Night of Despair

Daybreak had come.

The bright sunlight seemed as if someone had hit fast forward, quickly shifting from dim to bright, even somewhat dazzling.

Yu Hong watched this scene in a daze, his consciousness heavy, and his body burning hot.

Already weak, he had stayed up all night without sleep, further deteriorating his condition.

When he realized it was safe, he could no longer control himself and collapsed to the ground, lying on his side.

"Are you... okay?" Little Stutter blew out the candle, carefully placing it back in the corner, then turned around to see Yu Hong on the floor and rushed over in shock.

Finding Yu Hong's body burning hot, she immediately scooped up some water, hastily filtered it, and poured it into his mouth.

After giving him water, she searched for medicine. She had obtained some from Doctor Xu, which she quickly administered to Yu Hong.

Yu Hong was aware of Little Stutter's help, but his body was already out of strength.

He felt himself being lifted in her arms and placed on the bed, then she found a used white rock and placed it on his forehead to cool him down.

The rock was cold and began to absorb the heat intensely, making Yu Hong feel much better.

Feeling slightly better, Yu Hong finally couldn't control himself and once again drifted into a deep, unconscious sleep.

This time, he slept completely unaware of time.

Somewhere in the haze, after what felt like a long time, he regained some awareness.

"This is the fourth day, his fever has subsided, and he no longer needs medication," said the voice of Doctor Xu. She seemed to be standing beside the bed, touching Yu Hong's forehead.

The slight touch itched, but he was too weak to scratch, so he let it gradually fade away.

"Take... one more... dose!" Little Stutter's voice was intermittently audible.

"No need, you've already exchanged everything you could, and there's nothing of value left. It's been a while since the post office has had any supplies, and I don't have much anti-inflammatory medicine left either," Doctor Xu refused.

"Not... anymore, take!" Little Stutter declared firmly. "It was... the same... for you... back then!"

Upon hearing this, Doctor Xu fell silent.

"That's true, if it hadn't been for you, I would have died on the roadside too, probably my bones chewed up by monsters. Alright, I'll exchange medicines for you one last time. This is it!"

"Good! I... have... food for you..."

Sounds of rummaging followed.

"That's not enough, as per the previous exchange rate..." Doctor Xu said reluctantly.

"I... have... more here!"

"Forget it, let's just do it, it's the last time anyway. Seriously, stop saving people. We can barely take care of ourselves," Doctor Xu sighed.

"Thank... you," Little Stutter expressed her gratitude.

"Alright, I'm off to check on old Yu, don't see me out," Doctor Xu said as her footsteps gradually receded, then the door closed, and the room quieted down.

Yu Hong weakly opened his eyes and saw Little Stutter's dirty, ugly face right beside the bed, her hand holding a wooden bowl containing some black mush.

She was scooping some with a spoon and feeding it to Yu Hong.

Yu Hong didn't resist anymore. With a wooden expression, his face pale yellow, he lay on the elevated pillow, swallowing spoonfuls of mush.

Without realizing, they finished one bowl—one feeding, the other eating.

Yu Hong licked his lips and strangely thought the mush tasted quite good.

"Is there any more?" he asked, unable to help himself.

"There is!" Little Stutter, seeing him talk, showed a pure joy in her bright eyes.

She got up, rummaged around, and soon concocted another bowl of black mush, sat by the bed, and fed it to Yu Hong.

But it seemed the mush was too low in calories, or maybe because Yu Hong hadn't eaten in a long time and was weak, he still felt a bit hungry. So he asked again.

Little Stutter happily prepared another bowl for him.

After finishing this time, Yu Hong finally felt half full. The cool, black mush made his stomach much more comfortable.

His body also felt stronger.

"How long have I slept?" he asked Little Stutter.

"Four... days..." Little Stutter showed four fingers and smiled, showing her yellow teeth.

"Thank you," Yu Hong looked at her and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

He knew, without her care, he probably would have died in his stupor long ago.

Looking at the eerie and dangerous environment outside, if no one took care of this place, relying on himself alone, he probably wouldn't survive a day.

This favor, merely saying thanks, was too trivial, but no matter. He would have an opportunity to repay her later.

He didn't believe that being a sane, healthy man, when serious, he could not out do a disabled girl like Little Stutter.

"No, problem," Little Stutter said, smiling.

She stood up happily, went to fetch water in an attempt to give Yu Hong a drink, but after scraping the basin for a while, she couldn't even gather a small cupful.

"I... going out... well, fetch water," Little Stutter returned to the bedside, struggling to explain to Yu Hong.

"I'll... be... back soon!"

"Don't... open... door or windows! Anyone... knocks, don't... open," Little Stutter seriously instructed him.

