Chapter 42:

“Don’t overthink it, it’s just a casual exchange of knowledge,” He Rong chuckled. “Whether your medical skills are good or not, we’ll see the real deal in action.”

Gao Ling was furious.

She really wanted to say that there was more than one well-established pet hospital in the camp, so why single her out? Wasn’t it just because they thought she was easy to bully?

Their actions were unkind, yet they maintained an air of You Yi, quite shameless.

Gao Ling clenched her fists.

“How will the second match be conducted?” Yun Shan asked, breaking the tense atmosphere.

He Rong glanced at Yun Shan’s ID above her head, paused briefly, and then said, “It’s simple. The sick ducks will be divided into two groups, and everyone will use their abilities to treat them.”

“If both sides fail, it will be considered a draw.”

“If one succeeds and the other fails, the successful one will win the match.”

“If both succeed, the effectiveness of the medicine will determine the winner. If it’s hard to distinguish, it will be considered a tie.”

Yun Shan asked again, “Who will be the judge?”

He Rong replied, “Mr. Cao from Kangtai Farm, Coach Shen, a four-star expert from the training ground, and Manager Meng from the Red Maple Pharmacy.”

As he spoke, the three NPCs appeared.

Mr. Cao humbly pleaded, “I invested my entire fortune to start this duck farm. I implore you all to cure the sick ducks.”

Coach Shen remained silent and aloof, giving off an air of unapproachability.

Manager Meng was quite surprised to see Yun Shan. However, upon further thought, it wasn’t so surprising, considering she had hundreds of battle pets at home. So, she remained silent and observed the situation.

Doctor Xia whispered, “These individuals have good reputations, they should be fair in their judgment.”

Gao Ling looked at Yun Shan, and the latter subtly nodded.

Gao Ling relaxed, “Let’s begin.”

Mr. Cao divided the sick ducks into two groups, each with varying degrees of illness.

He Rong said, “You can choose first.”

Gao Ling felt her anger rise upon seeing him, just about to make a sarcastic remark, when she heard Yun Shan say, “Thank you.”

Swiftly, she chose the group on the right.

Gao Ling thought to herself, “…”

“He Rong aims to step on others to rise, so he chose carefully, finding a suitable opponent to challenge. In case of a loss in the match—” Yun Shan stretched out her words.

Gao Ling’s eyes lit up. “He will face consequences and damage his reputation. Just as he’s starting his business, he won’t be able to sustain it.”

“On the left side, among the sick ducks, there is one with complications, making treatment a bit tricky,” Yun Shan said with a gentle smile. “Since he willingly let us choose first, let’s not disappoint his good intention.”

Using the same treatment, the more severe the illness in the white ducks, the slower the recovery.

Although complications could be treated, having a visibly sick duck wouldn’t bode well for the final evaluation. Passing it off to the opponent would be ideal.

Gao Ling: Makes sense!

Doctor Xia held the duck, carefully examining it. After a while, her expression turned grim. “How is this possible? It doesn’t seem like an illness…”

Gao Ling: The ducks are listless, have a poor appetite, and sparse feathers. Even a layman can see that something’s wrong. Are they not sick?

“Shouldn’t we use our healing abilities to treat them?” Gao Ling suggested.

“That’s a last resort,” Doctor Xia disagreed. “Without finding the root cause, they’ll fall ill again.”

“Healing the symptoms but not the cause isn’t sustainable. We can’t keep going to the pet hospital every time a pet falls ill. Firstly, doctors don’t have that much time. Secondly, our abilities are limited. Lastly, frequent check-ups would be financially burdensome,” she explained.

“I understand the reasoning. But if we cure the ducks and the opponent can’t, wouldn’t that mean we win the second match?” Gao Ling asked.

Doctor Xia was deeply conflicted.

Privately, she felt that doing so wouldn’t truly be a victory. However, if everyone failed to treat the ducks, using healing abilities might allow them to turn the tide.

“Stop thinking about it,” Yun Shan bluntly said. “You treat the symptoms, while they treat the cause. There’s a huge difference in skill level, that’s the real loss.”

Gao Ling instantly wilted, “I was just asking, forget it.”

