Chapter 142: Ahead of Schedule
When Nan Yu escorted the man out, everyone saw it with their own eyes. In just a few minutes, he had accomplished something that even a team captain normally needed half an hour to do.
That alone proved that the person their Marshal had brought was genuinely extraordinary. His speed and efficiency were astonishing, which meant they might finally be able to breathe a little easier this time.
Nan Yu said nothing else.
"Next one."
Soon, two medical staff wheeled in another Ability User who had been tightly strapped to a hospital bed.
Before leaving, one of them explained, "Captain Nan Yu, the sign hanging on the door is green on this side, which means you're still available to work. If you need to rest, just flip it over. The other side is red, and everyone will know not to disturb you."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Alright, got it."
He glanced at the bed that had been inside the room earlier. It had now been pushed off to the side and fitted with fresh sheets and blankets. Apparently, that bed wasn't for patients at all—it was for the Mental Power User working in the room to rest.
Since he was the one assigned here now, it naturally belonged to him.
As for the patients, they were brought in and taken out on movable hospital beds, making transportation much more convenient.
After the staff left and closed the door, Nan Yu paid them no further attention. He walked straight to the head of the bed and began removing the man's Mental Contamination.
The patient struggled nonstop, his face twisted ferociously, his bloodshot eyes seeming ready to burst from their sockets.
Honestly, soldiers like this inspired both admiration and pity.
This man's Mental Contamination was only a little above A-rank. For Nan Yu, it wasn't difficult at all. Within a few minutes, he had finished.
After treating two patients in succession, his mental power expenditure was still minimal.
Of course, he understood that this was merely a test.
Now wasn't the time to complain.
Once they truly understood the extent of his abilities, they would naturally send him soldiers suffering from much more severe Mental Contamination.
After all, restoring those soldiers as quickly as possible benefited everyone.
One patient after another was wheeled in.
Only a few minutes later, each was completely cured before being wheeled back out.
The first few soldiers who had already been discharged underwent comprehensive examinations.
The results were flawless.
Not a single problem.
That meant Nan Yu's ability had exceeded all their expectations.
Originally, they had suspected that his incredible speed came from using an overly forceful purification method that might damage the soldiers' Mental Seas.
Yet after thorough examinations, they found absolutely no hidden damage whatsoever.
The captain who had just spoken with Yuan Qiyang finally had to admit that the captain who had suddenly parachuted into the headquarters of their legion's Mental Power User division truly possessed strength surpassing every other Mental Power User.
In that case...
Before making any decisions, he had to discuss them with Nan Yu first.
Although he possessed greater seniority, judging from what he'd just witnessed, Nan Yu would likely go much farther than he ever could.
Showing the proper attitude early on was only natural.
At the very least, it would prevent him from offending the wrong person.
When Nan Yu saw the captain walking toward him again, he looked slightly surprised.
"Hello?"
"No need for formalities, Captain Nan Yu. We're both captains, so just call me by my name. I'm An Man."
"Alright, Captain An Man. What brings you here?"
"I'd like to discuss something with you. It concerns the contamination level of the soldiers you'll be treating from now on, so I think it's best we consult you first."
Nan Yu nodded.
"That makes sense. So..."
"I need to know the highest level of Mental Contamination you're capable of treating. If... if you can handle S-rank..."
Just as Nan Yu was about to answer, a message from Yu Lanfeng arrived.
"You don't need to hide your abilities anymore. Show exactly what you're capable of. This is my territory. Nothing will leak out."
If Yu Lanfeng dared say that, it meant he had already made every necessary preparation.
There was indeed no longer any need to conceal himself.
"I've previously treated Ability Users at the Capital Star Military Hospital whose Mental Contamination had just reached S-rank."
"I can reduce their contamination to A-rank or B-rank."
"But only those who've just crossed into S-rank. If they've gone far beyond that point, I can't do it. And even then, I can probably only treat one or two such patients per day."
Everyone present stared at him in utter disbelief.
He wasn't even a High-Tier Mental Power User.
Yet he could treat S-rank Mental Contamination.
And one or two patients a day?
What kind of monster was this?
In Border Region One, their entire legion sometimes didn't even encounter one or two newly advanced S-rank contamination cases in a single day.
The question had only been asked as a precaution.
An Man stood there blankly.
"Uh... what I meant was..."
"...Fine. I understand."
"Then from now on, can I prioritize sending all the most severely contaminated patients to you?"
"No problem at all."
"Do you have any patients right now?"
An Man frowned.
"There are."
