[19:59]
"You said he is not poisoned, so then what happened to him?" Lia asked, his voice edged with both relief and confusion.
"I will explain later. Let's save Pen first, or we may lose him." Ziqian's voice was trembling, and the whisper at the end sent ripples of unease through every sharp-eared beast who caught every word.
How can I save Pen? Ziqian's heart hammered as he asked Phi and Ero inwardly.
On Earth, it was simple. People rushed to hospitals, used adrenaline shots, or at the very least antihistamines. He remembered clearly because one of his college classmates had severe airborne allergies and always carried pills. But here in Gaia, there was no hospital, no EpiPen, and no ready-made medicine.
Ziqian's mind raced. Antihistamines reduce allergic reactions… what in Gaia can be used as an alternative?
"Ah-Zi," Phi's gentle voice rang in his mind, "the lume fruit, it has soothing and cooling properties. It might ease his rashes."
Ero added sharply, "There are plants that have natural antihistamines."
Ziqian suddenly remembered he had seen properties similar to what he needed on one of the plants he found earlier. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall which one.
"Yan, keep talking to Pen. Don't let him fall asleep," Ziqian instructed firmly, his voice steady despite the panic knotting in his chest.
"Xue," he turned quickly, "bring me all the plants we gathered today."
"Tei, Qiu, fetch the pot from my tent and fill it with water—make it as cold as possible."
The two nodded and dashed out without hesitation.
Ziqian crouched beside Pen again, his eyes scanning the young sub-beast's blotchy skin and swollen lips. It's good the plants I already used were replenished, he thought grimly. If I can find the right one, I can make something to reduce this reaction…
Without a single question, everyone moved at once.
[17:21]
When Xue returned, he was carrying two baskets filled to the brim. Ziqian spread the fruits and vegetables out before him, his fingers trembling as he sorted through them. He scanned the interface's fleeting notes in a frenzy, desperately searching for anything marked with anti-inflammatory properties.
After a minute of frantic searching, his hands stilled.
[No poison found!]
[No harmful elements found!]
...
[Contains: Anti-nausea, Anti-inflammation, Antipyresis, Analgesia, and Antihistamine properties]
On his hand is an arm-length rhizome.
"Xue, cut half of the root into small pieces and boil it," Ziqian ordered as he handed the rhizomes to the man.
Xue simply gave a sharp nod, snapped the ginger root in half with his bare hands, and strode to the fire pit.
[16:09]
Suddenly, Yan's frantic cry was heard. "Pen! Pen! Don't close your eyes!"
Lia immediately dropped to his knees beside the boy, his hands quick as he pressed two fingers to Pen's wrist. His expression darkened. "His pulse… it's weakening—too fast. And his breathing—" He stopped, hearing the wheezing rasp as the young sub beast's chest rose and fell shallowly, each breath like it cost him more strength than he had.
Yan clutched her brother's hand desperately, tears streaming down her face. "No, no, stay with me, Pen! Please, open your eyes!"
The atmosphere inside the tent grew heavy, every pair of eyes fixed on the boy who seemed to be slipping away.
Ziqian's heart sank. We're running out of time.
[14:35]
"Here's the water," Tei breathlessly said, staggering in with Qiu.
Ziqian grabbed a ripe lume fruit and quickly split it open before squeezing the nectar into the water. Ziqian remembered that his late grandmother once diluted apple cider vinegar in cold water and used it to lessen the redness of rashes, and he could only hope the lume's acidity would have the same effect.
"I'll wash Pen's body," Ziqian said firmly, despite the tension in his chest. He hoped the hint would be enough for the gossipmongers, who did nothing but whisper and murmur in the background, to leave the tent and give them some privacy.
Bei immediately caught on and turned to the crowd at the tent's edge. "Everyone out." His voice carried the weight of command.
The others hesitated, but under the patriarch's sharp gaze, they shuffled away reluctantly. Soon, only Lia, Ziqian, and Yan remained inside, with Xue still crouched over the fire, fanning the flames with single-minded intensity as the ginger root boiled.
[13:09]
Ziqian dipped a clean cloth into the lume mixture, wrung it out, and pressed it gently over Pen's blotchy, reddened skin.
The sour scent filled the tent as Ziqian carefully dabbed at the rashes that marred Pen's arms and chest, each motion deliberate but swift. Pen's lashes fluttered, his breathing still ragged.
