Chapter 352 - Inside the Isolation Ward
Chapter 352 of "High School of Demon Hunting" introduces new challenges: Chapter 352: Chapter 21 Inside the Isolation WardThe drizzle started around four or five in... Keep following!
Chapter 352: Chapter 21 Inside the Isolation WardThe drizzle started around four or five in the morning and continued throughout the entire day.
Zheng Qing leaned against his hospital bed, gazing at the mist-filled scene outside the window, half-listening to the sound of the raindrops hitting the stone slabs, his eyes half-closed, his mind in a daze.
This atmosphere seemed to cloud his thinking - though perhaps, the medicine was also to blame.
He could hardly remember what day of the week it was.
Because of an encounter with a wild demon the night before, he and Lin Guo were rushed to the schoolâs hospital by the professors before they could complete their patrol duties. The night-shift school doctors, treating the situation as a major emergency, put the two young wizards in an isolation room and, adhering strictly to the rigid doctrines, confiscated all their personal belongings.
This included Zheng Qingâs grey cloth bag, Black Donkeyâs Hoof, Lin Guoâs little backpack, and all of their clothing.
These items were reportedly going to be sent to a specialized lab to undergo a series of safety procedures according to the relevant desensitization rules.
The Black Mountain Goat did not follow them into the school hospital, but Thomas said it would also be isolated for a while under the school workersâ arrangement, to prevent any unexpected occurrences.
Zheng Qing leaned listlessly against the cushion at his back, staring blankly, immobile, reminiscent of a late-stage Alzheimerâs patient, his mouth half-open, saliva slowly trickling down from the corner of his mouth.
It wasnât that he was too lazy to move, but that he couldnât.
In order to prevent him from being invaded by demonic energy, the on-duty doctor had sternly fed him all kinds of preventive medicine - as long as they did not conflict medically â throughout the night.
So all the way until now, his muscles felt weak and he couldnât muster any strength.
A little elf in a white coat fluttered its wings, landed on the young public-studentâs shoulder, and picked up a towel from its hand to wipe the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
This made the young public-student feel incredibly embarrassed.
Fortunately, no one saw this scene.
He couldnât help but inwardly express the utmost respect and sincere greetings to the wizard who implemented the isolation policy.
"Click!"
The lock on the isolation wardâs door was turned.
Several wizards wearing billowing white robes walked in.
The little elves responsible for caring for the patients swarmed towards the bed, lifting the young public-student into an upright position.
Zheng Qing strained his eyes, trying to make out the figures in front of him.
"Donât strain yourself!" a familiar voice rang in his ear: "Your eyes look like chameleon thatâs been cursed into a zombie right now..."
The speaker was Nurse Bella, the head nurse of the school hospital.
In Zheng Qingâs memory, this lady was always serious, very strict, and he didnât expect her to make such a comment.
Simultaneously, he felt a cold piece of glass pushed against his mouth: "Drink this!"
The sweet liquid poured from the rim of the glass into Zheng Qingâs mouth.
The little elves held up towels, constantly wiping up the overflow.
"Donât rush, you should be able to regain some mobility in a minute." Nurse Bellaâs voice drifted towards the corner of the ward.
Zheng Qing remembered that Lin Guoâs bed was located there.
By the time Doctor Ma came to check on Zheng Qing, the young public-student was already able to prop himself up strenuously with his two arms, able to perform some simple activity.
This inspired him greatly, and he couldnât help but squirm around on his bed.
"Calm down, you havenât been discharged yet..." Nurse Bella watched the young public-student with a stern face and an unhappy expression: "If it werenât for the robes youâre wearing, I wouldnât have doubt that youâre a new student of Starry Sky Academy. Youâre in the hospital every other day ... Iâve never seen a Jiuyou student who cares so little about their own body!"
Zheng Qing gave a dry laugh and obediently leaned back on the bed.
"Unavoidable disasters...Some people are just unlucky." Doctor Ma stared with his bulging eyes, spoke with a weak, drawn-out voice, "Lying in a hospital probably isnât his intention."
Zheng Qing rolled his eyes, unsure whether to agree with Dr. Maâs explanation.
However, he soon lost the right to speak.
Doctor Ma took out a flat transparent stone from the medical box and put it into Zheng Qingâs mouth.
"Bite down... Bite hard." He instructed, then turned the nearby measuring instrument, continuously recording the data on his notebook.
