Yuan Haoran looked around the camp with a sardonic expression as he understood how callous the cultivation world truly was. Most people were minding their own business and actively ignoring the calls for help.
Practically speaking, most of them could probably do nothing to help. However, they did not show even an ounce of concern for the distressed group. They did not glance at them. They did not even point and gossip.
[You should hurry and help her.] The Hero System urged restlessly.
'Why?' Yuan Haoran smirked in his head.
[It is the right thing to do.]
'Do you see anyone rushing to help? This is the nature of the humans that you think are better than the liches.' He replied.
[...] The system did not have an answer.
"Long Jingyi!" The young man called out again.
Yuan Haoran looked at his new companion who did not seem keen to help the distressed group either. It looked like he was grinding his teeth in anger. Obviously, he knew that team, but he did not seem to like them.
Yuan Haoran lifted the hood of his cloak and covered his head again.
"Let us go take a look." He suggested.
"I know them, and they are up to something." Long Jingyi said with gritted teeth.
"Then, we must take a look." Yuan Haoran was more interested in them at the reply.
Long Jingyi looked at Yuan Haoran and snorted in a muffled laugh. "You are a weird guy."
Yuan Haoran said nothing as they headed to the small group. He assessed the man who was calling out and his companions. There were over ten people in total, and they all looked genuinely distressed as they surrounded a woman he assumed was Feng Yie.
Feng Yie was on the ground on a thick blanket. Her body looked stiff, and the skin on their exposed hands was greying. If that was the result of the venom, the situation was quite dire. It was likely that she would die.
"Long Jingyi, you have to help us." The man who called to them shouted even though they were now close.
The group looked towards Long Jingyi, but they were not the only ones. Everyone on the campground was no longer pretending that the people asking for help were invisible. They were now watching and waiting for something interesting to happen.
"I am not a doctor. Your Shademantle Academy should be aware that I am just a warrior. What do you expect me to do?" Long Jingyi said with muted anger.
Now, he understood the reason the group called him over with fanfare. From what he could see, the woman on the ground was affected by venom, and it had spread through her body. The chances of survival were minimal at best.
These people were looking for someone to blame for the death of their companion. The person was probably important based on the fear on their faces. He did not want to get involved in a dispute between their schools.
"I know, but it is not a secret that you are familiar with all kinds of animals." The man continued. "Feng Yue was bitten by a snake while she was collecting some rare herbs. We managed to kill the snake, but it was already too late. The venom spread too fast. The only person who would know how to treat it here is probably Feng Yue herself."
Long Jingyi cursed in his heart when he heard the name of the injured party. He was not very familiar with Feng Yue. They had met a few times in competitions between their schools and other gatherings, but they could not be considered friends.
As a mage who practised apothecary, Feng Yie was not involved in fighting, so there were not many chances for interaction. Her forte was concocting medicine and growing herbs. But for some reason, a lot of people linked her name with his and built up scenarios of their love story.
But the main problem with this situation was not the non-existent romance. It was the fact that Feng Yue was the Shademantle Academy's principal's daughter. In other words, she was too valuable to die in the domain.
If he was blamed for her death, the issue was likely going to escalate and cause the delicate relationship between their schools to fall apart. This man, no, the entire group was trying to shirk responsibility and blame him for her death.
He felt torn between the duty to prevent conflict and protect his academy and the instinct that warned him against getting involved in this matter. As he continued hesitating, the group seemed to have one mind as they knelt and bowed before him.
"Please, Senior Long Jingyi." They shouted.
The bastards! They were intentionally making sure that the tale of Feng Yie's death involved him.
"Do you want her to die from being suffocated by your stinky bodies before the venom kills her?" Yuan Haoran spoke up in a mocking tone. "It is enough that the woman is dying because you failed to protect her. She should not have to suffer from your stench on her way to the afterlife."
The other campers could hear the taunting words even though the voice was not loud, and they could not help snickering at the statement.
"You!" The first man said in anger.
[Host, the mission target is going to die soon.] The Hero System urged.
Yuan Haoran did not engage.
"If you want her to give her a chance of survival, you should give her room to breathe. Otherwise, even the gods will not be able to save her. What will you do then?" Yuan Haoran said.
The words made the group stand up quickly. Their 'leader' looked at Yuan Haoran with hatred in his eyes because he had effectively foiled their plan to shift blame onto Long Jingyi. They could have claimed that he refused to help them or messed up the treatment.
Now that this man had made a spectacle of the situation. If Feng Yue died, it would be a different narrative now. They would not only be the people who did not protect the principal's daughter. They also stood in the way of treatment.
As soon as the crowd dispersed, Feng Yue was revealed. As expected, her facial skin was greying due to the prolonged flow of the poison through her body. Moreover, black welts were forming on the ashen skin like snakes.
"Haoran, you should not get involved with the Shademantle Academy. This is the daughter of the principal. If anything happens, they will blame you." Long Jingyi spoke softly to him. "I can handle them, but you are a loose cultivator."
"That is true, but you will have to take a lot of blame for this situation if this woman dies." Yuan Haoran smiled behind the cloak. "How about I try to keep her from death, and you will owe me a favour if I can cure her."
"Are you a doctor?" Long Jingyi was hopeful.
"Not exactly, but I am the best chance for her survival." Yuan Haoran replied.
Long Jingyi was hesitant, but when he thought about the delicate relationship between his Hallowflame Academy and the Shademantle Academy, he could not ignore Feng Yue. He hoped Yuan Haoran knew what he was doing.
"Alright, I will owe you a favour." He assented.
Yuan Haoran felt triumphant. Sometimes, it was better to wait for people to deliver themselves to his mercy rather than force them to succumb to his will. And Long Jingyi did not seem like the kind to go back on their word.
"First things first, can you find out what kind of snake bit her?" Yuan Haoran said.
Long Jingyi immediately lost faith in his new friend.