The Path Forward

Luck turned out to be on our side at last, as his wounds mostly stopped bleeding by the time I changed bandages for him the next day, and there was no sign of infection. Two mornings later, we came upon a five-hundred-year-old tuber fleece flower by a rocky cliff not far from the creek. Although not as perfect as the thousand-year-old ones he had hoped to find, it was more than enough for what I needed, and I was happy to be back to Mount Hua sooner than planned so I could work on a more effective healing mixture for him.

I got to it the first thing after we landed, feeling grateful that I knew exactly what ingredients would be best for his conditions. All my years of training in medicine had come to great use, I thought as I rolled up my sleeves and started grinding the herbs.