"Actually, there is a way!"
After watching the scene unfold for a while, Goku finally stepped forward. To get Xiao Yixian's attention, he didn't mind putting on a little performance.
"You… You really have a way to save him?"
As soon as Goku came forward, Xiao Yixian's eyes lit up. "Are you… an alchemist?"
"I'm no alchemist," Goku replied with a grin, "but I've got a unique combat skill that's surprisingly effective for treating injuries. Worth a shot, at least."
"Then hurry! If we wait any longer, it'll really be too late!"
Without a second thought, Xiao Yixian stepped aside to give him space.
"Alright then, but no blaming me if he doesn't pull through!"
Goku crouched beside the wounded man, pretending to inspect the injury seriously.
"Brother, this isn't on you. He's already half-dead. At this point, we're just gambling on a miracle!"
The burly middle-aged man's tone was forthright, though Goku rolled his eyes inwardly.
A soft milky-white glow began to rise from Goku's palm, which he pressed to the gaping wound in the man's chest. The moment the light touched him, a visible miracle began to unfold—the gruesome bite wound started healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Everyone watching was stunned, mouths agape. Such a miraculous healing technique was completely beyond their comprehension. If it weren't for the middle-aged man quickly making a "quiet" gesture, the crowd might've broken out into cheers on the spot.
As the wound fully closed, the man's heartbeat—which had been fading—began to stabilize and strengthen again. Goku didn't push too far; he kept things just miraculous enough not to raise suspicions. Most of the internal damage was already repaired. The rest could be handled by Xiao Yixian.
Wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead, Goku retracted his hand and gave her a nod. "He's out of danger. The rest is up to you."
"Thank you—really! That must've taken a lot of your energy. You should rest for a bit," Xiao Yixian replied gratefully, already turning back to tend to the patient.
"Brother, I don't even know how to thank you!"
The middle-aged man named Niu grabbed Goku's hand with teary-eyed gratitude. "If it weren't for you, my brother would be dead for sure. I won't say much, but if you ever need anything, I will help you!"
Looking at this strong, rough man on the verge of tears, Goku felt a little awkward.
Xiao Yixian glanced at Niu. "His condition has stabilized, but we're missing a few primary ingredients. We'll have to collect them from the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
"No problem!" Niu replied without hesitation. "You just say the word—outer region or middle zone—I'll get the team ready!"
Despite just returning from the mountains with his right hand still bandaged up like a rice dumpling, he didn't hesitate for a second.
Goku quietly nodded to himself. Now that's what he call loyalty. Not a bad team leader. He smiled and stepped forward.
"If we're heading to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, I'll come along. I need to collect some herbs there too."
He hadn't forgotten his promise to Zi Yan—to find her rare medicinal herbs to snack on.
"You're heading there too? That's fantastic!" Niu's eyes lit up. "With you on board, our casualty rate just dropped dramatically! Tell me what herbs you're looking for, and I'll have my team help you search!"
"Then I'll come too," Xiao Yixian added. "Niu, go gather your men. The herbs we need are in the outer region... but your injury—"
"It's fine! If my right hand's out of commission, I'll use my left!" Niu laughed heartily, then walked to the door and shouted, "Alright, listen up! We're heading to the outer zone of the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs. It's not just Doctor Xiao Yixian joining us—this brother here is coming too. You saw what he can do! This trip will be as safe as it gets!"
"We need 100 people! Reward is 500 gold coins. Only those above Two-Star dou zhe level qualify. Don't waste time—this time I'm betting the farm for my brother!"
The raucous tavern fell momentarily silent, then chaos erupted again.
"I'm in! I'm a Three-Star dou zhe. And for a leader like you, I'm all in!"
"Five-Star dou zhe here! I'll protect Doctor Xiao Yixian with my life!"
"I... I want to join too!"
"Alright, settle down! Line up to register!" Niu called out, sounding very much like a natural-born leader.
Goku couldn't help but smile as he watched the scene. Huh, this kind of team-building chaos is kind of fun.
"You used up quite a bit of energy just now. Are you really okay?" Xiao Yixian approached Goku with concern in her eyes.
Goku chuckled. "No problem at all. With a beauty like you worrying about me, even if I was tired, I'd feel refreshed."
Xiao Yixian let out a gentle laugh but didn't respond—this wasn't the first time she'd heard such lines. She turned to head back to prepare at Ten Thousand Medicine Hall.
Once the registration was complete, Niu walked up to Goku, all smiles. "Brother, anything you need for the trip—just name it, I'll cover it all. Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Niu—leader of the Bull Mercenary Group. Not much of a group anymore, honestly. I'm basically the last man standing. Damn that bad luck—we ran into a peak Rank-3 Giantfang Beast and nearly got wiped out. Damn it!"
"A peak Rank-3 magical beast? That's practically as strong as a peak-level Da Dou Shi! And you ran into it in the outer zone? You really were unlucky..."
Niu sighed, eyes darkening. "To buy me time to escape, my brothers led it off and dragged it off a cliff with them. Otherwise, none of us would've made it out alive."
He clenched his fists, voice heavy with grief. "They were more than comrades—they were my brothers. So even if I have to go broke, I'll save this last one."
