With the gazes falling on him from both sides and various eerie and bizarre mutterings, Zhong Mu felt somewhat uneasy.
Could the other party really be a monster capable of turning people into medicine?
Although he didn't know what the side quests were, they sounded really exciting. Even the monsters leading the way were moving paper figures. He wondered what kind of terrifying monster he would encounter soon.
Startled, Zhong Mu slowed down, quickly looking around for a way out.
The paper figure took small, quick steps, and so did he. The two of them moved slowly forward, eventually reaching the end of the clinic's corridor.
Through the half-curtain, a faint smell of medicinal herbs wafted out. The short paper figure naturally passed underneath, and before leaving, it pressed down on Zhong Mu, saying, "Don't go in, stay here. I'll go tell our doctor."
Zhong Mu paused for a moment, then obediently stood at the door. He had nowhere to go even if he left, and if he turned around, he would be stared at by the strange figures peeking out from the wards on both sides. Those eager gazes made his spine tingle.
The voice of the little paper figure came from behind the curtain, "Doctor, a guest has arrived."
Some rustling sounds of fabric arose, as if someone was getting up from a chair in the inner room, mixed with the rustling of small paper figures, and two footsteps moved out.
"Doctor, are you still feeling unwell? Should I send him away so you can rest a little longer?"
"No need, I've had enough rest." A gentle voice sounded softly, accompanied by careful footsteps as they moved to the door.
A pale hand brushed past the curtain blocking Zhong Mu's view, revealing the owner of the voice behind it.
A head of snow-white hair instantly caught Zhong Mu's attention. The other person slightly raised his eyes, his gray pupils dull and unfocused. He cautiously reached out his hand behind the curtain, as if searching for something.
Zhong Mu instinctively reached out and caught his palm.
"Are you here for a medical checkup?" After locating the person, the other person slowly turned their eyes toward him and asked gently.
Zhong Mu was taken aback. "You're the doctor?"
He had imagined a doctor to be an elderly, steady man with sharp eyes who could easily see through people's illnesses, someone with considerable experience in treating patients. But the person in front of him was completely different.
Aside from the slightly retro feel of his dark-colored Chinese-style long gown with its dark stains, he was gentle and approachable, looked very young, and seemed more like someone who had come to see a doctor.
"Yes, I am a doctor, please come in." He nodded, and then, with the help of the little paper figure, slowly turned around, grabbed Zhong Mu, and led him into the house.
The impression of the house was not much different from what Zhong Mu had imagined: a dilapidated wooden house, a wall of medicine cabinets, a small table, some antique decorations, and medical books stacked up in layers, almost surrounding the young doctor sitting inside.
Such an old-fashioned medical clinic would be hard to find even in modern times; this was the first time Zhong Mu had ever seen one in his life.
"Sit down quickly." The little paper figure saw that Zhong Mu was still standing there in a daze and hurriedly called out to him.
Zhong Mu quickly stood opposite the doctor, staring at him intently.
Sitting face to face, Zhong Mu finally had time to focus his attention on the person opposite him, calming down to examine him carefully. Zhong Mu first noticed his exceptionally gentle eyebrows and eyes, as well as his very handsome appearance. Secondly, he saw a dirty, dark red stain on the chest of the doctor's clothes, which looked like spilled tea, or perhaps... blood.
He didn't dare to ask, so he didn't speak and obediently placed his hands on the mat, letting the other person take his pulse.
"Have you been feeling unwell lately?" the other person asked while taking his pulse.
"Where do you feel uncomfortable?" Zhong Mu frowned in thought. "I'm perfectly healthy, there's nothing that bothers me."
The little paper figure next to him exploded, "What are you doing at the clinic! You're disturbing our doctors' rest!"
The doctor reached out and patted his head, then patiently continued to ask Zhong Mu, "Feeling restless is also considered uncomfortable. If you feel mentally unstable, you can also tell me."
Zhong Mu immediately remembered what he should actually describe, and quickly lowered his voice to carefully say, "My vision turns red, I have headaches and tinnitus, I feel dizzy occasionally, and everything around me looks terrifying."
The doctor smiled slightly, "So it will attract monsters to crawl on you, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhong Mu nodded immediately.
"Then I know which instance's entrance you came from." The doctor nodded, but didn't retract his hand from taking your pulse.
Zhong Mu thought from his tone that it was as if he had set up clinic entrances in many instances and was responsible for treating people in many instances?
Thinking about all the strange creatures in those wards outside, I'm afraid this is someone who often treats them... who knows, they might actually be in cahoots with the monsters and turn players into medicine for them!
Zhong Mu shuddered, looked up, and met the slightly drooping eyelashes that held a faint light, and paused again.
He was afraid of non-humanoid monsters, but he was much more relaxed around humanoid ones. He couldn't imagine such a handsome person pressing him down in a medicine vat to concoct medicine.
"Your pulse is rapid... Have you been frightened?" the doctor asked gently.
"I just ran away from a really scary place... There were monsters everywhere, and I'm terrified of them..." Zhong Muyi recalled the terrifying mental hospital he had just been in, and he still had goosebumps all over his body. A really scary monster had crawled all over him! The sticky feeling lingered on his skin for a long time, and he shuddered just thinking about it.
The doctor smiled thoughtfully. "I'm a monster too. I hope you won't be scared in a little while."
Zhong Mu quickly withdrew his hand. Although he had guessed it, the other party's identity was revealed so bluntly! He didn't even know what expression to give in response.
"...You're not going to turn me into a medicine, are you?"
After Zhong Mu finished asking his question earnestly, the clinic fell silent.
The little paper figure twisted its head and looked at the doctor, "Doctor... do you know how to make human medicine?"
The doctor shook his head. "I don't know how. Has the current state of traditional Chinese medicine already allowed us to turn people into medicine? I've been here too long, I have no idea."
"I don't know either, but turning people into medicine is terrifying!" The little paper figure covered its face. "Thank goodness I'm not human!"
Seeing that the two opposite him had taken it seriously and were even discussing it, Zhong Mu awkwardly waved his hand, "No! Although medical technology in reality is very advanced, it doesn't turn people into medicine!! I heard from the monster at the door that you would turn me into medicine..."
The doctor smiled slightly, like a spring breeze, making people feel exceptionally comfortable. "Do I look like a monster who could turn you into medicine?"
Zhong Mu examined him carefully and answered seriously, "It doesn't seem like it."
He then added, "You're like someone who would be turned into a drug."