16 The Laughing Physicker

"Who are you?" Feng asked.

The man in the black cassock looked at him with stranged eyes.

"This is the first time a kid asked my name. Usually, they're scared or too traumatized to speak. But since you asked, my name's Da Lok. What's yours?"

Da Lok cleaned his equipment while answering casually.

"Feng."

"Feng what?"

"Only Feng."

"You must be an orphan or from a weak family..." Da Lok murmured, "But very amusing, you could talk so well."

Feng wanted to sit up but his muscles would contract in a way that would affect his wound so he chose to just lie on the hard bed. At least, it's warm.

"It's my stomach that's been stabbed, not my throat."

[Feng, don't joke right now, this man might be dangerous!]

Rumia woke up when she heard Feng's voice and warned.

'Sorry, bad habit... and it's not like it's funny.'

As if Feng jinxed it, Da Lok burst out of laughter, startling the men besides his tent.

"What an interesting kid! I haven't laughed so hard for a while now. No, I haven't even laughed in this dump since like what? Since I was born?"

"Hahaha- argh!" Feng laughed at Da Lok's joke which others find not funny at all. But laughing caused him pain so he said, "Please, stop joking, it's hurting my wound."

Da Lok raised an eyebrow and hastily went to a cabinet to take a bottle of pills. Taking one out, he gave it to Feng.

"Consume it, it will alleviate the pain."

"Woah, thanks..." Feng didn't hesitate as the pain was killing him. As soon as he gulped down the pill, it instantly vanished. The pain in his stomach slowly faded. He then sat up with a shocked face.

"What miracle is this?"

"Considering that you came from a family lower than a peasant, you must not know what pills are." Da Lok comfortably sat while looking at Feng with amused eyes.

"Rude, they're at least peasants, not lower." Feng rebuked which made Da Lok laughed again.

"I'm sorry," he slapped his big thigh, "I guess I was rude, huh."

"Umm... so where am I?" Feng then asked. He got a bit comfortable with this weird man.

"This place is what you call the infirmary and I'm can be called a cleric or most commonly called a Physicker even though I don't only heal physical causes. But I specialized on it and in curing and tending people's, you know, wounds and stuff."

"Ah, I guess that was dumb of me to ask since it's obvious looking at it right now." Feng replied.

"Haha... that's correct. But don't be too down, one look and people always think of me as some sort of battle guy."

"Well, to avoid that, I think you need some glasses and you should always have a book in your hands."

Hearing this, Da Lok pointed his index finger up while both his eyes and mouth were pleasantly opened. He then opened his cabinet and took a book and a pair of glasses from it.

"You assumed correct." he wore the glasses and posed like a priest as he held the book.

Feng pointed at him and laughed after a moment of realization.

"You do have those!"

"I do and it's working!"

The two laughed at each other, making the people from outside frown and have the urge to come in and see what they're laughing at. Chongan, who was waiting outside to pick Feng and bring him back to the cage, was the most curious one.

As a cleric, Da Lok's position was very high at a place where injuries were normal like a camp of bandits. He was feared and respected so hearing him laugh like that made the others curious.

The two continued to laugh and joke around like adults with minds of children, only that Feng is actually a kid.

[You just found someone weird as you are...] Rumia commented while Feng continued to joke with Da Lok.

Chongan waited for a few more hours and when Da Lok felt his cheeks stiff from smiling too much, he waved his hand.

"Get off here, brat!"

"Then I'll be off, big guy!" Feng dropped from the bed and walked out.

Seeing Feng out, Da Lok shook his head with a smile.

"Hu- I've never had this so much fun in years."

Right after Feng came out, a man came in.

"Physicker Da Lok..." this man seemed he was about to cry.

"Hm?" with a smile still carved on his face, Da Lok looked at this man who was bleeding from his arm, "Why is the blood seemed dry?"

"Well... I've been waiting outside since you forbid someone from entering if you still have one patient inside." the man shrunk when Da Lok stood up as he respectfully said.

Da Lok's smile slowly disappeared as he massaged his cheeks.

"I forgot about that. Let me see... You're already at the Sixth Stage of Spirit Condensation, it's already healing, what do you need me for?"

"Um... I request one pain removal pill, Physicker.."

