The small room was crammed with iron cages. To save space, some cages were stacked two levels high. Inside, without exception, were people, many of them battered and bruised, unrecognizable and in a sorry state.
The foul stench that assailed Rong Zhi's senses nearly made her vomit.
The physician beside her sneered, "Go in!"
Having been here for some time, they were used to it. Rong Zhi frowned as she entered, immediately causing a commotion. Several people began to bang on their cages, their movements weak, almost dead. Yet, the eyes that could still open were filled with hatred.
The physician entered and opened one of the cages. The person inside immediately recoiled, their body covered in hundreds of cuts, lacking even the strength to lift an arm. The narrow, cramped cage offered no space for them to hide.
Rong Zhi squatted down to examine his wounds, counting no less than several hundred.
A surge of anger rose in her heart. "Is this how you treat patients?"
The physician gave her a strange look. "What nonsense are you spouting? Get to work."
Those who collaborated with the Blood Drinking Pavilion never showed compassion.
Rong Zhi shook her head. "A person in this state, even if Hippocrates himself were here, could do nothing. To cure a patient, you must first provide a good environment. If the environment is poor and the patient's condition is too bad, even miraculous elixirs won't help. No wonder you haven't achieved results for so long. You don't even understand this; you're a disgrace to medicine."
"You... are you looking for death?"
The physician glared at her ferociously, but restrained himself from attacking. Only she could produce the antidote, and he couldn't kill her yet. "If you want to develop the antidote quickly, do as I say."
Rong Zhi finished speaking and walked out of the room. She saw Li Hao still standing outside, his gaze fixed on her with a complicated expression. The physicians here were all elites gathered by the Blood Drinking Pavilion from across the martial world. Because of the Pavilion Master's plan, even the Hall Masters treated them with respect. Yet, she had spoken to them so harshly.
However, Li Hao also knew she had confidence, and as expected, the physician emerged from the room with a dark expression. Without looking at Rong Zhi, he shouted to the outside, "Where are the Five Specters?"
With rustling sounds, five figures appeared in the courtyard. "Move these cages to the open ground outside. Go down the mountain and buy some food, clothing, and medicinal herbs. Take good care of these beasts until they are well attended to."
As he finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the five were not good. They were guards highly valued by the Pavilion Master, so why should they be doing such menial work?
The dwarf was about to explode when the blind man stopped him. Then, the blind man said, "We'll go now." With that, they dispersed and began to move the cages outside.
Rong Zhi watched the scene, thinking that the physician was quite adept at making enemies.
The Five Specters moved with great efficiency, quickly relocating all the cages outside and arranging them on the open ground in front of the mansion.
Rong Zhi approached a cage and reached for the latch, but a hand stopped her. A pair of eyes, lacking black pupils, appeared before her. "What are you doing?"
"Naturally, I'm letting them out. What's the point of just moving the cages?"
The blind man paused, then hesitantly released his hand. Rong Zhi waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Born that way?"
"What?" His tone was unfriendly. "It doesn't look like you were born that way. It looks like someone deliberately used medicine to blind your eyes. The body and skin are gifts from your parents; to damage them like this is unfilial."
The blind man said nothing, merely his expression darkened. He snorted and left. Despite being blind, he walked as normally as anyone else, as if his lack of sight didn't matter.
Rong Zhi sighed inwardly. Why all this suffering?
Once, the Five Specters of Mount Sanyang were five pitiable individuals she had chanced upon and saved. Mount Sanyang was not a peaceful place; merely surviving was a luxury. These five were disabled, and to ensure they could live well, Rong Zhi taught them some martial arts. Initially, the Five Specters didn't believe they could learn martial arts, as even ordinary people needed talent, let alone those with disabilities. However, Rong Zhi felt that misfortune could turn into fortune and taught them to leverage their strengths. For example, the blind man had superior hearing, the deaf man could develop keen eyesight, and the lame man, with his limited mobility, was taught to use hidden weapons. The dwarf, with his low center of gravity, excelled at concealment, and the mute was trained in strength. Furthermore, the five could cooperate, and might even become formidable experts. With the idea of "teaching a man to fish," Rong Zhi imparted knowledge and martial arts to them. Later, when she heard about them again, they had already become the Five Specters of Mount Sanyang, gaining considerable local notoriety.
But Rong Zhi never expected them to join the Blood Drinking Pavilion and deliberately inflict the same disabilities on their own healthy offspring, merely to inherit their methods of cooperation. They could have allowed their children and grandchildren to practice martial arts normally and live as ordinary people. Rong Zhi sighed to herself. She could guide them for a while, but not for a lifetime. Moreover, this was their life, and they could do as they pleased. Rong Zhi simply felt a sense of wistfulness.