While writing, he kept murmuring instructions:
"Keep your diet light for a while... Eating too greasy will cause your bodyâs impurities to rise, and the demonâs qi can easily grow under the stimulation of these impurities."
"Of course, since you didnât really kill that wild demon, the invasion of demonâs qi is minimal... But that doesnât mean you can eat whatever you want, whether you are sick or not, eating light is always good."
"Also, be careful not to overuse your right eye... Thereâs only some blood stasis now, which should soon dissolve. If youâre not careful, overusing your eye could lead to some unpredictable complications."
Zheng Qing made a low hum from his throat.
Doctor Ma nodded repeatedly, showing his understanding: "Yes, yes... Most people think like you... Since magic is omnipotent, why not use magic to eliminate the blood stasis in your eyes, and dispel the demonâs qi in your body?"
Zheng Qing nodded vigorously.
Doctor Ma switched the notebook in his arms to the other, lifted his left hand holding the brush, and emphasized, "This is the difference between a real healer and an ordinary wizard."
"We always advise against using magic to treat diseases involving the delicate parts of our bodies... The human body is an incredibly intricate structure with little redundancy... While magic represents a great deal of uncertainty."
"Any act of using magic to heal human injuries is shortsighted and lacks a healerâs philosophy."
"So, I suggest you wait patiently for the blood stasis to dissolve."
Zheng Qing chomped down on the transparent stone, swallowing hard.
When all the follow-up examinations were over, Zheng Qing couldnât restrain his curiosity and asked a question that had been brewing all day.
"What are the sequelae of killing demons? Why do we have to stay in the isolation ward?"
He always felt that the others were making a fuss.
Or, perhaps there was something the others werenât telling him.
"You donât know?" Doctor Ma seemed a little surprised, but soon he realized, "Oh, I almost forgot, youâre a freshman... Few first-year students would consider these issues... Simply put, wizards hunting demons will be subjected to the demonâs qi, so they need to regularly cleanse the poison from their bodies... If left untreated, the accumulated demonâs qi can transform a wizard into a Witch Demon."
That was a hair-raising answer.
Zheng Qing thought of the crimson eyes and the greedy breath, and couldnât help shivering.
"But...there are so many wizards hunting demons, after each kill, do they all have to..." Zheng Qing raised his hand, his face helpless as he mimed the ordeal he and Lin Guo had gone through, "Do they all have to go through this? Isnât it too much trouble?"
"Of course not." Doctor Ma sniffed, slightly lifted his eyelid, "The wild demons killed at the schoolâs hunting party, are all mature demons, theyâve already been âdisinfectedâ several times before being released into the Hunting Grounds. As for the demons outside the school..."
At this point, he paused, and explained mockingly, "Do you think wizards who can hunt demons outside are comparable to you freshmen who have been enrolled for less than half a year? The potions they can casually mix are enough to purify the qi of a dozen wild demons."
Zheng Qing sighed deeply, and his shoulders drooped.
Doctor Maâs words were a little sharp, but the logic was clear.
In the end, he was still a novice.
"Can you bring me a couple of books," Zheng Qing made a last request to the white-robed figures before they left, "Lying in bed all day, I feel like Iâm getting dumber..."
"Now thatâs a problem, you were already quite foolish..." The young nurse nearby giggled.
Even Lady Bella couldnât help but lift the corners of her mouth.
Zheng Qing rolled his eyes pitifully.
"Thereâs no need for that." Surprisingly, Doctor Ma rejected Zheng Qingâs request. He lifted his wrist, checked the time, and explained, "Your isolation will be lifted after six thirty... But before all the medicationâs effects wear off, you still canât leave the hospital."
"Of course, after the isolation is lifted, we will accept some patientsâ relatives and friends to visit... According to the current applications we have received..." The head nurse on the side said while flipping through the file in her hand, shaking her head, "You should be prepared to be gawked at."
"By the time those visitors leave, it should be the time for the wardâs lights out." The young nurse seized the opportunity to tease, "That is to say, even if we give you two books, you wonât have time to read..."
"So when can we leave the hospital?", Zheng Qing couldnât help but ask.
"Tomorrow morning." Doctor Ma said, a mischievous expression on his face, making his long horse-like face seem especially detestable, "Donât worry, the hospital wonât delay your first class on Monday... This is our responsibility to every student."