Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Chapter 127

Ivy’s Point of View

Dominic and I had finally begun our journey toward the edge of the Evernight Kingdom under the guise of looking for a physician. However, to execute our operation without drawing the suspicion of spies, we split our tracks the moment we arrived.

We were fully prepared to establish my reputation as a legendary, world-famous shamanic healer—but the first anchor had to be cast without Dominic’s prominent presence.

Therefore, only Nell, my five elite guards—Ash, Stone, Blade, Wolf, Shadow—all meticulously disguised as traveling physicians—and I advanced into the primary settlement. Excluding Dominic, who remained anchored in a hidden outpost to coordinate our scouts, our small retinue first searched for a highly suitable storefront in the territory of the Fairy White Pack, the small, specialized frontier pack situated closest to the Bloodmoon border lines.

Within a week of navigating the streets, my guards secured a two-story limestone building near the bustling merchant plaza. The moment the wooden shingles were mounted above the door, my heart swelled with a profound, unyielding pride. The carved sign read Azure Leafs, maintaining the exact same name as my primary palace shop to establish it as a powerful, growing chain store across the packs.

"The banners are set, Physician Lin," Nell reported excitedly, rushing through the back storeroom with a stack of medicine jars. "But the residents are notoriously suspicious of outsiders. How do we draw the big fish into our nets?"

"I, you, and my five elite guards will stay inside the shop, blend in as physicians, and look for the suitable, wealthy nobility of this territory."

Later that afternoon, a clattering erupted outside our storefront. We met a personal house servant wearing the formal, gold-threaded livery of the beta of Harper—the second-in-command of the Fairy White Pack, a high-status man whose family held big political sway over the border trade routes. The servant was running through the plaza, letting out panicked, desperate howls to seek any healer willing to face a domestic curse.

"Is there anyone left with the courage to step forward?!" the servant shrieked. "The Beta’s only son is burning from within! His body is entirely covered in the death-chickenpox! The high pack doctors have all fled the mansion, claiming it is a highly lethal, contagious plague!"

The mention of the legendary death-chickenpox sent a wave of dread through the merchant plaza, the surrounding people immediately scattering to shield their pups’ noses. But to my healer instincts, it sounded like the perfect catalyst to ignite the reputation of the Azure Leafs.

"Grab the forceps and the alignment needles, Nell," I commanded, as I stood up from my desk. "We are going to the Beta’s mansion."

“What?!” Nell exclaimed in shock. “That man just said it’s deadly chickenpox, and you still want to go? What if we catch it and die?!” she asked, gasping dramatically as both hands flew to her mouth.

I let out a laugh at how she could be so serious and yet so funny at the same time. “Do you trust me?” I asked. She nodded. “Then that’s enough. Just do as I say if you trust me.

Backed by my five guards, who carried my medicinal trunks under their physician disguises, I stepped into the estate of Beta Harper. I walked over to the mattress where the child, little Avon, lay unconscious. He was about three or four years old, his little face completely flushed red, with papules and fluid-filled blisters aggressively boiled across his skin.

I was initially taken aback by a prick of surprise, my shamanic senses mapping the heat lines as I suspected that it might actually be the highly lethal, contagious variety that could wipe out an entire room.

"Do not touch him, Physician Lin!" Beta Harper warned hoarsely from the door. "If you breathe his air, the plague will claim your core too!"

"Stand back, Beta," I responded flatly, keeping my composure.

I leaned down over the mattress, using my forceps to carefully roll back the edge of a fresh blister, while my fingertips tapped the child’s pulse alignment meridians. The moment a thread of my golden shamanic energy drifted beneath his skin, a clarity clicked into my mind. I let out a low, steady breath and looked up at the weeping mother.

"This is not the lethal death-chickenpox, Beta Harper," I declared, my voice echoing through the silent room, people outside could hear me. "This is nothing more than a severe case of ordinary chickenpox. Although it is highly contagious among young pups, it is vastly different from the death strain and can be completely treated within a few days."

Beta’s wife, Flora, burst into hysterical tears of relief the exact second the words left my lips. She threw herself onto her knees. "Heavens be praised! I thought my sweet Avon was going to die in my arms! I didn’t expect a single soul in this pack to be willing to save my child!"

"Calm your spirit, Lady Flora," I comforted her, pressing a cooling cloth to Avon’s burning forehead. "I am prescribing three specific prescriptions right now: a temperature-reduction wash, a herbal bath to dry the blisters, and an internal shamanic administration to flush the blood venom. To prevent any spread to the people, you and your son will be immediately isolated and live in the clean, fortified backyard quarters of my shop."

We took exceptionally strict protective measures throughout the week, forcing every single servant and guard who had ever come into physical contact with little Avon to take a daily dose of my bitter white-ginseng resin for prevention.

The results were nothing short of a medical miracle. After just two days of isolation, I visited the backyard quarters to check his alignment. The child’s fever had completely subsided, the blisters had cleanly broken and scabbed over, and the healing effect was exceptionally fast and fluid.

A few more days passed, and little Avon had recovered fully, his plump pink cheeks flushing with a healthy, vibrant energy as he babbled in his mother’s arms.

The morning the quarantine was officially lifted, I came down to the front counter of the pharmacy. As Physician Lin, dressed in my simple garments and completely disguised from the central palace nobility, a thunderous, deafening roar of celebration shatter the plaza outside our doors.

Beta Harper himself came down to thank the pharmacy in front of the entire territory, accompanied by an elite line of warriors marching to the dramatic, booming rhythm of gongs and ceremonial drums.

"The divine doctor Lin of the Azure Leafs has saved my son!" Harper bellowed to the heavens, his voice filled with pride as he presented us with gold coins.

The spectacular display made a magnificent name for the pharmacy all the way down the border lines. The legendary name of the divine doctor was completely, undeniably confirmed across the pack, and our daily consultation fees rose sharply by the hour.

However, I did not let the sudden wave of wealth rot my strategy. As Physician Lin, I strictly accepted only small-scale, high-paying consultations for the pack nobility, using the money instead to mass-develop affordable, pre-made fever pills to drastically lower drug prices and directly benefit the common working people of the territory.

Within a month, Dominic had quietly slipped back into the compound under the cover of the midnight fog, and I sat gracefully by the hearth, resting my head against his shoulder as he sat tall in his chair, completely abandoning his fake cripple disguise within these secure walls.

"Look at the ledger, Dominic," I murmured smoothly, a deep sense of happiness washing over my spirit as I clutched his hand. "Within a single month, our reputation has completely spread throughout the entire surrounding area. The name of Physician Lin is on everyone’s lips."

Dominic let out a chuckle, his eyes flashed with relaxed amusement. "Your shamanic brilliance has given us the perfect cover, my love. The plan is working exceptionally well."

"Thank you, Dominic," I whispered, turning my face to press a warm, grateful kiss against his lips.