"No time! Stop grinding—just chew it with your teeth!" Old Master Lian shouted urgently when he saw Qing'er still pounding the herbs in the mortar.
At his words, Qing'er snapped to attention and, without another word, grabbed a large handful of herbs and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Master, I'm ready," Qing'er said after chewing the herbs.
"Wait. Little Rou, bring the cloths and hold them to their mouths."
Following her master's instructions, Little Rou hurriedly fetched two fresh cloths and placed them at Morax and Elliot's mouths.
Once everything was ready, Old Master Lian scooped up a handful of the chewed herbs and pressed them directly into Morax's wound.
"Waaah!!!!!!... Mmmph..." Morax screamed in agony, but before he could finish, the cloth was shoved into his mouth.
He bit down hard, eyes wide; it was the first time he had felt pain that drilled straight into the bone.
"Hold on. This stops the bleeding," Little Rou reminded him by his ear.
After the herbs were packed into the wound, bandages were wrapped around it at once.
Old Master Lian's hands moved quickly; in no time, Morax's injury was dealt with.
He then took the herbs chewed by Qing'er and packed them into Elliot's wound.
Elliot's eyes snapped open at that moment, yet he made no sound.
"Bite down on this—it'll help," Qing'er offered him a cloth.
"I... I'm fine," Elliot forced out, refusing despite the stabbing pain.
"You're something, kid. I've treated countless people, and none have been able to endure the potency of these herbs," Old Master Lian said, impressed by Elliot's toughness.
Morax clenched both fists, baring his teeth in agony, nearly biting through the cloth.
But the pain came quickly and faded just as fast.
Drenched in cold sweat and left numb by the torment, Morax was completely drained.
He hadn't expected humans to have such methods, and it left him with a newfound hint of fear toward them.
After a good while, Elliot's pain subsided too. Cold sweat covered his brow as well, but with his mask on, he looked utterly unresponsive—almost peacefully still.
Only when Old Master Lian knew the herbs' painful effects had passed did he open the door, letting the villagers waiting outside finally relax.
They hurried in, visibly relieved to see Elliot and Morax still alive.
"Where are you from? What happened? How did you end up so badly hurt?"
Qing'er couldn't help asking the question on everyone's mind.
"My name is Elliot. The other is Zhongli. We were both taken in by our parents. A few days ago, the god protecting our village fought an outsider god. Our village was destroyed. Our parents died protecting our escape. These wounds were caused by the followers of that god who pursued us."
This was the story Elliot had prepared long ago.
"As for this mask—there was a fire in our village that burned my face. Our parents had this mask made for me. I'm very sorry, but I cannot take it off."
The first part explained his origins and background; the second explained the mask.
Spinning a small tale cost far less than letting people's thoughts run wild.
Mystery was always enticing. Without a story for the mask, some would inevitably wonder about his face. And the story wasn't entirely false.
At the very least, his face truly couldn't be shown—so unsightly it would make even karmic filth recoil. He didn't dare let ordinary people see it.
Upon hearing Elliot's words, the whole room fell silent.
Of course, Morax was the exception.
At Elliot's explanation, the corner of Morax's mouth twitched. He couldn't understand how Elliot made a lie sound so convincing.
"Elliot... Elliot? Is that how I should address you?" asked the woman who had first found him.
"Certainly."
"I wanted to ask—what are your plans next? Where will you go, or who are you looking for..."
She asked carefully, afraid to touch a sore spot.
"......" Elliot lowered his head and was silent for a long time.
"None..."
"My parents are dead. My home is gone. My village is destroyed."
Hearing his answer, the woman suggested, "Since you have nowhere to go, why not stay in our village for now?"
"Yes, yes, you can stay in our village. We have a few empty houses nobody lives in," Little Rou chimed in immediately.
"This..."
"Really?" Elliot asked cautiously.
"Of course, as long as the village chief agrees. I'm sure he'll accept you," Qing'er added.
Soon, some kind villagers brought the village chief over. After learning what had happened, he took pity on Elliot and Zhongli and allowed the two to settle in the village.
Because they were both badly injured, the new house was managed these days by helpful villagers.
After three days of recovery, Elliot finally allowed Morax to get out of bed and walk.
Though they had long been mostly fine, they had forced themselves to stay in bed for three full days to make the recovery look convincing.