"Two months ago, we had two unlucky idiots who got carried away on the battlefield. They fought themselves into S-rank Mental Contamination—just barely over the line."
"I'll send one over for you first."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Bring one. If everything goes well, send the second afterward."
An Man immediately arranged it.
Very soon, the patient arrived.
He was completely different from the previous ones.
The earlier patients had merely been consumed by violent impulses and overwhelming battle lust. Though they struggled desperately, a trace of consciousness still remained.
This one...
His eyes were blood-red.
Even completely restrained to the hospital bed, every struggle shook the entire frame violently, making it seem as though the sturdy bed might collapse at any second.
Fortunately, the bed was well built.
It wouldn't break.
Nan Yu had them wheel the bed inside before personally closing the door.
The soldier had been restrained so securely that there was no possibility of escape.
Walking quickly to the head of the bed, Nan Yu inspected the man's Mental Sea.
As expected, the Mental Contamination had only just crossed into S-rank.
Ironically, however, this case was much easier than all the previous ones.
First, the contamination had exceeded the threshold only recently.
Second, the moment it crossed the line, he had immediately been restrained and brought back.
To Nan Yu, it felt like clearing a difficult high-level stage, only to suddenly return to a medium-difficulty one.
It was almost ridiculously easy.
Originally, he had estimated that treating an S-rank patient would require at least seven or eight hours—perhaps even ten.
Instead, it took only five.
Within five hours, he lowered the man's Mental Contamination from S-rank to B-rank.
After regaining consciousness, the soldier looked at Nan Yu.
"...Are you... a High-Tier Mental Power User?"
Nan Yu smiled.
"I'm Nan Yu. From now on, I'll be one of the captains here."
"If you keep ignoring regulations and refusing to take care of yourself, you'll probably be seeing me quite often."
The soldier was instantly speechless.
Only then did he remember...
Although he had recovered...
Once he left here...
He still had disciplinary punishment waiting for him.
...Sigh.
"By the way..."
"My teammate... what happened to him? He was just like me..."
The two of them were teammates.
They had belonged to the same squad.
Both had fought until they completely lost themselves in the heat of battle, which was why they'd ended up like this.
Had Nan Yu not arrived when he did, the two of them would likely have been transferred to a hospital on the Capital Star and confined indefinitely, waiting for someone capable of saving them.
Nan Yu couldn't help thinking...
If he hadn't come here...
If he had never appeared...
These soldiers might truly have remained trapped in darkness forever.
After all, every High-Tier Mental Power User in the Empire was already quite elderly.
Their treatment quotas were reserved for people who had accumulated enough contributions.
Ordinary frontline soldiers like these...
Very likely wouldn't even make it onto the waiting list.
Nan Yu walked to the door and opened it.
"You can come in and take him away."
"Then bring the other one over."
The people outside exchanged glances.
None of them objected.
They wheeled the recovered soldier away for examination in the regular ward before sending someone to fetch the second patient.
One medical worker hesitated.
"Captain Nan Yu... are you really alright?"
"Wouldn't you like to rest first?"
"Aren't you tired?"
Nan Yu shook his head.
"I'm not that tired yet."
"But after I finish the next one, I'll definitely be exhausted."
"At that point, I'll get some proper rest."
"Alright... Captain, please take care of yourself."
Nan Yu escorted them out and closed the door again.
This second soldier was in exactly the same state as the first had been upon arrival.
His beastly instincts had completely overwhelmed him.
He had become nothing more than a mindless killing machine.
Fortunately, not much time had passed.
And Nan Yu was here.
This case was actually somewhat easier than the previous one.
Still, Nan Yu deliberately slowed himself down, stretching the treatment to roughly five hours.
This time, he finally felt a noticeable drain on his mental power.
Enough to justify cultivating with the Nianshen Grass.
Satisfied, he nodded inwardly.
After opening the door and having the patient wheeled away, he deliberately put on an exhausted expression, flipped the sign outside to its red side, informed the staff that he was resting, then shut and locked the door.
He spread one of the blankets he had brought over the bed.
Then he took a spare quilt and pillow from his spatial button.
After replacing all the bedding, he removed his coat, lay down beneath the covers, hid the Nianshen Grass underneath the blanket, and slowly began cultivating.
Just as he focused on entering cultivation...
His stomach growled.
Only then did he awkwardly realize...
He hadn't eaten anything for more than ten hours.
No wonder he felt hungry.
Still, it didn't matter.
Cultivation came first.
Going hungry for a little while wouldn't kill him.
He could simply eat after waking up.
Apparently, someone had predicted exactly what he'd be thinking.
At precisely the right moment, someone knocked on the door with a meal.
