The Huichun Alliance General Hospital was a building designed in a classical style, featuring extensive use of flying eaves and interlocking brackets. Its color scheme—a mix of red, cyan, blue, and gold—was a throwback to the Classical Era of a millennium ago.
Yet, upon entering, one would discover that beneath its quaint, ancient exterior lay a core of efficiency and advanced technology.
It boasted Blue Star’s highest-level medical team, most advanced medical equipment, and most progressive medical philosophies.
Taking in the sights, Su Zhi followed Fang Yuan into a hospital room on the third floor.
Lilith was inside a medical pod, enveloped in a viscous healing fluid. The flames that comprised her body seemed frozen in place, their flickering stilled—a truly magical sight.
Seeing her master return, Lilith blinked her pale pink eyes and extended a paw.
Fang Yuan gently placed his hand on the pod’s surface, mirroring her paw on the other side of the glass.
At that moment, the doctor switched off the medical pod.
The healing fluid slowly drained away. Lilith floated out, a little unsteady, and nestled into Fang Yuan’s embrace.
Fang Yuan’s expression was neutral as he gently wrapped an arm around her.
"Still not right, Doctor?" he asked, looking at the young woman in a white lab coat and mask standing nearby.
The doctor nodded, then shook her head.
"Well, how do I put this... The surgery itself was a complete success. Her Nether Flame Body has no more cracks or missing sections. It’s fundamentally identical to its original, undamaged state.
"But her stability and stamina still can’t recover to their pre-injury levels—at most, they’re at seventy percent. If you’re thinking of entering competitions or anything like that, you might be disappointed."
Fang Yuan frowned. "Why is that?"
"That’s the baffling part... All standard diagnostic tests show no problems. Logically speaking, she should be able to make a full recovery."
The doctor scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. She turned to Fang Yuan. "How about... I help you apply for a personal consultation with the Alliance Leader?"
Fang Yuan nodded. "I’d appreciate that."
He said that, but Su Zhi could still see a flicker of disappointment in Fang Yuan’s eyes.
’After all, a personal consultation with the Alliance Leader wasn’t something you could get just by applying. Why would the top medical authority on all of Blue Star make time for a high school student she didn’t even know?’
’In fact, just being able to get treatment at the General Hospital was the highest level of care an ordinary person could access. If a condition couldn’t be cured here, it was basically a lost cause.’
"CHIRP." Lilith evidently understood this as well, lowering her head in self-blame.
"ARF-WHINE." Yu Bao wagged its tail and patted her comfortingly.
"It’s okay. It’s not your fault."
Fang Yuan comforted her softly.
"We can still modify your training plan. There are many Pet Beasts that remain top-tier contenders even with injuries."
Lilith nodded vigorously.
’Even if she couldn’t recover to her former state, she would give it her all and train as hard as she could!’
Fang Yuan then looked at Su Zhi. "And thank you for coming with me..."
Su Zhi put his hands in his pockets. "No need to name your firstborn after me."
Fang Yuan blinked, taking a moment to process that. He shot Su Zhi a wry look, and the tense atmosphere in the room immediately lightened.
Just then, the doctor lowered her phone, her voice tinged with regret. "I’m very sorry, the Alliance Leader doesn’t seem to be in her office right now. The call didn’t go through, so..."
"Huh? The Alliance Leader?"
The doctor stared at the doorway, her face a mask of utter shock.
The two boys and their two pets all turned to look at the doorway.
A beautiful woman in a pink robe stood in the doorway, smiling warmly at them. The loose, off-the-shoulder garment perfectly complemented her full figure, inspiring endless flights of fancy.
"Little Su Zhi~"
Su Zhi’s mouth fell open. "Elder Qiu? What are you..."
Qiu Yulian smiled lightly. "I saw you came to my turf, and on a whim, I followed you for a little while~"
A look of dawning comprehension crossed Fang Yuan’s face. He glanced at Su Zhi and took a tactical step backward.
’Well, well. I never would have pegged you, Mr. Innocent, as such a player.’
Su Zhi’s face darkened, his eye twitching.
’No, let me explain! I’m not like that...’
"I’ve already looked over this White Flame Battle Spirit’s case file."
Qiu Yulian stepped into the room, a golden Beast Taming Light Array instantly flaring to life beside her.
"If we went through the normal process, a personal consultation with the Alliance Leader would be scheduled for a week from now. Seeing as you’re a friend of Little Su Zhi, I’ll let you cut the line~"
Flustered by the favor, Fang Yuan quickly bowed. "Thank you, Alliance Leader!"
"Think nothing of it~"
Amid flashes of golden light, Hua Shangyue, who resembled a human girl, appeared beside Qiu Yulian, a vision of serene beauty.
Fang Yuan gaped, looking utterly astonished.
Having had the same experience just days before, Su Zhi gave a satisfied smirk.
"Huahua, use Natural Face Wash on the White Flame Battle Spirit."
"Mm." Hua Shangyue nodded. She lifted her sleeve, and a stream of pale blue, glowing pollen floated out, melting into Lilith’s fiery form.
Lilith’s flames visibly intensified, and the light returned to her eyes.
As one of the most powerful Healing Element Skills, Natural Face Wash not only promoted Energy recovery but also cleared negative statuses. It could even cure many rare and difficult afflictions in a single use.
It was no wonder, then, that personal consultations with the Alliance Leader were in such high demand.
This time, however, Hua Shangyue frowned after casting the Skill.
"Hmm?"
"CHIRP..." Lilith tried to move but still staggered, blinking timidly.
She was indicating that she had yet to regain her warrior’s might.
"It seems the problem isn’t with her directly."
Qiu Yulian pondered for a moment, then immediately looked at the doctor. "Have you checked her using the Homogeneous Energy Marking Technique?"
"Huh? N-Not yet..." The doctor’s face flushed.
That technique was generally used to check for foreign objects or foreign energies within a Pet Beast. Since Lilith’s symptoms pointed to damage to her Nether Flame Body, the doctor hadn’t even considered that possibility.