She opened the battle pet hospital to pass the time, earn experience, and enjoy the cozy and cute atmosphere, not because she was well-versed in veterinary medicine.

At this moment, any idea that came to mind was baseless and not worth considering.

Yun Shan turned to Doctor Xia, “Have you noticed anything?”

“The symptoms are quite strange,” Doctor Xia frowned. “Battle pet creatures are resilient, so they usually only get serious illnesses. But shedding and listlessness are minor ailments. It’s odd for them to have these symptoms.”

“I’ve never tried treating Battle pet creatures for minor ailments. The medication and dosage need careful consideration.”

Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and Doctor Liang had already prescribed the medicine.

“Group leader, help!” Gao Ling looked pleadingly at Yun Shan.

Yun Shan quickly wrote a prescription without hesitation, “Done.”

Doctor Xia smiled wryly. This was a high-stakes confrontation between experienced professionals, they could write without a second thought. If it were her, she would need to carefully consider every aspect. Using the wrong medicine or dosage could turn a pet’s recovery into a fatality.

Common medicinal ingredients were ready.

Yun Shan and Doctor Liang personally prepared the medication and fed it to each of the sick white ducks.

As the medication went down, the condition of the white ducks visibly improved.

One of them flapped its wings and stretched its neck, clearly asking for food.

Mr. Cao was overjoyed and praised, “Doctor Liang is truly a reincarnation of a divine doctor!”

He Rong, who had looked doubtful, now appeared confident and declared, “I won.”

So, Doctor Liang’s victory meant Yun Shan lost?

Gao Ling’s face turned pale, almost unable to believe what was happening.

Despite her repeated scrutiny, it was indeed the duck treated by the opponent that showed clear signs of improvement. The batch treated by Yun Shan still lay lazily on the ground. Although their condition had improved, the effect was far less apparent than the opponent’s treatment.

How could this be…?

Could it be that He Rong and Yun Shan had secretly colluded to deceive her?!

For a moment, Gao Ling contemplated many possibilities.

However, she heard He Rong laugh lightly, “Initially, when I saw that you had sought help from Yun Shan, I was surprised. I thought this might make things a bit difficult. But as it turns out, Yun Shan’s reputation precedes her, and her abilities are lacking. It makes sense, she’s only used to making medicine for humans and knows nothing about treating Battle pet creatures.”

Gao Ling thought to herself, She’s just an absent player who has always taken a relaxed approach to the game, but she can’t stand to see the wicked succeed.

What does losing the game qualification even mean? I’ll deal with the aftermath after I take care of this person.

Gao Ling’s right hand reached for her blade, her gaze shifting as she planned to aim for a vital spot and launch a surprise attack.

Unexpectedly, as soon as her hand touched the dagger, Lu Liu restrained her elbow. “Yun Shan hasn’t lost.”

Gao Ling: ?

She hasn’t lost yet?

“Look closely, the appearance of the opponent’s treated Battle pet isn’t right,” Lu Liu said calmly.

Upon closer inspection, Gao Ling noticed that the white duck, which had appeared lively and eager for food, suddenly collapsed, convulsing on the ground.

“What’s going on?” Mr. Cao was bewildered.

Before he could make sense of it, the white ducks being treated by Doctor Liang collectively collapsed, experiencing a sudden outbreak of illness. One of them was particularly severe, even coughing up blood.

“Doctor, please save them!” Mr. Cao pleaded with Doctor Liang for help.

The smile froze on He Rong’s face as he suddenly turned to Doctor Liang.

“This is strange… it shouldn’t be like this,” Doctor Liang was perplexed and hadn’t even realized what had transpired. “There couldn’t be a problem with the prescription. I’ve treated this illness before, and the recovery was immediate.”

“The creatures at the farm are all young, you miscalculated the dosage,” Yun Shan unraveled the mystery and gestured for Doctor Xia to use her healing abilities to alleviate the white ducks’ symptoms.

“Young creatures?” Doctor Liang was initially stunned, but then it dawned on him.

The creatures being raised at the farm were pet creatures, not battle pets. To prevent them from harming others, they would be slaughtered before reaching adulthood. His past treatments had been for adult white duck battle pets, and using the same formula without adjusting the dosage naturally led to trouble.

