Chapter 13: The Problem With Patients Who Refuse to Stay Unconscious

  Khun Ming spent most of the morning doing what he had originally planned to do before lightning began dropping animals into his schedule.

  Harvest petals. A lot of petals.

  The marigold patch near the stream looked bright and cheerful, which would normally be encouraging. Unfortunately, brightness did not reduce the amount of labor required to convert flowers into dye.

  He crouched among the plants with a basket in one hand and began plucking blossoms methodically.

  "Tagetes erecta," he said out of habit. "This particular species of marigold belongs to the Asteraceae family, and it happens to be one of the most reliable plants for producing a stable yellow dye."

  The dog lay nearby, watching.

  "Yes, I am aware that we already established the plant's name yesterday," Khun Ming added while glancing at the dog. "However, repeating information helps maintain consistency in the work process, and it also prevents me from accidentally forgetting what I am harvesting."

  He separated the petals from the calyx with practiced fingers.

  "These petals contain two primary pigment compounds called lutein and quercetagetin," he continued while separating them carefully. "Both of those molecules contribute to the yellow coloration that appears once the dye is properly extracted.."

  The dog blinked.

  "Lutein belongs to the carotenoid family of pigments, while quercetagetin is classified as a flavonoid compound," he explained calmly. "Together they produce a warm and fairly stable yellow tone when they bond correctly with plant fibers." Khun Ming continued.

  "These compounds respond very well when alum is used as the mordant," he went on. "The alum helps the pigment bind to the fiber so that the color remains stable rather than fading after the first wash."

  He dropped another handful of petals into the basket.

  "Marigolds also have mild antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties," he added while dropping another handful of petals into the basket. "That characteristic turned out to be unexpectedly useful when treating burn injuries last night."

  The dog's tail thumped once.

  "Yes, that particular property ended up being far more helpful than I originally expected," he said when the dog's tail thumped.

  Inside the cottage, Hu Xinyan listened.

  Her head still rested against the woven mat where Khun Ming had placed her, but her senses had recovered enough to track movement outside.

  Every word he spoke reached her clearly.

  This mortal… was lecturing a dog about plant chemistry.

  She tried to move one paw. Pain answered immediately. Her muscles still trembled from the tribulation backlash.

  Lightning had entered her meridians, tearing through several internal channels before collapsing her cultivation and forcing her back into her beast form.

  She should have died.

  Yet somehow she had awakened in a wooden cottage.

  Her injuries were… stabilizing.

  She glanced toward the sword leaning against the wall.

  The aura inside it made her instincts scream.

  Seven presences. Each ancient. Each terrifying. They were silent and watching from their own realms.

  Hu Xinyan swallowed quietly. Then her gaze shifted toward the doorway where the golden dog sat calmly in the sunlight.

  That creature was even more terrifying.

  And yet both the sword and the dog treated the mortal dyer as if he were simply… their owner.

  Her mind could not reconcile the contradiction. Outside, Khun Ming stood up and examined the basket.

  He weighed it in his hands.

  "Two kilograms of petals should be in this basket now." he estimated after weighing it in his hands. "Unfortunately that means we still need approximately six more kilograms if we want to maintain the correct dye ratio."

  He looked at the flower patch.

  "…Six more."

  The dog lifted its head.

  "Yes," he sighed slightly when the dog lifted its head. "Natural dyeing is a surprisingly labor-intensive process, and flowers do not harvest themselves no matter how optimistic a person may be."

  ________________________

  Inside the cottage, Hu Xinyan attempted to sit up. The effort lasted exactly two seconds. Pain shot through her spine. She collapsed back onto the mat.

  The dog's ears twitched.

  Hu Xinyan froze.

  The golden retriever slowly turned its head and looked directly at her.

  Its eyes held an unsettling calm.

  Hu Xinyan's instincts screamed again.

  That dog could erase mountains. The dog blinked once. Then it wagged its tail. Hu Xinyan stared. The creature that could probably devour half a cultivation sect was wagging its tail. The door opened.

  Khun Ming walked in carrying another basket of petals.

  He stopped when he saw Hu Xinyan attempting to move.

  "Ah, I see that you are attempting to stand up," he said when he entered the cottage. "I should probably mention that this is not a good idea at the moment."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Hu Xinyan froze again.

  Khun Ming walked over and crouched beside her.

