Chapter 645: Pine and Cypress · Red Makeup (Part 2)
When Rong Taotao returned to the hospital room on the fourth floor, a pack of Sanxiu in hand, he found a doctor had also arrived.
The doctor was giving Xiao Ziru a routine check-up, all while softly singing a song.
The beautiful melody was certainly soothing to the soul, and Rong Taotao found it incredibly pleasant. He just felt sorry for the doctor, who had to stand in this bone-chillingly cold room and sing to Xiao Ziru…
However, the man was a military doctor, so his abilities were guaranteed. He probably wasn’t afraid of such cold.
Speaking of which, most sound-based Soul Skills came from Ocean Soul Techniques. They either stimulated the brain or soothed the mind, which seemed to be a unique trait of Ocean Soul Techniques.
Snow Realm Soul Skills also had abilities that could soothe the mind, like the Frost Death Warrior’s Frost Silence. But as for sound-based Snow Realm Soul Skills, well, at least Rong Taotao had never seen one.
Watching the doctor stand before Xiao Ziru, chanting softly while waving a pen, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but sigh. Xiao Ziru was completely unresponsive, staring ahead with empty eyes, his attention not on the pen at all.
‘Sigh…’
Sighing was one thing, but first, he had to hide the cigarettes… At that moment, Rong Taotao looked exactly like a mischievous student.
The doctor finally finished his routine check-up. His expression calm, he walked toward the exit. Rong Taotao, who was already standing by the door, followed him out of the room.
Rong Taotao looked at the slender, gentle-mannered male doctor and struck up a conversation. “Thank you for your hard work, Doctor. And you are…?”
“It’s my duty. My name is Cheng Qing,” Dr. Cheng Qing replied, giving Rong Taotao a second glance. He recognized Rong Taotao, the famous descendant of a Soul General.
Rong Taotao asked, “Dr. Cheng, can you tell me the specifics of his condition?”
Hearing this, Cheng Qing hesitated for a moment. “Actually, the patient’s emotional state is quite stable. From the looks of it, his issues are more psychological. He even spoke yesterday—apologized, in fact—but his words weren’t clear. He’s exhibiting communication barriers on multiple levels. First is verbal communication. Second, on a non-verbal level, his expression is rather apathetic. He uses almost no body language to express his intentions and is unwilling to provide any feedback. We’re all aware of the painful experiences he’s endured over the years. Therefore, long-term companionship and persistent communication are the best medicine for his recovery. In fact, I was just about to start him on a form of task-based therapy.”
Rong Taotao paused. “Tasks?”
Dr. Cheng smiled. “Not missions like our soldiers carry out. It’s more like a child’s game. For instance, I’d give him a pile of cards with Chinese characters and ask him to find a specific one. If he succeeds, I’d offer praise and a reward. Through a process like that, we can continually foster communication, helping him slowly open his heart and learn to accept the world, and himself, again. However, judging by his current state, getting him to cooperate with me will be very difficult. You saw it yourself—he was almost completely unresponsive to me just now. We really need his family to help, but his family…”
At this, Cheng Qing’s brow furrowed slightly. Xiao Ziru was quite well-known; his father had been the famous principal of Songbai Soul Martial High School but had long since passed away from illness, and his mother was also gone.
Xiao Ziru also had no children. He did have a Female Friend, and that was the crux of the problem.
That Female Friend’s… mental state is also unstable!
Having one patient tend to another… that kind of approach would be reckless.
What’s more, they are both Soul Martial Artists, and Xiao Ziru’s power is off the charts. It would be easy for a major incident to occur.
Cheng Qing sighed softly. “The Snow Burning army has already asked Songbai Town Soul Martial High School for help. We’re looking for colleagues or friends who were familiar with his lover, to see if we can use an Illusion Technique to create her image and accompany Xiao Ziru in his Spiritual World to begin some form of therapy.”
An idea suddenly struck Rong Taotao. “I have the Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon Soul Skill. I also know about the patient’s past and his lover.”
“Oh?” Cheng Qing raised an eyebrow. “Including her personality, her manner of speaking, and the way the two of them communicated with each other?”
Rong Taotao was dumbfounded. He shook his head helplessly. “I only had a brief conversation with his lover. I don’t know anything beyond that.”
“Hmm…” Dr. Cheng nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but then said, “It’s still worth a try. I was planning to start his therapy tomorrow anyway. To be honest… the news from Songbai Town isn’t optimistic. Xiao Ziru’s lover kept to herself. Although she was technically a teacher in Songbai Town, she was rarely seen at the school or in public. Wait here a moment, I’m going to get the cards.”
“Okay, thank you for the trouble,” Rong Taotao said, opening the door.
The hospital room was still frigid, like an icehouse. As for Xiao Ziru, he was no longer standing by the window but was now sitting on the sofa.
He was motionless, his gaze empty and his expression dull. Like a soulless puppet, he stared silently at the floor.
‘How was this state any different from when he was with the Frost Beauty?’
‘The only difference was his appearance.’
His hair had been cut short and his beard shaved. His tattered clothes had been replaced by a blue-and-white-striped hospital gown.
A clean and refreshed Xiao Ziru should have appeared to be in a better mental state. But after the haircut and shave, the weathered face now on display was enough to make one’s heart ache.