Alex looked at the old man for a moment, having noticed the respect everyone had for him. It was clear the old man was someone of importance, likely the Chief of the tribe.
He ignored the old man, turning to the patient before him. It was a man with a part of his right calf missing, skin grown over the missing muscles. It was an injury that hadnāt happened recently, so the man was used to it.
Alex inspected it for a brief moment and handed him a pill. "Eat this."
The injured man took the pill with some apprehension, but quickly ate it nonetheless. The pill immediately did its thing, helping the man regrow his missing muscles.
It tore through his healed skin to find room, but the skin healed on its own afterward as well. Before the man knew it, he was as good as he had ever been in his life.
The man stood up in a daze, staring at his legs with a measure of awe that he didnāt think he wouldāve shown today. He had heard about limbs being healed, but seeing it firsthand still took him by surprise.
"Th-thank you," the man said with a quivering voice. "Thank you so much."
The man grabbed Alexās hands and began tearing up. He thanked Alex without letting go of his hands. Alex smiled and patted him on his shoulders. "Go have fun," he said. "And make way for the rest so I should heal."
The man stood up and nodded vigorously before walking away.
Alex sat back down and looked toward the door where the others were gathered in a line. He then turned to the corner where the old chief had been sitting.
"You can come sit now. I can check you."
The old man smiled and shook his head. "Iām only here to observe. Please continue."
Alex frowned. He looked toward the door and nodded for the next patient, a woman, to enter. The woman entered with a bashful gait, sitting before Alex slowly.
Alex looked at her. "Are you nervous?" he asked, seeing her expression.
The woman nodded lightly.
"Senior, could you please leave the room? This lady isā"
"No, he can stay if he wants," the woman quickly said.
Alex tried to see why she would respond this way, but he could not find any answer. Even then, he started finding the chief a little annoying now. Checking up on patients with the old man watching them at all times was a great invasion of privacy for them after all.
He just needed one person to complain in order to throw him out, but none did. He checked the woman and then the others that came afterwards, but none seemed bothered by the old manās presence.
It was evening when Alex was finally done with checking all the sick people in the Bluesalt tribe. When the final person was done and gone, only Alex and the chief remained in the room.
The entire time the old man had been there, he had shown absolutely no reaction to anything at all. It was quite a contrast to every single reaction and emotion the ones he healed showed when compared to the stoic old man.
It was almost like he didnāt really find what Alex was doing interesting. And yet, he had stayed there for so long.
"So, you donāt need me to look at you?" Alex asked the old man.
"No," the old man answered. "I am perfectly healthy. Although, I do have a few questions I was hoping you would answer."
Alex shrugged. "You may ask. I canāt guarantee I will answer you though."
The old man smirked a little. "Where did you learn your craft?" he asked. "There arenāt many places in Hell that teach this."
"Somewhere far away," Alex said. "May I ask for your name?"
"Wu Shaozhen," the old man answered. "Whatās your name?"
"Alex."
"Thatās a strange name," the old man said with a hint of a grin. "There is a sect out there that is considered the greatest in this world. Have you heard of it?"
"The Endless Night sect? Of course," Alex said. "Who hasnāt?"
"Are you from there?" the old man asked.
"No, Iām not," Alex answered.
The old man fell silent, seemingly in thought for a moment. He stared at Alex for a while before asking, "Why are you helping these people?"
"Do I need a reason to help people?" Alex asked.
"Is it because of guilt, perhaps?" the old man asked. "Some men sometimes do something wrong and feel bad about it. They believe they have to correct themselves, and end up doing the exact opposite to change their ways. Are you one of those?"
"I have no guilt or regret regarding any of my actions yet," Alex said. "I have killed people, only those that deserve it. I help because Iām a healer first. Thereās nothing more to it than that."
The old man nodded. "Thatās quite commendable," he said. "Those medicines must be expensive. Can you give it away for free?"
"I have no use for them, and I have plenty, so I might as well use it to help others," Alex said. He waited for the old man to ask some other question, but the old man seemed to be lost in contemplation.
"Are you trustworthy?" the man asked in the end.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "I am," he said. "But I donāt think I can persuade you of that with my words alone."
"True, you could as easily lie," the old man said with an awkward smile.
Alex wondered what the purpose of the question was. He was about to say something when he saw movement at the door. Nanjing walked in with a smile.
"Oh, good. Youāre still here," he said, turning around. "My father wishes to meet you."
Alex paused. "Your... father?" he asked, confused. "Do you mean the chief?"
"Yes, heās waiting for you."
Alex frowned. If the chief was waiting for him elsewhere, then... who was this old man?