  "Please try not to move right now," he continued while crouching beside her. "Your body is still recovering from severe nerve trauma caused by the lightning strike."

  He gently pressed a hand against her shoulder.

  "You are still experiencing nerve damage from the electrical shock," he explained calmly while placing a hand on her shoulder. "If you try to move too quickly, the muscles and nerves could react unpredictably."

  Hu Xinyan blinked slowly. Nerve damage.

  Technically accurate.

  Khun Ming examined the burn areas again.

  The aloe gel had dried slightly overnight.

  He added a fresh layer.

  "I am going to apply another layer of aloe vera gel to the burns," he said while examining the wounds. "Aloe is extremely useful for cooling damaged skin and reducing inflammation. This plant contains compounds that promote skin recovery and reduce swelling," he continued while spreading the gel carefully. "That is why it works so well on burn injuries."

  He applied the gel carefully.

  Hu Xinyan remained perfectly still.

  The sensation was… soothing.

  Then he added a thin layer of crushed marigold paste again.

  "After the aloe layer I will add a small amount of marigold paste around the damaged areas," he explained. "Marigold petals contain mild anti-inflammatory compounds that support the healing process."

  Hu Xinyan's ears twitched.

  The mortal was using dye plants as medical treatment.

  And it was working.

  Khun Ming leaned back slightly and examined the wounds.

  "The recovery process is progressing quite well so far," he said after inspecting the burns again. "The inflammation has decreased and the tissue does not show signs of infection."

  Hu Xinyan's eyes narrowed slightly.

  He was correct. Her body had stabilized faster than expected.

  The lightning energy that had ravaged her meridians had somehow calmed overnight.

  Her spiritual sea felt…

  …smooth.

  That should not have been possible.

  Khun Ming stood up.

  "You should rest."

  Hu Xinyan did not argue.

  Not because she trusted him.

  Because the dog was watching.

  Khun Ming carried the basket of petals to the dye area and began separating them.

  Hu Xinyan observed quietly.

  He worked with careful precision.

  Every motion deliberate.

  Petals separated.

  Stems discarded.

  Weights measured.

  Water pots arranged.

  He spoke aloud while working.

  "Fiber weight six kilograms."

  He glanced at the bundles of cloth stacked near the wall.

  "Petal ratio one-to-one minimum."

  He picked up the basket.

  "Eight kilograms petals for stronger extraction."

  Hu Xinyan blinked.

  Eight kilograms.

  This man was preparing a dye bath large enough to color an entire merchant shipment.

  He filled a large iron pot with water.

  "One hundred twenty liters dye bath," he muttered.

  Hu Xinyan stared.

  This mortal was preparing enough dye to flood a small pond.

  He added the petals to the pot and began heating the water.

  Steam rose slowly.

  Hu Xinyan sensed something strange.

  Every step he took felt… balanced.

  Measured.

  Calm.

  His spiritual presence remained nonexistent.

  But the environment around him felt unusually stable.

  Even the air currents inside the cottage moved smoothly.

  Inside the sword, the Nine-Tailed Fox spoke softly.

  "He aligns everything."

  The Azure Dragon nodded.

  "Without knowing."

  The Phoenix flickered gently.

  Outside the pot, Khun Ming stirred the petals slowly.

  "Temperature seventy degrees," he murmured.

  "Do not boil."

  Hu Xinyan's ears twitched.

  She had faced heavenly lightning.

  Yet now she lay on a floor watching a mortal explain temperature control to a dye pot.

  Khun Ming lifted a spoon and examined the color of the extraction.

  Golden liquid.

  Good saturation.

  He nodded.

  "Extraction progressing."

  Then he looked over at the tiger.

  "You're awake."

  Hu Xinyan stared back.

  Khun Ming nodded approvingly.

  "That means your nervous system is recovering."

  Hu Xinyan blinked.

  The dog wagged its tail again.

  Khun Ming returned to stirring the dye bath.

  The room filled with the warm scent of marigold.

  Hu Xinyan watched silently.

  The sword.

  The dog.

  The mortal.

  Nothing about this place made sense.

  Yet the strange calm inside the cottage felt safer than any cultivation sect she had ever known.

  Khun Ming looked over again and said casually,

  "Don't try to walk around."

  "You're still under medical observation."

  Then he returned his attention to the dye bath as if treating lightning-struck tigers were simply another task between boiling petals and preparing cloth.

  Chapter 13 complete.