The one who was visiting her was the old lady. She didn't talk much, she asked precise questions and noted her answers. The amount of Aura inside the old woman was almost negligible, she was at the level of an infant, or a plant. The minimum every living being needed to stay alive. Long Ju found this detail interesting. It was impossible for Aura not to increase with age, simply by natural accumulation. She wondered if it was because of an illness or an injury. Regardless, her motions were natural and showed her experience and knowledge. She was a great physician, that was obvious. Her Aura deficiency was not the only reason she was chosen to undertake her examination.
"Dear girl, what have you gone through in the last month, leaving aside the drug, your body is in an awful condition."
Long Ju smiled innocently. "Nothing much"
The old woman looked at her, and grabbing the parchment, she started listing.
"Minor burns, scratches, and bruises." Probably from blowing up the inn.
"Partly healed microfractures and a bent rib." Probably caused by falling from the third floor of said inn.
"Pulmonary injuries, damages to the respiratory system, abrasions, and hints of hypothermia" Most definitely from almost drowning in the Red River.
Of course, she didn't say anything about her misadventures, but kept a calm face, "I didn't know it was that bad, I feel fine"
The old woman sighed. "Of course you're fine. You've almost recovered from all these injuries. Your Aura lets you heal quickly and numbs the pain by filling you with energy and vitality. But most of these afflictions, even by themselves, would be debilitating and even lethal. I know you powerful Aura users consider yourselves to be indestructible, but you should be more careful with your body."
"But that's what Aura is meant for, isn't it? It protects us from danger and heals our wounds. We're supposed to use it for as much as we can in battle."
Long Ju thought the lady seemed overly worried about her injury history. She was almost in top condition now, after all. Well, except for the drug attached to her Aura.
The lady stared silently at Long Ju for a while. "I understand that the purpose of Aura is to protect you. But I would also ask for you to understand that as powerful as an Aura user like you is, you are still a living being with flesh and blood. You should treat your body with more respect. We should aim to not let ourselves be wounded in the first place."
Long Ju stayed quiet, pondering the words of the lady. She knew that the lady was right, but she didn't want to admit it, not to mention her own attitude towards her injuries. She was right about one thing, though. Long Ju wasn't completely fine. Not after the events of the past month — and not after finding out she'd been infected with a harmful substance. Long Ju felt tired, physically and mentally.
"So, what about the Falcon Tears? Have you checked my Aura?" she asked, hesitantly.
She flinched as the pen stopped scratching on the parchment and the lady grabbed some sort of long ruler. It was made of an iridescent silver-like material. Long Ju recognised it immediately: it was choriolite, a material used in Aura measurement devices. As for the device itself, she had no clue what its purpose was.
"I have," the lady said while checking the notches on the ruler. "The drug is a peculiar case, and while it's bonded to your Aura, its effects have been greatly minimized. It's possible that the amount absorbed was small, to begin with, or it might not even be the complete substance. I know this sounds worrying, but your Aura is mostly unaffected. The drug is merely attached to it; not penetrating it. It may affect your mood and state of mind, but it hasn't taken root, so you don't have to worry about the addictive effects." she paused and tinkered with the device. "The problem is that despite its passive nature, your Aura detected the substance and has already started to eliminate it. To do this, it severs parts of itself until purity is achieved. Your body will essentially destroy itself as it tries to purge the substance. You are currently in the process of Aura collapse. It's an irreversible process, and it will cause severe Aura imbalances, no matter how small the contamination is. As you know, the effects are disastrous for the mind. We must intervene with a safe extraction method in the next two days, or it will be too late."
Long Ju suddenly felt afraid. She knew from Doctor Ping's warning what those terrible effects on her mind were. "Two days, you say? So I could become a madman in two days?" She looked at the old woman, begging for an answer.
"No, we'd never allow for you to fall in such a state. In two days, you will either be cured or killed."
Killed. Long Ju almost forgot she wasn't here to get cured, but for them to check her condition. To analyse the original source of contamination. She was still a prisoner, not a patient.