"Okay! I got it," Yu Hong seriously nodded.

With his response, Little Stutter nodded, grabbed the water basin, and rushed out.

The door closed, the intense mold smell spread in the air, making Yu Hong uncomfortable.

But he remembered Little Stutter's warning, a bit of mold was better than being killed by the dangers outside.

More crucially, he recalled the white rock he had stuffed into his pocket before fainting.

A mix of curiosity, anticipation, and anxiety rose in his heart.

He reached into his pocket, quickly grasped the rock, and slowly pulled it out.

Holding the rock in his hand, resting it in his palm, Yu Hong carefully observed it.

The rock had changed its appearance.

Originally partially turned black, the rock had now once again become pure white.

It looked completely like a piece of jade.

The surface subtly gained a faint, jade-like luster.

Even the red symbol in the middle became neater and more complex, with forceful strokes.

"This is..." Yu Hong's mind stirred, and to confirm his own thoughts, he got up and rummaged through a bag in the corner for an unused piece of white stone.

Comparing the two pieces of white stone, the difference was immediately apparent.

The stone in his hand that had been enhanced was clearly much higher quality than the other.

The red symbols painted on it were also much more complex, not even the same pattern anymore; they seemed to have been enhanced during the process as well.

"This enhancement... It's almost like an upgraded version?" A series of doubts arose in Yu Hong's mind.

After the comparison, he cautiously pocketed the enhanced white stone and returned to sit by the bed.

His fever had subsided, but his strength was still weak, and just a little movement made him dizzy.

The wound on his back was numb too, he didn't know if it was getting worse or healing, and without a mirror, he couldn't see it himself.

He reached back to try and feel it, but could only touch the bandages.

Obviously, either Stutterer or Doctor Xu had treated it.

Thump, thump, thump.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Yu Hong raised his head and called out.

"It's me, Doctor Xu. Is Yiyi there?"

A somewhat familiar middle-aged woman's voice came from outside.

"She's not here," Yu Hong replied.

"I've come to deliver her medicine; I've left it on the ground outside your door. Make sure you pick it up and tell her when she gets back," Doctor Xu said.

"Alright."

Yu Hong responded.

Soon, the subtle sound of footsteps faded away, and silence returned.

Yu Hong took a breath, steadied himself on the bed, and slowly made his way to the door.

If the medicine left at the door was taken, it would be bad, considering its importance far exceeded his expectations from what he had gathered before.

Thus, he needed to bring it inside quickly.

Slowly, and step by step, he moved to the door and reached out to grasp the doorknob.

Click.

The knob turned halfway.

Suddenly, Yu Hong stopped.

He remembered what Stutterer had said before leaving: "Never open the door!!"

Immediately, a sense of caution rose in him; he looked down at the gap under the door.

It was daylight, the sun was bright, and light was coming through the gap.

But as he looked, Yu Hong's body suddenly shuddered.

He saw a figure outside, standing at the door!

The light was blocked by the figure, casting a slight shadow.

It was this shadow that let Yu Hong discern that someone was standing outside, just a door away.

Just standing there quietly, silently, outside.

It...

It seemed to be waiting for him to open the door!

"There's a problem!"

Feeling uneasy, Yu Hong slowly let go of the doorknob and stepped back.

Step by step, he kept moving backward.

Until he reached the center of the room, his hand slipped into his pocket and grasped the enhanced white stone.

He had almost been tricked!

That voice, that voice just now sounded exactly like Doctor Xu!

Damn it!

Yu Hong was filled with panic, a choking sensation in his throat making it almost impossible to make a sound.

His chest felt suffocated, very suffocated.

His panic was not only from being scared by these unknown entities, but also from the fear of nearly being deceived into opening the door.

His gaze remained fixed on the gap under the door, not daring to look away.

Soon, perhaps realizing it hadn't deceived him, the figure outside silently moved to the right and disappeared.

Just as quietly as it had appeared, the figure's departure was exceedingly silent, without any footstep sounds.

And it was only a long while after the figure had left that Yu Hong finally relaxed from the tension.

He was panting heavily, still wary of opening the door, and quietly moved to the window instead.

Peering through the thick wooden boards nailed over the window, he cautiously looked outside.

From this window, he could see the area outside the door at an angle.

He had been outside once before and knew that outside this house was a horizontal pebbled path.

The houses in this village were all located along this pebbled road.

Now standing at the window, Yu Hong carefully quieted his breathing and looked out through a crooked gap in the wooden planks.

But as soon as he looked out.

Doctor Xu's face, expressionless, was staring right back at him.

She was also standing at the window, watching him as he secretly peeked outside!