Before Mu He could even laugh, the little paper figure next to her suddenly let out a scream.
"Ah—! It's you again! Don't even think about taking my doctor away! Let him go!"
The little paper doll swung its fist at Zhong Mu, but Zhong Mu remained unmoved. He grabbed Mu He's hand and rubbed it against him, pressing his cheek against Mu He's palm. "The doctor hasn't come to see me, so I came here on my own. Did the doctor miss me?"
Muhe gave an irrelevant answer, "Recently, many players have entered the dungeon, and my clinic has become very busy, so I can't leave."
Zhong Mu persisted in asking, "Did the doctor miss me?"
Mu He said slowly, "And you?"
Zhong Muguang nodded quickly, "I really wanted to, so I came in to find a doctor right away."
Mu He smiled slightly, "Okay, very good. I'll think of you sometimes too."
His thumb slowly stroked Zhong Mu's cheek, his voice low and gentle, "But you shouldn't have come to my clinic. Here, I'm a monster, and I might kill you."
Zhong Muwei tilted his head slightly, his tone innocent, "But the emotions transmitted from my heart were not murderous; on the contrary... I was very happy."
He carefully examined the sensation, then said confidently, "The doctor is very happy to see me."
Mu He smiled silently, took Zhong Mu's hand, and slowly led him into the clinic. "Happy... I am indeed happy. Perhaps with you here, my clinic won't be so boring."
Zhong Mu entered the clinic, but Zuo Meng, who was still in the courtyard, was dumbfounded.
He overheard two people chatting, and the atmosphere was quite subtle; it was as if bubbles were rising from their mouths.
But when he saw Zhong Mu being led into the clinic by the handsome, gentle-spoken white-haired doctor, he still felt as if he had seen a promising young man go astray and be lured into a monster's lair.
"Is this doctor the strange one?" Zuo Meng scratched her head, somewhat puzzled.
Shouldn't monsters be gloomy and terrifying in appearance, and even if they have human form, they can hardly hide the danger emanating from them?
Was that doctor, who had a gentle demeanor, spoke elegantly, and yet exuded a sense of vulnerability, also a strange person?
Zuo Meng shuddered. It was a disguise! It must be a disguise! Zhong Mu must have been seduced by this master of disguise!
He clenched his fists, determined to protect the town's promising young talent and save him from his dire straits!
With this conviction in mind, Zuo Meng stepped into the clinic under the watchful gaze of the little paper doll with its white background and black pupils.
The old wooden door of the clinic creaked shut, and the interior returned to darkness. Zuo Meng stood frozen in place, staring at the clinic.
The air was thick with the smell of medicine and a hint of decay. The ground was swept clean, but some suspicious dark brown marks remained.
The groans of the ailing patient mingled with the sound of boiling medicine in the old, gloomy place, filled with an ancient atmosphere, and a sinister little paper figure staring straight at him from the side.
Zuo Meng took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress her fear, and cautiously took a step forward.
With a creak, the floorboards made a jarring sound. At the same time, on the bed near the door, a patient turned over in pain, his arm, covered in patches of festering sores, suddenly draped over the edge of the bed, startling Zuo Meng so much that her hair stood on end.
The diseases in the village seem to first decay the limbs of young people who can move, causing the skin to ulcerate and peel off, sometimes even reaching the bone, creating a visually shocking and terrifying effect.
"Guest..." the eerie little paper figure uttered a long, drawn-out voice, its pale face and dark eyes fixed on Zuo Meng. "When you come to the clinic, you must abide by the clinic's rules and act with caution."
The little paper figure slowly walked past Zuo Meng with tiny, shuffling steps, the rustling sound of its body sending chills down one's spine. "Please, guest, don't die here."
The paper figure moved its stiff body away. For some reason, it left in a hurry, even taking small, quick steps, and rushed towards the corridor on one side of the clinic, its purpose unknown.
Zhong Mu disappeared after being strangely lured in by the doctor, leaving Zuo Meng standing alone in the crowd of patients, trembling with shock.
Could it be that he's the only one actually running the dungeon normally, while everyone else is just here on vacation?
Zuo Meng swallowed hard, trembling slightly, and nervously moved past the patients. Now that he was inside, he had to find evidence that the doctor at this clinic was dangerous and eccentric, so that the promising young man could be brought to his senses and not be deceived by a wicked devil!
Just as I took two steps inside, Zhong Mu's voice rang out in the quiet clinic. It was coming from the corridor on one side of the clinic entrance, seemingly from one of the wards.
"Doctor, I have something I'd like to give you."
"Take your medicine first."
A huge question mark appeared above Zuo Meng's head. Medicine? Why do I have to drink medicine as soon as I come in? This doesn't make sense!
He suddenly rushed to the door, wanting to warn Zhong Mu, only to see Zhong Mu resolutely take the medicine bowl, then tilt his head back and drink it all in one gulp.
"...Gurgle gurgle...yue!"
Zhong Mu covered her mouth, enduring the discomfort of the medicine, her face pale.
Zuo Meng gasped, her eyes widening in horror. Had this white-haired man given Zhong Mu some strange medicine?!
Poisoning?
Then he saw the man pick up a piece of sweet cake from the table, lift it up, and hand it to Zhong Mu, saying softly, "Eat something sweet to calm your nerves."
Zhong Mu obediently leaned over and took a bite of the sweet cake, her face full of satisfaction. "So sweet!"
The white-haired man chuckled silently, withdrew his fingers still sticky with sweet cake, licked his fingertips, and whispered, "It really is sweet."
Zhong Mu's ears turned red instantly, and she started to act shy and bashful again.
Zuo Meng squatted by the door, furious at his lack of ambition, clenching her fists. This doctor was definitely a monster! The kind who could bewitch people! Otherwise, how could you explain how a clear-headed and calm prospect suddenly lost his mind after entering the clinic! He drank medicine as soon as he was told to! He ate sweet cake as soon as he was told to! He was completely unsuspecting!
"Doctor... could you lend me your hand?" Zhong Mu asked shyly, taking out the red thread she had taken from the marriage tree from her pocket.
The doctor opposite him couldn't see what he took out. Suddenly, he heard Zhong Mu ask him to reach out. Mu He, who had just finished licking his fingertips, paused for a moment, then pointed his finger over. "Want to try some more?"
After realizing what the doctor was saying, Zhong Mu blushed from head to toe, so nervous that she almost broke the red thread in her hand.
"What...what is the doctor saying..."
His head was steaming as he carefully took Mu He's hand, placing the red thread on his little finger but not tying it. Instead, he stammered, "I...I pulled a red thread from the marriage tree in the village..."
"I wonder if the doctor would be willing to... to tie me up with him for a bit..."
Feeling the familiar thing resting on his little finger, Mu He was slightly taken aback. Under Zhong Mu's nervous and uneasy gaze, his little finger was hooked with a red thread, silently teasing him.
"Tying the red thread...isn't that a bit too fast?"
Zhong Mu slumped her shoulders slightly. "It seems so... but I really like the doctor and want to tie a red thread between us. If I can't do it now, I'll do it later."
His straightforward and simple words made Mu He laugh.
Their little fingers were hooked together, intertwined with strands of thread, just like the words Mu He uttered, trapping Zhong Mu within them.
"What I mean is, before we tie the red thread, something's still missing, isn't it?"