Yan bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, refusing to sob again. She clung to her brother's hand, whispering, "Stay awake, Pen… stay with me."
Lia knelt opposite Ziqian, watching closely while monitoring Pen's pulse.
[11:01]
Damn it! Ziqian bit his lower lip, swallowing the curse that threatened to break free. The glowing red numbers on the blue screen kept ticking down, making him panic with every passing second—a countdown to someone's life or death.
He forced his trembling hands to keep on working, wringing out the cloth and wiping Pen's overheated skin.
Ziqian doesn't care about the quest anymore. Screw the side rewards. All he wanted was to save Pen. They weren't close, but Pen was Yan's little brother, and that was enough.
[9:35]
"Ziqian, the ginger is ready," Xue called.
Ziqian rushed forward and grabbed the steaming bowl without hesitation. The heat bit into his palms, but he barely noticed.
"It's hot," Xue warned, reaching as if to steady him, but Ziqian was already hurrying back to Pen's side, too focused to care about a little pain.
"Help me sit him up."
Lia immediately supported Pen's back while Yan held his trembling shoulders.
Ziqian scooped a spoonful of the ginger soup, blowing on it quickly before pressing it gently against Pen's lips.
"Pen, please drink. You have to drink all of this," he whispered.
He knew every swallow must feel like forcing fire down an already swollen throat, but there was no choice. Time was running out, and it wouldn't wait for anyone.
The young sub-beast coughed, some of the liquid dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Ziqian wiped it quickly and brought another spoonful to his lips. "Just a little more," he urged softly.
[6:28]
At first, Pen gagged, coughing weakly, his throat fighting every swallow. Ziqian's heart clenched until the guardians noticed the wheezing in Pen's chest had lessened.
"Ah-Zi! His breathing is slowly going back to normal!" Phi excitedly informed while jumping on top of Ziqian's head.
"That's it," Ziqian encouraged, his eyes lit up with hope. "Good, Pen. Just a little more."
Pen managed to finish the ginger soup, his breaths no longer rasping quite so harshly. But even as Yan's face lit with relief, the glowing timer still ticked relentlessly in front of Ziqian's eyes.
His stomach twisted. Why hasn't it stopped? Did I do something wrong?
[4:12]
Ziqian didn't know the right methods of curing an allergic reaction, only fragments of knowledge from another world. The ginger might soothe the swelling, but what if it wasn't enough?
All he could do now was watch Pen and pray desperately that the boy's body would respond before the timer reached zero.
"What should we do now?" Yan asked, her voice still shaking, eyes darting between her brother and Ziqian.
Ziqian swallowed hard, hiding his trembling hands by tightening them into fists on his lap. The timer still glowed at the edge of his vision, each second slipping away like sand.
"Wait," he answered. "All we can do now is wait."
Yan bit her lip, nodding, though her grip on Pen's hand tightened.
[2:45]
Pen's lashes trembled. His chest burned with every ragged gasp. Swallowing felt like knives in his throat, and the itch crawling over his body was unbearable—but he was too weak to scratch, too weak to even lift his hands. Hot tears slipped down the corners of his eyes, soaking into his hair as his sister's trembling voice reached him, desperate and pleading.
Then, amidst the haze of pain, another voice cut through. It was soft, steady, and warm, like a gentle hand on his back.
That voice carried patience and encouragement. Slowly, the fear squeezing his chest loosened, and his heart stopped racing quite so fast. Even though each swallow hurt, he forced himself to obey that voice, clinging to it like a lifeline in the dark.
For the first time since the pain began, Pen felt calm.
[00:39]
[00:38]
[00:37]
The timer is still running! It means that Pen is still not safe.
Ziqian closed his eyes and prayed to every saint and god he knew. He didn't know what else to do anymore—he had already tried his best.
[00:05]
[00:04]
"Ziqian! Look—!" Lia's astonished voice snapped him back.
Yan cried out through her tears, "His rashes… they're fading!"
[00:03]
Ziqian opened his eyes.
The countdown timer blinked once, then shattered into sparks of light before vanishing.
[00:02]
At that exact moment, a soft chime echoed in Ziqian's ears, followed by a glowing blue screen.
[Side Quest Completed!]
[Points: 370]