Bai Xi said lightly, "Does this medicine also require fresh blood as an adjuvant?"
He Mu nodded, "Yes, ancient books did say so. As for whether the efficacy is as described in the books, I'm not entirely sure. We'll have to give it to him and see the effects."
Bai Xi was not one to hesitate. After all, the people present had no other way to be treated. Since He Mu had offered a solution, they could only try. "Then, Doctor He, please give it a try."
He Mu took the porcelain bowl and walked towards the door of the room where the child, now transformed into a snake, was housed.
Inside the room, the child had been given a sedative but was still agitated. If not restrained, he would likely coil and writhe all over the room.
A long iron chain secured his entire upper body to the hard stone bed. However, due to violent struggles, the chain had inflicted numerous wounds on him, leaving him bleeding profusely. Yet, he seemed oblivious.
He lay sprawled on the bed, his body, no longer resembling a human, was now thin and long. The transformation was far more pronounced than before the stadium, and his length had also increased considerably. He could no longer fit entirely on the bed; only half of him rested on it, while the other half "spilled" onto the floor.
As He Mu entered, the child bared his teeth, revealing sharp fangs and a terrifying red tongue. His once innocent and cute eyes now had pupils that were merely thin slits. The only parts that retained a human appearance were the fair and tender skin on the sides of his face and his medium-length hair.
The entire scene was eerie and horrifying.
When He Mu entered, two members of the island city's defense force, clad in armor, immediately stepped forward. They positioned themselves on either side of the boy, helping to hold him down on the bed to prevent him from injuring himself or He Mu during his violent struggles.
He Mu approached and held the bowl of medicine in front of the boy.
The moment the medicine neared him, the boy's resistance intensified, nearly causing him to bite the wrist of the person holding him.
He Mu moved forward and gripped the boy's neck, causing him to quiet down. "Don't worry, you'll get better slowly after taking the medicine."
With that, he placed the bowl by the child's lips.
The medicinal liquid splashed out. The parts of the boy that were not mutated showed no change when the medicine touched them. However, where the mutations had occurred, the moment the medicine landed, the affected areas began to rapidly fester and bleed profusely.
The mutated boy, feeling the pain, resisted even more fiercely. He Mu, however, remained calm, moving his hand, which had been at the boy's neck, slightly higher to fix his head. Then, he poured all the medicine down his throat.
The instant the medicine entered the boy's throat, a large amount of blue-white smoke billowed out from his body. The boy let out a painful wail, his voice shifting from a faint hiss to a child's cry, then back to a hiss, and then to a child's cry again.
Simultaneously, a large quantity of blue-white liquid gushed from his mouth, falling onto the ground with a foul stench.
Amidst this struggle and the ghastly cries, the boy's mutation slowly receded. Traces of human form were discernible, but his entire body, where the scales had fallen off, was a bloody mess.
A child, about five or six years old, sat on the ground, crying in pain, emitting blue-white gas all over his body and spewing foul-smelling blue-white liquid from his mouth. The scene was both shocking and heartbreaking.
Shangguan Wen immediately stepped forward, "Doctor He, after such torment, will this child survive?"
He Mu lowered his gaze slightly, "If not like this, then what other way is there?"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Wen fell silent.
Indeed, he knew nothing about this kind of poison.
Perhaps this was the only way.
However, he clenched his fists tightly and struck the iron bars of the cell with all his might.
This heavy blow indelicately dented the iron bars. "Damn the Kui Hall! I will capture them and make them experience what pain is!"
At that moment, Bai Xi stepped forward and, with a slight exertion of force, struck the boy on the neck.
The boy immediately collapsed, unconscious. Although he no longer screamed, blue-white liquid continued to pour from his mouth, and his body twitched slightly.
Bai Xi raised her eyes to look at He Mu, "Doctor He, what is his condition now?"
He Mu stepped forward and gently touched the boy's wrist, which had returned to a human form but was still bleeding profusely. "This medicine is effective. With two more internal doses and two external baths, the poison on his body can be completely removed."
Bai Xi nodded faintly and turned towards the medicine table.
On the table lay a total of eight bowls, each containing a portion of freshly brewed medicine.
Without hesitation, Bai Xi drew the dagger she carried for self-defense from her thigh, sliced her wrist, and let her blood fall into another bowl.
Shangguan Wen exclaimed in shock and immediately stepped forward, "Eldest Miss, what are you doing!"
Bai Xi said calmly, "It's not easy for Doctor He to prepare the antidote. There's no reason to make him the only one to donate blood."
There were eight more mutated people here. Each needed a bowl of medicine daily. If they had to have He Mu draw blood for all of them, he would likely be drained dry.
More importantly... the way He Mu was drawing blood reminded her of Han Mo.
Han Mo had nurtured her with his own blood before.
If she had known earlier...
Never mind, there are never any "ifs" in this world, only results and consequences.
Shangguan Wen, realizing what was happening, also drew his self-defense dagger from his waist and cut his wrist. "Eldest Miss is right. But even if we must do this, it should be the subordinates who do it."
As he spoke, he dripped his blood into a porcelain bowl containing the medicine while taking out a handkerchief from his embrace and pressing it onto Bai Xi's wrist.
Bai Xi looked at Shangguan Wen. In his deep eyes, there was a hint of determination. "Eldest Miss, rest assured, I will cooperate fully with Doctor He in treating these patients."
Yes, he found He Mu displeasing and couldn't explain the unusual aura emanating from him.
But he also knew where to draw the line.
Since He Mu was currently helping the common people of Island City, he naturally wouldn't let him donate blood for these patients alone.
Seeing Shangguan Wen's resolve, Bai Xi did not refuse. "Alright, then you organize the city defense forces to donate blood for those who need treatment. A certain subsidy will be given to those who donate blood."
Shangguan Wen listened to Bai Xi's arrangement and nodded.
Not far away, He Mu watched the two of them, his eyes deep.
His gaze eventually fell on Shangguan Wen pressing Bai Xi's wrist through the handkerchief.
Although the detoxification was a major matter, having He Mu and Shangguan Wen there was sufficient.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Bai Xi returned to the hotel where she had been staying.
At the hotel, Lin Yun had already been safely escorted back to the Bai family villa in M City by the Dark Department. Currently, only Bai Han remained in the room.
The door opened, and Bai Han, holding a wine glass, gently set it down as he looked at Bai Xi, revealing a charming and elegant smile. "Little Xi, you're finally back."
Bai Xi looked at Bai Han before her, her eyes devoid of their usual closeness and tenderness. "It is I who have returned. Bai Han, or should I call you—Han Luo."