---
The large group made their way through the eerily silent forest, eyes sharp and alert, scanning every corner of their surroundings.
No one was more vigilant than Niu—he had his full attention locked onto every shadow, every rustle of movement. Last time, it was a Giantfang Beast that had ambushed them from the darkness and nearly wiped out his entire mercenary group.
Oddly enough, the most relaxed person in the entire team was Goku.
He and Xiao Yixian were positioned in the very center of the convoy, protected like fragile treasures by a ring of mercenaries. Goku, looking every bit like a pampered "support class," was currently learning how to identify herbs with great enthusiasm.
"See this root here? At first glance, it looks like Ascension Grass, but look closely at the base of the leaves. Earthbeard Root has yellow stems, while Ascension Grass is light green. One's a rank-2 medicinal herb, the other's just rank-1. And don't get them mixed up—Earthbeard's only medicinal in the stem, while Ascension can be used whole. Misidentify it, and you'll be wasting good money."
Xiao Yixian was holding a color-coded booklet in hand, patiently explaining the details despite the sweat beading on her forehead. She never once showed frustration or fatigue.
Watching her wipe away the sweat with the back of her hand, panting softly, Goku couldn't help but feel a surge of affection. "You're exhausted, aren't you? Let me see your hand."
"Huh? Why?" she asked, tilting her head as she extended her delicate hand in confusion.
Before she could react, Goku took her hand in his own. The sudden contact made her jolt, her cheeks instantly flushing with a shy red. "You… What are you doing?"
"What the hell?! That punk's making moves on Xiao Yixian!"
Several nearby mercenaries exploded with rage, eyes wide and fists clenched. To them, Doctor Xiao Yixian was a goddess.
But Goku couldn't care less about their jealousy. A gentle, cool energy flowed from his hand into Xiao Yixian's body. Her eyes widened in shock as the fatigue and heat drained from her in an instant. The sweat vanished as if it had never been there, and in the sweltering sun, she suddenly felt cool and refreshed.
"H-How did you do that? That's amazing! I don't feel tired at all anymore. And even in this heat, I feel… cool?"
Xiao Yixian was completely stunned. She'd forgotten all about her embarrassment, staring at Goku in disbelief and curiosity.
"Just a little trick with combat energy," Goku replied with a grin.
In truth, it wasn't a combat skill at all—it was just a small application of the divine energy from his Eye of God ability.
The surrounding mercenaries had all seen Xiao Yixian's drastic change and instantly realized they'd misunderstood.
"Holy crap! So he wasn't just copping a feel?!"
"Brother, I didn't know you had that kind of technique! Mind giving me a shot too?"
"Seriously! This heat's killing me. Hook me up, man!"
"Come on, name your price! Just one time!"
"Get lost!" Goku waved them off with a smirk. "This is a special service—ladies only. You guys can sweat it out."
"Tch! He's got no brotherhood in him!"
"Traitor! Siding with the beauties!"
Over a hundred mercenaries all turned to glare at Goku with open disdain, but they didn't press him. They weren't stupid. With a group this size, if Goku had to help everyone, he'd collapse. (Or so they assumed...)
Little did they know, Goku could handle a thousand times this many without breaking a sweat.
Just then, a handsome young man emerged from the ranks of another escort squad, approaching Xiao Yixian with a charming smile.
"Miss Xiao Yixian, we're about to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Would you like to ride my horned mount? It would be safer than walking."
"Thank you for the offer," Xiao Yixian replied politely, "but I'll walk. With so many people around, I'll be just fine."
The young man wasn't offended. He simply smiled, nodded, and walked a few paces ahead before shouting back to his group, "Wolftooth Squad, stay sharp! We're about to enter the beast zone. I don't want anyone making rookie mistakes."
"Yes, Vice Captain!" dozens of brawny mercenaries responded in unison. Clearly, they were part of an organized mercenary group.
Goku raised an eyebrow as he watched the guy strut back to his squad. From the beginning, he'd been paying attention to him. This so-called vice Captain had been eyeing Xiao Yixian all day but kept getting cut off by Goku, who kept her occupied with questions and chatter.
Judging by the look in his eyes, the guy was itching to tear Goku apart.
Goku casually walked over to Niu, who was inspecting the formation, and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Hey, Niu. I thought this was a freelance team. What's with that so-called 'vice captain'? That guy's walking around like he owns the place."
Niu shrugged. "Freelancers? Nah, that guy's the son of the Wolftooth Mercenary Group's leader. Big-shot young master, always chasing after Doctor Xiao Yixian. Any time she goes out on a mission, he tags along like a puppy. Wolftooth's one of the three major merc groups in Qingshan Town—hard to say no to them. They've got 42 members in this expedition. The rest are from smaller groups or solo freelancers."
"Wolftooth Mercenary Group… Rings a bell. What's that kid's name again?"
"Mu Li," Niu replied with clear disdain in his voice. "Spoiled brat with a bad attitude."
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A huge thank you to Kevin L for joining my Patreon and supporting the translation journey! Your support means a lot and helps keep the chapters coming faster. Welcome to the VIP club! 🙌✨