"Are you not planning to come down, friend up in the tree?"
The young girl's crisp voice rang out once more.
Su Ci touched her nose, hopped down with some embarrassment, and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I meant no harm."
Hearing this, the girl raised an eyebrow, chuckled softly, and said, "It was precisely because I sensed no hostility from you that I didn't make a move. Otherwise, do you really think you'd still be standing here safe and sound?"
Su Ci looked at the young girl before her in slight surprise, not expecting her to have known she was in the tree all along. It seemed she had underestimated her.
Curious, Su Ci asked, "May I ask your name? I'm Su Ci. I thought I didn't leave any flaws—how did you figure out I was in the tree?"
The girl gave a sly smile. "My name is Liu Tian'er. Actually, I wasn't entirely sure if you were in the tree. I've had sharp senses since I was a child, and I had a vague feeling someone was nearby, but I wasn't completely certain, so I tried to flush you out. I didn't expect you to really be up there."
Hearing this, Su Ci couldn't help laughing—turns out she had exposed herself.
However, this brief encounter filled Su Ci with a strong fondness for Liu Tian'er. Quick and decisive, merciless to enemies, flexible and adaptable—she was a clever and lovely young girl.
"Alright, we can save the chatting for later. Let's take a look at this guy's injuries first. If you leave him alone any longer, your rescue will have been for nothing." Su Ci pointed at the man who had long since passed out and said to Liu Tian'er.
Liu Tian'er let out a sheepish laugh and said somewhat apologetically, "Miss Su, do you know how to practice medicine? I don't. At most, I can help bandage him up, but I can't treat wounds."
Su Ci gave her a speechless look. So this girl's expert demeanor was all an act! Resigning herself to fate, she walked over to examine the man's injuries.
Su Ci squatted down, reached out to check the man's pulse, and a moment later began inspecting the wounds on his body.
The man's face was pale, and he bore several deep wounds that reached down to the bone, all located at vital points. Fortunately, there were no internal injuries; otherwise, Su Ci wouldn't have dared to guarantee she could save him.
"Miss Liu, do you have anything we can use to bind wounds?" Su Ci retrieved silver needles from her robe (actually from the system inventory) and inserted them into acupoints, stopping the man's bleeding while speaking to Liu Tian'er.
Although she had homemade bandages and alcohol, those items were stored in her medical chest along with her pack inside the system. Right now, she couldn't pull things out of thin air and had to find another way to bandage him.
Liu Tian'er coughed, rubbed the back of her head, and said awkwardly, "I only have some self-defense medicinal powders on me, so..." She gave Su Ci a helpless look.
Su Ci sighed. It seemed she would just have to make do with a simple temporary treatment for now.
She took out a packet of Tianqi Shark Gall Powder, sprinkled it over the wounds, and then pulled out a bottle of Jiuhua Yulu Pill, tipped one out, and popped it into the man's mouth. Finally, she tore a few clean strips of fabric from the hem of his inner tunic, preparing to use them to bind the wounds.
"Give me a hand, help hold his wounds down. I need to take the needles out and bandage him." Su Ci looked up and told Liu Tian'er.
Liu Tian'er nodded obediently, squatted down, and cautiously followed Su Ci's instructions to help hold pressure on the man's wounds.
Using the torn strips of fabric, Su Ci quickly wrapped the man's injuries, her movements gentle to avoid further aggravating his wounds or causing them to bleed again.
After finishing the treatment, Su Ci stood up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said to Liu Tian'er, "I've only managed to stop the bleeding temporarily. His injuries are too severe; we need to find a place to give him proper treatment as soon as possible, or he likely won't make it through the night."
Looking at the unconscious man, Liu Tian'er hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said,
"The closest town to here is Anning Town, and Master Li, Master Li Xiangyi, happens to be there. We can take him to find the Sect Master. With the Sect Master taking charge, I'm sure he can help him get justice."
Su Ci asked in some surprise, "You're not planning to deal with this anymore? I thought you were the type to see things through to the end."
Liu Tian'er rolled her eyes at Su Ci. "With these half-baked skills of mine, how could I handle it? My heart's willing, but I lack the strength. Besides, I know my own limits—the Jinyuan Alliance isn't something I can afford to provoke. The Sect Master is nearby; with him around, this guy will definitely get justice.
As for those cowards who ran off, I've memorized every single one of their faces. When the time comes, I'll tell the Sect Master and have him send people to hunt them down. Isn't that much better than me trying to act tough on my own?"
Hearing this, Su Ci stopped wasting words and simply said, "Alright, let's get moving then. It just so happens my home is in Anning Town, so we can have him recuperate at my family's medical clinic."
Working together, the two of them supported the man on either side and carefully helped him walk toward Anning Town.
***
Along the way, recalling Liu Tian'er's earlier reverence for Li Xiangyi, Su Ci asked out of curiosity, "Miss Liu, judging by what you said earlier, you seem to hold the Sect Master in very high regard. Do you know him?"
Liu Tian'er said proudly, "Of course! Who in the pugilistic world doesn't know the number one under heaven? My brother is a member of the Sigu Sect, so I'm practically half a member of the Sigu Sect myself."
"I left home this time originally planning to go find my brother at the Sigu Sect, but hearing that the Sect Master was in Anning Town, I detoured over here."
"This guy is just lucky his time isn't up yet. The moment I stepped into the woods, I ran into this tragedy. Even though I'm not a Sigu Sect member, since I happened to run into it, naturally I couldn't just stand by and watch someone die."
"I see." Su Ci nodded in understanding. She hadn't expected that a random young girl she bumped into would actually have ties to the Sigu Sect.
Liu Tian'er's eyes sparkled. "The Sect Master's sword techniques are nothing short of miraculous, unmatched by anyone! And he's an exceptionally good person, too. He leads his disciples to punish evil and promote good, eradicate violence and bring peace, returning tranquility to the martial arts world. You have no idea, he..."
Su Ci watched the young girl—whose eyes lit up and who poured forth an endless stream of praise recounting Li Xiangyi's glorious achievements the moment his name was mentioned—and couldn't help laughing. This was the epitome of a devoted little fan girl.
Noticing Su Ci's smiling expression, Liu Tian'er said with some embarrassment, "Miss Su, I'm sorry! Did I talk too much?"
Su Ci shook her head. "Not at all. Miss Liu's sincerity is very rare."
Seeing that Su Ci didn't mind, Liu Tian'er smiled even more sweetly and took the initiative to change the subject. "Miss Su, I reckon you must be around my age. If you don't mind, let's address each other as sisters! I'm sixteen this year, and you?"
She looked at Su Ci with stars in her eyes, her anticipation practically palpable.
Seeing her like this, Su Ci was amused to the point of a chuckle.
Still, calling a sixteen-year-old girl her elder sister felt a bit awkward for Su Ci.
Su Ci said, "I'm fifteen this year, a year younger than you. So I'll call you Tian'er, and you can call me A-Ci or Xiao Ci."
Seeing that Su Ci wasn't keen on calling her older sister, Liu Tian'er didn't push the matter.
She happily agreed, "Alright then, I'll call you A-Ci."
"A-Ci, when you were treating his wounds just now, your technique was so practiced, you looked like an expert. Have you studied medicine since you were a child?"
Su Ci glanced over to check the man's condition. Seeing that he was stable, she answered Liu Tian'er's question, "Yes, I learned medicine from my father when I was little, and as I got older, I studied medicine and martial arts under my master. This is my first time traveling far from home, but I never expected that right after setting out, I'd already be heading back."
Liu Tian'er happily exclaimed, "Then we really are kindred spirits! This is my first time leaving home, too!"