Chen Huan was resting in a room. The room was simple, lit by sunlight shining through an open window on the wall against which a bed was stationed. Though modest, containing only a small bed that could be enclosed with a curtain, a basic desk cluttered with paperwork that appeared to be medical records of some kind, and a stool with a cushion likely used by a nurse or physician, though Chen Huan was using it as a bed at the moment, the room was cozy and suitable for long rests.
"!!!" She was startled when she saw movement behind the bed curtains. She jumped off the stool, pulled back the curtains, and saw Rue Bu sitting up, feeling the place where his left arm used to be.
"Mas..." She didn't finish her words when she saw Rue Bu staring at her and shaking his head. 'Ah! I almost called him master. If someone heard me, it would raise suspicion, like that bitch said...' She hesitated, unsure whether to call him by name or not.
As if reading her mind, Rue Bu spoke. "Chen... Huan... what..." he began mumbling as if struggling to recall what had happened. "My arm... where is... my arm!!!" His voice was so low, yet anyone hearing him would think he was screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Ah... I... don't you remember?" she said, pretending he already knew, though in truth, she was the one who didn't. 'Master, when that bitch and I were healing you, your arm suddenly severed on its own. We don't even know what happened. But... I don't think that's what you're asking about.' she thought to herself, remembering Jin Luo Niu as she recounted the story to Rue Bu.
"When you, I, and... Shui Tao..." She paused briefly at that name before continuing, "...went to the Jin tribe's territory to collect the hearts of the guardians, we unexpectedly encountered an ancient guardian, a Rank Two monster. All we could do was fight while retreating. Eventually, Shui Tao ran out of primeval essence and couldn't defend himself... he died, smashed by the monster's hands in one move... sob..." She even began to cry as she spoke, though Rue Bu knew she wasn't pretending.
"sob... And I... I also ran out of primeval essence and was going to suffer the same fate as Shui Tao..." She managed to compose herself a little before continuing. "But you saved me. In the process, your arm was caught by a vine that suddenly shot out of the monster's body, catching us both off guard, and... sigh..." She gave a soft sigh, pointing at Rue Bu's missing arm.
"I cut off my own arm, and we managed to escape the ancient guardian. It wouldn't risk leaving its territory and angering a wild beast just to kill two flimsy Rank Ones. I remember now... sigh... Shui Tao, I'm sorry I didn't reach you in time... sigh..." He finished the story for her and didn't forget to add a bit of performance, just in case.
"How are you?" he asked, looking at Chen Huan, hinting at something, but she appeared clueless as she answered.
"I'm fine, thanks to you, Rue Bu. Don't worry about your arm. I already spoke with Grandpa, and he said he'll come today to take a look at it." She sounded cheerful, but not for long. She noticed a frown flash across Rue Bu's face before it quickly vanished, replaced by a look of gratitude. 'Did I imagine that?' she doubted her own eyes.
'Sigh, this dumbass. I can't get any important information out of you without asking directly? Where's the mindless wasp? And most importantly, where the hell is that fucking assassin?? I swear to God, if she already escaped, I'll kill you.' Outwardly calm, he was seething inside, though he gradually calmed himself by thinking more carefully.
'This dumbass is clearly still under the mindless wasp's influence. Otherwise, I doubt she wouldn't have told the higher-ups the truth about what I did to Shui Tao.
'So I can assume the assassin is still under the influence of the Gu worm too. But since my arm was unexpectedly severed, she had to improvise and came up with a story so Chen Huan could get me into the alliance territory ahead of time, so I wouldn't die from blood loss. She didn't have a powerful enough healing Gu to save my arm, let alone me, and couldn't wait for me to regain consciousness.' He guessed what had happened, though he remained skeptical.
'Hmm, the story holds, and 'coincidentally' my arm was severed. It was probably cut off in that place... or is my guess entirely wrong, and that crazy assassin cut it off herself to make the story more believable?' Though he leaned toward the former, he wouldn't ignore the latter until he confirmed it directly with Lin Chen Huan and Jin Luo Niu.
'But either way, it's best that it happened. Heh, if I'd been conscious, I might've done it myself... But this Lin Chen Ning is really a headache, he didn't even let this opportunity slide. What should I do? If I accept his help, I'll have no excuse not to participate in their little family game... but how expensive would it be to hire a capable healing Gu Master? Could I even find one myself?' He began weighing different possibilities and the consequences of accepting Lin Chen Ning's assistance.
'Tsk. I doubt Chen Huan acted on her own. The assassin definitely came up with the story, and Chen Huan had no choice but to follow it. It helped that the story aligned with my best interest. She probably didn't consult Chen Ning, but once he learned what happened, he contacted her immediately, and he'll likely make sure I have no choice but to accept his help. Unless I want to remain one-armed~' His thoughts raced, eventually giving him a mild headache.
"...huff..." He let out a breath, calmed himself, and organized his thoughts. "Chen Huan, could you go find your grandfather for me, please?" Although he phrased it as a request, it was more of an order.
But before Lin Chen Huan could respond, a voice came from outside the room.
"There's no need. Elder Chen Ning is already here, Rue Bu." It was an old, familiar voice.
"Uhh, greetings, Elder Ru Da..." He tried to get out of bed, but the elder motioned for him to stay put as he passed through the curtain draped over the entrance.
"Stay in bed. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Fortunately for you, Elder Chen Ning has already contacted a famous healing Gu Master. He will arrive today..." He seemed like he wanted to add something but chose not to.
"Ahh... is that... is that really appropriate? Elder Ru Da, you know the state of my family..." Rue Bu trailed off, but the elder didn't let him finish and shook his head.
"I believe you're smart enough to figure that out on your own. I came today to check on your condition, and it's reassuring to see you're already recovering. Since both of you are here, you can still take on missions if you wish, but you'll need to find a third teammate. Alternatively, you may take a break. In addition to your usual classes, you'll get to train more with other students who aren't participating in missions."
Rue Bu was stunned for a moment as Ma Ru Da turned and left after informing them of their options.
'Hmm, I guess he was already outside and overheard our conversation, no need to verify the story from me.' He felt glad for being cautious and avoiding any suspicious remarks.
'Now then... to figure out what had happened to me... and what that place was...' The voice had already given him an idea of what had occurred, but he still didn't fully understand. 'I need to get my hands on the mindless wasp.' he thought, staring at Lin Chen Huan in silence, startling her.