Suffered

The concept of "big" is relative.

If a fish were of this size, it would naturally be considered big, but if what was caught was a person, then it wouldn't be so big after all.

The most ominous thing was that the person caught was wearing the uniform of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Though it was just the basic attire of a low-ranking officer, anything related to the Demon Suppression Bureau was never a good sign.

Chu Xingchen scanned the person he had caught with his spiritual sense.

The man had a cultivation level of the seventh layer of Qi Refinement and, surprisingly, was still alive, not completely dead yet.

Chu Xingchen had originally planned to kick the body back into the river if the person was dead, pretending he had seen nothing.

But since the man was still alive, he couldn't do that.

Reluctantly, Chu Xingchen took a couple of steps forward and looked at the fortunate member of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

He was a relatively young man, decent-looking, though not as handsome as Chu Xingchen.

Perhaps he hadn't been in the water for too long, as his face was pale but not yet swollen.

His eyes were closed, but a dark red energy was flowing through the veins in his neck.

Chu Xingchen frowned slightly—was this poison?

To be cautious, Chu Xingchen took out a silver needle from his waist and, using his spiritual energy, inserted it into the vein.

After the dark red energy flowed through, the silver needle showed no reaction.

It wasn't poison.

Chu Xingchen felt slightly relieved. He then used his spiritual sense to scan the man's veins and discovered that the dark red energy was actually a violent force.

It was still rushing through the man's body, wreaking havoc.

If no help was given, the man wouldn't survive for long.

With a sigh, Chu Xingchen took out a few more silver needles and inserted them into the man's major acupoints, sealing his heart meridian to ensure that at least his heart wouldn't be destroyed by the energy.

As for whether the other meridians would burst under the pressure of the energy, Chu Xingchen couldn't guarantee that.

After finishing the acupuncture, Chu Xingchen used a bit of his spiritual power to lift the man and place him on the recliner he had been using for fishing.

He made sure not to touch the young man directly.

Grabbing one corner of the recliner, Chu Xingchen carried both the chair and the young man toward Yuzhou City, which wasn't far away.

At the city gate, there were naturally guards on duty.

The sight of Chu Xingchen carrying a recliner with a young man in Demon Suppression Bureau attire was quite eye-catching among the crowd.

Before Chu Xingchen could even approach the gate, two guards had already rushed over.

The guards quickly scanned the young man on the recliner—pale-faced, drenched, and with several large silver needles sticking out of him.

They hesitated for a moment, not asking any questions right away, but instead reached out to check the young man's neck. Feeling a pulse, they let out a sigh of relief.

One of the guards, who had clearly dealt with similar situations before, quickly shouted toward the city gate:

"We have a severely injured and unconscious member of the Demon Suppression Bureau here! Send a fast horse to the Bureau and call for help!"

Soon, a fast horse could be seen galloping into the city.

This seemed like a well-practiced routine—it was better to have the Demon Suppression Bureau send someone to treat the injured rather than rushing the injured person to the Bureau.

The guard glanced at the silver needles and then spoke in a gentle tone:

"Thank you for your help, brother. Please wait here for a moment. The Demon Suppression Bureau will reward you for saving one of their own."

Chu Xingchen sighed and nodded reluctantly.

The promise of a reward was likely true, but the guards were also probably making sure he wasn't the perpetrator by not letting him leave. Saving someone always came with complications.

Seeing that Chu Xingchen was cooperative, the two guards also relaxed.

After all, someone who could save a member of the Demon Suppression Bureau was likely a cultivator, and since he was willing to cooperate, he was probably just a passerby who happened to help.

Fortunately, the Demon Suppression Bureau responded quickly.

In fact, they arrived faster than the horse.

A figure wearing the same Demon Suppression Bureau uniform came running toward the gate at an astonishing speed.

Chu Xingchen looked up and saw a petite girl who appeared quite young, with her hair tied into two small braids that swayed with her movements.

The little physician carried a medicine box and ran swiftly on her short legs.

She seemed to be around the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Refinement in cultivation.

The little physician quickly spotted Chu Xingchen and hurried over, her eyes immediately locking onto the young man and the silver needles sealing his major acupoints.

She first checked his pulse, confirming that it was still there, and then noticed the dark red energy raging within the sealed meridians.

Her hands glowing with spiritual light, she reached out to touch the violent energy, trying to determine its nature.

"This energy is fierce!"

Her voice had a soft, childlike quality, but her tone carried a distinct Sichuan-Chongqing accent, suggesting she wasn't from Yuzhou City.

Even though her tone was serious, there was an oddly endearing quality to it.

"Did you apply the needles?" the little physician asked, looking up at Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen nodded. "Yes, is there something wrong?"

"No, it's perfect. If it weren't for your needles, this kid probably wouldn't have lasted this long," the little physician said. "Are you a physician too? Can you lend a hand?"

"I'm not a physician... but if it's something simple, I can try to help."

"Alright then. It's hard to call for help right now, and this kid can't hold on much longer. Those big guys are all clumsy, so just follow my instructions."

Although the silver needles were suppressing the energy, it was still eroding and destroying the meridians inside the body. The situation was still critical!

Despite her small size, the little physician was very decisive. Her large almond-shaped eyes looked at Chu Xingchen:

"Your spiritual energy seems strong. When you pull out the needles, suppress the energy while I guide it out, alright?"

Chu Xingchen nodded, indicating he understood.

The little physician then took out a piece of dried platycodon root from her medicine box, pried open the young man's mouth, and stuffed the root down his throat. She then took a small gourd from the box, uncorked it, and a medicinal aroma wafted out.

"He's unconscious and can't swallow on his own. This method works well," the little physician explained.

After pouring some medicinal liquid into the gourd and guiding it through the platycodon root, she pulled out the root and looked at Chu Xingchen:

"You can pull out the needles now."

Chu Xingchen nodded lightly, extended his hand, and channeled his spiritual energy through the silver needles to seal the meridians. Then, with a swift motion, he pulled out the needles.

The little physician seized the moment, her hands glowing with white light as she gently pressed on the acupoints, attempting to guide the fierce energy out.

However, she quickly realized something was wrong!

On the surface, she had only sensed a general impression of the energy, but now that she was in direct contact with it, the energy was filled with an overwhelming bloodlust. It began to rapidly entangle itself with her guiding spiritual energy.

As the energy broke through the surface, the familiar bloodlust made Chu Xingchen's brow furrow instantly.

This... it felt almost identical to the bloodlust energy found in blood spirit stones!

The little physician felt the bloodlust energy violently tearing at her spiritual energy while rapidly corrupting the surrounding flesh. She frowned deeply and instinctively exclaimed:

"Oh no!"