Da Lok's eyes squinted and a moment later, the man was kicked out of the tent.

"Stop being a pussy! Next!" he shouted.

The others saw the man's treatment and shivered. They thought the Physicker is in a good mood today? Did they wait in line for nothing!?

Meanwhile, Chongan didn't need to carry Feng. He looked at this kid, wondering how he got to talk to the Physicker so well.

Feng, who was no longer in pain, looked around. The smile on his face was long gone when he came back to the reality of things.

"Kid," Chongan decided to ask and grabbed Feng by his shoulder, "What did you and the Physicker talk about?"

"Huh? We... just talked about something." Feng acted meekly.

In front of aggressive people, it's better to act weak. Only if Feng got strong enough to not let people be aggressive towards him would he not let this kind of attitude pass.

Unfortunately, he can't deny reality. He's weaker than this man so he had to act like one. Da Lok is not aggressive so Feng acted normal.

"Something? What something?" Chongan pursued.

"We just joked and stuff."

Chongan looked at Feng with doubting eyes. Could the Physicker be a child-molester and this kid, deviant enough to enjoy it? Because a reason like this slave kid getting along with one of the most terrifying people here is just too unbelievable.

"If you don't want to tell, then don't." Chongan released Feng's shoulder after a push, "You don't know who you are talking to earlier."

"Da Lok?"

"You even dare say his name like that. Call him Physicker!" Chongan smacked Feng's head.

Chongan was at least at the late phase of Body Refinement Realm just like the skinny guard just by experiencing his smack. Feng felt dizzy for a moment.

"Just who is Da-... the Physicker?"

Since asked, Chongan answered. Even though Feng is just a "future slave", this bandit just wanted him to be respectful next time so he answered.

"Physicker Da Lok is the strongest clergy here. You are just brought to him because he has the closer tent!"

"Strongest clergy? Just how strong is the Physicker?"

"Hmph! I don't know exactly but he's at the late phase of Mind Tempering Realm! Now you know, next time, be respectful!"

'Mind Tempering Realm!? That Da Lok!?' Feng's pupils contracted in shock. Rumia didn't react since Mind Tempering Cultivator is still considered lower as trash for her.

At that moment, a light bulb just shone in Feng's head. During these past few days, he had been cracking the manual. This not only resulted in him unlocking the Universal Shop but even two more slots for contracted cultivators!

In Feng's knowledge, no matter how strong a cultivator is, as long as they accepted the contract, they will become a contracted cultivator. So what if? What if Da Lok became a contracted cultivator under him!?

'Holy shit! I need Da Lok!'

[Woah, wait, Feng, that's too far!]

'Rumia, what are you thinking? I need Da Lok as a contracted cultivator. If he breakthrough, how much progress would that give me? Wouldn't I jump straight into the Spirit Condensation Realm and give me the ability to spank those arrogant envoys?'

[Ughh... you two have twenty gaps of cultivation level... I'm not a calculator but I guess that if that happened, you're at least going to reach the middle phase of Spirit Condensation Realm and maybe even past that!]

Feng waved his hand as if he just touched something hot.

'We got a plan!'

[Umu, but don't get too conceited. Although you and that Da Lok seemed to go off well, that doesn't mean he is willing to be a contracted cultivator.] Rumia reminded him.

'I know but we should enjoy it while there's a chance. At the very least, we now have direction on how to escape this place.

After that, Feng was brought back to his cage. He mimicked the other's faces with an expression devoid of emotions.

At random times, he would make a scene and make the skinny man stab him and bring him back to Da Lok.

"Why do you keep getting stabbed?"

"I would rather get stabbed and be here rather than sit inside a cage for days without doing anything. Although I'm in pain, I'm keeping my sanity."

"Hahaha! I don't know if that's a dumb move or a smart one!"

"Definitely smart!"

The only problem was that the skinny guy would sometimes want to kill Feng for always being noisy. He restrained himself but still gave Feng more than just a simple stab.

When Da Lok saw that Feng's condition was getting worse every time he "pays for the ticket" to get there, he finally decided.

"Would you like to help me around here instead of doing that to yourself?"

"If only I can, I really would. I'm also interested in those things you do!"

"Well, I can't believe I will say it but you're now my apprentice!"

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