“Young creatures are delicate and can only be slowly nursed back to health,” Yun Shan explained. “The prescription you provided has the optimal ratio, acting fast but with severe side effects. If they can’t handle it, it’s not surprising if they die.”

Recalling the pitiful state of the white ducks earlier, everyone understood that her words were not unfounded.

“What’s happened to these ducks? They fell ill for no reason. How could this happen?” Mr. Cao was particularly perplexed.

“They’ve eaten the wrong thing,” Yun Shan informed him. “They’ve been digging in the soil and have consumed mutated earthworms.”

As she mentioned this, Mr. Cao suddenly remembered, “Recently, they’ve been fond of digging in the corners! I was wondering if they had developed a new hobby, but it turns out they’ve been digging for earthworms.”

“Mutated earthworms shouldn’t be ingested casually. It’s best to catch them in advance, or prohibit them from approaching,” Yun Shan advised.

“I understand. Thank you for your guidance, divine doctor,” Mr. Cao said respectfully.

“Reputation precedes her, but her abilities are lacking?” Yun Shan glanced at He Rong.

He Rong gritted his teeth, struggling to contain his expression.

Yun Shan asked the three judges, “The outcome of the match has been decided. When will the results be announced?”

Mr. Cao eagerly answered, “The results are being announced now. Congratulations on your victory.”

Manager Meng also said, “Yun Shan’s precise dosing and careful treatment of the young creatures make her a truly deserving winner.”

Coach Shen had no objections.

As a result, the match stood at 1-1, temporarily at a draw.

“I knew it, Yun Shan, you’re the best!” Gao Ling exclaimed excitedly.

She had completely forgotten how anxious she had been just a while ago, even entertaining conspiracy theories.

“What’s the third match about?” Yun Shan inquired.

He Rong remained silent.

It was Coach Shen who spoke up for the first time after their meeting, “I have a four-star Blackfoot Cat battle pet. It’s been ill lately, suffering from insomnia, selective eating, severe loss of appetite, irritability, and even losing control at times, making it unrecognizable. In the third match, you’ll compete to see who can cure it.”

Yun Shan implied that this was a straightforward bonus question.

He Rong, bewildered about what would happen next, left with a parting shot, “It was just a momentary oversight that allowed you to win the match. Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

On the other hand, Doctor Liang occasionally glanced at Yun Shan, revealing a hint of nervousness and unease—having lost due to a momentary oversight was merely a facade, a way of whitewashing the situation. He was just trying to cover his own embarrassment. Even if he realized that the white ducks raised at the farm were young creatures, he still couldn’t provide the optimal ratio and needed time to study and improve the formula.

Observing this, Doctor Xia shook her head and sighed, “He simply doesn’t understand how formidable Doctor Yun Shan is.”

“It’s also possible that he pretends to be confident on the surface but secretly plans to seek assistance,” Gao Ling speculated.

Upon hearing this, Yun Shan was very curious, “Is it alright to hire assistance if you can’t win?”

In a normal match, this should not be allowed.

“No problem,” Gao Ling assertively stated, “Connections are also a form of capability. Since we’re competing, let’s compete based on the comprehensive strength of our establishments.”

Her statement made perfect sense, leaving Yun Shan unable to retort.

After a moment’s hesitation, Gao Ling asked cautiously, “Do you feel confident about the match tomorrow?”

Yun Shan replied, “There are too many treatment methods, I haven’t figured out how to win yet.”

Such confidence! She truly lived up to her role as the group leader. Gao Ling was truly impressed.

***

The next day, it was no surprise that a new person was accompanying He Rong. It was a three-star player with the ID “Leqing.”

The match was scheduled to take place at Coach Shen’s home.

Upon entering, they saw a cat lazily sprawled on the table.

The Blackfoot Cat, as the name suggested, had pure black paws and was covered in black fur.

Although it appeared chubby, with round ears and big, round eyes, giving it an adorable appearance, it was a natural hunter, with the highest success rate in hunting among felines.

With excellent vision, acute hearing, and a knack for ambushes, it possessed remarkable combat abilities.

As soon as it noticed strangers entering the house, it immediately stood up warily and let out a fierce roar, “Meow—”

Extremely fierce!