"This is a Wound Honey Ant. Its saliva has disinfecting and anesthetic properties, and its mandibles work like a stapler. Using the patient's own ether as 'staples,' it can stitch together wounds, bones, and even nerves. The only price you pay is a bit of blood and the residual foreign attributes in the wound."
"The healing effect is almost immediate. In the wild, they form symbiotic relationships with many animals, and quite a few low-tier spirit beasts choose to build nests near their colonies."
"The only downside is the pain—and it's the kind that's hard to endure, like a stomachache or toothache. If you can't handle it, I can ask Dr. Kevin to switch to another method."
At this, W let out a dismissive chuckle. "If I make even a sound, I'll skip dinner tonight."
Seeing she had no objections, Lin Guang pulled the stopper from the vial and pressed its mouth against her leg. The ants immediately swarmed out like sharks smelling blood, swiftly climbing onto the long wound and biting down.
"…"
W's expression visibly changed for a moment, but she forced herself to endure it, resulting in a rather strained look.
A few minutes later, the long wound had completely disappeared. Only the faint discoloration from disinfectant hinted that it had ever been there. The ants' semi-transparent abdomens had swollen like little balloons, filled with the blood and ether they had opportunistically consumed. They staggered away like drunk middle-aged men, only to be picked up one by one by Lin Guang and placed back into the vial.
"Huh?"
W blinked in surprise, lifted her foot, rotated her ankle, then suddenly jumped up and landed steadily on the ground, a hint of delight flashing across her face.
"Don't get too excited. That's just the anesthetic effect. If you move too intensely, the wound might reopen," Lin Guang reminded casually as he handed the vial back to Kaiwen. "Thank you, Dr. Kevin."
Just as the two were about to leave, Kaiwen suddenly spoke.
"Why did you choose to contract her—something classified as a Terra 'demon creature'?"
"Don't you know that those who contract such beings never end well?"
Lin Guang wasn't surprised by her attitude.
Over the past few days, he had searched extensively for information on "Terra demon creatures" and managed to piece together some scattered records.
Terra lifeforms were categorized under so-called "demonic beasts."
The definition was simple: any entity that negatively affects a Spirit Tamer's mind after contracting them, as opposed to "spirit beasts."
There were many such creatures. A typical example was the Infernal Flame Demon—inherently violent, possessing decent intelligence but a mindset entirely different from humans. Those who contracted them were easily corrupted in return.
Most demonic creatures were similar, so Spirit Tamers generally avoided them.
Terra beings weren't labeled as demonic because of brutality, but because for some unknown reason, those who contracted them rarely managed to advance their Spirit Tamer rank, often developing varying degrees of mental instability.
On top of that, they might carry highly contagious diseases that could spread to their contractors.
Thus, the label "Terra demon creatures" was only natural.
At least so far, Lin Guang hadn't felt any mental abnormalities.
He looked at Kaiwen and calmly said, "My talent is called Heart of Terra."
"As the name suggests, it's strongly bound to Terra lifeforms. If I want to remain a Spirit Tamer, I have no other path."
"I will never give up."
Either he gave up being a Spirit Tamer—or he walked this path.
And he would never choose mediocrity.
For a brief moment, Kaiwen's emerald eyes seemed to lose focus, as if seeing something far beyond Lin Guang.
After a pause, she nodded slightly.
"You've made your resolve. I won't say more."
"But there's no need to be overly pessimistic."
"Research shows that talent is a reflection of the soul—also, to some extent, a projection of a Spirit Tamer's psyche. Since you possess a talent exclusive to Terra lifeforms, I'd guess you have a strong resistance to that kind of mental contamination—like how those with the Poison Body talent are nearly immune to their own beasts' toxins."
"But the limits of that resistance are something you'll have to manage yourself."
That such a woman—refined like a work of art—spoke so much at once surprised Lin Guang.
"Thank you for your concern. I'll be careful."
"I'm just telling you the severity of the situation. Oh, and take this."
Kaiwen opened a drawer and handed him a thick stack of documents. Lin Guang glanced at them—it looked like a psychological evaluation, just… much longer.
"In all high school leagues across Great Xia, as well as many sponsored competitions, there's a rule: anyone who contracts a 'demonic beast' must provide certification from a professional doctor or researcher before competing, proving their mental state is normal and their spiritual sea is uncontaminated."
"Find time to fill it out. And come back once a month for reassessment."
"Understood. Thank you, Dr. Kevin."
Lin Guang nodded and accepted the documents.
"Tch. Talks so much but still keeps that poker face. Must be some repressed, menopausal old woman."
W muttered under her breath.
Maybe because Lin Guang had treated her, or maybe because Kaiwen's cold demeanor annoyed her—but either way, she found it satisfying to insult someone who couldn't understand her.
Strangely, though—
When W said that, Kaiwen's gaze shifted slightly, landing on her. Those emotionless emerald eyes made W feel a bit uneasy.
Annoyed at herself for that reaction, she glared back fiercely.
(Without using Fear Face, of course.)
Lin Guang sighed. "Enough. Let's go."
After the two left, Kaiwen leaned back in her chair, unmoving for a long time. Eventually, she stood up with the vial and walked into the inner room.
Inside were all kinds of complex instruments. On one table sat several test tubes, housing dozens of Wound Honey Ants.
After some operations, the well-fed ants regurgitated most of what they had consumed before their queen. Their grape-like abdomens shrank back down, while Kaiwen used a dropper to collect the mixture of blood and ether, placing it into a machine.
"Wisch…del?"
Behind the closed door, Dr. Kevin's quiet murmur lingered in the small room.
~~--------------------------
Visit my patreon for advance chapters:patreon.com/DevilWarden