"Well, your lungs are damaged because someone already attempted to heal you. You also have a few broken ribs, numerous bruises, and your liver is damaged from excessive drinking over a long period. But with the right medicine, you'll recover. It's not too serious. Lastly, you're pregnant," Bei Mo explained.
Tears began streaming down Yu Lan's face, and she started trembling. "How long?"
Yu Lan looked at Bei Mo, tears falling freely as she no longer bothered to cover her exposed body. "How long have I been pregnant?"
Bei Mo froze for a moment, piecing things together.
"I meant, am I pregnant?" Yu Lan screamed, her voice echoing. A few people nearby glanced at her pale face but quickly looked away, not wanting to add to her distress.
"You've been pregnant for over five weeks," Bei Mo replied. A heavy silence followed for over a minute before Yu Lan met Bei Mo's gaze.
"Is the baby alright?"
When Yu Lan received no response, she sensed something was wrong. She tried to stand, closing the distance between herself and Bei Mo, and grabbed her hand to pull her closer. Bei Mo didn't flinch, but Yu Lan's trembling hands slowly loosened their grip. Despite her efforts to hold on, Yu Lan's strength faded quickly as her hands shook.
"Please, you can't just leave it at that! Will you help me? I have more spirit stones. One of them is more valuable than this one. I can't be a burden to her. She's been protecting us from others, and now she's injured," Yu Lan pleaded.
Bei Mo felt it would be immoral to demand payment for healing Yu Lan, especially since her abilities couldn't fully heal Yu Lan in one session due to the severity of her injuries.
"I can't heal you completely right now, but I can give you some medicinal herbs to aid your recovery in the wilderness. I'll also include a few herbs to boost natural healing and relieve pain without side effects," Bei Mo said.
Bei Mo prepared five types of herbs, infusing them with her natural energy before crushing and mixing them. She then wrapped them in a white cloth and handed them to Yu Lan.
"These herbs will help with your healing. It's also best if you get as much sleep as possible. One of these has a sedative effect, making it easier to fall asleep without harming the child," Bei Mo instructed.
Yu Lan pulled out her last two low-grade spirit stones and placed them on the mat beside the cloth with the herbs.
"Will this be enough?" she asked, aware that the herbs must be expensive. Yu Lan was saving up for healing school, a costly endeavor accessible only to the rich or nobles from the Green Zone. Regular schools, controlled by the Peng Sect and other major families, were either expensive or exclusive.
Yu Lan noticed that Bei Mo seemed displeased with the small amount of spirit stones. In a desperate attempt, Yu Lan reached into her storage space and pulled out a small painting.
The painting, half a meter long and wide, depicted a canyon outside the Peng city walls. Yu Lan had painted the canyon and a few slug houses on their way into the city, portraying them as new and vibrant, unlike their original, dilapidated state.
Yu Lan placed the painting on the mat, but when Bei Mo didn't respond, she realized the spirit stones weren't enough. "Maybe she's not satisfied with the amount? How much do these herbs cost?" Yu Lan wondered, feeling uncertain about her next move.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and Yu Lan regretted her decision. Not only had Bei Mo not fully healed her, but she had also revealed Yu Lan's pregnancy and the severity of her injuries, which were worse than Yu Lan had feared.
Yu Lan had already given one spirit stone, and now another, yet it still wasn't enough. Just as Bei Mo seemed about to offer more help, Yu Lan grabbed the cloth with the herbs and stored it in her storage space.
"I need your help, Disciple Bei Mo, but I'll take my leave. Please don't tell anyone I'm pregnant." Yu Lan bowed deeply and quickly left the house without waiting for a response.
"What have I done? Why did I take the herbs? I should have asked first," Yu Lan thought, overwhelmed with guilt.
As Yu Lan left the house and headed straight back to the cave where she and Mei Lin were staying, she felt a wave of relief—someone had finally helped her.
A few minutes after Yu Lan's departure:
Bei Mo returned to selling herbs and pills, but something unexpected happened. The line of people waiting to buy medicine remained endless until two figures appeared beside her out of nowhere.
"Long time no see," one of them said, stepping forward. Bei Mo looked up and saw two cultivators towering over her, carelessly treading on the herbs she had displayed for the citizens.
"We need some information from you about the woman you healed not long ago," one of the cultivators demanded.
Bei Mo immediately regretted healing Yu Lan, realizing it might not have been a good idea. Before she could even respond, she felt as if she were trapped underwater, her body and surroundings crushed by dense natural energy.
'Why did I even try to help her?' Bei Mo thought, struggling to breathe as the pressure began to suffocate her.
"You can start with something simple, like who she is and the exact nature of her injuries. Also, will she need additional healing?" the cultivator continued.