A chill rose from the soles of the assassin's feet and shot straight to the top of his head!
Cold!
He couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably!
This was not just a physical coldness, but one that penetrated to the very depths of his heart!
A terrifying thought suddenly struck the assassin.
Could these two ugly old fellows be some kind of perverted old men?
The more he thought about it,
The more he felt it was true...
Soft candlelight flickered to life.
"Young lady, please wait here for a moment. We'll prepare ourselves first." The Second Elder extinguished the flame on his fingertip and gave the assassin a gentle smile.
This gentle smile, however, appeared sinister in the assassin's eyes.
Especially since the Second Elder was now backlit by the candle, his body largely hidden in shadow...
While the two were preparing, the assassin darted his eyes around the room.
The grotesque and perverse implements he had imagined did not appear.
On the contrary, the room was very ordinary, even meticulously clean.
Had he been overthinking things?
"Bang!"
As the assassin's mind wandered, a large wooden tub appeared in the center of the room.
The tub was huge, resembling a bathtub more than anything.
It was half-filled with a green liquid, from which wisps of steam curled upwards.
Upon seeing the green liquid, the assassin's insides churned!
It looked viscous and thick, hardly something that could be called a liquid.
If he had to draw a comparison, it was akin to the contents of a cesspool.
For someone who valued beauty and suffered from mysophobia, this sight nearly sent the assassin to his demise...
The Second Elder, head bowed, took out medicinal herbs from his ring, one by one.
Various herbs, both familiar and unfamiliar to the assassin, were tossed into the wooden tub. The thick green liquid immediately churned with countless disgusting bubbles...
The assassin quickly shut his eyes, unable to bear looking any longer.
It was too damn disgusting, he wanted to vomit!
But the problem was that he was currently unable to mobilize his internal energy.
This meant that even with his eyes closed, he couldn't block out his sense of smell.
Strange odors wafted into his nostrils...
Unpleasant memories naturally surfaced in the assassin's mind.
Once, years ago, he had been in the countryside. Carelessly, he had walked past an open-air manure pit.
The pit had churned with foul bubbles under the high temperature, constantly emitting a repulsive stench.
At that time, he had almost passed out on the spot!
He had taken baths for three days and three nights continuously afterward to suppress that nauseating feeling!
And now, the strange smell in his nostrils was identical to that past experience...
His stomach churned, on the verge of rebellion...
How he wished he could faint right now, to escape this torment.
But instead of succumbing to unconsciousness, his mind felt increasingly clear!
"This is bad," the Second Elder suddenly said. "Master Xie Yan, it seems I don't have enough medicinal ingredients?"
"Then what shall we do?" Master Xie Yan also grew anxious. "If the medicinal ingredients are insufficient, the treatment's effectiveness will be greatly reduced?"
"Even with my therapeutic techniques assisting, we ultimately cannot compensate for the lack of medicinal potency..."
Master Xie Yan stroked his chin and paced.
"Second Elder, which herbs are we missing?"
"San Shang Shen, Bi Ying Cao, Xue Ning Li, and Di Hong Gen," the Second Elder replied truthfully.
"Fortunately, we're not missing too many..." Master Xie Yan pondered for a moment, then looked up at the Second Elder. "How about this, go to the kitchen and fetch some red and white radishes, spinach, and chestnuts."
"Master Xie Yan, are you hungry?" the Second Elder asked, confused. "I think saving the person is more important, and it's not a good time to disturb Ye Fan, is it?"
"No, no, no, these are not for eating, but to substitute for the medicinal ingredients."
Master Xie Yan explained with a smile:
"These vegetables look similar to the missing herbs in appearance, so they should have some medicinal effect."
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense," the Second Elder said, suddenly enlightened, and dashed towards the kitchen.
Before long, the Second Elder returned, carrying two sacks.
"Whoosh!" The Second Elder poured the contents of the sacks onto the ground.
It was precisely the vegetables Master Xie Yan had mentioned, and several pounds of each!
"I believe since the medicinal effects can't be matched, we'll compensate with quantity," the Second Elder said, tossing the vegetables into the tub. "This is all we can do for now."
"In urgent situations, one must adapt. You've done well," Master Xie Yan praised. "Indeed, you are the more thoughtful one."
"Hehehe," the Second Elder blushed slightly from the praise but felt greatly pleased.
What in this world was more wonderful than the commendation of a good friend?!
The two sacks of vegetables were quickly dumped into the tub, tumbling in the green liquid.
If someone didn't know what was going on, they might think the two old men were preparing a hot pot...
The assassin witnessed all of this.
The vegetables were unwashed, with large clumps of mud still clinging to the roots.
The mud tumbled in the nauseating green liquid, making a faint, grating sound.
The assassin's fragile mysophobia was repeatedly assaulted, on the verge of collapse...
"Alright, preparations are complete," Master Xie Yan said with a smile and approached the assassin. "We can begin the treatment."
The assassin's pupils contracted sharply!
No!
What are you doing?
Don't come near meβ!
"Although what I'm about to do might be considered offensive, it is all for your recovery."
Master Xie Yan reached for the assassin's waist.
"Our roles now are that of healers, so you needn't be too shy."
Master Xie Yan's words gave the assassin a terrible premonition!
Offensive?
Shy?
What... what are you going to do?!
Soon, he would know.
Master Xie Yan quickly unfastened the assassin's belt and with a wave of his hand, removed his outer garment.
The Master's movements were gentle, and there was no hint of depravity in his eyes.
As he had said, he was merely a healer at this moment.
In his eyes, the assassin was simply a patient, with no distinction between male and female.
All he intended to do was to cure the patient, nothing more.
Therefore, there was no room for any malicious thoughts.
This was both out of respect for the patient and a fundamental tenet of being a healer.
At this moment, the assassin's fragile and taut psychological defenses finally crumbled!
He could tolerate the disgusting green liquid before.
He could tolerate the churning mud.
But being stripped by an old pervert was something he absolutely could not tolerate!
Every time Master Xie Yan's hand touched his body, his soul trembled!
Anger!
Frustration!
Shame!
...
Various emotions intermingled.
Finally, they dissolved into helplessness...
What else could he do?
Let alone struggle, he couldn't even lift a finger.
He had also tried to resist verbally, only to find he couldn't utter a sound...
At this moment, all he felt was endless pleading.
No...
Please...
Don't...