Chapter 80: Saving Liu Shan

The crying woman suddenly went limp. Her whole body sagged, and she fell forward onto her dead husband. The crowd gasped. For a moment, everyone froze.

But Zhao Mu grabbed her before she could hit the ground. He held her up with shaking arms and patted her cheeks. "Wake up! Wake up!" he said while panicking. But she didn’t open her eyes. Her face was pale, and her breathing came in short and broken gasps.

Su Qinglan didn’t hesitate. She pushed through the crowd and knelt beside them. Up close, she could see the woman’s lips were dry and her hands were cold. Su Qinglan put two fingers to the woman’s neck and then to her wrist, checking for breath and pulse.

"She’s collapsed," Su Qinglan said softly. "We need to quickly carry her to the cave..."

Zhao Mu’s face twitched, his eyes filled with panic. "No! I need to find the witch doctor! I have to get the sacrifices ready! I need the witch doctor to heal her!" His voice was urgent and hard, as if driven mad by despair.

Su Qinglan stood up and grabbed Zhao Mu’s arm. "Listen, your female just lost her beast husband. She’s been devastated. She’s emotionally broken and physically weak."

Zhao Mu tried to push her away, still calling the witch doctor’s name. Some in the crowd began to murmur.

"Zhao Mu, don’t be impulsive. You don’t have a sacrifice right now, and the witch doctor might not come or accept it. Let Su Qinglan take a look first. She has a point. Once the person is stable, it won’t be too late to send her to the witch doctor."

Another young orc added, "Yes, the witch doctor’s request for prey is real. Without prey, no one dares to expect him to come out. If you go empty-handed now, it might be even more dangerous to come back."

Zhao Mu’s eyes were red with tears, as if he was struggling. The people’s words, like a bunch of voices, slowly overturned the chaos in his mind.

He looked down at his female lying on the ground, then at Su Qinglan’s earnest eyes. Finally, he swallowed, his voice choking. "Okay... okay. You have to help me steady her until I catch a sacrifice."

When they finally brought the fainted female back to the cave, the air inside felt heavy and cold.

Su Qinglan quickly cleared the stone bed and told Zhao Mu to lay the woman down carefully. From the whispers around, she learned that the female’s name was Liu Shan.

"Her face is too pale," Su Qinglan muttered, kneeling beside her. She touched Liu Shan’s wrist; her pulse was faint and weak. Her lips had lost all color, and her body was cold like ice.

Hu Yan stood near the entrance, his golden eyes filled with worry.

Su Qinglan placed her hand over Liu Shan’s heart and closed her eyes. A soft green light glowed faintly from her palm. Warm energy flowed into Liu Shan’s body like spring water spreading through dry soil.

Inside, Su Qinglan could sense everything clearly. Liu Shan wasn’t physically hurt, but her emotions were broken. Her spirit was collapsing from shock and grief. Her inner energy was unstable; if it wasn’t calmed soon, she could fall into a deep coma and never wake again.

Su Qinglan opened her eyes quickly, her expression turning serious. "Her emotions are collapsing. If she doesn’t calm down, she might lose consciousness completely."

Zhao Mu’s eyes widened in panic. "Please! You have to save her!" he shouted, gripping Su Qinglan’s arm tightly.

Su Qinglan pulled her arm free and spoke firmly, "Go outside! Bring back clean water and clean hides."

He nodded without hesitation. "I’ll go." He grabbed a stone bowl and ran out with Hu Yan following right behind him.

Once they were gone, the cave became quiet again.

Su Qinglan took a deep breath and looked down at Liu Shan. "You have to hold on," she whispered softly. Then she placed both hands over Liu Shan’s chest.

This time, her power grew stronger. The green light brightened, wrapping around Liu Shan’s weak body like soft vines.

Stove, the little spiritual plant, jumped onto the bed, spreading his tiny vines to help. His body glowed faintly in rhythm with Su Qinglan’s healing energy.

A gentle fragrance filled the cave. The soft light covered Liu Shan’s chest and forehead, slowly calming the storm of emotions inside her. Her breathing began to even out, and her trembling slowly stopped.

After a while, her fingers twitched. A little color returned to her pale face.

Sweat ran down Su Qinglan’s forehead, but she didn’t stop. She focused, keeping her voice soft and steady as she spoke. "It’s okay... don’t be afraid. You’re not alone."

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside. Hu Yan and Zhao Mu returned, carrying a pot of water and bunches of clean hides.

Su Qinglan took the stone bowl and dipped the clean hides before wiping Liu Shan’s face gently.

The dampness from the cloth and the gentle energy surrounding her helped Liu Shan’s breathing grow steady again. Slowly, her body relaxed completely.

Hu Yan sighed in relief. But Zhao Mu still looked scared, his hands trembling as he held his female’s hand. "Will she... will she wake up?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Su Qinglan nodded. "Yes. She’s safe now, but her spirit is weak. Don’t leave her side, and don’t let her get upset again. She needs rest."

Zhao Mu nodded quickly, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you, female Su Qinglan. Thank you..."

Su Qinglan didn’t answer. She just wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Liu Shan quietly.

In her heart, she realized this female had really become so weak because of trauma and stress, and needless to say, it must all be because she couldn’t have cubs.

Su Qinglan sighed and thought to herself: in this world, a female has only the upper hand if she can have cubs, and if a female can’t give that, then this same world can become hell for her.

She gently combed the damp hair from the female’s forehead and whispered, "Don’t worry, Liu Shan, I will heal you, and then you can also have cubs."

"Can you heal my female?"