Nan Yu walked over and opened it.
Standing outside was Yuan Qiyang.
In his hands were steaming hot dishes.
Wonderful.
The dignified Crown Prince had somehow become Yu Lanfeng's errand boy for delivering meals.
Yuan Qiyang showed not the slightest embarrassment.
"The Marshal told me to bring this."
"You'd better finish everything."
"He'll be checking later."
Nan Yu paused.
Eating properly wasn't a problem.
But...
Checking afterward?
How exactly was that supposed to work?
Were they going to inspect the empty food containers instead of letting the cleaning robots dispose of them?
Or...
Was Yu Lanfeng planning to inspect him personally?
Very soon, he got his answer.
After Yuan Qiyang left, Nan Yu closed the door, sat down at the table, prepared to eat...
Then Yu Lanfeng's call came through.
The moment he answered, Nan Yu understood exactly what "checking" meant.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
"I'm an adult. I know how to eat."
Yu Lanfeng replied calmly,
"I remember you're still underage."
Nan Yu was instantly rendered speechless.
Fine.
Legally speaking...
He really was still a minor.
Although mentally, he was already a fully mature adult man.
"So..."
"Eat."
Nan Yu had wanted to argue further, but Yu Lanfeng cut him off.
Forget it.
His stomach was growling loudly enough already.
He had no energy left to argue.
Nan Yu chewed every bite carefully.
Even so, because he was so hungry, he finished everything before the food had time to go cold.
"By the way..."
"You really do know my tastes."
"These are all my favorites."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"In another couple of days, when things calm down, come to my office."
"I'll teach you something."
And while he was at it, he could keep Nan Yu by his side while he cultivated openly with the Nianshen Grass instead of sneaking around.
Watching him hide it like this made Yu Lanfeng's heart ache.
"Sounds good."
"There are quite a lot of A-rank contamination cases over here."
"I wonder if I'll be able to finish treating all of them within the next two days."
"You don't need to cure all of them."
"If you do, the others won't have any work left."
"And treating A-rank patients no longer benefits your cultivation."
Nan Yu looked at him helplessly.
"Those are your own soldiers."
"Are you sure it's alright for their Marshal to say something like that?"
Yu Lanfeng answered calmly,
"I know they reached this state because they lost themselves on the battlefield."
"But according to regulations, once someone realizes their Mental Contamination has reached B-rank, they're supposed to withdraw immediately."
"Only soldiers on special missions or those too far from base to return in time are allowed to make situational judgments."
"Anyone who could be brought back quickly simply ignored the regulations."
"Even after being cured, they'll still have to face disciplinary punishment."
Nan Yu blinked.
"But they're still your soldiers."
"If I cure them faster, they'll finish their punishment sooner and return to the battlefield to contribute again."
"Wouldn't that be even better?"
"Oh, right, Brother."
"If there aren't enough S-rank patients here for me to treat..."
"Couldn't we have nearby border sectors—or even other frontier regions—send their S-rank patients here?"
"That way, your entire legion benefits, and I can cultivate faster."
"What do you think?"
Yu Lanfeng frowned.
"You need to rest."
Nan Yu suddenly laughed.
"Brother..."
"As the Marshal of this legion..."
"Shouldn't your first reaction have been to agree with such a perfect solution?"
Yu Lanfeng remained unconvinced.
Only then did Nan Yu stop laughing.
"Alright, alright."
"I know."
"I'll make sure to rest."
"See? I've already eaten and I'm resting now."
"Then go to sleep."
"Don't hang up."
"I'll watch until you fall asleep."
Nan Yu thought silently that even sleeping required supervision.
Strict.
Very strict.
Yet...
He actually liked it.
He lay down beneath the blanket.
Hidden beneath the covers, his hands held the Nianshen Grass.
Once the connection between his mental power and the herb had been fully established, he gradually drifted to sleep while his mental power continued circulating automatically.
When he had first learned this technique in his previous life, it had been impossible.
Only after countless sessions cultivating with the Nianshen Grass had he gradually mastered the ability to sleep while cultivation continued automatically.
Back then, it had taken years of experimentation.
Now...
Recreating it was effortless.
Watching through the video call, Yu Lanfeng waited until Nan Yu's breathing gradually slowed and evened out.
Only after confirming that he had truly fallen asleep did he finally relax.
What awaited Nan Yu from this point onward would be extremely demanding work.
He only hoped Nan Yu could endure it.
As for the proposal Nan Yu had made earlier...
Yu Lanfeng had actually been considering it.
If they truly implemented that plan...
