Lao Gao listened to Lan Jin's words, then tested the location and severity of his injuries. After confirming his spine was not broken, he let Huang Jinghe and Lan Jin lift him upstairs together.
Right now, Ling Jiang had no time to worry about Grandma Ling. She was wiping away her tears while calling out, "Grandma I'm fine. I'll come down and talk later."
Hearing that Ling Jiang could still respond, Grandma Ling's tone eased. "Alright, alright. Don't worry about me. Do what you need to do."
By the time Grandma Ling finished speaking, they were already inside Lao Gao's home.
Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe gently set Lao Gao on his bed. As soon as they laid him down, Lan Jin went to light the stove beside him.
Huang Jinghe did not stop moving. He turned to search for the thickest clothes or blankets in the room. They could not cover him just yet though — his injuries needed to be checked first.
That task naturally fell to Ling Jiang, whose medical experience was slightly better than the rest.
Speaking of his injuries, Lao Gao had no visible wounds — not a drop of blood. But internal injuries? There was no shortage. Being thrown down the stairs by Lan Jin twice was already bad enough, and the kick to his abdomen would not have been light. Bones were definitely broken.
Ling Jiang, still wiping tears from her cheeks, examined him. Four of his ribs were broken outright. His right arm and left leg were fractured to different degrees.
But the worst was his neck, where Lan Jin's electric shock had struck. The skin on the back of his neck was nearly burnt through. Even now, though he was awake, his mind was foggy, unable to think clearly.
Most of his memory from the time he lost control was gone, as if the tape had been cut. His mind was a blank.
"It was hot. So hot. Then… blood… rushed to my head… head burned… wanted… cool down… rooftop… then… blank. Now… here."
Lao Gao used the simplest words to express what they needed to know.
They understood. But their main concern was still his physical condition. Huang Jinghe asked, "And now? Do you still feel heat inside?"
"No. Just cold." Lao Gao shivered, his voice trembling. "So… just now… what happened?"
Ling Jiang was still crying uncontrollably after finishing the check. Lan Jin sighed and began to explain to Lao Gao.
"When you blacked out, you… turned into… uh, a zombie. But also not exactly. You're still human now, but just then, you were exactly like one. Your face was bright red, veins on your forehead bulged, and your eyes turned gray-white. You had enormous strength. Ling Jiang kicked you but couldn't move you, and you grabbed her and went for her neck, like in a zombie movie. The only difference is their faces are gray, yours was red."
Lan Jin first described Lao Gao's state, then told him the whole sequence of events. It had all happened so fast that she finished in just a few minutes.
Perhaps his mind was clearing, because Lao Gao caught on to one key point. "So all these injuries… are Sister Lan's doing?"
Lan Jin was momentarily speechless. "Weren't you just struggling to speak in complete sentences? Now you're talking fine. Guess you're really alright."
Ling Jiang, still sniffling, let out a laugh and stopped crying.
Lao Gao was only joking. He truly did not blame Lan Jin. Without her, he might have hurt many more people. Given the choice, he would rather be injured himself.
But… in all that chaos, had he really not hurt anyone else?
He asked seriously, "Did you check yourselves? Did I hurt you? I've never seen this happen before. If I injured you, could it spread? Check your wounds quickly."
In truth, none of them had thought about this in the rush of relief.
They gathered together and examined each other. To their dismay, all three had scratches of varying severity.
Lan Jin's hand.
Ling Jiang's hand and neck.
Huang Jinghe's hand and neck.
Everyone had a wound — proof enough of Lao Gao's earlier strength.
But there was one difference. Lan Jin's wound was a vivid red, while Ling Jiang's and Huang Jinghe's were black, as if poisoned. The dark color spread quickly under their skin, and in moments, blackened veins were already visible.
Lan Jin frowned. The only difference between her and the others was that she had drunk spiritual spring water. If the legends were true, the spring water could neutralize all poisons. That meant it had likely cleansed this… corpse poison, if that was the right term.
If so, it explained the current situation.
The three of them were all lost in thought, but to Lao Gao, it was only silence. Even without seeing their wounds, he guessed what had happened.
"I hurt you, didn't I? Where did I scratch you? Is it serious? Is it poisoned? Say something."
There was no trace of weakness in his voice now. In fact, he sounded strong, as if lying down had restored much of his strength.
Ling Jiang forced a smile. "No. You're imagining things."
With his uninjured left hand, Lao Gao slammed the bed in frustration. Unsatisfied, he struck one of his untreated injuries, prompting Ling Jiang to rush forward. "What are you doing? You want to make it worse? We don't even have medicine right now. Do you have a death wish?"
Lao Gao's eyes reddened. "I hurt you, didn't I? Is it bad? Is the wound infected? I—"
"It's fine," Lan Jin interrupted. "It's fine."
She stepped forward and showed all their wounds to Lao Gao. His gaze went immediately to the difference between her injury and the others.
"Sister Lan… did I maybe… not scratch you at all?"