Zuo Meng was taken aback. She glanced back at the little paper figure that was brewing medicine, then looked at the corridor on the other side. She swallowed nervously and then turned her gaze back to the clinic's rule sheet.
[Clinic Rule Two: Please leave the clinic as soon as possible after treatment; this is not a safe place.]
[Medical Clinic Rule #3: Do not kill anyone inside the clinic.]
[Clinic Rule Four: Under no circumstances should you go to the second floor of the clinic.]
This is your place of recovery and well-being, but it is absolutely not a place for you to linger. Please leave as soon as possible after your illness is treated, and do not believe anything the doctor says.
Zuo Meng silently held the rules sheet, already somewhat confused.
Because they didn't have any of the elements that were warned about on the rule sheet.
The rules say to leave as soon as you're treated and not to trust doctors anymore, but... they weren't sick at all, and came straight to the clinic.
Should we... leave right away?
In the silence, Zuo Meng noticed something: when they arrived, it was already quite late, and after the wedding, it was completely dark.
The rules mention being careful of doctors at night, so being cautious at night is definitely important.
Zuo Mengxin's heart tightened. Could it be... that seemingly gentle doctor might eat people at night! Or become terrifying!
Ultimately, they're just monsters in a dungeon! No matter how nice they look, they'll definitely kill players!
Zuo Meng tensed up instantly, remembering that not long after she came in, the doctor had made Zhong Mu drink a bowl of medicine... Could that be something bad?
He hurriedly turned around, wanting to remind Zhong Mu, when he suddenly discovered that the little paper figure who had been staying up all night was standing behind him at some point. The paper-mâché hands held a bowl of thick, black medicine, and the pale face was facing Zuo Meng, uttering a low and sinister voice.
"Guest, please take your medicine."
Zuo Meng took a step back and pressed himself against the door, staring at the little paper figure with trembling eyes. He had just seen the little paper figure muttering about poisoning while staying up all night! He was not going to drink that medicine!
"I..." Zuo Meng turned her stiff head and stammered, "I'm not sick, I won't drink."
The little paper figure took a step forward, holding the medicine bowl, its black pupils staring intently at Zuo Meng. "You're not sick, you can drink it. You'll be fine after drinking it."
It approached stealthily, its small paper hand holding the medicine bowl trembling as if it might spill the medicine onto its paper-mâché hand at any moment.
Zuo Meng glanced at the rule sheet in her hand, feeling lost. It didn't seem to mention that she couldn't take medicine. The little paper doll said that she could drink it even if she wasn't sick... so... it's probably okay?
If he were here alone to complete the instance, he would never have stepped into this clinic, and he would have fled at lightning speed after seeing the rules. But at this moment, he was worried about Zhong Mu, or perhaps it was because of Zhong Mu that he did not have so many suspicions about this clinic.
After taking two deep breaths, Zuo Meng slowly reached out and took the bowl from the little paper figure.
"Can you drink it even if you're not sick?"
"Hmm." The little paper doll nodded. "This is medicine to prevent infection. The doctor gave it to that stinky player, but you haven't had it yet."
Zuo Meng fell silent. So this was the medicine the doctor had given Zhong Mu.
He picked up the medicine, gulped it down, and the bitter taste hit his head, almost making him vomit.
"Don't spit it out!" The little paper doll jumped up and stuffed a piece of candy into Zuo Meng's mouth. Then, it picked up the medicine bowl and turned to leave. "If you're going to stay at the clinic for a long time, you have to drink this, or you'll become like them."
"Oh." Zuo Meng sipped the candy in her mouth. This little paper doll is actually quite nice.
"Just a reminder." The little paper figure paused, then slowly turned its stiff head back. "You can sleep in any of the unoccupied wards in the clinic, but after dark... don't go out. The clinic is also located within Yin Village."
Zuo Meng stared blankly as the little paper figure took small, quick steps away. After thinking for two seconds, she understood what the little paper figure was saying.
The clinic is also located within the village, so even if he is currently in the clinic, he still has to abide by the village's rules.
He'll have to be careful tonight too.
"But I can sleep in a ward at the clinic. Will Boss Ye and the others still have to sleep in coffins tonight?" Zuo Meng fell silent as he thought of the coffins hanging on the mountainside. Luckily, he came to the clinic. He really didn't want to sleep in a coffin.
But now that he's come along, he must be vigilant and pay attention to the rules.
Since Zhong Mu wouldn't be wary of the doctor's words, he would be wary and pay close attention to why the doctor at night deserved a rule reminder!
He put the rule sheet back and wandered around the first floor of the clinic several times, memorizing the layout. When he finished doing all this, he saw Zhong Mu come out of the doctor's room, sitting at the door with her face flushed, covering her face, seemingly still dizzy.
"What's wrong with you?" Zuo Meng asked cautiously, looking into the room and seeing the doctor weighing medicine.
Zhong Mu slowly raised her head, her face still flushed, like a pure lover who was about to drown in love. "What should I do? I don't know what to give the doctor as a token of our love... I don't seem to have anything suitable on me, but I want to give it to him before leaving this instance."
Zuo Meng silently took the rules sheet and handed it to Zhong Mu. "Instead of giving any token of love, why don't you take a look at this first? This is your first time visiting his clinic. You should learn everything about him before making any decisions."
Zhong Mu shook the rule sheet in his hand. "I've already seen this. It's in the town's guide. I know what the doctor is like at night."
Zuo Meng was taken aback, then scratched his head awkwardly, as if he was the only one who wasn't a studious and good player.
"The town encountered a crisis before. After I woke up Boss Ye, I fainted. It was the doctor who brought me to the clinic for the night. That's when I learned what a doctor is like at night." Zhong Mu casually mentioned, silently arousing Zuo Meng's curiosity.
"What is the doctor like at night? Does he become terrifying? Or does his personality change drastically?"
"The doctor at night..." Zhong Mu smiled meaningfully, "is very gentle and very handsome."
Zuo Meng: ? ? ?
Why can't he understand?
"By the way, stay in your room tonight. Don't go out if you hear any noise. The clinic is quite dangerous at night." Zhong Mu straightened up and reminded Zuo Meng. "But if there's no noise, you can go out and explore if you find anything that interests you."
"Sometimes important information is obtained by taking risks."
Zuo Meng nodded blankly, and then saw Zhong Mu walk towards the little paper figure that was brewing medicine.
Within seconds, he saw the little paper figure chasing after Zhong Mu, wielding a large ladle used for brewing medicine, yelling, "You think you can find out what my doctor likes?! I won't tell you! I won't tell you!"
Despite dodging the large spoon, Zhong Mu persisted, saying, "Tell me, I want the doctor to receive something he likes."
"I won't tell you!!" the little paper figure screamed, even angrier.
Zuo Meng stood silently in the corridor, understanding Zhong Mu's words.
So that's how it is. So that's what it means to take risks to obtain important information.
He understood.