A voice echoed inside her head. ‘Remember Yu Lin, you can save with your chi energy but… be very careful. I beg of you, be very careful,’ Wang Pei had told her in the past. She took in a deep breath before looking down at the wound. She started to remove the rings on her fingers.

She placed her hand over the wound and closed her eyebrows knitted together as she concentrated on the wound. Purple chi energy started to flow out of her hand and the wound was now healing ten times faster than it was before when she was using yellow chi energy.

-

After about half an hour she pulled back as she was now finished with the wound. She glanced outside to see the heavy rain still pouring. She looked back at the man’s face to see that his complexion was still a bit dark. She frowned and she looked back at her fingers to see that they were still a light shade of purple.

“What an annoying poison…” she muttered to herself as her materials came out and she started to prepare another antidote.

-

Night came by and it had grown cold. Yu Lin had set up a small campfire inside of the cave as the rain outside kept pouring. She shook her head as she lifted the man’s torso up and started to take off his blood-stained robe. When she pulled the robe off she heard something fall and she looked behind the man. She saw a wooden identification badge with red ribbons hanging at the top. She picked it up.

“Hu… Tai… Yang…” she read out loud. She shrugged her shoulders as she set the man down and pushed his robe aside. Afterwards, she covered him with a blanket and grabbed some rainwater as she had used to much magic and was restricted by the bracelet to use anymore. She washed his robe and then set it to dry near the fire. Afterwards, she continued to watch over his situation as a shade of purple still lingered over his fingers.

-

Four days passed as the rain continued to pour outside the cave. Yu Lin had not had a wink of sleep as she continued to watch over his condition. The purple was all gone now, but she still had to make sure as the poison was stubborn. The man had continued to sleep and mutter.

Yu Lin lifted the man up and placed the man on her shoulder. She opened his mouth as she placed her lips on his again. While she was feeling the antidote pour into his mouth she suddenly felt a hand on her arm.

“Mhhm!” she heard him struggle yet there was still a bit of medicine left so she continued to press herself onto him. After she felt all the medicine had gone she moved back and she felt him push her. He brought his hand up to his mouth as he glared at her.

“Who are you?! What are you doing?! What did you force me to drink?! ” his bright blue eyes were violent as he yelled at her. Yu Lin furrowed her brows as she had never seen such shade of blue eyes on a human before. She had only ever seen them on dark elves.