"News travels fast, I see."
Just outside the room where Long Ju was being visited, a small commotion was brewing. Doctor Ping was annoyed by the presence of the three men who had just barged into his clinic. He wished he could just throw them out, but these people's status wasn't simple. Zhang Ye, the village chief, was of course someone who he could do nothing against, and the two behind me were even more frightening: Hu Meng, the head of the Hu clan, and Ji He, the Great Shaman of the Divine Serpent Cult.
All three men looked to the floor, as if they were waiting for something. Doctor Ping sighed, "There is a reason the girl is in isolation. We cannot allow you to come in contact with her." But the men shook their heads stubbornly.
"We are aware of the danger. That's why we brought these." Hu Meng said, dangling a pair of iron bracelets. These were special artefacts capable of inhibiting Aura. It could be very painful, and it was reserved for heinous criminals.
The doctor frowned. "There's no need for that. Everything is under control, and Long Ju is being interrogated as we speak. She's peacefully cooperating."
Ji He shook his head. He knew that Doctor Ping would have said something like this. He was always too lenient, even in matters like these.
"We don't want to undermine your authority in the Medicine Hall. You have the last say in all matters regarding medical matters. But this concerns the security of the village. We can't afford to be gentle."
Doctor Ping exchanged looks with both of them before staring at the old man in the middle, who still hadn't said anything.
"Chief Zhang, do you agree with them? Do we really want to torture a young girl, without even knowing the facts? Just because of our own fear?"
His words were harsh, Zhang Ye shook slightly, but his voice rang out as firm as ever, "We won't be torturing her, doctor. This is for everyone's safety. We must act swiftly before the situation spirals out of control"
With his shoulders down, the doctor gave up. He couldn't go against them. With a sad and discouraged look, he silently opened the door behind him.
If Long Ju was surprised to see the four men suddenly intrude on her, she didn't show. She merely looked at them. Wordlessly, without taking a step further, Hu Meng threw the bracelets at her. She recognised them immediately. These were the kinds of restraints used for Aura users. They drained most of the Aura, leaving the prisoner almost empty. Since the drug was attracted to large deposits of Aura, they wanted to limit the possibility of contamination by making it impossible for her Aura to move at all. A smart move, she couldn't deny it. She wore the iron bracelets without complaining.
Long Ju felt the cold bite of metal on her skin, and all her power left her. The Aura rushed out of her as if attracted by a powerful magnet. Within her, only the impure Aura laced with Falcon Tears remained. The emotions she bottled until now were freely coursing through her, her skin felt like it was aflame. Her breath was short as she fell on her knees. Without any protective layers, she felt the full brunt of the drug. She started trembling.
"This is going to accelerate the process, doctor, it could worsen the side effects," said the old woman in a reproachful manner.
"It doesn't matter," intervened the Great Shaman, "if she's innocent, then she will be cured before any lasting damage can occur."
Long Ju looked at him, barely suppressing her curses. She was quickly losing control over her mental state. She mustered all her strength to sit up.
"I don't know anything." Long Ju choked out her words. She felt weak and helpless. Her body was no longer her own. The emotions that raged inside her seemed to have a life of their own.
Long Ju couldn't control the feelings inside. No matter how much she tried, they kept on coming. Her mind felt so strange. Thoughts and words formed themselves in her head that she never thought she could have. Fear, anger, confusion, guilt. They were all there as if they were trapped inside for a long time and had finally found their way out. She felt so lost.
Zhang Ye took a step forward. His expression was firm, even though he seemed slightly anxious about what he was about to do. As she sat up, he lifted her chin with a finger to force her to look him in the eyes.
"What were you doing in Serpent's Gate? Where did you get the drug? Did you meet anyone else who is infected?"
Long Ju's eyes widened for a moment, but her mind was slow right now. She had to make some effort to recall the events that led to her contamination, somehow.
"I'm Long Ju, I'm with the Rose Company. I don't know anything about the Falcon Tears."
