Lingsha could even see the beast-eared girl's tail wagging wildly from side to side, like a puppy finally getting to go outside after being cooped up at home all day waiting for its master to return from work.
Given that the girl looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, she was undeniably a young girl, unexpectedly endearing. Lingsha felt an overwhelming urge to scoop her up and give her a thorough cuddle.
However, remembering that this child had recently kicked a monster's head into pieces, and seeing the splatters of red and white fluid still coating her lower legs, she quickly dismissed the idea.
While the other beast-eared girls cleaned up the battlefield, Lingsha carefully wove through the crowd and returned to the mountain cave. Her eyes immediately fell upon a group of four or five people clustered together, including Granny Xi.
A faint, metallic, rusty odor wafted into her nostrils. Lingsha frowned slightly and approached the group, where she found Ikezawa lying unconscious on the ground. "What happened to him?" she asked.
There were no visible injuries on his body, but his skin had taken on a faint reddish hue. Even in his unconscious state, Ikezawa's brow was deeply furrowed, his face contorted in an expression of intense pain.
Lingsha vaguely remembered that just ten minutes ago, when she left, Ikezawa had been chatting and laughing with a young, beautiful Beast-Eared Girl. How had he ended up like this?
She could smell that all of Ikezawa's organs were rapidly failing. If left untreated, he might not last even twelve hours.
Granny Xi had just finished applying crushed herbs to Ikezawa's forehead. She shook her head and said, "I don't know. He was fine just moments ago, and then he suddenly collapsed."
Lingsha could also smell that the herbs Granny Xi had applied likely had cooling, detoxifying, cell-stimulating, and self-healing properties.
She paused, puzzled. Cooling and detoxification were understandable, but what were those last two?
She crouched down, leaned closer, and a refreshing scent entered her nostrils. The mere whiff of it gave her a mental boost, making her feel as invigorated as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep, brimming with energy.
If her sense of smell wasn't deceiving her, the likely cause was the herbs themselves.
However, while the herb's effects were astonishing, they were completely unrelated to Ikezawa's current condition and would undoubtedly fail to cure him. After a moment's thought, Lingsha turned to Granny Xi and said, "I have some medical knowledge myself. Perhaps I can help him."
As she spoke, an incense burner materialized in her hand, releasing a cloud of pink smoke that drifted toward Ikezawa, enveloping him completely.
Before their very eyes, Ikezawa's condition visibly improved. His flushed skin gradually returned to its normal color, and the pained expression on his face slowly faded away.
Granny Xi and the other Beast-Eared Girls assisting her stared wide-eyed at Lingsha, their faces etched with shock. Granny Xi exclaimed, "Lingsha, are you a physician?"
"I only possess a modest understanding of medicine," Lingsha replied with genuine humility. In truth, this wasn't false modesty but a simple statement of fact.
In reality, Lingsha had merely released a puff of incense with "body-regulating" properties, intending it as a trial. But to Granny Xi, the young girl before her had already proven herself a physician far surpassing her own skills.
In this harsh world, where medical resources were scarce, a skilled physician like Lingsha was invaluable. Granny Xi couldn't help but wonder which unfortunate tribe had lost such a treasure, while simultaneously feeling grateful that the Hunting Team had stumbled upon her. Losing a physician of this caliber to the wilderness would have been an immeasurable loss.
Ikezawa's condition gradually improved, though he remained unconscious. Seizing the opportunity, Lingsha inquired about the origins of the medicinal herbs from Granny Xi.
Impressed by Lingsha's apparent medical expertise, Granny Xi readily led her deeper into the cave, where a bewildering array of unfamiliar herbs lay displayed.
Granny Xi began introducing them one by one: "This green one paired with this pointed one is for external application on wounds. This red one is for skin diseases. And this square one—if the illness doesn't improve, you can crush it and mix it with the first one for oral consumption."
The herbs had no names, only their uses. Granny Xi's understanding of their applications was as rudimentary as could be. Lingsha, however, could discern through her keen sense of smell that each herb possessed effects more outlandish than the last.
Take, for instance, the green and pointed herbs Granny Xi mentioned for external use. The green herb rapidly restored stamina, enhanced reflexes, and granted night vision, while the pointed herb possessed the remarkable ability to "restore the body," potentially restoring eyesight to the nearsighted and rejuvenating scarred skin to its original state.
Treating minor injuries was likely just a fringe benefit. The fact that these Beast-Eared Girls went barefoot daily without developing calluses might well be due to the pointed herb's restorative properties.
However, considering their wild, primitive lifestyles, such crude applications seemed unsurprising. After all, you couldn't exactly expect them to conduct controlled experiments, meticulously studying the herbs cycle by cycle.
To Lingsha, these Beast-Eared Girls seemed like ordinary people casually swallowing elixirs of immortality as cold medicine.
After a moment's hesitation, Lingsha ventured, "Um... Granny Xi, I might be able to refine these herbs into more potent medicines..."
Granny Xi chuckled warmly. "If you need them, feel free to take whatever you want. It's no trouble at all."
The old woman placed absolute trust in the young girl before her—or rather, in this entire community of Beast-Eared Girls. Betrayal and scheming were unknown here; only unified collaboration for survival until the next day existed.
Before Lingsha could express her gratitude, Granny Xi continued, "These herbs are incredibly common. They're all over the place nearby. If you need more, we can easily send some children to gather them. As long as they don't stray too far, it's perfectly safe."
Lingsha fell silent, speechless.
Granny Xi's words made it sound as if immortality elixirs grew like weeds—a notion that bordered on the absurd.
However, Lingsha quickly refocused on the herbs. With her extraordinary sense of smell capable of instantly assessing medicinal potency, and an abundance of materials for experimentation, she might actually be able to create some remarkable medicines.
She picked up a square-stemmed herb, brought it to her nose, and sniffed intently. This one... even had the effect of permanently increasing physical strength.