She came back to her senses, opened the cage in front of her, and suddenly a dark figure flashed past. The man in the cage lunged out, opening his mouth to bite Rong Zhi. Rong Zhi reacted quickly, grabbing him by the neck. "Don't struggle." Her eyes were filled with murderous intent, her voice laced with threat. The man struggled fiercely several times but couldn't break free. His gaze shifted from hatred to fear, and finally, he completely gave up resisting, his arms going limp. Rong Zhi then released him. Looking at his emaciated body and disheveled hair, she said softly, "Don't worry, I will heal you all." The man was stunned, then suddenly burst into uncontrollable sobs, tears streaming down his face. His shoulders shook as he wept, uttering indistinct sounds. Rong Zhi heard him say, "Kill me!" To torture people to such an extent, what kind of hell on earth was this?
The Five Specters had gone out and returned soon after. Rong Zhi guessed they had likely gone to relay messages to the guards outside, instructing them what to do, as the Five Specters had to stay and watch this place.
By evening, a group of people arrived, bringing several horse-drawn carts laden with goods. Upon closer inspection, the carts were filled with food and clothing. Li Hao was there to receive them. Li Hao, having served as a steward at the Zhang residence, was accustomed to such receptions and, more importantly, felt uneasy doing nothing. After inventorying all the items, Li Hao had the goods unloaded and placed in a dry spot. He also instructed others to prepare tarpaulins in case of rain, arranging everything in an orderly fashion. Rong Zhi couldn't help but think that this man was skilled at household management; it was a shame he had pledged his loyalty to the Blood Drinking Pavilion.
Rong Zhi mused and casually picked up a steamed bun, handing it to a person sitting on the ground. Everyone had been released from their cages by now. However, the Five Specters were watching more closely. The dwarf and the mute crouched on the wall, their eyes fixed on the group, as if they would descend and kill everyone at the slightest sign of trouble. With them on guard, there was no need for fences; no one dared to make a move.
When Rong Zhi offered the steamed bun to the man, he looked at her in disbelief, rubbing his eyes as if he thought he was dreaming. It wasn't until the aroma reached his nose that he confirmed the bun before him was real. He then clutched it and devoured it ravenously. The rest of the group was the same. Rong Zhi distributed food to everyone but did not give them new clothes, mainly because they were too dirty and many had wounds. Rong Zhi decided they should bathe and have their injuries treated first.
After distributing the food, the people lay down in small groups. Several people begged for mercy in their sleep, their bodies convulsing as if experiencing something terrifying. Rong Zhi felt a pang in her heart just by witnessing it. Seizing this moment, she entered the courtyard.
The physician from earlier stood with his hands behind his back, looking coldly at the scene outside, his expression even showing a hint of disdain, as if Rong Zhi's actions were utterly beneath him. "What's your name?" Rong Zhi asked directly.
"Bai Shu," the other replied, his tone arrogant, unwilling to speak more with Rong Zhi. "Then, Doctor Bai, may I see your past prescriptions and treatment methods?"
"Naturally. Come in!" He frowned but did not refuse the request. Rong Zhi followed him into the inner room. The dim light made the room sway, as if countless ghostly figures were baring their fangs. He picked up a stack of papers from a table. "Look for yourself."
Rong Zhi took them and found records of every trial drug process, with all sorts of bizarre methods. The most common was using poison to counter poison, not only orally but also by cutting wounds on the test subjects and applying poison to them, observing their pain and reactions. Rong Zhi read through them, feeling that they were no longer seeking an antidote but simply testing drugs for the sake of testing. By the end, only one word remained in Rong Zhi's mind: perverted! In their minds, these people were probably worse than livestock.
"Well? See anything?"
"No," Rong Zhi handed the stack of papers back. "We still need to wait for the wounds on these people to heal before we can administer the appropriate treatment." Although she hadn't found any methods for detoxification, there were many recipes for rare poisons, which Rong Zhi quickly memorized. Bai Shu snorted, his expression clearly conveying, "Let's see what tricks you can pull."
That night, Rong Zhi and Li Hao stayed overnight. Coincidentally, their rooms were adjacent. In the evening, Rong Zhi heard Li Hao sighing and groaning in the next room, likely having endured much scolding for losing so much of the Zhang family's fortune. Rong Zhi mentally reviewed the layout of the house, contemplating how to capture them all. Coincidentally, Li Hao next door cursed, "Sooner or later, I'll show you all the might of Uncle Li!" Rong Zhi turned over, and an idea suddenly struck her.
The next day, Rong Zhi had someone fetch water to give the patients a simple wash, and then began treating their wounds one by one. There were many people, and Rong Zhi didn't intend to ask Bai Shu and the others for help, as with their arrogant attitudes, they probably wouldn't deign to do such work. This task was not simple. Although treating wounds was easy, these people had all suffered severe injuries, and some had become mentally deranged, biting anyone they saw. Rong Zhi carefully avoided their attacks, applied medicine to each person, and only then had the others distribute clothes to them.
At this point, Rong Zhi specifically called for Li Hao. "You really treat me like your errand boy." Li Hao grumbled, frowning. "Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. They will remember your kindness." Although Rong Zhi's words were teasing, they were also a hint. Soon, Li Hao would become the savior who would spare their lives.