Her voice was sluggish. Despite her feverish state, she still held onto a strand of sanity. She still had the presence of mind to not reveal she was part of the Long clan and that she was on the run from them and the Azure Wind Sect. She doubted that this detail was useful to them anyway, telling them would only serve the purpose of complicating the situation.
"We know who you are. We have already interrogated your comrades. All we want to know is when did you take the drug. Who sold it to you? Are there any deposits within the village?" Ji He was almost hissing at her. He really is the Oracle of the Divine Serpent, she thought. Long Ju almost laughed out. She could feel it wasn't an appropriate response, but it was like her brain stopped interpreting the signals around her. She was experiencing the world through a fog.
Hu Meng slowly lowered himself on one knee, at the level of her eyes.
"The Hu clan's speciality is poisons and alchemy. Many of our poison masters have studied the Falcon Tears. It's a potent drug, so much so that the minuscule amount in your Aura is able to ravish your psyche and body, now that they're defenceless."
Long Ju didn't understand what the man was trying to do. His voice was enticing, but what he was saying didn't make any sense to her.
"Because of our research on the drug, we are allowed to keep some in our vault, safely secured. While trying to find an antidote, we developed a version of the drug that doesn't cause complete insanity. I was wondering," his voice trailed off while Long Ju's eyes focused on him, strangely more and more interested in his words, "if you do a good job, and tell us where you got the Falcon Tears, I could make an exception and let you have a few drops of it."
A cold air fell in the room. Even the Great Shaman looked horrified at the patriarch of the Hu Clan's methods. He was the most eager one to get the answers, but this was beyond torture. This could mentally scar the young girl forever.
Long Ju scoffed. Who did they think they were talking to? The drug was freed in her system for only a few minutes, and she was a trained warrior. Her mental state was top-notch, she'd never... She suddenly jolted, realising she was again somewhat lucid. It was like in her mind a switch was flipped. At the prospect of getting more of the drug, her own subconscious betrayed her, clearing her mind and making it work at a frighteningly efficient pace. She felt a burning sense of shame, while the events of the past month flashed in front of her eyes. Her memories were perfectly conserved, it was like she was reliving every moment. It was humiliating how easily she was manipulated, how easily she fell. She couldn't believe she walked around with such a dangerous seed inside her, unaware. Long Ju didn't even realise she was starting to talk.
"After almost drowning in the Red River, I met some bandits in a tavern. They were aggressive... I tried to intimidate them with my Aura, but it was like they couldn't feel it. It was suspicious... they were so weak, they should have been cowering on the floor, shivering in fear, but they kept coming forward willing to fight." her speech was slurred, but it was like a light was shining in the darkness of her thoughts. In her state, it was as if she could unravel all the mysteries in the world as long as she could get the drug. She never felt more elated and at the same time disgusted by herself.
Ji He recomposed himself, "So this is when you came in contact with the Falcon Tears"
"No," she immediately interrupted him, "I was already affected. Normally I'd try to simply neutralize them, but I immediately resorted to lethal force. I was injured, but I still had the absolute advantage, I could have at least tried... I should have noticed I wasn't in control at that time... So stupid..." Long Ju felt her mind slip again.
Hu Meng pulled out a small bottle from his robes and dangled it in front of her, "Don't lose focus now, look at this. This is what you want, isn't it? It's yours. Just continue remembering."
Long Ju ignored everyone else's weird looks. She knew it couldn't be the Falcon Tears. She knew it was a trick. But her body commanded her to get it at all costs. Only one question was etched in her mind: what if it was?
Her eyes widened, blocking everything out. Sounds, colours, smells. She followed with her gaze the bottle in Meng Hu's hand, like a dog would follow a steak. Finally, the answer reached her.
"THE AURA BEAST," she yelled.
"There was a giant Aura beast in the forest outside Silver City. It was too big to be there. They live deeper. It was injured. I cut it down. That must be it. The blood from the beast sprinkled over my own wounds. During that brief fight, the drug flowed from its Aura to mine, from its blood to mine..."
Long Ju arched her back against the wall and collapsed.