Chapter 411: Agreeing to Leave the Mountain
Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Agreeing to Leave the Mountain
He Zhimin had lost all hope of leaving the mountains himself. He was well aware of his condition; forget a young girl like Su Qing, even if a full squad had come to the forest, he would only be a burden. He might even cause others to get injured or worse because of him.
Therefore, as long as the documents he was holding could be delivered to Qiao Yimin, he would ask for nothing more.
"Let me take a look at your injuries first," Su Qing said.
He Zhimin was surprised. "Young lady, you know medicine?"
"No," Su Qing said. "But I come to the mountains often, so I have some experience with external wounds. Plus, I know an old traditional Chinese doctor who gave me some internal and external medicines for treating injuries. Perhaps they can help you."
"Sigh, forget it." After a moment of thought, He Zhimin said, "I’ve had this injury for three years. The outcome of any treatment would be poor, I’m sure. I know my own body. It takes at least ten days to get out of the mountains from here. You should keep your medicine. Don’t waste it on me."
The moment He Zhimin’s voice fell, Black Tiger came forward and nudged him, letting out a low whimper before turning to look pleadingly at Su Qing.
He Zhimin gently stroked Black Tiger. "Heizi, I’m fine. Don’t you worry."
"He’s worried about your injuries, or he wouldn’t have brought me here to find you," Su Qing said. "Why not give it a try, if only for Heizi’s sake? He’s completely devoted to you. What do you say?"
After hearing Su Qing’s words, He Zhimin was silent for a long moment before finally saying, "All right, then. But we’re only trying it out. You should still save your medicine in case of an emergency. After all, these mountains aren’t safe."
"Alright."
Su Qing agreed and began to examine the injury on He Zhimin’s leg.
’He Zhimin’s left leg had been badly broken and never healed properly. It was now misaligned. To fix it, he’d need surgery to re-break the bone and set it correctly. And his blindness... it must be from a blood clot in his brain pressing on the optic nerve.’ Su Qing wasn’t sure if modern Western medicine could perform such an operation, but she knew she could resolve it. She just had to come up with a safe and discreet way to do it.
"Mr. He, why don’t you just come out of the mountains with me? Don’t worry, I have A Jin—my tiger. He can carry you out." As Su Qing spoke, she patted the large head of the tiger beside her. A Jin understood her meaning perfectly. It was more than willing to stay by Su Qing’s side, and as for carrying a person out of the mountains, it didn’t mind in the slightest. It immediately let out a soft roar.
"See? A Jin agrees," Su Qing said with a smile. "And don’t you worry. With A Jin and me, we’ll get out of these mountains without a problem. There won’t be any danger."
"Well..." If it were possible, of course He Zhimin wanted to leave the mountains. He had a wife and mother at home, and he desperately wanted to see them again. But he couldn’t bear to part with Heizi, who had accompanied him for three years. It was Heizi who had found food for him all this time, allowing him to survive.
"ROAR." Black Tiger gently nudged He Zhimin. It understood perfectly. If He Zhimin stayed here with it in the deep forest, he would never be healed. Though it couldn’t bear to part with him, it wanted him to get treatment even more. A human had finally arrived, a human like He Zhimin. This might be his only chance to leave the mountains.
He Zhimin’s hands found and stroked Black Tiger’s head. He didn’t speak for a long time, the mutual reluctance to part hanging heavy between them.
Su Qing looked at Black Tiger. He Zhimin had just said the tiger couldn’t leave the Ancient Forest without its legs growing weak and becoming short of breath. ’It’s probably because he’s used to the dense Spiritual Energy in this Ancient Forest,’ she thought. ’He can’t adapt to the outside world all at once.’ If that was the case, she had a solution.
’Never mind all the preserved meat in my dimensional space. I can use my superpower to create some pills that would help alleviate Black Tiger’s symptoms until he gradually acclimates to the air outside the Ancient Forest.’
But first, the tiger had to be willing to leave. And second... ’I wonder if a private citizen can even own a tiger nowadays. That could be a problem.’
"Mr. He, regarding the symptoms you mentioned Black Tiger experiences when leaving the forest, I might have a solution," Su Qing said. "I have some pills that can alleviate dizziness or weakness in an animal’s legs. The only question is whether Heizi is willing to leave this Ancient Forest with us."
Black Tiger’s eyes lit up when it heard Su Qing’s words. It wanted He Zhimin to go back and get treatment, but it couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from him. Other than small animals like rabbits and pheasants, there was nothing else in the Ancient Forest it could communicate with. He Zhimin was its only companion. Being alone in the Ancient Forest had been fine before, but after three years with He Zhimin, it had grown to love this life and couldn’t imagine returning to its former solitude. If there was a chance it could stay with He Zhimin, it would take it in a heartbeat.
Without hesitation, Black Tiger let out a joyful roar at Su Qing.
Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "So you’re willing to leave here and come out of the mountains with us?"
Black Tiger nodded eagerly, then rubbed its large head against He Zhimin’s arm, making it clear that it didn’t want to be separated from him.
He Zhimin was overjoyed. "Really? Young lady, you really have a solution?"
"Yes," Su Qing nodded. "Oh, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My surname is Su, and my name is Su Qing."
"This is wonderful news, Little Su." He Zhimin said, his voice filled with excitement. He knew how powerful Black Tiger was. With the tiger’s help, he would be less of a burden on Su Qing.
"There is one condition, though," Su Qing reminded him. "If Heizi goes with you out of the mountains, the question is whether you’ll be allowed to keep a tiger."
"If Heizi is willing to live with me outside the mountains, I should be able to file for a special permit. Heizi saved my life; he’s my savior. I imagine it won’t be too difficult. Plus, my home in Chuncheng has a large, walled courtyard. The only thing is, Heizi would have to give up the freedom he has now, which I feel bad about."
After all, Heizi is a real-life tiger. If he were to appear in public, it would undoubtedly cause a panic.
"If Heizi ever wants to return to the forest, I’ll bring him back here myself," He Zhimin said, gently stroking Heizi’s head.
Heizi nuzzled He Zhimin’s hand and nodded, clearly agreeing with what he said.
Seeing this, Su Qing said, "Alright, then it’s settled. Let’s get everything packed. We’ll prepare to leave the mountains within the next couple of days."
’Let’s see...’ she thought, ’it’s already been two weeks since I left Xiangcheng. I have to be back there in another two weeks, and I need to drop He Zhimin off in Chuncheng on the way. I really need to hurry.’
"Okay."