Chapter 83 Rescue Encounter, Departure
When Lai got far away and found that no vines or anything else was chasing after him, he finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
He found a relatively open area, rested for a while, and then continued on his way.
This vine should be the same type as the one he saw when he was previously captivated by the strange fragrance.
There were so many bones over there. If he had touched the vines out of curiosity, who knows what would have happened! Lai felt a wave of fear wash over him.
There's always a way out. Don't dwell on things that haven't happened yet. Let's go.
Ray told himself to keep going.
——
Rhys dared not overlook any clues. He followed the footprints for a long time, but still did not encounter the injured Ray.
The footprints generally pointed in the direction of ice fishing. Although there was a slight deviation, as long as you keep walking in this direction, you will definitely be able to get back there.
Thank goodness.
Rhys breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging from the situation, Lei should still be conscious, but it's unknown how serious his injuries are.
The footprints deviated from a straight line and became more numerous in an open area. It seemed that Lei had briefly stayed here.
"Ray! Ray!"
The two were not far apart, and Ray faintly seemed to hear someone calling his name.
"Ray!"
The voice sounds like Reese.
But Ray dared not act rashly; he had forgotten where he had read the story. It was about a monster that could mimic human voices and loudly call out people's names until the name's owner was lured over, then attack unexpectedly and devour them in one bite.
It was clearly a trick to tell a child not to leave with strangers, but Ray, who had just experienced a life-or-death crisis, had to be on guard.
Who knows if there are other dangers or strange creatures in this forest?
Ray quickly climbed the tree. The ground was bare, covered in white snow, and his dark clothes made him stand out too much. Most people wouldn't look up at the tree; climbing it was only a last resort.
With the bone knife in hand and most of his magic restored, Lai felt confident and calm.
The sound grew closer, and Lei carefully remained silent, quietly observing the approaching figure in the distance.
He had destroyed the footprints on the ground, using simple camouflage.
"Ray, Ray!"
The thick, dense animal hide vest, and the familiar longbow hanging behind him—it was undoubtedly Rhys.
"Rhys?"
Lei tentatively called out.
Rhys spun around in place a few times but couldn't see Laiyi. At that moment, Laiyi was sitting on a big tree not far in front of him.
"Ray, is that you? Where are you?"
"Here, on my head."
Reese looked up and saw Ray sitting on a tree branch.
"Move aside, I'm getting down."
Rhys made way for him, and Ray climbed down from the tree but stumbled a bit, only to be caught by Rhys.
"Where are you injured? Where is that mutated plant?"
Ray looked utterly disheveled; the entire back of his clothes was ripped apart. His hands were covered in cuts, and his hair was a mess, sticking out blades of grass and twigs.
"It's nothing, just some external injuries. It probably attacked by controlling the vines. We can't guarantee it won't reappear later. Let's get out of here quickly."
Lei briefly recounted what had just happened, acknowledging that this was hardly a good place to chat.
"good."
The two left the woods as quickly as possible, and only after returning to the ice surface did Lai feel relieved and sit down on a small stool to rest.
"Where's Lamb? Has he returned?"
"Don't worry, he went back to the village to get help. Did you vomit blood? I found blood in the woods."
Reese was very worried about Ray's current situation.
"It's nothing. It's probably just the backlash from using magic beyond my level. I'm fine now, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all."
"You should go back and see a doctor."
Sometimes, not feeling anything at all is the biggest problem. Rhys frowned, his face full of worry.
What did you encounter in the woods?
Under Reese's questioning, Ray recounted in detail everything that had happened between him and Lamb in the woods. The more Reese listened, the more his brow furrowed.
Just as he was recounting how he escaped danger, a dozen or so villagers carrying various weapons arrived in a flurry, led by Kari and Brian. Lamb walked beside them, leading the way.
"elder brother!"
Lamb limped quickly to Ray, his heart filled with lingering fear.
"I'm so glad you're alright! Waaah..."
At an age when pride is paramount, crying in front of strangers would normally be considered incredibly shameful for an eighteen-year-old. But Lamb didn't care about that at the moment; he grabbed Ray's shoulders and started crying.
"Waaaaah... I thought I'd never see you again."
Tears and snot smeared all over Lai's shoulder, rendering his thick coat completely ruined.
"Ray, is the mutated plant still alive?"
Kari asked Ray.
As the village's patrol captain, he has a duty to protect the safety of the villagers.
"You're still alive. Don't go near this forest easily; it's extremely dangerous inside."
"good."
Kari nodded.
"Let's go back first. Both Ray and Lamb are injured. We can talk about it after the diagnosis."
Rees made the suggestion.
"This is definitely not a good place to talk."
A group of people came in a hurry and left in a large group. Don't worry about the fishing rods and stools you brought; someone will pack them up and take them back with you.
The crowd escorted Ray to Hagrid's house, where the village doctor was already waiting. Elder Barnett was also sitting in a chair, waiting for everyone to return. Hagrid's large living room on the first floor was immediately packed with people and became crowded.
"Let's check on Lei first. He's coughing up blood; his injuries are quite serious."
Upon hearing that Lai had vomited blood, Linda gasped, her eyes filled with heartache.
The doctor approached Ray, had him remove his outer garment, and began to treat him.
"How about it?"
Lamb asked the village doctor anxiously, noting that his brow had been furrowed ever since he started treating Ray's injuries.
Ray had deep ligature marks on his calves and ankles, and in addition to the small wounds on his hands, there were many bruises under his clothes.
"I can only treat these external injuries. His complexion is normal and rosy, and there is no internal bleeding. It is likely caused by the sudden stress and anxiety. I will go to the city again tomorrow to find a professional doctor to check the specific situation."
After bandaging Ray's wound, the village doctor began treating Lamb.
Lamb's most serious injury was his swollen ankle.
In winter, he wore thick clothes, which blocked most of the scratches, and Lamb's other injuries were not serious.
"Put your injured foot on the stool."
Lamb obediently put his feet on it. The village doctor massaged Lamb's ankles.
"No fractures. How did you get injured?"
"I was running too fast and tripped and fell to the ground. It wasn't good to get up, my ankle hurts every time I walk. Ugh!"
Taking advantage of Lamb's distraction while he was talking, the village doctor vigorously massaged Lamb's ankle, quickly fixing it. With just a few simple strokes, Lamb let out a dry howl of pain.
Startled by the scene, Luna buried her face in Farah's arms, and Rhys gently put his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Try moving it and see how it goes."
Lamb stood up on one leg, took a few steps with his injured foot, and the pain was gone.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Yes. Although it's healed, you need to take good care of your ankle for the next seven days. Avoid any strenuous activity, and try to use something for support when walking. It's best not to put any stress on your ankle."
"good."
Having completed his task, the village doctor left a bottle of medicinal wine for both Ray and Lamb before departing. Before leaving, Linda secretly slipped him two silver coins as payment for his treatment.
Barnett puffed on his cigarette, and Farah, unable to stand the smell, took Luna away from the noisy living room and returned to her and Reese's room.
"Aunt Linda, could you find me a basin? We brought back the fish that Reese and the others caught as well."
"good."
Winter days are short and dark. In the afternoon, I wasted too much time trying to avoid the vines, and the sky was already starting to darken.
"Everyone should go home and rest tonight. We'll meet in the living room after breakfast tomorrow and discuss how to handle this matter together."
"good."
After everyone left, only Hagrid's family, Ray, and the elders remained in Hagrid's living room.
"well……"
Barnett let out a long sigh.
Things were not as simple as he had imagined; everything needed to be considered carefully.
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