Chapter 47: Temporary Worker of South China

Shortly after...

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of knocking echoed, and Xia Ye, who was already standing behind the counter, responded immediately:

"Come in."

Creak—

"Divine Doctor Xia, long time no see. How have you been recently?"

As soon as he stepped into the room, Liao Zhong broke into a wide grin and offered his greetings, looking extremely familiar and showing great enthusiasm.

In reality, the two of them had only met a few times in the past. After all, the Hangzhou territory belonged to the East China region, and he rarely crossed paths with Liao Zhong, the person in charge of the South China region.

"I've been quite well. Have a seat."

Therefore, Xia Ye only replied indifferently, pointing to the sofa nearby. He then poured two cups of hot tea, placed them on the coffee table, and sat down opposite the two visitors.

"Tell me, Brother Liao, what is the situation with this lady?"

"Hehe, Divine Doctor Xia, it's like this. This is an employee under my command, but her special ability is somewhat unusual. Once used, it is very likely to hurt herself, and the resulting injuries are extremely difficult to heal. Over time, quite a few hidden wounds have accumulated," Liao Zhong replied immediately.

"Just two days ago, her new and old injuries suddenly flared up together, and her entire body began to rot. The company's medical department is at a loss, and several grandmasters of traditional medicine were unable to treat her, so I had no choice but to bring her to you."

"..."

Hearing this, Xia Ye was speechless for a moment, casting a cold glance at him.

"Human lives are at stake. When will you people from the Company ever prioritize this issue? Every time you send someone to me, they are already half-dead. Have you ever considered what might happen if things went wrong?"

"You are right, it was our lack of consideration. We will definitely change our ways in the future. So, what do you think of her injuries..."

"Alright, follow me."

Xia Ye shook his head, knowing that this fellow would never truly listen. After all, the higher one's position in the Company, the more "rational" one had to be, and under such circumstances, "human life" would not be the primary consideration.

Without further ado, he stood up, beckoned to the woman, and turned to walk toward the treatment room...

Just as the woman was about to get up, Liao Zhong pulled her back slightly and gave her a look.

"Don't worry, I understand."

The woman's voice was extremely hoarse, as if her throat had been scorched by fire. She softly replied, then stood up and followed behind him.

"Sit down."

Bringing over a chair, Xia Ye closed the door, sat down opposite her, and began to examine the woman.

He could see that virtually no patch of skin on her body was intact. The exposed bandages were constantly seeping blood, and the tight-fitting clothes she wore appeared to be specially crafted magical artifacts provided by the Company to help her maintain her vital signs.

"Have you been to see Old Wang?"

With just a single glance, Xia Ye recognized that these bandages were the handiwork of Old Man Wang Zijong, imbued with his unique genuine qi as a "master of external trauma" to alleviate her condition to the utmost extent.

"Yes, and not just Old Wang; the other eight masters also intervened. Your condition is not merely a matter of physical decay; your body and soul are both on the verge of collapse..."

As he spoke, a flash of light crossed his eyes, taking in every detail of the woman's condition.

"I see. Is there still hope for me?"

The next moment, the woman replied softly, her eyes filled with utter despair, holding no expectations whatsoever.

Understandably so. In her view, even with the nine masters acting one after another, they had only managed to temporarily slow down the rate of collapse. Yet this man, hailed as the "Divine Doctor of China," could he possibly surpass the nine grandmasters single-handedly?

However, the very next second...

"Hmm, the problem isn't too serious."

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief, thinking she had misheard, only to see Xia Ye stand up directly and begin rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"Swallow these pills first."

Soon, he retrieved several pills and handed them to her, signaling her to take them immediately. Without hesitation—since she was already treating a dead horse as a live one—she swallowed them all at once.

Immediately afterward...

"Ugh?!"

The woman's body trembled as she felt a vast yet gentle medicinal power invade her body, surging through her system at an incredible speed and repairing her severely damaged tendons, bones, muscles, and skin!

Not only her physical body, but even her fragmented soul was rapidly repairing itself. The excruciating pain in her soul gradually faded away. When she regained her senses, she felt much more comfortable, and her life force was revitalized!

However...

"This medicinal power is only temporary. There is a strange force dwelling within your body, constantly eroding and destroying your vitality. Unless it is eradicated at the root, I'm afraid it won't do," Xia Ye said once her breathing had stabilized.

"As a healer, to be on the safe side, I must first understand your condition before I can save you. So please relax and let's talk, consider it a routine inquiry into your illness."

Of course, this was just a casual excuse. Xia Ye already had complete clarity regarding the woman's condition and had guessed her identity, which naturally aroused his interest.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the temporary worker of the South China region?"

As soon as he uttered these words, directly touching upon a company secret, the woman froze for a moment and instantly grew vigilant.

"Hehe, I told you to relax and not be nervous. Your identity is actually quite easy to guess. After all, there aren't many people who can prompt a regional director to step forward personally and also mobilize Old Wang and the others..."

Seeing her reaction, Xia Ye smiled faintly.

"If you were truly just an ordinary employee possessing freedom, you would have come straight to me upon encountering such a condition. You know your own body best; this definitely didn't suddenly erupt just two days ago, nor could it be cured by ordinary medical means. Am I right?"

However, there was one thing Xia Ye did not spell out—and could not spell out—which was that in the original manga, the South China region had another temporary worker before Chen Duo, who had never appeared and was said to have retired due to injury and illness.

Combining the current timeline with the woman's state, everything was easy to deduce. Given his understanding of the abilities of the nine grandmasters, although none of them could cure her alone, a "joint consultation" among them would still be enough to save her life.

At this moment...

"..."

"What do you want to ask?"

Seeing that her identity had been exposed, the woman had nothing left to hide. Moreover, Xia Ye had indeed demonstrated extraordinary medical prowess, which allowed her hanging heart to finally settle.

"Set your mind at ease. I will never ask about company secrets, nor am I interested in them. I just want to know your name, your past experiences, the exact nature of your supernatural ability, and how your fatal injuries were caused," Xia Ye said calmly.

"Very well..."

Things having reached this point, the woman nodded. After a moment of contemplation, she began her tale:

"My name is Meng Qi. Just as you guessed, I am the temporary worker of South China, under the charge of Uncle Liao..."

"As for my ability... I belong to no sect or school, and I am a congenital superhuman. Uncle Liao gave my ability a name—it is called 'Dream Entry'!"