Nan Yu wouldn't just be treating soldiers whose Mental Contamination reached S-rank from this point forward.
He would also have to treat every soldier who had been suffering from S-rank contamination for years...
Or even decades.
The number was staggering.
Among those Nan Yu himself knew or vaguely remembered...
There were nearly a thousand.
As for those he had never met...
There were probably another two to three thousand.
Nan Yu would likely remain busy for a very...
Very...
Very long time.
Of course...
Once every one of those people had been treated...
Nan Yu would probably become a High-Tier Mental Power User outright.
At that point...
They would truly be liberated.
As Yu Lanfeng continued weighing the matter, another thought occurred to him.
He had already told Nan Yu not to hold back.
Although that would leave Nan Yu extraordinarily busy for quite some time...
It would also bring tremendous benefits.
First, it would greatly accelerate his cultivation.
Second, it would make his reputation explode across the Empire.
He would become the first person in Imperial history capable of curing S-rank Mental Contamination before even reaching High-Tier Mental Power User status.
When that happened...
Perhaps no one would say Nan Yu wasn't worthy of him anymore.
Instead...
They might start saying that he, the Marshal, wasn't worthy of Nan Yu.
The thought amused Yu Lanfeng enough that he quietly laughed to himself.
Meanwhile...
The sleeping Nan Yu had no idea that his earlier suggestion was rapidly becoming reality.
He slept exceptionally well.
When he finally woke up, breakfast was already waiting for him.
After eating, he was summoned to Yu Lanfeng's office.
Sitting beside him, Nan Yu asked,
"So?"
"What did you call me here for?"
Yu Lanfeng reached out, wrapped an arm around him, and pulled him into his embrace.
"I want to discuss what you mentioned yesterday."
Nan Yu thought for a moment before remembering.
"The idea about transferring patients?"
"You think it's a good idea too, don't you?"
"I think it's great."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"But have you considered what happens once we begin?"
"Since this legion was founded, how many soldiers have reached S-rank Mental Contamination?"
"If you start treating everyone indiscriminately..."
"Every one of those people who has suffered for years will need treatment."
"You won't be able to avoid a single one."
"Except for those even you truly can't save."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"There's another problem."
"I'll do everything I can to prevent news of your abilities from spreading too quickly."
"But if something this significant happens within my legion..."
"People who should know..."
"Will know."
Nan Yu interrupted,
"Then other legions will come negotiate with you."
"They'll want to borrow me for a while."
"They'll ask me to treat their S-rank patients too."
"Compared with your legion, many of theirs are in even worse condition."
"Some were founded more than a hundred years earlier."
"Others never enforced immediate withdrawal once contamination became too severe."
Yu Lanfeng nodded.
"Exactly."
"At that point, you won't be facing merely two or three thousand patients."
"It could be ten thousand."
"Tens of thousands."
"Or even..."
Nan Yu finished the thought.
"And if the news spreads beyond the military..."
"Ordinary civilians will come asking me for treatment too."
He could refuse them.
Of course he could.
But merely thinking about it reminded him of his previous life.
Back then, Bai Zhouyun and Yun Feiyu had exploited ordinary people to make his life on the run impossible.
Logically speaking, a High-Tier Mental Power User should never have reached the point where absolutely nobody was willing to help him.
Even with his ruined reputation, there should always have been a few people who cared more about ability than rumors.
Yet...
No one had helped.
Worse still...
His whereabouts had always been exposed almost immediately.
Those ordinary people had played a significant role.
Individually, they were insignificant.
Together...
They formed an astonishingly efficient intelligence network.
The more Nan Yu thought about it...
The more overwhelmed he became.
"Brother..."
"So what should we do?"
"I'll listen to you."
Yu Lanfeng considered it carefully.
"Everything I mentioned is only a future possibility."
"But leave all of that to me."
"You only need to display your abilities without reservation."
"From now on, every day I'll have one of the most critical S-rank patients transferred here from the hospitals currently housing them."
By "critical," he wasn't referring to how dangerous the soldiers themselves were.
He meant the severity of their conditions.
Nan Yu nodded.
"That works."
"This won't change anyway."
"We'll just handle them one by one."
"Besides..."
"I think you're worrying too much."
"By the time I've treated most of the soldiers in your legion..."
"I'll probably have already advanced to High-Tier Mental Power User."
Yu Lanfeng paused.
He had almost forgotten about that possibility.
"You're right."
"By then, you'll already be a High-Tier Mental Power User..."
"But even after reaching that level..."
"You'll still have to conceal your true strength."
"And that'll still leave you carrying an enormous burden."